Amara's POV
NOTE: Amara will be called Crystal for a while
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What?!
What did he just say?!
I gaped in horror and astonishment. Lily, the one whom I was so desperate to find, was in the Obsidian Maze! Never in my wildest dreams (in this case, I guess nightmares) did I expect that she would be transported there. I sank to the ground in despair. Would I really be able to save Lily? Maybe I should have just listened to Luka. I mean, what was I thinking?!
'Oh, so you don't remember?' Crystal said in a voice full of ridicule. 'By the way, why did you have to use my name?!"
I nearly fell over when I heard her voice. This whole time Crystal had remained silent, never making a peep. I winced internally. 'Um, about that…'
'Hey! I'm not done! Don't you remember your whole spew about how Lily was important to you and that you couldn't wait? Don't you remember that you left them behind because you knew that Lily needed to be saved NOW?!' Crystal voice rose in my head, rattling my whole being as anger and power was conveyed through those words. I fell silent.
I knew she was right. I had said all of that to everyone, but now with this daunting task ahead of me, would I really be able to succeed? I glanced at Oliver, who was curiously watching me pace back and forth, and at the stars above our heads. Somewhere out there, close or far, Lily was waiting for me. I stopped my pacing, huffed a long sigh, and continued again. Surely I could do this, right?
"Earth to Crystal!" Oliver shouted, shocking me out of my daze. While I was drowning in my thoughts, Oliver had been trying to get my attention. He must have noticed my anxiety because he smiled kindly at me. "Hey, don't worry. I will make sure that we get her out of there!" He said confidently.
I laughed softly at his attempt to make me feel better. "Thanks Oliver. I just…I just feel like this is going to be slightly impossible," I muttered in despair.
He shook his head. "Hey, nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it! I don't understand the whole situation, but you have already come this far! You can't give up now! Your friend is waiting for you!"
I nodded, stunned. I guess Crystal and Oliver are both right. I have come this far! I can't give up when I'm so close! I felt my hope and confidence ignite again, and a small smile played on my lips. Then, my mind went back to my original thought.
"Wait!" I said, "What do you mean she is in the Obsidian Maze?"
Oliver took a second to recover from my sudden outburst. "Um…well, I heard a snippet of a conversation between some of Titus's soldiers that the prisoner they had just received would be transferred to the Obsidian Maze," he said hurriedly, almost nervously.
"Uh oh okay…"
I went back to thinking and pacing, but this time I shared my thoughts with Oliver. "How are we supposed to get through the Obsidian Maze!" I mean, how many people do you know that actually went in and came out relatively alive?!"
Oliver didn't really say anything. "Exactly!" I cried, his silence justifying my point even more. I kept thinking. I remembered I had read about the Obsidian Maze in one of the books Gram had given to me to read when I had first arrived at the manor. It said that this prison was only secure because of the asteroid belt protecting it. Except, this asteroid belt was slightly different from the usual belts. If space had a Bermuda Triangle, the Obsidian Maze would be it.
The Obsidian Maze had three layers: the Shell, the Crescent, and the Deep. Most pilots can navigate the Shell because it is like any other asteroid field. But, after you pass the Shell, that's where it gets tricky. The Crescent is known for mysteriously causing navigation systems to go haywire, and it creates a weird haze that makes it hard to see.
Then there is the Deep. This layer is almost impossible to survive, and it is pitch black. The haze thickens and blocks out the light from the stars. Incoming asteroids are almost impossible to detect, and it also causes whole ships' systems to shut down. And to top it all off, not only are there giant asteroids, but it is said that there are enormous monsters lurking in the Deep.
These monsters are known as the Tenebra. No one has really seen them since most are eaten or killed before they can make it out of the Obsidian Maze to tell the tale. So, there are only speculations about what they might look like. There are some crazy theories out there, such as that they are as big as the asteroids, and their mouths are filled to the brim with dagger-like teeth. These creatures were my main concern in the Obsidian Maze.
"Oliver, do you know anything about the Tenebra?" I asked.
"Hm," he said, rubbing his chin and leaning back. "Well, there isn't much known about them, but I do know that as long as we don't bring light into the Obsidian Maze, specifically the Deep, we should be fine. I'm more concerned about how we locate the prison."
"Ah, yeah, I forgot about that part," I groaned. Great, another thing to add to the list.
"Don't give up! Just trust me. I have a couple tricks up my sleeve that will allow us to get in," Oliver said.
"Like what?" I asked, thoroughly perplexed. A big grin spread over Oliver's face. Upon seeing his smile, I groaned internally. Here we go.
Meanwhile,
(Astrid's POV)
It had been almost a week now since Amara had decided to leave. I was truly worried about her and so was the rest of the team. I suspect that Luka blames himself for not being able to stop her, and Archean's anxiety and pressure isn't helping.
My eyes roved around the underground hangar as technicians ran with tools and loud shouts bounced from the walls. Gram and Luka were overseeing a mission to try and get her back, and, currently, Theo was preparing a ship for it. I was really just bored and had nothing better to do except worry and think.
It made me nauseous to even think that Amara was out there, all on her own. It's not that I didn't trust Amara, she could take care of herself fine, but I was more worried about who might go after her if word got out. And, at this point, with Archean blabbing his mouth off, that might just happen.
Kalina and I had been searching for spies in the mansion and we have found evidence that there has been someone here that was not supposed to be. I had a feeling that there was a mole in our organization stationed, but I don't have the faintest clue who it might be. The agents from the Association positioned here were far too great to survey each. So, right now that's a dead end.
"Astrid!" Someone called.
I looked around and spotted Kalina and Wren waving to me. I quickly got up from my nook and walked over. "What's up?"
Kalina and Wren glanced at each other. "Well, we received some news on Amara from one of the agents."
My eyes widened in surprise and excitement. My heart raced at the thought, and my mind exploded with questions. "Really?! Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Kalina and Wren led the way to an older agent sitting in the dining hall. "We're back." The older man looked up and gave a rough grunt. "Took you long enough."
"I heard that you have some information on Amara," I said, trying to remain on topic. The old man nodded solemnly. "Yes, I do, but I don't know if it is considered to be good news."
My brows scrunched in confusion. "Why?"
"Well," he started," I saw her in a bar when I was coming back from my mission. Pretty hard to miss, if you know what I mean. Anyways, she sat down, and a man approached her. Obviously, he didn't have kind intentions, and he tried to pin her. She was able to get out, but he took her by surprise and was about to hit her, when a young man stepped in and helped her out. He followed her out when she left. I saw him leave with her on the ship she took."
I realized that I had been holding my breath the entire time, and finally released it. "When was this?"
"Hm, let's see," he said, scratching his head. "It must have been, no, not yesterday, yes, the day before yesterday."
He paused, holding up a hand to wait. He took a big sip of his drink, and when he looked back up, his gaze hardened and his eyes were serious. "If I were you, I would leave now if you can. I recognized that boy, and so did that man in the bar. If I'm not mistaken, that boy is one of Titus's sons. I have only ever seen once or twice since I suppose he doesn't do missions very frequently."
Kalina, Wren, and I looked at each other in shock. Oh, Amara, what have you gotten yourself into?