Aquitain placedCrys in a position where it could watch all the room and told it towatch and warn him if anything entered the room, even an insect.After Bellen gave his word that he would not try to escape or causeany problems he gave the Trixie a large soft pillow to sleep onthen took off Miranda’s Brilliant Armour.
It waswonderful to get out of the heavy rigid stuff and feel free again.However, when Aquitain sat on the side of the bed in Miranda’sskimpy underwear and saw her semi-nude body in the mirror shesuddenly felt embarrassed. It wasn’t right. It was like stealing aglimpse of your lover through a window when she didn’t know youwere there. She quickly slid in between the fresh bed linen. Itfelt wonderful. She tried to remember when she had last slept in areal bed. It was so long ago.
She laythinking over the past day, there was so much to do it wasfrightening and being in Miranda’s beautiful female body wasconfusing. She was becoming scared again. What if somethinghappened when she was sleeping? She now realized why Llanlorian hadwalked around holding the cat. It was her security, her other eyes,her Alpha.
‘Rat Catcher come here.’ she mindspoke and the Rat Catcherappeared at the bottom of the huge bed and after checking the roomjumped up and sat beside her.
‘You called my Lady?’
‘Guard me while I sleep please.’ commandedAquitain.
‘As you wish, my Lady.’ replied the Rat Catcher.
So withwonderful feeling of peace and security she drifted off to sleepand the Rat Catcher curled up and went to sleep beside her.
Chapter 6 Butterflies andBats
Aquitain walked out ona sea of cloud and noticed there was a thin mist all around him. Heneither felt hot or cold. This must be a dream he thought but howcan I have a dream while I’m within a dream. He imagined he was inthe jungle near Quab’s cottage and he was. There were a milliondifferent shades of green, and brown and yellow with golden beamsof light streaming through the canopy overhead. He could smell thecharacteristic rotting smell of the vegetation and hear the callsof the jungle birds.
He imaginedhimself walking out of the jungle up the sand hill near hisfavourite beach and he was. He heard the seagulls calling to eachother; he could smell the sea on the breeze and hear the wavesgently lapping the shore. As he topped the rise he saw the beachlaid out like a golden carpet meeting the cool blue green waterthat stretched out to the horizon where it met a crystal clearcloudless cyan sky.
He imagined amirror as tall and wide as himself and looked at his image. He sawhimself as a young guy called Rob, he imagined himself as a Logiconand he was, he viewed himself as a bear, a Llanllean, a LittlePerson, a gnome, a little green crystal figure and as Miranda.
‘I’m all of these and more.’ he thought. ‘I wonder what Ireally am?’ and to his surprise a figure took shape. It was nothinghe could ever have imagined. He looked it over and it looked backat him with his eyes.
‘I am you and you are Me.’ it seemed to say to him and he washorrified.
‘No this is me!’ he shouted and he changed the image in themirror to the one of the young Newman guy called Rob and made themirror vanish. He felt his heart pounding in his chest and hechanted a mantra of calming to seek inner peace. It slowed hisheart and the horrible image in his mind faded. He sat down on thegrassy knoll overlooking the beach and remembered the last time hewas there. That was when he first met Miranda after he had killed asea monster.
He tried toimagine her there beside him but she wouldn’t appear. The beach wasdeserted so he imagined sea birds dotted along the shore exploringthe high tide mark for small delicacies among the brown wrinkledseaweed washed in with the waves.
A cloudappeared which then took the face of Granddad and said.
‘Where are you Aquitain? Your mother and I are getting worriedas I can’t scry you, Melanie or Alpha. Are you still in Mudrun?Please send me a message.’
The clouddisappeared and another three appeared successively giving similarmessages. Surprisingly this cheered him up and he chuckled as hethought.
‘Poor old Granddad, he always thinks the worst ishappening.’
‘Am I still on Mudrun?
THEN IT FINALLYDAWNED ON HIM. EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED WAS REAL.
Terren hisguardian and protector who had been with every moment of his lifewas gone and he was on his own now. Someone had stolen hisprincess. They were playing games with him as though he was apuppet, a helpless inexperienced little puppet. They killed hisguardian, they killed Llanlorian, they stole his world Astaria, HISWORLD ASTARIA!
He was suddenlyenraged. He shape changed to a giant green crystalline humanoidshaped creature with a very dragon looking head. He imagined hismind covered by invisible shackles and shattered them. He destroyedthem all. He was not going to live in the dark with hidden memoriesany more. He needed to know what Granddad and anyone else hadhidden within him. Memories flowed, he remembered himself as achild he remembered everything. EVERYTHING!
He was suddenlyovercome with remorse. They had killed Terren his mentor for thewhole of his life. RAGE filled him. He would not be an agent ofChaos he would be CHAOS itself.
NO! This is notwhat she taught me. Terren taught me be careful and logical. I mustbe considered, controlled RAGE.
The downfall ofagents of chaos is that they become overconfident. They areanswerable to nobody except the maker herself. It leads to theirdownfall. He sat down and chanted a mantra of calmness.
What had Terrensaid? Your father is in great need of help. He is trapped and needsyou to release him. We are going to learn all the knowledge that wewill need to release him and then I will take you to him.
That was yearsago. He had studied hard and studiously locked everything away fromGrandad until it was needed. His father gave Terren a gift for
