The Birdcage

To See And Be Seen

They were in a cave- part of The Caves of Reflections, Nyx realised with surprise, as the walls were formed of the same otherworldly pale silver-blue crystal- but it was a chamber she'd never seen before.

Before them, a wall of glowing magma boxed in one end of the cavern, the burning stones flickering lazily as they radiated intense heat into the space which Nyx could somehow feel, whilst at the same time knowing it was just a phantom of a sensation and not really there at all.

Two figures stood in the cave, silhouetted dark against the firey glow.
The first was an inexplicably tall woman, clothed in a long russet dress and shrouded in a dark woven shawl. In the magma-light, her hair gleamed red under the makeshift hood.
The second woman was strong but slight, dressed in all black, black hair cut short up to her chin.

Doctor Montgomery's wife.

"It appears to have been a success." Said the woman in the shawl. In her hands glinted a metal object wrapped in cloth, which she held out to Montgomery's wife; in the flickering light, Nyx saw her long, talon-like nails appeared as if made of stone.

"It worked." The second woman breathed . Taking it, she admired the piece before closing the cloth around it. "This is for me to use?"

A sly smile crept across the red haired woman's lips. "It's for someone to use."

"To take my revenge?"

"... To level the playing field."

With a nod, Montgomery's wife turned and left; both Nyx and the red haired woman watched her go.
When suddenly, the woman snapped her head around, and Nyx came face to face with a pair of intense golden eyes. "I know you're watching."

Nyx jolted with a yell of surprise and suddenly she was back in Doctor Montgomery's office; snapped back to reality and out out of the surface imprint of the past.

The woman had looked right at her. That had never happened before.

There was a sound of metal clanging against the wooden desk as she jerked and quickly she looked down. Her mouth fell open in surprise at what she saw. From what had previously been the silver crucifix had sprung a blade- somewhere between the length of a long knife or a short sword, glowing softly in her hand. Down the centre of the blade ran a vein of familiar silvery-blue crystal, like a jagged lightening bolt.

Startled, Nyx quickly dropped it back onto the desktop; she eyed it warily for few moments before suddenly the blade retracted back into the cross, making her jump in fright.

All of a panic, Nyx scrambled back to her seat, to wait for Doctor Montgomery's return.