Touch of Fear ▸ House of Anubis [2]

chapter twenty-eight. house of impasse

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            As Victor stares at us, I imagine that the same thoughts going through my head are the same ones going through the others'. Things like 'how did he figure out the code?' and 'how did he find the secret passageway?' although I do unfortunately have the added bonus of having Anubis' thoughts on Victor's appearance.

            SEE, THIS IS WHY YOU LISTEN TO YOUR GUT, BRINGER OF DEATH. YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING WAS WRONG SOONER OR ELSE YOU WOULDN'T BE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW! IF YOU GET EXPELLED AND DON'T FIND MY MASK—

            Sibuna stands frozen, having a staring contest with the devil. Then the recording plays. "To those who've trespassed where they do not belong," Victor rubs his eyes, and it becomes clear now that he's been blinded by the light like Amber had, because he doesn't have on an amulet, "the beacon of light is your morning song. Your eyes shall not see. All shall be dark until Ra completes his blazing arc."

            Well, the good news is that Victor has no idea we're down here. The bad news is that he can't see and it's an incredibly small room.

            Victor starts blindly walking and we all make a move to get out of his way. Patricia grabs my wrist and pulls me down by the chairs, Amber and Alfie fall back on the couch, and Fabian and Nina press themselves against the wall. He's got his arms out in front of him, looking for anything solid, and he keeps coming toward us. The next thirty seconds are a duck and go sort of game, rushing out of his way so he doesn't realize he's not alone down here. Fabian finally grabs the chair from the desk and puts it in front of him, but unfortunately for Nina, she's against the wall right next to the chair, so when he stumbles against the chair, he comes too close to her.

            Fabian pulls her away, but Victor still shouts, "Who's there?" Fabian reaches over and presses the button, making the door slide open. Victor stumbles toward him and Nina, waving his hand right in front of their faces, before finding the exit and going out into the cellar. Fabian motions for us to be silent as the door closes back and looks through the peephole.

            "All clear," he announces, and I loudly sigh, falling back onto the couch. That was entirely too close for comfort!

—

            After the run-in with Victor, we agreed unanimously that going down to the tunnels was too big a risk tonight. We did grab all the amulets so that Victor couldn't get into the tunnels, should he decide to go back to the study to look for a way in, which he most definitely will. We can't risk him getting the amulets and figuring out that the tunnels lead to the Mask of Anubis.

            So we went back through the oven passageway into the kitchen, but we don't get a chance to even whisper about what just happened. Because there are people talking in the living room, and who else would it be but Victor and Vera?