There were recent wheel tracks in the road, which meant that humans had come near here, not long ago.
A bit further on they found a few white bones, stripped clean, which meant that humans would not be a problem.
"Halt! Answer me these riddles three, 'ere the other side ye see." A voice called, though the forest was empty.
Cilan stopped, staring around in confusion. "The other side of what? The road's right here."
The voice sighed. "All right, you're gonna have to work with me here. Just-Oh, never mind!" A sphinx jumped onto the road, sitting down in front of them. Her head was human, but she had the body of a lioness, and a pair of white, feathery wings on her back.
"To continue down this road, you must correctly answer my riddle." She winked at them. "Normally it would be three riddles, but I just ate, so I'll let you off easy."
Cilan glanced at a pile of bones, again stripped clean like before. He unconsciously backed away slightly.
"Hey! Sweetcheeks, c'mon over here and untie me, I'll show you a good time." Hediru spoke up, grinning suggestively.
The sphinx rolled her eyes. "Ugh. So not my type."
Cilan glared at the manticore. "What's your riddle than, Sphinx?" He asked crossly.
The sphinx sat and groomed a foreleg, catlike. "I have a name, you know."
"Don't tell me we have to guess your name!" Cilan groaned.
"Hmmm...Nah, I'm not Rumplestiltskin. It's Ankou, actually. Now, on to the riddle!" She paused, probably for dramatic emphasis, and Cilan stomped his hoof impatiently.
"Get on with it!" He said.
"Hmmph. Fine then." She cleared her throat, sat up straighter, and finally began. "What animal walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three at night?"
Cilan eyed the human bones again. "Your lunch, apparently." He muttered. "Uh, I mean, humans."
Ankou smiled. "How very true. Humans crawl on hands and feet as babes, they walk erect as adults, and they lean on a stick when they are old." She wrinkled her nose. "Not a very good lifestyle, in my opinion."
Cilan grinned. "I agree. At least we centaurs walk on four legs our whole lives." He said, and stomped a hoof in demonstration.
Ankou giggled. "Well, you correctly answered the riddle. You and your hogtied young friend may continue now."
"Oh!" Cilan said as he remembered why they had come in the first place. "We came to find you. We heard you have a spell that can take us to the underworld."
The sphinx cocked her head. "Now you're talking business. Let me guess, you want to go to the underworld to save a friend of yours, probably killed by the guy you're dragging behind you. Am I right?"
Cilan stared at the sphinx in shock. "How did you know that?"
Ankou just grinned and shook her head. "You'd be surprised how many people want to save their mates, or friends, or obscure relatives. Besides, I can't think why else you would be dragging a manticore behind you."
"So...Can you help us?"
The sphinx began to groom again. "I could. But it'll have to cost you."
"Not more riddles." Cilan begged.
"Nah, that's just for entertainment. After 3,000 years, you get bored easily. Anyway, I accept food, favors, or shiny trinckets as payment for my services."
"Uh...I'm afraid we don't have anything to pay you with, Ankou." Cilan said.
Hediru decided to speak up again. "Hey, if you untie me, I'll give you one night with me."
Ankou hissed and struck him with the sharp claws on her paw. "Not in your dreams!"
Cilan glared at the manticore warningly, then turned back to Ankou as she began to talk again.
"Hmm...I know! I'll take you to the underworld if you let me go with you." She proposed.
Cilan blinked. "Alright. But, why would you want to come with us?"
"You wouldn't believe how boring life gets after 3,000 years." She grinned.
"Yeah, well I bet the underworld's twice as boring." Hediru grumbled.
Cilan and Ankou ignored him. "C'mon, the spells are all in my house." The sphinx said as she led Cilan into the forest.
"Hey! What about me? I'm still tied up!" Hediru cried after them.
"Coffee?" Ankou asked, somehow managing to hold a mug in her paw.
"No thanks." Cilan said. He stared at the interior of the cave that Ankou called home. It hardly looked like a cave at all. The walls were completely covered by bookshelves, filled with books.
"Okay then. Let's see...Which book has the spell to the underworld?" Ankou muttered to herself as she browsed through the books. "Ah hah! Here it is!" She said, lifting up a large, ancient-looking book.
"There's a spell in that book that will take us to the underworld?" Cilan asked.
"Hmm? Oops. No, this is just a cookbook." She said, and tossed it aside as Cilan sighed. "Ah! Here it is! I'm sure of it this time!" Ankou held up a smaller book in her paw and opened it. "Hmm...here."
The sphinx nodded and closed the book. "Alright then, I think we're ready to go."
"Good. Come on then, I need to save Saeryph!" Cilan stomped a hoof impatiently.
"Hold your horses! Er...no offense. Grab your bound friend outside and we'll leave."
They could hear Hediru complaining outside. "Hey! I can't feel my paws! C'mon, will someone untie me!? I'm gonna die of starvation!"
The sphinx and centaur glanced at each other. "Are you sure you want to take him with us?" Ankou asked.
"Yeah. Don't worry, if he gets too annoying we can always leave him down there." Cilan answered.
"Well, you know, Hades doesn't like to give up a captive without a trade." They glanced at each other again and snickered.
"Hey! What are you two laughing about? Come on, untie me! Please?"
Ankou ignored him and began to chant in a strange language. Suddenly, a wave of light engulfed the trio, and they disappeared.