The Afterlife Academy by Frank L. Cole

Author:Frank L. Cole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2015-09-07T16:00:00+00:00

A rotund demon covered in coarse blue fur stood in the doorway of Hoonga’s office, timidly clutching a crumpled piece of paper. “Thought you’d want to know.”

Hoonga’s lower lip bent into a menacing curl. “Are you sure they were the ones I sent, Paraput?”

The blue demon nodded as he glanced once more at the paper, trembling in his flabby paws. “Shades two-forty-two and two-sixty-seven, master. They were exterminated just now by a Celestial burst.”

Hoonga scowled down at the floor to where Trutti stood looking as innocent as possible. “Trutti? I thought I told you they were not to be spotted.”

Trutti shrugged, but took a cautious step away from his master’s leg. “Don’t look at me. I told the shades what to do. I was very specific.”

Hoonga slapped his forehead in frustration. “Clearly, you weren’t as specific as— Wait!” The Cyclops’s brow furrowed as he looked once more at the messenger in the doorway. “You said they were exterminated by a Celestial burst? How is that possible? I was told Charlie’s Agent doesn’t have the ability to create bursts.”

“I—I—don’t know. I just read the report, sir. I’m sorry.” The blue demon lumbered as fast as he could away from the office as Hoonga slammed the door behind him.

The report could have been a mistake, but Hoonga knew in his heart that Paraput’s reports were rarely wrong. Which meant that Walter, Charlie’s meddlesome Agent, had somehow discovered a way to conjure Celestial energy. This was not good. Not good at all.

“Argh! I’m surrounded by idiots!” Hoonga shouted. For all he knew, Charlie and Walter were discovering the way to destroy The Summoner’s Handbook, and Hoonga was running out of employees to send to take it from them.

Hoonga paused briefly at the refrigerator to remove a mason jar sloshing with putrid yellow liquid before returning to his desk and dropping into his chair.

Trutti’s sharp claws clacked against the floor as he scurried over and poked his bat ears above the desk. “Master? Are you mad at me?”

Tipping the mason jar back, Hoonga downed half the contents before gasping for air. “Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? Unless you didn’t do what you were supposed to do. In that case, I would be very—”

“I did everything I was supposed to do,” Trutti interjected. “I’ve been spying on the boy at his home and at his school. And I told those shades what was expected. They just didn’t listen.”

Hoonga belched and wiped the liquid dripping from his lips. “They never do, do they?”

“Stupid. Every last one of them,” Trutti agreed. “I’ve always said your entire legion of shades share one teensy brain, and that only works half the time.”

Hoonga cracked a smile, but it didn’t remain long. He had too many things to worry about now. The Underworld was becoming a complicated place. Gone were the days of simple demonic mayhem. Yes, finding The Summoner’s Handbook and opening the Gateway would make life more interesting, but how much fun would it

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