Chapter Eleven


Nadir shifted his gaze around the darkened garden. Darius was supposed to have been here nearly half an hour ago. His servant was never late, especially not by this amount of time. This made the Persian man uneasy.

With a half irritated, half worried sigh he moved forward in the darkness toward the bench. "I'm getting too old for all of this," he muttered. He was just steps away when the tip of his boot caught some unseen object and he went tumbling forward. Cursing and groaning all in one breath he sat himself up and looked to see what had been his downfall. A hand? Attached to an arm. While that was somewhat of a good sign, his breath still caught as he moved to the bushes and pulled them back. Darius lie face down in the dirt.

"Darius?" Nadir called softly, reaching for his, hopefully, unconscious servant. His eyes darted around, ready for anything that might come at him from any side. "Darius, answer me."

The groan that greeted his ears never sounded so good. Darius' dark eyes fluttered open and he jerked upright. "Sir!" he mumbled, mind muddled by the bump on the back of his head. "I'm sorry…"

"Hush!" Nadir commanded. "Come now. Quietly. We don't know if they're still here." He pulled his servant from the bushes and helped him to his feet. "But I can guarantee that they know we're here."


The room was quiet and dark when the Persian entered. He pressed the door open, the only sound being the key that he slid into the lock and turned. "Erik?"

He heard the sound of shifting from the bed and a lamp's light burned his eyes as it flickered on. The light played across the Phantom's half-masked face as he stared at his old friend, obviously waiting for an explanation to why his sleep had been disturbed.

"They know we're here."

Erik's one visible eyebrow rose in a questioning manner and he stood. He looked ill again and Nadir reminded himself that the Phantom had not been present at dinner. If he had eaten anything at all, there was really no way to know, but certainly Christine would have taken care of that.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice raspy.

"Yes. I found Darius unconscious under a bush outside. They know."

"We shall have to move quickly."

Nadir paused. "Are you all right?"

"Of course."

A frown crossed the other man's dark lips. "Erik, you don't sound well. Where's Christine?"

"I sent her to bed," Erik snapped. "She had no business wearing herself out on my account. She wanted to sit up all night with me, and when I told her I'd have none of that she offered to simply sleep by my side… Innocent girl doesn't know what she offers." He took a deep, shaky breath, eyes fixed on his friend's. "You say they're here now?"

"I'd wager as much."

Nodding, Erik reached for his shirt and slipped it on, doing up the buttons and started for the door. "Then I say it's time we start into action."

Nadir's answer was cut off by the sound of a woman's scream echoing through the halls of the house. Their eyes met and Erik was out the door in a flash, leaving his elder friend in the room.


Raoul met the Phantom in the hallway outside of Christine's room. They looked at each other briefly before the vicomte reached forward, causing the door to swing open without much contact. "Christine?" he called.

"What happened?" Marie's worried voice sounded from behind.

Erik did not answer as he brushed past Raoul and knelt onto the floor next to her bed and then moved to the window that still swung on its hinges. Her abductor had picked her up and, more than likely swung her over his shoulder to carry her down to the ground level. They were long out of sight. "Damn you," Erik growled lowly.

"What happened?" Madeleine breathed, her voice barely audible. She pulled her robe closer to her thing body and shivered.

"They took her!" Erik roared, his temper flaring in all its glory. Everyone in the room took a step back from the angry Phantom. "Bloody son of a-"

The sound of the door closing shut off his curse and he turned wild eyes towards the Persian man standing with a smirk across his face. "Cursing the shah's mother," the man drawled, "is not wise."

"Taking the woman I love is not wise!" Erik retorted, his teeth clenched in rage.

"Yes, but there is an alternative to searching the world over and not finding her until it is too late, if ever."

Erik's shoulders straitened and his eyes narrowed, though he said nothing. Raoul took a step towards the Persian man. "What can we do?"

"His Highness wants his magician," he said simply, motioning to Erik. "'The freak and the beauty,' he ordered me. Though…" His eyes wandered around the room, resting on where Madeleine huddled next to an equally frightened Marie. "He would not be opposed to more fun."

"Monster," Madeleine growled fiercely.

The Persian man sneered and took her chin his hand. "You'd do well to keep your mouth shut or else-"

Erik's thin hand clamped around the other man's wrist with such a force that the other stopped and looked up, startled. "And you would do well to treat a lady – any lady – with a bit more respect than your culture asks you to." His voice was dripping with sarcasm with the word culture. How many times had Nadir said that this and that was their 'culture.'

"They don't run from me," the Persian man jeered.

Erik released his wrist long enough to backhand him, sending him stumbling several feet back and to the ground. Men emerged from the shadows with such haste that Marie let forth a scream. They swarmed Erik until he could do little but allow himself to be forced to the ground, head pulled up by the hair. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, hate lighting them.

"The two ladies and the young man will also be coming with us," the Persian man stated as he picked himself up. "We shan't have them running after us." He pulled a cloth from his pocket and poured something onto it, a cruel smile crossing his face. "Good night," he told Erik as he forced the cloth over his nose and mouth. The Phantom struggled only a moment before finally loosing out to darkness.


LostSchizophrenic :Depending on where you live, you might be able to get a loan from another library, for future reference. Me, personally, I'd like to own the book, but I'll wait until I can find it for a good price :) Madeleine knows he's ill, because Christine told her so when they met briefly, but she just doesn't know to what extent. Don't worry, she'll be finding out soon enough. :evil cackle:

Lynx Ryder:I agree, Madeleine doesn't deserve forgiveness, but neither did Richard in PotC, eh? But I think most of my readers forgave him well enough. (what's with me and screwed up parent/child relationships!)