The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 24: Happy Slob

"Prosypat'sya!" Mapta yells while shaking me violently.

I've been hiding in my room for the last few days. My head hurts, and I've been having difficulty sleeping, which makes Mapta's insistence that I wake up all the more aggravating.

Even after I sit up, she keeps pulling, but the word she's yelling changes. I can't imagine what could be so vital that it needs my attention. There's nothing in this house that relies on me, so nothing could be urgent.

I pull my arm loose from her firm grasp. "Please calm down. And let me go back to sleep."

She takes back my arm and yanks me out of bed so hard I almost fall to the floor. She throws clothes at my face, so I change quickly and let her rush me out the door. We jog down to the first floor. I run scenarios through my head at what the emergency could be, but nothing makes sense. We practically sprint down the hall until we arrive at a cozy living room that I haven't been in before.

I stop cold when, in the middle of the room, stands Stratagor Ziras strolling toward us wearing light blue men's pajamas and a coordinated navy robe. His dark hair is perfect, and he's so put-together he could give a speech in front of Congress. "I'm sorry to wake you at this early hour, but we have a situation outside."

I can't fathom what could possibly require my assistance that the very-much-in-control Stratagor Ziras couldn't handle. He gently takes hold of my elbow and escorts me to the balcony outside of the living room. He looks up, and my gaze follows his to the roofline. I'm about to ask what's going on when a loud, hawk-like shriek reverberates from around the house.

I literally squeal with delight. I do a few jumps and almost clap my hands, but catch myself and instead press them together hard. I hear the heavy wings beat as my boy rounds the corner of the house.

"Lenox!" I yell.

He lands gracefully in front of me, and I throw my arms around his neck for a big hug. When I release him, he bashes me in the face so hard he knocks me down. The sharp sting in my nose only registers for a second because he pins me to the ground and smells my face and hair while I giggle with joy. I try to push him away, but I'm so happy to see him I don't care about the scene we're making.

When Lenox finishes his inspection, he takes his large, wet pegasus tongue and kisses me repeatedly from my neck to my hairline.

"Bleh," I say. "Please don't..." but then shut my mouth as he makes another pass.

I push and plead until he's satisfied. I sit up, and Lenox rests his nose on the top of my head and snorts.

"Ugh. Did you just blow your nose in my hair? Yuck!"

I look up at the underside of his chin and then over at Ziras and Mapta. I'm sitting in a very undignified manner on the ground with a giant pegasus using me as a pillow. I reach up to smooth the wet tangly mess. This is mortifying. I jump to my feet and try again to get my hair under control.

"Sorry," I say to Ziras before I turn to hug Lenox again. "I've missed you so much." I hold on to him for a few minutes and give him a few kisses. When I finish, I turn back to my audience.

"Sorry," I say again. I'm talking to Ziras, but my attention is on Lenox, who is resting his chin on top of my head again. He's never done that before. At least not this long. I try to shoo him off as I ask, "How did he get here?"

"He must have been searching for you since you left," Ziras says. "His kind are excellent trackers. Though I'm surprised he was able to find you here. He looks a little beat-up."

Lenox is covered in dirt and smells awful. I rub my hands over him and discover a few cuts and sore spots. "He seems okay. Just tired."

"My guess is he went through harpy territory," he says. "Probably had to fight his way out. He seems no worse for wear, though. Why don't we get him cleaned up and get some rest?"

I'm not sure how to proceed. Should I clean Lenox right here on the balcony? When Ziras said rest, was he talking about the people or the pegasus? It's ridiculously early, and everyone who isn't dealing with Lenox is sleeping.

Ziras understands my dilemma. "Take him to your balcony. You can bathe him there. I'll have the chef bring him some food."

"Thank you," I say, relieved.

I try to explain to Lenox where he needs to go, but he's not paying attention. He also won't remove his chin from the top of my head. I try to bob and weave to get him to stop, but as soon as I free myself, he puts it back.

"Go ahead and walk to your room. However, please don't make a habit of taking your pegasus through the house."

"Thank you," I say while my insides cringe.

I can tell that Ziras isn't much of an animal person, and he's extraordinarily neat. Having Lenox in the house on one of his cleanest days would've been awful, but in his current state, it's dreadful. "Sorry," I say for the third time. Then I march into the beautiful home before Ziras comes to his senses and changes his mind.

Fortunately, Lenox is still trying to keep his nose on my head, so we're making fast progress because he's too distracted to smell anything. However, I wince with every clack of his hooves. When the bust of some guy crashes loudly against the expensive marble floor, I give up trying to be careful and run to my room with him trotting behind me.

He barely squeezes through the back door. This balcony is much smaller than mine at home, but he fits and has some room to walk around.

Mapta knocks on the glass. I signal for her to come out, but she shakes her head and waves for me to come in. I open the door, and she hands me soap, several buckets, and jars of the same kind of powdered water Albína uses.

Lenox doesn't care for his bath, but he stays relatively still and lets me clean him. I examine his wounds, but they're minor and should heal soon. By the time I'm done, I'm wetter than he is.

Mapta must have been waiting for me to finish because as soon as I have the buckets put away, she waves over several large men who are by the door holding what looks to be a side of beef. Lenox and I both see the meat at the same time. He charges at the men, who immediately drop the beef and run. They don't stop until the door to my room closes behind them. I'm proud of Mapta for staying; she just jumped to the other side of the bed.

Lenox is squeezed halfway through the balcony doorframe, noisily devouring the carcass. He's normally not a neat eater, but he's being extra messy today. Bits of meat and blood are dripping from his mouth onto Stratagor Ziras' beautiful rug.

"Can this get any worse?" I mutter as I bend down and shove the meat toward the door, a task that's made all the harder by Lenox's refusal to move.

I'm on all fours pushing at the meat with Mapta behind me babbling about something when the door to my room opens. Ziras must have gone back to his room to change because he enters wearing a gorgeous beige suit.

I'm soaking wet, covered in pegasus grime, on my hands and knees in a pool of meaty blood. I can only imagine what he's thinking. How can this mess of a person be the salvation of the human race?

He's polite enough not to comment, but instead asks, "I know you haven't eaten. Would you care to join me for breakfast once you are done here?"

I wipe my filthy palms on my expensive jeans. I wish I hadn't done that. I do have class and manners, but in front of him I'm such a slob.

"Yeah," I say quietly. "Let me finish with him and get cleaned up. Will that be too late?"

He shakes his head. "We woke up rather early, so it won't be late at all."

I thank him, and as soon as he leaves, I shove the meat out the door and close it, locking Lenox outside. I flip my tired body around and sit on the floor with my back against the door. I wipe a bloody hand across my brow and say, "Sorry," to Mapta, who is still on the other side of the bed.

"Okay," Mapta says with a chuckle.

I laugh too. It is kind of funny. I hold out my hands and say, "Bath?"

Mapta nods. Ziras' tub is a lot smaller than my one at home, and it doesn't have the fish swimming around on the walls either. It's pretty as far as bathrooms go, but mine's prettier.