Page 173 -- XIX.

Chapter Nineteen: ‘Come forth, ye jubilant devils...’
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A line of police officers stood in Geoffrey’s path. “Sorry, this area is closed off,” one of them said.

Geoffrey’s green balloon-hat waggled as he ogled the mass of rubble and abandoned vehicles behind the line. “What happened?”

“We can’t disclose that information,” the officer said. “Please turn back.”

Geoffrey frowned, but obliged.

The prince’s advisor, whose name Geoffrey had still not bothered to learn, was waiting for him at the nearest street corner--as was an enormous yellow-and-green boa constrictor. The man was clearly a wreck, and having the snake at his feet was doing him no favors.

“It seems we missed all the fun,” Geoffrey said sadly. “Maybe we shouldn’t have stopped at that amusement park after all.”

The advisor watched the boa slither up Geoffrey’s body and coil around the young man’s shoulders. “I still don’t understand w-why that thing listens to you...”

“Oh, it does not listen. It simply has no will of its own anymore.” He scratched the snake’s head. “Normally, animals tend to dislike me, you see. I was never very good with pets, but they did provide valuable practice.”

Abruptly, a red-haired man turned the corner. “Over here, you said?”

‘Yeah. Should be--ah, there it is.’

Geoffrey’s brow rose as he spotted the reaper approaching from behind the stranger. “Why, hello.”

The stranger returned a wide smile. “Wow, it really is an aberration! Hello there, little fella. How’d you get all the way out here to Atreya? Not lost, are you?”

Geoffrey tilted his head. “Excuse me? Who are you?”

“Ah, I’m Desmond Grantier. This is my friend, Ezmortig. I assume you can see him, yes?”

“I can. Why do you seem to know about me?”

“Oh, we belong to Abolish.”

“Abolish?”

Desmond blinked at him. “Don’t you even know where you come from?”