Chapter 10

Cameron had just begun to prepare for battle. His mind was focused and his intent was now bordering on absolute destruction, which was being fueled by his anger.

He was going to find the ones that had taken what was his and he was going to make an example of them. His direction was clear and now he was prepared to go on a killing quest.

The guard was ordered to the courtyard, their assembly was massive and impressive. Camron had been proud of the fact he had one of the finest and most deadly guardsmen ever assembled.

He had spent years recruiting the right ones for his personal guard and now he was going to use each and every one of them and their talents.

Ordering the court ranger out to the field to track those that had take his property he did not bother to wait for the return of his guests from the hunt, he had left orders that they were to be entertained and well cared for in his absence.

Moving to the Sampson the identical twin to Goliath he mounted up, and turned to his men. "Lets move out men and we will not be back until we have retrieved what is mine."

Riding forward in his black suit of armor the black plumes blowing in the wind his standard a banner of a black dragon in flight Camron Dragonsbane set back straight and eyes filled with a burning fire for vengeance.

There on the edge of waking the rude intrusion of immeasurable pain filled M'lar's mind to bring about a soft moan she cradled her hand to her chest.

The stickiness of her blood soaked her shirt and coated her stomach as she opened one pain filled eye to peer down at the heavily bandaged hand.

The other eye was swollen shut and she could feel her nose was broken, and if her tongue had not deceived her she was missing two teeth. The beating she had taken from the brigands had been complete.

She had fought them all and felt the rude punishment of fists and feet as they overpowered her and took turns punching her until she fell unconscious. Then she awoke to this new nightmare world.

The room she was contained in held the age-old smell of dust and death, the sliver of light penetrated the heavy stonewalls that denoted she was in a dungeon cell.

The area itself was a large bird like cage hung from the center of the room on a chain attached to a large eyehook in the center of the room. Trying to stand she felt the sway of the suspended cage as her weight caused the cage to shift and move. Sliding down into a sitting position she held her hand and sighed.

Someone had bandaged her hand and she now held it to her body. Feeling disoriented and afraid she sat in the center of the cage and closed her one good eye and listened to the sounds around her.

Using her infravision she noted no warm life signs in the cavernous room. Though her vision was some what obstructed she moved her head to peer around her surroundings.

From the distance her keen elven hearing could detect the sound of male voices as they apparently cast lots over her boots she had worn.

"They are too small for our feet ya dolt!"

The other voice chuckled, "But they are made of fine leather."

The rattle of a door opening and the sound of heavy keys on a belt then the door to her room opened. In the darken doorway stood a figure of a thin man with long flowing black hair wearing a heavy red robe.

Long fingers pushed the hood back as he entered the room; with a wave of his hand he used his immense powers to light a sconce on the wall. Each in successive order lit until all sconces were burning brightly in the room.

Looking up at the suspended cage he teleported to the interior of the cage and stood floating somewhat off the floor peering down at the pathetic being in front of him.

"Camron should learn to take better care of his play things. Stand child."

M'lar looked at the familiar features of Maison Storm as he floated mere inches off the cage floor. Feeling the body resist such motions of rising again, she bowed her head and felt tears sting her eyes.

"I am sorry Maison, I am unable to stand." Maison lowered his feet to the floor of the cage and sighed deeply. "They have ill used you. I did not spend all that time creating you to see you come to this."

He bent and lifted her with little effort and with the immense uses of the will, he teleported them from the room.

Laying her broken body to the lab table, Maison sighed again as he examined her condition and shook his head.

"Well first things first my dear." M'lar looked out of her good eye in confusion and curiosity. She tried to find something familiar in the room. The only familiar part of the room was a scent that tickled the very deepest part of her memories.

The room was a sterile confined area with the smell of odd scents assailing her sensitive senses.

"First you must sleep."

He touched her forehead with his index finger and M'lar felt her body plummet into an abyss of darkness and nothingness. Maison studied the damage and began to systematically repair her body.

Maison took the bandage off and studied the severed finger. Closing his eyes he concentrated reaching to the way and then began to concentrate beginning regenerate her finger; watching as it reformed and grew to as it was before its amputation.

Using gentleness born from pity he pried her lips open and looked at the missing teeth. As before he closed his eyes, reaching to the way and began to concentrate again; opening his eyes he watched as her teeth reform.

Continuing with his immense power he weaved the way her nose and healed the nose. Smiling he watched it formed to its delicate pertness he had bred into her.

Finally, the eye was the last to be healed as he again pushed his talent to mend the bruised and sorely abused eye. Watching as the eye began to shrink from the swelling and once again his perfect creation was as beautiful as she the day he created her.

Moving away from the table he walked to another door that connected to the room. Opening that door he moved into a darken chamber, "Lights at sixty-five percent." The lights came on and he stood in a room filled with clear tubes with partially formed beings floating in a sebaceous fluid.

Stepping between the rows he moved to a series of three tubes that held floating images of the woman that laid on his exam table. Pressing his fingertips to the first tube he sighed. "You just had to be reborn and remade my dear. There was nothing wrong with what you were before, just not perfect and now you are."

Turning back to the rows of other tubes he spoke softly, "all my children, some day you too will be born into the perfect world I am preparing for you. You will learn to appreciate me more once you are given life and live in the world I have arranged for you all." Moving from the room he called behind him. "Lights off."

Stepping back to the table he let his fingers trail over the perfectly formed face and sighed. "Really Camron should learn to hold onto his playthings."

He stood back to view his work and smiled. "Now to clean you up and take you back to Camron." Moving to the door that allowed entrance into the room, he stopped and turned and frowned.

"What is this?"

He moved back to her prone body and studied her. Laying his hand on her lower abdomen he closed his eyes and smiled. "You carry his child. Well, well, well, so Camron is to be a father and I a grandfather? And its a grandson too! Well, maybe we need to teach Camron not to disobey his father."

Closing his eyes again he began to smile as he phased his hand into her womb and teleported the child to a long tube filled with a viscous clear fluid setting the umbilical cord to a man made food source.

Looking over at another fetus that was near the age of Camron's son; Maison smiled and reaching into the tank he removed the fetus.

"Perhaps Camron should experience what its like to raise himself." Looking at the placard on the tank he smiled reading the tag, 'Camron Clone'. Moving with the delicate life in his hands he moved to M'lar.

Once again using the technique of phasing and teleportation he placed the fetus of Camron's clone into her womb and regenerated the umbilical cord to her womb.

"Now, we will clean you up and take you back to Camron."

Once again he moved to the entrance door and stepped into a long wide hallway. The furnishing elaborately aged to various periods the tone of the room of the far distant future. Moving with grace to the end of the hallway he met one of his servants.

"Go fetch a elfin silk white gown, tell Greta to go to my lab and clean up the specimen I have on the table and dress her in that gown."

The small dwarf female bobbed a curtsy lowering her head and speaking softly, "Aye, Milord."

She turned in her long black dress with white collar and sleeves and waddled down the hallway out of sight. Maison sighed softly and smiled most pleased with him self. "Camron will learn that it's not nice to mess with my toys."

Pivoting about on a well-turned heel, Maison moved towards an immense door and opened it. Moving into the cavernous bedroom he removed his red robe laying it on the large bed.

Turning again he stood in his black silk shirt and fine linen pants. He made a very striking figure with his muscled lithe form.

Walking to the fireplace he folded his body into a very comfortable over-stuffed chair and crossed his leg over his knee. Bridging his fingers together he studied the flames in the fireplace.

He was very proud of what he had done and now he was prepared to collect from his son on this debt he would owe him once he returned his newest toy to him.

Greta took the incredibly soft and light material of the elfin silk gown down the hallway. The tall statuesque blond used her key to open the door and stopped looking to the lab table. There she paused and frowned.

It was she again. Greta had remembered her from the time Maison had taken her original form and redesigned her. Having used his acquired techniques to make her into something that was impossible to be.

Maison had hoped to spark a war with her presence in Faerun during the time of Toril. His bid to challenge and remove power from the powerful God Ao had failed because of his son and nephew.

So, he had sat and waited for the mortals to begin their battles. His hopes were to insult the elves and the orcs. He had used Gruumsh as a catalyst of sorts to try and begin the war.

Moving to the deformity that was half elf and half scro she frowned seeing how bloodied her clothing was. He must have used a lot of his stored PSP to restore her as she once was.

Greta frowned; she pushed her hair over her small pointed ears and sighed deeply. She was half elf too and was a bit affronted to look upon what her people had termed an abomination.

However, she was indebted to her master and would do as he asked. With gentle care she stripped her of the bloodied clothing and with the utmost care bathed her body and washed her hair.

Finally, she dressed her in the delicate gown, combed out her thick auburn hair and put soft satin slippers on her feet. She then stood back to survey her work and was satisfied she had done what her master had asked of her.

Moving out of the room, she walked to his bedchambers and knocked softly on the door. Hearing nothing she opened the door and moved into the room.

Looking around she spotted him sitting before the fire in meditation. Moving to his side she stood quietly until he was ready to acknowledge her.

"Is it done?" His voice was soft and melodic in tone.

"Yes, Milord it is done. She is ready when you are ready to take her."

"Don't think I know how much this affects you Greta dear. I know you can't stand to look upon her and how you view her. She was designed for a specific purpose and I have not decided at this time as to how we will execute that purpose."

She watched the fire as she listened to his reasoning for that creature's design.

"You don't have to approve Greta, you must obey and do as I ask."

This time the words were edged with a hardness that left no doubt he had read her mind. "I will be back shortly, we are having guests tonight so I expect you to be prepared for a castle full of interlopers, make sure none get into my lab."

She curtsied and stepped back, knowing this was her dismissal from his presence. Moving to the door with a poker straight back she let her self out with a soft click of the closing door. Maison stood and moved to his closet. Pulling out a matching black coat he slipped it on and moved to the lab with a sense of purpose.

Fazing himself through the door, he moved to the lab table and gently lifted the exotic beauty. Once again, Maison reached out to the way and teleported to Camron's castle to M'lar's bedchambers.

Using the will to turn down the covers; Maison gently laid her on the bed and covered her. He watched as she slightly stirred and her lashes fluttered open.

"No, no my dear sleep." He touched her forehead and once again M'lar felt herself plummeting into the darkness of a dreamless sleep.

Maison smiled and sat on the edge of the bed and studied his creation. "I can see what Ageis will see in you. You will give him some rest and happiness for a while. He in turn will give you a daughter. One you will call Gillian. She will follow the way of a Beast master and you will be proud of her accomplishments."

He gently pushed hair from her face, "You will also be my vessel for a war. One I intend to win this time."

With gentle fingers, he stroked her hair away from her face and laid fingertips to her cheek. "You would have made a beautiful goddess my dear. Who knows you still may but you are not for Camron. I will have to monitor that situation carefully."

Rising from the bed he stepped back and with a subtle popping noise he teleported to the thrown room. Camron stood fully armored pacing as he shouted orders to his men.

"I want every man out looking for her do you hear me! I want no one resting or sleeping until she is found!"

Maison arrived as Camron was growing into a full head of steam. Agreiver stood stoically behind Camron watching him pace his manner become more furious with each step he took.

Turning Camron stopped in his pacing glared at Maison and growled, 'What the hell do you want old man?"

Maison quirked an eyebrow as Camron's anger gave way to his better judgment.

"I came to tell you that you should take better care of your play things Camron. She is up in her bedchambers sleeping."

His voice was stern and cold as he spoke to his son. Camron stopped his furious pacing and tuned to the man that was his stepfather

.

"You found her?" Camron's voice was now hinting at his relief and the ebbing of his anxiety.

"Yes, I found her in that twit Montriach boy, Andre had her taken. He had planned on putting his own seed in her to humiliate you and thought to over throw your authority."

Maison watched as his son puffed up with his outrage and indignation. "I will cut him down where he stands! I will destroy that whole family!"

Camron began to pace furiously back and forth like a caged tiger as he shouted for the whole castle to hear. "I want them destroyed! The whole bloodline!"

Maison waited for him to take a breath then interjected softy, "Why not instead control them make them your slaves. The father and mother fear you. The son is the problem, so wed him to a strong house and keep an eye on him."

Camron paused and looked at him with complete disgust. "What are you talking about? I want him dead."

Maison smiled, "Then kill him by sending him on a quest. But before you do that, marry him off to that pathetic excuse of a woman Pansy. They belong together and you can take care of two birds with one quest."

Camron stopped his pacing and moved to the thrown and sat. The sound of his armor making a slight cricking sound as he sat and another soft tink as his arm folded to the chair's arm.

"That might not be such a bad idea."

Maison smiled proudly watching his stepson start to think this through.

"I am going to tell you right now son, they did abuse her. She had a broken nose, a missing finger, two missing teeth and her eye was swollen from the beating she took."

This again sent Camron into a fit of rage. "Did they touch her in any sexual manner?"

His voice was deadly cold as he spat out the words. "No, she was beaten and looked bad. I have regenerated her back to as she was and she is once again as beautiful as she was before the beating."

He nodded slowly and with a grim look he studied his father. "Thank you, father."

Maison knew what it took for him to say father to him and smiled with a look of tenderness in his eyes. "You really need to take care to not loose those you feel close to son."

Camron stood and nodded, "I had no intention of loosing her. I wish her to give me a strong son."

Maison nodded slowly in return and then spoke softly, "When she had given you this son, what then?"

Camron shrugged. "My intentions were to release her back to her time and her family and friends."

Maison secretly smiled to him self and said softer still, 'Then you should do exactly that. You know its not going to be safe for her here and you must keep the bargain you made with her."

Camron sighed his shoulders slumped and then remembering who he was and who was in the room he straightened.

"Order the men to return to camp. Call off the searches and find that idiot of a boy Andre and his mother and father and that wench, Pansy. Tell them I want them in the thrown room by sunset. Do not tell them anything else."

Turning to the death knight he ordered, "Agreiver, you will go to her room and guard her until I come is that understood?"

The black armored knight with his skeletal face hidden behind his faceplate nodded and moved from the room, leaving an aura of fear around him as he moved.

Maison waited as the room emptied and then he stepped to the center of the room. "It is as I expected son, you will need to keep that agreement with her. She deserves more of a life than what she would have here. You and I both know she will become a target and you cannot always be with her."

Camron looked with a cold deliberate gaze to his father and with an equally cold and reserved voice he spoke softly, "I plan to keep my word of honor and she will be returned upon her delivering to me one son."

Maison smiled, "She will give you that son in twelve months son, she is already pregnant." Camron's face lit up with excitement and there in his eyes was a touch of tenderness as he thought about her carrying his child.

"You know for a fact she is with child and it is a boy?"

Maison nodded. "Yes, I know for a fact she is with child and it's a boy. I looked into its young mind and its you Camron, this child is you."

Maison knew he had spoken the truth but it was up to his son to discern what he meant by 'it's you.' Camron was caught up in the moment of joy knowing he was going to be a father to not realize that deception that was now in play. All he could conceive was his first was pregnant and with what he believed was his son and that at this moment in time was all that mattered to him.

Feeling a rush of euphoria he went to his father and clapped him on the shoulder. "A son, a strong fine son to follow in my footsteps. And a grandson for you father! We both have cause to celebrate!"

He laughed as he thought about how he would raise his son. How much this son would be raised as he saw fit to raise a son and not how Maison had raised him. His memories of his father flashed through his mind and reminded him of his feelings he had long held in abeyance.

"Are you leaving soon father? I will have a feast to celebrate the news of my son's impending birth!" Camron was nearly giddy at the thought of being a father. Maison almost felt pity for the man knowing he had his son in a test tube back in his lab.

It was the almost that stopped the pity from coming forth. Maison recalled to memory how Camron had betrayed him on his first quest to take over the pantheon of gods and to start a god war.

How he had helped that rapscallion Kelson Kane to defeat him before he had a chance to do what he had intended and that was to set the world back to balance.

All he had trusted, all he had thought would understand him had turned on him for their own self preservation so in his anger he had sent forth minions of death to kill them all off. They had all fallen and he had time to make his changes.

The first to feel his touch had been the one other woman in his life he could have loved absolutely, Prin Salarus Doe. She had captured his affections and attentions but she held a gene in her make up that would some day allow her to reform as a dragon and he could not allow that to happen.

He had taken a year to recreate her into half human half elf. He had been quiet proud of his accomplishment. It had taken a year to do the transition. When it was done he had taken her body now reformed and safe back to his Not A Tower home and laid her with pieces of her memories gone.

His next was M'lar. How dare the scro try to do what he did when they made her as a hybrid? They had tried to take the best from two worlds and created this monstrosity that had most the men on the island in lust or love.

No, this was one that would be his stepping-stone to the beginning of a god war. He now recalled how he had smiled at the thought and look on the face of Corellon and Gruumsh.

His reverie was interrupted by the expectant look on Camron's face and he smiled. "Sorry son, but I am having guests myself. Perhaps later when it is just us, we can sit down and toast to your birth."

Camron hid his disappointment behind a polite nod. "As you wish. If you will excuse me now, I have to change. Again, Father thank you for your help in bringing home my first." Maison smiled and with little movement and a slight popping sound teleported from the room.

Camron made his way to his bedchambers where his aid awaited him to help take off his armor. Once the heavy elven made armor was removed he dressed in a light white silk poet shirt and soft linen pants.

Pulling his hair back into a ponytail caught at the base of his neck, he slipped from his room down the hallway to M'lar's room. Upon entering her room he noted the sun had set and the soft radiant glow of the after sunset filled the room and bathed her in its glory.

Looking at Agrievr he nodded and the knight left his post by the door closing the door softly behind him. Moving to the bed he watched her as she turned and rested to her side putting her back to him. He looked at her and for once thought how beautiful she looked and stopped to wonder if he thought this because she carried his child? Moving to the bed he curled next to her and laid his hand over her lower abdomen and smiled.

Instinctively, M'lar pressed into the spoon shape with him and sighed softly. Camron laid his chin to her shoulder and spoke with tenderness to her, "Rest my love. Rest easy you are safe now."

In her sleep filled haze she could have sworn those were gentle words spoken to her by Camron. This elicited a small smile from her in return. With a gentle hush tone she asked, "Camron?"

Her eyes opening to peer at him curled to her body feeling his hand on her stomach. He smiled and kissed her neck. "Yes, it is Camron."

She felt his hand and with gentle tenderness placed her hand over his. "I guess you know?"

He smiled and looked into her sleep filled eyes and nodded. "I know that you will give me a son in twelve months my dear."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Then you will be happy?"

He listened to the low soft tones of her voice. "I shall be happy that you are the mother to my son."

M'lar sighed and felt herself drifting off to sleep again. "Then our bargain will be complete and you will have your son."

He heard her words and knew she had found his humanity and this disturbed him. If he were to grow soft because of this woman he would find his authority at risk. He would need to guard against that.

Feeling a surge of anger at him self, he slid from the bed and pulled her to him. With a tension he had not expected to have he jerked her up into his arms and forcefully teleported them to his bedchambers. "From now on, you will sleep here with me. Is that understood?"

M'lar feeling exhausted and now concerned over his change in attitude nodded.

"As you wish milord."

With less than gentle ease he thumped her onto the bed watching her bounce as she landed.

"Good, and you leave here when I say you can got it?"

Again fearful of his mood change she nodded and spoke softly again.

"Yes, Milord."

He then lay beside her and pulled her against his body.

"I demand you to obey me."

M'lar looked into his cold unrelenting gaze and lowered her lashes and let out a long held breath. "As milord wishes."

Her thoughts were filled with dread. She was beginning to feel nauseous with the thought of him brutalizing her as the men that had taken her.

This caused her hormones to rise and she began to cry silently into her pillow. Camron hardened his heart to her frailties and rolled away from her.

"I will send up a tray for you to eat. You will not be needed at the dinner table tonight." M'lar nodded and sniffed delicately. She lay quietly as she heard him leave the room. Closing her eyes she gave way to the call of sleep. At least in sleep she could not be hurt by her dreams.