Part 3
Ray's Pov
Gabe and I finally settled for a little dueling in the Arena to pass the time. That's when Allie came running in.
"Guys, I need to find the Masters, NOW!" She was really worked up. Both Gabe and I looked at each other and without a word, followed her out of the Arena.
"What is the meaning of this?" Jaha was annoyed that we had pulled her and the other masters from their work.
"So, my dad and I were out of town for the weekend and when we were driving back, we came across a motorcycle wreck." That got all of the master's attention.
"No." Master Chavez whispered to himself as Allie pulled a gauntlet out of her bag. Brightmore went pale-well, paler than he already is. Kimora and Jaha simply looked down.
"Is she…" Brightmore couldn't finish his sentence.
"I have no idea. Her bike was simply lying in the middle of the road. No cop cars, no, tow trucks, no nothing. My dad and I looked around, but we couldn't find her." Allie said. "He even called the police and there was no report of an accident on the road we were on. When the cops got there, they said it must have been a hit and run, and were also going to file a police report for the missing driver."
The room was quiet. Unanswered questions hung in the air and seemed to make the atmosphere drearier. One of the masters is missing and we have no clue where she could be. All we do know is that she was in an accident, and more than likely hurt.
Suddenly, a thought came to me. "Could it have been the Choten?"
"Why in the world would the Choten do such a thing?" Kimora asked.
"Well, she was, in a way, the whistle blower on him. He could want revenge… But after so many years? I hardly think he would stoop so low." Jaha mumbled. "It must have been a hit and run, or something to that effect."
"The veil breach she closed was caused by a rapids lurker in the middle of a field." Brightmore interjected.
"Quick question… why is that so strange?" Gabe asked.
"Because the creature realm almost perfectly parallels our own. Think of it this way: There is land here, so crossing the veil here will more than likely place us on land over there. Yes, creatures and man have changed the environments of both worlds, but they are still relatively the same." Kimora explained.
"Oh, but then it could have been him!" Gabe exclaimed. "The Choten uses rapids lurkers, doesn't he?"
"Yes…" Jaha sighed. "But if it was him, she might already be dead."
"No, she can't be!" Master Chavez said suddenly. "It doesn't make sense! Why would he spend the time to go after her just to kill her?"
Out of all the masters, he seemed the most distraught over her disappearance. Brightmore seemed more angry than anything else while the others were simply sad.
"He's right." Brightmore added, surprising us all. "It is illogical to waste time on someone you want to kill."
"I believe we need to think about this in a more 'real world' fashion." Jaha was slowly getting angry. "For all we know, she could have hit a big rock and crashed it herself!"
"Guys…" Allie began slowly. "I took a picture of the damage to the motorcycle, and I don't think it was a rock that caused it."
She held up her phone and the site of a mangled motorcycle made me cringe. Could she even survive that?
"I don't think a car could cause that kind of damage either… It appears as if something slammed into the side head-first." Gabe mused.
"And look at the gashes on the bike. It looks like the metal was cut by something." Master Chavez said. "That couldn't have been caused by a car."
"So, what should we do?" Allie asked. I could only imagine how it felt to come across a wreck and know that someone you knew was involved in it.
"There isn't much we can do." Jaha said firmly. "All we can do now is wait and see how things develop."
"But if the Choten does have her, we need go after him!" I said.
"There is no proof that he does have her. A good Samaritan might have driven by and taken her to a hospital themselves." Why Jaha was trying so hard to ignore the possibility was beyond me. Shouldn't she at least consider the possibility?
The three of us left the masters to their discussion.
"How can they be so calm about this?!" I practically shouted.
"I think you need to calm down, Ray. They will handle things." Gabe said.
"No, Gabe, Ray's right. Something needs to be done now." Allie turned on him.
We stared at him expectantly, waiting for the master planner to do his work. "… Maybe Rusalka will know something?" He suggested.
"Yeah! Doesn't she have this weird telepathic thing with Master Nadia?" Allie smiled.
"She does, doesn't she?" I pulled on and activated my gauntlet. "Aqua Chaser, Rusalka!"
The sleek trench hunter came screeching through the veil. She was obviously unhappy, but none of us could guess why.
"Rusalka, what's wrong?" Gabe tried to sooth the water creature, but she shot a blue beam at his forehead. Gabe froze for a moment, and then gasped.
"What is it?" Allie and I asked at the same time.
"She knows where Nadia is! Nadia summoned her not long ago, and she is being held captive by the Choten!" Gabe exclaimed.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get the masters and rescue her!" Allie ran back towards the meeting room.
"Wait, how are we supposed to get to her?" Gabe stopped her.
"Rusalka shot another beam at Gabe and he let out a simple "Oh."
"What?" Allie asked, clearly annoyed.
"Rusalka says that Finbarr is being held captive there as well. We just need to summon him and we will be there."
All three of us then ran back to the master to tell of our findings.
