Three
"Unbelievable," I said, dropping the papers I was once reading down on the table in front of me. "All along it's been around me and yet I remain unaware of it. I have been a fool."
Lucien progressed, settling next to me, leaving her own research behind. "What is it that you're chiding yourself about?"
"I think I know what has happened to Lord Morpheus," I said, looking dead in her eyes. "I think he was captured by a mortal."
Lucienne gasped, ever so fake just to humour me. "Was he now?"
I frowned, disliking her unsupportive notion. "I am being serious. When I visited Corin, he told me to look into the means of transferring information that humans do and so I did. I look into newspapers and search for some magus, which he also hinted at."
"And you've found a magus?"
I nodded. "One that's named Roderick Burgess. There was an article about him rising to fame some time after Lord Morpheus did not return home. There was no mention of him having connection to the supernatural, let alone Endless being, but he was reported to attempt summoning devils for bargain several times. And get this, he was said to be desperate about bringing his son back to life after losing him in some warzone - making him have motive to summon one of the Endless who can grant him what he wants."
"Death," Lucienne said. "But then if he wants Death, why do you think he has our lord?"
"Because people continue dying, Lucienne. Therefore, Death is still around. But then, people stopped dreaming and I've heard that there has been a case of Sleeping Sickness wherein some people failed to wake up from their sleep, stuck in their unconscious slumber and it began the night Lord Morpheus fled," I lamented. "I know this sounds mental but hear me out. What if that Burgess bloke failed to capture Death but managed to take Lord Morpheus instead?"
"That is mental, all right."
"But possible?"
Lucienne sighed in defeat. "Yes, I am afraid so."
"I do not know what to do if my assumptions are correct, Lucienne. I fear Burgess is quite powerful seeing as how he succeeded in capturing our lord."
"Oh, don't get too attached with that. You might be wrong. We can never know."
"But there is a way to find out."
Lucienne shook her head. "You would not."
"I have to try."
Like an agreement, or a sign to continue, a loud fluttering of wings snatched our attention. When we looked up to where we heard it, we saw Jessamy, Lord Morpheus's raven, flying toward us.
She landed gracefully on the table, directly on top of the stack of books I placed there for motivation.
"You're alive." I marveled, feeling happy to see her again after years of disappearance. She has been gone for as long as Lord Morpheus has.
Jessamy nodded, unable to speak.
"Were you with Lord Morpheus the whole time?" Lucienne asked. "And do you know where he is?"
Jessamy nodded twice.
"Was he up there in the waking world still?"
Another nod.
"Is he being held captive by a mortal?"
I didn't know what to feel when Jessamy nodded again. Lucienne and I shared a look of sympathy.
"Will you show me where he is and perhaps accompany me there?"
Jessamy opened her wings as if she's already beckoning me to come with her.
"I will tell you all about it when I return, Lucienne. I promise."
"You must be careful, Katrien. Venturing there might not do you any good. He's already got our King, this realm couldn't lose you too."
"Don't worry. I will be in my dream form. Only Lord Morpheus and Jessamy will see me."
With that, I fled with the raven, leaving our realm to travel to a dreadful one filled with dreadful beings.
We arrived in London, specifically in the mansion owned by Roderick Burgess.
Following Jessamy, we entered the door. In my dream form, it was easier for me to move and pass through things and people without compromising our purpose here.
Yet, I still stopped in my tracks when three people made themselves known as we turned to enter a hallway while Jessamy was flying above, careful not to be seen. Two of them were adult men while one was a teenage boy.
The boy looked familiar as if I had met him in a dream before and then I realized that I have. I just forgot his name but fortunately, it was said by the men who conversed with him as he volunteered to take over their shift of guarding something in the basement where they left earlier.
Alex. His name is Alex, the boy.
I followed him as he headed to the basement so he could do what he volunteered for.
It was dark, that wretched corner of their home that he called the basement. But when Alex turned the lights on, I almost wept out loud at the sight in front of us.
There, in the middle of the room, surrounded by this eccentric writing on the floor in circular form, was a huge glass sphere that resembles a fishbowl - the adornment used to house fishes in mortal homes. Except that it wasn't a fish or any sea creature that was caged inside the entrapment present in this place but the man I was searching for for years and years.
It was him, Lord Morpheus, confirming my assumption that he was captured.
My hands flew to cover my mouth when I noticed how thin he'd gotten and how long his hair grew as it almost covered half his face now, though his glaring eyes are still seen. I can easily see the change in his physique since he was trapped there without any sort of clothing, lighting up the darkness by his paleness.
I decided to tail behind Alex as Lord Morpheus remained looking straight as if he didn't sense our presence or simply did not care about it.
"Hello," Alex said after turning the lights on and started heading down the stairs. "It's Alex. The Magus's son."
Lord Morpheus just sat there, looking stoic and glared at the boy once he glanced at him.
It didn't faze the boy, though I felt a slight fear creeping on his chest as his heartbeat turned up.
"See, I don't know whether you can speak or... even understand me but I just want to ask. Are you all right in there?"
I was almost certain that Lord Morpheus felt the same warmth that visited my heart when he started following Alex with his gaze as the boy moved. His face slightly softened for a moment before turning cold again. His lips are pursed, though, having no intention to speak at all.
"No, of course you're not," Alex sighed. "I'm... I'm sorry about all of this. He's not a bad man, my father, he... he just..." His eyes started getting teary. "See, if you could bring Randall back, or... or just give him something, anything. Or even just speak to him. Then I am sure he would let you out."
What I read was correct, that was the motive as to why Roderick Burgess captured Lord Morpheus.
My heart raced when he glanced at me for a brief second. I would've stared back if only Alex didn't speak again.
"See, I... I would let you out if I could."
Hearing it surprises us both, it seems. There was a spark of something indescribable in Lord Morpheus's eyes as he returned his gaze to the boy. And I thought he would speak at last but he didn't get the chance when another one stole his turn.
"You would, would you?" An old man with balding white hair and an utterly annoyed expression, dressed in a fancy looking suit of different colors and runes, entered the room and startled all three of us.
"Father, I-"
Without letting his son finish speaking, that wretched man Roderick Burgess, yanked Alex out of the room to take him who knows where.
It took everything in me to remain where I am instead of running to help the poor boy as horrible thoughts flash in my mind.
"Is it true that you are here, Katrien, or am I being haunted enough by solitude to imagine your presence?"
Hearing his voice was all it took for me to approach him fully, fortunately crossing the line due to my dream form. "I am here, my lord. It took me years to know where you are but I have now found you." I placed my hands on the glass, frustrated that it cannot get through.
"Do not start apologising for taking that long to learn my whereabouts," He said, leaning forward to get close to me regardless of the physical restriction between us. It seems like he's taking advantage of this short moment of being left unattended just as much as I do. "It seems you are the only one who is searching for me."
"Well... I told you I'd come looking for you when you left, didn't I?" I said, giving him a small smile despite the tears started glistening in my eyes. "Have you been here the whole time, my lord?"
He clenched his jaw and nodded. "I cannot escape. He's taken my sand, ruby and helm. I am powerless here."
I nodded. "But you're not alone anymore."
His brows furrowed. "You don't mean you're coming back here, do you?"
"Just until I find a way to free you."
"Katrien, these people are dangerous. Now that they have managed to confine me here, I fear they'll be able to take you too," He said seriously. "I cannot let that happen. I cannot let you suffer too. You are far more important to me. I forbid you to come back here."
"And what am I supposed to do, leave you here?" I shook my head. "No. I will do everything I can to take you home, my lord. I can reach out to your siblings or some powerful beings for help-"
"No," He said. "I have been here for years and they're aware of that but none of them came to help. I doubt they'll start lending a hand now."
"All right, I'll find another way, then."
"I will not be able to dissuade you in this, will I?"
"No, sir," I said. "I've found you already. There is no stopping me in helping you out now."
His face softened and leaned his head to the glass. "You have no idea how I felt when I saw you."
"And yet you pretended not to earlier." I chuckled as I copied his gesture.
"I cannot let him know there is someone else here with us. It might get you in trouble."
"Not like he's gotten from his father, I assume. Poor boy."
"Indeed. If only he had the courage to stand up to the monster he's calling father."
I sighed. "We shall deal with that after we solve this problem of yours."
He nodded and sadness took over the tiny spark of happiness in his eyes when footsteps started approaching the room we're in.
"You must go." He said, looking down.
"I will be back, my lord, as often as I can," I promised. "One day, I will free you."
"So long, Katrien."