Dreamwalker

9- Loyalties and Lies

"I thought I told you to stay away," Laurier barked.

"You can't keep me away. I go where I please."

"Not Solancee. I have told you this before." Laurier narrowed his eyes at the ever-smiling carness sitting in a gnarled old tree like a cat who caught a mouse. "You're planning something."

"Am I?"

Laurier cursed out loud and turned his back on the carness. At least Morie hadn't tried to enter the town, but he was spotted hopping around the mountain range and that was never a good sign. Laurier followed his scout's reports out to one of the mountain passes and waited for the carness to show up, which was inevitable.

Morie examined his own fingernails, which were long and violet and filed down to points. "I'm not doing anything. I'm a peaceful creature who only does peaceful things."

"Do you take me for a fool? Why are you here? What are you planning?" Laurier whirled around furiously. "Don't tell me you changed your mind about my offer, because I wouldn't believe you anymore."

Morie crossed his legs in a graceful arc so he could rest more comfortably on the branch of the tree. "I wouldn't believe me either," he laughed.

"Answer me, demon. Answer me or I'll make you come out of that tree and face me."

Morie looked at Laurier out of the corners of his golden eyes. "I'm helping someone," he finally said.

"Who?"

"A nice little girl who made a deal with me."

"What girl?"

"Unless you can offer me something of greater value, I'm afraid I can't tell you. I deal in fair trade, not in sentimentality."

"Is that so? If I didn't know any better, I would think your feelings were getting the better of you. Are you trying to take revenge again?"

Morie's smile faded and he didn't say anything. Laurier knew he had struck a nerve. "It wasn't my fault your family died," he continued. "They were weak and unable to withstand my experiments. Do you think that killing me will bring them back? You will be more alone than ever. So I ask you once again, what girl did you make the deal with?"

Morie hesitated, then said quietly, "Soutine's girl."

"You mean Bell? And why would you-- oh, I see. You want to take Soutine away from me with her help." Laurier approached Morie and pointed his staff directly into his face. "Know this, demon. If you touch her or Soutine Rigal, you will face a grisly death. I won't be kind and let you go again. This time, you will be captured for good. Or--" Laurier took his staff away and set it calmly down on the ground-- "you could lead her to me."

"Why?"

Laurier paced around the tree. "She knows something, I'm sure of it. Besides, the daughter of a witch like Devon must possess magical powers of some kind, or else my selective breeding would have failed. It wouldn't make any sense for Soutine to kidnap her if she was completely talentless. No, he had an ulterior motive. I'm sure he studied her connection to magic and hoarded her all to himself. That was how he got so far in his studies."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"It is very simple. Bring her to me. I don't care how you do it-- I just want to see for myself if my experiment worked."

Morie yawned. "What if I don't?"

"I will bring my team of witches and wizards up into the mountains to kill you," Laurier said. "I have had enough of your shenanigans. If you don't obey me, I will forgo the experiments and kill you myself. Do you understand, carness?"