Chapter 17

Dreams, oh sweet dreams. Orion wasn’t sure whose dream he was in tonight, where he’d end up. He really didn’t care, either. It was the dreams that kept him thriving. He could survive without the dreams, of course, but he would become another mindless god with no sense of direction.

These dreams kept him sane; these dreams kept him wanting to live.

Orion found himself walking along a park full of happy faces. He saw children throwing Frisbees and people walking dogs. Over at the far end he even saw younger children swinging and climbing on monkey bars.

Whose dream he was in, he still wasn’t quite certain. It could be any number of these happy humans. Or, it could be several – he couldn’t hone in one yet; he was still taking in the scenery.

He turned and saw an adult couple sitting on a near-by bench talking. He stretched out his senses and listened.

“Why are we always here?” The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties and had been in tears.

“If I knew that, we would be somewhere else, Darlene.” Orion couldn’t tell if they had been married.

“You’ve trapped me here, Ted, and I want to go home.”

So, thought Orion, this is Ted’s dream tonight. He chuckled and turned around. Several yards from Ted and Darlene was another bench which was occupied by a single young woman who was in the middle of a book.

There was something peculiar about this woman reading The Mists of Avalon. And then he remembered.

Orion went over to this woman and dropped onto his knees before her feet and looked up at her. “Beth!”

She put her book in her lap, hands on top of it, and looked down. “Father,” she said in a tone that confused him – there was no malice, no contempt, in her voice.

“Why are you here?”

Beth smiled and shook her head. “No, Father, it is you who are here.”

He stared into her beautiful eyes but didn’t understand what she meant.

“I was on your mind as you fell asleep and you found me.”

“You are no longer a Dreamkiller, then?”

“Yes; I kill as is my trait now. But I’ve chosen this look – my old self.” She reached out and touched his cheek with a velvet hand. “You remember this look, don’t you?”

Orion closed his eyes and let her touch him. He reached up and held her hand to his face. “It has been an eternity,” he said.

“I’m here now. I always knew you wanted me.”

Beth looked up and saw a dove sitting in a near-by tree and threw it a wink. Then she looked down at Orion. “Abandon your fears, Father. I’m here with you.”

Orion opened his eyes and looked up at her and removed her hand. “What fears are you referring to? I don’t have any fears.”

Beth placed her book on the bench and knelt down in front of Orion. “It’s all right. You can admit to me that you have uncertain fears about Mykella Brown – the last Dream Crusader. I’d be afraid of her if I were going to fight her.”

Orion quickly stood up and looked down at her. “You have mistaken, Child. I do not fear her any more than I fear you.”

There was a new look in Beth’s eyes as she looked up into Orion’s face. She reached out and slid her fingers up his body as she stood up. “You have every reason to fear her, Father. When she has complete control of her powers, she will wipe out your entire existence. You will never have been born.”

Orion stared at Beth, who stood so close he could see through her eyelashes, with no facial expression.

“You will be defenseless when she comes for you,” she continued.

He laughed. “I think not; my Dreamkillers will take care of her offensive long before she sees me.”

“You put too much faith in your mindless creatures of damnation. They won’t be able to stop the approaching battle machine.”

Orion moved his eyes away from Beth as he contemplated what she had said. The approaching battle machine.

So, the war has begun, he thought.

Orion turned back to Beth and smiled. “You have forgotten that you are still a child. You have much to learn about my way of life. But, if you’ll excuse me, I must get prepared.”

Beth smiled. “There is nothing you can do to prepare for your demise. God and Satan don’t want you. I can’t wait to see where your soul goes.”

“Too bad you're going to go before me,” replied Orion and forced himself to wake himself.

Just as soon as his eyes sprang open, Orion rolled out of his bed and draped his cloak over his chilled body. “Does she really think she can launch an attack without me knowing about it?”

He went over to the window and looked out into the dawning world. “Besides, she’s just a child herself. How can she lead an army? She knows nothing about fighting.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

He grabbed the sides of his head and let out a scream. “Damn you,” he yelled, hoping that Beth could somehow hear, even though he knew it was impossible. He hated the feeling of nervous anxiety. She even put into his mind the possibility of fear.

He turned around and was about to call for Klaus, but then his eyes fell onto his desk and he remembered what he had done to him. He had to search his memory to recall who had replaced Klaus. Sanchez.

He gave Sanchez the position almost immediately after he had returned from Samantha Brown’s assassination.

Orion called for Sanchez and then turned back to look out into the changing world.

In the far distance, across the horizon, he saw a forest of tall green trees. There was no way he would have let these trees flourish, especially where he can see them. How can this be? He didn’t let them appear – he didn’t make them.

But who did?

Within several minutes Sanchez came to the door, asking Orion what his master wished. Orion rolled his eyes; Sanchez had been slower to arrive than Klaus. But at least Sanchez didn’t question his master’s authority.

“Come,” said Orion and gestured for Sanchez to meet him at the window. “I need you to get with Klarkson. Tell him to prepare his men for battle – war is coming our way.”

Sanchez nodded. “It will be done, Sir,” he said and began walking toward the door, but Orion stopped him as he thought of something else.

“In fact, have them head out there.” He pointed out the window.

Sanchez followed Orion’s finger and saw the giant trees. He can’t remember ever seeing tall trees like these in his life, even before becoming what he is now.

“I will tell him immediately, Sir.”

“Good. And Sanchez,” Orion threw him a smirk. “Make sure your timing improves. I wouldn’t want your fate to be the same as your predecessor.” He gestured to his desk.

Sanchez saw the head and then bowed his own. “I will, my Master.”

“Good,” said Orion behind a smile. “Go – carry out your orders and report back to me. I want to know what Klarkson says about the time frame.”

Sanchez bowed his head again and then made for the door. He left the chamber as fast as he could before his master had anything else to say. Like the rest of the Dreamkillers, he lived in fear of Orion. He had heard stories of Orion killing their kind out of pure enjoyment.

“Tell our King that I can have four hundred ready to ship out immediately.” Klarkson was a tall, seven-foot, Dreamkiller as hideous in appearance as his breath. He had lost his left eye in combat ten years ago and was eager to get revenge on the human race. “How many humans are we to be expecting?”

Sanchez shrugged his shoulders. He very seldom saw Klarkson, but standing only to his chest in height, he was intimidated by Klarkson’s overbearing height. “He didn’t tell me,” he said.

“Ah, a surprise battle.” Klarkson bared his fangs as he smiled. “I like that. It’s very exciting – that kind of anxiety is good for the soul.”

Sanchez acknowledged the four hundred soldiers ready when the word is given, and explained to Klarkson that their King hasn’t confirmed a time but will get back with him when a time is given.

He turned and exited the office. Walking through the torch-lit corridors, void of any living thing save for himself, he wondered why Orion hated the human race so fiercely. They only needed a few hundred humans – surely that would have been enough to live out a lifetime. But to enslave the entire world population?

Nothing decorated the walls as he passed through except the torches, which were never extinguished. Orion had created them for eternal light – they would never die out. As he neared the narrow stairwell, he stopped at a closed wooden door. This door was never to be opened; otherwise Orion would have their head that had opened it. No one knew what was inside.

There were many secrets their King kept from them – and why shouldn’t there be? Every ruler must not let their subjects get too close to them.

Suspicions arose whenever the room was mentioned. Suspicions about why Orion chose to keep it a secret, and why the hell the room was even mentioned.

Some day, Sanchez thought, I’m going to go right into the room and lay to rest his secrets.

He took a deep breath and then sighed. He must clear his mind of this room and his thoughts about it; otherwise his master would know what he was thinking and most likely end his life.

As he climbed the stairs, Maybe I could get – no, get it out of your head.

He arrived at the main level and was taken aback to see his master standing in the center of the enormous entryway. He crossed the circular room and approached Orion.

“You were surprised to see me,” said Orion. “Why?”

Don’t let him see you sweat. “I don’t see you out of your chambers very often, Sir,” he said with a smile.

Orion returned the smile. “I’ve decided to go for a walk,” he said and then turned back to the front door. “Care to join me?”

Sanchez knew not to disagree with his King and he accepted the walk with him.

As soon as they left through the castle doors, “I feel hesitation from you.” Orion didn’t look at Sanchez; he kept his gaze on the horizon – on the trees that he did not create.

Sanchez stopped walking and he ran a hand through his black hair. “There is no hesitation, my Lord. I do have a concern, though.”

Orion looked at Sanchez. “Go on, I don’t have all day.”

“My brothers and sisters, Sir.”

“What of them?”

“When I was created, I remained my former appearance. But, my older siblings, Sir, were forced to become hideous beasts. Why do they have that deformity?”

Orion studied Sanchez. No one, not even the humans, thought much about the evolution of the Dreamkillers. This conversation didn’t upset Orion, but he was wondering what brought the questions on. He turned and saw a stone on the side of the walkway and he sat down on it, placing his hands on his knees.

“When I first made your race, it was my desire to make their victims more afraid of them, so I made them choose a new form – they usually chose it from their own hideous nightmares.

“You, on the other hand, chose to become my servant without me having to take you. Besides, your beautiful appearance gives you that much more menace – don’t you think?”

Sanchez knelt down in front of his King and placed a hand on the hem of Orion’s cloak. “Will you tell me about when I came to you, when I made the change?”

“You were just a child when I came into your dreams. I had this power to find your kind. You had much anger in your soul. You hated those who hated you for no reason. They were prejudiced bastards, you told me.” Orion smiled down at him. “You made them pay.”

“Are we bent solely on vengeance?”

Orion lowered his eyes and looked away from Sanchez. He was having doubts, Orion realized. There weren’t doubts about his leadership, though. “Your sole purpose is to obey my every command. If I tell you to kill your brother, you do it or die by my hand.” He turned back to Sanchez. “It’s as simple as that.”

They stood up. “It’s only natural to have uncertainties in life, Sanchez, but I’d advise you to let those feelings go or I will have your mind altered.”

Sanchez bowed his head. “Thank you, my King. You are most forgiving.” Now he knew the extent of Orion’s powers. The most difficult thing to do in life is to alter a free mind and now he knows that Orion can do just that.

As they walked, This is going to be one helluva battle, Sanchez thought behind a mischievous grin.

Orion turned and looked at Sanchez with a smile of his own. “Yes, it is, isn’t it?”

As long as he could smoke-screen his thoughts, Orion will never guess what he was really up to until it’s too late.