Darkness into Light - Espresseleine

Chapter Forty ~ One Way Ticket

His eyes slowly blinked open, meeting with yet another cold, dark room.

Oh, not this again,

Espresso had been trying his hardest to keep himself awake, but by the warmth of the fire and Custard cuddling into him, he must have let his eyelids flutter closed for just a second too longer. So now he was yet again captured by the foul beast that called itself sleep, and within the grasp of another nightmare.

It seemed he'd have to experiment with attempting to brew stronger coffee.

In the meantime, he had to work on waking himself up. Espresso blinked around in the darkness, hoping something would pop up. Normally he'd embrace pure silence, relish it. But in his dreams, silence is what he feared.

Silence meant something was coming.

Suddenly a faint whisper, a series of faint whispers rang in his ears. It was his name, his name was being called over and over. The mage panicked, cowering and clutching his ears to block out the chilling noise.

"Espresso?"

His eyes shot open. Madeleine's voice? Madeleine was in his dream again? Espresso glanced upwards, his gaze so very unaware of his surroundings. Madeleine was there, but so was Latte, and Raspberry, and even Custard. His entire team was there, his little 'family.' 

Their eyes were sad, devastated even, as they stood a long way away from him. They were tense. Alert. As if any second they thought he would leap at them and tear them apart. Espresso looked to Madeleine, his blue eyes looking at him in a way that he'd thought to have forgotten long ago. He was looking at him as if he was the enemy. As if the chains preventing him from charging and attacking him on the spot were about to break.

The rest looked equally as heartbroken, especially Custard. Tears welled in the child's eyes.

But why? What caused his friends to be in such distress? It surely couldn't be himself?

Finally one of them spoke; Latte.

"How could you?" her shaky voice felt like a stab to the mage's heart.

How could he what? What did he do?

I don't understand, what's going on? He wanted to say. But his mouth hung open without a word to spare and his lips were as dry as desert sand. He wanted to reach out, reason with them. 

What's the problem? I'll fix it, please. Please stop looking at me like that.

"Because he never held an ounce of care in his heart for the lot of you," A new voice emerged. A cold hand gripped Espresso's shoulder, but he was already frozen. He recognised the touch all too quickly, the voice as well. Dark Enchantress stood to the side of him, like some proud parent.

This one, he decided, was the worst nightmare yet. 

"Don't you fools understand? All he needed out of you was a measly map and he'd be back under my command. It was all fake, your 'friendship' was fake."

Espresso trembled under the burning gaze of his friends. They looked so disappointed. It made him feel sick to the stomach.

Raspberry stepped forward, anger bubbling in the rich colour of her eyes, "So, you were just a spy this entire time?"

Espresso did not answer.

Custard sniffled, the tears spilling. Espresso's heart shattered just a little further. But he stood, idle and in shock.

"I thought we were friends.." 

Espresso did not answer.

Latte stepped forward, clutching onto Raspberry's arm.