Seekers of Fire

Chapter 12 - Black Market

Amelia came to a sudden halt as the shadows around her began to fade. She and Drake collapsed to the ground after losing their balance and she cursed at Lillian. Once she regained some balance, she thought about tackling the girl to the ground and landing some punches on her face.

"What the hell was that?" Amelia yelled as she rolled her hands into fists and started to stomp in Lillian's direction unsteadily. "I hope you don't mind me messing up your pretty face!"

The Asian girl rolled her eyes and yawned. "That my friend was shadow travel. You'll get used to the dizziness after a while."

"I think I'm going to puke," Drake announced as he grasped his belly, toppled to the side and threw up.

On the other hand, Magma looked unfazed from the shadow travel and seemed to be studying them silently with his arms crossed. Amelia figured that if Lillian called her huge friend to assist her, both she and Drake were screwed. Regardless, she still felt pretty angry.

"Let's get this straight: I'm not your friend!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could always get back at Lillian later when Magma was not around to watch. "Where are we?" Amelia asked as her eyes scanned the dark surroundings.

They were in a large cave, with lamps here and there to provide some light. The rocky ground felt unstable and the lamps formed a path that led deeper into the dark cave. In a strange way, the setting felt familiar to her.

"We are at the entrance to Crimson Caverns. It is the secret base of our organisation and not even the government knows of our location," Lillian said proudly. "Now follow me as you will be meeting my boss soon."

With no other choice, Amelia followed Lillian and Magma deeper into the cave. She walked beside Drake and was tempted to grab his arm or even hold his hand but thought against it. She was glad to have him back and did not want to complicate their relationship as best friends any further. Even if it was now no secret between them that she had a crush on him.

Pushing aside thoughts of the night she had confessed to him and embarrassed herself, she walked faster and caught up with the two strangers. "Who is your boss exactly? And what does he want?"

"Let's just say our boss is a very powerful man who does not take no for an answer. My advice is that you listen carefully to what he has to say and show him some respect," Lillian replied sharply.

Amelia considered making a run for it with Drake but realised that she had no idea on how to get out of this place. She decided to keep her mouth shut and see what this man had to offer. Within minutes of walking, the scenery around them began to change and the atmosphere became a lot warmer. They were still in the large caverns but instead of lamps to provide light, there were now large pools of lava all around them.

Drake seemed to keep his distance from the lakes of fire and walked cautiously in the centre of the rocky path. Amelia frowned as she then remembered why the place had seemed so familiar. It's the place from my nightmare... the one with that woman and the huge wave of lava that had glowing golden eyes, she thought to herself grimly. She shuddered at that thought and kept a lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

"I have a bad feeling about this place," she whispered to Drake, who nodded at her with a wary expression.

They soon reached the end of the rocky path where an endless sea of lava was all that could be seen ahead of them. Magma, who had been quiet the whole time, took a bold step forward and stretched out both hands towards the vast lake of fire. Amelia watched with amazement as the lava three metres in front of them began to subside and stairs made of rock appeared just after the end of the path. It seemed to lead deeper into the Earth and Amelia and Drake exchanged glances.