Chapter 13

Gasp! The Draver of Drave-Dravedom has returned at long last! AND, she has read the grammar bible. No joke, actually. So, hopefully my readers are still here. ;) Sorry for the wait. May I associate myself with the spirit of remorse?


Erik looked up from Christine, startled. His eyes grew wide as he obviously recognized the man who had slipped into his domain.

"Surprise, surprise, dear, little brother!" Phelan said, grinning, "You didn't expect me to follow you all the way here, did you?

"What do you want?" Erik asked, warily, "Why are you here?""Who am I? Where did I go? How will I return?" Phelan said. He laughed. "I needed to finished the 'whos', 'whats', 'wheres', 'whens', 'whys', and 'hows'."

"Answer me or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?" Phelan said, "Erik, Erik, Erik! You know that I always get whatever I want. I'm a genius at it! Why, just look at how perfectly this is turning out! Christine is working for me, so I can get what I want from you, and you will give it to me, because I have this!" Phelan produced a lock of Christine's hair.

"Christine!" Erik cried, "What insanity caused you to do such a foolish thing?"

"Oh, please stop the dramatics," Phelan said.

"I… What did I do?" Christine asked.

"My dear little buttercup," Phelan said, "This exquisite lock of your perfectly trimmed hair is my key to success. You see, my crumpet, I used your lovely hair in a spell. Hair, when added with extract of cat's-cry, creates a force glue that is often called 'puppet magic'. Observe." Phelan held the lock of hair between his fingers and blew on it. "Jump," he said.

Christine jumped.

"Ha! Ha! Good show, Erik, eh?" Phelan said, "Now, I suggest you cooperate. If you refuse, Mademoiselle Daae will take a three hour walk on the bottom of your lake. Toodle-oo."

"Just the same schoolyard bully you always were, Phelan," Erik said, "What do you want me to do."

"I want your plans!" Phelan said greedily.

"My plans? My plans for what?" Erik asked, genuinely confused.

"Your plans that you took from Persia," Phelan said, "Your plans for the ultimate machine. Your plans that could rule the world! I need those plans! I MUST rule all of Faerie!"

"You want those?" Erik asked, incredulously.

"The plans you took from Persia, yes," Phelan said.

"And you think that you will take over Faerie with them?"

"I'm reasonably certain," Phelan assured.
Erik shook his head in confusion. He was surprisingly calm, Christine thought, though she wondered if, once Phelan departed, he would realize the extent of her betrayal. At least he seemed ready to hand over his plans.

"They're on my desk," Erik said. Phelan followed him and watched as Erik sifted through papers.

"Why do you have so many pairs of tinted spectacles?" Phelan asked.

"Never mind that," Erik said, "Here are you plans. Now, let Christine go and leave me in peace."

"Half a moment," Phelan said. He looked over the papers and emitted a gleeful shriek. "It is them! At long last!"

"Yes, wonderful I'm sure. Will you be off?"

"Please," Christine said, "what about Raoul?"

"Eh?" Phelan asked, "Oh! Yes, him.." He paused, a wicked look entering his eyes. "Oh, Erik! I forgot to tell you. Christine led me here just to save her darling viscount. And I didn't use my spell at all. She betrayed you of her own, free will and just because she loves her handsome boy more than you! Allow that to permeate your brain for a while as I read over these delightful plans."

Erik did not say anything. His expression beneath his mask was unreadable. Slowly, he walked away and sat on the swan bed, his back to Christine.

"Erik… I didn't mean to," Christine said pleadingly, "He said he would kill Raoul."

"I do not doubt it," Erik said, "I'm not angry with you." His voice was steady, but with a forced steadiness. Christine could recognize a hurt tone in his speech.

"I made him promise not to hurt you," she said.

"He won't."

Phelan finished his reading and was giggling madly. "Beautiful, Erik! You've done it again! A masterpiece!"

"Yes, well, enjoy," Erik said.

"You don't happen to have a model or something?"

"I made one, actually," Erik said.

"Made one? Well, hand it over! I must have it, and I must have it now!"

Erik sighed and walked in an irritated manner towards a pile of obscure objects. Christine watched him shove the pile aside, toppling some of the objects onto the floor. A box of bee's wax, an abacus, a top, a bronze mermaid, a rabbit's foot, and a book titled Time Traveling as a Hobby were among the objects, as well as several dozen tinted spectacles.

"You certainly take the epithet of Pack Rat to an extreme," Phelan noted.

Erik ignored this remark and continued to push objects out of his way until he uncovered a desk.

"Why would a man of your age and ingenuity wish to keep four jack-in-the-boxes?" Phelan asked, "I understand one or even two, but four?"

"Put those away!" Erik said sourly. He shoved aside a few more things aside, a knife, a pile of cards, a pincushion, and finally stepped back from his work. "Here it is!" he said.

"At long last!" Phelan cried, clasping and unclasping his hands.

Christine crept forward and gazed at the object.

On a desk, covered in dust, sat a metallic box with a glass screen. Attached below it was a sort of keyboard and a rounded entity that was connected to the box by a wire.

"What is it?" she said, accidentally voicing her question aloud.

"It's a computing machine," Erik said.

"A computer," Phelan added.


WHAT will Phelan do with the computer. WHY does he want it. WHO is he any way. WHERE does he come from. HOW will he complete his evil scheme. WHEN will it happen. WHY did I think of such a crazy idea?
Okay… I'll try and update sooner than biannually.