Chapter XLVI - Things That Go Bump in the Night-3

"Yeah, or spies or secret agents," I say though I'm eyeing her in her silk kimono and fuzzy pink slippers doubtfully. Her hair is in a ponytail. Cobweb is twisting in it. She certainly isn't dressed like an explorer. "Yeah, spies or secret agents sounds better. I like that. Like Charlie's Angels, with only two angels though." "Or devils...depends on who you asked," I say and she grins mischievously. "Where's Genesis and Serena?" I ask her. "Genesis is too scared of spiders. Serena is too classy for things like this. But you. You, I know would enjoy this as much as I do." She is so right. "I can't wait! Let's go," I say. "Oh, wait a sec," I lift a finger up before I run into the closet where my clothes are already hanging neatly. On one of the hangers is the Hobo Hoodie. If we were to be spies, we'd better do it right. I guess I brought the hoodie with me because I was feeling sentimental. But now I'm glad I did for another reason. "What is that?" asks Penny, staring at it, looking aghast. "Penny, meet Hobo Hoodie," I tell her. "If we're secret agents, we need this. Too bad I only have one." "Thank goddess you only have one! I draw the line where I have to wear ugly hoodies...I'm saying this with the utmost respect to the hobo hoodie. I don't want to hurt its feelings but truth has to be told," she says with a straight face. "So...we have to wear an ugly hoodie to be spies? Your logic escapes me." "Smell it," I tell her. She brings it to her nose, sniffs it and frowns. "It smells like something," she says. Then she takes another sniff before handing it back to me. "Strange. It smells like something but not really anything." "Exactly!" I say. It's funny that the hoodie that I thought smell so bad when I was a human doesn't smell bad at all now that I'm a lycan. It now smells like something, but nothing significant. It's a strange smell that a lycan or a werewolf would just dismiss. Now that Penny just confirmed it, I'm sure everybody in this palace would react the same way. "Well, come on then, partner," she says. "Bring your ugly cloak of invisibility." "Stop dissing Hobo Hoodie," I tell her as I put my sneakers on. "Now you're hurting its feelings." She snorts. "I'm so deeply sorry, Hobo Hoodie," she says, totally not meaning it. "I'm sorry that you're ugly." It's chilly and the air is stale in the tunnel. It's dark too. It's so dark that even with our superior eyesight, we need the light from Penny's phone to help us find our way through the unknown passages. We go through the twist and turn, and steps going up then down. Some part becomes so narrow that it fits only one person through at one time. We stumble upon secret openings to the music room and several unoccupied bedrooms. We're careful not to talk too much and keep our eyes and ears open just in case. Suddenly, Penny stops walking and I bump straight into her back. "What the hell,Penn---" I start but I got her hand covering my mouth. "Shhh.." she says before letting go. "Did you hear that?" she whispers. I put my ear to the cold, stone wall and hear some muffled voices. It's probably just a couple of the Palace's workers or guards but my heart starts beating faster. Some action. Finally! We've been walking along the tunnel long enough not to see any action. There's only so much of non-action for one night a spy could take. Penny shines the light of her phone around and I spot a stone slab that looks different from the rest, further ahead to my left. I point toward it and Penny nods her head. We both put our ears to the wall again. I hear nothing. The stone slab is heavy. I doubt a grown human man or even a male werewolf would be able to move it, but together, we probe the stone slab and manage to pry it apart. I poke my head through the small opening to a dark cavernous hallway. I have no clue in which part of the palace we're at but I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to be here. "I don't think we're allowed in this part of the Palace," whispers Penny behind me, confirming my suspicion. "See anything?" The hallway to my left is a long and endless darkness, while the pale moonlight steals in through a huge, arched window at the far wall about 50 feet away to my right. The statues littering the hallway by the walls are mostly in shadows. I catch a faint, familiar scent lingering in the air. "Nothing," I whisper back. "Where are you going?" whispers Penny when I slip out. "Stay here," I tell her. "Just give me five minutes." I'm curious about the smell that I caught a moment ago. I hope Penny knows better than to come out and risk leaving her scent in the prohibited hallways. "Quincy!" she whispers urgently but I ignore her as I walk into the darkness. I'm trying to keep close to the wall, hiding behind the looming shadows of the statues. The thick, luxurious carpet runner that covers the whole hallway helps muffle the sound of my soft footsteps. My heart beats faster when I spot a tiny movement of a shadow. A shadow of a big person. No, not a shadow of one person. It separates into two then coming together again - two lovers fused together. A soft gasp and a moan seem to echo in my ear. The pale light falls on them as they stumble forward and I'm transfixed, unable to move, breathe, or blink. My heart is thundering in my chest. No, no no...this is not possible. No!