[Bonus chapter]Basilisks (2)

Vera opened the door just enough to pass, and she disappeared. She closed it, leaning with her weight to prevent the beast from the other side from crossing into the world of humans.

She was there to protect Vienna, after all. She couldn't let a basilisk wreak havoc just like that.

When she didn't hear anything, she dared remove her weight and turn. She found the lockers on the ground and put them back, closing every spot.

When she was done, she heard the door tremble. The basilisk attacked it too late, and it also seemed so angry. She could understand: being locked wasn't nice at all. She could relate to those creatures, unable to walk around free.

But she also could understand how bad it would be if they were free.

The agency was right about securing them far from people. To them, no means were wrong to keep something they deemed dangerous under control.

Just like Vera was a threat, those basilisks were lethal weapons walking on four green, clawed feet.

She had seen that one. It wasn't too big, maybe because it was young or had lived in the sewers all its life. It had the head of a rooster, the body of a toad, and the tail of a lizard. It wasn't fast at moving, which had made Vera find the courage to walk in and fix the mirrors. After all, basilisks didn't use violence to kill but their sole sight.

Seeing through the mirror, Vera would survive. But she just wanted to forget the ugliness. She had seen many dark creatures in her life, often worse than the one on the other side. However, maybe it was part of its magic, she couldn't help but feel the shivers and disgust for the basilisk.

«Damn it,» she sighed, removing the mask and walking away. Just before she could turn the corner, she heard an explosion. The place trembled, but she was positive no one would notice above the ground.

The basilisk must have seen its reflection on one of the mirrors. Just like Vera imagined, those darkened old pieces were because of the basilisks who would, sometimes, reach the door and try getting out.

The only way to keep them locked was through a system of mirrors. They would avoid coming too close after one or two of their companions died in such a terrible way. Exploding.

The smell reached Vera again, and she bent double, her hands pressed on her stomach. She felt the drink from that night reach her throat, but she didn't vomit just yet.

But it was horrible. She could guess why the agency - or whoever was responsible for that place - had been lazy at maintaining it.

She put the mask on again, but it didn't help. It was useless: why had she thought it would help in the first place?

She cursed under her breath, reaching the stairs towards the fresh air outside. She dared go up only when she felt better, and she put everything back as if it had been before. She checked that no one could notice that the manhole had been used, and she walked away. She continued along that road and reached the channel. This time, she didn't stay on the road but ventured down to the shore, where a few boats were docked. She walked there, waiting for her body to calm down and realise that danger was over.

While calming down, she realised that she had saved Vienna. But no one would have known it.

She didn't know what pushed her to put herself at risk for that city. She had nothing tying her there, hadn't she? But she couldn't bear the thought of the basilisks evading and killing.

Moreover, the thought of no one knowing bothered her. She had done a hundred missions without any care for recognition, but she had lately realised how it could come in handy. If people knew, she could ask for favours. Just like with Florian.

It was a pity her line of work was secret.

It must have been the first time in her life that she wished for everyone to know that they could live their life safely because someone was working in the dark, in dangerous and smelly places, so that they didn't need to fear supernatural creatures.

Yet, all she could get in return for her effort was a vacation delayed by days after days. And another case to solve every time she thought they would give her a break.

Her second contract was different from the first. There was no number of missions on it, meaning they wouldn't spare assets by keeping her for relevant cases.

It felt like being slaves.

She sighed, turning towards where she thought the hotel was. In the end, she would take the U-Bahn back. But she needed to use her muscles a little more. Even just to forget the awful creatures crawling under the streets.

It was going to be a night full of nightmares. Even as a witch, she couldn't protect herself from that.

«Sometimes, I just wish for a corporate job,» she murmured. Her eyes were fixed on the water. It helped her keep her nerves calm. It was the only natural element in the surroundings, except for a tree or two along the shore.

She took a deep breath while reminding herself it was all part of the basilisk's magic. That was how it worked, and she just needed time to be free from it. A day or two, at most. By the time she went to Bratislava to catch smugglers, she would have been back to her usual, rational self.

She had to resist forty-four hours in a weird mood. It wouldn't even be the first time.

She tried thinking about something else, but it wasn't easy. Every time, that creature would pop up in her mind. And she would be back to base one.

Even cursing wasn't enough of a distraction. She really needed a miracle to survive two days.