The Beast Within (The Elite Series) - By Jonathan Yanez Page 0,57

foot in front of the other and quietly made his way toward the noise. The sound was steadily growing in intensity.

Connor reached the door and saw it was hardly ajar at all. The door was a fraction of an inch from being closed all together. Inside, the noise was steady. Connor hesitated and decided against knocking. Ever so gently, he placed his hand on the doorknob.

He winced as he gently pushed open the door, praying it wouldn’t make a sound. His luck held. Connor opened the door just enough to be able to make out what was inside. His mouth fell open.

CHAPTER 13

THE ROOM WAS FURNISHED WITH a bed on the opposite side of the room and a plain carpet. A large window occupied one wall. Connor had seen all of this before, what held his curiosity now was the person and the object sitting in the middle of the floor. All the lights in the room were off and only the moon shone through the glass window. Connor stared at what looked like a circular mirror floating a few feet from the ground. It wasn’t large, maybe a foot in diameter. It glowed an unearthly blue and emitted an unnatural sound.

Connor struggled to see what it was. The object’s profile faced him, making it impossible to decipher. The person kneeling, looking into the glowing disc, however, was a face Connor knew all too well. Faust was shirtless, the slacks he’d worn earlier that day hung from his waist; his shoes were nowhere to be found.

Faust’s glasses were gone and two empty sockets stared into the hovering disc. His hair was disheveled; both of his hands lay lifeless by his side. He hunched slightly as he stared motionless, consumed by the humming. Connor debated whether or not to leave the disturbing scene. Then Faust spoke. Not to Connor, but to the object.

“No, Divine One. The sorceress Morrigan Hayes, in her attempt to buy more time, has claimed the half-blood as the savior foretold in prophecy. The Council has taken the rest of the day to decide this matter. Do not worry, my lord. He will be dealt with swiftly and severely. I have a plan for him, I’m going to—”

Faust stopped in mid-sentence. Connor was confused; there was no noise, no voice coming from whatever Faust was talking to. Besides the unearthly hum, there was no sound at all. Still, Faust’s sightless eyes stared into the disc.

“I understand. Yes, my lord. It shall be done. Upon your arrival everything will be ready. Our enemies have not the slightest clue of the power you have been able to recover. When the time comes, we will take them by surprise and restore you to your rightful place.”

Connor was unsure to whom Faust was talking, however, from the dialog, he could tell there was a lot more going on than a simple conversation. Connor felt a sense of dread and his instinct told him he had been privy to a secret exchange.

Faust straightened and sniffed the air. Connor took this as his cue to leave. He gently closed the door as Faust’s eyeless face swung in his direction.

Connor knew there were only seconds before Faust would be at the door, smelling and listening for a possible eavesdropper. He launched himself toward the closest window a few feet away. Connor opened the window and wrapped himself in the thick, musty curtains. That was all he had time for before Faust yanked open the door and stood in the hall.

Tilting his head to the ceiling, he sniffed. Faust slowly turned in a complete circle, searching for a scent. His pale body glowed in the moonlight. He stopped sniffing and stood silent, listening for anything out of the ordinary.

Connor stared at Faust, a mere six feet away. Connor was wrapped from head to toe in the dusty, burgundy curtain. The warm breeze from the open window gently flowed into the hall and Connor hoped it would be enough to mask his presence.

Faust turned and stared in Connor’s direction. The black sockets where his eyes used to be were ghastly. A few minutes later, Faust seemed content to end his search and felt his way back to the room, closing the door behind him securely.

Connor let out a huge sigh. He unwrapped himself from the curtains and headed for his room. Reaching the stairs to the second floor was easy. Finding his room on the second floor proved to be more of a chore. Three wrong turns