Two is Company (House of Anubis)

Chapter 108: Operation Trojan Horse

"This is your idea of evil?"

Mara shot Kira a dirty look from across the room, her grip tightening around her comically large coffee mug. "Oh, what do you know?" she snarked, staunchly ignoring Patricia's cackling from her corner of the room. "You've only been here an hour."

"Yeah, sure," Joy drawled from her spot splayed out across Patricia's legs, "but she's not the one on her... third—?"

"Third," Patricia confirmed with a grin.

"Third cup of coffee for the sake of, I dunno, staying up past her bedtime," Joy continued, voice lilting up into a mocking baby voice at the end. "Like, really, Mara, you're supposed to be the Sinner of Pride, and you're kind of looking a little stupid right now, not gonna lie."

"Shut up!" Mara hissed defensively, eyes flashing red, which only served to make the others laugh harder. "How dare you—"

"Relax, Mara, will you?" interrupted Patricia with a sigh. "Though, that might be hard, given the coffee."

"Besides," Willow added, "Robert said we had to get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day, and we need to be prepared."

Oh, yes, tomorrow was going to be a big day, and Kira couldn't wait. Every nerve sang with anticipation for Founder's Day; for the split second of horror-turned-rapture on the ocean of unsuspecting parents' and loved ones' faces; for the end of the world. She couldn't remember a time she was more eager for a new day to begin, except maybe Christmas when she was a little girl. But those memories, which paled in comparison by a long shot, left her cold now; Ammut's imminent reign certainly beat out Christmas. Kira didn't blame Mara for not wanting to miss even a blink of it, even if she was directly disobeying Robert.

Robert Frobisher-Smythe... It was strange, seeing him for the first time as he truly was— the right hand of the Devourer. He was larger than life, and Kira knew instinctively that she was meant to follow him. Meeting him again in the living room of Anubis House that night was something special. The last time she'd been in his presence, she'd been concussed and delirious; now, she was crackling with energy and ready to make it everyone else's problem. After destroying most of the downstairs just for fun, he'd sent his newest regiment of Sinners off to bed with the promise of chaos and destruction the following morning.

Excitement wasn't the only thing keeping Kira up, however. After losing her quarry, the Moon Key, and KT in the woods, Victor and Caroline had sent her back to Anubis House. It was humiliating, to say the least, but it was her own damn fault. After all, she'd given her only way to capture Sinners to KT, and she'd allowed herself to be distracted. It would certainly not happen again... not until victory was secure, at least.

That was the other thing: with her stupid brother and his tiny band of nuisances still at large, the Great Devourer's destiny hung in the balance. Not that she'd ever want to give Eddie that much credit, but whether he had the brain for it or not, he was still the Osirian; he wasn't to be ignored. Not to mention, the Chosen One was still out there somewhere, which might yet pose a problem even if they did manage to neutralize the threat Eddie and the others presented.

There was also KT. The more Kira thought about it, the less satisfied she was with the whole situation. It reeked of foul play, and too many variables were lining up that painted her girlfriend in a very suspicious light. She couldn't be sure, of course, but with the key missing and KT's rather odd reaction... not to mention she'd never made it back to the house...

Ironic, how full circle this is, she mused. KT, babe, you just can't catch a break, can you?

It was entirely possible KT had played her, Victor, and Caroline for fools. It was also possible that she'd been taken hostage by Eddie and Fabian, or maybe she'd gotten lost in the woods looking for them. The trees were dense and dark, after all, and while Ammut's power did have certain effects on the mortal body, it didn't give anyone night vision. Still, if KT had the Moon Key, and had reunited with Eddie and Fabian, then Kira had made a grave mistake in letting her guard down. One that may get her in some serious trouble if she couldn't rectify it.