51: Mission Objectives
“Indeed,” said Ms Chiltern, “And you girls can start by disrupting the Wind node. Anderson thinks they’re further into this ritual than intelligence suggested. Just remember not to destroy the node, or you’ll alert every shaman here to what we’re doing. After you’ve done what you can, ignore the other nodes and get to the sacrificial circle. Princess Phantasia, I assume you’ll be willing to help them?”
Phantasia wasn’t one for taking orders, but now she understood the situation better she was glad she hadn’t gone off on her own. She would’ve just tried to destroy every node, not manipulate their flow, and then who knows what would have happened! No wonder Faye had steered her in this direction.
“If we’re all after the same thing,” she said, “I guess I might as well help!”
***
“What the hell is that?” asked Theseus.
The UFO was just one of the mysteries John’s floodlight had revealed, but it was undoubtedly the strangest: a blue shape, darting around stalactites like some kind of aquatic animal trying to escape the gaze of a predator. As if sensing the group’s focused attention, the UFO broke from its cover and torpedoed towards them. Phoenie braced herself to dive for shelter at a moment’s notice but found herself frozen by curiosity.
“It’s not scanning,” said John, his arm extended towards the speeding subject “Maybe we should—wait! It looks like—it’s Faye?”
The faerie slowed, her identity now obvious to all as the blue blur turned to fluttering hair and she twisted into an upright position, a grey cloak floating out behind her on an invisible wind. Was it another message coming to warn them of the dangers ahead, or was this the real thing? As Faye descended upon them like an angelic messenger, Phoenie took great delight in the awkward reactions of John and Theseus.
“Yo,” said latter with a nervous wave as Faye landed with the elegance befitting of a higher being.
“Your arrival at this place was anticipated,” she announced, ignoring any social pleasantries, “Please follow me. We have things we must accomplish,”
Phoenie had expected another lecture on how they ‘were not ready’ and should return home, and from the confused looks and whispers around her it was obvious the others had too. She started forward to confront the omniscient faerie, but Andromeda stopped her. Phoenie would just get angry and rant – this situation called for a diplomat.
“Faye, why don’t you want us to turn around this time?” she asked.
“If you have made it this far, I believe you can at least be of some use,” replied Faye, “Do not overestimate your own abilities, though. The trials you passed to reach this place were designed specifically to test you. Had they been designed to protect this place, you would not be here,”
It looked like Lyra was going to say something, but Theseus held her back and allowed Andromeda to continue.
“Were you testing us, Faye?”
“I was not.” Faye turned towards the ruins. “Whomever is behind this scheme sought to test the abilities of those who might try and interfere. I merely took advantage of their scheming,”
Andromeda looked back at her companions for prompting. It were as if their very independence was being stripped away from them and they’d been turned into pawns of game between higher powers. Even Theseus, the sort of guy who’d normally be oblivious to such political manoeuvrings, looked rattled.
“Man, we’re in way over our heads,” he sighed.
