Dream Magic

by Michelle Mankin

  She seemed to see me as someone worthy and not just an outlaw on the fringes of our immortal society. And although she too seemed to view herself as an outcast with each moment my admiration for her fierce spirit, keen wit and exotic beauty grew. We were just at the beginnings of us but I already knew that I would be lost without her.

  “So you wandered away from your master, fell asleep by my river and yet saw nor heard nothing concerning the breakout from my prison. Am I to believe this?” Phoebus directed the question at me while regarding me over the rim of his delicate cup. He and Bacchus conversed across a shiny mahogany dining table which was elegantly set with china and silver but for just two today.

  “Precisely.” I nodded once attempting to conceal the hatred in my eyes as effectively as Cecilia mashed her fear of him.

  His gaze narrowed in a way that made me think I had not managed the task near as well. He lowered his eyes to Arla. “Has he been punished for his disobedience?” I stiffened every muscle screaming protest. “Because if he has not, I would be happy to lend you the facilities in my dungeon for just that purpose. Lenience toward our lessers only leads to further disloyalty. I thought we were in agreement about that by now.”

  “We are for true, though he is my servant and only I will determine the timing and method of his instruction.” I could hear the deception in Arla’s voice but apparently Phoebus could not. Perhaps his madness blinded him to the truth that lay before him. I hoped so for Cecilia’s and her friends’ sake.

  “Of course. I would not presume to interfere.” Phoebus took another sip of his beverage and returned the cup to its saucer. He threw his monogrammed napkin on the table, stood and extended his hand. “I hope to count you as an ally as I move forward with my initiative.”

  Bacchus rose slowly and as regally as Phoebus though I did not even know if he had a physical kingdom. The god of wine continued to surprise me.

  “I hesitate to seal our agreement just yet,” Bacchus said and Phoebus’ smiling lips flattened. “Recent events have revealed that your house is not as tightly ordered as it should be, not if you hope to best such a formidable foe as Apollyon.”

  “You are mistaken in that conclusion.” Phoebus’ words were coolly spoken but there was a flash of anger in his eyes.

  “The Cypress organization…” Arla began.

  “There is no organization, just a gaggle of geese destined for my guillotine.” His gaze flicked to me to make his point. “You see to your own and I will see to my, n’est-ce pas?” Phoebus withdrew his hand making it seem as if he had dismissed Arla instead of it having been the other way around. “I have some pressing matters to attend. I regret that I won’t be able to spend the day with you. I’ll expect your agreement soon. Until then, adieu. Oh, and make no mistake, Falcon. If you stray again I will be well within my rights to clip your wings.”

  I opened my mouth to challenge him to try, but Arla put his hand on my arm and shook his head. As Phoebus left the room, I pulled in a breath imagining sinking my claws deep into his spine.

  “Save it,” Arla gave me a knowing look, and I nodded following my presumed liege out of the dining room.

  As we entered the carpeted hall, Cecilia approached from the other direction accompanied by Fiori and the gargoyle. The latter seemed to be trying to convey some sort of apology. Fiori gave me a quizzical look but I barely noticed. Cecilia captivated all my attention. Her hair pulled back and tucked under at her nape, she wore a sophisticated designer suit that hugged her curves.

  She stumbled to a halt as her gaze tangled with mine. Remembering the feel of her warm body in my arms and the taste of her soft lips, I moved toward her. Fiori tugged on her arm. Cecilia looked down at the connection blinking as if in a daze.

  “Cecilia, we have been summoned.” I think Fiori spoke the words as much as an explanation to me as a prompting to her friend. “Father awaits. You know how he feels about tardiness.” They continued down the hall as I tracked her with my eyes. I knew I didn’t need to give Phoebus any more reason to suspect me, but the pull of my Fated was impossible to ignore. It was all I could do to keep my feet planted and my wings lowered.

  At the last moment, after her friends had passed through a door at the end of the hall, she turned back to regard me. An indecipherable emotion crossed her face and she dropped her gaze. Without realizing it I stepped toward her. I wouldn’t let her put distance between us again, not after tasting her sweet lips and holding her in my arms.

  “Podna,” Arla said, placing a restraining hand on my shoulder. “I hope for your sake and hers that Phoebus doesn’t know about her activities the night his prison was breached.” I had informed him of her role in the breakout. “He is mad for true,” Arla continued. “But unfortunately his madness is backed by means. Soon he will have all he needs to make his move. I doan doubt he will destroy anyone who gets in his way. Even her, Morpheus.”

  I occupied the chair opposite the desk where Phoebus sat, in the library where Millie and I had once worked together. The room echoed with her memory.

  “Cecily.”

  “Yes.” I stared into his eyes, cold and desolate like a desert night. I willed detachment as he laid down his latest restrictions. He seemed irritated that he couldn’t get a reaction out of me. Too much of the time I gave him what he liked.

  “Did you hear what I said, my pet? You didn’t acknowledge me.”

  “You will pardon me if I am indifferent…my… liege.” Sarcasm tripped from the title. “But you take and take to the point that I grow weary of this game.”

  I could feel Fiori’s warning glance from where she sat on the edge of the chair next to me. Stone’s wings rattled nervously.

  Phoebus smiled grimly. “Well, then perhaps the stakes are too low. In addition to revoking those concerts that have a remarkable correlation with my prison being breached, I will have to insist that from now on you sleep in your own room.”

  My fingers curled into balls on the armrests.

  “Furthermore…”

  My stomach churned while he paused dramatically.

  “Your gargoyle is grounded and restricted to the palace. If my guards see him lift even an inch off the ground they have orders to pin him down to it.”

  Loathing for him made my eyes burn. I pushed up from my chair.

  “Oh, but I am not done yet, my pet.”

  I suppressed my anger and my fear.

  “The tide is nigh for establishing the new world order. I have a new and very important prisoner, a gift from Apollyon. The final piece I need to begin the real game.”

  Could he possibly be referring to Thyme? I had to find out.

  “I grow weary of our tete-a-tete. So I will come to the point. I will brook no disruptions from Cypress. Do not feign surprise. I know that you support them in some fashion. I know also that there are many in the Dark City who look to you for guidance. They think somehow that you manipulate me.” I fell into the fathomless depths of accusation that darkened his eyes. “Therefore, it is time that I stop indulging you. From now on I expect that you will use your influence to put an end to any thought of rebellion. And if there is even one more additional breakout from the prison, I will hold you and you alone responsible.”

  “No, Daddy. How can you do that? She cannot control…”

  “Silence, Fiori. Do not think that I am ignorant of your regard for her or your involvement in her seditious activities. However, your loyalty is misplaced. She is beneath you. Blood is thicker.” He leaned forward across the desk his hand folded together but glowing. “If you even think to interfere the next time I seek Cecilia for…entertainment, I will allow Giles to be more…creative…during your next bloodletting. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Daddy.” Strands of platinum slid forward to hide her face as she hung her head. Beneath her poise, I could see that she trembled. Phoebus did not make idle threats.

  “Why not converse at our apartment?” I asked Arla. We stood side by side barely holding our ground within the
large crowd of tourists and Parisians in the Michelangelo gallery of the Louvre. They milled about us trying to get a better glimpse of the Mona Lisa portrait, but one of the many treasures in the former palace.

  “Because he suspects that it is being monitored by the Sun King. Much like you he is an outlaw of sorts.”

  “But you trust him?”

  Arla nodded. “And I believe he has information that is vital to both of us.”

  “How do you know him?”

  “From a time when friendships were easier to form. We shared a common one.”

  “Bacchus.” The tawny maned speaker clapped Arla on the back while his copper gaze swept over me, intelligent and probing. I took the newcomer’s measure at the same time. I tried not to betray my admiration of his stealth. He had come upon us silently like a French pickpocket on a blithe tourist.

  “Leonardo,” Arla returned with an easy smile. “It’s been too long.”

  “There are reasons.” The man nodded. “The same ones that prompted caution for our meeting today.” He inclined his head toward me. “I am aware of the Dream Falcon’s reputation, but I still would have you vouch for him before we proceed.”

  “I trust Morpheus implicitly.”

  I straightened my shoulders at the vote of confidence. The more I learned about Arla, the more I came to understand my father’s faith in him.

  “That is good. There is little time but much information to impart if you are serious about backing our cause.”

  “I am,” Arla replied. “When we came seeking the oracle’s aid we stumbled upon serious matters that we had not anticipated but can’t ignore.

  “The Dark City. His oppression of his slaves. His madness and ambitions,” Leonardo guessed.

  “Yes. There have long been rumblings about Phoebus, but I see now that the rumors are true. He has stolen whole families of Dark Immortals from their homes. The sheer number of Sun Elves he amasses within his City of Lights is startling. Already he has more that serve him than Apollyon or any other Progeny. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it.” Arla let out a long sigh. “I never envisioned that he held such sway.”

  “Ever has he been beguiling. That is why so many have looked the other way when they should have intervened. If left unchecked he will enslave the entire population of Dark Immortals.”

  “Yes, he believed that I support his ambitions. But for now he doan yet have any other Progeny pledged to him and his armory is still woefully undersupplied. Each of his guard has but a handful of obsidian arrows. They have few other weapons among them.”

  “I fear that could soon change.” Expression somber, Leonardo clasped the god of wine by the shoulder. “Phoebus has made a move that may gain him the leverage he needs. He has taken Calliope prisoner.”

  “Hephaestus’ daughter.” My brows drew together as I shook my head. “You are right to presume that he would do anything to assure her safe return.”

  “I have already sent a message to Catonia. She and Evercy will appraise the oracle of the situation. She will make the arrangements needed to liberate Calliope. And now that she has the dagger Hephaestus crafted for her it is only a matter of time and opportunity before Cecilia ends Phoebus’ ambitions permanently.”

  Everything started to click together in my mind and every muscle in my frame clamped tight. Cecilia’s recklessness knew no bounds. She was in even more danger than I had known, more danger than she might realize. “I saw the weapon at Hephaestus’ forge. It had the marking of the Cypress organization. What is Cecilia’s role in it exactly?”

  “She is Cypress.” He looked at me as if I were some naïve child.

  “But how can that be? She is Phoebus’ slave. If she has the means to help others escape why does she not leave herself?” I knew the answer even as I framed the question.

  “She will not abandon Fiori or her friends. She will not leave until every Immortal who lives within the Dark City is freed.”

  “How do you come by this knowledge?” Had Leonardo and Cecilia been lovers? Jealousy trumped all the other emotions tumbling around in my head.

  “I was once Phoebus’ top advisor.”

  “What is your relationship to the oracle?” I pressed.

  “I served as the Sun King’s emissary. I collected the shipments of slaves. I was there seventeen years ago when Cecilia and her sister came to Phoebus shortly after Apollyon murdered their parents.”

  As I had suspected, for nearly two decades she had lived at the madman’s whim.

  “What became of her sister?”

  “Her twin. Amelia. A beautiful, sweet girl.” He closed his eyes briefly. “She was weakened during their capture. Then Phoebus struck her with a UV ray as a punishment. She perished shortly afterward. Cecilia believes Amelia’s death to be her fault, and she blames herself for her parents’ demise as well. Guilt and revenge lay at the center of all she does.”

  I gathered the missing pieces as he provided them. I needed time to process them though. My fear for Cecilia grew as did my desire to make Phoebus pay for his many crimes.

  “She is of the most resilient women I know,” Leonardo continued. “But Phoebus is warped by his desire to break her. Her strength threatens him.” Leonardo studied me. I had been critical of Billy for being too transparent about his feelings for Thyme. Now I understood too well how difficult it was to be so closely tied to another and conceal it.

  “What is she to you, Morpheus?” Leonardo queried. “Cecilia has not mentioned you to me.”

  “We are Fated.” I wanted him to know it. If he were a rival for her affection then we were enemies.

  I could feel Arla watching our exchange closely.

  “Make no mistake. She is mine.” I added with narrowed eyes and claws extended.

  “Excellent.” Leonardo smiled. “You two make a fine match. What of her scar then? And her wings? Has it been too long or has the magic of your union healed them?”

  “Her scar?” My vision tunneled on Leonardo. Arla and the crowd seeming to recede.

  “The one on her face. The Sun King branded her at the same time that he mortally wounded Amelia. I guess you haven’t seen her in direct sunlight.”

  I shook my head. Another wrong for which I would extract a price from that ill begotten Progeny. “Cecilia has wings?” My Fated had wings? He had to be mistaken. I had seen her nearly naked. How could she possibly hide them?

  He cocked his head to the side. “She once had them. They emerged when she became fully immortal. She hid them from all of us while she could. I think she hoped to use them to escape, but Phoebus ordered them surgically removed when she refused to falsely prophecy for him after Amelia’s death.” He shook his head sadly. “She actually couldn’t prophesy for a time afterward. The loss of her twin broke something inside her, much as Hemera’s death damaged Phoebus.”

  Bile coated my throat. Tears burned my eyes. Mi corazón, how did you survive it, losing your sister and your wings? I couldn’t even fathom it.

  “Cici almost died after that. I think she wanted to but Fiori’s blood healed her. It also triggers her to prophesy. She cannot resist its effects. She and the princess are nearly as closely linked as she and Amelia were.”

  “When Cecilia is in court, the blood in the bowl is Fiori’s,” I mused remembering.

  “Even so.”

  “He binds Cecilia to a chair and forces her. She has no choice. It hurts her.”

  “Yes. I tried to stop him the first time he performed the abomination. He sent me to the dungeon and sentenced me to the guillotine. Cecilia and Fiori helped me escape.”

  “Ga-lee, podna.” Arla rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I think your Fated might be more than your match, no?”

  I nodded numbly.

  What was I going to do? I didn’t want Cecilia to remain in that city. But how could I to convince her to go? Now I understood that her obligations to her friends only represented a small part of her reluctance to leave. The way Leonardo t
old it she planned to liberate all of the Dark Immortals...by assassinating the Sun King herself.

  I had to get to her. To talk some sense into her. Now. I spun to leave, but a strong hand on my arm stopped me.

  “Morpheus,” Leonardo said low. “I don’t know you well, but I see some of myself in you. I would share my history and give you some advice if you would but allow me a moment.”

  I gave him a curt nod and his eyes took on a remembering glow. “I myself had a lover in Phoebus’ court. His wife. Fiori’s mother. Tatiana sought comfort in my arms after Phoebus grew cold and cruel after his sister’s death. I begged her to leave him but she convinced me to allow her to stay for Fiori’s sake despite the way Phoebus treated both of them. It was a mistake. I should have made her leave sooner. I might have been able to get both of them out if I hadn’t gone against my instincts.” He sighed heavily. “We all suffer for my poor choice now. Though Tatiana has been away from Phoebus for many years now, she has not completely recovered. She still wakes with nightmares because of the things he forced her to do. And she pines for Fiori.” His gaze sharpened as it refocused on me. “I have no doubt that Cecilia will make an attempt on Phoebus. She feels her honor is at stake and believes that it is her destiny to avenge Amelia. She is smart and capable. She will probably succeed. But if I were in your place,” he leaned close and lowered his voice even more, “I would consummate your union if you have not already done so. That way you will gain her strength and she yours. Remain close. One may then heal the other if need be. You will require every advantage. Phoebus is not to be underestimated.”

  “Cici, wait up!” Face red from exertion Fiori hurried up beside me.

  “Leave me alone, Fi.” One hand on the latch to my room, I waved the secret missive from Leonardo at her and leaned close trying not to let the injured look on her face get to me. “Your father has Calliope. I have to get her out. He will use her to blackmail Hephaestus if I don’t. He’ll demand weapons in exchange for her freedom. There’s no time to lose.”