by Jen Robyn
“Actually, I was lounging in the main hall, when I overheard Riff and Buddy speaking of it as they passed through to the kitchen earlier. I didn’t have a chance to ask you about it before Chaos went off on his tirade. But from what little I did hear, Riff sounded frustrated you kept much to yourself.”
“My brother doesn’t need to know every detail of my personal life. The time I spend with Julianna is none of his business.”
“May I inquire if you’re planning on meeting with the lady again?”
Dominick’s irritated expression softened. “Inferno asked the same thing, suggesting it. Even if he hadn’t though, I already knew I wanted to see her again.”
“Then what’s stopping you?” At his ensuing silence, Chaolyn smiled. “There’s a difference in your tone of voice. You really like this one.”
Knowing without asking that Chaolyn would keep a confidence between them, Dominick nodded. “Yes, I do. Which is why I don’t want my family interfering. Chaos would have a fit if he knew she was from Earth, and Chavernos knows I trust Riff even less.”
“Ah… so she’s an Earth maiden. Now the rest makes sense. Well, don’t worry. I’ll say nothing to any of them, though I agree you should be mindful of your brother and say no more to him especially.” The dragon smiled again. “Is she very pretty?”
“That and more. She has a beautiful spirit to match. Someone had made her unhappy on her world, but after we spent some time together, she seemed much happier. As a matter of fact, she seemed happy to be with me even before we got into that.”
“Then your friend is right. You should visit her again, and see if she feels the same.” His tone abruptly became fatherly, almost rivaling Chaos’s. “Now remember, keep your intentions honorable.”
“Chaolyn, you know me better than to have to tell me…” Sensing a small, teasing laugh from the dragon, he hugged him. Of course he did.
“She’s a more fortunate lady than she believes.”
*****
Lost Limbo. A meeting place that catered to all walks of life on Barokka. Once a tiny pub, it had flourished by the constant patronage of dreamphasers, shifters, pyromasters, guardians, and other empowered beings, and thus had not only been remodeled to a much larger establishment, but it also had won its share of acclaim. Here, a group of friends met frequently, consisting of the guys—Riff, Buddy, Inferno, and Dominick, and the gals—Kiri, Jarissa, and Psych.
Buddy and Inferno were mulling over the earlier scene between the two brothers, hoping the women wouldn’t suddenly show up to interrupt them.
“Did you overhear anything else?” asked Inferno.
Buddy shook his head. “Only what you did. She’s from Earth, and Dom’s mad as blazes over Riff’s jibes.”
Earth, he mused. So far away from Chavernos—although not as far as a dreamphaser was concerned—it was elsewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy, on the other side of the sun from them. No short distance there! Buddy couldn’t help but be impressed at how often Dominick traveled there, even though he and Inferno didn’t always agree with the purpose of said visits.
But then again, Dominick had never known a steady girlfriend for any length of time, either in the dream-state or the reality of Chavernos. In fact, Buddy sometimes wondered if he was as content with his single status as he claimed, or if he secretly envied the relationships of his friends. Even Riff and Kiri saw each other from time to time, depending on where their moods were at.
Inferno and Psych were the only pair who were an official couple, and they often mediated the interactions of the others. Especially with Riff and Kiri, who at times would bait each other into arguments, although they certainly displayed jealousy when one or the other seemed to be looking elsewhere. And as for Buddy himself, he more than had his hands full with the unpredictable Jarissa. A situation that might never see a solution, considering he was a guardian angel, and she was a guardian devil.
And considering the fact that half the time they were at each other’s throats.
Conjuring her image in his mind, Buddy couldn’t help smiling. Every guardian devil of Barokka, and a great many guardian angels, sought the curly-haired Jarissa as well. Her long-lashed brown eyes teased her suitors mercilessly, as any female guardian devil would, and she’d stated hundreds of times that she’d had boyfriends aplenty over the past several years.
However, Buddy knew it to be more an act than anything else. Proven once, when he demanded the truth from a so-called ‘lover’ of hers. The hapless guardian confessed that there’d been nothing romantic between them, despite the surface gossip. Buddy then swore him to secrecy, and allowed Jarissa to continue believing him fooled until she tired of it.
Only one of many games between them over the years.
Granted, she was a beauty, clever, and mischievous as any guardian devil of her breed, her curly hair sometimes obscuring her horns. But she couldn’t deny being part angel as well, thanks to her wings, a gift from her mother’s parentage. Perhaps that accounted for her inner vulnerability that she tried to hide, unlike the more wanton females of her type. It was Buddy’s knowledge of her hidden innocence that brought on the protective angel side to him, and he was determined to keep the local devils away from her.
Of course, she’d provoked his devil side often enough with her flirtations.
Too often! he decided, knowing that there were complete guardian angels that’d wanted to cast aside their halos forever for Jarissa’s attentions. He was no different, except he was close friends with her, which was better than the rest could say.
Theirs was a relationship of literal heaven and hell, but to a half-and-half guardian like Buddy—and the similar situation of Jarissa—they truly seemed meant for one another.
Or at least meant for Bedlam.
His dream-like stare was enhanced when he saw the three familiar females enter Lost Limbo. Kiri pointed towards their table instantly, but Buddy didn’t notice. He was too busy staring at the brown-haired guardian devil who was heading straight for him, an odd expression in her eyes. Her warm smile caused him to discount her gaze... moments before she smacked him stingingly in the face.
Good-bye, dreams!
“What the hell was that for?” he demanded as he stood. Jarissa stared up at him with undisguised fury that bore no hint of fear. A common trait of female guardian devils.
“You men are all alike!” she exclaimed, pounding him on the chest once with her fist. “Kiri just visited Riff, and her mind-reading ability tapped into your conversation with Dominick earlier. You men seem to think that we women are here solely as the targets of your conquests. Well, think again, buster!”
Right now, he could only think that Kiri’s powers helped her to eavesdrop way too much.
“It wasn’t my idea!” he protested. “Why don’t you vent your anger on Riff and Dominick where it belongs?”
“And you call yourself a guardian angel!” she hissed mockingly. “Yet you’ll stand by while a poor girl in a fragile emotional state is seduced by the petty whims of your friend!”
“Guardians aren’t dreamphasers, Jarissa. Even if you told me to interfere, I couldn’t. Dammit, you know that!”
Yes, she knew that, but it still didn’t sit very well with her. “You could talk him out of it,” she suggested, her quiet tone barely concealing her anger. “A guardian’s power of suggestion can be of some use with dreamphasers.”
“Maybe with some, but Dom’s will’s too strong, and I really don’t want to get involved.” He turned away to walk over to the window, hoping that would end this discussion, but the persistent Jarissa followed him.
“I see,” she said, spreading her hands defeatedly. “You know, Buddy, maybe you’re right. After all, it is just a dream to the girl, and that certainly excuses all else. And I know you’d be just as morally upstanding if I told you that a dreamphaser had shown up in my dreams recently.”
Things went from quiet to chaos in less than five seconds.
“What?” he shouted, whipp
ing about to face her, while earning the attention of everyone else in Lost Limbo as well.
Jarissa casually ran a finger against the edge of a table, nodding with a serious expression. “Given your most understanding nature, I suppose you’d have absolutely no qualms over my telling you that I was pursued by a dreamphaser more than once, and that he finally succeeded in ravishing me. After all, it was just a dream, and we all know how you feel about... Ouch!”
Having grabbed her shoulders with a steel grip, Buddy shook her hard. “Who did this?” he demanded loudly. At her silence, he prompted her with a shake. “Who?”
“Buddy, you’re hurting me!” she protested.
“Much less than the pain I’ll inflict on whoever the bastard is that’s responsible for this!” he swore. Jarissa felt a rare wave of fear sweep through her as she stared into her angry companion’s eyes. No longer the friendly blue, they seemed darkened beyond recognition now, more characteristic to a guardian devil. “If you don’t know his name, give me a description to go by. Just tell me what you know, Jarissa!”
“Nothing, nothing!” she blurted out, shaking her head. “Buddy, I was just trying to prove a point, that’s all.”
“Really now?” he sneered. “Judging by your character, I tend to doubt that. Now for the last time, who are you protecting?”
“No one, I swear! I...”
“BUDDY, LET HER GO, OR ELSE!” a loud voice shrieked, nearly causing him to release Jarissa if only to cover his ears. Several other patrons did reach for their ears, causing several mugs to drop and shatter.
While he merely gritted his teeth against the pain from the ear-piercing shout, many others in Lost Limbo loudly protested the usage of Psych’s deafening ability. When she got angry, there was no one with a louder voice, and since she and Jarissa were so close-knit, Buddy knew better than to push the issue.
“Mind your own business!” Psych called out in a more normal shout, or I’ll shatter the rest of your beer mugs for you!” The grumbling continued, but more quietly. “Sorry, Zantarl,” she told the barkeep. He waved a hand in dismissal, using his own ability to raise the shattered glasses and restore them whole again. The patrons affected then brought their repaired mugs over for refills, including several newcomers who were surprised by Zantarl’s ability.
“She’s telling the truth, you dummy,” supplied Kiri, folding her arms. “She only said what she did to make you understand the Earth girl’s plight. You won’t lend a hand in her case, but you don’t seem to like the idea of a dreamphaser chasing after Jarissa, do you?”
Glaring at her once before turning back to his silent companion, Buddy squeezed her arms tighter, his anger still close to the surface. In a low voice, he said warningly, “If you ever, ever, throw a lie like that at me again, I’ll send you gift-wrapped to an appropriate dreamphaser myself!”
“Don’t bother,” she murmured coldly, exiting in a literal flash as she vanished.
A singeing flash which left burn marks on Buddy’s hands.
Gasping once at the sharp pain, while waving his hands quickly to cool them, Buddy angrily heard murmuring and laughter from the attentive crowd around him. Leave it to Jarissa to exit with a bang! his thoughts mocked him. Striding back to his table, he rubbed his sore hands, without giving the slightest glance to the two remaining females.
“If that crazy she-devil thinks I’m going to interfere with a friend’s affairs, then she’s got less of a brain beneath those curls than any of her would-be suitors know,” he told Inferno. “I also have more faith in Dom than to believe he’d take advantage of a woman, dream-state or no.”
“A typically male response,” hissed Kiri. “But it’s the women who pay the consequences for your actions, angel-boy.”
“Now just a second,” Inferno broke in. “Aren’t you forgetting that we’re talking about Dominick? I don’t argue that some dreamphasers might be as you say, but I agree with Buddy that Dominick is not the type to force his attention on this woman or any other.”
For a few moments, Kiri’s expression softened. Of the two brothers, she knew Dominick did seem to have a deeper sense of caring when it came to another’s feelings. Something she wished would rub off on Riff now and then, although privately she was certain he wouldn’t force his attention on women either. Even knowing this though, the situation didn’t seem right.
“Maybe there’s a mutual attraction there that we don’t know about,” he continued.
“Sure, if someone spilled glue over them,” murmured Kiri, tossing her reddish-gold curls angrily.
Buddy turned to her with a forced smile. Moments afterwards, Kiri gave a loud gasp of outrage. Slapping him in the face, she stormed out.
Psych stood in confusion, glancing after her departed friend. Admittedly, Kiri had a chip on her shoulder regarding men, no doubt built with assistance from Riff over the years, but she had a good heart. She just didn’t want to see someone hurt, emotionally or otherwise.
Given Kiri’s ability to read people’s minds, Psych grasped the obvious, turning to Buddy accusingly. “All right, angel-boy, just what were you thinking that caused that?” she demanded.
“Merely an added thought to her glue comment,” he replied nonchalantly.
“Which was?”
He shrugged. “Simply that glue’s the only way she’d ever attract anyone willingly, much less the attentions of the most desperate dreamphaser.”
Psych slapped him too.
“Beast!” she hissed, following in her friend’s footsteps.
Maintaining somber expressions, it was only when the door slammed that Buddy and Inferno released their laughter. Picking up their glasses, they held them aloft cheerfully.
“A toast to the wiles of unpredictable women,” said Inferno.
“And a toast for bravery to good ol’ Dominick. If this Earth maiden of his is anything like Barokka’s females, then he may be in more danger than she is!”
Laughing boisterously, they clinked glasses.
*****
The Earth maiden in question might not be in danger right now, but she was certainly agitated.
Julianna paced the floor nervously as she struggled to keep awake. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was past two in the morning, yet the last intention on her mind was of sleeping. Last night’s dream had haunted her endlessly with its disturbing vividness, as if it had really happened. And as it had been on her mind all day, she was worried she’d wind up back with Dominick again.
Not that the dream last night had been unpleasant. Far from it.
But it had been all too real.
Why, if she hadn’t woken up when she did... well, even if it was just a dream, she found it disturbing!
Her feet soon tired from her pacing though, and rather than wear out the floor, Julianna reluctantly sat down on her bed to read a book instead. Maybe she could erase thoughts of Dominick with a good science-fiction novel, she thought hopefully, picking up the first one to catch her eye, ‘Warp Zone of Doom’.
Quite an appropriate title lately.
The idea seemed to work, because after reading several pages, all she could think of was futuristic people on space ships, instead of the nineteenth century characters of a romance novel. No more thoughts of hall-of-mirrors ballrooms, no more fancy ball gowns, and no more Dominick. She yawned once as she flipped through a few more pages, just before sleep began to overtake her. Realizing this, she reached out to grope for the light switch. With a quick flip, the room was blanketed in darkness, and she leaned back with a contented sigh.
Moments later, a curiosity broke into her tired state.
Her eyes drifted half-open upon sensing light upon their closed lids, and she struggled to see ahead. Her eyes weren’t adjusted to the dark yet, but she could see the streetlights from outside through the edges of her window curtains. Nothing unusual there, she thought absently. No doubt my imagination working overtime again.
Relaxed as Julianna was, she soon gave it no further thought,
turning to her side while her eyes fluttered shut again.
She was totally oblivious when a string of countless, tiny star-like lights filled the room moments later. Lights which circled the room, just before forming the silvery outline of a certain dreamphaser.
Feeling for a moment as if he was in fact truly part of her world, Dominick’s ghostly astral form cast a shimmering glow on the peaceful expression on Julianna’s face, only enhancing her beauty. He couldn’t help smiling, as she looked so innocent while quietly lost in slumber. Despite the knowledge that there weren’t many hours left in which he could be with her again, Dominick found himself reluctant to abandon this moment where he could gaze upon her freely without retribution.
The silvery light framed her face, much like moonlight, as he moved to stand beside her. Glancing down at her with longing, he found himself wishing that he had the ability to become tangible here, if only for a moment, so he might touch her cheek just once in reality.
He sighed heavily, knowing his powers could never allow him to do that.
Funny how a search two months ago had brought him to this.
Back then, he’d been traveling about this town in his astral form, floating through each house’s walls as if they were made of mist. He’d nearly brushed through Julianna’s room without a second thought too, but even on that first night, he’d found her crying herself to sleep.
Oddly moved by her tears, he floated closer. She was pretty, he’d decided instantly, looking all of a child for how small and fragile she’d seemed. Yet there was no mistaking that the pleasant curves outlined by the blankets surrounding her were those of an attractive woman, not a child. Her sadness touched a chord in him, setting his determination to try and bring a smile to this dreaming child-woman of sorts.
Thus he’d met her that night in a dream he’d engineered to comfort her.
He hadn’t counted on the most strong-willed young woman behind those tears.
Upon returning months later, he was surprised to find her much as he’d left her before, still unhappy, and crying herself to sleep again.
Appearing in one of the only visible forms he could while the other dreamer was awake, he’d remained close by her window, no doubt seeming like a star to the unaware woman, despite his much closer proximity. He’d been startled when she gasped, and even more when she wished aloud to see the Dominick she’d dreamed of before.