The Eye of Carly’s Hope: The Cave, Millie and Sandra: S04E08

Millie was drawn through the cavern by a soothing female voice, her feet gliding above the ground. The enchantment on her eyes, granting her cat-like night vision, held strong. Yet, she was so captivated by the voice that all she could perceive was a radiant white light, growing brighter with each step.

"Just follow my voice, Millie," the voice sang, "the Eye is near."

It's near, Millie thought, a flicker of unease disturbing her tranquillity. Something's wrong, she sensed, but the song's allure was irresistible.

As Millie approached the pool of white light, a surge of terror jolted her, and she stumbled to the ground. A flurry of black wings erupted from the light – bats! In a panic, Millie shifted into her dragonfly form, her spirit detaching and soared into the Ether.

She found herself before the cavern where Sandra's spirit was confined by the Bones. Disoriented at first, Millie soon heard distant drums. As she adjusted to her ethereal state, she spotted Sandra, pounding helplessly against an invisible barrier.

"Millie," Sandra cried, her voice unheard. "Help me!"

Millie signalled her understanding. She searched frantically for a way to break the barrier, but to no avail.

"I'll go find Grace," Millie signed, just as her spirit was abruptly pulled back into the cave. Sandra, witnessing Millie's departure, wept in despair.

"Sandra," Millie called out, "I'll come back for you. I promise."

***

Back in the cave, Millie was blinded by a cloud of dust. Bats swirled around her, and the once-beautiful voice now cackled with a chilling rasp.

"You'll never find the Eye," it taunted. "No one ever has. Why do you think you can?"

With a powerful flap of her wings, the bats vanished. As the dust settled, Millie declared, "Because I need my sister, and only the Eye can save her. I only want to borrow it. I'll bring it straight back."

"You and your kind," the voice sneered as Millie shifted back into her human form, "you think you can just take whatever you want... Well not this time, Maiden!"

"Maiden?" Millie questioned. "How'd you know... and where are you?"

"I am everywhere, Maiden," the voice replied, "I see everything, know everything."

"So," Millie ventured, "you're a god?"

An eerie silence followed.

"I might be," the voice rasped slyly.

"So, you're not a god then?"

"I am who I am and nothing more. Did I say I was a god? No! Did I say I wasn't a god? No!"

"Okay," Millie said, dusting herself off. "Well, while you're debating that, I have a quest to get on with."

"What?" The voice screeched. "You can't just leave. You must wait until I say you can."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Millie retorted, walking away. The last thing she heard was, "Come back here. I command you."

Free from the entity's grasp, Millie's cat-eye spell had faded, leaving her with only the faint glimmer of the gems to guide her.

***

Meanwhile, in the Ether, Sandra received an unwelcome visitor: Rhianna.

"Still here then? Good!" Rhianna sneered. "Now, tell me how to get your family's magic?"

"What?" Sandra stammered, tears welling up.

Rhianna seized Sandra's hair and glared into her eyes.

"Nothing... you're useless," Rhianna finally declared, shoving Sandra away. "The only good thing about you is your mum'll do anything to save ya. Not that she can."

Rhianna approached the Bones, her thoughts shielded from Sandra. Sandra had tried everything to interact with the Bones, but nothing worked. The Hobgoblin was in her physical body, leaving her spirit powerless.

Rhianna vanished, leaving Sandra alone once more. She thought of Millie, hoping she'd alert Grace to her location. But how long would that take? Sandra had no idea Millie was trapped in a cave, nor did she know the coven's situation. Even Grace, so close yet unreachable, was unaware of her presence.

Hopeless and lost, Sandra sat and cried.