The Kid Lich Book 2

The Kid Lich Book 2 3 Will P.

Fun with Wolves

            The wolf's snapping jaws were only inches from Billy's face. He was currently laying on his back on his steel floor in the base, and was vaguely aware of Artemis nearby refereeing the spar. At the moment, he had both his arms pushing up and against the wolf's neck, trying to keep it away from biting his face.

            "Your breath reeks!" He yelled, as Khonshu continued trying to bite him. I can't just keep laying here like this, how to get him off? As Billy was trying to strategize, drops of wolf drool were getting splattered all over his face. "Doesn't that hurt your jaw, snapping closed on nothing like that?" He asked Khonshu, thinking nothing would change.

            Apparently, this was the right thing to do. The wolf paused for a moment, then turned its head sideways like a dog trying to better understand their owner. The distraction was all Billy needed. He quickly twisted his body to the left and kneed the wolf in the side, readjusting his grip to a wraparound choke hold as he did. He was now standing on his knees, with the wolf to his right hand side, squirming to be let free.

            Khonshu couldn't risk turning back into a human, transforming while in a headlock could end up with Billy breaking his neck. "Count him out!" The Kid Lich yelled to the Olympian. She did, "Ten, nine, eight..." The wolf was scrabbling, but the nails on its paws just kept scraping across the steel floor. It was making a terrible sound, something adjacent to a fork scraping a dinner plate. "Seven, six, five..." Billy loved the goddess, but he swore she was counting slower than she needed to. He acknowledged she definitely wasn't; but the strain of keeping Khonshu still made the seconds feel like forever.

            "Four, three, two..." Khonshu, able to hear her, was really beginning to panic now. Surprising Billy, he gave up back pedaling, which clearly hadn't been working, and tried to run forward instead. This proved much more difficult to stop, and the surprise of it almost made Billy lose control of the wolf.  He tightened his grip, but slid off his knees. Now, with his right arm wrapped under the wolf's neck and left across the top to make the choke hold, he began being dragged across the sparring area, since his blue jeans, which he had thought would make it harder for Khonshu to scratch his legs, now let the canine pull him all over the place.

            Sliding around a steel floor with my arms around the neck of a wolf that's actually a god who runs a casino while the love of my life watches. How does one even end up in a situation like this? Billy thought to himself. After all these years, he just started to roll with how bizarre the supernatural world had made his life. "Oh, so, close. Sorry, Billy! You gotta keep him stationary and pinned for the whole ten seconds to win the fight that way!" Artemis called to him.

            Gods dang it. What the heck do I do now? It was sort of hard to think straight since Khonshu clearly couldn't shake him. Billy was beginning to wear him out from the strain of dragging the weight of fully grown lich all around the sparring area. He began to slow, more and more, bit by bit, and Billy had an idea. His mouth was already right next to the wolf's ears.

            Sensing his opportunity, Billy took it: "Somnus." He whispered into the wolf's ear. Billy felt Khonshu try to fight the spell, but his body was already so tired from dragging him around. After a few more minutes, he slowed to a stop. Billy released the wolf from his grip and watched him lay down in the same position as the sphinx in Egypt, then promptly fall over on his side, tongue out and panting, still in wolf form.

            Billy stood up, and Artemis walked over to him. "You know, he's almost cute when he's like that." Billy laughed. "Right? You could almost forget he's a criminal mastermind who runs a casino, regularly cheats at every game he plays, and happily employs children to steal from others on his behalf." Now Artemis laughed. "Gosh, you're right, I can't believe we're going to have to work with him."

            "Well, it'll be worth it if his resources and connections can help us get across the country to find the other gods. Now he's got no choice due the Stygian Pact I got him to agree to." Said Billy. Sobek, who'd been watching the spar and listening to the conversation from across the room while he used the pull-up bars, walked over to where the other three immortals were. "Hey, I wanted to ask you about that, what's the plan? When are we planning on leaving?" He said.

            "I can't be sure. We still have to alert Iris and formulate some sort of plan as far as who's going to travel with who goes, but that can be a problem for later. For now, I'm whipped, and I need to take a nap." Said Billy. "In that case, then, I'll be aboveground. Gunna go hunt some wild game." Artemis said. "Here? In the suburbs? You can't go running around up there with a bow and arrow, you're gunna get the cops called on us." Said Billy. "He's totally right," Sobek agreed, "Maybe you could just... go for a run or something?" Artemis looked none too pleased about this, but all she said was: "Fine." Billy watched her head over to the freight elevator.

            "Okay, Sobek, I'll talk to you in a bit, I really am dying over here." Said Billy, as he began walking over to his bed. "See you when you wake up." Said Sobek. Practically leaping onto the mattress, the Kid Lich passed out, and began to sleep like the dead.

End of Pt. 3

- Will P.