by Jen McConnel
The fairy looked sad. “What if you knew that your friend was beyond your reach?”
I sucked in my breath. “Is she?”
With a shrug, the fairy studied my face. “What if she were?”
I thought for a moment, sorting through my jumbled thoughts. “Then I guess I need to find Marcus. He might be able to help.”
The fairy looked at me sideways. “But is this what you truly want? To help the one who threatens your power?”
“How do you know any of this?”
She laughed, a tinkling sound like an antique music box. “What I know does not matter. What you want is all that is important.”
I gave her a hard look. “I want to help my friend. And I want to stop Hecate from destroying the world.”
The stream grew turbulent, and the sun dimmed. When I looked up, I saw threatening clouds blotting out the blue sky.
“You must take care with your words, Darlena. What mortal has the right to question the gods?”
I was so shocked by her words that I barely registered the fact that this fairy knew my name, too. “You can’t possibly want the world to end, can you?”
Combing her hair with her fingers, the fairy stared off into space. “Once, my people walked above ground. We were driven beneath the earth by your kin, by the mortals who have since destroyed the world they took. So you are wrong,” she stared hard at me and I backed up a step, “to assume that the Fey would not wish to see mortals fall.”
Nervously, I looked around, but we were still alone. “Then why did you offer to help me?”
She smiled. Her teeth were wickedly sharp. “I never said I would help you. I said I would tell you what to do now.”
The fairy didn’t move, but I held up my athame, still in its sheath. She winced slightly.
I forced my voice to sound strong, but I was frightened. “Tell me how to get out of here, and then leave me in peace.”
“Look behind you for a count of one hundred. Then you will see the way.”
Skeptical, I glanced over my right shoulder. “How can I trust you enough to turn my back?”
She bared her teeth. “You can’t.”
Right. I didn’t trust the creature, but I didn’t have any other choice. Taking a deep breath, I turned my head and began to count slowly. My voice shook, and when I reached “ten” I unsheathed the knife. This time, the sucking sound was loud and directly behind me, and I had to fight the urge to turn and look for the river fairy. She’d gotten awfully close to me while I was counting, but I thought that with the knife I should be safe.
I kept counting, even though the fairy was gone. I didn’t want to spoil whatever spell she’d started, especially if it was my one chance to get out of here. When I reached ninety-nine, the air around me shimmered like campfire smoke, and when I said, “One hundred,” there was a low chime like a distant church bell. Slowly, I turned around.
Where the stream had stood was a stone gate. Unlike the entrance to Annwn, this was freestanding in the field. It had a square lintel, and the two columns supporting it were carved to resemble flames.
Vaguely, I remembered that Izzy’s Seeming had said something about the Otherworlds being connected, and I had a feeling this gate would transport me out of Annwn. Where it would take me, however, was a mystery. Holding my athame in my hand, I stepped toward the gate. I closed my eyes and whispered a prayer to Persephone that this gate would serve me better than the last one.
The gate took me to a dark, subterranean chamber. I could still see the fairy hills of Annwn behind me through the gate, but the image was fuzzy, as if I were looking at an unfinished painting. When I turned around, darkness stretched ahead of me. I pulled out the crystal sphere once more and let my eyes get accustomed to the dim glow before I started to walk into the darkness. The sound of dripping water echoed off the rocks around me, and my footsteps sounded loud in the void. Gradually, I became aware of a red flash in the distance, and I sped up.
The dark chamber gave way to a huge cavern., and everything in the cavern was bathed in red light. I blinked for a moment, and then I realized that my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. My senses tingled, and I groped blindly for Red magic, but it was out of reach. I could feel it, but it was like trying to catch a fish: it kept slipping out of my grasp. Panicked, I unsheathed my knife and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. I hadn’t been able to use magic in Annwn, but I hadn’t felt as threatened there as I did now, even with the crazy Fey.
The cavern pulsed with power, and what I saw almost made me turn and run back the way I had come. In the center of the cave, Marcus was perched on a stalagmite. The tip of the rock dug into his lower back, and his spine curved like a beach ball. He was bound and gagged, and his head lolled dangerously to one side. I moved quietly across the vast cavern, my eyes darting around to see if this was a trap. I couldn’t see anyone besides Marcus, but I was wary.
For a moment, I stood beneath him, wondering what to do. Marcus was unconscious, his breathing low and heavy. I reached up to try and pull him down, but my fingertips barely grazed the edge of his body. The soft sound of water filled the cavern, and I gritted my teeth, trying to focus.
I noticed a large rock sitting near the stalagmite. I hopped up on it and leaned forward. Grabbing hold of Marcus’s feet, I tugged gently. I thought I could move him an inch at a time, slowly. Instead, I was crushed under his sudden weight as his body flew off the tip of the stone. Electricity flowed through me, zapping my skin everywhere Marcus’s body touched me. I struggled to get out from under him, but the tingling sensation took a minute to fade. Gingerly, I poked his stomach with my finger.
He groaned, but didn’t open his eyes. I leaned forward.
“Marcus,” I hissed in his ear, “wake up!”
“Izzy?” he mumbled, his eyes still closed.
“No. Darlena.”
He cracked his eyes and glared at me. “Why aren’t you dead?”
Rattled, I stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“She said you would be dead if you entered. That, or you’d be too much of a coward, and that you’d go home in defeat.”
His words made no sense. “Who said?” Quickly, I untied the ropes that bound his wrists.
“Cerridwen.”
I felt a chill run down my arms at the mention of his patron. “She did this to you?”
He struggled to sit up. “Remove the desire, and the problem will disappear. You wanted me. We thought if I were gone, you’d go.”
“We.” My voice was flat. “You’ve been working against me all along.”
He hesitated. “At first, yes.”
“This is how she rewards good behavior?” I gestured to the rock and snorted. “I’m glad she’s not my patron!”
Marcus glared at me. “She has every right to punish my disobedience however she chooses.” He rubbed his wrists, trying to get his circulation back, and I watched him intently.
“How did you disobey her?”
He didn’t look at me. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re here, and I owe you. Although I’m not sure how you even got here.”
“What do you mean?”
“You shouldn’t be able to move through the Otherworld. You haven’t been trained.”
Ignoring him, I gestured to the rock. “What else was she going to do to you?”
He grimaced. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Were you going to help me?”
He looked away, but his silence spoke volumes.
“Well, now you can. I’m trying to find Izzy.”
His eyes flashed. “What happened to my sister?”
I sat back on my heels. “I don’t know. But we’ll find her.”
He shook his head, mumbling something I couldn’t make out.
“What?”
His eyes opened and met my gaze. “I said if she’s hurt, you’re dead.”
“You already said that. Back in Edinburgh.” I used my athame to cut the bonds around his ankles.
“In fact, you said it more convincingly the first time.”
Marcus flexed his muscles and grunted. “We better move.”
“Can you even stand up?”
He wobbled a bit, but he stood in one try. “We have to leave. Now.”
I nodded and turned toward the tunnel, but I froze. Passageways led off in every direction like the spokes of a wheel, and they all looked exactly the same. Marcus saw my expression and turned pale.
“You don’t know the way out, do you?”
“Don’t get arrogant with me! I rescued you, didn’t I?”
He snorted. “Some rescue. Did you have a plan at all, or are you just winging it?”
I studied the tunnels, trying to spot something that would guide us. “Stop complaining. We have to get out of here. Then you can go back to hating me.”
Finally, he shrugged. “Then let’s get out of here.”
“Do you have any suggestions?”
He stared at the tunnels. “This is the Otherworld, right?”
I nodded.
He closed his eyes and creased his brow in concentration. “I think I remember learning something about the different worlds. How they’re layered.”
“What, like a cake?”
He chuckled. “Sort of. They all exist simultaneously, and it should be possible to travel from one directly to another.”
I didn’t want to tell him I’d already done that. I balked at the idea of going back to Annwn. “How is going to another Underworld going to help us?”
He lifted his eyebrow. “You did an awful lot of bragging about the Greek Underworld.”
Realization dawned on me. “You think Hades would help us?”
“He’s helped you before, right?”
I nodded slowly, thinking about it. “So we have to get from here to the Greek Underworld.” How in the world am I supposed to do that?
Marcus shrugged. “Unless you have another suggestion.”
I shook my head and looked around for another gate. Idiot. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. With a sigh, I took out the crystal sphere that Hades had given me. Marcus looked at it and took a step backward. He licked his lips nervously.
“What?” I looked from him to the sphere. “It’s just a rock.”
“It’s powerful. Can’t you feel it?”
I shook my head, confused. “What do I do now?” I asked, hating the helpless tone in my voice.
“I don’t know. Maybe if we both focus on Hades?” He glanced at me curiously. “What’s it like there?”
“It’s underground, like this, but not warm. There are gems in the walls, raw, uncut gemstones, and precious metal like graffiti on every surface. And there’s a river.” I spoke slowly, my voice dropping into the low tones of trance. I was barely aware when Marcus reached out his hand and covered the crystal with it. The cavern spun, and we were plunged into blackness.
***
I blinked, confused. We were in a dark cave with a sluggish river, but I knew right away this wasn’t the Greek Underworld.
Marcus looked around expectantly. “Shouldn’t that three-headed dog be around here somewhere?”
A voice laughed. “Not here, boy.”
We turned to face a beautiful woman leaning beside a wooden door.
Marcus looked at me. “That’s Persephone?” he whispered.
I shook my head, and fear began to spread over his face.
“Where are we?”
The woman snorted, not looking at us. “You could ask that of me, boy. The girl does not know. It would be wise to be gracious toward your host.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be rude. Where are we?”
“You are in my realm. It and I share a name. Can you guess that name?”
I stared at the woman. Was this another fairy playing a trick on us?
She snarled, reading my mind. “Do not compare me to those flimsy folk. My people are much stronger, much more powerful, than a fairy could ever hope to be.”
Okay, not a fairy. Probably a goddess, then; Aphrodite had been able to read my mind, and it seemed like Hecate could, too. I stared at the woman intently. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Who are your people, Lady?” Marcus asked respectfully.
The woman cackled. “Ask the girl. She knows.”
Marcus glanced at me, his eyes clouded. “What is she talking about?”
“I have no idea! I thought we were going to Hades, but this isn’t right.”
“This isn’t right,” she mocked. “How right you are, girl! It isn’t right that I am disrespected at my own gate. You dare to travel in my realm, and yet you refuse to answer my question?” She swelled in size, towering over us, and for the first time she looked straight at me. I shuddered. Half of her face was the beautiful face we’d seen, but the other half was carved with age like a ragged crone. Her fiery eyes blazed at me, and I felt my memory stir.
“Have I met your family?” I asked cautiously.
“My father offered you a bargain. A bargain which you refused. I do not like it when my family is insulted.” Her eyes burned into mine, and I took a step back, feeling cold.
“He didn’t mention your name.”
She laughed wildly, still looming before us. “Why should he? All men know my name. I am Hel.”
“Hell indeed,” Marcus muttered to me, pulling me back another step. “Who’s her father?”
I looked at him, frightened, and whispered, “Loki.”
Hel laughed and both sides of her face contorted. “That’s right, boy; my father is the master of chaos. And this girl dared to spurn his offer of friendship.”
My stomach twitched in fear, but I couldn’t help myself. “He didn’t offer me friendship. He offered a bargain, like you said.”
The goddess stepped closer to me. I couldn’t take my eyes off her wrinkled skin.
“Give me one reason why I should not destroy you this moment?” she hissed.
Marcus jerked my arm, pulling me back. “We don’t mean you any harm!”
At the same moment, I said, “Because I want to take your father up on his offer.”
Marcus stared at me and Hel laughed, but her eyes looked uncertain. “A fine lie, girl, but not good enough.”
“Do you know the bargain we discussed?” I asked cautiously.
She bared her teeth. Half were perfect pearls, and half were rotting in her mouth. I swallowed back bile and forced myself to look at her.
“I know that he was most disappointed,” she hissed, “when you turned him down.”
“He didn’t say I had a time limit. I’ve been thinking about it.”
She stared at me. “And what of the boy?” She jerked a finger toward Marcus.
I took a deep breath. “He’s my friend. I need his help to do what your father asked.”
Thankfully, Marcus didn’t speak. He turned away, crossing his arms, and studied the wooden door. His shoulders were tense, and I knew he was going to question me later, but at least he was going along with it for now.
The goddess glared at me. “If you are tricking me, Witch girl, you will not see the light of day again.”
“I’m not. I need to speak with your father.”
Hel gestured away from the door, into the darkness of the cavern. “You will find him there. The bowl is about to be emptied. You might want to hurry, unless you want to be caught in a cave-in.”
With those words, she vanished, leaving a swirl of black smoke in the air.
I started to walk in the direction the goddess indicated without looking at Marcus. “Are you coming?”
Marcus’s words were clipped. “What bargain?”
I turned, meeting Marcus’s eye. “What do you mean?”
His fist smashed into the stone and I jumped, startled. He hit the wall again. “Don’t screw with me, Darlena. What bargain are you going to make with Loki, and why am I involved?”
I
looked down at my hands and whispered, “He said he can help me bind Hecate.” Thinking quickly, I added, “Maybe he would even help us find Izzy.”
“And in exchange?”
“Nothing major.” I started walking again, and Marcus followed after a second.
“If you lie to me, I won’t help you.”
“What if you don’t like the truth?”
“I’ll decide for myself once I hear it.” He crossed his arms and glared at me.
I tipped my chin up and faced him. “He wants me to free him.” We had come into the cavern I remembered from my dreams. The god was still bound, and the same woman stood over his face holding the bowl. I thought about what Hel had said about the bowl being emptied, and hurried forward. I didn’t want to be underground when Loki started thrashing around.
“I knew you’d come.” Loki’s smile was twisted, but I forced myself to smile back.
“Will you still help me?” I tried to keep the eagerness out of my voice, but Loki’s eyes glinted as if he’d won.
“You remember the price?” he rasped.
I glanced at Marcus, who shook his head slightly. “Yes, I do.”
“And you are willing?” He tried to sit up, but his chains prevented it. They rattled mournfully as he moved, and I looked at his bonds for a minute before I answered. They were strong enough to hold Loki; I had to believe they’d trap the Queen, too.
I took a gulp of air. “Yes. To stop Hecate, yes.”
He cackled. “Very good. When I am free, I will help you.” He swiveled his head around and looked at Marcus. “And with your help added to the pot, boy, I’ll even free your sister.”
I stared at him in surprise. I had planned to ask for his help, but I hadn’t got around to it yet. Loki chuckled sharply. I glanced at Marcus, but his face was expressionless.
“Husband,” the woman at his side spoke urgently, “I must empty the bowl.”
Loki’s eyes locked with mine. “See that you don’t fail.” His wife moved the bowl, and a drop of venom plunged into his eyes.
I turned away just as he started to scream. The rock walls shivered and the ground rolled under my feet. Running, I grabbed Marcus, ignoring the electricity that shot through my hand.