The Triskelion Chronicles 1: Devils and Darkness

Chapter Eight: Roads Diverged

Julie had been laid out on a small bed in the Count's house, above the Ninth Circle. She had been there for hours. Her body had been ravaged by the onslaught of magical energies she had exposed herself to. Untrained, and undisciplined, she had rendered herself unconscious.

The Count had sat himself down beside her, with his familiar, Poe, perched on his shoulder. He had elected to watch over her ever since he had found her lying on the floor of the school gymnasium.

Jack and Chris burst through the door. "Where's my sister, you bastard!" Chris yelled. He glanced over to the bed to see his sister lying down, still and unmoving. "Julie!" He exclaimed, as he ran over to her. He placed his hand on her forehead, and she groaned in her sleep. "What did you do!" he screamed at the Count.

"I probably saved her life." said the Count.

"Oh" said Chris, as he quietly sat down next to his sister.

"When I found her, she was almost dead. If I hadn't healed her in time, she would have been."

Suddenly, Jack looked up in a state of shock "Oh my God." He said. "Principal Phelps!" Chris looked at him with widened eyes.

"The older gentleman?" said the Count. "I believe I saw him being carted off into an ambulance by a young woman, I assume she was a teacher?" Jack was in no position to argue. By the time Principal Phelps had been attacked and left for dead, he and Chris were running for their lives. It could only be assumed that he had died as well.

"When will she be awake?" asked Chris, staring down at his sister.

"Any moment now, I would guess. It's good that she'll be surrounded by her friends." said the Count. And almost as soon as he finished his sentence, Julie opened her eyes.

"Ugh" she groaned. "What hit me?"

"Julie!" Chris exclaimed, as he rushed to embrace her. "Thank God you're alright."

"Woah, not so close." She said. Being unconscious for so long had made Julie quite noxious.

"I'd do as she said, if I were you." said the Count. "After what she's been through, she'll need rest." The Count rose from his seat and walked towards the door. "If you'll both follow me,"

Chris and Jack had followed the Count down the staircase and into the lounge, which was clearly still in need of cleaning from the previous night. Empty wine bottles littered the room, and scattered napkins and peanuts covered the tables and floors. "Clearly, I'm in need of a new personal assistant after Pedro." said the Count. "Would either of you boys' care for a part time job?"

Both Chris and Jack politely declined. "Fair enough." The Count said. He leaned over the bar and pulled a roll of newspaper from underneath. "Um...here, I guess, try to keep yourselves entertained." The Count threw the newspaper to Jack, who then caught it. "I'll be right back."

Chris cleared the clutter off a nearby red-leather chair and promptly took his seat. He couldn't help but think about detention. The Tantibus attack in the detention hall, his near-death experience, all of it was too much. However, the one thing that frightened him the most was Principal Phelps. Not that the Principal had been the most intimidating man, but Chris's reaction was incredibly uncharacteristic. No one had ever dreamed that Chris would ever hold Phelps up by the throat and threaten him like he did. If the Tantibus hadn't gotten to the Principal first, who knows what would have happened? It was clear that Chris needed help to get his Lycanthropic nature under control, and fast.

"Hey Chris, it says here that the old Ravenwood asylum moved onshore from Ravenwood island, and is now known as Ravenwood hospital." said Jack, reading from the newspaper. "Did you know that?"