Disclaimer: I am not Lynne Ewing, nor do I own any of her magnificent ideas.
Author's Note: Yay! Another update! I really am trying…. please enjoy! This one may be slightly shorter… but I'm trying to update quicker, so hopefully that works :) R&R everyone! This one is for Cheyenne... :)
They were inside the Follower Camp.
The outside gate had been deceptive. As soon as the gate closed behind them, the scene shifted and the illusion faded away. Gone were the rows upon rows of huge houses. Gone were the carefully manicured lawns and landscaped front yards. Instead, Castrata and Ariasti found themselves on the top of a huge hill, overlooking a large valley. Inside the valley, Castrata could see the huge, expensive houses, and the Follower's stores that catered to their needs. But the streets were twisted, turning, and unusual. The entire valley was an enormous maze.
Streets twisted this way and that, and from their vantage point on the hill, Castrata could vaguely discern where the center of the maze was. It was miles away, twinkling brilliantly in the starless night.
Starless night? Castrata frowned. There was no moon tonight, but despite that she had seen hundreds of stars in the air just minutes ago, before she'd walked in the gate.
They were in the middle of another illusion.
Castrata swore under her breath. They were going to have to temporarily disable the illusion, so that they could at least tell where they were going. For all she and Ariasti knew, they were inside the Atrox's home this very minute. Crap.
Carefully, she reached her mind out to Ariasti's. Ari, what do you see?
Ari glanced at her. Why? A huge ocean, stretching out for miles with an island in the center… but how are we going to get there?
Castrata shook her head. The fact that they were both seeing separate things meant that the illusion wasn't of the highest quality, which was definitely a good thing for both of them. Well I see a huge maze, the center of which is miles away. It's an illusion. I'm going to need your help to break it.
Can you do that? Ari wanted to know. Castrata nodded. Okay, Ariasti thought, what do you need me to do?
Just lean on me with your strength, Castrata said, give me something to hold onto if the illusion becomes too much.
Ariasti nodded her consent.
Close your eyes, Castrata commanded, and Ariasti did.
Quickly, Castrata closed her own eyes and let her mind drift. Now that she was concentrating, she could feel the cobwebs of magic in her mind—the illusion doing its work. She frowned. What to do? She could easily sweep the cobwebs out, effectively destroying the illusion, but she knew that was only in a worst-case scenario. If she disabled the illusion completely, the Followers would know something was up. And that was last thing she wanted.
Carefully, Castrata concentrated. There had to be a way to distance oneself from the illusion, otherwise the Followers would have the same problem. Suddenly, an idea came to her. Meticulously, she slid a fine sheet of her own magic between the illusion and herself, effectively blocking out the power of the illusion. There. It was still present, but it would not effect her. Quickly, she did the same to Ariasti.
Okay, you can open your eyes now.
Castrata and Ariasti opened their eyes in unison. The place they saw was nothing like either of the previous illusions. The houses were large, yes, but they didn't look like they belonged in a suburb. These houses were old mansions, dark and foreboding. The streets turned this way and that at odd angles, as if to mock the idea of a maze, but everything was well-ordered. And silent.
Why was everything silent?
Castrata turned her head this way and that, trying to see beyond the dense shadows that inhabited the night. The thought crossed her mind that the shadows were really Immortals, and she stiffened, before remembering that she was Lizolet, and that if there were Followers nearby, she would have sensed them.
How are you? She asked Ariasti.
Fine, Ariasti answered, but this place gives me the creeps!
Castrata privately agreed, but didn't say anything. Now was the time to follow through with their plan. They had to find one of the Follower hang-outs, and then try to get some information out of them.
Suddenly, a shadow descended from the air, materializing next to them. It was Tymmie.
Author's Note: Hoo-ray! Now review please! :)