Chapter 3

"Ah, thank you Liam, a most eloquent as well as concise summation." Here Liam bowed again from his chair." Though, on second thought, perhaps we need to go into this matter somewhat more comprehensively, considering our new companions." Now he looked at me directly. "young man," he said "allow myself to introduce myself. My name is Counté D'rigeur Alphonzo Dellacrosse Fointeé, but for brevity's sake, you my friend, you may call me Alphonz, at your service."

And here he bowed as he made that sweeping gesture with his hands that I remembered from those old Errol flynn movies I used to rent. Yes, I do like those old movie flicks and I for one absolutely refuse to be ashamed of it too. "What our old friend here" And now he bowed towards Liam, "was referring to were the famous?"

Here he stopped for a moment and suddenly I got that instantaneous feeling of déjà vu that all to much reminded me of that esteemed colleague of his, Liam, in his manners. You know, stopping in mid-sentence, loosing his thread etc etc. And doing so did have the effect of driving me up the walls I'm sorry to admit. But he seemed to find himself soon enough again.

"Yes!" And here he seemed to almost wanting to shout out his discovery. "The most famous knight-errant's quest for that Holy Chalice. That redeemer of all our sorrows inflicted by tribulations and visitations of the most horrific as well as vile beasts and foes that Fae and man together yet have had to withstand."

Here he stopped to take a deep breath, his mighty chest rolling in and out under that impeccable darkly-blue woven gown, as he came up gasping for more air. "But, this is not what this is about." He finished, somewhat anticlimactically to my taste. After a deep breath he continued. "No, my friends, this is" and here he stopped talking just to, as it seemed to me, in an almost superstitiously chillingly manner, surreptitiously peek around the chamber instead.

As if he expected demons and hell-spawns to be lurching in every corner of this great council chamber, just waiting to attack us innocent bystanders. Thinking of it though I could see his point here, they had just informed me that they had werewolves here, for Gods sake. Looking out the windows I saw that while I had slept away so peacefully evenfall had finally came to rest and outside those lead-encased window panes, making up for a mosaic of colors when alighted, there were now only cold darkness to be seen.

One could hear the freezing wind rattle the windowsills, as the thriving fire inside our chamber threw up flickering flames and made the shadows on the ceiling dance high above us. Somehow, amidst all this theatrical confusion, it was all too easy to forget that death was as real here as at my own home. I decided I needed to start taking a closer interest in what they meant instead, and to try to ignore the theatrics shown as they said it. I snuggled closer to Evelyn trying my best to burrow myself into her embrace as I listened.

Comparing my situation now as a fourteen year old lad to how I had lived before as a boy and then a man in Mundania I realized that it definitely was two separated realities. Even if I now was dressed in, if I may say so myself, a rather delicious as well as flirtatiously frilly frock with some really cool laces making me feel quite, that is if I wasn't careful of course, oh well, breathtaking. Yes I know, I know, a real man isn't supposed to feel that way, I do know. But I wasn't, was I?

I mean, in this land and this reality I was only a very fast growing boy, used to wearing dresses since, well, since early childhood in fact, right? So when in Rome and all that. But on the other hand, it was not all my doing either. Evelyn had insisted on us looking our very best as we would be meeting the whole sage-assemblage, and she had fussed around me like a startled bee for the whole morning getting me ready. And I have to admit that I hadn't minded for a minute.

As long as she was happy I was happy, yea I know, somewhat embarrassing I admit. But hey, have you never been in love then? Have you forgotten to what extremes one was ready to go just to make that special one happy? At least I hadn't started to try to flirt with the assembly, not yet in any case. Tank the Gods for them small gifts I thought to myself as I leaned in to kiss my Evelyn. And after a while I actually found it quite fun to try out different models. Hey, what can I say, it was fun...

She hugged me back making me feel as the most important person in the world. Then I remembered my dreams and suddenly I felt the coldness. It was as if an bony ice-cold hand put its constraint around my heart and then ever so slowly started to tighten it, I could feel the shadows creeping in on me as I sat there remembering. Just as I was going to tell Evelyn about my dreams though Alphonz started to talk again, breaking up my foul mood. "No" he said as he stared, as it felt then, straight into my soul. "This isn't about quest written, neither is it about deeds known. This is a most serious matter touching our very existence."

As he bent forward towards the fire mantle to put a gnarled tree-root into the fire I couldn't help but notice that he seemed to have aged somehow. There was nothing noticeable on the outside really, it was more like the feeling of a great weight inside him, formed by countless years as the water forms a stone. He nodded at me. "Good lad, that's rather remarkable of you, we might make a thaumaturge out of you yet. And yes, I've been around for quite a while." He said as he smiled at me. This guy really freaked me out, how the hell could he know what I only had thought?

He shook his head looking at me. "No boy, I do not read thoughts although sometimes I can read the intents of your body. And your heightened interest in my movements told me what you thought about." I felt somewhat easier hearing that as I took hold of my Evelyn for another caress. Considering it all I would prefer to have my thoughts to be my own, thank you. But now I started to worry again, was there such a thing as mind reading? And if so, could Evelyn read my thoughts?

I studied her visage nervously, as I started to remember all those small pranks I might have played to get her attention at times. Nothing evil of course, just, ah you know, like pranks, harmless friendly pranks. Like getting her to take a bath with me, and cuddle, and feed me, and, to do what I wanted, and ... She looked back at me solemnly, her countenance inscrutable, then she slowly nodded. Oh Noo. Shit! Shit! Shit!!! She could read my mind, she really could. She had known all the time, all and every move of mine. Or, was I overly suspicious here? Was she just guessing?