Sorcerer Stabber Orphen Fan Fiction ❯ It's in the Blood ❯ Chapter 14 ( Chapter 15 )

In the tavern in Totokonta, Bagup was very surprised when Orphen walked in. It had only been three days since he and the others had left town. His clothes had dark stains all over them, and he appeared to have been running recently. As he started to prepare Orphen's usual ice cream float, he was taken completely surprised by a different request. The young man asked for a stiff drink. When Bagup finished pouring and started to take the bottle way Orphen stopped him and said in a very different voice than his usual to confident tone, "Leave the bottle."

Bagup's eyes widened in surprise and he thought, `This is not like him at all, he may be a lazy good-for-nothing but he never drank spirits before. I wonder what's wrong.' He finally made eye contact with the young man and he was stunned by the expression of raw pain there.

Just then, Majic stepped into the tavern. He looked as bad as Orphen and Bagup motioned him upstairs, so they could talk in private.

"Okay, son, what happened?" Although, he already had an idea it was bad, judging by the expression in Majic's eyes.

"Cleo-Cleo's dead. She was killed earlier today. He saw it."

Bagup, sighed thinking, `Okay, it is worse than I thought.' He continued out loud, "Well…That explains a lot. How are you doing?"

"How am I doing?" Majic repeated sarcastically, "Well, let me think. My best friend is downstairs getting drunk for the first time I've ever seen, because the girl he loved was brutally murdered in front of him. Of course, that was before the stubborn shit admitted anything to her. That same girl is….. was, like a sister to me, but I can't mourn her. No….. I have to try and pick up all the pieces. I got to watch Mrs. Everlasting break down, and slap him to boot. Master Hartia had to actually break the news to Mrs. Everlasting, because he was the only one of us who could find his voice. Oh…I'm just peachy, Dad." Majic finished, looking at the floor.

"Majic?" Bagup said as he opened his arms. Majic practically fell into them and clung to his father as he cried again. "I know she was like a sister to you. Remember, we had to work through this when your mother and brother passed away. Sometimes it's just fated and all we can do is accept it. Doesn't make it any less painful, but in time, it will get easier."

After a while, Majic calmed down and Bagup got him to lie down to get some rest. He went downstairs and saw that some of the Everlasting servants had come down from the mansion. He thought, `So the gossip about the events at the house is beginning already. This isn't good.' He also noticed Nerilissa listening intently. Silently cursing himself for ever promising her father to keep her employed, he diverted her attention from Orphen. "Oi….. Neri, the bathrooms need cleaning." He saw her grimace as he assigned her the worst duty in the tavern, one he knew she hated, but he also saw that she received the message to leave Orphen alone.

Bagup was worried about Majic and Orphen. He was familiar enough with the way people worked to know that grief and gossip were never a good mix. Just then, the redheaded sorcerer came into the tavern. He didn't look much better than either Orphen or Majic. Reluctantly, he turned back upstairs and to get his son.

"Son, the servants from the Everlasting mansion are downstairs. I suspect the news is going to start traveling fast. You probably want to get your friends out of the common room as quickly as possible. I hate to admit this, but you seem to be in better control then either of your companions, and for that, I'm proud."

Majic sat up and nodded. Having grown up in a tavern, he knew how fast gossip traveled and how warped it could get. He and his father went back downstairs.

By the time Majic and his father reached the common room the news had already spread.

After having been rebuffed by Orphen, Nerilissa was talking to some of the tavern patrons. "If she'd been more of a lady instead of a tom boy who ran off un-chaperoned with a wandering sorcerer, this would never would have happened. Not that any man would ever ask for her."

"Nerilissa!" Bagup started.

Majic added angrily, "That's enough, if I hear you've made one more comment about Cleo, you'll think of the bathroom duties as a step up."

"Geez people, she's dead. Get over it!" She muttered as she was passing Orphen and Hartia on her way to the bathroom.

Behind her she heard, "Sword of Light". She stopped as a blast of light flashed in front of her, exploding the table to her right, where the men she'd been talking with had been sitting. She turned and saw to her left, Orphen was now standing, facing her, hands pointed at her, still glowing. "You're next." Orphen said in a soft menacing hiss.

Although Majic would have loved to see Orphen finish the spell, he knew better. "She's not worth it, Orphen. Dad, don't we need the spittoons and chamber pots cleaned and polished?"

"I was going to just order new ones, but yes, they do."

"Good. Neri, you have your new assignment. You should feel right at home." Majic turned his attention to Orphen. "And you, upstairs, now." To Hartia, "You, some bottles." Majic went up to Orphen and helped him walk up the stairs. For all his bravado, Orphen could barely walk. He'd gone through an entire bottle already. He looked back at his father and mouthed, "Food, please."

As Orphen and Majic were going up the stairs, Orphen muttered, "Gotta get to Rox Row's. Need resurrection. Worth it." By this time, they had entered Orphen's room and he collapsed on the bed. Just as he lost consciousness, he half-whispered, half-sobbed, "Cleo."

With a frown, Majic turned around to see Hartia in the doorway. "He said something on the way upstairs. What could he mean by resurrection?"

"Shit! That's all we need." Hartia looked angrily at Orphen's prone form. "You stupid son of a bitch." He looked at Majic to explain, "Resurrection is a type of forbidden spell, IF it succeeds, the caster looses his life and soul." He sighed, "At least, he's too drunk to do anything now and the spell finished off the last of his energy. Damn….. we're going to have to watch him closely." He looked down at the bottles he'd brought up and handed them to Majic. "As much as I want the same oblivion he's in, I have to keep my wits about me to keep him from doing something stupid."

Majic nodded, "You want first watch or should I?"

"You take the first watch. That way, I'll be up when he wakes."

Early the following morning, Orphen had barely opened his eyes when Hartia appeared inches from his face.

"Finally, you're awake. We need to talk." Orphen simply looked at Hartia but didn't say anything. "Majic told me what you were considering. I won't let you. And I know she wouldn't wa…"

Orphen interrupted Hartia, "I want to but…I won't."

He silently recalled an intense dream he'd had. In the dream, he had found the spell and was preparing to cast it, when Cleo appeared before him. She shouted at him and made him promise not to use it. She said if he did, she'd kill herself to follow him and kick his butt for being so stupid. From there the dream had descended into a painful vision of what could have been.

Hartia looked at Orphen closely and saw the resolve there. He sighed, relieved that he didn't have to worry about that, for a while, anyway. He realized, as he examined Orphen, it was like looking at a different person. His arrogant, confident friend was simply an empty shell, like he'd died, too.

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Hartia returned to the Tower of Fang the day after they returned to Totokonta. He walked up to Azalie's quarters and raised his hand up to knock. He stopped himself. He had already given the news to Mrs. Everlasting and now it was Azalie's turn. He couldn't do it. `How can I tell her? Not so much about Cleo, but what it's doing to Krylancelo.'

//Flashback//

Late that afternoon, they teleported to the Everlasting mansion. As they walked up, Tistiny met them at the door again. "Did you have some different news….." Tistiny's voice trailed off as she registered Hartia's expression, the blood on their clothes and Cleo's still form. She looked at Hartia with a question in her eyes. Hartia barely managed to choke out, "Agan…. uh... caught up to us in a village. We got separated, couldn't stop…him. He…he killed her." Tistiny's eyes would forever haunt Hartia's nightmares, the sadness and pain was apparent in her eyes and every plane of her face.

She walked up to Orphen and slapped him across the face. Then she tried to pull Cleo out of Orphen's arms. He clutched her tighter, the pain and defeat apparent in his eyes, face and body. Tistiny shouted at Orphen. "I trusted you to protect her. You don't deserve to touch her. Give me my daughter." Orphen looked shocked and loosened his grip on Cleo and Tistiny took her out of his arms.

Shoulders sagging, Orphen turned and started to leave from the mansion when Mariabella stopped him. After shooting an accusing look over her shoulder at her mother, she hugged Orphen and said, "It's not your fault. I know you did everything you could to save her."

"It was. I failed her." Orphen choked out as he turned and fled back to town.

Mariabella watched as Orphen ran and stopped Majic when he turned to follow him. "What I said goes for you and Hartia, too. I know you all did your best." She embraced Majic. Majic blushed, shrugged off the embrace and turned to hurry after Orphen. She heard him call back, "Our best apparently wasn't good enough. I need to check on him."

//End Flashback//

He was still musing when Azalie opened the door, muttering with a grin, "What is it with people just hanging outside my door, and not knockin….." She paused and the smile vanished as she got a good look at Hartia's face, "What happened?"

"I..don't know where to…" Just then Lai walked up and put a hand on Hartia's shoulder. Seeing his friend Hartia broke down, "I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything to stop it. Your vision came true and even knowing, I couldn't do anything."

Azalie looked questioningly at Lai. "Cleo Everlasting is dead. Her funeral is the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, no. And Krylancelo?"

Hartia regained some composure answered, "I'm…er Majic and I are worried about him, he's ….well…. fading. We can't get him to eat or sleep or talk unless we use magic. He just stays at the tree….apparently where he and Cleo first met. I-I knew she loved him, but I didn't think she meant that much to him. Oh god, I made him admit he had feelings for her just minutes before she was killed in front of us."

"Excuse me for a moment, I think I heard Childman stirring." She went into the bedroom. Childman was asleep, she'd excused herself to keep from breaking down in front of Lai and Hartia. She looked towards the small bed where Childman was and choked out, "I need you so much, especially now. I've got go help Krylancelo. Oh God, we can't lose him. I know I'm being selfish, because I want you back as you were, but this time, they all need you, desperately. Me, too." She composed herself and returned to Hartia and Lai in the main room.

"Tell me. Everything." Azalie stated, once again a Master of the Tower in control of her emotions.

"Where do you want me to start?"

Hartia gave Azalie a run down on everything that had happened, starting from the time he joined them the day before they first arrived in Totokonta. He included the attack on the road, the red-eyed monster tasting Cleo's blood, how Agan tried to separate Cleo from Orphen and Majic, the wedding and its delay, the two physical attacks on Cleo, the bandits going after the rubbings, and finally, her murder. Hartia concluded his re-cap with something that had happened the previous night. "Majic said he heard Krylancelo considering to use a forbidden spell to bring her back. I confronted him about it and he said he wanted to but that he wouldn't. I don't know how long that resolve will hold, though."

Azalie knew Orphen well enough to know, once he'd decided not to use the forbidden magic, he wouldn't change his course. What concerned her more, was that something was suspicious. Things didn't add up. "Why did he need Cleo? The man was marrying Mariabella. Why her? Does she have any hidden magical talents?"

"Cleo? Are you kidding? Just the thought of her having magic is too frightening."

"Did she still have anything from Baltanders or from other ruins visited recently?"

"The only ruins they recently visited were the ones outside of Totokonta, but Cleo didn't go with Majic and Orphen."

"Why go after her? I'm looking for a logical reason and there isn't one. Agan Montevallo was a politician and a schemer. He wouldn't just go for revenge or some petty grudge."

"Oh…I almost forgot. Part of the reason I'm here, is that I have to report to the Elders that we found evidence that Agan had a blood sorcerer on his payroll." Azalie's eyes became large with shock and worry. Hartia saw her unspoken concern voiced it for all of them. "Could they have thought to make Cleo a sacrifice? Although, I don't know why it would have had to be her, specifically?

"I have no clue. What happened to the sorcerer?"

"I believe, Krylancelo killed him during the pursuit."

"Well, at least there is one piece of good news. The person most likely to know if there is something different about Cleo, which would interest a blood sorcerer, would be Krylancelo. He might be able to shed some light on this. That is, if we can get him to talk."

"Lai, your visions, have you been able to see if Krylancelo.…?"

"Almost all the visions I can see right now show that he follows her. There are a few scenarios where he doesn't. He will need your help." Lai turned to Azalie, "I'll watch Childman while you are gone."

"When do you want to leave?" Hartia asked looking at Azalie.

"Now. I'll just finish packing a few things. You go report to the Elders. Oh….and Quinn was looking for you. He was muttering something about having a difficult time training a Hunter and his partner if the sorcerer never shows up. Of course, the Hunter isn't well right now, anyway, so I don't know why he's so stressed."

Lai and Hartia left the room as Azalie returned to the bedroom to finish her packing. She gasped at the scene before her.

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Tistiny was in Cleo's room night before the funeral. She'd been busying herself with making sure everything was exactly the way Cleo had it the last time she was in the room. Anything to keep busy, to keep from focusing on what had happened, and what would happen tomorrow. Parents should never have to outlive their children. She knew Cleo wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else, but even knowing that, didn't take the pain away. She thought she'd be safe with the sorcerer. She cursed her husband for convincing her to, not only let, but encourage, Cleo to go with that accursed sorcerer.

While she was looking in Cleo's closet, Mariabella entered the room. Tistiny turned to her other daughter, to see she was holding Cleo's travel pack. Mariabella reached in and pulled out Cleo's journal. "Mother, I think you should read what Cleo wrote. I think it might help you, and maybe him."

"I don't care about that worthless sorcerer. He didn't keep his word and can go to hell."

"He's already there."

"What?!?" Tistiny was shocked by Mariabella's statement.

"Mother let me show you something." Mariabella walked to the window and had Tistiny look out the window. There on the branch of the tree, sat Orphen, with his knees up, staring blankly into the night. Tistiny gasped in surprise to see the confident young sorcerer looking so….well, broken. "He's been there since the morning after you added to his pain. Hartia told me he won't willingly eat, sleep, or leave that tree. You were the one who told me you thought he loved her, how could you forget?"

Tistiny just stood there for a few moments, tears flowing as she realized what she'd done in her initial shock. She drove away the person closest to Cleo, probably the only person hurting as much or more than she was. "Oh God, what have I done?" Tistiny sobbed as she clung to Mariabella.

"We're all grieving, we all miss her. Read her journal, it'll help." Tistiny started reading as she saw Majic and Azalie drag Orphen back inside the mansion to try to get him to eat and sleep.

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Orphen got out of bed after the latest sleeping spell wore off and went back to the tree. He spent most of his time, sitting in the tree, since he failed, trying to find a meaning to everything that had happened. He found himself strangely jealous of Volcan, because he still had Dortin, and if that thought wasn't enough to make him want to go fling himself off a bridge, nothing was. He cursed himself because he was too much of a coward to do just that.

Today would be the hardest of all. This was the day he never thought he would ever see, her funeral. He knew Majic, Hartia and Azalie were really worried about him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't want to feel anything. The first night he'd tried drinking, but that only made things worse. He kept seeing her everywhere. He didn't want to sleep because of the dreams. The morning after the binge, he'd made his way to this tree, the tree where they'd first met. He realized he was actually looking for her to come out of the house and say something in typical Cleo logic that would make it all right. He'd been there for three days and it still hadn't happened.

He understood so many things now that it was too late. He'd failed her. He knew now that he started loving her from the first time they were on the island of Baltanders, when she showed him there was more to her than just a whiny brat, even if she hid it well. When she shed tears for him, as he wept while he relating the story of Azalie. When she re-focused his attention on saving Azalie and offered to help. For what must have been the hundredth time, he cursed himself for wasting time. That was just it though, he never focused on his feelings, because he always knew she'd be there, even when he'd tried to push her away. She never left, until she was taken from him. He was so lost without her. She had taught him how to live again after he'd shut everything down, emotion, attachment and trust, in his quest to free Azalie. Although, Majic had helped, it was mostly Cleo who brought him out of it.

He heard someone approaching. It was Cleo's mother. He winced, because he wasn't sure he could face her again, remembering the slap and her expression when Hartia finally found his voice to tell her that Cleo was de…. gone. He knew she blamed him and that she was right.

"I was going though some of Cleo's things and came across her journal. I thought about giving it to you, but I can't part with it. I wanted to read you something she wrote."

Orphen turned away, thinking, `I can't listen. Oh, please, go away. I can't face this.'

"It's helping me, maybe it will help you. She wrote this after she returned from your first set of journeys to save your sister.

I remember this passage from school. If you love something set it free, if it comes back to you it was meant to be. If it doesn't it was never yours in the first place, or something like that. I never really understood what that meant until now. I gave Orphen the last piece of the talisman that could both save Azalie and cost Orphen his life, and yet, I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew that, even if he died, I would always have the memories of him to cherish. I knew I wouldn't want to go on for a long time, but I also knew, or hoped at least, that he would have wanted Azalie, me and everyone else to live our lives to the fullest. It's what I would want if I died. No grieving, {ok, well, maybe a little. I wouldn't want them to be happy to be rid of me} just for everyone to promise not to miss out on the chances life gives them."

Tistiny's hands shook so much as she closed the book, that a slip of paper fell on the ground.

She also stopped reading before she got to the passage written, well, scribbled, in the margin, which would have done more harm than good for him. It was in different ink, like it had been written later, probably in anger, "Not that Orphen would even notice if I died." Tistiny thought, `If only you knew how wrong you were Cleo.'

"I'm sorry I reacted the way I did, and I really do know that you would have done anything to have saved her. Please come."

Orphen couldn't look at her, all he could choke out was a muffled "Can't."

She nodded, and walked back into the house.

He knew Agan would be executed in a week, and frankly, that was all Orphen was hanging on for, to see that bastard pay… He never thought he could ever care for anyone so much he couldn't bear the thought of living without her, but that was it. His reason for living died in his arms. After that admission, he was already barely keeping his emotions under control when, he felt something jump up onto the branch he was sitting on. Then he felt a small furry body rub up against his side. It was Leki, who looked at him anxiously and expectantly. It came to him that Leki wanted to be taken to Cleo.

That was too much, Orphen dropped out of the tree and collapsed to his knees. Leki jumped down too and crawled onto Orphen's lap, sniffing at his face. Leki wrinkled his nose at the tears flowing down Orphen's cheeks. He pet Leki and just sat there for a few minutes.

Majic and Hartia came out shortly thereafter. Hartia simply said, "It's time." Orphen shook his head. Hartia replied, "All right, we won't force you, but you should come." Sighing, Majic and Hartia mechanically walked back to the Mansion. Leki pulled at Orphen's clothes a couple times to try to get him to follow him away from the tree and the mansion. Orphen couldn't leave. Leki seemed to know something was wrong and was whining.

Leki finally settled down next to Orphen for a few minutes and then started fussing with a piece of paper on the ground. It appeared to be a map. Orphen picked it up and recognized some of the script on the map as Childman's. He realized it must have fallen out of Cleo's journal. He didn't want to read it, but he saw Childman's name and, to his extreme surprise, his own in the text. In spite of himself, his curiosity got the best of him. When he finished reading it, he wished he hadn't. `A Hunter. I doubt, it but if there was something she needed to do, I will see it done. That is the least I can do after failing her so miserably, and it would give me a purpose and a reason to go on, for a while at least.'

He could hear the beginnings of the service inside, since someone had apparently left a window open. Leki suddenly got very agitated and whined. He seemed to nod like he was answering some unseen command and leapt back into Orphen's lap and put his nose against Orphen's face. To Orphen's shock, he heard, and felt her voice in his head, `I must really be loosing it!' Orphen thought, as her voice said,

"Get Orphen, Leki. Get Orphen…tell that stupid sorcerer I'm not dead, that what they saw was a trick and that he needs to get off his lazy butt and rescue me. Tell him to be careful." The voice was weaker now, "Get him, Leki, or oh, damn it, I can't remember your Wolven name, so I don't know how you can find me, but I can't hold out much longer. Tell him there's a d…what." Louder again, like a soul crying out in anguish, "..… No! No more! I won't believe you, Garik!"

Orphen couldn't believe what he heard and felt. `Could it be true? Damn it Cleo, the one time I want you to keep talking, you shut up. Please, don't leave me again. And tell me, there's a what?' He felt hope and the possibility of a future return for the first time in days. He could even accept that he had been so emotional that he didn't even think to check for a trick. He still hadn't moved from his place by the tree, "I promise, if you're really alive Cleo, I will never…." Leki, who barked at him and pulled at his jacket, interrupted his vow. He stood up and ran to the mansion as fast as his feet could carry him. He burst into the room, flinging the doors to the somber drawing room wide. He could see the shock on everyone's faces and he knew he wasn't acting respectful, but he had to do this.

Hartia watched him, observing the crazed but hopeful look in Orphen's eyes, and tried to stop him as he walked up to the coffin. He realized that Orphen was about to cast something on the coffin. Remembering the last funeral Orphen attended, Hartia blocked him, and said in a whisper, "What are you trying to do? Dishonor her memory?" It broke his heart to see the look Orphen gave him, like he was shattering inside. He froze, looking in the coffin and seemed to shut down again. "I thought it might be an illusion."

Hartia pulled Orphen away from the coffin and he sagged against his friend. Majic, who'd been peering over Hartia's shoulder, realized something was wrong. Cleo wasn't wearing the blue wolf charm he'd seen on her neck in the days before. Since he was standing quietly, no one questioned his presence by the coffin, so he decided to try the spell his Master had taught him. He had to try. He hadn't been able to sleep since everything happened, because feared he was losing Orphen, too. "Reveal that Which is Hidden."

Suddenly, Cleo's face morphed into that of a broken golem, and the priest, who was right by the coffin, conducting the service, fell back in shock.

Majic excitedly called, "Master!!" and pointed in the coffin. Orphen ran up and smiled for the first time in three days.

"Way to go, Majic!" he said with a shout. He turned back to the gathering and announced, "This is premature, she's not dead and I'm going to get her back." He'd been given another chance and he would be damned if he was going to blow it again. `And whoever's holding you Cleo, whoever took you away from me, is going to die! I won't fail this time!'

"Leki, find her!" and with that, Orphen and Leki took off at a run.