ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND
-27-
Caol and Nam continued to stare each other down.
"It's not my fault he left," Nam swore.
"It's not mine," Caol replied.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know where he went!" Nam practically shouted. Were they even aware of our presence, I asked myself. What were they hiding from the rest of us?
"Last time..." Caol began.
"Things are different from last time!" Nam cut him off.
The others were still silent. I was so totally lost that I couldn't even begin to sort out where things had gone wrong. Nam and Caol continued to stare at each other.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Zione answered quickly, before anyone else could jump in. "Nam used to hang out with them, Caol and Fiore, here."
"That's what you meant when you said you didn't live with them," I realized. Zione nodded.
"Fiore left last time, after finding out you had amnesia," Caol explained slowly. "He and Nam had an argument about it, and they never told me what it was about." There was a strange sort of possessiveness in his voice, and I wondered if he and Fiore were brothers or something. "Obviously it was about you."
I assumed he meant me. I could've been wrong, but the way things were going, everything seemed to be my fault, right?
"It's not important," Nam explained. "Wasn't then, and it still isn't now. There are more important things to consider right now."
"Things have changed," Caol admitted. Nam seemed to accept it as an agreement of sorts, but there was a strangeness to that as well. Caol didn't seem to be finished with him yet.
My eye suddenly caught sight of Caol's arm, the same one I had been trying to investigate. It had an odd rigidity to it, but was starting to tremble, as if something were trying to get loose. He was angry, very angry. "Nam..." I began.
Nam turned to face me, and I gasped as Caol's arm burst into flame. "Holy..."
We all stared as Caol stood, grinning, the flame dancing and frighteningly illuminating his face. "Things certainly have changed," Caol replied, directing his arm at Nam. "I'll ask you again, Namdhari, where's Fiore?"
"Nam," Zale said with a hint of warning in his tone.
"I don't know, Zale, I swear!" Nam called across the room, foolishly taking his eyes off Caol.
"Nam!" I yelled, and dove for him as Caol let loose a burst of flame in his direction. We hit the ground behind another makeshift wall, which instantly began to crackle with flames. I scrambled to my feet, pulling him along, as the wall fell to where we had just been lying.
The others had remained in their places, cautiously taking steps toward Caol, attempting to coax him out of his fury, but another threatening flare sent them all scattering behind the other toys and machinery. Nam and I hid, somewhere behind Caol and out of his eyesight.
"What the Hell is going on?" I whispered.
Nam looked dismayed. "Caol's pissed."
"Rightly so?" I inquired.
"Not really. I really don't know where Fiore is."
I bit my lip in exasperation and just a little bit of fear. "What do we do?"
"Um, some magic would be nice," Nam replied sarcastically.
"Who, me?"
"Unless the others have found time to complete their mage training during the last few Villikins missions, then yes, ALiCE, that'd be your call there, I believe."
"I don't even know what I'm doing!" I protested.
"Better figure it out soon," he explained, watching Caol look for us, fiery hand still burning brightly, waiting for another target to punish. There wasn't a door to be found.
We were virtually trapped.
* * *
-27-
Caol and Nam continued to stare each other down.
"It's not my fault he left," Nam swore.
"It's not mine," Caol replied.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know where he went!" Nam practically shouted. Were they even aware of our presence, I asked myself. What were they hiding from the rest of us?
"Last time..." Caol began.
"Things are different from last time!" Nam cut him off.
The others were still silent. I was so totally lost that I couldn't even begin to sort out where things had gone wrong. Nam and Caol continued to stare at each other.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Zione answered quickly, before anyone else could jump in. "Nam used to hang out with them, Caol and Fiore, here."
"That's what you meant when you said you didn't live with them," I realized. Zione nodded.
"Fiore left last time, after finding out you had amnesia," Caol explained slowly. "He and Nam had an argument about it, and they never told me what it was about." There was a strange sort of possessiveness in his voice, and I wondered if he and Fiore were brothers or something. "Obviously it was about you."
I assumed he meant me. I could've been wrong, but the way things were going, everything seemed to be my fault, right?
"It's not important," Nam explained. "Wasn't then, and it still isn't now. There are more important things to consider right now."
"Things have changed," Caol admitted. Nam seemed to accept it as an agreement of sorts, but there was a strangeness to that as well. Caol didn't seem to be finished with him yet.
My eye suddenly caught sight of Caol's arm, the same one I had been trying to investigate. It had an odd rigidity to it, but was starting to tremble, as if something were trying to get loose. He was angry, very angry. "Nam..." I began.
Nam turned to face me, and I gasped as Caol's arm burst into flame. "Holy..."
We all stared as Caol stood, grinning, the flame dancing and frighteningly illuminating his face. "Things certainly have changed," Caol replied, directing his arm at Nam. "I'll ask you again, Namdhari, where's Fiore?"
"Nam," Zale said with a hint of warning in his tone.
"I don't know, Zale, I swear!" Nam called across the room, foolishly taking his eyes off Caol.
"Nam!" I yelled, and dove for him as Caol let loose a burst of flame in his direction. We hit the ground behind another makeshift wall, which instantly began to crackle with flames. I scrambled to my feet, pulling him along, as the wall fell to where we had just been lying.
The others had remained in their places, cautiously taking steps toward Caol, attempting to coax him out of his fury, but another threatening flare sent them all scattering behind the other toys and machinery. Nam and I hid, somewhere behind Caol and out of his eyesight.
"What the Hell is going on?" I whispered.
Nam looked dismayed. "Caol's pissed."
"Rightly so?" I inquired.
"Not really. I really don't know where Fiore is."
I bit my lip in exasperation and just a little bit of fear. "What do we do?"
"Um, some magic would be nice," Nam replied sarcastically.
"Who, me?"
"Unless the others have found time to complete their mage training during the last few Villikins missions, then yes, ALiCE, that'd be your call there, I believe."
"I don't even know what I'm doing!" I protested.
"Better figure it out soon," he explained, watching Caol look for us, fiery hand still burning brightly, waiting for another target to punish. There wasn't a door to be found.
We were virtually trapped.
* * *