Into The Light

Chapter Thirty-Five

As they ran, Harley checked out their path. Then, he froze as he passed a door, suddenly jolting to a stop. This door was all too familiar. It was the door to the library he had visited when he first came to the Abyss. Gently, he pushed the door open, double-checking his conclusion. This was the one time he wished he was wrong, but it was too bad. Harley's suspicions were confirmed. Rahal was leading them straight to the demons.

"Barats, stop!" he hollered. Too late, the Dino Rider had already bounded way ahead. Not wanting to leave his friend behind, Harley barrelled forward as well, trying to catch up to Barats and warn him to stay away.

Alice rubbed her hands together gleefully as Balmond provided her with intel on the team's location. "Rahal is right behind me, and Barats is following him," he reported, quickly glancing over his shoulder and peeking behind the dinosaur. "That magician kid seems to have slowed down, though. Maybe he's waiting for his friends. Anyways, I am almost there, my queen."

"Good," Alice hummed, snapping her fingers and making the door swing open. "I trust you know the way. Do hurry, Lylia's waiting." At the sound of her name, Lylia turned and smiled evilly at the vampire queen, crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness. Alice grinned back, and together, they waited for the team of four.

"Barats, wait up!" Harley shouted furiously, throwing out his hat non-stop just to catch up. Finally, he got close enough for Barats to actually hear him. He slowed down enough for Harley to run to him, panting like a dog.

"What is it, jeez? Weren't we getting Rahal back? Can't it wait?" Barats said scornfully, evidently displeased.

Harley replied, "Not if you want to die. I recognise this trail! The last time I came, ghost Lylia brought me to Alice's throne room along this path." Barats' eyes widened in understanding and he gasped.

"Alice! I remember her! She rules over this place. In fact, she can probably see us now through those 'all-seeing' Blood Orbs of hers. But...why is Rahal leading us there?" he asked Harley, confused.

Harley shrugged. "Ask your dinosaur yourself. Actually, no," he paused, thinking. "Tell me all you know about these Abyssal Dinosaurs. I have a feeling..." Quickly, Barats filled him in, glancing in the escaping Rahal's direction all the while. A smile slowly formed on Harley's face, and he chuckled. "Smart one, Alice is," he muttered. "Now, you said you were being mentored in the Abyss, correct? What if the one Rahal smelled is your old mentor? It explains why he charged down the corridor without a moment's notice- he probably had bonded with him before."

Barats' jaw dropped. "Balmond, that's right! He's still here. I thought he was independent of Alice's rule, but I suppose you are probably right. Balmond is the one who gave me Rahal, and they were pretty close." Harley smirked, satisfied with himself.

"So, what do we do now?" Barats asked. Harley paused, pondering. Then he nodded, his jaw set.

"Let's go to Alice and see what she wants."