Page 20

The door swung shut behind him, the music played, people chatted, and the weight of the prophecy pushed in. I couldn’t look at Victor and see the disappointment on his face. Zee was right. I had so much to answer for. “Okay, anyway, I’ll uh . . . I’m just gonna . . .” I slid off my stool. “I’ll find some nets or something.”

“Adam—”

No, I couldn’t get into it with him, and Zee had made it clear what he thought of the Prophesied One. A loser.

“Yup, I’ll go do that.” My heart thumped. The door was right there. I just had to walk on through and not look back. If I did, I’d see the question in his eyes. Why hadn’t I saved the world yet? That was what heroes did, right? They stepped up. They were selfless and brave and everything turned out fine when the hero did what they were supposed to do. But I wasn’t a hero. I was just one lost dragon trapped in a curse of my own making, trying not to die while hoping destiny didn’t find me.

Because I really, really liked being alive.

CHAPTER 5

Shadow lived in the attic, which meant it was free of gremlins. The next floor down was the floor my room was on. And the portal. We’d start on that level, and try to clear each floor of gremlins as we went. Madame Matase had relocated our few remaining guests, so we didn’t disturb or alarm anyone. Now all we had to do was catch the gremlins.

Victor was fast. He’d catch them easily—if he could find them. Zee would use his tail as a lasso. That left me . . . with my powers of persuasion? I’d figure something out.

Now we each had a trap, we spread out, heading toward our allotted rooms, and Operation Gremlins Gone got underway. My suite was one of the finer rooms, and still smelled like fresh paint and clean linen. As I entered, there were no immediate signs of gremlins, but I’d take a quick look around to be sure. Firsthand experience had taught me, they usually came in through the bathrooms.

Everything seemed clear until I opened the closet in the main bed area, revealing a gremlin-sized hole in the drywall, near the floor. That was not a good sign.

After setting the cage down, I got into the closet and eyed the head-sized hole.

I definitely was not putting my head in it.

But how was I supposed to tempt any gremlins out?

The lock snicked on the suite’s entrance door. Someone was coming! I could have acted rationally and told the returning guest I was the hotel manager, looking for gremlins. That would have been the sensible thing to do.

Instead, I shut myself in the closet and held my breath.

Shoes scuffed the soft carpet. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone on this floor. What were they doing here?

“Adam?” Victor asked.

I sighed out the breath I definitely did know I’d been holding.

Then remembered, he’d probably want to talk about the Lost Ones Prophecy that he’d guessed was all about me, since he’d read the Wilson’s Guide.

Not good.

Maybe he wouldn’t know I was in the closet?

Peering through the crack where the door met the frame, I spotted Victor heading over.

“Are you hiding in the closet, Adam?”

“Uh, no?” I remembered the hole. “I’m gremlin hunting. Shh, they’ll hear you.”

He stopped on the other side of the door and waited a few beats. “Adam?”

“Yeah?”

Victor hesitated. “Shall we talk through the door or would you care to open it⁠—”

“Maybe another time?” I whispered. “I’m waiting for the gremlin⁠—”

Victor opened the door.

I pointed at the hole. “See?”