House Of Madness

Chapter 31 Insanity

"Is he not dead?" Kit had said what everyone was thinking.
"Trust me, he's dead", Nik said remembering Victors head rolling off his body.
"I don't like this! First Finn's back and now the compass!"
"Nivens we will figure this out. There has to be some reasonable expectation", Nik said certain.
"Yeah! Clearly he's lying somehow and Victor isn't dead!"
Grave said accusingly pointing at Nik.
"I will say this once more. Victor is dead. Long dead."
"Terrett?" Nik asked, "yes?"
"What do you think of all of this? Any ideas why the compass is back?"
Terrett thought for a moment and ending up saying, "I think it's splendid.
A puzzle for us to solve."
'Splendid' was not a word anyone would use to describe what had happened.
"What are you doing?" Nik asked Kit.
"I'm getting rid of it.
Nothing good comes from it since it's  full of bad juju."
"Chessler", Nik said accusingly.
"I found Finn yesterday on the SkyWood border.
"What condition was he in?"
"Why?" Chessler asked.
"Just answer the question, no games."
Chessler must of heard the seriousness in Nik's voice because he answered right away, "I found him exactly how he is now. He was half dead.
I don't know anything of this compass everyone seems so concerned with.
If you ask me it looks like a piece of junk."
"Am I the only smart one here?
Someone is setting us up!
Isn't it obvious! First Finn appears now the compass!"
"Kit's right. Someone let Finn go knowing you'd find him." Zade said while looking at Chessler, "this is a trap."
Like clockwork, a second after Zade said the obvious a bomb went off.
"Get Alice out now! I'll find whoever did this!" Nik roared.
Zade and Grave didn't hesitate, they followed Nik while Kit grabbed Alice.
"What about Ari!"
"He's fine. Or he will be as soon as Nik decapitates whoever did this."
Alice hesitated long enough another bomb went off.
"Now!" Kit screamed at the closest thing to a sister she had.
Chessler and Nivens followed the girls out while Terrett had a bone to pick.
"Finnick! Where the fuck are you!"

"What was that?"
"What?" Ember asked Ari.
"You didn't hear it?"
"No, I didn't hear anything" Ember answered honestly.
"Why? What did you hear?"
Ari debated on telling her or not, "it sounded like a bomb."
Ember jumped up at once as Ari said, "Kit, Nivens, Terrett and Zade are upstairs for a council meeting!"
"I heard it that time", Ember said as another bomb went off.
"Alice! Alice is in the palace!" Ari screamed.
"What about us? We're sitting ducks down here!" Ember whined.
They tried pulling the bars, calling out for help and using magic but nothing worked.
"I refuse to die with you by my side", Ember said with her face tilted up at the ceiling.
"Me too", Ari said.
"No. I don't care if I die I just refuse to die with you because we would be found together and your death would overshadow mine."
Ari didn't know what to say to that so he said nothing.
"Besides, I don't like you; at all", Ember said bored.

The runes and protection spells were all off the palace.
It quickly became apparent that wasn't the case with the House Of Madness.
This was discovered after a planted bomb when off too close to Ember that should of killed her immediately.
Instead nothing; the House Of Madness had protected her.
Nik had searched the palace and grounds for the bomber but he knew it was a wasted effort.
Whoever planted the bombs was long gone, "they must have used magic or even a switch to make them go off all at the same time."
Nik nodded, impressed with Zade's knowledge.
"Your new task is to find out who did this!
I want names!"
Zade nodded while Grave said "I want to question Finn."
Nik didn't trust his ability to get information out, "you can be in the room and ask a question while I question him."
Grave rolled his eyes, "fine."
When they made it back into the palace it was rubble.
They looked to Finn and weren't surprised to find him gone.

"Where is Finn?"
Nik asked Nivens, "I thought he was with you."
"Did he not make it out?" If Finn was dead that meant there one chance at figuring out who planted the bombs went out the window.
"I saw him with Terrett", Alice said.
Nik forgot about everything as he ran to her.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
Nik checked her out and once he confirmed that she was fine he backed off.
"Where's Terrett?"
Nivens paled, "I don't know. I thought he was with you, going after the bomber."