Sorcerer Stabber Orphen Fan Fiction ❯ It's in the Blood ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 14 )

That morning was not a pleasant one for anyone. Orphen was actually first up. He was very surprised that Cleo hadn't entered his room. A sudden fear took a hold of him. He quickly slipped on his pants and ran into her room to find the bed empty. He glanced around the room and didn't see any signs she'd gotten up and dressed. He went to Majic's room and woke him.

"Cleo's missing."

"Did you two have another fight last night?"

"Yes, but I thought we made up."

"Maybe Master Hartia will know something."

Orphen burst into Hartia's room as Hartia jumped and sat up in bed, looking guilty. What was strange was that Hartia looked like he'd slept in his clothes.

"Cleo's missing, help me find her." The fear he'd woken up with was now consuming him.

"No, she's not."

"What!?!?"

Hartia stood up and moved away from the bed. Orphen saw Cleo in Hartia's bed, still sound asleep.

"What the hell is she doing in your bed?!?" Orphen pushed Hartia against the wall.

When Orphen spoke up, Cleo woke but she didn't let on that she was awake. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that Orphen was jealous.

"I woke up with her standing by the foot of my bed, just like I saw her do the night before last. She must have been there a while, because she was ice cold. I just wanted to get her warm and then I was going to take her back to her room. I tried to take her back a couple of times, but she fretted so much I couldn't get her there. I finally gave up, went to sleep and only just woke up."

"Why did she go to you?" Orphen asked, as he backed off a little, scratching his head in confusion and more than a little hurt.

"Why do you think, dumb ass? You were going to be in this room when she went to sleep. That was before we switched."

Ego back in full force, "Of course, she was looking for me. This won't happen again. If we switch, and she comes in your room, you'll bring her to me, do you understand?"

"I will not! I'll take her back to her room, not yours. You're not her father or her husband, you're not even her lover. Hell, half the time no one's sure you even like her. You can stake no such claim on her."

"I.." Orphen paused, because he really didn't know what to say immediately, "I promised to take care of her and if that means protecting her from you, I will."

"So? I promised the same. We all did. That doesn't fly with me. I think right now I need to protect her from you. You're the one who stormed in here and flew into a jealous rage when you saw her in my bed." Hartia heard a faint snort from the bed and winced. `Orphen for once keep your damn mouth shut.' Hartia silently pleaded.

Orphen pinned Hartia to the wall again. "She thought it was my bed. And why would I be jealous of where that hell-cat slept?"

"I think we should continue this discussion elsewhere." `Damn it Orphen you just couldn't stop yourself could you, and I shouldn't have let you hurt her by trying to corner you into admitting your feelings. I should have taken the conversation out of the room earlier.'

"Why? What's wrong with right here? She's asleep."

"If she is, then that's why. We need to leave, so we don't wake her, but I don't think she is anymore."

"How did you get so damned sensitive to…?" Orphen stopped as he realized Hartia was right. He released Hartia and turned to shout at Cleo. "Get up and go to your room!"

Cleo jumped up and ran out of the room, right past Majic, who was standing at the door. Orphen sighed as she passed him, `Oh, hell, she looks like she's going to cry. What did I do to deserve all this grief?' Orphen looked down and then back up at Majic, "Majic, go talk to her, please. Hartia and I still have something we need to discuss." Orphen finished, with unrestrained anger in his voice.

Majic knocked on the door to Cleo's room. "You can't come in, Orphen. I don't want to talk to you!"

"What about me?" Majic said.

"Oh." She opened the door. "So he sent you instead of coming himself. Figures."

"He said he still needed to discuss some things with Hartia." Just then they heard a loud crash in the room next to them. "Yeah, that's what I thought he'd be saying."

Cleo grinned in spite of herself. "I'm tired of not knowing, Majic. Just when I think I have him figured out, he changes."

"I think he's going through a really rough time right now." She shook her head in disbelief. "Think about it. Neither of us ever really got hurt with all the adventuring we've done, and you can't deny that it's because of him. Now, you get hurt, not once, but twice. Well, three times actually, and he wasn't there to prevent it." Majic paused, unsure whether he should continue, but she wasn't reading Orphen as clearly as she usually did. She needed to know.

"Remember, he was there when Agan backhanded you, causing you to fall off the balcony. He saved you from more serious injury, but it still happened while he watched.

"I know, but he's used to picking up the pieces of the messes I get us into."

"This was different. You were hurt." Inwardly Majic added, `and that fact is tearing him apart.' "He caught you and was attacking Agan almost as soon as he landed, but he wouldn't let you go to chase after him. He didn't leave your side until you woke up."

"This is so confusing. He did all that, but he's been an absolute tyrant ever since we got on the road."

"He's only a tyrant when it comes to your health or safety. When has Master ever admitted he might be afraid of anything?"

"He hasn't. He's never afraid."

"I think he's terrified and running scared."

"Why? From whom?"

"You."

"What!"

"Cleo, I know you won't believe it, but I think Master has feelings for you, strong ones, but he doesn't know how to express them. His world just got shook up. One of us got hurt, and he can't forgive himself for that. Think of the tyrannical behavior as a way of trying to prevent it from happening again."

"I'll think on what you said, but you're right, I really don't believe you. Now, Hartia said I walked into his room. I don't remember. Did I sleepwalk?"

"You must have, and you know it's not the first time. Remember all those times before Licorice joined us?"

"Well, I'll let you in on a secret. I was awake when I got into Orphen's bed then, but…I don't remember climbing in bed with Orphen recently." She remembered waking up with Orphen the morning before they left, but she had no idea how she'd gotten there. According to the conversation the other night, she'd apparently been doing it quite a bit.

"What secret? I figured it out. I've been wanting to ask you forever, why did you blow him up each morning?"

"I …uh…. well…. His reaction told me he didn't want me there, and he didn't care about me, so I got angry. Leki did the rest."

"Cleo, did you ever think that his reaction was not from the fact that you were in his bed, but that he was about to get blasted by Leki?"

"He didn't know that the first time it happened."

Orphen had cracked the door open and heard the last part of their conversation, regarding her previous instances of bed hopping. `She really thinks I don't care, but I do, and I did then, too. Does she really think so little of herself?'

He thought back to a few of the insulting things he'd called her: brat, troublemaker, nitwit, minx, tagalong, extra baggage, hell-cat….to name but a few.

He winced as he thought of what he'd said to Hartia, with her in the room listening. `Great, it is my fault. I need to think. We'd probably better stay here today and continue tomorrow.'

Orphen quietly closed the door, without them noticing, and then knocked on it. He opened it when Majic answered.

"Majic, I still need you to copy the rubbings. I think it would be best if we stayed here today to take care of that. Besides, someone probably over did it yesterday, and could use the rest."

"Don't stop on my account. I feel fine."

"We're not, we're staying because I want another copy of the writing from the ruins."

Orphen left Cleo's room and returned to his own. He washed and finished getting dressed. He was thinking about the revelations he heard this morning. He wanted to talk to Hartia, because ever since he was small, if he had problems dealing with this or that emotion, Hartia had always been able to help. He realized he'd screwed things up with Hartia and he needed to mend that, too. He exited his room and went to Hartia's door, which was open because Cleo was inside, tending to Hartia's split lip and black eye.

Inwardly, Orphen felt the same rage that hit him when he saw Cleo in Hartia's bed earlier, but he realized it wasn't anger. He really was jealous. He never got like that over anyone. He'd had some short-term relationships before hooking up with Cleo and Majic, but when they moved on to someone else, it didn't matter to him. The idea of Cleo moving on to someone else mattered, a lot.

He stepped into the room and kept control of his emotions. He'd already beaten up his best friend, he wasn't going to do it again. Besides, his jaw was still sore and bruised. Hartia had given as good as he got, which was a first for him.

"Cleo, could you please excuse us for a few minutes?"

"No…not if you two are going to…"

"We aren't….or…ah…I'm not going to start another fight." Orphen said.

"Good, because you need patching up too, Orphen. Let me know when you finish."

"Sure." And he smiled, which made him realize she was right, he had a split lip too. She exited the room and Orphen heard her go into the room with Majic. "We're quite a pair."

"We always were. This is the first time in a very long while we've physically fought. And the first time we've ever been quite so serious about it." Hartia watched as Orphen crossed to the chair by the window and sat down.

"Yeah…I know, and it's my fault. I'm sorry, but don't tell them I said that."

"My lips are sealed. That isn't all you wanted to talk to me about, is it?"

"How'd you know?"

"We've been friends for how long?"

"True."

"So, what's on your mind?"

"In a word, Cleo."

"That's quite a topic. We really did just sleep, Orphen. I specifically got dressed so I wouldn't be tempted. Well, too tempted."

"I know that…now. It's just that I…. I need to talk to her, but I can never seem to say the right thing. I'll go to talk to her about one thing and suddenly we're throwing insults back and forth. God…Hartia she thinks I don't care." Orphen put his face in his hands after that admission.

"Hold on…. let me catch up. How do you know she thinks you don't care?"

"I overheard her telling Majic a few minutes ago."

"Oh…She won't leave, though."

"Why not? All I do is hurt her feelings. I mean, she drives me crazy, and at the same time, I'm constantly worrying about her. Remember how, after Azalie was returned to her normal form, Majic, Cleo, and I split up?"

"Believe me, I do. You were impossible to be around until you left."

"When I left, it was only a matter of days before I went to Totokonta, only to find out she was back at her boarding school. I followed her there, too, and I watched her for a long time. I saw her with different boys every day, and yet, I knew she wasn't happy there anymore. It tore me up, but I couldn't do anything. I was frozen, just watching, like the peeping tom she accused me of being when we first met." Hartia's eyebrows shot up with an unspoken question. "Very long story. Then I got word from you that Majic was leaving the tower. Almost the same day, Cleo left school for home. I knew then that we'd be going out journeying again, together. It felt so right."

"Sounds like love to me."

"WHAT!"

"You heard me. You love her. And, if you don't get off the fence, Krylancelo, she's not going to wait for you forever. Just so you know my intentions, I'm not afraid to act on my feelings."

"Are you trying to pick another fight?"

"No, but think about it. You don't like the idea of her with another man. Also, who was she bed hopping to find? Not me, you."

"Yeah, I know. This isn't the first time she's done it. It was a lot easier when she just climbed in and slept on the opposite side. Now, when she's in the bed, she snuggles into me. It's getting difficult. I don't want to do anything I'll regret later."

"You would regret having a relationship with Cleo?"

"She's not ready."

"Yeah, right! She's climbed into your bed how many times?"

"No clue."

"Let me get this straight. You count the number of times you chase her off, but you don't keep track of the number of times you wake up with such a luscious creature in your bed? We'll need to have another talk about your priorities."

Shooting Hartia dirty look. "Geez.. I'm being serious here. Before, she snuck into my bed with no real reason," with a smirk, "she wasn't there to kiss or kill me. Now…well, what's got me worried is that she's actually unaware that she's coming into my room. She seems scared, like she's afraid I'll be gone."

"You know her best, don't you?"

"After three years of putting up with her nonsense, if I don't, no-one does."

"Then I'll say it again, you love her."

"I couldn't, Hartia. I don't know what love is."

"Hold it. You love Azalie, don't you?"

"Yeah, but that's different."

"I just mean you do know how to love, but recognizing it is something different. You trust Azalie?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

"A lot actually, just go with me on this and answer the questions. Do you trust Cleo?"

"Implicitly."

"You've risked your life for Azalie, right?"

"Yeah."

"Would or have you risked your life for Cleo?"

"I'd give my life to keep her safe."

"I'd say you sacrificed your dreams for Azalie, true?"

"Yes."

"Would or have you done that for Cleo?"

"She wouldn't let me, but I would."

"You know Azalie loves Childman and you'll be happy for them when they can act on their feelings, right?"

"Yes."

"What if Cleo loved someone else? How would you feel?"

Orphen groaned. He thought about that and he felt that constriction around his heart again. He hung his head and looked at the floor. He didn't know how to answer that question. "If it would make her happy, I'd let her go, but ….it would hurt, a lot." Looking up at Hartia, "And he'd better not ever hurt her."

"And you think you don't love her? Now, what do you want from her? Another sister like Azalie or something more?"

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Meanwhile, in Majic's room, Cleo was pacing. She couldn't seem to settle down and she didn't know what was bothering her.

"Cleo, would you please sit down? You're being very distracting."

"Sorry, Majic. I really don't want to be alone and I just can't seem to focus this morning. I really didn't sleep well."

Majic muttered, "I can understand that." And then louder he added, "If you didn't sleep well and don't want to be alone, then there's a bed, lay down. And then maybe I can actually get some of this done."

"So, what did you and Orphen talk about?"

"You know I can't tell you. Go ask Orphen!" Majic heard his tone and softened. "Look, I've got to work on these. The sooner these are finished, the sooner we can continue to Alenhatan."

She walked around some more and started rubbing her ears and temples. `I need to talk to Orphen …oh, damn, he and Hartia are trying to iron out the latest round of problems I caused between them. I don't want to interrupt.'

"Cleo will you please stay still? I can't make any mistakes, so I need to concentrate. I can't do that with you pacing around the room."

"Sorry, Majic. I don't know what's with me today. I've got a nasty headache that keeps getting worse."

"You realize that means you're not fully recovered from yesterday. You had better tell Orphen."

"No, it's not that."

"Cleo! Don't start. You can't keep over-extending yourself."

"I'm not." Majic gave her a disbelieving look, "Oh… Fine, I guess I am. I think I'm going to need to be strong, especially considering…well, whatever's going on. Do you think we'll be going to the Tower of Fang after Alenhatan?"

"More than likely no. You know how he feels about that place. Why are you asking?"

"It's nothing." She thought quickly and added, "just trying to figure out where we're heading so I can figure out how much I can take.

"Just your normal gear and I carry that anyway."

"No, I uh..meant physically."

"Well….now, that's a good start. If you're not up to it, I can use a couple of days here to work on this project. Do you want me to tell them that?"

Cleo sighed heavily, "I-I guess so." She started thinking ahead, `Now, I know I'm going to have to leave them in Alenhatan. With Agan on my tail, I'm going to have to move fast. I don't care what that note said about documents, he seems focused on me. I'm going to have to get a horse. God, I hate riding horses, but it's the best way. At least, I know the road from Alenhatan to the Tower.'

Majic was watching Cleo intently. After three years of observing her, he knew when she was planning something. "Cleo, what are you plotting?"

"N-Nothing." Majic snorted, "Okay, I'm not really plotting anything as much as trying to … figure out how not to slow everyone down and still get the rest I apparently need." She added with a sense of frustration in her voice.

"That's not all, is it?"

"There's also the fact that I'm extremely curious about what was said behind my back. What else would there be? If there might be more danger, shouldn't I be told, too?"

"That was suggested, but it's a secret of the Tower's and Master agrees with the decision."

"That bad, eh?"

"I'm not going to answer that one way or the other. That is for Master to decide."

"Oh, I give up, I'm too tired to make you talk now. I'll get it out of you later. I'm going to lie down." She laid down on the bed for a few minutes and tried to rest.

Majic muttered softly, "About time, now maybe I can get something done." He returned to work on the copy.

Suddenly, she sat up, "That's it….damn buzz. Orphen." She leapt out of the bed and hurried out of the room.

"I will never figure her out." Majic sighed and went back to the project. Then he heard Cleo running down the stairs and something clicked in his head. `She said buzz and headache. Oh hell, we're in trouble.' He quickly packed up the rubbings and went in search of Orphen.

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"Now, what do you want from her? Another sister like Azalie or something more?"

"Another sister?" As Orphen answered, Hartia thought he saw a flash of yellow go past the door. "No, I want, err…need, more than that."

`Wait, yellow? Cleo was in yellow.' Hartia thought. "Damn it." He muttered as he headed for the door only, to collide with Majic.

"Did Cleo come in here?"

"No, why?"

"She was complaining of a headache and buzzing! I thought she said she was going to talk to you." Majic said, looking at Orphen.

All three of them shared a look and tore out of the suite at a dead run. Orphen heard, only he knew he hadn't heard it with his ears, Cleo scream his name, which made him run faster. Hartia stopped long enough to ask the innkeeper if he saw anyone leave. "Your young miss just ran out the back door, crying."

Hartia shouted to Majic and Orphen, who were already at the front door, "This way" and pointed to the back door.

They ran to the back door and exited the inn. Everything seemed quiet, except for a small patch of blood on the ground, next to Cleo's dagger.

Orphen screamed in rage and anguish. Hartia picked up the dagger thoughtfully. Majic caught the movement of yellow in the next yard, sounded the alarm, and the chase was on.

Orphen saw where Majic was looking, grabbed him, and chanted, "Towers of Heaven that Dance Around Me" to catch up to Cleo's kidnappers. They were now close enough to see that Cleo was gagged and being dragged along by Agan, surrounded by a group of mercenaries. A sorcerer broke away from the mercenaries to start lobbing violet offensive spells at the rescuers as Agan ran into a nearby house. The mercenaries drew their swords and formed a defensive line to prevent access to the house.

Orphen cast "Pinnacle of the Sun" to quickly finish off the sorcerer. Orphen was surprised the sorcerer didn't block the spell, as he had previously, but he figured that was because he'd used a stronger spell than anything he would have risked using inside the Everlasting house. Hartia finished off a few of the other men and they both charged into the house. Hartia called to Majic "Finish the rest of them off and follow us." Majic nodded and continued casting Sword of Light, slowly picking off the men as they came near him.

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Orphen and Hartia cornered Agan in a small upstairs room of the house. He called out "Garik!" and looked up as if expecting something. When nothing happened he realized he was on his own and screamed at Orphen, "You may have caught me, but I'll have my revenge!" He used his dagger and cut Cleo's throat in front of them.

Something snapped inside Orphen. In horror, he watched Cleo slump to the floor in a spray of blood. Eyes tearing, he sprinted to Cleo's side as Hartia unleashed a spell on Agan, knocking him unconscious. Once in range, Orphen chanted the Healing spell, praying he was in time. The wound started to close. Cleo looked at Orphen for a moment, as the life is faded from her azure eyes. Panicked, he realized that even in those few seconds, she'd lost too much blood. Orphen pulled the gag off her mouth and cried, "Don't leave me! I need you! I love you!"

Hartia, weeping, came up behind Orphen, who was rocking Cleo's body, trying to deny what his eyes told him was true. Hartia reached down to close Cleo's eyes. After a few moments, Orphen looked up towards Agan and what Hartia saw in Orphen's russet eyes frightened him. He'd never seen him look so angry or so in pain.

Orphen and Hartia had their backs to the door when Majic entered. Seeing his Master holding Cleo and Agan slowly regaining consciousness, he assumed everything was okay. "Master?" he started, but when Hartia turned, Majic realized something was very wrong. He was crying and Orphen looked like he might be, too. Hartia grabbed Majic's arm to stop him from going further in the room. Suddenly, Majic saw that there was blood everywhere, and on Hartia, Orphen and Cleo. "Oh, please, no! Miss Cleo!"

Agan sat up pulled a gun from his robes and aimed at Orphen.

Majic, pulled away from Hartia and shouted, "Master, look out!" Orphen looked up just as Agan shifted his aim from Orphen to Majic and pulled the trigger. Majic cried "Shield of Ice Surround Me." The bullet slammed into Majic's shield, stopped, and fell to the floor.

"Good job, Majic." Orphen whispered as he carefully laid Cleo down and advanced on Agan. He grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him against the wall. Orphen spoke coldly, banging Agan's head against the wall, punctuating each word, "You killed her, you bastard! You fucking took her away from me, and if that wasn't bad enough, you tried to take Majic away, too. You're going to pay."

As Orphen started beating Agan, Hartia and Majic tried to stop him before he killed him. Finally Majic slapped Orphen across the face and said, "Stop, Master, please. I can't lose you both."

Once Majic's actions and words penetrated Orphen's grief crazed mind, he stopped and dropped the unconscious Agan to the ground, as the local authorities entered the room. Hartia began explaining the situation and through the haze of anger and pain, Orphen realized that Cleo wouldn't have wanted him to kill Agan like this, if only so he wouldn't be punished for it. He looked at Majic and hugged him close, as Majic started crying.

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Remember: Dead author equals no finish to the story. ^_^