The tour was fantastic. They saw the huge school and gym, and the towering skyscrapers and many office buildings. They had also seen the park at the center of it all, with a towering angel statue standing on a pedestal encircled by a small pond. Water pored from its hands which it held cupped out in front of it.
As Nikita lay in bed she thought about the statue, how peaceful it had been.
I'll go back tomorrow. She promised herself.
Maybe I'll find information there. Nikita thought to herself as she stared at the ceiling above her.
Something then told her to pull out the ender eye. Nikita did, staring at its mesmerizing purple glow. Then suddenly she had another vision.
It was of the statue, but at night, and someone stood below it. A person wearing all black. She had long black hair tipped in blood red and violet eyes. A diamond sword was strapped across her back.
"Meet at the angel. Come at midnight tomorrow and I will give you the directions to the cave." She said, her voice sounding far away.
"Come alone." She said.
Then the vision faded and Nikita took a gasping breath.
The angel.
Midnight.
Alone.
She looked at the clock on her wall, checking to see what time it was. It was 11:45. She got up and got out her enchanted diamond sword from her inventory. Nikita then made sure that she had food and ventured out into the night, making sure that she was quiet.
On her way to the front door, however, one of the wooden boards under her feet creaked quiet loudly, and she paused, waiting for Elijah to come out of his room and ask what she was doing.
When he didn't appear, she quietly crossed the room, opened the door and closed it carefully behind her. Nikita then ran to the park and stopped in front of the statue. She quickly looked around to see if anyone was around and then jumped on the stepping stones leading to the angel.
When she looked up the women was there, looking at her with glowing violet eyes.
"I knew that you would come." She said, turning to the angel statue.
She then tapped the statue in five specific places and the stone shifted aside to show an entrance.
"Come on. We don't have any time to waste." She said, ducking i side the small opening. Nikita did the same, putting her sword in her inventory. The doorway then closed behind them, revealing nothing of the secret base hidden behind it.
The passage that they went down sloped downward and then evened out.
"Watch your step." Said the women.
Nikita looked down just in time to see that there was a step up. When she looked up what she saw amazed her. The room was huge, bookshelves lining the walls, enchanting tables, anvils, stone cutters and all sorts of other things lined the walls.
Farther in stood another statue, this one alone in the center of a smaller room that held a map, a table and a chair. On the table were piled at least ten different books, a piece of paper and a quill.
"Do you live here?" Asked Nikita.
"Yes." Answered the women.
"I help the Servants that come through here." She said, taking all the books off of the table except for one book.
It was leather bound and looked to be very old.
"I can help you find The Cave." She said, looking up at Nikita.
"There is a map in here that will show you the way to it, but you must remember the word "caverna," Latin for "cave", in order to reveal The Cave's location to you. Do you understand?" She said.
"Yes." Said Nikita.
"What is your name?" Asked Nikita.
"Annabeth." She answered.
"Yours?"
"Nikita."
Annabeth looked up sharply.
"I knew that you needed directions to The Cave, but I didn't know that you were the one who could tame the Dragon." She said.
"Yeah... that would be me." Said Nikita, slightly uncomfortable.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Apologized Annabeth.
"It's alright." Said Nikita.
"Here." She said, handing Nikita the map.
"Thank you." Said Nikita.
"You are very welcome." Said Annabeth.
The mysterious girl then looked up at Nikita with serious eyes.
"Guard it with your life. That map leads to the Shadowstone portal. If it falls into the wrong hands it would endanger us all."
Nikita nodded, understanding, but at the same time feeling as though she was guarding a great treasure no one could know about.
I am, in a way. She thought, looking down at the weathered map in her hands.
As Nikita turned to leave Annabeth said "Safe travels, Nikita."
"Thank you." Nikita answered without turning around.
Then she walked back up the tunnel and to the angel statue where she found a lever. She pulled it and revealed the predawn sky to her.
Had really been that long?
It must have been. Thought Nikita as she rushed to get back to the house before Elijah and the rest of the city woke up.
She made it back just as the sun was beginning to creep up the horizon. She quickly put the map in her inventory along with her sword and then went to go make breakfast for her and Elijah.
When he woke up he found her in the kitchen finishing up the eggs, bacon and toast that they were going to have.
"You were up early." Commented Elijah, sitting down at the table.
Nikita then served him and herself, also pouring milk into two glasses.
"Did you get the information?" Asked Elijah casually.
"What?" Asked Nikita, looking up at him.
"I said, did you get the information?" He repeated.
"How do you..." she began.
"I saw you leave last night through my window, not to mention that I heard you." He said, looking at her over his glass of milk.
"I did." Said Nikita, giving in.
"We can leave whenever you are ready. We just need to find Samantha first." She said, finishing her breakfast.
Elijah finished soon after she did and followed her outside.
"She said the she would be at the huge house in the middle of the city." Said Elijah, heading towards the east side of the city, Nikita following close behind.
When they got there they entered through the massive double doors into a huge waiting room where various people waited.
This was the Elder's house, and with Samantha being the Elder's daughter, she lived here. She also worked on the city's problems with her father here, except for when she was leading people to the city from the island. They went up to a desk where a receptionist sat and asked to see Samantha.
"I'll send for her right away." Said the receptionist, picking up a telephone.
Nikita and Elijah both then sat in the two chairs nearest the window. Two minutes later Samantha walked into the room and saw them.
"Ready to go already?" She asked, looking at each of them in turn.
"This was only a temporary stop on our way to Oakwood." Lied Nikita, thinking of the name of a city to the west of the Redstone Isle.
"Some of my family lives there, we are going to meet them." She said.
Samantha nodded and said "Then we must not waste your time."
She then walked towards the door and out into the morning air without looking back.