“The mortals of this world have a ledged about it.” Hazael said closing his eyes as they walked over the broken stones of what had once been a building. They had been brought to this place with rolling hills and bright green grass, growing amid the ruins of a city. “This city was once the site of a cult who worshiped the goddess of the under world, named Persephone and her mother Demeter.” Hazael paused. “They believed that this place held the chasm that Persephone fell into, pulled down by her husband to be, Hades… in short, they believed that this was the entrance to the under world, though none dared to go into its depths. The mortals of today dismiss such things, and the entrance is much too well hidden for their eyes to see anyway.”

“So… We’re going down there?” Tella asked. Nathanael shook his head.

“Hazael and I cannot. For us to go there would be an unforgivable act of treason.”

“But we can…” Tella said. Again Nathanael shook his head.

“Not you, but, it seems that these two,” he motioned to Will and Collin, “Have the wings of an unawakened within them, meaning they will be some what resistant to the power of the underworld, though,” he said seriously, “I would not recommend staying down there too long.” Will nodded.

“Okay.” He said.

“Also, I would not advise getting caught down there…” Nathanael sighed. “This is very dangerous.” Will slowly nodded.

“I understand.” He said. Nathanael watched him a moment, then shrugged.

“I hope you do.” He said.

“The cave here, behind this brush.” Hazael said showing them the cliff side, grown up with shrubs and small trees. Beyond the trees and shrubs, there was a jumble of rocks and crevasses. None of them looked like they were much deeper than a few feet, but the way Hazael was showing them, Will could see that one of the crevasses did seem to go in a bit deeper. He suppressed a shiver, realizing how narrow this cave would be.

“Collin, you’re staying here.” Will said. Collin’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth, about to let loose a string of curses just to prove to Will how wrong he was, however, he reconsidered, realizing the company they were in.

“I certainly am not!” he said instead. “Don’t think your going someplace like that alone! You really are an idiot!”

“That’s right!” Tella shouted, “Since it seems I can’t go,” she scowled angrily at Hazael and Nathanael, “someone has to go with you.”

“Don’t you worry about me.” Collin said. “I can handle myself. You know that.” Will frowned, still reluctant. Tella rolled her eyes.

“He’s going okay?” she said.

“Okay.” Will agreed. “Thank you Collin.”

“Don’t thank me. Come on, we’re wasting time.” He said and set off toward the crevasses.

“Be careful.” Tella said. “And come back with Fairien.” Will smiled.

“We will. Don’t worry.” And with that, they slipped into the brush and found their way back to the crevasses, disappearing within them.

 

 

Will has been right, the cave was narrow. He watched the walls, warily as they moved inward and outward, seeming to get smaller and smaller as they moved deeper in.

“I hope this doesn’t end up like the last cave we were in…” Collin said, following him. Unlike the last cave, this one did not have a flat floor. Instead it sloped steeply downward. The light was fading, but Will, having thought ahead this time, lit a small torch he had brought with him. They walked in silence and after a while noticed the walls widening until it wasn’t uncomfortable to walk anymore. Also, the noticed that unlike the other cave this one’s temperature stayed the same, warm and humid, as it had been outside. It was kind of hard to believe there was anything strange about this cave at all.

“Wait a second.” Collin whispered. Will paused.

“Hmm?” he asked. Collin frowned and squeezed past him, moving in front and walking ahead. “Hey, be careful,” Will said “Do you see something?”

“No, but I feel something.” Collin said quietly. “Like we were moved just now.”

“M-Moved?” Will asked. Collin nodded peering deeper into the darkness.

“I hear something.” He said. Will blinked. He could hear it too.

“Water…” he said quietly. Collin nodded and stepped ahead, walking into the darkness. Will followed quickly, trying to keep Collin in view.

“Will!” Collin hissed, “Put that light out!”

“What? But we won’t be able to see!” he whispered back.

“That’s better than being seen!” Collin said. Will inhaled, a nervousness settling in him now. Quickly, he put out the torch. They were plunged into darkness, but not for long. As Will blinked, he could feel his eyes adjusting, and oddly enough there was a dim light, though, he had no idea where it was coming from.
                “I think this tunnel opens up soon.” Collin said.

“Alright. But stay close. We don’t need to get lost down here, understand?” Will said. Collin nodded and they started off again. They hadn’t gone but a few steps when they turned a corner and the cave did indeed open up. Collin gasped, looking up, seeing the cave ceiling run away from them, towering up high above them.

“We’ve come this far down?” Will asked.

“We were moved, I told you. Must be like the warps back home.” Collin said. “And look!” he pointed ahead of them. There not five feet from them was the largest river Will had ever seen. The water was dark and looked icy and deep. There was no way around it.

“Do you have anything to pay with?” a voice asked, cutting across the air. Will gasped and turned, seeing a dark form looming over them.

“You!” Collin shouted. “What are you doing here?!”

“What do you mean?” Charon asked smoothly, stepping out of the shadows. “This is where I work.”

“W-W…” Will stuttered, ‘Wait a minute! What do you mean you work here?” Charon eyed him coldly.

“I carry the souls of the dead to the underworld. This is my function. In your world and in this one, though as of late, I have left the work of your world to my shadow.”

“And he betrayed us!” Collin spat. “He almost got us killed!”

“He is a power. Do not blame him for the will of another.” Charon said. 

“Wait… The will of another?” Will mused, “That’s right, he said he obeyed the most powerful force in that world… He told us it was me, but that wasn’t right. So, who is it?” Charon watched him, his eyes still cold.

“A being from this world, named Eros.” He answered. “Who, it seems has passed into your world. When we discovered it, it was too late. He had already done his damage.”

“Meaning?” Will asked.

“Meaning he disturbed the three unawakened, making it possible for corruption to find them.” He sighed, “You have come here seeking Michael. He was taken to the depths of the underworld and is there now. I tell you, do not waste your time and your life going after him. It is too late for him.”

“T-Too late? What are you talking about?” Will asked.

“It is too late. That is all.” Charon said. “You should return to your world and hope try to fight off the mischief that we have previously protected you from.”

“No.” Will said. “I’m going down there.” Charon watched him for a moment, his eyes cold again.

“Then you will need to pay me.” He said.

“Pay…?” Will asked. “With what?”

“Many use gold coins.” Charon replied. Will glanced at Collin uneasily.

“Do you have any money?” Will asked him. Collin frowned and dug into him pockets.

“I’ve got Arean Krests.” He reached out, showing Charon. Charon looked down at the money, then met Collin’s eyes. Slowly he sighed, taking two of the coins.

“Very well.” He said. “Get in.” and there behind him was the boat. Will gulped, seeing it. Once they were in, there was no turning back.

They got in the boat.

 

 

The water was still and they could hear the eerily quiet sounds of Charon’s oar, propelling them through the water. On either side darkness swam before them, stretching out infinitely.

Will jumped slightly as he felt the boat jerk to a halt, and realized they had hit the other shore. Charon stepped out, and steadied the boat for them, as the disembarked.

“I wish you luck.” Charon said quietly. “But I fear that you are doomed.”

 

 

“Miss Tella?” Nathanael said quietly, “I believe we have some news for you.” Tella blinked and turned to him. They had wandered away from the cliffs a little ways, though they were still visible. Tella had wanted to see the ruins and walk along the high rolling hills to feel the breeze. She had been looking out over the terrain, when she noticed Nathanael and Hazael standing very still, looking off into space.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re world is being stirred by a force beyond our control.” Nathanael said.

“The balance between the worlds is being disturbed and I’m afraid we cannot have that.” Hazael said. Tella blinked again, confused.

“What do you mean? W-Why didn’t you say something earlier?” she asked.

“We’ve only just gotten this information.” Nathanael said innocently. “This imbalance must be corrected, and we were wondering if perhaps you could help us. We know nothing about your world.”

“Um, yes… Yes of course, does that mean we’re going there now?” Tella asked. Hazael nodded.

“We must.” He said.

“What about Will and Collin? We can’t just leave!” Hazael and Nathanael started at her a moment, then shook their heads.

“If they come back and we aren’t here one of our kind will see to it that they are taken care of.” Nathanael said kindly. “We’ll make sure of it.”

“We really need to go however.” Hazael said. “In less you want your world in shambles.”

“No… No. I don’t want that.” Tella said.

“Alright then.” Hazael said.

 

 

Will and Collin were alone again, walking along another dimly lit cave, though now it almost seemed more like a hallway. Will frowned, remembering Charon’s almost pitying look he had given them as they left. That look had made him even more nervous.

The hall way wound downward, sloping even more. Collin frowned, feeling the air around them changing, though he couldn’t exactly say if it was getting hotter or colder. It was the most particular sensation he had ever felt when he became aware of a hand grabbing his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Will, but instead was met with the face of a stranger. He gasped in surprise and tried to jerk away, but the grip was strong. Will too was being held by one of these strangers. They were clad in robes, gray and indistinguishable with the shadows.

“What are living mortals doing in this place?” the one who held Collin asked. Will gritted his teeth, unsure of whether or not he should answer.

“That’s’ none of your business until you tell us who you are.” Collin said defiantly. His captor frowned.

“You must be stupid.” He turned to his companion, “Come on, let’s kill them. Then we can have some fun.” He turned, smiling at Collin. Collin growled, back away, cupping his hands.

“Take this!” he shouted and tried to throw a ball of magic at them. The two watched him, almost in confusion at what he was trying. Collin blinked, looking down at his hands. They held no magic.

“W-Wha…?!” he stuttered, trying to pull magic into his body from the air. None would come. Collin’s eyes met Will’s as they suddenly realized that Collin had no power here.

“Collin! Get out of here!” Will shouted, jumping forward and reaching an arm out. The two captors shouted, grabbing Will, but as they were devoting their attention to Will, Collin’s body began to glow. He looked up helplessly at Will, and realized that Will was doing this.

“N-No!” Collin shouted, but it was too late. He could feel his body moving. He closed his eyes, feeling sick as light and darkness swam before him and then a bright light seared through his vision. He cried out and fell, landing on soft grass. He groaned, feeling at last as though he had stopped. He sat up.

He was outside, near where they had come in.

“C-Collin?!” came Tella’s voice. He turned and squinted, his eyes unused to the bright outdoor light now. Tella, Nathanael and Hazael were running to him, helping him up.

“What happened?” Hazael demanded. Collin rubbed his head, trying to clear away the dizziness he was still feeling from his trip.

“W-We were approached by these people and…”

“Did you make it across the river?” Nathanael asked. Collin nodded.

“And what?” Hazael asked.

“And they wanted to kill us, so I tried to use magic, but it wouldn’t work.” He turned to Tella, “We can’t use magic in this world! Did you know that?”

“No!” Tella gasped. “Though, now that I think about it, when the wanderer came to our world she didn’t know anything about magic…”

“But anyway, when we saw that I couldn’t use magic, Will, sent me out.” He scowled, “It seems that he has no problem using magic.”

“Maybe that’s because he has the sword.” Tella pondered. “Or because Fairien is near?” Collin shrugged.

“Probably the sword.” He said.

“Sword?” Hazael asked. Collin nodded.

“Will has this really powerful talisman inside him, a sword, which is apparently part of Fairien, or Michael I guess you guys would call him.” Tella said. Hazael and Nathanael looked at each other startled. Hazael hit his forehead in frustration.

“He really does refuse to tell us the most important things!” he shouted.

‘What?” Collin asked.

“We just sent something really powerful to the underworld. That’s typically a bad thing to do.” Hazael said. “We thought he just had the wings inside him…” he sighed, looking a little disturbed.

“But he’s coming out.” Tella said. They paused a moment, not quite willing to meet her eyes.

“We should go to your world now.” Hazael said. Tella blinked looking at them angrily.

“He is coming out, isn’t he?!” she asked. Hazael regarded her a moment.

“That is up to him.” he said. “Come on, we have a lot to do.” He turned to Collin, “You’re coming too.”

“Eh, coming where? What’s going on?” he asked.

“We’re going back to our world.” Tella said. “To ‘correct and imbalance’.” Nathanael sighed.

“At least, we hope we can correct it.” He said.

“Ready yourselves.” Hazael said stepping in front of them. And they disappeared.

 

 

“Oww!” Will shouted as they pushed him. “Cut it out!”

“You cut it out!” his captors muttered, striking him again. When they had seen his display of power, they knew they better not kill him until they had taken this mortal to their superiors. Who knew? This mortal could be valuable. However, he was still a nuisance.
                “Walk faster!” one of them demanded. Will scowled.

“It’s dark! I can’t see!” he shouted.

“Well, you better walk and not fall off the path! Else you’ll be falling a good ways!”

“Shut up!” Will growled. His hands were tied and each of his captors had a hand on his shoulder, guiding him. They had come to a much more open area of the hall way and it seemed that on one side of the path there was a sheer drop off, leading down into darkness. Will tried not to look at it too carefully. As they had walked they had been passing other beings, looking much like Will’s captors. They looked like people, but once again Will had the distinct impression of them being something more. They wore the gray robes, and walked in groups most of the time, casting curious glances his way.

“Got a live one I see.” One commented as they walked past.

“Where are you taking me?” Will asked after a moment.

“To the cells.” One of them answered. “Until one of our superiors can have a look at you and decide whether you’re worth the trouble of keeping you alive.” He laughed. Will didn’t like that laugh.

As they were passing one of the other branching halls Will happen to look down it, and what he saw made him stop in his tracks.

“Fairien!” he shouted. Indeed, Fairien stood at the end of the hallway, speaking with some of the inhabitants of this place. Hearing his name called, Fairien’s head shot up, looking down the hall way.

“W-Will…?!” he muttered, his eyes transfixed by the sight of Will down the hall. Quickly abandoning his conversation, Fairien ran down the hall, after Will.

“Stop stop!” he shouted to Will’s captors. “What do you think your doing?! Let him go!” he said. They paused, unsure.

“Do as he says.” A voice said from behind Fairien. Will gasped, suddenly seeing Yash appear. The two captors nodded, and one began to untie him as the other stepped back.

“Michael, do you know this boy?” Yash asked. Before Fairien could answer Will shouted in outrage,

“Of course he knows me! You know that!”
                “Will?” Fairien asked looking at him, concerned, “Are you alright?”

“Of course I am! If these people would finish untying me!” he shouted. The gray robed beings glared at Will, pulling the final knot loose. Will jerked his hands in front of him, forming fists, and growled at Yash, moving in between him and Fairien.

“Stay away from him!” Will demanded, “You and the rest of your kind! I won’t let you harm him!” Yash looked slightly amused.

“Will, what are you doing?” Fairien asked. “Stop this, Yash is my friend.” Will turned to him, staring at Fairien in disbelief.

“No!” he shouted. “He can’t be! H-He’s tricking you! He must-” Will gasped, clutching his chest and began coughing.

“Will?!” Fairien cried out in alarm. Will felt suddenly dizzy and unable to breathe. He sank down, feeling his mind slip away from him. He tried violently to fight back, thinking in a panic that Yash must be doing this, however he felt himself loosing the battle.

Will’s body slumped, and would have fallen and hit the ground if Fairien hadn’t grabbed him and brought him down carefully.

“Yash!” Fairien shouted, “What’s happened?! What’s wrong with him?” Yash bent down, looking concerned, and touched Will’s forehead.

“It’s alright.” He said, “He’s just fainted. This place is over powering for mortals, that must have been why he was saying all those wild things.”

“Is he going to be alright?” Fairien asked. Yash nodded.

“When he wakes up I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He said. “Why don’t you take him to your quarters and let him rest. I think more than anything he needs a familiar face.” Yash smiled gently, “And perhaps you do too.” Fairien smiled at him, gratefully.

“Yes. I think so.” He said. “Thank you Yash.”

“Do you need help carrying him?” Yash asked.

“No. I got it.” Fairien said, hefting Will up into his arms. “Thank you again Yash.” He said, and walked away with Will heading off into one of the branches of hallways.

 

               

Poor Will^^ Poor Fairien…

 Well here are the answers to where they woke up:

Will woke up in a small English town. It could have been any of them really, but I modeled it after the town of Canterbury in south England (he went in Canterbury Cathedral, which is where Saint Thomas Becket was martyred).

Tella woke up in London (she hid in a London telephone booth^^)(Likewise, Nathanael’s bookshop is in London).

Collin woke up a bit farther away, in Germany.(The only clue to that was that the language was rough and resembled closely to Arean (btw, Hitler called the Germans “the Arean race”. That’s not where I got the name, but it was too much of a coincidence to ignore.)

Also, in case this wasn’t clear, the being that Will talked to (that Fairien was named after) was the archangel Michael.

                Eleusis is a real place. It’s about ten miles north of Athens in Greece and its true about the cult worshipers of Demeter once living there.

On a side note, the river they crossed into the underworld was the river Styx.

                Oh, and the wanderer was in Savannah, Georgia, USA (ha, bit of a change!) the Gyphon Tea House is a real place and has wonderful coffee.(White mocha forever!)

Hmm… I think that’s all.

*** Oh yes, thank you, eek, I got Persephone and Demeter mixed up (changed that). I think the people worshiped Demeter, but they did it at the site of where her daughter got sucked down into the underworld. Anyway, pictures of Eleusis are here: http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21103a/e211ca04.html ***