The Knight of Her Dreams

chapter Nine



“Gone?” Dual snarled, the next morning. “What do you mean he’s gone?” The man beside him fumbled at an attempt to reply, and the angry dreamphaser gave him a quick shake. “You were told to keep him here!”

“I-I didn’t know he’d sneak out in the middle of the night,” stammered the innkeeper. “I posted a man at the door.”

“But not the window,” drawled Quell, gesturing towards the telltale breeze whooshing through a pair of swinging shutters. “I’ll say this for Alarius; he’s certainly got more guts than I pegged him for.”

“And more stupidity,” hissed Dual, tossing the innkeeper to the floor roughly. Glaring at the cowering man, he added maliciously, “You’re lucky I’m not in the mood to kill you for that same offense, you spineless idiot. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind!” The innkeeper gave a quick nod and vanished, leaving Quell chuckling in his absence. Dual wasn’t pleased. “Listen to your name and quell your amusement, so we can deal with the matter at hand.”

“Alarius? Be serious, Dual. He’s a desperate man, but he can’t have gotten far.”

The dreamphaser sneered. “You’re as foolish as he is if you believe that. An elf in hiding could take days or even weeks to uncover.”

“Foolish is the way you decided to handle this whole affair,” replied Quell. “By the netherworld, we should have just reasoned with Alarius and paid what he needs in exchange for that damned map. He’s no doubt gone to find the treasure immediately, and after that, he’ll probably have words with Dominick, and...”

“Quiet!” thundered Dual, his gray eyes nearly glowing red. “It seems to matter little to you that the map was mine, before that accursed dreamphaser stole it out from under me to give to his simpleminded friend who’s just escaped with it. Alarius has no right to those treasures!”

As expected, Quell deemed it best not to comment further, knowing the dark dreamphaser’s mind was closed once more to the merits of reasoning.

Reasoning! Dual sneered, as he often did with this subject. When had that approach ever proven useful? Ever since he was a child, Dual had developed a dislike against such foolishness, remembering how the tactic hadn’t helped his prematurely deceased mother.

She’d been killed by his late father’s hand.

Not too surprising, since the man that sired him had been part demon himself, not to mention a corrupt and well-known assassin among the darker inhabitants of Chavernos. His mother, while by no means a saint, hadn’t deserved what transpired over the years any more than her son did. Formerly a chorus girl in a tavern, she became enamored of the handsome dark-eyed assassin who frequented the place due to an admiration of her equally appealing form.

To the surprise of everyone, he married her.

To no one’s surprise, six months later, Dual was born.

Over the next several years, constant fights escalated within that stormy household. Dual’s father made no secret of his many affairs with other women during missions to rid clients of ‘unwanted’ disturbances. To this end, his wife made frequent attempts to reason with him, asking him to refrain from all of this, meeting with no long-term success.

Finally, her anger boiled over one night, threatening her husband that she’d have an affair herself, since he wasn’t being faithful. Shouting that he’d kill her if she did, his father nearly beat her senseless that night.

Dual had been four years old when he accidentally witnessed the whole scene from the nearby staircase.

And then his father noticed him.

The boy, young as he was, could only see his mother curled up in pain, crying out as he ran towards her. When his father attempted to grab his arm, Dual began to beat his little fists against him angrily, not seeing the anger forming in the elder one’s eyes. His mother did see it, and out of maternal instinct, tried to hold back her violent husband from venting his anger on the child. She failed, as with one blow, he rendered her unconscious.

Dual never forgot the beating he’d received from the man’s hands that night, nor the many that followed over the next several years. After that night, his mother lived in fear, her husband threatening each night to come after them should they attempt to leave. Despite the weakened spirit his mother had been beaten into, the boy still loved her, promising to find a way to free them both one day.

A way which seemed to appear, when Dual turned eight.

A stranger came to them seeking food and shelter for the night, and since Dual’s father was off on another of his assassination missions, his mother welcomed what could only be more pleasant company. The stranger proved to be a far kinder man, meeting quick approval by both mother and son. He visited them whenever Dual’s father was absent, which was often.

Six months later, Dual’s mother planned their escape to hopefully have a chance at a better life elsewhere.

That chance never came.

Having just been informed by a close ally of his wife’s affair, Dual’s father returned unexpectedly in the middle of the night to find the pair asleep together in a most compromising manner. Slamming the door, he awakened them instantly, wasting no time before beating his wife’s lover nearly unconscious. Running to his side, she covered his battered body with her own, crying so much that she never saw her son peek through the door.

Having been frightened awake by the noise, Dual watched silently as his mother pleaded with his father to release her from their farce of a marriage, begging him to let them all leave in peace. Once again, an attempt at reasoning. For a brief moment, the boy thought that surely his father would agree, since it would benefit everyone—including his father, who could be free with his many other women again.

Dual’s innocent mind never expected—or could ever erase—what did follow.

Swearing to see them damned in the netherworld first, and ignoring his wife’s screams, Dual’s father ran his razor-sharp sword through both, slaying them instantly.

The boy screamed as his father wrenched the sword free, only to stab them again for reassurance.

Afterwards, the man turned to Dual with a malicious smile, using gentle words to coax the scared boy closer. Despite his young age, the boy was no fool. He ran from the room and the house, escaping in spite of his father’s attempts to catch him. Only his father’s loud curses met his ears as Dual swore that night to return one day to kill the man who’d murdered his mother and the man who had been like a father to him.

More than twelve years passed, while Dual maintained secrecy in the home of a gruff but brilliant assassin sorcerer, before his day for vengeance arrived. Not trusting to magic completely, Dual learned the talents of assassins instead, doing mercenary missions of his choosing, while also honing his dreamphasing powers—a gift inherited from his mother—in order to locate his father.

In spite of his desire for vengeance, during the latter of these years, his travels took him through a small village, where he met a beautiful young girl named Caralei. Her golden hair shone as brightly as her smile and her eyes. Eyes that followed him long after he left, which prompted his return.

Since she was drawn to him as well, he befriended her, although using his alternate name, lest she accidentally be placed in danger. Also, for this reason, he generally visited her in secret. It helped when he became friends with her brother Quell, who would sometimes relay messages.

For a time, in spite of Dual’s chosen profession, Caralei provided a bright shard of sunlight in his life, and over time, they fell in love.

In the meantime, Dual located his father, biding his time until the moment was right. With the sorcerer’s help, he obtained a slow poison to drug the remorseless man, allowing him to remain alive just long enough for him to witness his vengeful son run him through with his sword.

For several months, Dual thought he could finally pick up his life and go on now that he’d avenged his mother’s death. Having put the matter at rest, Dual’s whole manner improved. He became betrothed to Caralei, keeping it secret between them for now, while planning to put his assassin days behind him and reside in peace.

This wasn’t to be.

With his guard lowered, dark allies of his late father found revenge of their own, slaying the sorcerer, as well as his few friends from a nearby village.

But it was what followed that shattered whatever good remained in his soul.

In spite of his secrecy, it seemed someone betrayed him. On the eve of his wedding, the same vengeful assassins discovered Caralei’s village, setting it aflame. Turning to a trusted friend from Barokka to see her safely away, Dual saw to killing the assassins and took out the majority of them.

His victory was short-lived when he saw the assassin leader holding a knife to Caralei’s throat, his friend nowhere in sight. If that wasn’t enough, the leader took great pleasure in giving the credit for the attack to the missing man. Even when his friend appeared soon after, Dual knew that he was the only one who’d known where Caralei was, their secret wedding plans, and Dual’s alternate identity.

Dual tried to bargain for Caralei’s life, saying that they’d taken enough lives in exchange for his father’s most miserable one, and that he’d rather give his own life than see an innocent girl die.

The assassin leader killed her anyway.

His heart shattered as it had when he’d seen his mother killed years ago.

Caralei’s brother Quell, who had been out of town, arrived at the last minute and was a more difficult adversary to contend with. His ability to paralyze people instantly downed the few remaining assassins, and since he’d loved his sister too, he and Dual took great pleasure in killing them.

However, no vengeance could bring back the lost soul they’d both held dear.

Nor would Dual ever forgive the man who he knew had betrayed them, whom from that day forth he regarded as an enemy.

That night left scars upon both Dual and Quell that they would share forever.

Followed by endless years of corruption.

They became well-known assassins, assisting those of evil more and more. In time, their names became feared among all law-abiding citizens of Chavernos, so it was with no great loss to most when they departed to reside on the island of Barokka. There, they still caused havoc, but it was more contained, since the multi-abilitied supernatural ruler’s nearly unlimited powers could banish both permanently if he chose to.

If that happened, no reasoning would change his mind.

Reasoning! Dual thought again, as his thoughts returned to the present. Forever a meaningless, useless ploy. After his sister Caralei’s murder, Dual was increasingly surprised that Quell still considered it.

After all, hadn’t he tried reasoning last night? Dual questioned, remembering how Alarius had supposedly ‘agreed’ to give up the map peacefully.

“Reasoning is for fools,” he said curtly. “Remember your sister, if you believe otherwise, Quell.” His words brought pained remembrance to his ally’s face. “And if we’re to find that map before that fool Alarius gets any farther, we’d best find him now.” A bitter smile twisted his expression. “And when we do, maybe we should teach him the price of betrayal.” Nodding once in dark resolve, he leaned against the wall. “Yes, it would seem, Quell, that poor Alarius’s family might just miss him in the future after all.”

*****

Darkness was the farthest thing from Dominick’s mind, if one discounted the times he traveled through the strands of space to reach his Earthly companion. On the contrary, in the evenings that followed, he made good on his promise to keep their evenings interesting.

One night, Dominick took her ice skating, although she was a novice. He proved to be a good teacher, soon having her soaring across the ice as he held her, and she even managed to skate on her own for a bit. Not that she didn’t prefer being held in the warm embrace of her tutor, whom she gladly went back to.

Afterwards, they toasted marshmallows over a campfire, which in reality would have melted the ice, but in this case, just provided pleasant warmth.

As Julianna leaned against her companion’s shoulder, eyes closed happily, she started when her back was nudged. “Dominick, cut that out,” she told him.

“Cut what out?” he laughed. “I thought you wanted another marshmallow.”

“I mean…” Opening her eyes to realize he wasn’t responsible, she turned slowly, her eyes widening. “Polar bear!” she screamed, while Dominick bolted around to face the creature staring at them with a muffled roar.

“By Chaos, where did he come from?” he gasped, as Julianna shot behind him to clutch him fearfully.

“You mean this wasn’t your idea?”

“Julianna, why would I conjure up a polar bear while we’re spending time together?”

“I don’t know, but you do go for the unusual stuff.”

“Not that unusual,” he sneered, gesturing to the bear. As if being beckoned, the creature began padding closer to the couple, causing them to edge backwards.

“I don’t think he knows that.”

“Go back to your igloo!” Dominick called out, clasping her against him. The bear didn’t seem to care for heeding dreamphasers, moving forward anyway. “That’s it. We’re heading back to the castle. Hold tight, love.”

“Like I’m not already?” she whimpered, even as the bear raised a paw towards her. She shut her eyes with a scream, a moment before hearing Dominick laugh jovially.

Her eyes flew open with shocked amazement, finding Dominick petting the creature!

“He was just playing,” he told her, earning a contented sound from the bear.

“Dreams!” she sighed. “I’ll never get used to them.” Upon seeing her frown, the bear padded over to lick her cheek. With cautious reluctance, she petted it too. “You’re just a big teddy bear, aren’t you?” Upon hearing five or six similar bearlike roars, both she and Dominick glanced up swiftly. “What is this, a bear convention?”

“Let’s not stick around to find out,” replied Dominick, quickly teleporting them away. “Home at last,” he said warmly.

He surprised her, bringing them back comfortably in front of a roaring fireplace, wearing their casual clothes again without the heavy furs. Placing his arms around her to hug her close, she snuggled back against him, glad that he’d read her mind for a much nicer alternative to continue the evening.

“Better?” he asked.

She smiled, entwining her hand with his. “Much.”

Another night had them sailing on a raft in the ocean. For a while, they shared the equivalent of a picnic lunch, although Dominick had mischievously set them up in formal evening attire.

“Methinks thou hast gotten a bit too much sea air in thy brain, my lord,” she laughed. “Have a good explanation as to why you’ve set us up in the middle of nowhere?”

“My dear lady,” he replied with mock seriousness, “just because we’re playing the part of a shipwrecked duo doesn’t mean we have to look it.” Handing her a sparkling glass of champagne, she took it graciously, clinking glasses afterwards as was customary. “And we’re not going to be nowhere forever. I assure you there’s a deserted island out there just waiting to be found.”

“Ah... and if the sharks get us first?”

“Don’t be silly; there aren’t any sharks out here.” A triangular black fin passing by seemed to indicate otherwise, earning an ‘I-told-you-so’ look from Julianna. “It would seem I stand corrected, love,” he amended. Gesturing towards the disappearing shark fin, he called out, “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner, Roger! She never told me you were a dreamphaser too!” Julianna broke into laughter, giving Dominick a hug while he smirked knowingly.

“What if there’s no island out there?”

He shrugged, taking another sip of champagne, and put his arm around her shoulders. “Considering this is a dream, does it really matter?”

Looking up at the peaceful sky which was now yielding a beautiful sunset, along with the unusually perfect calm of the ocean, she finally shook her head with a smile, leaning against him contentedly. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“As am I,” he whispered, smiling back as he kissed her.

Last night they’d been walking in a park beneath a starry sky, leading to an area filled with bubbles, many that were regular small bubbles and yet some that were quite large. Dominick transported them into one that was incredibly gigantic, able to hold them both. To Julianna’s surprise, he assured her the bubble had an endless air supply, even though the walls were solid as well as transparent.

Slowly, the bubble lifted into the sky, and Julianna fell back into Dominick’s arms, clutching him tightly as the ground got further away. “What are you doing?” she asked with concern. “You know I’m not good with heights.”

“Don’t be afraid, love,” he replied, “I’ve planned something which will get your mind off that.”

She started to question this, even as the velvety darkness of the sky intensified, whereas she could no longer see the ground, but only a translucent glow surrounding the bubble. “Dominick, what have you done?” she gasped. “Where are we?”

He merely smiled, gesturing towards the darkness.

As Julianna stared out, a brilliant green light—like a miniature comet—shot past. Shortly afterwards, a swirling magenta light trailed back in yet another direction. As her eyes widened, more and more lights filled the air around them, shooting about in random directions, and emitting pleasant humming sounds like an astral chorus. All the while, the diamond-like stars winked back playfully.

“Oh, Dominick...” she breathed, glancing at him with wonder.

Holding her close, he gestured again towards the array with a soft smile. “On some nights above the island of Barokka, the inhabitants are greeted with a display similar to this one. The shooting beams are as harmless on Chavernos as they are here in the dream-state, but they present their own magic in their sparkle, and in the musical harmony created about them.”

“They’re beautiful,” sighed Julianna, watching in awe for long moments before giving a short laugh. “Since you’re so good at conjuring this, maybe they should change your middle name to Laser instead of Phaser.”

He gave her a wry smile. “If they do, I’ll see to it they change your name to Bubbles.”

“Hmmm,” she murmured in consideration. Dominick interrupted her with a lengthy kiss, slowly breaking away. “On the other hand,” she purred in response, “maybe I do prefer you simply as Dominick, my dream knight.” He brushed his hand against her cheek.

“‘Dream knight’ is a title I can live with,” he murmured, kissing her again.

They continued to hold each other, leaning back to watch as the mesmerizing lights cascaded about them, illuminating them with bright colors. She smiled at him, watching as he was haloed in a sudden flicker of bright blue. Looking back, he watched as a rose pink crown of lights spun about Julianna’s auburn hair, making it seem more fiery. It was as if they’d become one with the lights themselves.

As he kissed her again, the sound of thunderous fireworks filled the air about them.

When she opened her eyes, a myriad of new colors greeted her.

“Did you just do that?” she asked breathlessly.

“We both did,” he whispered, cradling her head against his chest. “Any time with you is pure magic.”

Pleased tears in her eyes, Julianna couldn’t find her voice, hugging him instead with clearer meaning than any honeyed words.

Yet some time later that evening, as had often been the case during the past few nights, Dominick began to sense more beyond her silence. Usually, he’d simply made efforts to distract her mind, but now, his puzzlement became concern.

“A starbeam for your thoughts?” he inquired softly.

Slowly, Julianna shut her eyes and shook her head. “I’m a bit too tired to think right now,” she whispered. “Please... just hold me.”

Hugging her tighter as he stroked her shoulder, Dominick slowly gained a better understanding of what was really troubling her, vowing silently to do something to remedy this.

Now back on Chavernos, as his mind returned to the present, Dominick stared at the sky reflectively. Julianna’s thoughts all seemed centered on two things: the wonder of when their current relationship would come to an end, and self-reproach for what their relationship had become.

If only he could bring Julianna here to Chavernos. Then he could give her more than just pleasant illusions, and perhaps ease her mind by granting her a more permanent future between them.

More accurately, a future marriage.

He’d never considered marriage very seriously before, having been content enough with his bachelor state. But regarding Julianna, the thought of a lifetime with his auburn-haired temptress appealed to him with an intensity he couldn’t deny.

There was no question that he loved her, nor that he could give her a wonderful life here. And he was certain her feisty nature would always keep a marriage between them interesting. Not to mention the nights of infinite dreams they could share, let alone the joy of being together in reality.

But more than that, it occurred to him that a woman like Julianna would desire marriage, at least someday in the future. If he didn’t ask her, eventually someone else would. Just the thought of her giving herself to another man angered him no end, leaving him with a steadfast resolve to make sure that never happened by marrying her himself.

Unfortunately though, no legal marriage could exist while their long-distance separation remained.

Blazes, there has to be some way!

Maybe there was...

The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Maybe he couldn’t bind her to him by a legal marriage while they were on separate worlds, but with all the magic Chavernos had to offer, perhaps that fact didn’t have to remain the truth after all.

And in the meantime, why couldn’t he see to enhancing his commitment to Julianna? Rubbing his chin with a smile, he nodded with growing conviction. Yes, maybe it would work.

There was only one way to find out.

Tonight.

*****

“Oh, not another one,” groaned Julianna.

When the work phone rang for the hundredth time, she answered it with a detached attitude. Fortunately for her, it wasn’t one of the latest inventions of visual telephones, or the company’s clients might have seen a most dreamy look on this particular executive secretary’s face, whose mind was elsewhere.

Not the look of a serious working woman at all.

Or so Marybeth thought, standing close by without her noticing.

When the customer seemed to be becoming irate, in spite of Julianna’s politeness, she finally rolled her eyes. “I promise you,” she sighed dramatically, “Miss Thompson will be most pleased to speak with you, as soon as she returns from beyond.”

Gaping, Marybeth quickly grabbed the phone. “Please don’t mind her. She’s had a long night. Yes, we’ve got your name and number, and we’ll make sure Miss Thompson gets back to you.” Hanging up the receiver, she gave a stern look to her confused friend. “Now then, young lady, care to come back to Earth?”

Julianna rubbed her eyes tiredly. “No,” she murmured. “I’d rather be on Chavernos.” Abruptly realizing what she said, she glanced up quickly. “I mean...”

“Don’t,” interrupted Marybeth, sitting beside her. “You’ve been acting strange for the past few weeks, so I guess another day of it won’t matter. But between you and me, if you want to keep your job here, you’d best pull your head out of that dream world you’ve been living in. Good ol’ Almira may not be in the best of moods when she gets back from her flight this afternoon.” Julianna nodded once, earning a smile from her friend. “You met someone, haven’t you?”

“You’re too smart for me,” she laughed, turning back to her computer screen.

On it was the long letter she’d been attempting to copy from a handwritten version for the past half-hour, which was unusual since she was normally a very fast typist. Glancing at the monitor, Marybeth was forced to take a closer look, a smirk forming as she pointed to the bottom of the screen.

“‘And in conclusion’,” she recited, “‘There is no proof that our sales figures are falling or that Chavernos doesn’t exist.’”

“What?” gasped Julianna, blushing upon the realization that the words were staring back at her from the screen. “Good Lord, where did that come from?”

“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned this caverns business,” informed Marybeth. “What have you been thinking of lately?”

“I’m thinking, I’d better fix this letter before Almira comes back. I’ll talk to you later, all right?”

“You’d better believe you will,” said Marybeth, striding away with a semi-disappointed, perplexed expression.

After fixing the document, Julianna saved it, printed it, and exited the program, leaning back in her chair. Inwardly, she knew she really needed to get her mind focused on her work, but it was difficult, given the one man who’d captured her thoughts, both at night when they were together... and during the day, when she remembered the nights.

Strong and handsome of body, clever of mind, understanding of heart, and with a sense of humor that topped the men she’d met in the ‘real world’, he eclipsed Roger from day one.

And he was absolutely the ideal romantic, she thought happily with a smile. Not just in the physical sense—though he was indeed that—but because he’d also literally swept her off her feet, bestowing kisses and holding her lovingly at every opportunity, filling their dream castle room with flowers, and always greeting her immediately upon arriving.

Most importantly, Dominick made her feel loved as she’d never known before, and she certainly loved him in return. Now, she could admit this truth even when awake.

Funny how different this was from a few weeks ago.

After their second meeting, she’d worried that her dream man might lead her beyond friendship, and was hesitant at the prospect. True, part of her craved to understand the mystery of romance, but she wasn’t too anxious to enter into a temporary affair just to satisfy her curiosity.

Two nights later, she’d forgotten all of this in Dominick’s arms.

And now, two weeks later, she still didn’t regret it.

Her only true regret was the distance keeping them apart. If only he could reach her somehow.

“Miss Sherborne!” bellowed a shrill voice.

Emitting a shocked gasp, Julianna looked up to find Almira Thompson glaring at her. Of all the luck for her to be back early. “Have a nice trip?” she managed.

“You’ll be on a trip to the unemployment line if you don’t finish that correspondence I sent you yesterday!” Giving a low grunt, she stormed off, allowing Julianna to glare at her silently.

“I’d like to trip you up... over some hot coals,” she murmured.

Marybeth, having overheard, seemed to think this to be a minor form of revenge against their rather cranky boss, thinking a pit of electric eels might be more fitting.

*****

At Lost Limbo, today Dominick finally made an appearance again. Inferno gestured to Buddy, who looked up hopefully, but their friend went straight to the bar to exchange greetings with Zantarl. The discouraged guardian angel shook his head and sighed, wondering if he’d lost his friend permanently over their recent disagreement. Even Kiri and the others looked a bit subdued from where they sat across the room, since they all missed Dominick’s good-humored nature.

“If you had a guardian angel’s wings, I’m sure you’d fly,” chuckled Zantarl. “I’m glad to see you in better spirits, son. Correct me if I’m heading down the wrong direction, but does this have to do with a certain young lady you met a short time ago?”

“It does,” he agreed, grinning. “Zantarl, I really love her. And what’s more, she loves me too. Why, these past weeks with her have been no less than phenomenal.”

“Ah, that explains your absence. No doubt she’s turned your brain to mush every night, leaving you to make up for it by sleeping through the daylight hours as well.”

“I might consider that if she was an avid daydreamer,” he replied, with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“‘She’ meaning Julianna?” Buddy asked softly from behind, Inferno beside him. Dominick turned slowly to face them, his expression becoming unreadable. “I guess she means more to you than I thought,” his friend continued. “In any case, it’s your life, and if you choose to spend time with her, that’s up to you two.”

“Right,” agreed Inferno. “We’ve put up with more girl-chasing stories from Riff than we can count, but we know your situation is entirely different.”

“So...” sighed Buddy, “if you aren’t really dozing away the daylight hours, can we go back to being friends again, Dom?”

Dominick took only a moment before grinning, clasping his shoulder. “I never stopped being that,” he said amiably, turning to shake hands with a relieved Inferno too. Glancing once towards the three watchful females, he laughed softly. “And you can tell your curious gals over there the same thing later, although Kiri’s probably already overheard.” At the other table, Kiri blushed, folding her arms in a huff, while her friends tried to get her to explain. Seeing this, the men echoed Dominick’s laughter. “Now stop looking so somber and tell me how you’ve been,” he continued.

“We will, but first tell us more about this Julianna,” Buddy said eagerly. “Is she short? Tall? Blue-eyed? Brown-eyed? Our curious minds want to know.”

Laughing as they sat beside him at the bar counter, Dominick filled them in on the past few weeks, but of course omitted more private details. Zantarl gave the trio a look of glad appreciation that they’d finally sealed the rift between them. He spoke so highly of Julianna that both Buddy and Inferno asked if she might have a sister or two for them.

“She does have two,” Dominick admitted, “but one’s married, and the other’s engaged.” The pair groaned. “Don’t voice your disappointment too loudly or Kiri’s liable to tell your girlfriends back there.” They didn’t need to turn to feel the icy stares of Jarissa and Psych upon their backs, nodding to their friend’s advice. “Seriously, guys, Julianna’s sisters aren’t like her anyway. She’s one-of-a-kind, just like your present companions are to you.”

“Maybe,” sighed Buddy, “but not all of us can take our girlfriends for walks on rainbows.”

“Or toast marshmallows with them on frozen lakes, while friendly polar bears watch.”

“Or float in large sky bubbles with them, while lights, music, and fireworks are everywhere.”

“Excuse me?” Zantarl interrupted loudly in disbelief.

Dominick shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m a dreamphaser. When I want to share magical evenings with the woman I love, you’d better believe they’re going to be amazing.”

“I can see you like to impress her with your creativity. But, son, are you sure this is really love you feel for her, or just a means to show off?”

Dominick shook his head. “No, Zan, it’s definitely nothing like that,” he said seriously. “My feelings for Julianna and hers for me are very real, all dreams aside. The dreams just enable us to have dates that go beyond the ordinary. Besides, we do regular things too, like going skating, and going to a carnival on another occasion. She especially liked it when I brought her to a Renaissance Faire, Chavernos style. Not to mention, she’s a fairly good card player. And from our conversations, I’ve probably learned more about her in these weeks than those who’ve known her for a lifetime. We just wish we could be together in reality, instead of just dreams.”

Zantarl smiled. “Well then, I stand corrected. When you put it that way, it does sound like you really love her. She sounds like quite an enchantress.”

Dominick’s features softened. “Chavernos knows she does enchant me,” he murmured, conjuring up her smiling image in his mind’s eyes. “But in reality, she’s still an innocent of her world. I could sense that from the beginning. She was hurt emotionally by a former boyfriend called Roger Collins. After he betrayed her with another woman, she was left alone and lonely.”

“Until you came along to rescue her,” declared Buddy.

Inferno shouldered him so sharply, he was nearly knocked from his chair.

“Don’t make it sound like that,” warned Dominick. “I love Julianna very much, and I won’t tolerate any insults about her or us. She has a good heart, which is as loving, loyal, and giving as any man could hope for in a woman. Circumstance just left her an unhappy soul craving to feel loved by someone, and to give her love freely without fear of rejection. It’s by the luck of the stars that we found one another.”

“Just like a fairy tale,” chuckled Riff, causing all to turn towards his table, unaware he’d been listening in. Fortunately, he was on his own tonight.

Dominick’s expression darkened slightly with apprehension. Over the past weeks, his brother had traveled to the other side of Chavernos, and obviously returned without notice. Knowing how dubious Riff’s reputation had been in the past regarding women in the dream-state—including some of Dominick’s own liaisons—the others could fully understand his wariness.

“Leave it alone, Riff,” he replied, turning away.

His brother shrugged indifferently, gesturing for Zantarl to get him a drink. “You ought to stop wasting all your time on dream women, and try the ones of reality for a change. There’s a world of difference when you’re not worried your companion’s going to disappear by waking up.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dominick replied dryly.

Unfortunately, his determined silence only piqued Riff’s curiosity over Julianna. Knowing how close-mouthed his brother could be prompted him to rub his chin thoughtfully. There were of course... other ways to find things out.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your important chats,” Riff told the group, picking up his prepared drink. “As for me, I’d best go talk to Kiri, lest she brain me for not greeting her properly upon returning. See you guys later, I hope.”

“‘Bye, Riff,” Inferno spoke for the rest.

Dominick looked after his brother worriedly. “I don’t trust him,” he whispered. “Riff never leaves so amiably without a reason.”

“Don’t be paranoid,” laughed Buddy. “After all, he is still your brother, remember?”

“Not to mention, the son of Discord, remember?” Dominick mocked. “Don’t get me wrong, my father has his good points too, but there are times when I think I’m not related to them at all.”

Zantarl and the others silently agreed on this point.

*****

Thank heaven she could leave Almira and work behind after five!

To curb Julianna’s daydreaming thoughts, Almira had dumped a heap of correspondence on her desk to be typed up. Add that to making ten copies of each, followed by mailing them to every address from here to Osh Kosh, while juggling the nonstop phone calls and clients who walked in...

It added up to one tired worker, thankful to be home.

One who was even more grateful that night had finally arrived.

Julianna stretched languorously in bed as the stars came out to shine through her window, wondering what whirlwind encounter Dominick would show her this night.

The memories of the past weeks always made her smile.

Life with Dominick had certainly been anything but dull. Thanks to him, she’d gained both happiness and confidence in how she viewed life and love now. She believed in love again, and wasn’t afraid of it this time, and the mixture of romance and companionship was wonderful. Something only he inspired in her.

She’d equally enjoyed his teachings of things such as dancing, skating, card playing, horseback riding, sailing, and even a bit of fencing. He was all she’d ever wanted in a friend, a companion, a lover... and whatever else might be stronger.

Leaning back against the pillows, Julianna shut her eyes, content with the knowledge that Dominick would soon be with her. He might even be here now in his astral form, awaiting her secretly. Sighing with a blissful smile, she had no idea that the presence in her room now wasn’t Dominick, but his curious and grinning brother instead.

How fortunate that Dominick had mentioned the city where she lived to the others, which he’d managed to overhear when he returned to his table, seemingly distracted by other people. To find the precise location of her home; however, he’d had to wait until his brother dreamphased. Once he did, Riff simply followed him secretly in his astral form to learn how to get there. From that point, he’d arranged in advance for a suitable distraction to prompt Dominick’s return to Chavernos, in order to delay his brother’s arrival tonight. After all, how else could he learn more of Julianna?

Was she thinking of meeting her familiar lover? he wondered, gazing at her peaceful smile. No, more likely, she was just looking forward to a night of romance in general. But no matter, by the end of this night, he’d find out just what had attracted his brother to this innocently slumbering woman.

And then, he’d find out just how ‘innocent’ and ‘in love’ this Julianna really was.