House Of Madness

Chapter 5 Cheshire Cat

When Ari left that night, he had a mission.
He would find Finn and Victor.
And when Ari found them he would let his fae natural take over.
He would make it so they would wish for death and only after hours of torture would he allow death to come for them both.
He wasn't in trouble this night which meant he was supposed to be asleep in his bed, not in the dungeon but he could not go back until it was done.
Until Finn and Victor were both dead so they could never hurt Ivy again.
Ari wondered the dungeon and found a door he was surprised to find it open.
The room was dark but with his fae eyes he could see a table with belts and buckles.
He had found were Ivy had been tortured.
"Someone's not where their supposed to be", said a slimy voice.
"Shock treatment? A little cliché don't you think?" Ari words were practically illegible because he had been so mad.
"I'm a doctor, I took an oath to serve my patients. I am here working with the mentally ill to fix their minds. I'm assuming this is about Ivanna."
"Don't!" Ari was fuming, "say her name!"
"Would you rather I called her Ivy?"
"I'm going to kill you!"
Victor just laughed, "you could befit from some anger management treatment with me."
"You're sick!" Ari screamed!
"No, I'm a chemist who has studied the brain for close to a millennial."
Ari went right for his throat with his dragon talons.
Because yes, Aristotle Ignatius was part dragon fae.
"You can't kill me boy", Victor said in a calm voice. "And why is that?" Ari asked.
"Because I have been spelled with countless protection spells from our wonderful high fae  queen." 
In other words, Ari's mother.
Ari's nasty mother who was not just queen but  the one who has been behind funding Victor's treatment.
"She knew. She was the one who told my father you were just a guard."
Ari didn't ask, because he knew his mother was the only one who would dare cross the king.
He was mad at himself for not having figured it out sooner.
"Your mother really is a splendid woman", Victor said with a smile.
"Why? Why would she bring you into the dungeon? What could she possibly have to gain from you giving 'treatment' to the patients here?"
Ari needed to know what his mother was planning.
"Why in gods name would I tell you that?" Victor said with a laugh.
Ari moved his talons tight into Victors neck, "I may not be able to kill you but I can sure as hell make you suffer."
"No you can't. Because no matter what you do to me I will heal and when I do heal I'll be looking for a pretty doe eyed girl to pass on the favour."
Ivy. He might Ivy.
Whatever Ari did to him he would do to Ivy.
They were in a stalemate.
Ari couldn't hurt Victor because he would hurt Ivy and Victor couldn't hurt Ari because he was working with his mother.
"Same goes for Finn, you can't hurt him.
It's too hard to find a good guard these days.
It would be too hard to replace him.
Now come along I best give you to your mother.
You see she always tells me when you're to be punished and today she hadn't said anything. So that leaves me with the impression you're not supposed to be here."
Victor was right of course and he knew it by Ari's silence.
Ari and Victor walked side by side.
When they got upstairs Ari turned to him and said, "I will kill you. Maybe not today or tomorrow but the time will come when you won't be able to hide behind my mother.
And when that time comes you better pray to your god because I will end you with the fury of one thousand soldiers."
"Aristotle what are you doing out of bed?" Victor gave a small bow, "queen Hestia, always a pleasure to see you.
I found your son in the dungeon."
Of course Victor was going to play this off like he the the saint who saved Ari from the crazy's in the dungeon.
"What we're you doing in the dungeon?" Ari could see it than.
The coldness his mother so often tried to hide. His mother didn't care about him not at all. What she had cared about was that he had been unsupervised in the dungeon.
She was on to him, she had wanted to know if he had found anything in the dungeon or if he had been looking for something.
"I've never met Victor before but he's been very insightful", which was code for, 'Victor has been telling me loads about your evil plans.'
Ari was more than thrilled at the anger that came into his mother's eyes.
Victor tensed and if it wasn't for Ivy Ari would have enjoyed saying anything to see Victor squirm and his mother's anger.
As soon as the anger came into Queen Hestia's eyes it was gone, "well, I'm glad you two have been acquainted.
However, it is very late and Ari has a long day of studies tomorrow so he best be on his way."
"Of course", Victor said with a very gracious understanding tone.
Ari wasn't exactly happy having been dismissed like a dog but he'd had enough of Victor's craziness and his mother's wrath.
Hence, why he found himself not caring much.
Besides he needed to blow off some steam anyways.
"Good night Ari, I hope you have sweet dreams of vanilla and rose." That was a jab at Ivy.
A simple reminder from Victor that he could easily tell his mother of the human he had cared so fondly about.
Ari was scared, so scared of his mother finding out about Ivy, he had said nothing.
Instead he dipped his head in a slow nod and went off to his room to punch or break something or preferably someone.