Chapter Text
Adoption was harder than Felix thought. He hadn’t talked to anyone about it after Sheba. Well...he may have hinted about it to Ozzy and Mickey. He was a single father, after all. If anyone understood having kids, it should be him, but all of his were still young, and the cat was looking at young men trying to make their stake in society. It was probably like night and day.
Anyway, adoption itself was straight-forward. You get the adoption form. Fill it out. Have the people in charge of the child sign it, and sign it yourself. Easy. Simple. Then you go home with the kid.
That was not how things were going for Felix. Not that he thought he was ready for that step, but he was looking into it. If it had been that easy, he might have been able to consider a house or their educations or how he was going to talk to them about this.
No, no, that wasn’t what he was focused on now. It was thanks to their criminal records that the boys were covered in red tape. When he requested records to consider adopting them at the records office, he was told he couldn’t. Not without a background check first and a visit to the court. In Sillyvision. When he inquired why, it was simple. They were juveniles. Or Boris was. Bendy’s record was clear. That was a different problem. He wasn’t even up for consideration. When Felix asked if it was possible to adopt Bendy, they had the gall to ask him why.
Felix’ patience only went so far. He decided to do some digging so he could clear this up and find out if there was even a way to get custody of them. He had to make a lot of phone calls and nearly decided to take a trip to Sillyvision since they were still away, and it would hopefully only take a couple of days. Luckily, he had gotten the files and information he wanted without needing that trip. Good thing too, with the situation Alice had cropping up. But boy did he have to fight tooth and nail for the records! What Felix discovered was...interesting. Things about the boys’ past that they hadn’t talked about or at least hinted at but hadn’t ever gone into detail about.
So, they had been caught by the police a few times after stealing food or other simple things. Little things. Petty even. Bendy also had the assault of an officer on his former record. They had fled the local orphanage a number of times. They both had a number of complaints on their behavior and the inability to discipline them while in the orphanage. Even traumatizing some of the other children. They had gone through a juvenile hearing for their thefts, which was little more than the boys talking to the judge. That was when Bendy was sent to a house of refuge in a different town. There wasn’t much from there. A report of a fire and him running away. Then, a report of Boris disappearing a few days later.
After that, things got interesting. They weren’t caught any more. They seemed to just disappear for a while. Then, there were some papers in the court again. They were apprenticed to Pete to clear their records. Bendy was clear, Boris was almost. Then, the fire happened. It was all under court order. Boris was supposed to be sent back to Pete, but the shop owner had left town and the business was abandoned. Thanks to the trial and ink illness, Judge Heart had given Boris a pass, but it became obvious from letters between Judge Heart and the judge in Sillyvision, his record hadn’t been cleared. He needed to return to Sillyvision for another ‘trial.’
Now, Bendy’s issue was that he was a demon and considered ‘unfit’ for adoption. Apparently, it wasn’t even an option for him, and that was why he fought the orphanage so much. When Boris had nearly been taken and the wolf had fought it, Bendy had stepped in. Felix could image it. Boris not wanting to go, and Bendy doing his best so they could stay together. They had been children. They considered each other family and were only trying to stay together. No wonder the boys hated the orphanage and authority figures. There were all these attempts at separation. Boris, despite his petty crimes, was a great candidate for adoption. Cute, healthy, smart, and attentive to others. He had manners and empathy. Seemed a couple of adults had been interested in him, but he had chained himself to an ‘impossible case’.
There was even a psychological report about their co-dependence on each other and how ‘controlling’ Bendy was of Boris. Boris wanted protection and someone to look up to. He had idolized the demon and was afraid to be away from him. The doctor that had looked at him believed that Bendy had convinced Boris that horrible things would happen to them if they were separated and used fear and kindness to manipulate the wolf. The list of Bendy’s ‘anger problems’ and his manipulative behavior was obviously fabricated. There was no way the Bendy Felix knew and the kid this--this schmuck doctor was describing could be the same kid. Felix had to fight the urge to just burn the report.
At the end of the day, the point was no one thought there was a chance for Bendy in the system, thus they were trying to ‘save’ Boris, the kid that did ‘have a chance’. Stars.
And the adoption Bendy had of Boris? It was a flimsy guardian form, hardly an adoption. It seemed like it was something the judge had made with a few loopholes. Stars, Bendy was barely more than a foster parent. Anyone that fought it would be able to take Boris away easily. Felix felt a pit open up in his stomach. These boys had been walking a knife’s edge for such a long time. Oddswell was right to worry. It was a miracle they had gotten this far.
It also might explain why Bendy and Boris didn’t make any close friendships in Sillyvision besides Sasha. If anyone developed an interest in taking Boris, they very easily could. At least, legally. That would explain why Bendy was so guarded against people like Mickey, who showed Boris kindness and ignored him. It wasn’t just jealousy or him isolating Boris from other influences in his life. It was the thin line Bendy hung on to. It would take one person, and Bendy would lose the wolf completely. Bendy must be aware of it, but Felix wasn’t sure Boris was. The wolf acted like Bendy’s guardianship was solid, and he had nothing to worry about. Felix wondered why Bendy would keep that from his brother if they claimed to always be open with each other.
That was a matter for a different day. Felix took note to talk to Bendy about this someday.
The background check for Felix would be to check if he had a criminal record himself and if he was fit to handle a ‘troubled boy’ of Boris’ caliber. Again. Bendy wasn’t even an option! Now, he knew his past. He knew it could be complicated on his side of things too. Stars above, he knew. But he was sure he could get the boy a bit more security than this.
Felix shut the folder and slammed his fist on the desk. The hell was with this system? Damn. Where could he go now? He couldn’t adopt Boris without Bendy. He wouldn’t even consider it. And they had fought for years to stay together. They were still guarded to this day because of people attempting to seperate them. No. Felix wouldn’t do it unless he could get both somehow. Felix laced his fingers together and rested his forehead against his hands.
What could he do? The system wasn’t going to work here. Could he--No, that wasn’t an answer.
Well. Bendy was a demon. What did Hell have set up? Or would Felix have to go to the angels? He sighed. He would have to do more research. Had anyone ever taken in a demon before? The laws for adoption as it was now were only a few decades old. Things were different. History might not help him here.
Who was he kidding? He knew what he had to do. Who he had to go talk to. He just really really didn’t want to.
Felix got up and stuffed all the papers into his bag, some a little less gently than others. He walked downstairs. Sheba saw his face and blinked. “Boy. You look angry. What happened?”
“Nothing. Just need the phone,” Felix said and passed her to the phone on her wall. He dialed the casino and waited.
“Black Hat’s Casino, how may I help you?” a female voice asked.
“I have personal business with Mr. Hat. Can I set up an appointment with him or can you connect me to him now if he’s free?” Felix asked.
The woman on the line took a moment to answer. “Well sir, that will be difficult. You see Black Hat left a while ago. The casino is under new management.”
“New management? Where’s Hat?” Felix frowned.
“I’m sorry sir. I don’t know,” the woman said. Don’t know! Why the hell would he be gone! He was supposed to be a mentor to Bendy, and he was just gone? Well, demons have that odd way of traveling, so it might not matter, but still! A little warning would be nice!
“Can I have the name of the new manager?” Felix asked slowly.
“That would be Mr. Taffy sir,” the woman said. Felix wanted to ask if he was a demon, but that didn’t feel right over the phone with a stranger.
“Thank you.” Felix hung up. The cat sighed and dropped his head against the wall. Falling apart. It was all falling apart. First Alice and the girls find some form of the black market that was capturing angels, then Felix learned how difficult of a situation Bendy and Boris were in, and now Hat is gone. He almost wanted to ask if it could get any worse, but he knew the moment he did, it would. Stars, just thinking it was dangerous for him.
“Rough day?” Sheba asked from behind.
Felix lifted his head and gave her a deadpan look.
“Don’t answer. I know that look.” Sheba frowned. “You’re gonna do something stupid because you’re mad.”
“No, no. Nothing like that. I’m just going to check on something,” Felix decided.
“‘Check on’ meaning what? Breaking in? Punching someone? Stealing something? You look like Rosco just gave you a call to let you know he was caught again, Feels,” Sheba pointed out.
Felix turned around to get his coat and hat. “Great to see your confidence in me, Sheb. I mean ‘check’ as in talk to someone. That’s all. That’s it. Nothing else.”
“Uh-huh,” Sheba answered unbelievingly with a raised brow. “Well, I have bail money if you need it. Just give me a call and remember: don’t let the paparazzi know,” she called after him.
Felix rolled his eyes and got his things before heading out into the cold. What did he care of the paparazzi? Or much of any news? The questers were known, sure, but it wasn’t like they were household names like Mickey. Only the sick and the worried would really know them at this point. They stopped one train, and thanks to Xedo, the Nightmare Night situation was clouded. Maybe if they kept this saving people thing going beyond the machine parts, they’d need to worry but most of the time, it was newsies for a week, and then they’d leave.
Felix got a cab to the casino easy enough. The cold weather seemed to deter customers. The place wasn’t as full as usual, or maybe Felix just hit the area on a slow time of day.
He walked past the desk and down the hall. Bendy and the rest had explained the secret halls under the casino, and Felix had a feeling that he’d find this ‘new management’ down there as well. Felix made his way to the back of the casino. To his annoyance, some people did recognize him. In this place, that could mean trouble. He might have to fight his way out if any of these gangsters decided they didn’t want him around.
He found the stairs that led down into the storage room. It wasn’t full of odd devices and junk like Bendy had described. Felix hoped he got the right place. He went to the wall and checked around. It wasn’t that difficult to find the lever and open it up. Felix hummed to himself as he stepped inside. He walked a little down the hall before a door opened, and a huge lizard man stepped out and crossed his arms.
Felix blinked. “Uh, hi. I’m here to talk to Taffy? I wanted to see Hat but I understand that he isn’t here anymore? It’s about a matter outside of the casino.”
The lizard eyed him for a long time before he turned and walked down the hall. Felix was going to go ahead and assume that meant ‘follow.’ So, he started to move again. They walked for a while through a number of halls. The design of some changed from hall to hall. There were half cleaned-away drawings on the walls. Some halls looked medical or sterile in nature, others were more casual. Like a school. Then, there was one with a thick carpet and fancy dark wood door at the end. That was the hall the lizard took. He opened the door.
“Ah, what is it now! Another one of their idiotic death traps? Who is it?” a man growled.
“Intruder, boss. Says he has business,” the lizard said in a low voice. His accent was thick, and Felix couldn’t quite place it.
The man sighed. “When you have an intruder you handle them, not bring them to my office!”
“Oh, vell, uh you see boss--”
“Nevermind! Just let them in,” the man dismissed. The lizard turned awkwardly to glance at Felix before opening the door completely to let him enter.
There was a large desk and leather chair on the rich carpet. There were a number of items around the room. Felix felt his mouth go dry. Artifacts! Priceless artifacts! He stepped up to a jeweled egg. “Is this a Faberge Egg?”
He glanced at the...Oh, another lizard, behind the desk. This one was smaller than the one that led Felix there. He was in a sharp suit and looking at papers on the desk. He glanced up. “I don’t know. I don’t really care, but I’ll have to go through his junk and get rid of it appropriately.”
Junk! Felix felt his fur bristle. He looked around again. He couldn’t believe some of the things here! The Florentine Diamond, a book of ancient text, jewels that seemed suspiciously like crown jewels—possibly thirteenth century—the Kusanagi one of the three sacred treasures of Japan, and was that the Kraken’s eye?
“Now intruder, would you mind telling me why you are bothering me?” the lizard asked and moved the papers into a neat stack.
Felix fought the urge to scowl and start off with the treasures in the room. The missing treasures of history. Junk. Oh stars he called them junk!
Felix swallowed and took a deep breath. “Well sir, you see I am here to inquire a few things. Like the whereabouts of Black Hat.”
“Ah, he’s gone. I’m in charge now. Whatever business you had with him, you can have with me now,” the lizard stated. “I am Taffy. The new manager of the Black Hat Casino.” He tilted his head. “At least until we can rename it.”
What happened? Felix narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “So I take it you are also a demon?”
The lizard man looked up at Felix and smirked, showing a couple of his fangs. “High Lord Taffy, one of the best demon lords there is.” Taffy narrowed his eyes. “Now what business would you be involved in that would need a demon, sir cat?”
This wasn’t good. Or maybe it was? Felix couldn’t be sure. His first instinct was to not trust this demon. He usually went with his gut on these things.
“My name is Felix. And I will get to my business shortly. First, I would like to know what happened to Black Hat.” Felix crossed his arms.
Taffy tutted. “That’s really not important. Come have a seat.”
Felix frowned and crossed his arms. He didn’t take another step closer.
Taffy took the hint and stood. “Well then, Mr. Felix. I must say that Hat disappointed our employer and was relieved of his position.”
“Employer?” Felix asked.
Taffy grinned. “Why yes. The owner of this casino. Hat failed to perform, and now he is facing the consequences of his actions as we speak. But that is all rather dull news. What sort of business do you have with me sir?” Taffy walked slowly around the desk and leaned against it.
Felix’ mind raced. Hat was gone. It sounded like he got into some sort of trouble. What would this mean for Bendy? The cat sighed.
“You seemed troubled,” Taffy said.
Felix frowned. “Well, I had a question on some demon laws, but I’m not sure I can trust them to you.” Not that he had really wanted to trust them to Hat either…
Taffy raised his brows. “Demon laws?”
“About children,” Felix said flatly.
That seemed to take Taffy back. He chuckled. “Children? Wait, what? You were going to ask Hat about children?”
Felix frowned. “I was going to ask him what sort of laws of adoption Hell had for their children.”
Taffy snorted a laugh. “That’s rich.” Taffy straightened up and reclaimed control of himself quickly. “The image of Hat’s face if someone asked him that, not your question.”
Felix really didn’t like this reptile demon.
Taffy sighed. “Oh dear. I’ve offended you. Well to show good confidence, I shall explain. How about that?”
Felix flicked his tail. He felt talked down to, like a child himself. He would have rathered Hat. At least his insults were direct. Taffy approached him slowly. “Here,” he said. “Let’s walk and talk.” Taffy passed Felix and opened the door.
“You see, demons have a bit of a system. Lords, Princes, and high rulers under the king,” Taffy said. “Now if one of these high rulers wanted to claim a child—I assume you mean a demon child—as their own, they would need to get the proper documents from the king’s, uh, castle, as proof of lineage, so that the child may have claim on the inheritance like a blood relative would.”
“Makes sense,” Felix muttered, walking warily beside the lizard. “And what of the demons that aren’t high rulers?”
“They don’t matter,” Taffy dismissed instantly. “They can take in or toss out whomever without needing paperwork.”
Felix felt his stomach drop. “But what about the kids? Wouldn’t children be in danger? Go missing?”
Taffy chuckled. “One of the few laws that have dire consequences is killing a child, so they are relatively safe until they come of age. At least safe from adult demons. If they perish, it’s from fellow children or the dangers that are common in Hell.”
Well. Felix wasn’t ready for this. Then again, what did he expect? It was demons and Hell after all.
“I’m curious,” Taffy said. “Why have you come all the way here to ask about demon laws on children?” He smirked.
Felix lifted his chin. “Curiosity.”
Taffy chuckled and mocked. “Oh, I’m sure.”
Felix scowled. “I have an interest in a demon child. Surface laws don’t really apply to him. I’m just concerned.”
“A child on the Surface?” Taffy widened his eyes. “Do you know if the child has papers? Do the angels know? Wha—“ The surprise changed. His lip twitched and he stopped walking. Felix stopped and half-turned to face him.
“Hat’s fledgling. Now it makes sense.” Taffy narrowed his eyes. “Marginally. Why are you interested in him? In an adoption?” Taffy raised a brow. “Was Hat truly considering it?”
Felix frowned. “I don’t see how any of that is your business.”
“And what? Are you worried for the little demon’s sake?” Taffy smirked.
Felix lifted his chin. “I think that’s all I needed.” Felix turned back and started for the exit.
“He isn’t coming back, you know,” Taffy called after him. “I would keep a close eye on that fledgling. He’ll need a new master, and I am an excellent teacher.”
Felix glanced over his shoulder at the lizard. He seriously doubted it. “If you ever need to get rid of any of that ‘junk,’ Mr. Taffy, let me know. I’d be happy to take it off your hands.” The lizard blinked. Felix left the basement and marched down the hall perturbed. Hat was gone for good? A new master for Bendy? Felix didn’t like Hat but at least he was easy to read. Well, easier. This new lizard guy set off a number of flags in Felix’ head. Hat was bad. He was coming to believe that this lizard demon was worse. It could have just been a first impression thing, but Felix wasn’t sure
The cat made his way back to the main hall. He would have to try the angel route, after all. But who should he ask?
A hand grabbed his arm from a small alcove under the stairs and yanked him inside.
“Merow!” Felix exclaimed in surprise.
“Shhhhh.” Holly put her finger to her lips. “Mr. Felix, what are you doing in the casino?” she asked, glancing out of the alcove.
Felix took a moment to calm his bristled fur. “Me? Holly! What are you doing here?”
“Watching Willen,” she said easily. “Did you just meet with the new owner?”
“I--it--uh,” Felix fumbled with words. “Wait. Watching who?”
Holly waved a hand. “It’s a hobby. Like stamp collecting. Do you know why Hat is gone?”
“I-It, what?” Felix blinked. Stamp collecting? “Holly, this place is dangerous. If some of these fellas see a suspicious person they won’t hesitate to pull a gun.”
“Which is why we’re standing in an alcove.” Holly said like it was obvious. She gave a big yawn.
Felix looked at her. She seemed exhausted. Dark circles were under her eyes, and her hair was a bit more unkempt. “I think we should go back to town together.”
She straightened at that. Frowning, she shook her head. “Mr. Felix, I admire you a lot. I cherish your opinion. But I’m not leaving here. I was just wondering if you thought the new owner might have anything to do with the angel’s disappearance.”
Felix stopped. His mind was trying to go a few different directions. He needed to focus. The cat took a deep breath and pushed his personal concerns away. Okay. Alice’s problems. The angel disappearances? With this guy?
Holly caught sight of this expression, and her frown deepened. She put a hand on his arm. “I assume...not. You look really stressed, Mr. Felix. Are you okay?”
Felix perked his ears. “Me? Oh, I’m fine. I have a few hangups on some research is all.” Felix said. Which wasn’t a lie. It was just personal research instead of work. “I’m a bit worried for Bendy. The new owner said that Bendy should consider a new master and that Hat isn’t coming back. I’m guessing this change was recent.” Felix crossed his arms and thought. “But would this change match up with the disappearances?”
Holly hummed and closed her eyes, rubbing them. “Well, Polly’s been missing for three weeks now? And according to the employees here, the new owner has been here…two weeks. Barely. I don’t know. I don’t think so.” She sighed. “You’re right. It wouldn’t make sense. Though, apparently the casino was just empty of management for a little while.”
“Why? What happened?” Felix furrowed his brow.
Holly shook her head. “No one here knows. I haven’t seen Flug or Demencia while I’ve been here either.”
“H-how long have you been here?” Felix frowned at the girl.
She took in a slow breath and let it out. “Oh, who knows...But Hat’s disappearance has me worried, because I assumed that he would protect the fallen angels here to at least some extent. He sees all his employees as property, after all. It makes sense that Polly disappeared after he ‘left.’” She raised hands in air quotes.
“That’s true,” Felix said. “If one of his employees disappeared, I think he’d look into it at the very least. This new manager though.” Felix frowned. “I don’t think we can expect him to be the same.”
Holly frowned with him. “I don’t like that. This all seems to be happening at the same time, and I’m not sure what’s started it.”
“Well, those papers had a few of the animals from Nightmare Night, so things like this have been happening for a while before Hat disappeared. It’s just moved on to people now,” Felix figured.
A flash of guilt went across Holly’s face. “That makes sense,” she muttered.
Felix put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We’ll figure this out,” he promised. “You have the pages memorized, and I’ve had some practice when it comes to codes and ancient languages. We’ll find them.”
She nodded silently, looking sick. “I wrote them out this morning,” she said, rummaging through her bag. “Here.” She pulled out a little hand-sized journal. It had been filled with scrawls that mirrored what had been written in the coded papers.
Felix took the book and looked through them again. The code was complex. It almost seemed like a language, but it didn’t piece together easily for Felix like most languages did. Either it was ancient and forgotten or a code. Since this was a criminal group, Felix as leaning more to the later. It would be tough to decipher, but not impossible. “Thanks Holly,” he said. “You want me to take this?”
She nodded. “You’d have the best chance of breaking it. And I can make another copy for the three of us.”
Felix nodded and put the book in his bag gently. His hand brushed one of the files on the boys. Felix frowned. He’d have to wait on that. People were in danger right now, and he had hit a dead end for now. He didn’t have the time to do more. Felix mentally apologized to Bendy and Boris and focused on Holly again.
She shifted a little. “Well then…” she said slowly. “I’ll be going then. Stay safe, Mr. Felix.” She started to turn away.
“Wait, wait. You’re going to explain thing...hobby of yours first,” Felix said. “I am a bit concerned for your wellbeing.”
Holly stopped, turning back to him. “I’m not doing anything dan...I’m staying in the public areas of the casino. With my runes. And I’m only here during work hours. You don’t need to worry. I sit in a chair in the corner most of the time.”
Felix considered her words and appearance. She was obviously putting herself in danger here. He could also see her digging in her heels for what he was going to say next. She was doing something she thought was important. Just like the rest of them.
A knife’s edge.
“Okay. You be safe Holly. I don’t think anyone would be okay if something happened to you,” Felix said. “And take a break soon. For us.”
She relaxed, relief showing on her face. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I will.” She paused. “And good luck with whatever that ‘research’ of yours is,” she added. She gave him a wink.
Felix twitched at the mention of research. Was she onto him? Would he have to explain himself? But what if it didn’t work out? He didn’t want this to get back to the boys if all they were going to get was disappointment. Besides, Felix still wasn’t sure himself. He didn’t want to set up any expectations yet.
She studied Felix and then reached out to squeezed his shoulder. Then, she turned back to the entrance of the alcove and faded away.
She had gotten better with those runes of her. Felix was truly impressed. With a deep breath, he stepped out and then left the casino. He needed to go to the university and start cracking this code.
It took a while for Felix to find a quiet corner away from curious eyes. He pulled out the little book and a few of his own codebooks. He opened the first and started to look for patterns in the symbols. If it read left to right or right to left. Up to down or the other way around. If it was Latin based, numeral based, or caricatures. He tried a few other base languages, though he thought he might be trying too hard with these people. How complex would a criminal code be?
After a few hours and a few other code breaking books in the library, Felix determined that the answer was ‘very complex’. He had made no headway, and the sun was going down. Felix shut his book in defeat. Yet another hard bricked deadend for today. He left the university and headed to the house. Some of Granny’s cooking would do him good.
It was cold outside. Felix decided to ride his bike regardless. It wasn’t that far. He pulled out a thick scarf to protect his face and rode over. The drive was nice though it didn’t help his spinning worries. He reached the house and climbed the stairs. He opened the door.
“Knock knock,” he called in.
“Felix! Just in time!” Granny called. “Help Red with the dishes.”
Dinner was good. It was empty without the fellas there. It was still a great time to relax with friends but it was definitely quieter without Bendy and Cup arguing or Finley telling jokes. The Warner siblings kept the spirits up though along with Wiston.
Xedo was there. Maybe Felix could talk to him about the code and the local mobs. He would at least know a few things. Felix was sure Xedo would also want to help in this matter. So after supper, Felix asked if he could talk to the fox alone.
Alice glanced over to Cazziel.
She had filled him in on what they had found. He had asked if he could see for himself. So now...here they were. Outside of the warehouse. Again.
“Are we really sure this is a good idea?” Cala whispered.
“I’m not sure what else we can do.” Holly sighed next to her. “Still no luck catching sight of Willen’s stalker. And I’m not entirely sure whether I’ve been spotted,” she said in a lower voice.
“The code is proving difficult. I’m sure I can get it with some more information,” Felix added.
“Add there’s a good chance Polly is in there. We can at least try to get her out,” Alice added.
“Then we best get going,” Cazziel concluded. Cala sighed.
“But everyone needs to be careful. We don’t know if anyone noticed our entry last time.” Holly pulled her jacket closer to her body.
“True. Be ready for traps. If anything goes wrong, leave immediately.” Felix said with a serious look to everyone.
With that, the five of them climbed back in through the window from before. This time Felix pulled on the coat wrack and the door swung open. Alice was impressed. They were quick to ride down the rusty elevator.
“Golly, this place is creepy,” Cazziel muttered. Alice couldn’t agree more. This time they rode the elevator to the bottom. It felt like it was taking forever, but that was probably just Alice’s nerves. The air was getting colder again and a little damp.
“Let’s focus on getting farther in this time. See what’s at the back,” Holly whispered.
Everyone agreed. When the elevator finally stopped they all peered into a large dark tunnel. There was a ramp and the tunnel was large. Huge. Big enough for vehicles. There were even tire tracks.
“We found where they brought everyone and everything,” Felix said quietly.
“How far do you think it goes?” Cala asked in a whisper.
“Very far,” Holly murmured. She looked at Alice. “Do you feel anything?”
The angel shook her head. “I don’t sense anything ahead. It must be deep.”
“I wonder where it goes,” Felix murmured. “They don’t leave through the warehouse. There’s no nearby garage. There must be a second exit down here.”
Cazziel straightened up. “It’d be great to find! Maybe that would be a hint at where these fellas are taking everyone.” He jumped off the ramp and started down the dark path. Felix pulled out a lamp and followed.
Alice shared a worried look with Cala and started walking. The tunnel was rough and seemed old. There were puddles of water here and there. They walked for several silent minutes. The only sound was their footsteps and breathing.
“You called Xedo before we left, right Mr. Felix?” Holly asked in a low whisper.
He nodded. “I decided to include him since he has a lot of knowledge about the city and even the criminal world here. He knows we’re here and what we think is going on here. I also left the little notebook with him this evening so he could copy a few of the symbols.”
“Sounds good.” Cazziel smiled, flashing his fangs in the half-light of Felix’ lamp. “That way someone can call the calvary if we don’t come back.”
“I rather come back,” Cala said softly.
“That’s the goal,” Alice said.
“Most definitely,” Holly agreed.
They continued on for such a long time that even Alice’s toes were going numb.
“How long have we been walking?” Cala sighed. “There’s nothing but more dark tunnel!”
Holly pulled out a pocket watch. “About five hours.”
“My feet are killing me,” Cala pouted. “I didn’t even know they could do that.”
“Nothing has changed,” Cazziel frowned. “How long until the sun is up?”
“Another three or four hours?” Alice guessed.
Holly leaned against the tunnel wall and rubbed her eyes. “Let’s hope we find an end to this before then.”
“Yes, I think our best bet is finding the other exit at this point.” Felix sighed and put his hands on his hips. “If we go back, the workday will have already started before we can use the elevator.”
Agreeing upon that, they continued forward.
It was still a time before there was light at the end of the tunnel. They all tensed with the worry that someone would be there waiting for them. As they crept forward, the light grew. Felix turned off his light and put it away. They could hear things moving around. Animals grunting and shifting.
“I think we found them,” Cazziel whispered.
“Shh,” Felix hushed. They entered the room to see large square shapes all covered in tarps. Felix lifted one. Something hissed at him, and he dropped it quickly. “Cages,” he muttered.
The room was huge. The size of a stadium. Cala stepped up to another. “All of them are cages?”
There had to be a hundred at least. Alice walked around slowly, trying to see if she sensed anyone, enemy or angel.There was magic. A lot of dark magic, but those were the animals. Cazziel seemed to have the same idea. He wandered a bit away from her, his eyes scanning the room. Alice found a new tunnel to the right.
“Psst!” Alice turned around to see Cala waving her over. Alice hurried to her. The rest of the group was there.
Felix tugged his hat down. “So, we have two guards on one tunnel on the far side. About a hundred cages. Some loading trucks. Cazziel didn’t sense any angels, and I fear if we check under every tarp we will disturb the animals and give ourselves away.”
Alice frowned. She wasn’t here? Polly wasn’t here? “Then where is Polly?”
“She’s been missing for several weeks.” Holly looked at her. “And this...seems like a storehouse. There must be a place they take what they’ve caught from here,” she said with a frown at Alice. Alice looked at the ground and crossed her arms around herself.
“If I have to guess, I would say either the docks or on a road somewhere,” Felix said. “We’ve traveled roughly ten or so miles. We could be at the edge of the city now. This is probably the last place they are kept before ship out.”
“Ship out to where?” Alice asked.
Felix looked at her sadly and shook his head. Alice hunched her shoulders. So what? She and the other were just gone? Alice shook her head. She couldn’t accept that. She refused! Alice had to find them!
Cala put a hand on her shoulder. “Is there anyway to find out where they went?”
“Those files.” Felix sighed and glared at the ground.
“What about a ledger?” Cazziel suddenly asked.
“A-a what?” Alice stuttered.
Cazziel jerked a shoulder up in a half shrug. “A ledger. To record who pays on what. If they have this many now, and they are consistent in this business, they’d need one to keep everything straight and remember who’s paid and what’s going where.” He looked around the room. “It could be around here somewhere or be brought in, but if this is the final stop, they’d have to check it to make sure that they aren’t sending a griffin to the wrong buyer.”
“We need to look for an office then,” Holly said. They split up in twos to do just that. It took them another fifteen minutes of sneaking around before anyone had any luck. Sadly, it was near the only seeable guards. A single door by the large cave.
“How much do you wanna bet that tunnel by them is also our exit?” Cazziel grinned.
Felix sighed. “Why our luck? It’s almost a guarantee.”
“Maybe a distraction?” Holly murmured, looking at it with them.
“It has to be something that isn’t suspicious,” Cala said.
“Well some of these creatures look easily irritable. I would guess it’s within the norm for some of them to make a racket at times,” Holly suggested.
“So, let’s annoy a big scary boy that can buy us a few minutes.” Cazziel smirked.
Cala frowned. “Let me,” she muttered. “It shouldn’t be too hard for me to startle some of these animals.” She walked away a little downhearted. Alice wanted to ask her why, but now wasn’t the time. They waited behind one of trucks near the doorway and the entrance to the cave. It was only a couple of minutes before something let out a terrifying shriek. It was a quick chain reaction before nearly the whole room was full of the echo sound of howls, roars, shrieks, and screams.
Alice had to cover her ears. The guards did the same and ran into the office. They seemed to grab something from a cabinet before putting on earplugs and racing out into the room. That wasn’t going to buy them much time. They were prepared for loud animals, apparently.
Felix and Cazziel rushed into the office. Holly and Alice were right behind them. It was a simple office. Two desks, three cabinets, and a chest. Cazziel went to the cabinets, Alice and Holly split up for the desks, and Felix hurried to the chest. Alice quickly pulled all the drawers open, looking for anything that looked like a ledger. There were office supplies, a couple of needles with something in them, more earplugs, and some unused padlocks.
“I’ve got nothing!” Alice said.
“Me neither!” Holly said, straightening up from the other desk and shutting the drawers again.
Felix was busy picking a lock on the chest. He opened it to show a few guns and bullets and some odd rods with symbols on them. Alice approached the chest. “What are those?”
“The symbols for lightening are on them,” Felix said grimly.
Holly leaned forward. “Electricity…” she muttered. Her brows went down. “These could be used to stun people, if not kill them,” she said, eyes widening. “Depending on how strong they are.”
Alice grimaced. Stun?
“Got it!” Cazziel grinned and held up a folder from a top drawer.
“Good, we don’t have a lot of time,” Felix said. “Listen, the animals are already calming down. We don’t know when they’ll get back here.”
“Then, no time to leave like the present!” Cazziel grinned and tucked the file under his arm. Felix hurried out and glanced around carefully for the guards.
“Felix!” Cala called. “They aren’t back yet. Let’s go!”
Holly glanced at Cazziel. “If you give me the file, I can look while we run.”
“Okay.” Cazziel passed it to her as they headed to the office doorway. Holly flipped the file open, glanced and turned page after page as she moved out of the doorway.
Alice stepped into the doorway and slammed into what felt like a wall. Cazziel crashed into her. “What!” Alice exclaimed.
“Ouch,” Cazziel groaned.
Alice lifted her hands to the open doorway. A wall. An invisible wall. She couldn’t get through.
“Hey, sweetheart, I don’t think nows the best time for games.” Cazziel chuckled and also reached out. “Oh. That’s not good.” Alice looked over at him to see that his halo was out. She glanced up to see hers had appeared against her will too. What was going on!
Holly stopped a few feet away. “Alice?” she whispered and turned back. She grabbed Felix’ coat, stopping him.
“What’s the problem?” Felix asked.
“We can’t get through!” Alice’s voice shook. She tried to make her halo disappear, to no avail. It glowed stubbornly above her. Cazziel pushed against the barrier.
Holly hurried back to the doorway. “A barrier?” she whispered. She looked around the entrance of the office, eyes scanning the walls for anything. Alice followed her example. She didn’t see any obvious runes.
Cazziel grunted. “Okay. I have an idea!” He went back and grabbed one of the chairs.
“I don’t know about that,” Alice said nervously.
“Trust me. Brute force has rarely failed me,” Cazziel grinned and lifted the chair. “Get out of the way!” He swung the chair down. Alice expected it to hit or bounce off, instead the chair went through the doorway and hit the floor with a loud bang!
“What the cuss!” Cazziel growled. He threw the chair, and it sailed through the doorway without a problem. The fallen angel went to walk through and still couldn’t.
“We don’t have time!” Alice said.
“There must be magic specific to angels,” Holly said in horror.
Felix frowned and walked through and back without a problem. He scowled and hurried in. He started looking around the room and moving the furniture, searching for something.
Holly kept watch at the doorway, eyes nervously looking toward where the guards had gone.
Cala joined her. “You’re trapped?”
Alice nodded.
“I would come help, but I don’t know if its just angels or magical beings. We don’t want me stuck too.” Cala grimaced apologetically. “Can you burn your way through?”
“Burn?” Alice asked.
“A magical barrier uses magic,” Cala said. “In my experience, if you’re magic is stronger, you can force your way through, but it hurts like hell,” she warned and eyed the covered cages for the guards.
Alice took a deep breath. Well. She was an archangel. If her halo was going to be out, she might as well use it! Alice lifted her hands and pushed against the barrier. She filled her hands with light magic. Sparks and electricity jumped from her hands. Alice grimaced as heat raced up her arms, quickly becoming painful.
“Alice! You’re hurting yourself! Stop!” Cazziel’s eyes widened.
Alice grit her teeth and pushed harder. She used a cooling rune on her hands, and it only seemed to make it worse. Stars! Still, her hands inched forward, arms shaking with her fighting against the resisting force. “C’mon! C’mon!” she grunted. The white light in her hands intensified, as did the pain. Alice bit her lip to hold back her scream. Cala and Holly had to look away from the bright light. And inch by inch, her hands moved forward.
Finally, Alice couldn’t hold back the scream as her arms felt like they were on fire. She could smell something burning. Her hands! Her hands! She took one step, and suddenly it was gone. She tumbled forward and rolled. Alice curled around her hands and sobbed.
“Alice!” Cala cried out. “Alice are you okay?”
Panting, Alice gingered pulled her hands back to look at them. Her gloves had burned off. Her skin was blistered and bleeding. “I-I-I’ll be okay!” she gasped.
She turned around and looked at Cazziel’s shocked face. He had his hands up against the invisible barrier. Felix stepped up beside him. He looked angry, frustrated. “I can’t find anything! There’ s no rune or charm to destroy!”
“Then let’s just destroy the door!” Cala suggested.
“This way!” a man shouted. Everyone’s heads turned toward the shout. They didn’t see anyone yet, but they were on their way. They didn’t have a lot of time.
Holly jumped toward the wall, writing a rune frantically on the wall beside the door. It lit up and the stone turned glowed hotly. Sucking in a frantic breath, Holly pressed her hand a foot away beside it and the melting went faster. In a minute the wall was a gooey mess. “Cazziel, can you stick your hand through?” she gasped.
Cazziel reached out...and stopped. “Cuss!” he cursed, his brows dropping.
Felix stepped out, glaring at the former doorway. “There has to be something! Something! There’s some way to get it to disperse!” He paced in front of it like he was the one that was caged.
There were more voices behind them, and now, the pounding of feet. Alice could see shadow of someone coming around the corner.
They glanced in the direction of the noise. That sounded like more than two. Cala helped her get up.
Cazziel lit up his hands with magic and grimaced.
Alice panted. “Come Caz! You can do it!”
Cazziel laughed, his hands dimmed. “I’m fallen, remember?” He grinned, showing his fangs. “I’m not as strong as you Alice. Y-you have to leave me. They’re coming.”
“No!” Alice took a step toward him. Cala’s hands on her arm stopped her.
“I-it’s fine! You’ll find me! They won’t kill me. So, you’ll find me. I-I know you will!” Cazziel’s grin was shaking. He turned and went further into the room and came back. He tossed something to Felix. The cat caught it and looked at it.
Cazziel grinned. “Get outta here, ya crazy kids!” He was shaking and pale. He was terrified. Alice could feel it rolling off of him. “Have a fun night on the town.”
Felix grimaced. “I’m sorry,” he told Cazziel and turned. He opened a door to one of the trucks and turned the key. It roared to life. The tall shadows were shrinking. They were close.
“C’mon Alice.” Cala pulled her toward the truck.
Alice leaned against Cala, fighting her pull. “No! No! Cazziel! Cazziel I-I’ll help you! We can get you out together!”
Cazziel waved. “It was real snazzy meeting you people.”
“There isn’t any time, Alice,” Holly croaked, pulling on her with Cala.
There was suddenly a gunshot. A bullet hit the cave wall. Alice jumped back. Men were rushing around the cages. Guns out.
“Run!” Cala shouted. Felix pulled the truck in front of them, blocking the gunfire.
“Get in!” Felix ordered. “And hang on!”
They dove into the back and kept low. Alice looked back. Cazziel watched them with wide eyes, hand against the barrier in a mock wave. The moment he noticed her look, he grinned. Then, they were racing down the tunnel and out of view of the fallen angel.
“Alice get down!” Cala pulled her down. “Do you want to get shot!”
They raced down the tunnel. It rose up in an incline. Felix kept the pedal to the metal. They roared out of the tunnel and out onto a road. The freezing air made Alice gasped as it hit her wounds. Alice watched the tunnel disappear from view as they drove away.