Nix Terra

Fall - 12

Lavender crept along the side of the building with her eyes set on a guard. She watched the ice creep along his feet and as soon as they were locked in place, she attacked. Lavender struck him swiftly on the back of his head, he was unable to turn and unable to fight back. Lavender put her hand over his mouth in case he cried out as she hit him.

Looking at the ice on the ground, Lavender knew she had made the right decision in bringing Finnikin along with her. His powers would prove useful after all. She looked up at Finnikin, who seemed extremely pale. He was actively working against his pacifist nature for the greater good, Lavender thought. It must have been so hard for him.

As soon as the guard was incapacitated, Lavender dragged him around the corner and hid his unconscious body behind a shrub. She wrapped his hands and ears inside his coat and then kicked some snow up to cover his legs, ensuring he wouldn't be found right away. She felt terrible leaving him there, but they had no choice.

Lavender crept back around the side of the building and joined Finnikin by the door. His gloved hand was positioned over the doorway, slowly using his ice magic to freeze the entryway open from the crack in between the two doors.

Condensation tendriled out of Finnikin's mouth as his lips moved in the form of an incantation.

The door suddenly cracked open in the same manner concrete cracks in the winter. They had their way in. As soon as the door opened, Lavender and Finnikin dove to the sides of the entryway in case some unknown enemy suddenly attacked. After a moment, Lavender checked to find if the entrance was clear. There was no one there.

Lavender gently patted Finnikin's shoulder as she walked past him into the door. "Good job, Finn." She searched the hallway for any more guards and, upon seeing it was clear, she waved Finnikin inside.

"How will you know where the control room for the bombs is?" Finnikin asked.

Lavender quickly put a hand over Finnikin's mouth and said quietly, "We need to stay as silent as possible." She waited for him to nod before removing her hand and explaining, "Mrs. Gesly told me there's a cell phone hidden behind the third wall panel in this hallway."

Finnikin responded in a much quieter voice, "That one?" The walls were plain white with grey panels every few meters acting as some sort of decor. Finnikin approached the third one from the door and attempted to pry it off. At first the panel did not move, but as Finnikin tried pulling it downward and then upward, it slid open. Behind the panel was a small compartment and, just as Mrs. Gesly had promised, there was a cell phone ripe for the taking.

Lavender reached in and removed the cell phone, turning it on while Finnikin replaced the wall panel. Her gloved hands fumbled with the phone buttons, they were much smaller than the buttons on the wall phones she was used to. Lavender wasn't even sure she had ever used a cell phone before, they just were not as accessible in the Below since technological advancements always reached the underground caverns later than their invention.

After struggling with the buttons and her thoughts for a moment, Lavender finally figured out how to access the most recent phone calls. She selected the first one and the phone began ringing.

Several painful seconds dragged on as the phone rang with no response. After the the fourth or fifth ring, someone picked up the line. A familiar voice asked, "Who is this?"

"It's me, Lavender."

"Good. You don't have a moment to spare. I can see your location through a tracker I have hidden in the phone." Mrs. Gesly's voice relayed.

Lavender made a small sound of acknowledgement.

Mrs. Gesly continued, "Now I need you to start heading down the hall you're in and take the last door on your left. It should be unlocked, but if it isn't, I have the access code. You need to hurry."