Turned To Stone

Chapter 20 - Zoe

Zoe shifted awkwardly as Connor burst into the room, keeping her eyes away from him. She probably shouldn't have provoked him earlier, they had agreed to try and figure this out, but why did he have to make it so difficult? It was always like this, he didn't compromise and he didn't accept other people's offers.

Her brother was wide-eyed, like he'd witnessed something strange. His beanie was nowhere to be seen, and his snakes writhed in agitation, making Zoe shiver.

"Did you hear that?"

"Th-the- the bang? A-and the- the taps?" It had clearly made Evan nervous, his hands were shaking so hard that he couldn't sign and his entire body was rattling slightly. He glanced at the walls around them nervously, like he was worried that they were all going to fall in at once.

Connor nodded, crossing the room quickly and going to one of the outer walls of the house. "Listen!" He laid his hand on the wall, took a deep breath, and then smacked the flat of his palm against the paint twice in quick succession.

Everyone waited in silence, then jumped as the same thing happened again, dozens of impacts hitting the wall twice in the same way that Connor had. Through the window of the room they could even see a couple creatures winding up after the first hit.

Zoe's eyes widened and she looked down at the book in her lap.

"The Beastly King's Attack." She said quietly.

Everyone turned to look at her. For a few moments it was silent, then Connor spoke again.

"The what?"

Zoe stood up, offering him the book. "The gorgon page in this book was heavily edited with magic. This was underneath the spellwork."

Connor eyed her warily for a moment, then took the book and began to read it. His expression slowly shifted from one of suspicion to one of surprise.

"Is this true?" He looked up, glancing at the others but avoiding eye contact.

Zoe gestured to the wall he had just been hitting. "I would guess so."

"Hang on," Cynthia said suddenly, standing and picking up one of the other books from the box they'd found earlier. "Beastly King, that sounds familiar."

Connor was reading over the two pages again, scrunching his face up. One of his snakes made a particularly loud hissing sound and he snorted, shaking his head a little.

"What did it say?" Zoe asked before she could help herself.

Connor froze for a second, then he cleared his throat, gripping the book tighter.

"She said that me biting people would probably not help me make more friends." He finally said, brushing the snake's head with his fingertip as he spoke. Its tongue flickered out.

"She?" Zoe repeated hesitantly, eyeing the reptile. "It's a she?"

"Yes. Eden... you named her, remember?"

She did. Well, she sort of did. She remembered when Connor wasn't dangerous, and sort of being interested by his snakes. He'd told her what they said, let her pet them occasionally.

"She was your first, wasn't she?" Zoe finally asked. The snake in question did seem to be a little bit... not older, but she looked different, and she didn't move as quickly.

Connor nodded, setting the book that he'd been looking at down on the table again. Eden slowly wiggled her way to the forefront and laid herself against his cheekbone, hissing softly. He reached up a finger and gently petted her head.

"Here it is!" Cynthia called, regaining everyone's attention. She was holding a massive, ancient spellbook. "A Beastly King to save world's time, reversing evil's attempted climb."

"Is that-"

Cynthia nodded. "Another Curse-Line... maybe attacking the demon-fae would be more productive than you think, Connor."

"Me and what army?" Connor snorted, rolling his eyes.

Zoe pointedly glanced out the window. "I don't know, maybe the hundreds of monsters outside that seem to be following your every move?"

Connor looked out the window, then slowly walked over. There were several creatures watching him through the glass. He narrowed his eyes at them and pointed out the window, a very clear 'go away' signal.

Zoe ran over to the window to watch as they dutifully turned around and began to amble away. Several other creatures wandering the yard looked up, focused on Connor, and stopped moving.

"Whoa... I didn't have to say anything. They're all focusing on me."

Zoe laid a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations, Con, you're the King."