Monster Madness by Dean Lorey Read Free Book Online

Charlie could make out a vague, batlike presence—it flew so fast that he couldn’t see much more than a blur. Then there was that shriek again, so deafening that Charlie felt his bones vibrate. The flying, golden monstrosity roared overhead, filling the world with thunder and shattering the already broken pieces of glass into a fine powder.
    “What the heck’s going on around here?” Rex asked, astonished. “First Slagguron, then Tyrannus. The Named have never acted like this!”
    A crazy cackle ripped through the air as Tyrannus looped back around and soared high above the crumbling manor of the Hags.
    “VICTORY!” he screeched in his insanely shrill voice. “Monsters of the Nether, REJOICE! We have WON! The Guardian is DONE and now we will have our FUN!”
    “No,” Tabitha gasped.
    “This,” the Headmaster said, turning to Director Drake, “is what I was afraid of. I must go to the Guardian immediately.”
    “I’ll go with you,” Tabitha said.
    “May as well count me in, too,” Rex added. “You’re gonna have to take me anyway. The princess here”—he nodded to Tabitha—“can’t stand to be away from yours truly for too long.”
    “Oh, please.”
    The Headmaster shook her head. “I’m sorry. I appreciate your offer, both of you, but I must go alone. You’ve not been around the Guardian before, but I’ve spent many long days with that gentle creature. I know its unique problems…and its odd desires…and I know how to resist them.”
    “You’re being foolish, Brazenhope,” Director Drake snorted. “If the Guardian is weakened or dying, who knows how many Nethercreatures may be closing in on it? If there’s to be a fight, our strength lies in our numbers.”
    “This is not a fight of force, Reginald,” the Headmaster replied, “but of subtlety. Besides, you will all be engaged in a much greater task. The time has come, I’m afraid, to put into effect a plan I had dearly hoped to avoid.”
    She glanced at each of them in turn, her eyes gravely serious.
    “You must begin the Division Invasion.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    THE DIVISION INVASION
    The High Council Chamber of the Nightmare Division was packed. Adult Banishers and Nethermancers stirred restlessly in their seats, then quieted as the Director took his place at the dais.
    “I have just left an engagement with the Headmaster,” he said, after clearing his throat. “And we have come to an agreement. There is now a truce in place regarding the matter of Charlie Benjamin.”
    Charlie shifted uncomfortably in his chair as all the adults strained to see him.
    “What are you lookin’ at?” Theodore said, staring them down. “This isn’t the circus.”
    The adults glanced away.
    “Because of alarming new developments, everyone associated with Charlie Benjamin’s past misconduct is hereby pardoned, which clears the way for us to confront the greatest threat we have ever faced.”
    He began to pace.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, something extraordinary is happening in the Nether, and we must act immediately or find ourselves in a war with unimaginable consequences. We have reason to believe that the Guardian has been weakened and that Slagguron and Tyrannus may soon escape to join Barakkas and Verminion here on Earth. I don’t need to remind you that, if they succeed, the four Named will be able to use their artifacts in concert to summon the Fifth. If that happens, the Nethercreatures will begin a full-scale assault on our world—unless we stop them. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to implement a plan we had hoped to avoid: the Division Invasion.”
    He turned to William, who stood behind him on the dais. “General Dagget? Please fill us in.”
    Rex groaned. “Oh, come on. He put this idiot in charge?” And that’s when he noticed Theodore beside him. “Sorry, kid,” Rex continued, a little sheepishly. “I know he’s your dad and all, but it’s no secret that William and I haven’t always seen eye to eye.”
    “It’s