The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,29

if I can. I'm guessing you're wondering what on earth you've gotten yourselves into?”

“Not at all.”

“I am,” Charlie said. “Shovels, and pooh? I really hope it's not what I think.”

“Are you thinking that it's shovelling shit?”

“Yes.”

“Bingo,” William said, with a grin. He went over and picked up three shovels and three sets of gloves, lying next to them.

“It sounds worse than it is,” William said. Seeing Charlie's cringing look as he stared at the latex gloves, William added, “I'd put them on if I were you. You don't want the pooh going on your hands, and not just because of the smell. Dragon's pooh is red hot and the wyvern's burns like acid.”

“And yet you said it sounds worse than it is?”

“Yeah, it grows on you,” William said, giving Charlie another smile. “Plus, it works the body, especially the arms. You'll put some muscle on.”

“This just gets worse and worse,” Charlie said, as he fumbled with the gloves.

“You'll get used to it. Come on, I'll show you the ropes.”

William swung the shovel over his shoulder. Ben did likewise, while Charlie dragged his along, and they followed William onto one of the small dirt paths that ran between the paddocks. Ben supposed the animals must be confined by magic, because the wooden paddocks would surely be futile by themselves. They passed several winged animals, plus something that looked like a two-headed ostrich, before finally coming to a halt.

“There she blows,” William said, pointing proudly. “Your first job.”

Charlie dropped his shovel. “Please tell me you're joking.”

In a small enclosure sat two large chimpanzees. They looked ordinary enough, except for the bat-like wings protruding from their backs. They were staring at Ben, Charlie and William with an intelligent curiosity inherent in most apes. Ben's eyes went to the pooh; it was scattered across the enclosure, in some places mounds of it a foot high.

“As you can see, they have healthy bowel movements,” William said, leaning easily on his shovel.

“Why the climbing frame?” Charlie asked. He was referring to the wooden construction that spanned the paddock. “And what stops them flying away?”

“There are spells round each of the paddocks. Each spell is different, depending on the animal within. As for the climbing frame – they are still chimpanzees; they like to climb.”

As William spoke, one of the chimpanzees took off and flew towards them, landing right at the front of the paddock just a couple of feet away. The chimpanzee screeched and slapped his head so violently that Charlie fell over trying to backpedal. Ben was marginally less alarmed, but only showed it with a widening of the eyes.

“Relax,” William said, giving Charlie a hand and helping him up. “That's just their way of saying hi. They always get a bit excited when somebody new shows up. They're really quite friendly.”

“I'm not sure I'd count slapping my skull and screaming as friendly,” Charlie said. He glanced at an adjacent paddock. A large cat-like animal slept peacefully.

“Can't we start off with that cat over there?” Charlie asked. “I think I could handle that. It's even piled all its pooh up nicely in the corner.”

“That's a baby deema,” William said, his friendly face turning momentarily serious. “If you wake it up, it will most likely kill you.”

“A deema?” Ben had heard that word before. “That's the animal the dark elf was riding when he attacked the Croydon headquarters.”

William nodded. “So I heard, though that one was fully grown. The dark elves like to ride them. They're a right pain to train, and not at all loyal. But if you can handle them, they're extremely useful. Fast, powerful, and they can run forever.”

“I guess it's back to the chimpanzees, then,” Charlie said reluctantly.

“Good idea. There are only a couple of things to look out for. Don't get any of the pooh on your skin, as it's acidic. And try not to look them in the eye. They will think you're trying to engage them, and they may try to play with you.”

“Play with us?” Charlie said. “How do they 'play'? I'm guessing they're not about to whip out a chess set.”

“No, they're not into chess,” William said, with another smile. Ben got the idea that he was enjoying Charlie's sense of humour. “They look at us as toy things. So they will most likely poke and prod you.”

“Does it hurt?” Charlie asked, subconsciously wrapping his arms around his body.

“It's not too bad. The throwing can hurt a bit, though.”

Even Ben reacted to this. “Throwing?”

“Yes. One of their