“Fuck my life,” he grumbled, looking utterly disgusted with this entire situation.
“Seth!” I called into the dark tunnel ahead, growling when he didn’t answer. There were forks in the tunnel here, leading off in several directions. Where the fuck had they gone?
“Fuck this. If they’ve left us, they can meet us back at The Burrows later,” Caleb said, but before he could turn around and go through with that plan, a roar sounded and the shadowy figure of a monster with ten arms came at us from the dark.
“Shit,” I snarled, raising my hands and blasting it with air magic. It toppled immediately, laughter rising from it and I realised it was Seth and fucking Leon as I sent my Faelight flying over them.
Seth had cast vines in his hands and had apparently been sitting on Leon’s shoulders because now he was stuck beneath him with his thighs clamped around Leon’s ears. The two of them laughed like crazy and Seth’s vines whipped out around him, one of them hitting the water and sending a splash up which slapped Caleb in the face.
“Argh!” he cried. “That got me in the fucking mouth, you motherfucker.”
Seth howled a laugh, untangling himself from Leon and clutching his side as he got to his feet, but Caleb shot forward, slamming his hands into his chest and sending him flying backwards into the river of sewage with a huge splash. A bark of laughter left me as Seth’s head came up and he bobbed away on the tide with a yell of horror.
“You asshole!” he shouted as Cal and I cracked up.
Leon got to his feet, racing after Seth and hauling him out of the water, drying him off with the heat of his fire Element, cracking up too.
“I’m gonna be diseased. I’ll get Faeitis. Faeiphylis. Fucking pink eye,” Seth cried in a panic.
“You’re fine, dude,” Leon said easily. “This water’s clean. The river of shit is in the next tunnel over.”
“Thank the stars for that,” Caleb muttered as he dried his hair with fire magic.
Leon led us on into the tunnels and we finally made it to a huge door with a wheel in the middle of it. He turned to us dramatically, his golden eyes glinting. “Beyond this door lies years and years of family heirlooms, things my ancestors stole, many of our prized possessions.”
“How can they be heirlooms if you stole them?” I asked and Leon shushed me.
“Touch nothing in here, for you will set off a curse that will make your eyes fall from your head and your nose cave into your face.”
“Seriously?” Cal balked. “I’m not going in then.”
“Nah, just kidding.” Leon laughed. “But if you try to steal anything I’ll know, and I’ll fucking murder you and everyone you love.” He smiled lightly then turned and pressed his hand to the door, magic sparking out from beneath his palm then the wheel began turning of its own accord at a rapid pace. The door clunked as it unlocked and he pulled it wide, revealing a trove lit by everflames.
We followed him inside and my jaw slackened at the endless wonders in this room. There were chests overflowing with jewels, a shining crown sitting on top of a stack of shelves which held all kinds of potions and rare artifacts, even a whole suit of armour which was blood red and held the Leo constellation on its chest.
“Lucky we didn’t bring Darius, he would have tried to claim all of this from you,” I said and Leon growled at the idea of that.
The Lion headed over to an old wooden cabinet, unlocking it with a small key he took from his pocket and pulling out a silver box from inside. He flipped it open, revealing all kinds of gemstones there and he rifled through them, taking out the most perfectly cut of all. It was an oval topaz stone which was golden brown in colour and glittered with the magic that lived within its depths.
I reached for it, the hidden Guild mark on my arm itching like it knew what this was, and the whispers of the stars seemed to hang in the air for a second, urging me to seize it. But Leon closed his fingers around it tightly before I could.
“You owe me something for this,” Leon announced and I looked to him with a frown.
“What?” I demanded.
“The truth about what happened between you and Gabriel the night he visited you at Zodiac Academy five years ago and he developed a mysterious aversion to proballs. I know something happened, Lance Orion. So help me, I want that secret.”
I jerked my hand away in horror. “No,” I hissed. “I’m taking that to the grave. I swore it to him.”
Seth and Caleb looked to me curiously, but I folded my arms and shook my head.