A/N: The Dreammaker is probably going to have a reduced role for the next few chapters. It's not that I don't like him, it's just that I feel it's more in character. Whenever the Dream Stone went missing he just tended to filt around saying "oh dear!" and left it up to everyone else to get it back. Though obviously, when he did have to do something himself he was clearly more powerful than the enemy!

Chapter seven:

While night was in its death throes in Viltheed, evening was staking a claim on the Land of Dreams. In the rapidly fading twilight, two Noops moved wearily towards the Forest of the Wutts. As the Dreammaker's helpers, it was up to Rufus and Amberley to take charge of the Noop division of any offensive sent to Viltheed. First, they had to report to Pildet, a task made all the more ominous given the darkening sky and the knowledge that there was no Dream Stone to protect them should they eventually sleep.

"How do you know we're going to Viltheed anyway?" asked Rufus to break the silence. Amberley simply huffed to begin with and stomped her feet. "You're not still mad with me? It was a prophecy!"

"That makes it better does it? The Dreammaker told me prophecies can be avoided if you're careful, and you certainly weren't!" snapped Amberley.

"I'm sorry…"

"Well then, everything's ok now isn't it? You're sorry, marvellous!"

"Now Amberley…" came a new but familiar voice "the Dreammaker has admitted he was just as at fault. He knew that a female who was not an Urpney would snatch the stone, yet let his emotions get the better of him. That's the problem with prophecies, you don't know when they'll actually happen" said the owner of the voice as two leaf shaped feet emerged from the tall undergrowth, belonging to the slender almost plant-like form of Pildet.

"Pildet, we're so pleased to see you!" replied Amberley, rushing to hug his legs. Rufus plodded behind her, ears permanently flattened to his hairline and his face painted with a frown.

"And I am too, but I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances…come we must rest for the night" replied Pildet, touching the globe on his staff to the base of a tree, which formed a staircase of leaves spiralling to the top most branches. As the three figures ascended, Rufus couldn't help noticing how the night seemed more vicious, it strangled every little bit of lush green in its path and cast nightmarish shadows. Rufus had experienced this feeling every time the Argorribles were near. He knew he would not sleep well tonight.


Iphigenia was floating. She could smell such wonderful smells and hear beautiful music, singing to her in sweet melody that was like honey for her ears. Opening her eyes she was falling, fluffy clouds licking tenderly at her skin, which prickled with goose bumps. Yet these were not caused by fear, it was a pleasant sensation that allowed her flesh to echo the sentiments of the music washing over her senses like ever-flowing water. She saw so many different colours beneath her as deep green meadows stretched for miles all covered in every flower she could imagine. She looked above to see a sky of brilliant blue as he bare feet found the soft grass below.

For a moment, she was confused. She didn't remember removing her sandals, in fact…the last thing she remembered was trying to get some sleep! Suddenly she panicked, trying to scream where am I? For some reason, the words did not come and she turned with the intention of running. She found herself staring into the faces of her parents…

Iphigenia gasped and sat bolt upright in bed. She automatically rolled over to the opposite side of her bed and clicked her fingers above her bedside candle. The flame lit the room poorly, but it gave enough light for her to gather her thoughts. She had no idea what had just happened, but she knew it wasn't really possible to be transported to another world. In order to seize her in the first place, Zordrak had apparently used up an enormous amount of energy and had spent several weeks recovering. For those few weeks, the only room Iphigenia saw in Viltheed was a prison cell. At six years old, it forced her to toughen up to the point where her first proper meeting with Zordrak was nowhere near as bad as the night she was taken. Those thoughts were soon pushed to one side as she realised she was not alone, out of the corner of her eye she detected a tall figure standing in the shadows. It was much too tall to be an Urpney and much too slender to be Zordrak using a shrinking spell.

"Shh! Don't scream!" a tender female voice whispered in desperation as Iphigenia's lips parted and she inhaled a large quantity of air. "I'm not here to hurt you"

"Who…who are you?" stammered the now frightened young woman, reaching for her dagger.

"I'm nobody…but you, that was a really impressive way of lighting a candle, you must be really talented" said the anonymous voice, blatantly dodging the question.

"My master gave me a small fraction of his powers as a gift, I'm not supposed to use them…" replied Iphigenia, still uncertain of her guest's intentions.

"Why ever not?"

"It is forbidden…did you just take me back to Earth?" asked Iphigenia.

"No" replied the voice, its owner shifting her weight slightly and scuffing a foot across the floor "you were in your bed, you were dreaming"

"That was a dream?" queried Iphigenia, throwing back the numerous thick blankets and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed "I never dream. I just sleep. His lordship blocked my mind from so much…" her voice began to break. The realisation that she had just experienced a dream began to overwhelm her, she was unable to fight the water gathering at the base of her eyes. Her lips began to tremble as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "NO! He's heard me…I shouldn't have said that!"

"He can't hear you. Not while I'm here. He thinks you're sleeping" the voice assured her. "Don't you remember dreams?"

"No. The last time I saw an image in my sleep…it was Zordrak. He appeared and scared me awake"

"Is that how you ended up here?" the voice asked, in a tone of genuine interest.

"Yes. I heard voices outside my window. I opened it to look outside and an invisible force made me fall out of it, I fell from the top floor but I was uninjured…it was as though I floated down" Iphigenia paused to swallow, mentally hitting a brick wall.

"I appreciate it's hard to recall something you wish to forget"

"I…I saw an Urpney. I didn't know what it was, but I followed it…round to the fields near my house. Then I saw a crater like in my dream…nightmare. He rose up out of it and grabbed me" she blurted in stream of consciousness, barely able to stop for a breath. "I was so scared…I think I fainted"

"Anyone would faint in that situation" said the voice "but I'm afraid dear Iphigenia, I must leave you now…it's almost your day time, when Doom rises my powers will be no match for his"

"Don't go!" Iphigenia cried out, but it was futile. The shadowy figure had disappeared, a faint goodbye echoing around the lonely walls of Iphigenia's bedroom. With a sigh, she threw her legs back onto the bed and fell violently back onto her pillows. She did not sleep, she simply waited for the morning bell.


Rufus was flying. He knew for certain he was dreaming but was quite surprised. So far, nothing terrible had happened. It was a normal, pleasant dream. He was soaring through the skies on a large broad leaf alongside a number of Wutts. They were surrounding him as though they were an entourage. However, the dream quickly turned sour. Soon they reached the storm clouds that formed the Mist of Limbo and quite rapidly afterwards the foreboding shape of the Black Mountain rose up out of the horizon, the red disc behind it illuminating the skyline like a devilish halo.

Rufus and the Wutts had almost reached Viltheed when a shower of arrows shot up from the ground in a continuous stream of wickedly sharp iron. Several of the Wutts were hit and instantly lost their balance, falling from their leaves and undoubtedly to their deaths. Looking down, Rufus saw the source of the problem. Urpneys were arranged in perfect ranks of equal number, the front lines all holding bows already reloaded with fresh arrows. Pildet called for evasive manoeuvres and Rufus found himself almost skimming across the dirt to avoid another deadly shower. Suddenly he was flying over a part of Viltheed he didn't recognise and Iphigenia was suspended in the air, her hair being flicked unevenly around her face and over her shoulders by the slight breeze. She saw Rufus and grinned as he approached. In her hands was the shimmering Dream Stone and without warning, she slammed her palms together shattering the stone into thousands of tiny fragments.

"No!" Rufus screamed, as he was seemingly no longer in control of his leaf. He sped straight past Iphigenia and toward a canyon far behind the shadow of Viltheed. A curtain of fire burst forth from underground and with an ear-splitting roar, Zordrak rose from the canyon, leaning forward with his claws curled and reaching towards Rufus. As Rufus flew closer, the Lord of Nightmares snapped his jaws as though me meant to swallow this helpless Noop alive…

With a real scream, Rufus awoke rather abruptly in his hammock. Amberley and the Wutts surrounding him were shocked into consciousness and crowded Rufus, visibly worried about him.

"I had a nightmare!" he wailed. Taking the small bowl silently offered to him by a female Wutt.

"It's tea…drink up, it'll calm your nerves" said Pildet "and yes, we guessed you did…there's Argorribles all over the forest" after he'd finished speaking, he motioned for the others to leave Rufus in peace and sat cross-legged on the floor beside Rufus's hammock.

"Am I going to die Pildet?" asked Rufus.

"No! Whatever makes you think that?" scoffed Pildet.

"Well in my nightmare I did…I flew into Zordrak and he ate me!"

"He ATE you?" exclaimed Amberley, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Be quiet Amberley and try go back to sleep…Rufus, what exactly happened in your dream?" asked Pildet, a chill running through his entire body at the mere thought that Zordrak could personally appear in nightmares.

"We were flying towards Viltheed and Urpneys attacked. A lot of Wutts died. Oh and Iphigenia shattered the Dream Stone…" replied Rufus, closing his eyes and willing his still speeding heart beat to decrease.

"And then you were attacked by Zordrak?" Rufus nodded in reply, taking a long slip from his tea. His nerves felt instantly soothed and his body relaxed. "Hmm…I've never known Argorribles to act so independently before. It's as though they're showing us the more unfavourable outcome of the prophecy…"

"There's more the one outcome?" Amberley chipped in, genuinely surprised.

"Of course! Sometimes a prophecy only tells you what is going to happen, it doesn't always reveal a definite outcome…if that makes sense? Basically, Iphigenia's involvement in Rufus's dream was merely symbolic. She won't destroy the Dream Stone…but the main prophecy speaks of a female thief whose allegiance will determine the final outcome"

"Meaning?" asked Amberley.

"Meaning our only hope is to somehow convince Iphigenia to commit an act of treason…"