Chapter 23

Chapter 23

 

Murdering the dream…

 

 

Opius leaned nonchalantly against the mantle of the fireplace. Time had frozen for all the occupants of the room except Cameron and Shaliah. Cameron glared at the face of the woman who had caused him so much pain; he could guess the cloaked man with her was Skrim even without seeing his smug grin.

“Mon petite fleur,” Opius trilled gliding over to Shaliah, “what hast thou been up to?”

Before he made it to her Cameron had intercepted him, grabbing him by the collar of his shimmery purple robe and slamming him against the wall. Opius squeaked in alarm.

“What the hell is this?!” Cameron demanded of the elf articulating each word with a slight jerk, “Where is everyone?!”

The room shifted and blurred, once again they were in the room of mirrors. Cameron had Opius pinned against one of the mirrors, which had cracked from the force of his anger. Opius composed himself and shimmered through Cameron’s grip into nonexistence. Cameron was left holding nothing but air starring at his fractured reflection, a fitting portrayal of his thoughts.

Cameron breathed heavily, his stomach knotting and twisting, his thoughts running full tilt trying to understand the scene he was just showed. Kailah had never mentioned to him that she had ever met Mistress before their encounter in Southlands, but then again he hadn’t asked. His thoughts torturing him with possible betrayal he didn’t hear Shaliah come up behind him. When she wrapped her arms around him he jumped slightly then tensed.

“Oh, Cameron,” Shaliah whispered into his back, “I’m so sorry.”

Cameron snorted, “About what? I don’t believe what I just saw, even if it is true there’s got to be more to it than that.”

Glaring into the mirror at his own ice blue eyes Cameron set his jaw, he wasn’t going to let one vision shown by a Chaos elf b*****d make him doubt his Caster, specially not one of his type. Shaliah released her hold on him and stepped away. Cameron turned wondering what she was about.

Shaliah’s eyes narrowed, “How can you doubt the evidence of your own eyes?”

“Because, for one, we’re in the thrall of a Dream Caster.” Cameron replied, “Everything is suspect, that’s the first thing you learn about them in the academy.”

“Oh very good, darling,” Opius shimmered into existence next to Shaliah, “when and how ever did you figure it out?”

Cameron crossed his arms smirking, “That’s for me to know and you to fret over.”

At his non-explanation Opius and Shaliah stared at him like he had lost his mind, Cameron’s grin broadened.

“Well, I say.” Opius fluttered his hand distressingly, “Now I’ll have to find some other way to amuse myself whilst Gan finds the tablet.”

He snapped his fingers, again the world shifted, and the three of them were in an arena. Cameron was garbed in leather armor, very fetchingly he added to himself, with long sword in hand. Opius smiled broadly at him, causing Cameron to blush slightly and feel most uncomfortable.

“What’s the game this time?” Looking around he didn’t recognize the place, “Fairly certain I’ve never been here.”

Opius gestured expansively, “Ah, well we would hardly hold you at fault for your ignorance; this is the arena of the old Southlands capitol city, before the Edge swallowed and claimed it for the Chaos.”

“Uh-huh.” Cameron bit his lower lip, unimpressed, “And why, pray tell, am I here?”

Opius blinked at him like a calf staring at a new gate, hesitantly he ventured, “Why, to entertain us, of course.”

Snapping his slender, grey fingers, Don appeared in a cloud of purple smoke once again. He coughed and sputtered, waving his hands in front of him to disperse the smoke.

“Don!” Cameron called to him, “You alright?”

Don nodded his head, giving one final deep lunged cough, “Yeah, after the whole debacle I wound up back in the hall of mirrors. Thankfully, without stab wounds.”

Cameron sighed in relief; he had been worried about Don in the back of his mind. Opius waited patiently with Shaliah standing passively beside him. Don glanced from Shaliah to Cameron and back, not quite sure how to take the situation.

“Dream Caster.” Cameron pointed at Opius.

Don nodded as Opius, outraged, stomped his foot in protest, “Well, don’t just give away the bloody secret, you great buffoon!”

“My great stars but you are difficult!” Opius waved a hand absentmindedly in Don’s direction making him disappear in another cloud of purple smoke, “I see I’ll have to teach you a lesson.”

Opius smiled as Kailah shimmered into existence a couple feet in front of Cameron. She was no longer in her normal attire of corset vest over shirt with black pants and boots, Cameron blushed slightly, she was now dressed in a long flowing gown of pale blue that hugged her figure closely. 

“Kai?” Cameron asked tentatively.

She smiled in relief, “Cameron.”

Anger rose inside of Cameron when he noticed that she had been crying, “What’s wrong?”

She took a small step forward and faltered, Cameron caught her, holding her close and sinking to the ground. Kailah breathed heavily, like it was a great effort just to do so.

“Kai, hey, what’s wrong?!” Cameron asked her trying to see if he could tell what was ailing his Caster, “Kai?”

Shaking her head slowly Kailah swallowed hard, “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” Cameron replied sternly, “What happened?”

She sighed heavily, “I just relived some old memories, is all, Cameron. Have you encountered any of the others?”

“Yeah, Don and Skiff,” Nodding his head he shifted Kailah to a more comfortable position, “they were fine the last I saw of them.”

“Good.” Kailah settled against his chest reveling in the touch of someone real, “I’m glad they’re ok. What about you?”

Cameron chuckled softly, “I’m alright, you just rest easy I won’t let anything else happen to you.”

Kailah smiled up at him, “Promise?”

“Promise.” Cameron smiled nodding his head once in affirmation.

Opius startled them both when he suddenly clapped and exclaimed, “Oh, bravo, I dare say, bravo indeed!”

“I forgot he was here.” Cameron grumbled and glared at Opius over his shoulder.

Kailah gripped the lapel of Cameron’s leather jerkin tightly setting her jaw firmly as she watched Opius with caution. Cameron put his hand over hers and held her around the shoulders closer to himself, bending his body to shield her slightly from Opius.

“Heartwarming, mine little birdie, but the show must go on, as they say,” Opius waved a hand theatrically into the air, “places, places, mine lovelies!”

As Opius turned away a great wind picked up around them. Cameron shielded Kailah as best he could with her tucked against him. The arena stands crumbled apart in the hurricane. Opius and Shaliah stood unconcernedly in the midst as boulders the size of horses cascaded past them.

A tower started to build itself from the destruction of the arena; Cameron despite himself was impressed watching the stones knit themselves together. Soon the wind settled and before them, standing proudly in the sun, was a tower out of legends. Battlements glared down at them, displaying deep purple flags with silver dragons emblazoned across their fields. Cameron shivered involuntarily; the tower seemed alive, and sinister.

“The stage is set, the story,” Opius turned to Shaliah stage whispering and gesturing ominously, “two young hearts beat madly for each other, the one a stalwart warrior, defender of the realm and keeper of truth and nobility.”

Cameron and Kailah stared at Opius, mouths agape, as he continued on in his apparent narrative, “The other, a beautiful maiden from his home city, pure and sweet a demure petite fleur.”

Kailah snorted at this and Cameron couldn’t help but grin at her. Opius ignored the rude interruption and continued on, “Ah, but what is a story without conflict!”

Cameron narrowed his eyes as Opius grinned at the two of them, “And what’s good conflict without a villain!”

Shaliah blurred then reformed, she was no longer the unassuming naïve kid from Cameron’s memories, now she wore a black robe with silver lining, complete with cape. Her blond hair was braided back, her green eyes lined with black and her lips painted deep red.

“Great day alive!” Opius continued, “The evil sorceress has captured the stalwart warrior’s fair maiden!”

He pointed at Kailah and she disappeared from Cameron’s arms, “No!”

Cameron grabbed his sword from where he had dropped it to catch Kailah, and jumped to his feet lunging for Opius. Shaliah, of all people, intercepted him blocking his over handed swing with a sword of her own. Confusion briefly replaced the anger in Cameron, causing him to loosen his stance; Shaliah took advantage of this and called forth her phantom. The phantom knocked Cameron back, arching him into the air slightly; he landed a good twenty feet away kicking up a cloud of dust.

“As I was saying, before being so rudely interrupted,” Opius huffed putting his hands on his hips, “the great sorceress has captured the fair maiden and is holding her prisoner inside the tower of dooooooooom!”

Regaining his feet, dusting himself off, Cameron looked at Opius dirisively, “Seriously, of all things to name a tower with that amount of opposing ambience, you pick doom?”

“Well, I thought it was rather fetching.” Opius bristled, tilting his chin into the air and glaring down his nose at Cameron, “Why the disapproval of my choice?”

Cameron shrugged, “It’s a bit cliché, isn’t it?”

Shaliah rolled her eyes, “At any rate, Cameron, I have captured your girl; you must fight your way through my tower to the top, where I will be waiting for you.”

Opius threw up his hands giving up on the story telling, as no one seemed to be taking it seriously. Shaliah ignored him starring haughtily at Cameron, reminding him slightly of Xerkieda.

“When you say fight through,” Cameron spoke slowly, gripping his sword tighter, “I’m assuming you’ve got friends in there?”

Shaliah smirked, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Shaliah,” Cameron spoke softly, his voice deadly serious, “if you harm her, I will kill you.”

Smirking Shaliah flipped her cape dramatically about herself, it wrapped around her and she disappeared into its folds. It fell to the ground empty of its occupant. Opius stared at the flat, mussed, piece of fabric slightly impressed at Shaliah’s exit. Cameron set off for the tower without a backwards glance at Opius. As he ran up the stairs the door swung open invitingly and without breaking stride, Cameron entered the tower of doom.

 

Esma swung her training sword horizontally at Opius and again it did nothing. Opius meerily stared at Esma like she had gone quite mad as she continued to swing at him. Cameron walked to stand next to the other three, still holding onto his sword for when Opius sent him back to the tower.

“You guys alright?” Cameron asked looking them over.

“I’ve been in and out of the mirror room,” Don replied, “reliving memories, but only the exciting ones.”

Don bit his lower lip in thought; Skiff nodded his head, “Same here.”

Chelry replied without taking his eyes off Esma, “I’ve been in a room of mirrors since we were attacked, feels like an age ago.”

“Probably, because your life hasn’t been all that exciting.” Don smirked.

Cherly said nothing, simply shrugging. Cameron wasn’t so sure that was the case, Cherly and Esma tended to get some of the more hazardous contracts due to the fact that Chelry was a Healing Caster. Combine that with Esma’s super human strength, the two of them made for a formidable opponent. No, Cameron was starting to believe that Opius was looking for something besides the Paradigm Tablet.

“Are you quite through?” Opius asked Esma perturbed, “We have pressing business to continue on with, woman.”

Esma’s yellow eyes flashed dangerously and she struck out quickly with her fist. To everyone’s surprise, including Opius, her fist connected with his nose. Opius cupped his hand over his nose, glaring at Esma. Before she could continue her attack he waved a hand at her and she disappeared.

“Contemptuous woman.” Opius grumbled to himself, pulling out a purple hanky from the depths of his robes and blotting at his profusely bleeding nose delicately.

Due to his otherwise, rapt attention to his face, he compeletly failed to notice the hulking orange giant making rapid strides in his direction. Chelry grabbed Opius by the front of his robes and hoisted him into the air, with one hand. Opius did the only logical thing one could do when confronted with an angry Chelriman; he squeaked and gave the man his full attention.

Chelry spoke softly, which to Cameron made his words that much more threatening, “Bring her back.”

“What is it with you people and manhandling a man.” Opius, like the slippery eel that he was, shimmered out of Chelry’s grasp; he reappeared a few feet away dusting himself off.

He glared at the assembled gentry, cleared his throat, and with broken nose addressed them with as much dignity as he had left, “We must be getting on with the story, lest you have forgotten, Shaliah has your precious Caster in her evil clutches.”

It took everyone a second to process what Opius had just said.

“Shaliah?”

“Evil?”

“Clutches?”

Skiff, Chelry, and Don spoke one right after the other, all turning to raise quizzical eyebrows at Cameron. Cameron shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

“What have you gotten us into now?” Esma’s voice startled Cameron.

Turning around the small elf woman was glaring at him, arms crossed. Chelry breathed a sigh of relief that she was once again with him.

Opius clapped gleefully, “Intermission over, back to work.”