Chapter 41: Kid
'It is very likely that all these events were caused by Ince Zangwill and the Quill of Alzuhod. However, it is strange.' William was having tea in the Blackthorn Security Company lounge, his shift at Chanis Gate would start in a few hours, so he decided to wait and not go home. 'Somehow they've kept us distracted, but even so, there's no way Leonard and Dunn haven't noticed anything unusual before, they have years of experience and are extremely competent.'
Klein and Leonard were talking to the Captain about the outcome of their mission. They had spent several days investigating a scammer who appeared to be a Beyonder.
'Unless Ince Zangwill used some method to prevent us from noticing.' He concluded that this was most likely the case. 'But then why was I the only one able to ignore it?'
At that moment the two Beyonders came out of the Captain's office. They looked tired.
"How was the mission?" He started a conversation with Klein, who sat next to him.
The young Seer sighed and massaged his temples.
"Lanevus seems to have planted some kind of bomb. He intends to blow up Tingen." He explained.
William blinked in confusion.
"Well, that wasn't something I would have expected." As he answered a chill ran through his entire body, and it wasn't due to Klein's words.
He turned his head quickly towards the entrance. There stood a young woman, dressed very elegantly, like a high-class lady.
However, William's eyes did not focus on the woman, but on the bulge in her belly.
"Miss Megose?" Leonard turned to her surprised.
The lady looked at them absently, though she answered in a very polite tone. "Hello."
"Klein, go call the Captain." William muttered with his back to Megose.
"Wha..." Klein was about to ask when he saw his colleague's face.
He got up from the chair.
"Ah, Miss Megose, please have a seat." Klein smiled at him, making use of his Clown abilities. "I'll go make some tea for everyone."
The lady touched her belly as if she was waiting for something. Then she looked up and spoke again.
"A cup of warm water will be fine, please." She said.
Leonard and Klein seemed to activate Spirit Vision and they were both frozen in place. William wanted to slap his face.
'You may not look directly at God.' He got up to cover the mistake of both Nighthawks, who were now in a cold sweat.
Klein disappeared, looking for Dunn.
"Miss Megose, my name is William Hastur, it seems this is the first time we've met. What brings you here?" He introduced himself and handed her a chair in which she sat.
Megose looked at him and smiled.
"I suddenly thought I'd tell you about Lanevus. I have a feeling you already know a lot." She explained herself.
Leonard forced a smile. He had left his frivolous personality behind, and now he was quite tense. "Who told you that?"
She laughed suddenly.
"My son told me. He knows a lot, he is very smart!"
Leonard and William maintained an awkward smile.
"That could be very useful to us, actually." William replied to her.
The lady began to tell them everything she knew about the scammer.
At one point, William watched as Klein evacuated civilian personnel.
"You know, my son seems to like you." Megose turned to Klein and gave him a curious look. "You seem to know a lot about Lanevus, he never told me these things."
Then, she casually put a hand to her hair and, seemingly effortlessly, plucked out a handful. She tossed the blond locks into the nearby trash can and looked at them again.
William wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry, so he kept his cool. He heard Klein and Dunn talking outside, his enhanced senses allowing him to pick up some parts of the conversation.
'So the Captain has been consuming Beyonder characteristics.' He decided to save this information in case they survived until the next day. 'However, thinking that he does it so he can be with his deceased friends confirms to me that the Captain is just as kind as I thought underneath his trustworthy guise.
"My son really likes you, he's telling me you can walk away, and he's not going to get you involved." Megose's voice brought William back to reality, and not in a happy way.
He bit his lip anxiously.
"What do you mean getting me involved?" He asked her.
Megose became a bit restless.
"I don't know why, but suddenly I feel a bit unwell."
Both Nighthawks saw the lady touch her face. She tore off a piece of meat that left behind a bloody trail.
"Yes, my face itches a little." She smiled sheepishly showing a trail of white teeth and her red gums.
Leonard blanched and stood up.
"Sorry, I need to use the bathroom." He apologized.
"Al... right..." She replied, this time her voice had changed slightly to something more ethereal.
William forced himself to maintain his composure.
"Can your son by any chance tell you why he likes me?" He asked her as friendly as he could.
"Ah... he... says that... there is no corruption in you." She barely responded.
!!
William looked at her in surprise.
Then Dunn Smith came in with a square silver box shaped like a bone. His black jacket fluttered with his footsteps.
Lady Megose suddenly tore off a piece of meat large enough to show her bones, and she stood up.
She yelled, and pointed at Dunn:
"You want to kill my son!"