Chapter II

Caleb thought himself lucky as he strolled through the park. It lacked the bustling, noisy crowds that typically flocked to it during the weekends.

They must all be at the beach, he thought with a shrug. All the better for him to clear his head without any screaming children and raucous parties with strange, earthling customs.

"Hey there!" called a familiar, feminine voice in the distance.

"Oh, hey!" Caleb leaped from the bench. "Elyon, what are you doing here?"

"I've got that same question about you," she chirped.

"Me? I looked for you at the book store! That man said you'd be back by tomorrow evening."

"Oh, that silly thing! I told Rick that I'd be back by today, on Friday. He can be so forgetful!"

" 'Rick'?" Was that the earthling name he was going by? "I only know him as 'Cedric.'"

"You know too?" Elyon leaped to Caleb's side. "He's even dreamier with a gorgeous name like Cedric, isn't he? I mean, you probably don't know being a guy and all, but oh my gosh! He's such a sweet heart!"

"Huh... Uh, yeah, sure..." said Caleb, much to Elyon's confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Caleb sighed and looked into her eyes. He replied, "Elyon, I want you to be careful around Cedric. You don't know him like I do."

"You've met before?" said Elyon as her eyebrows knitted.

"Elyon"—he held her by her shoulders—"I want you to be very careful."

He sighed and took a moment to gather his thoughts. Yes, he needed to keep her from Cedric, but he the story to sound credible and not so magical. "He never really got charged for anything, and it could be he's an otherwise innocent guy, but please... I care for you. And Cedric is more dangerous than he would ever dare to show. I don't want him taking advantage of you like that. Do you understand what I mean?"

Elyon squirmed. "What did he do?"

"What he might have done... and it was to a close friend of mine... a girl about your age."

"Are you sure it was him?"

"I'm pretty darned sure. And even though the police let him off, like I said, I don't want him taking advantage of you. I'm not saying you should quit, but you definitely shouldn't be alone with him."

Elyon's frown deepened. She was naive, but she wasn't that naive. If she thought Cedric were some sort of predator, then maybe—hopefully—she would drift from Cedric until she finally stopped working at the shop altogether.

Her tight hug surprised Caleb in the next moment, but he warmly returned the embrace. Then they strolled down the long, idyllic path out of the park.

"I can't believe that Cedric could do anything bad," she began as they walked onto the city sidewalks. "He's so well-mannered."

"That's how people like him get away with a lot," said Caleb. "They act all sweet and neighborly, do a good deed or two to through people off their trail."

"So he can get away with murder? So to speak," she added.

"Exactly."

"Huh..."

Elyon stopped in her tracks, looking deep in thought. Despite her down-trodden appearance, Caleb knew that he was doing the right thing.

Buzz buzz!

"Oh!" Elyon snatched her cellular phone from the pocket of her turtleneck sweater. "Hey Mum!"

A pause. "I'm good. I'm with Caleb right now." Another pause. "We were at the park, but he's escorting me home." A wink and another pause. "No, I didn't see them there," she replied sombrely, and another pause followed. "No, you can still pick me up by... mmm... the Silver Dragon. We're not that far, actually." Brief pause. "Love you too, Mum! Bye!"

Elyon closed the cell phone and returned it to its pocket. She glanced at Caleb and said, "Okay, let's go."

He smiled and nodded and continued on their way.

They arrived at the Silver Dragon in almost no time and parted ways at Mrs. Brown's car.

"See ya, Caleb!" chirped Elyon as her mother drove home. "And thanks!"

Caleb waved his farewell and entered the restaurant. He headed towards the kitchen and went down the stairs to sleep in the basement as usual.

Air smells fine, he thought, noting the delightful absence of Blunk. He's probably still looking for stuff to smuggle—

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He bowed mockingly as if the passling were there. "I mean, 'legitimately barter,'" and he chuckled as he plopped on his bed.

"Hello! Hello-o-o!" went the sing-song voice of Cornelia as she stepped down the stairs. "Where's our little rebel fighter?"

Oh brother...

"Hey, there!" Cornelia sat besides him, uninvited, and leaned closely. "Where were you? We went to the beach today, and you didn't even show up to meet us here beforehand. You didn't get to see me in my new bikini!"

"Well, if you had told me that Elyon was out of town, you would have saved me a Metamoor of trouble. And what's a bikini?"

"What about Elyon?" asked Irma. "She's not back 'til tomorrow afternoon."

"Did every one think that?" grumbled Caleb, and he sat tall. "For all I knew, she could have been abducted, and we would have had no way of tracing her."

"Abducted!" shouted the four girls.

"You know that Phobos can't take her unwillingly, right?" asked Hay Lin. "At least, I hope that's right."

"So you saw her today?" asked Taranee.

Caleb smirked. "I met her at the park. Her mothe called, and from what I could guess, she must have been looking for you guys. She seemed sorely disappointed.

"Hey! Where's Will?" he interjected. "She ought to be here so I don't have to give the lecture twice."

"Oh, we dropped her off at her home," replied Hay Lin.

"Oh, no!" gasped Cornelia suddenly. "Poor Elyon—I've gotta call her!"

"Well, make your calls outside," grumbled Caleb. "I've been through a weird day, and I want to wake early before I leave for Meridian."

"Why so 'weird'?" asked Hay Lin.

"Never mind him!" exclaimed Cornelia. "We've gotta call Elyon and make sure she's okay. She probably thinks we're not friends any more," and with that, she yanked Hay Lin by the arm and marched up the stairs, Irma and Taranee in tow.

Caleb yawned and stood to turn off the lights. He slipped off his shoes, slipped into his cot, and lay with his hands behind his head. He had more thinking to do than he pleased, and he was glad that rabble had taken off.

I'm not telling them a thing, he thought. I'm not even telling Yan Lin! Cedric is not even getting a reply from me—I don't trust him to be so friendly a second time.

Then Caleb remembered that awkward question—"Are you... are you a virgin?"—and the mean in which Cedric had delivered the proposition.

He is out of his serpentine mind! he thought. You'd think with the way he fawns over Phobos—'My Prince, my Prince!' blah! blah! blah!—he's probably slithered under his robe by now. And who'd sleep with someone who'd slept with that sicko despot?

And with that staunch thought in mind, Caleb pulled up his covers and rolled onto his side. He closed his eyes and hoped to fall quickly asleep, but:

On the other hand, he looked pretty damned sad. His eyes made him look like a hound that had been kicked one too many times. And those scars? Maybe I should see him and negotiate his price... maybe something less dramatic like a kiss on the cheek.

For the rest of the night, the young man tossed and turned in his cot, obsessed with the deal; and as the new day rounded the corner, and a hazy somnolence was the only sleep that Caleb got, he came to the conclusion that:

Cedric must have more to himself than being a fork-tongued deceiver. It used to be that people didn't speak of Aaronagish nobles with just fear. At one time, they had respect. They had earned respect. Maybe he deserves a chance to prove he's worthy.

One of the clocks upstairs rang softly. A sliver of sunlight bounced off the clean windows of another building and pierced the gloom of his room. Caleb groaned and stretched his sleepy muscles. Then he slipped off, straightened the cot, and donned his boots. He crept upstairs, looked for his key in the kitchen, and stopped outside, locking the door behind him.

Barely a body in the street, he thought, realising how obnoxiously early he was. He marched through the empty streets towards the bookstore.

He'll have to check his stock in an hour, or so Elyon's said before, he hoped. I'll just wait outside until he... wakes me again.

Caleb yawned. Cursed earthling life, he was becoming soft and sluggish. He wondered what the lord thought of the carefree culture and how he managed to stay on guard.

Caleb glanced at his watch (a gift of the girls, of course) when he arrived at the book store. He moaned.

One whole hour to recuperate, he thought, sitting in front of the door. I hope that earth's police don't mistake me for some vagrant, and with that final thought, he took a light snooze, dreaming about sweet Cornelia, while waiting for his rendezvous.

But in his dreams, Cornelia's face kept morphing into Cedric's face with his trademark smile.

Click click!

"Wha?" Caleb jerked from his sleep as the door trembled against his back. He stood and watched Cedric unlock the doors.

"You're early," said the young rebel with a yawn and stretch.

Cedric smirked softly. "You did not have to come so early. You could have come at closing time tonight."

Caleb scoffed and slipped passed him.

"I would have, but my girls tend to worry if I'm not home at night."

"Ah," sighed Cedric. "How motherly!"

While Caleb strolled to the back, Cedric locked the doors. He followed him and opened the door to the office.

"I had planned for you to disappear for good," said Cedric. "I would not have blamed you, though. When I was a young man, I had to beat off older males with a stick... and occasionally my tail. Hoho!"

"Yeaaahhh... Interesting..." sneered Caleb.

The lord's face softened with solemnity, and he continued: "But I'm glad that you came, even if it is to say 'no.'"

"Yeah, of course..."

An uncomfortable silence descended. Caleb cast his gaze upon the humble-headed Cedric, who leaned against the door and suppressed a bitter hiss.

"Back still hurt?" asked the rebel.

"Hmm?"

"Your back?"

Cedric chuckled softly and sadly. "The ointment usually works more quickly. It also tends seep deeply, so much so that it goes into the blood stream and makes one weary. And a smidgeon cranky. So forgive me if I bite your head off—metaphorically, of course."

"Yeah. Of course."

Caleb glanced around the medieval room, trying to steel his nerves. "So... I have a question for you."

"Ask away."

"Well, a few questions." And he paced slowly before the lord. "You said that you would give me valid information to help the Rebellion?"

Cedric nodded.

"It might be a titbit, but it's legitimate, correct?"

He nodded again. Caleb sighed and bit his bottom lip before continuing:

"And you are absolutely certain that we have no other way of... compensating for your help?"

Cedric sighed and removed his glasses. Caleb stepped back and watched him carefully.

"I confess to you, little rebel," said the lord, "I am a lonely man. A very lonely man. I haven't seen another of my kind in nearly fifteen years, and I am still very, very young for my people. Too young to give up on finding love, no matter how brief. A year, a month, a week, or even one night that makes my lukewarm blood burn hot. And I find that very few people are worthy of my love. Prince Phobos was one—was. And he has proven that he doesn't have the ability to reciprocate. And I crave affection, just like a little snake craves the warmth of the sun."

Caleb stared hard at him. This was definitely not the Cedric that he had known and fought against. "And you think that I am worthy to give you affection?"

"More than I dare to confess. I've seen you from a distance, with your earthling delight, the dryad with sunshine hair. I would say that I don't envy you, but... but then I'd be lying," he said with a sigh. "And I don't want to lie to you any more. But I will lie for you."

"And with me, apparently."

Cedric chuckled. "Yes, that is true."

Caleb crossed his arms and tapped his foot. Cedric replaced his glasses on his face and sat behind his desk.

"My services are never free," he continued. "Every time I help you, I put my body at stake. Aaaaannnd since I do put my body at stake, I'd like to enjoy it while I still have it."

"Huh! You don't say." The Rebel Leader hummed and hawed and paced side-to-side. Cedric watched him for a while but then began reading a large, hard cover book on his desk.

"Take your time, rebel. But not too much."

Caleb thought, I have too much to lose: most of all, the Rebellion and secondly... poor Cornelia. I hardly even like this guy, even with all the welts and bruises his Master gave him. And he has deceived me and others before.

The fleeting moments seemed to pass interminably for the indecesive leader. His back thumped loudly against the door as he huffed in frustration. The lord glanced from his book and asked,

"Not at all easy, is it? My nights are restless enough with Phobos breathing down my neck with every failure. This plan has deprived me of my last sleeping hours for days."

"Really?"

Cedric averted his sorrowful eyes. Caleb gulped and continued: "And... will what we're about to... um... definitely do alleviate any of your stressful nerves?"


Disclaimer: The author, Memory in Crimson, makes no claims over Disney's W. I. T. C. H., and they do not make any monetary gains from this fanfiction.