A New Beginning

Chapter Seven

"This is it," Anastasia called out. She pushed through some forest foliage. "We should find Butler here."

"Doesn't look too grand," commented Chad. "It's just the shore barrier and a lake."

Elizabeth frowned. "Something doesn't look right." She turned to Anastasia. "Don't you think it looks rather quiet?"

"And empty," added Julia.

Matthew stepped forward. "Was there supposed to be something here besides the shore barrier?"

"Yes," Anastasia answered. "There should be several guards here." She crept up to the barrier. "You guys stays here while I check it out." She tiptoed around the corner, Zweihander in hand.

"Well." Joseph sighed. "This is boring."

"Oh, shut up, you rat's butthole," muttered Elizabeth, although not quietly enough.

Chad scoffed. "What is it with you and the anatomy of rats?"

"What is it with you and being worth less than a rat's anatomy?" Bond shot back. Chad blinked and Bond crossed her arms. "Exactly, so shut your facehole about my choice of insults unless you want more."

Julia and the others snickered while Chad's face grew into a scowl.

Sebastian stepped out of the shadows. "Stop bickering, you two, this is serious."

"He has a point," Matthew agreed, sobering up. He turned to Elizabeth. "How was Joann captured?"

"Butler herself grabbed her," Elizabeth recounted, trying not to smile at the memory of Butler's form.

"She was a cute little seahorse!" Julia chirped, giggling.

"You mean Joann was overtaken by a small seahorse that has no arms?" asked Chad, smirking. "Some agent she is."

Elizabeth got in Chad's face. "Are you ASKING me to kill you?!"

Joseph separated them. "Calm down, guys! Jeez, you don't need to fight over every little thing."

"Besides, Chad," Julia began gravely, "this was no ordinary seahorse."

Chad swallowed uneasily. "What do you mean?"

"This seahorse was big, menacing--" Julia stepped forward towards Chad with every word while Elizabeth creeped up behind him, "--scary, and most definitely, it was--"

Elizabeth let out a scream right into Chad's ear. Chad jumped and let out a shriek of his own.

Everyone laughed but Chad, leaving him sitting on the floor, embarrassed.

"Hey!" Anastasia called out from the shore barrier. "She's gone."

"What?" Matthew said. "What do you mean, 'she's gone'?"

"I mean she's gone," Anastasia snapped. "She must have relocated to knock us off her trail."

Chad got up from his corner of shame by a tree. "So what do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sebastian looked round at the group. "We're going to have to find Butler using magic."

Julia's eyes were wide. "You know how to do magic?"

Sebastian nodded. "I've been specially trained in the field of magic."

"Fantastic!" Matthew grinned. "So is there some sort of spell you need to say or something?"

"I thought you needed a wand for that," Joseph wondered aloud.

"Or a broom," Elizabeth added.

"I'm not Harry Potter," Sebastian said, laughing. "All I have to do is say an incantation."