-48-
I decided to forgive Fiore's mysteriousness and think up a way out.
"So the guys are coming to rescue us, I assume?" Fiore asked.
"Yep," I replied, searching the perimeter of the room.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for a way out."
"Why can't you just wait for them to come get us?"
I paused, thinking back to the cave, and how Aurick and Zione must've been doing just that. Waiting for me to come rescue them. I had almost let them down.
"Well?"
I shrugged. "You never know. They might not come."
"And I wouldn't blame them," Angelos added, standing in the doorway.
"How do you guys do that without making any noise?" I asked.
"Do what?"
"JUst appear."
Angelos gave me an odd look. "As I was saying, maybe they aren't coming back for you."
"And why would they do that?" I asked.
"Still oblivious, are we?"
"Don't tell me you and Nam had the same ideas about me."
"Nam?" Fiore asked. "Is he here?"
"He's in the cave," I replied. "Almost took out half my freaking party."
"Good job. I'll have to congratulate him," Angelos replied.
"I said almost."
He grinned, nevertheless.
"Look, this was annoying when Nam was talking about it, and it's even more annoying coming from you, so please, can we just stop the conspiracy theory business?" I pleaded.
"What?" Fiore asked.
"N am lost it in the cave, claims he's working for the Queen, and that I was some kind of secret weapon."
Angelos listened without a word.
"Well?" I asked. "If you're not talking to me, you can leave, you know."
Angelos sat and crossed his arms, never taking his eyes off me. "What if I want to stay and wait for your little friends to show up?"
"I think it would be better for you to go to the cave and rescue your precious Namdhari... and clean up the Jabberwocky mess."
"Jabberwocky?" Fiore asked. "Did you...?"
"Yes," I replied. "If I can kill that monster, imagine what I could do to you, Angelos."
"Is that some kind of offer?" he teased.
"Pig."
I began to pace around the room. Fiore, having been here awhile, stayed put. Angelos watched my every move with a smirk. It didn't take long for me to get fed up with him.
"Okay, that's it. Get out."
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Get out of here, or I'm leaving."
"I'd like to see you try."
I walked over to the door, opened it, and walked out.
Fiore came running out after me. "He let you go?"
"He has something waiting for us. It can't be that easy," I explained as I dashed down the castle halls, looking for the guys. "Do you have any idea where these mirrors are?"
"I'd say the floor below us."
We snuck down a flight of stairs and took off for the room where Fiore believed the mirrors would be hidden. I opened the door slowly and peeked inside.
"Well?" Fiore asked.
There were the guys, standing around something. I motioned for Fiore to come on in, and we joined the group.
"Hey, guys."
They barely looked at me. "You were supposed to wait," Zale noted.
"Eh, Angelos was getting on my nerves."
"Wait. What?" Miyka'el asked. "Back up. Angelos? Here?"
"Yes. He came in to taunt me, but let us go, for some reason."
They noticed Fiore.
"What are you doing here?"
"Long story," Fiore said. That must have been the group's code for not wanting to talk about it.
Miyka'el turned his attention back to me. "Why is Angelos here, again?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "He didn't say, but he ordering people around like he owned the place. And oh, that reminds me, the Queen is away on business."
"Business?" Zale asked.
I nodded.
They turned their attention back to the mirrors.
"Well?" I asked.
"We found them," Zione offered.
"Yeah, I can see that. But now what?"
They looked at me.
"What?" I asked. "Oh, come on. I'm not the guinea pig." I sighed. "We should've brought Nam. I could've thrown him in. Or maybe I should go get Angelos."
"ALiCE," Aurick began.
"You really want me to go through those things? I thought we just going to get them, and go."
"I don't want to carry those things back only to find out they don't work," Miyka'el explained,
"Not to mention the trouble of sneaking them out of this place," Zione added.
"Forget it. Let's just go, okay? I don't want to be here, and I don't want to go back to WoNDeRLaND right now, okay? So let's go."
I turned to walk out, but a couple of the guys grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me back.
"What are you doing?" I screamed, fighting them off. I pulled myself away and ducked to escape them. I had only started my escape when I was hit by a strong relapse of the headache Nam had initiated earlier. I could hear the guys yelling and apologizing for being rough with me, saying they didn't mean it and they were just playing around, but it all quickly faded away as I passed out on the floor.