CHAPTER#87

Opening its mouth, it spat out a crumpled figure on the floor.

"Sofia," Mike whispered. The cyclops was motionless, but still breathing.

"Troublesome little mortals, snooping around my chamber." The voice came from the snake, though its mouth was motionless. The voice was feminine, with a very thick accent. Circling Mike, it stared down at him. "You have sent a small army in to retrieve my treasure, haven't you Caretaker?"

"We came to retrieve what is rightfully ours," Mike said, his mouth and throat suddenly dry. "We have no interest in your belongings and would prefer to leave you in peace."

The snake chuckled. "Isn't that what all intruders say? We didn't mean it?" The snake's body kept going, winding its way around the chamber. Mike couldn't see the end of it. "I suppose if I just give you the goggles, you will be on your way?"

"Yeah. That's the gist of it."

"Ha!" The snake's mouth opened this time, revealing three foot long fangs. "So I hand over a Divine Object and you will walk away, never to darken my doorstep again. Such generosity would not paint me well."

"I... I don't want a Divine Object. Just the goggles. Because they are Tink's."

"Hssssss." The snake contemplated Mike. "You really have no idea about anything. Let's say I let you leave. What then of your friends?"

"My friends?" Mike looked around. The minotaur walked over to the long dining table Mike had been at, grabbing ahold of something Mike couldn't see. With a flourish, he pulled free an unseen cloth. Beth and Abella sat at the table, staring straight ahead. The minotaur folded up the garment, parts of his body invisible behind it. Opening the bag, he pulled out a small glass jar with a pair of glowing lights inside. Red and Green banged their hands against the glass.

"Yes. Your friends." The snake slithered up to the table. "They were so kind to follow Asterion here. After a lovely chat, they have decided they would prefer to remain. I'm sure I could find some use for them."

"They would never agree to that." Mike moved cautiously toward Sofia. Seeing no reaction from the snake or the minotaur, he knelt by her side. "Are you okay?"

"I feel so gross." Sofia stared into the distance, her eye blinking rapidly. "But she didn't hurt me. I... just can't move."

"What about the others?" Mike looked up at the snake. "What's wrong with them?"

"You will find out soon enough." The snake was slithering again, moving behind the large pagoda in the corner. Large flaps of fabric cast eerie shadows as she disappeared behind its folds. "First hand."

The snake's body continued moving behind the pagoda, but never came out the other side. Instead, Mike watched the shadows condense themselves down into a slender form that casually walked across the back wall. Emerging from behind the pagoda was a woman with dark skin and a kimono. Long, dark hair was topped with a tiny golden crown.

"I was a fool to be lured here by the last Caretaker," she said, walking toward him. Her features were exotic, maybe Southeast Asia somewhere. It wasn't until she came closer that he realized that portions of her skin consisted of scales making the same patterns he had seen on her snake body. "And I would be a fool to allow you to trap me in the same way she has." Her green eyes lit from within, her whole body surrounded by magical energy. Mike felt all the muscles in his body freeze up. "I know that part of the nymph's soul resides in you now, and in the past it prevented me from overtaking my captor. But when it comes to magic, there is always a way." The goggles appeared in her hands. "Only the goblin and the Caretaker can use these. And since she has refused, I will make you do my bidding."

The sickly green aura that had covered her blew across the room, encircling Mike. He felt it seeping into him, his skin itching all over. All he could see now were her eyes, those beautiful, emerald orbs, expanding to the size of the room, pulling him in. He wanted to kneel before her, worship her, do anything she said, to treat her like the Queen that she was!

The moment passed. Like a sudden bout of heartburn, the sensation faded, and Mike felt the room snap back into place, the memory of those golden green eyes fading away.

"Husband?" Tink asked, pulling gently on his fingers.

"Tink." Mike looked down at her. "I think she's going to cast a spell on me."

The woman stared at him, her exotic features blank for several seconds before twisting into anger. "How?" She asked, her hands balling into angry fists. "How did you evade it?" Her voice filled the whole chamber, shaking loose a few coins that spilled over to clatter on the floor.

"Evade what?" Mike shivered. The room was so cold all of the sudden. "It looked like you were going to cast a spell on me."

"A spell of obedience." Scowling, she looked at Tink. "The goblin I understand. Her head injury is unique, and spells are never one size fits all. But you. It should have worked. A human soul with just a touch of nymph attached. I spent the last couple of years working on the spellcraft to make it work."

Cecilia left a mark on you. Naia's words echoed in the back of his mind. He thought back to that night with Cecilia in the cave. During his own climax, she had temporarily become human. All magic came with a price, and now he wondered what it was that he paid. "I guess I'm a little more complex than that." Looking at the minotaur, then back to the woman, Mike shrugged. "So I guess this means you can't cast that spell on me."

She summoned a giant ball of fire in her hand. "I have other ways of making you do my bidding."