Degree of Insanity - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Jacque Koh
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 2

<Remy LeBeau? Y must be stark raving mad, homme!> Gambit moved quietly from shadow to shadow after he quietly scaled the fence. <Must be the company y keep, neh?>

<Merde, wha y doin , Gambit? Belle ll as soon as kill y if she know y r here.>

<Dan again, y be in worse shape if y say "no" t de petite.>

Getting in past the guards and the security of the house wasn t difficult. He had done so numerous times when he was growing up. And very little had changed in the security arrangement since his last visit.

<De petite had best be right, dat her brother is here.>

A pang of nostalgia touched him as he picked the lock on the window to Belle s room. It was empty. As the leader of the Assassins guild, she stayed in the Master bedroom.

His wife was a very different woman now, but Remy could still second guess her. He quietly moved a panel aside on the headboard to reveal a little safe.

<Ah chere, y put dis in recently did y ? Guess y hide more dan y r diary in y secret shelf now.>

In less than half a minute, he had the safe open. Remy grinned as he looked in to find the fire opal and a little bag. As he pocketed the two items, Gambit gazed wistfully at the diary which lay in the safe as well.

<Non, y r life is y r own now, me amour. Remy has no place here anymore.>

Gambit s spatial awareness was working over time as he moved through the house. The basement was the best bet for him to find the prisoner.

The magical wards, and alarms, started to appear at the stairs leading down to the lower levels. At any moment, Gambit had expected himself to trip a magical alarm, and bring the assassins down upon him. He did not achieve the rank of Master Thief for nothing, but magical alarms were another matter.

<It jus be another kind o security system, neh.> He tried to reassure himself, as he sprinkled the special powder he carried for this particular pinch in front of him. The charm which guarded the door turned from green to blue. Once passed, he rearmed the charm.

The room beyond was the final obstacle. Gambit extended his spatial awareness beyond the door.

<Three guards. And yes he is there.>

Gambit fingered the items in his pocket, a fire opal, and a small bag of what felt like sand. He had to get these objects of power to the prisoner within. Quietly, he bent to pick the lock. It was no challenge.

So engrossed was he, that he did not notice the shimmer of the air behind him until it was too late.

"Y mad t come int de heart o my home, husband."

Gambit put his back against the wall and held his bo staff at the ready. Four charged cards appeared in his other hand.

"Belle?"

"Y as good as ever, thief. But de last door c n only be opened wit a key. Anyt ing else sets off an alarm. A quick port down and de trap be sprung."

Belle s hands glowed in a nimbus of energy, "My assassins are comin homme. Y not leaving here alive."

"Y make a mistake wit de ancient ones, Belle."

"Y make a mistake comin !"

Remy dodged the blast as he threw his cards. The time for silence was long over.

The first set of cards unbalanced Belle, and the approaching assassins. The second set took out the door and the guards within, who had approached to check on the commotion.

"We got t get us gone, mon ami." Gambit dived into the room and quickly dragged his bo staff across the circle which surrounded the glass cage. The kinetic charge he sent through the staff, scratched through the stone and effectively broke the circle of binding.

"Non!"

This time, Gambit wasn t able to dodge the energy blast. It threw him across the room to land against the furthest wall.

"Wit out Candra, dis be our power now." Belle stalked through the ruined door, "Dis be our key t immortality!"

"Dis is not sometin y c n manipulate, Belle. Y also got de wrong one," Remy reached into his pocket to take out the fire opal, "Dis is no god!"

Remy charged the fire opal and threw it at the glass cage.

"Nooooo!"

An explosion of energy and light engulfed the room. Remy tried his best to shield his photosensitive eyes, but it still took sometime for him to shake off the sparks which marred his vision. He felt the little bag being slipped out of his pocket, as a vortex of wind and energy swirled around the room.

When his vision finally cleared, Remy saw the restored dream lord step out of the shattered cage, and over the broken circle to approach the stunned assassins. The pale man blew on the mound of sand in his hand, sending all but the leader of the assassins into the realms of sleep.

"Non!" Gambit scrambled to his feet, to stand between Belle and the Dream Lord.

"Remy, if you would stand aside."

"Non, y are free. Let dat be enough."

"You would ask me to allow this woman to go unpunished? She has endangered the dreaming to ask for gifts that are neither mankind s to receive, nor mine to give." The pale lord regarded him, "And that is the least of her sins. I know it was my eldest sister she wished to capture. And all living things would have to consider themselves fortunate, that she did not succeed."

Gambit felt the prick of a knife against his throat.

"Y are a fool, LeBeau." Belle hissed as she held the blade against him, "And y . I d suggest y get back in y cage, less y want t see is blood spilled."

The green stars flashed dangerously.

"You still desire to protect this woman, Remy?"

"Oui. Jus go. Dis be family business now."

"I will cut im. I mean it." The knife sliced through the fabric of Gambit s collar drawing a thin line of blood.

They stood there, for a moment.

"I owe Remy a debt of gratitude, Belle donna. I cannot let you kill him before I repay it."

Belle dropped the knife with a startled cry, as it suddenly turned into a snake. Gambit took this chance to twist around so that he face Belle. His hands held her wrists so that she couldn t reach for anymore of her weapons.

"Why do you seek to protect this woman, Remy? Surely your marriage is considered annulled."

"We were in love since we were pups."

"I c n t remember!"

"An I c n never forget."

Belle was silenced by this confession.

"Dream Lord, I ask y t give her y r forgiveness. And I will count y r debt paid."

The pale lord was silent for a moment.

"In times past, I would not let this effrontery go unpunished."

"What did y do t de one who killed y r earlier aspect?"

"I let her go."

"Remy asking y t give his wife de same forgiveness."

"Very well, Remy." The dream Lord sighed as he reached out to touch Gambit s shoulder, "Come then, it is time we take our leave."

The two figures faded away, leaving Belle alone with her unconscious assassins.

"Remy?"