Chapter 163: Walls Have Ears

Chapter 163: Walls Have Ears

Whats wrong? asked Jenny.

Everyone else followed 288 towards the Palace while I stopped to consider what to do about our possible infiltrator.

I think 288 might be a spy. If he knows we can stop time, hes probably going to tell his masters about it. I mean, his real masters. The big ones who eat people.

Jenny thought it over. The consequences of our secret getting out would be disastrous. Are you going to kill him?

It was certainly one option, although not particularly easy to pull off. We dont have any weapons. We did have some weapons in the stable but when Phil stopped time we couldnt move them so they were still in there.

You could choke him. You must have quite a lot of experience with that sort of thing.

It took me a moment to realise she was referring to 288s previous occupation. I dont think thats a good idea. Itd be very messy and probably just make him sleepy. The only way to stop them reforming is to cut them up into small chunks and bury the pieces far apart from each other.

You could use Davids sword.

Davids sword was unaffected by the time-stop. He was carrying it with him and hed already demonstrated how effective it was at cutting up golems. If it could slice and dice a big one, it would have no trouble with a tiddler like 288.

Yes, I guess so. He still wont be dead, though. If they dig him up hell be able to rat us out. Problems, problems. We should catch up to the others before they do something stupid.

Look at me! shouted Flosse. Ahm flying.

She had hold of 288s feet as he flew above her, lifting her a few inches off the ground. The others were staring at her, not able to find the right words. So I had to be the one to tell her.

Youre holding onto a flying penis, I shouted back.

She squealed and let go, landed in a crouch and rubbed her palms on the short grass like that would remove the shame. You cant wash off unclean. She was a bit ditzy, but youd think shed remember something as basic as not grabbing onto any cock that happened to be floating past.

288 himself had no idea what the fuss was about and continued his flight towards the Palace gates.

The gates were enormous, as youd expect, and made out of horns. The previous owner ust have been huge. The gates were also closed and we couldnt open them with the time-stop still active.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

If I restart time, said Phil, we might be able to get the gates open and go inside before the golems reach us.

We were about a hundred metres from where the golems stood on guard. They were big and bulky, but they could fly and it wouldnt take them very long to cover the ground between us. There would also bound to be any number of other obstacles wed need to restart time to get past.

Maybe they wont look over here, said Flossie, hand in pockets.

As dumb as that sounded, I sort of agreed with her. Golems were very literal. Theyd been told to not let us out. If we were already out, what would they do about it?

Okay, trying restarting time and lets see if they noticed weve gone.

Really? said Flossie, suddenly doubting her own idea.

No one looked particularly confident it would work, but Phil nodded and snapped his fingers.

We all looked around apprehensively.

The only change was a slight breeze. The golems hadnt moved, remaining exactly as they had when frozen. Whether they were following orders to the letter or just hadnt seen us, I didnt know.

Lets try to stay quiet, I said. No point attracting their attention.

David didnt wait to discuss things with the rest of us. He sprinted down the indicated tunnel.

Shouldnt we go with him? Jenny asked me. There was an air of statement more than question to it.

Perhaps it would be best to see what kind of state Yuqis body was in. We didnt want to be taken by surprise while we were in the treasury.

Okay, well take a quick look.

Everyone filed into the passageway. It quickly opened up into another chamber in the middle of which there was a bed. A big four poster with a canopy. David was standing beside it, his hand over his mouth.

We all crowded around him. On the bed was a girl, eyes closed.

Phil gasped. She hasnt aged at all.

Both Phil and David were in their thirties. The girl looked in her late teens. She had black hair, dyes blue at the tips. Her skin was as white as the walls and weirdly mottled. This turned out to be because her naked body was covered in a layer of dust.

This is the Jester? Jenny asked, suspicion in her eyes. You didnt mention she was so beautiful.

I shrugged. I guess so. She didnt look like that when I last saw her. What? Dont tell me youre jealous.

A quick glance at the other girls revealed Jennys glare was contagious. Even Mandy was doing it! What had I done? (Answer: nothing).

Alright, fingers off triggers. Your problem is your all too fixated on the surface. Its all make-up and hair-dos. Yes, she may not be a bad looking bird when shes unconscious, and its kind of impressive how her I looked over at Yuqis body double D breasts stand up like that when shes on her back, but trust me, Ive seen what shes like on the inside, and it aint pretty.

Although to be fair, the breasts were spectacular.

The glares softened and mumbled protests mingled with sneezes and coughs as the disturbed air, heavy with dust, swirled around us.

Lets all be a little less shallow, shall we? And give me some credit for taste.

Oh, my address? Bullshit House, Blaggingit Lane. Take the high road, you cant miss it.

You came

Everyone stopped talking. The voice had come from behind us. A wheezing, gasping voice on the edge of death, perhaps beyond it.

We all turned and at first saw nothing. Then, when he spoke again, we all saw him at same time, in the wall. There was a collective gasp.

You came back for us.

He was covered in dust, matching the wall like perfect camouflage, his face and hands exposed like Han Solo frozen in carbonite.

Bao! said Phil, and rushed over to him, brushing dust off his face.Youre alive!

Am I? his voice was faint now, hardly above a whisper. Ive died and returned so many times, its hard to tell.

How do we get you out?

Philip, said the guy who I assumed was the teleporter whod come to rescue Yuqi with Phil and Dave. Do something for me.

Yes, anything. Phil frantically felt around the wall as though looking for a release button.

Philip Kill me.