"Okay wait," Spade held up a hand, cocking one of her eyebrows. "Who?"

Kane looked as if he was sick of explaining the same information over and over. "Opaque, the leader, ruler, magnificent queen. Yada yada." He rolled his eyes and kept walking, his shoes echoed out into the dark hallway. It felt damp but they were indoors and it was dry. Another failed climate control experiment?

"Whatchu talking about? I'm my own boss last time I checked." Spade scoffed, her nose held triumphantly in the air as if she was free and...not a prisoner.

"Well you may need to check again real soon." Kane snarled. He didn't have time for games with the smart mouthed one. Spade her name was? Eh, it didn't matter anyway. "Your attitude isn't doing you any favors."

"Well you may need to check again real soon," Spade mimicked low enough for only her and Jasper to hear. (Jasper could only hear because he was six inches away from her face.) They couldn't help but chuckle, even if only a tiny bit.

Amaya had a thought and then piped up. "If Kiyon's been here for a while, why does he need to be at this...meeting?" She scratched her chin. Frankly, she was surprised that she hadn't thought to ask that already. It was a bit shady.

"That's none of your business right now," Kane said simply.

"Oh, but it will be in a few minute-" Amaya was cut off by a hand swiftly smacking her across the face. It threw her entire head to the side resulting in an impromptu hair flip. "Euh!" Amaya inhaled sharply after straightening herself, she brushed her welting cheek with a free hand.

"Enough questions. I'm sure Kiyon's whereabouts are the least of your worries."

What's that supposed to mean? Kane couldn't possibly know what was going on, could he? No, that's not what he meant. But, it made Amaya think, she hadn't been in the conscious world for quite some time, would she ever be able to go back? She missed it.

She hated to admit it but she missed her mom, her dad. She even missed Sparrow and Robin despite all of their many differences.

The small group of children, and the single adult, came up to a grand wooden door. It seemed ridiculously out of place to be in the damp feeling stone hallway. But no one was quite stupid enough to confront Opaque on something as silly as her choice in decoration. (Which, in Kane's opinion, was awful. But he wasn't going to risk his skin bringing it up.)

"You guys are ready right?" Kane's tone implied that a simple 'no' obviously wasn't an answer choice.

Spade was the first to speak up, but in a weak voice. It wasn't like her. "If not now, when?" She shrugged her shoulders.

Kane pulled open the wide door, he almost winced as it creaked loudly. The deafening sound 42nd out. "After you," he said. As much as he disliked criminals, he, deep down, felt bad for the kids. He didn't see them as criminals, especially Kiyon. He knew Kiyon was innocent.

They marched inside almost in a single file line. Their shoulders slumped, but not as much as Kane's when he brought up the rear. He...he knew he wasn't going the right thing. He...he knew it.

Once inside, they were suddenly in a futuristic throne room. Everything was fashioned from wonderful patterns of diamonds and spheres. The ceiling had a crystal chandelier that hung low, almost dangerously so. It stopped directly above a throne. The thrones back was to the group but it looked as if it was made of pure quartz crystal. Milky quartz maybe?

When the door closed behind them, as if on cue, the throne swiveled around.

"Hello my dahlings! I've waited too long!" A loud, rich voice echoed around. It came from a woman, most likely Opaque.

"Waiting?" Amaya repeated under her breath. What was that supposed to mean?

"Please hold all questions dahling. I'll answer them later if there's time." Opaque said with a thick, transparent sweetness in her voice.

Amaya was a bit confused as to how the woman heard her, but what wasn't confusing the last couple of days?

"Now," Opaque continued, she had a glass full of clear liquid she was swirling in her left hand. "Kane honey, please escort everyone out, except for this one right here." She outstretched a finger to point at Amaya.

"Y-yes ma'am," Kane stuttered, he didn't have the boldness to meet her gaze. Spade snickered a little at that. The man who was so quick to act so tough was about to shake out of his skin.

Kane took Kiyon by his hand and motioned for the other two to follow them. Wordlessly, they all left the throne room, but Kane made them hover outside in case they would be needed for anything further.

"Now, dahling, tell me," She took a long sip of her drink. Was it wine? "What's on your mind?" Her accent was a rare one, it sounded like it was English or British, but with the slightest hint of Australian. She leaned forward attentively, as if she knew something Amaya didn't.

"Where do I even start? Who are you?" Amaya asked. If she got the same answer she had  already been getting, she was pretty sure she was going to yank a tuft of hair from her head. "Just a couple of weeks ago, I had never heard of you."

"Of course not dahling," Opaque smiled, her light shade of blue lipstick sparkled as she did so. "No one had heard of me for at least a century. And if it wasn't for your ignorance I would still be trapped away!"

Suddenly, Opaque's eyes went milky white. Once the color came back, the sight was a bit unsettling, she opened her mouth to speak. "...Well Amaya, it looks as if our time here is up. I'll explain more when you get back here kay?"

"Wha-" Amaya started but before she could ask she was gone. Instead of a throne room, she awoke in her plush bed, wide-eyed and sweaty.