Chapter Sixteen

Shattered Dreams

Part One

In the dead of end, she bolted up screaming.  Frantic, she stumbled out of bed and in a murky haze she staggered hysterically toward Roxton's room.  The hunter was already up, awoken by her shriek, and was gripping his rifle as she rushed in.  "What is it, Marguerite?  What's happened?"

She ignored him, racing straight to the crib and peering down inside.  Sobbing, she grasped the side of her babies' bed and collapsed onto her knees.  She felt Roxton wrap his arms around her, but she was disconnected from it.  Instead, she sat holding onto the crib and shaking.  "I…I felt him…he was…here," she explained between her crying, gasping for air.  "Look in the crib…tell-tell me what you see.  I can't…I can't trust my own eyes.  He could be playing one of his devious tricks on me."

Roxton peered over into the crib and felt his heart constrict.  He tentatively reached a hand inside and rested it on the blanket that Veronica had so delicately sewn.  Under the blanket was the tiny lump of his slumbering son.  He moved his hand over toward his daughter.  A lump clamming his throat, he clenched his jaw when his hand fell on the mattress.  Lillian was missing.  He had known she was when he first looked inside, but feeling the actual empty space made the nightmare more real.

He bolted to his feet and in a blind rage gathered his weapons.  His boots pounding harshly on the wooden floor woke William who began to fuss.  "I'm going to get her back," he seethed.  "I'll bring her home, Marguerite.  I swear it."

An exhausted Malone tapped on the door.  "Something woke me, then, I heard talking."  The scene before him registered and all the remainder of sleep ebbed away.  He glanced worriedly over at Marguerite who was now standing on shaky feet holding William tightly in her arms.  "What's wrong?"

"He took her," Roxton snapped not at Malone, but at himself.  A man had snuck in here and stolen his daughter right from under his nose.  His guilt was stretching the limit, driving him crazy.  "Now I'm going to get her back."  He stormed out of the room, loaded with weapons.

Malone followed the retreating father.  "I'll wake the others.  We'll go with you."

"No," Roxton barked.  "You need to stay here with Marguerite and William.  I'll go alone."

"You can't go alone," Marguerite stated firmly as she approached him, carrying William securely in her arms.  She had hidden her tears away: her anger now on the frontline.  "You don't know where they are or how to stop Klor.  We need a plan of attack.  I won't risk Lillian's life with your rashness.  We need to wake the others."

"We're already awake," Veronica said as she and Challenger came out of their separate rooms.  "And Marguerite's right.  If you want to safely bring Lillian back then, you need to formulize a better plan than roaming blindly around the plateau."

"Well, what the hell can we do," yelled Roxton, smashing one of his rifles onto the table.  "That bloody bastard took my daughter and I'm not going to sit around on my ass while you "formulize a better plan"!  Lilly is only two months old.  She is completely helpless."

The hard, loud voice of his father disturbed the already tense baby who began shrieking.  Marguerite bounced William soothingly, glaring up at Roxton.  "I feel your anger, too.  I carried these children inside me for eight months.  I feel the loss so strongly it will tear me apart if I let it.  I want her back as much as you do, but running aimlessly will not bring her back any faster.  In fact, it may not help her at all.  And I'm not willing to risk Lillian or you."

Roxton stared down at the rifle he had slammed onto the table.  Glancing back up, tears of frustration danced in his tormented eyes.  "You're right, but I…I just don't know what else to do," he murmured faintly.

"I suggest we go to Malia," Challenger stated matter-of-factly.  "That is, after all, where this sorcerer is from.  We could ask the Zanga if they've ever heard of such a place or tribe and, hopefully, they will know where to find this Malia."

Veronica nodded.  "Challenger's right.  We should all go to the Zanga.  Marguerite and William can stay with them while the rest of hunt down leads."

"Why would I have to stay," Marguerite questioned hotly.  "Lillian is my daughter.  I'm not going to just sit on the sidelines.  Besides, Klor's connection is with me.  I can sense his presence.  I'll be more of help to finding her than any of you."

"Mm," Challenger pondered.  "She does have a valid point.  Yet, what about William?"

"I trust Clarias."

"I don't like it," Roxton said.

"Then you can stay at the Zanga with William," Marguerite snapped.  "I'm going to help find my daughter.  And that's final."

Roxton looked at the others for support.

"I would offer to stay behind," Challenger said.  "Yet, I'm afraid you may need my expertise along the way."

"And I know the land and tribes better than any of you," Veronica pointed out.

"Well," Malone looked from face to face.  He didn't really have much to contribute except for extra manpower.  "I could stay with William."

"We may need you," Roxton muttered, scratching his head.  "Yet, I'm not comfortable with leaving William without one of us being with him.  Not that I don't respect and trust the Zanga.  I just…it makes me nervous as hell with all things considered."

"No," Malone decided.  "I'm going to stay with William.  If something goes wrong…wouldn't we all feel more comfortable that someone will be there to take care of him…take him back to the tree house if needs be?"

Marguerite came over and hugged Malone briefly.  "Thank you, Ned."

Part Two

The following morning, loaded with weapons, they headed out.

End Chapter Fifteen

Again, thank you for the reviews.  Today, being Saturday, means that The Lost World will be at 1:00PM and repeated on Sunday at 1:00AM!!!  YEAH!!!  You all know what I'll be doing: taping the blasted episode!  (I've gotten in the habit of taping all the episodes.  I'm such a (proud) loser.).