Fragments of Alchemy: The Code Breaker

Chapter Twelve ~ The Godfather ~ Part II

Chadwick urged Thea into a quick jog, and they quickly made their way back down the Azure hallway. That same Constable was still there, and she watched them suspiciously as they turned and went up the main corridor. They jogged all the way to the upper walkway of the Crowning Chamber. They quickly made their way down the spiral staircase to the lower walkway and past the Crowning Chamber.

'Where are we going now?' Thea asked as she struggled to keep up, panting hard.

'Dropping in ... on a friend ... o' mine,' Chadwick said over his shoulder in between huffs for air. 'Need to collect ... on some favours ... he owes me.'

'Someone owes you?' Thea asked incredulously.

'Watch it, Al!' Chadwick said as he switched to speed walking again. 'Your ol' Mentor ... has done some pretty ... significant favours for ... quite a few people ... I'll have you know. ...It's always good ... to have a few people ... who owe you ... just in case ... you're ever caught ... in a pinch.'

Thea frowned and started sulking. She was so obviously upset, Chadwick couldn't help but say, 'What's got your stomach ... in a knot, love?'

'Huh? Oh, I just remembered ... You know how ... the Shadow Alchemists took ... all our stuff?'

Chadwick nodded.

'My uncle got me that Endless Ink Quill. ...He said that it would come in handy ... if I was ever in a pinch.'

'Well, it did,' Chadwick agreed simply.

'Yes, but ... on my birthday, I also got a notebook from my parents. ...A Chemist's Compendium that would organise my notes ... and grow more pages as I filled it up. ...It was amazing.'

'It was left behind, wasn't it?' Chadwick said.

She nodded. 'I keep suddenly remembering that I lost it ... and it just makes me furious to think ... a Shadow Alchemist could be using it right now ... but it's mine! ...I want it back.'

'I know what you mean,' Chadwick said as he turned down the Cerulean Hall and Thea hurried to keep up with him. 'I lost all o' my Components ... along with my waistcoat. Tajana thought to give me a new bloodstone, thankfully. I would have been a hopeless bumbling oaf without one. But all those Components are gone. It's infuriating to imagine those Nightmares ... wasting them on their dark Conversions. I can't stand thinking about it.'

The thought reminded him of a few other items he'd lost. Namely, the Reverberation Conch Shells he and Charlie had made to help communicate with each other. Without his shell, he was in the dark as to what Charlie was up to. Hopefully, he would find his best mate at his dorm. As unlikely as that was, he could hope.

Chadwick stopped abruptly, and Thea skidded to a halt as he knocked on a door. 'Charlie?' he shouted through the door as he pounded on it repeatedly. 'Oi, Charlie?!'

He stood silent for a moment, and when the door didn't burst open, Chadwick swore under his breath. 'Probably in the Roots. We'll never find him before your mum is on to us.'

'Maybe we should just hurry back, before she catches us,' Thea suggested, perking up at the thought that they may actually get away with their shirking about.

'Nah, it's already too late, I'm sure.' Chadwick turned to head back down the hall, intent on attempting a search of the Roots for his mate Charlie.

But Thea started to whine. 'Chadwick, please?' she begged, grabbing his wrist and tugging pitifully. 'Can we just try to beat her back? Maybe she'll take longer than you think.'

'Sorry to break it to you, doll; she might be travelling halfway 'round the world, but she's not going to dawdle. My bet is, she dropped Tajana off with no more 'n a toodeloo and high tailed it back here pronto. She's probably already looking for us, which means we might as well make a try for the Roots and see if we can't find Charlie; he owes me a favour, and I intend to collect.'