COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 19: Stranger Danger (Part 4/4)

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Dear Readers,

I 100% meant to post the last part of this chapter before I died for three months doing schoolwork.

P.S. Please forgive me.

XO Spooky

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          Ray cursed under his breath, trying to hold down his slippery snake of a cat while he brushed out a mat next to her tail. For a guardian with the mind of a human Ragdoll was still surprisingly stupid.

          He hooked the brush into the tangled cluster again, frowning as the cat slapped his hand with her hooked talons and growled. "Would you prefer scissors?"

          He mocked Ragdoll's scrunched frown, working at the knot again until the wrap of knuckles berated his door. His tranquility had lasted less than an hour since getting back from a mission with whining second years and he didn't have the patience to perform another exhausting chore for whatever was on the other side.

          "Hey Ray I know you're in there!"

          He recognised Draven's voice, putting his finger to his lips to silence Ragdoll so he could pretend he wasn't in.

          But another voice perked his attention, Káel's presence calling on some curiousity.

          "Ray, I've got something for you."

          With a deep sigh he stretched to his feet, catching the glint of mischief in his guardian's eyes as he placed the brush on a table. "If this disappears, it's a lion cut."

          With a quick pat down to disperse the hoards of cat fur plating his pants he went for the door, cracking it open just enough for the light in the halls to stab at his eyes. 

          Draven was front and center, blocking out most of the view with Káel at his side and peeking in with a smile undeniably devious at its roots. Ray held back a grimace, wondering if Káel ever looked in a mirror when he made that face.

          "What's up?"

          "Noodles has a present for you," Draven said, pushing Káel forwards a little and breaking off a bit of his confidence in the process. "He got yer cash."

          Ray blinked, eyebrows rising with confusion at the lack of context. "He got my what?"

          He dipped his gaze to Káel, noticing a nervous shake to his hands as he slipped one into his pocket. "For that sword... you know, the one you told me to get..." The teen carefully pulled his closed fist out, waiting for his open palm to disperse the loot.

          Ray didn't click in until Káel had let the contents of his hand tumble into his palm, the cold kiss of a couple coins and the rough scratch of candy bar wrapper nearly concealing the poking corner of an object that cast his heart to the darkest depths of hell and back.

          A zodraic battery.

          Somehow, through some unnaturally and unbelievable means the scrawny teen before him had dropped a zodraic battery in his palm, setting off a looping reel of swears in Ray's head as he slowly closed his palm to hide the gift.

          How on Earth had he gotten it?

          Ray tried to relax when he realised he'd frozen, removing his blank stare from Káel and quickly clearing his throat to slip the battery and coins in his pocket. He had too many questions running through his head to think properly at the moment and didn't feel like words would work under the blur of panic growing in his chest.