(Character image: Valaeri Onyx)
I hold a hand up while I wipe the tears from my eyes. Valaeri is still trying to regain composure. In between bated breaths, I say,
"That was...so damn good, Valaeri. Remind me to give you less...night shifts. That was simply legendary."
"Now, that is definitely worth the risk I just took. It's all thanks to you," I hear her huff at Nyx.
Judging by the look on the other three's faces they still have no clue about what we are laughing about so I do them the curtesy of showing the cover of the book.
This time, all three of them burst laughing. Meanwhile, Mr Shadows continues to sulk in his chair. Oh, well. We all sacrifice something to be here. It's not my fault our friend here decided to sacrifice his reputation. Haters going to hate.
Once we have all regained the ability to inhale without wheezing, I dust myself and stand up to speak. We need to get this meeting going. For the Three Goddesses' sake, we haven't even talked about what I needed to say.
"Anyway, all fun and games aside, you are all well aware of the fact that due to The Necklace of Eris being stolen somehow from the Palace of Pits, the balance between Amon, The Middle Lands and Elysium has been broken."
A nod from Yrene confirms for the rest of the team and I know they are listening to me with all ears. I continue,
"And that dæmons from Amon are being released into The Middle Lands. As we know, only smaller ones are able to escape now since the portal isn't big enough to let out stronger ones but we must close it so that the portal doesn't widen and allow any high ranking dæmons out. We need to make an action plan to recover that necklace and put it back to where it came from. Also repair any damages to the bridges as well as the balance." Nyx shifts in his seat. Inwardly, I frown but I dismiss the thought.
"It seems pretty complex, but considering our capabilities, and you know I trust you guys with my life, this is something I bet we can do. Albeit it's on a much larger scale than we have tackled before, but we can do it. I know we can. We only need to carefully consider everything from every angle and make sure we don't make mistakes or else all the responsibility will be on our shoulders." I grimace. "I don't know about you but I wouldn't want the weight of the world-Amon, three different worlds- resting upon my shoulders for an eternity so let's make this efficient. What do you think?"
A heavy silence blankets the room. It is clear the gravity of the situation has started to settle in and I know that this is the part where we will start to doubt ourselves more than ever before. Is it just me or is the room getting a little stuffy? Aether locks eyes with me.
"Do we know who stole the necklace? Any intel? Leads?"
Of course, we have to start off from any leads that might give us a clue as to who, where and why this person is causing so much havoc. I can see my brother's clogs working inside his brain because he's scrunched his brows so tight they look like they were knitted together.
"No, both Nyx's men and Orphy's guys looked for the person and the necklace itself but they couldn't find them. It's like they disappeared completely off the grid right after stealing the artefact. No intel, no leads."
I scowl.
The fact that the two stealthiest, talented and renowned info-gatherers in all three realms couldn't find anything means that this person is taking this seriously. And that doesn't help my rising nausea as the events pile up. I unconsciously start chewing on my lower lip.
"I don't understand how someone could get into one of the most highly secured places in Amon; then steal it without being seen, heard or even detected their presence and simply walked off the face of all the dimensions." Orpheus says without looking towards me, staring at his hand twirling one of his many small knives placed all across on his body. He does that when he's deep in thought. He's not bothered of the deathly sharp weapon he is currently holding- that has probably been used to kill dozens of people. No, the knife is simple an extension of his body, something second-nature to him, something safe and comfortable.
