𝓢𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓶𝓪𝓷'𝓼 𝓓𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔

Three

"Unbelievable," I said, dropping the papers I was once reading down on the table in front of me. "All along it's been around me and yet I remain unaware of it. I have been a fool."

Lucien progressed, settling next to me, leaving her own research behind. "What is it that you're chiding yourself about?"

"I think I know what has happened to Lord Morpheus," I said, looking dead in her eyes. "I think he was captured by a mortal."

Lucienne gasped, ever so fake just to humour me. "Was he now?"

I frowned, disliking her unsupportive notion. "I am being serious. When I visited Corin, he told me to look into the means of transferring information that humans do and so I did. I look into newspapers and search for some magus, which he also hinted at."

"And you've found a magus?"

I nodded. "One that's named Roderick Burgess. There was an article about him rising to fame some time after Lord Morpheus did not return home. There was no mention of him having connection to the supernatural, let alone Endless being, but he was reported to attempt summoning devils for bargain several times. And get this, he was said to be desperate about bringing his son back to life after losing him in some warzone - making him have motive to summon one of the Endless who can grant him what he wants."

"Death," Lucienne said. "But then if he wants Death, why do you think he has our lord?"

"Because people continue dying, Lucienne. Therefore, Death is still around. But then, people stopped dreaming and I've heard that there has been a case of Sleeping Sickness wherein some people failed to wake up from their sleep, stuck in their unconscious slumber and it began the night Lord Morpheus fled," I lamented. "I know this sounds mental but hear me out. What if that Burgess bloke failed to capture Death but managed to take Lord Morpheus instead?"

"That is mental, all right."

"But possible?"

Lucienne sighed in defeat. "Yes, I am afraid so."

"I do not know what to do if my assumptions are correct, Lucienne. I fear Burgess is quite powerful seeing as how he succeeded in capturing our lord."

"Oh, don't get too attached with that. You might be wrong. We can never know."

"But there is a way to find out."

Lucienne shook her head. "You would not."

"I have to try."

Like an agreement, or a sign to continue, a loud fluttering of wings snatched our attention. When we looked up to where we heard it, we saw Jessamy, Lord Morpheus's raven, flying toward us.

She landed gracefully on the table, directly on top of the stack of books I placed there for motivation.

"You're alive." I marveled, feeling happy to see her again after years of disappearance. She has been gone for as long as Lord Morpheus has.

Jessamy nodded, unable to speak.

"Were you with Lord Morpheus the whole time?" Lucienne asked. "And do you know where he is?"

Jessamy nodded twice.

"Was he up there in the waking world still?"

Another nod.

"Is he being held captive by a mortal?"

I didn't know what to feel when Jessamy nodded again. Lucienne and I shared a look of sympathy.