The Treasure *Phantom of the Opera* (sequel to The Quest)

Chapter 21

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**Chapter XXI**

If foky kek jins bute,
Ma sal at lende;
For sore mush jins chomany
That tute kek jins.

translated: Whatever ignorance men may show,
From none disdainful turn;
For every one doth something know
Which you have yet to learn.

~Old gypsy proverb

Music is an outburst of the soul.

~Frederick Delius

xXx

.

"Take me away?" Christine repeated his firm avowal in a daze. Her mind refused to fit the pieces together, her heart loath to accept the truth of his duplicity, of which both Meg and Erik had warned.

"From what?" Her words barely stirred from her lips.

"From him." Raoul's mouth drew into a tight line. "The Phantom of the Opera."

She stared with disbelief at the visage of the man she thought she'd known; no trace of the affable gentleman lingered. In his stead, a tall stranger regarded her, his eyes hard chips of blue, all vestiges of merriment erased from within.

"The Phantom isn't here," she stressed quietly. "Only Erik and myself. And Erik is no Phantom, as you well know."

"I know no such thing!" His bitter words also remained low, vibrating in the warm night air. "He's no Angel of Music, no king, but a Phantom incarnate. Mon Dieu – how well you know this! Yet there you stand and calmly disregard his multitude of sins. He's tricked you once again, but this time he'll not succeed in his devilish schemes." He reached for her arm, but she pulled it back, retreating a swift step to evade him, and his fingertips only brushed down her sleeve.

He did not move toward her again, and for that reason alone she resisted summoning help. As yet he'd done nothing to warrant such an extreme course of action; nor did she want him near Erik. The discovery of Raoul's unwanted presence could not bode well, no matter the outcome, for either man.

She sought to remain calm, to look past the effigy of the formidable stranger and seek a glimpse of the sweet boy who once rescued her scarf from a howling wind and later stepped in as her champion against the malicious whispers of Darkness. To that man she wished to appeal. But now it seemed the roles were reversed, and Raoul, not Erik, had surrendered to the evil's fiendish dominion.

"Raoul, listen to me. I saw the Phantom – you did too. He was a creature to be feared, but he is not Erik. Erik is a man, and with him I have known only happiness. You know this; you agreed to help both of us. What has changed in you that you betrayed us instead?"

The moonlight still visible hinted at the pain that flashed in his eyes. "Once my head cleared after he tried to add me to his list of victims, I realized the folly of such a reckless vow. I did not presume that you would carry through with your decision to run away with him. I tried to persuade you to refuse, as you may recall, and hoped you would realize your error in time."

"And I told you that through him alone, my soul attains heights I'd never before dreamed. I made no error. He is all I desire."

He scoffed. "You don't know what you're saying, you're still under his spell."

"If love can be called a spell, then yes, I am drunk with its potion. You're mad if you think I'll meekly run off with you, like some frightened schoolgirl." She straightened her back. "Not this time. Should you try and force me, I'll fight you every step of the way, and should you succeed, I'll run from you and back to Erik's arms at the first opportunity! I want to be with him. I belong to him."