Cole and Talon stood facing each other, their hands clutched around the curtains covering the front window. “Three…two…one…now!” shouted Cole. The boys pulled the curtains apart and faced the horrors in the darkness beyond the window created by the Night Dreamer. A distorted face with three rows of sharp teeth pressed against the outside of the window. Cole flinched and both boys pulled the curtains shut again. “Ha ha, you flinched, I win,” said Talon. “I want a re-match,” insisted Cole. “That’s enough,” said Dr. Kay, walking past and pushing the boys away from the window. “You’re going to give yourselves nightmares.” The two boys threw themselves down on Taku and Anat’s pillows in the middle of the floor. The twins had tired of the terrible howling coming from outside and retreated to the large kitchen pantry; one of the few places in the house that for some reason was insulated from the sounds outside. The other Dreamers had also found refuge from the terrors screaming beyond the walls of the house. Bran created a cave of vines and leaves against one corner of the room and he and Ronin were nestled inside. Akot and Ember were inside a dark crystal enclosure and sound asleep. The young Tarlock was sitting inside the fireplace holding a burning log in his arms and humming softly to it. Alani was wrapped in a pile of wolves, though nobody knew how they had got into the house. Alani had been sitting on the floor with her legs pulled up to her chin when the wolves had marched down the stairs and wrapped around her until she disappeared under the wolf pile. Warrior glanced up from the book he was reading. The only two Dreamers not using their magical abilities to protect themselves from the terrors were Cole and Talon. The two boys were already peacefully asleep on the pillows. It took Warrior a few moments to realize an unnatural shadow lay across them, and he could hear singing. His eyes flicked to the Night Dreamer, she was singing a lullaby, just barely audible. His eyes went back to his book. The Night Dreamer had always considered the two boys as hers. And that was fine, they certainly needed the extra protection. The boys had almost no common sense and were constantly daring each other to ridiculous acts of stupidity. Though, he did wish she was capable of watching over all the Dreamers equally, but that wasn’t her. The Night Dreamer was shallow, petty, hateful, and had a mean streak she barely contained. Warrior nodded off sometime after midnight, the book slipping into his lap. He dreamed of a starship lifting off from its launch pad, the engines burning as bright as a sun. He stood on the bridge of that starship as other starships joined together for the journey across the stars. It was the life he was supposed to have had, but death had come to him early and denied him all that could have been. In his sleep he sensed someone approaching and opened his eyes. Jax was standing in front of him holding the old rusted peaches can and the length of rope. Jax motioned for Warrior to remain silent. Warrior stood as Jax set the magical items on the table next to the sleeping Dr. Kay, then gestured for Warrior to follow him. Warrior could see the Night Dreamer was awake and watching Jax’s odd behavior. The protective shadow covering Cole and Talon deepened until he could barely see the boys. Warrior bent down and whispered, “Keep everyone here until I find out what’s going on, and guard all of them, not just the two you like.” Jax silently led Warrior through the dining room and to the kitchen. Jax’s sandstorm portal was already open and waiting. Warrior expected Jax to stop and explain his behavior, but Jax continued through the portal without a word. The door to the pantry opened a crack before Warrior could enter the portal. Taku and Anat were peeking out from the dim light of the pantry. “Psst…you should take us with you,” whispered Taku. “Why?” asked Warrior. “Jax didn’t know we were in here,” replied Taku. “He was pacing back and forth before he went out and got you. He’s really upset about something. You need another Dreamer with you before you go anywhere. Anyway, it’s the new rule.” Warrior sighed. They were right, Lady Cael wanted Dreamers to double up, or take a security team with them until further notice. “Alright, come on.” Taku and Anat nearly exploded out of the pantry in excitement, they didn’t get to go out on missions often. Warrior stepped through the portal and out into the familiar surroundings of a place he knew well. Taku and Anat appeared from the portal behind him. Jax immediately put his hands out as if to make Taku and Anat go back. “No, no, no… they can’t be here, this is for Warrior’s ears only.” “They’re staying,” replied Warrior as he surveyed the area fondly. There had been so many good memories here. “This is the old library ruins. Why are we at my old camp?” Jax put a hand over his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t understand. This is bad.” Jax moved his hand around to the side of his head to rub his temples. “It’s going to cause a civil war among the Dreamers.” “Son, you need to take a breath and sit down,” said Warrior sternly, “and tell me what has happened to make you think that.” Warrior gestured at a low wall for Jax to sit on, then leaned back against an old archway and crossed his arms waiting for the story to begin. He glanced at the twins, they both looked like they had wished they hadn’t come. Jax sat and took several breaths. “Okay… Okay… I’m okay… I thought maybe since the thief got into the farm so easily, he might know us. So, I started my search for the cabin at everyone’s old camps, this was the third one I checked, and there it was, I found the cabin.” Jax pointed off to the side and up a hill. Warrior didn’t look, he didn’t need to, he knew there was a cabin on the other side of the hill. “I know that cabin,” said Warrior. “An old man lived there. Are you saying that was Cael’s cabin?” Jax gave Warrior an odd quizzical expression. “Then you’ve met the old man?” Warrior shook his head. “No, the cabin was empty for years, then one of our tigers reported to Scholar that someone had moved into the cabin. Scholar told me and I told him to send someone to check it out.” “Was it JD?” asked Jax. “Ah, yes, I’d forgotten who it was. Jack Dillyon, but we just called him JD, he was our youngest Jack at the time. JD reported back that it was just a lonely old man, so I assigned JD to make sure the old man had food, water, and medicine if he needed it. And from what I understand, they became friends and JD went up there every day to take him food. They would take walks in the forest, or come and sit at the edge of the camp and talk.” “Didn’t you ever see his face?” asked Jax. “Not that I can recall. He always had a cloak over his face, but I wasn’t concerned. JD was taking care of him, and if that was the only person the old man wanted to make friends with, I was fine with it.” Jax nodded. “The old man is senile, and more than that, he’s broken. I questioned him all day but only got pieces of the story, his mind wanders terribly. But this explains so much. The big question is, why did JD abandon the old man without a word?” Warrior let out a breath. “Damn it, I forgot to send someone back to check on the old man. On the morning we left here, the morning of the Raven attack, JD was killed in battle.” Jax lowered his head. “And that explains the rest of it. He thought JD abandoned him. It broke his already fragile mind.” “Alright, we’ll take him to Lady Cael and she can decide what to do with him,” said Warrior. “We can’t, it would be war if we did,” said Jax. “I don’t know what to do.” “I don’t think you’re telling me everything,” said Warrior. Jax looked up at Warrior, his eyes tortured with an unsolvable dilemma. “He never figured out how the rope worked, or how the peaches can worked. He was using the rope to hang laundry. The rope fell on the ground one day and he stepped over it, and found himself in front of the House at the End of the Universe. It scared him. Anyone that owned a house that nice in the Crystal Universe was not something he wanted anything to do with. He never realized it was the rope that sent him there. He was about to run, but like everyone else in the Crystal Universe, you salvage anything you find. He saw the rusted peaches can and thought it was trash. He had need of something to put things in. He grabbed it, turned and fled back over the rope and to his cabin. It was all dumb luck. He stored old discarded daggers he found here at your old camp in the tin can. One day, bandits came and beat him up bad. They saw the daggers and took them, but didn’t need the can, so the tin can has been here the whole time.” “How many daggers?” asked Warrior. Jax shrugged. “Five or six.” “We’ll have to find them,” replied Warrior, “but as I see it, he’s innocent. How will this cause a war?” Jax dropped his eyes. “He’s innocent of this crime, but he’s not innocent. Lady Cael will either send him to the void, or send his soul into oblivion.” “Damn it, Jax, what are you trying so hard not to tell me?” “The old man is… your grandfather, The Butcher of Aeden. I know the Jacks will never let Lady Cael take him; it’s going to be civil war.” Warrior raised his head and looked up at the trees. “So, that’s why JD kept the old man hidden, he was protecting grandfather.” Jax jumped to his feet. “The Jax will stand with you.” “As will the Taku and Anat,” declared Taku. “I think the Ronin, Bran, Akot, and Ember will stand with Lady Cael,” added Jax. “But, if the Tarlock and the Coles can be persuaded to join our side, we’ll have the superior forces.” Warrior grabbed Jax by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. “There will be no war. You will go from here directly to Lady Cael and repeat what you have told me word for word, and I never want to hear you suggest treason again. Warrior dropped Jax and drew his sword. He handed the long broadsword to Taku. “Taku, take this to Jack Scholar. Tell him to assemble all the Jacks and go to Lady Cael. He is to lay my sword before her in surrender. I alone will bear the treason of this day. Once I have hidden my grandfather somewhere safe, I will turn myself in to Lady Cael. Go, now!” Jax, Taku, and Anat were so shocked by Warriors unexpected reaction, they didn’t question the orders. Taku opened a portal to the Jacks Island and practically ran through with the sword cradled in his arms. Jax took a moment longer to recover from Warrior’s assault, but he too opened a portal and returned to the House at the End of the Universe without question. Warrior didn’t hesitate once they were gone. His only head start would be how long it took Jax to repeat his story to Lady Cael. He only had two choices, and both led to the fall of the Jacks. He needed a third option, and metaphorically falling on his sword was that option. He was surprised that Jax had so clearly understood the Aeden culture; loyalty to your Family House came above all else. He couldn’t turn his grandfather over to Lady Cael without betraying House Aestar and causing the Jacks to be honor bound to seek revenge, and he couldn’t help his grandfather escape without betraying Lady Cael and requiring her to deploy the Dreamers against the Jacks. He would have to make himself the sole traitor. Warrior ran through the familiar ruins to a secret cache of supplies that had been left behind. He would only need food and water for one day. If he didn’t make it in one day, he would never make it. The only place he could take his grandfather was to the Zilinth Great Library on the other side of the desert, but a senile old man wasn’t going to be able to run the desert road, Warrior would have to carry him. Once he got to the Great Library, he would be able to request political asylum for the old man. The Zilinth civilization lived within the Crystal Universe, but an ancient treaty gave them sovereignty over most of this planet; Lady Cael would not violate that treaty. He was disappointed when he got to the cache of supplies. The large stone that covered the room beneath had been broken and cast aside. Thieves had been here and plundered the cache, nothing was left, except for the skeleton of the first unlucky thief that had descended into the cache and encountered the cross bolt trap left to guard the supplies. There was nothing he could do about it now, he would have to hope the old man might have some supplies at the cabin. If not, it was going to be a hard two-hundred mile run across the desert, and at his age, it wasn’t going to be pleasant. The maze of wall ruins and pathways were more difficult to navigate than when the Jacks had lived here. Wild grass and vines had grown back and covered every stone; five years without the Jacks to maintain the paths had turned the old ruins back into a jungle. He was nearly to the edge of the main wall that surrounded the ruins when he nearly tripped over a large male tiger. “Broken-Claw? What are you doing here?” asked Warrior. “The island is not a fit place to hunt,” replied Broken-Claw with a growl. “Should I hunt fat cows standing in the middle of a fenced meadow?” “No, of course not,” said Warrior. “Good hunting to you, my friend.” Warrior moved around the big cat and vaulted over the outer wall of the ruins. The main road was overgrown and barely recognizable. He walked along the road searching for the path to the cabin, but the vines and grass were too thick now after five years of unimpeded growth. Warrior decided the path had probably been absorbed back into the jungle and was gone, he would have to push through the thick vegetation and up the hill. He had no more than stepped off the road when he heard the distinctive high-pitch growl-cry of a tiger cub. Warrior paused and listened for the direction of the cry, it was unlikely to be a wild tiger; they had never encountered one on this world. So, it had to be one of the descendants of Mara. He heard the little growl-cry again and followed it to a bush. A small furry head peeked out from under the bush. “Where’s my mom?” Warrior wasn’t surprised the young cub could talk, all of Mara’s descendants were born with the ability to speak within several days of birth – This cub was probably two months old, maybe three. “Who’s your mother?” asked Warrior. “Soft-paw,” replied the cub. “Ah, that’s one of Mara Valiant’s daughters, and what’s your name?” “Little-paw,” said the cub. Warrior bent down and put his arms out. The cub didn’t hesitate and jumped into Warrior’s arms. Warrior stepped back out on the road and called out, “Mara Soft-paw, where are you?” Soft-paw wasn’t a Mara, but the word had been evolving for the last several years to mean, female tiger, or descendant of Mara. Warrior continued to call out for Soft-paw as he walked along the road. The little tiger suddenly started squirming in his arms, wanting to get down. Warrior set the tiger on the ground and watched as Little-paw ran to a gap in the wall that had collapsed into rubble. The little tiger climbed over the wall and jumped down with a happy cry, “Papa! I finded him, this is a fun game, let’s do it again!” Warrior went to the wall and looked over. Broken-Claw was laying hidden on the other side behind the rubble. Little-Paw was climbing on the big tiger and pulling at his ears. “What’s going on?” asked Warrior. The big tiger only turned his head away and feigned that expression of boredom tigers were so good at. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but I haven’t the time to deal with this.” Warrior turned away and ran across the road and back into the jungle. Halfway up the hill, Soft-Paw emerged from behind a tree. “Oh, Warrior, I’m so glad you’re here, I can’t find my…” Warrior cut her off and leaped over her. “He’s at the bottom of the hill with Broken-Claw, but you already knew that, didn’t you?” At the top of the hill, of all the possible tigers, Mara Valiant appeared from behind a tree. “Hey, Warrior, have you seen…” Warrior ran around her. “At the bottom of the hill with the rest of your gang of bandits.” It was obvious now the tigers were trying to stop him from making it to the cabin. He reached the top of the hill without further delay, but it still took a few minutes to locate the cabin in a clearing. He ran out of the forest, but it was too late. Lady Cael was standing in front of the cabin with Dr. Kay and Jon flanking her. Jon was holding Warrior’s sword. Warrior started across the clearing towards the cabin as portals began opening and Dreamers emerged. Warrior stopped, he was too late. Talon stepped out of the cabin and said something to Lady Cael. Warrior watched and waited. Maybe he could have fought past the Dreamers, but with Jon, the demi-god of time, and Talon, the demi-god of war, at Lady Cael’s side, any possibility of rescuing his grandfather was gone. Lady Cael finished speaking with Talon and turned to face Warrior. “Where have you hidden The Butcher of Aeden?” “I have only just arrived,” said Warrior. Lady Cael snapped a hand at the sword Jon held. “You stated your intent was to commit treason by hiding your grandfather from justice. I demand to know where you have hidden him.” A cold shadow blew over the clearing, blocking the bright morning sun, and with it the Night Dreamer in the manifestation of a dark storm arrived to hover in the air above the clearing. She spoke in a tone like the echoes of a hollow voice spoken in an empty room. “Intent is a state of mind that must accompany a criminal act to be a crime in itself,” said the voice of the Night Dreamer. “The only thing Warrior has done is to speak a thought while in an emotional state of duress. He did not hide the old man that lived here. I took the old man from this place.” “You!” shouted Lady Cael. “I welcomed you into my house, and you repay me with betrayal!” “I am the Goddess of the Night, I was here before even the Universe arrived. Control the tone of your voice, child.” Lady Cael glanced to Dr. Kay, suddenly unsure of herself; the Night Dreamer had never manifested fully as the Goddess of the Night before. “I have not betrayed you,” continued the Night Dreamer. “I heard a mortal crying out in terrible pain. I came to investigate and found a confused and senile old man crying in grief. I took him to the Gates of the Living and sent him through.” “You let the Butcher of Aeden go free,” said Lady Cael, her voice softer and with appropriate respect as to not further anger such a powerful deity. “I do not think so,” said the Night Dreamer, then turning to Warrior. “Did you not assign a Jack to care for the old man?” “Yes, Jack Dillyon,” replied Warrior. “He died five years ago during the Raven attack.” “And did Jack Dillyon ever tell you the old man was your grandfather?” asked the Night Dreamer “No, he didn’t,” said Warrior. “And did you, or any other Jack ever see the old man’s face?” “No.” “And wasn’t Jack Dillyon the youngest of the Jacks at that time?” “Yes, he was.” “So, Jack Dillyon, grieving for all he had lost, found an old man willing to be as a grandfather to him, and the old man listened to the boy’s stories of his life with the Aeden and the Ruk, and of his beloved grandfather, and so they became what each other needed.” The Night Dreamer, still in the manifestation of a night storm swirling in the air before them turned back to Lady Cael. “Never before has any Cael had a General so loyal, he was ready to lay down his life to protect his brothers, to protect you, and to protect all the Dreamers. Without the sacrifice he was ready to make, the Dreamers would now be at war with each other. The only crime today would be if you did not recognize the wisdom and greatness of the man before you.” Dr. Kay whispered something to Lady Cael. Lady Cael nodded, then held her head up and took a step forward. “The Night Dreamer is right, in our infancy as Dreamers we nearly plunged the Universe into war over a confused old man whose identity we cannot confirm, nor perhaps should we. We are grateful to Jack Warrior for his service. Jon, return the General’s sword.” Jon marched across the clearing and handed the sword to Warrior. “I’m really glad I didn’t have to fight you.” Warrior took the sword and returned it to its scabbard. “So am I, Jon, but don’t let your guard down, the Night Dreamer didn’t do this for free.” Jon shrugged. “Whatever the cost is, pay it, you wouldn’t believe how bad this thing was spinning out of control.” Jon turned and marched back across the clearing to the cabin. Lady Cael and the Dreamers departed back through their portals until only the Night Storm and Warrior remained. The Night Storm dropped to the ground and formed into the manifestation of the Night Dreamer he knew. “You have good friends,” said the Night Dreamer, gesturing with a hand. Warrior glanced back at the trees and saw Mara-Valiant, Broken-Claw, Soft-Paw, and Little-Paw sitting just inside the trees watching. “They were working with you, weren’t they – delaying me long enough for you to pull off your vanishing act with the old man? Alright, you pulled me out of the fire, what do you want?” The Night Dreamer was hesitant as she said, “The elder Jon Black gave my sons to Akot the Wise, and I want them back.” Warrior sighed. “I see, you want to replace the sons you lost with Cole and Talon.” The Night Dreamer closed her eyes. “Chaos and Death were such good boys, I do not know why they turned on each other as they did.” “My influence may have taken a hit today, but I’ll speak with Akot the Wise, it will ultimately be his decision…on one condition. You have a deeper plot than just adopting two mortal boys, tell me what it is, and if it is in the boys best interest, and not yours, I will set up a meeting with Akot the Wise and the boys to discuss their future.” “Agreed, come with me,” replied the Night Dreamer. The night wrapped around Warrior, and as he was dragged into the Night Realm, he felt a furry body press against him. “You’ve made too many bad choices today,” said Mara Valiant. “I’m coming with you.”