'This is boring' Lucifer whined as they made it finally into sight of the town that was between the elves' house and the academy.
'It's not that bad,' Lou answered happily leading the way. Down the last hill and out of the patchy wood that was still called a forest on the nature reserve signs. Onto the plexiglass road as it stretched out onto the lake. The town was built up on stilts over the lake, four roads connecting out of it. None of the drivers by stopping to take the hitchhikers, though neither really minded the walk.
They passed through the town which was really six sky scrapers all together. Wandering on the glass bridges and ignoring the many tourists that had come to visit. Moving on across the lake to the next cliff where they were headed. Distant shapes were flickering through the cloud, Lou catching himself dreamily walking into the road on occasion. Only for Lucifer to yank him back to reality as a driver passed by screaming out the window and blasting their horn.
'Besides its all quick in and out, Marc should be attempting to finish his school year in the off season school rooms. Ophelia will probably be in the curse quarters,' Lou excused as they jumped over a sleeping anteater on the path.
Eventually after much whining, whinging and threats of quitting, Lucifer was hauled up to the gates on the princes back like a sack of flour.
The school was intricate rock from the front, a large stone face that had sand stone carvings in small nooks along it, reflecting every single student that had ever attended.
'Where's yours?' Lou asked as he dropped Lucifer on approach. Quickly moving along the wall to find his own bust on the wall.
'Fifteenth row, very end of the right,' she answered and continued forward to the reed gates.
'Entry please,' she called. The reeds braided themselves away to the edge like stage curtains, creating a pass for them. Lou brushing excess sand from his stone face before running in after Lucifer.
The journey from the front to the school was short and simple, walk single file through a dark forest and you couldn't miss the white rise of the school up ahead. The solemn blacks and greys among the green killed all the light that entered from either end of the tunnel though. So they truly did just have to walk blind, straight through o the end. Rustles of creatures surrounded them as they worked their way through. Both of them hopping away when they stood on something that went squelch.
'And I'm back,' Lou sighed stopping at the sight of the school.
Ahead the yellow lawns were speckled with students, some in uniform and other in their respective club clothes. No one took any notice of the strangers, the barrier that surrounded the school knowing not to allow anyone that was below standards through. Even if the strangers were royalty.
So Lou led the way to the block of white buildings with wide windows and pink curtains to venture for his friends. Lucifer ignoring the awed stares that she received from the little students in attendance. Some had obviously taken notice of the description of 'Lucifer of the mines,' and had put two and two together to get something resembling four. So she was fast to keep up and not be distracted as Lou wandered ahead.
'Marc,' Lou hollered from the door.
The fairy looked up from his work, his two white scaly wings stretching as he jumped from his chair, yelled 'see you later suckers,' and flew out the room. Lou just shook his head and followed the way his friend had flown. Away from the impatient and aggressive screeching of the teacher. Lucifer even had to block her ears to stop the ringing in her head from the woman.
'I don't care what it is, I am claiming royal emergency that requires me and not finishing school,' Marc announced as he led them into his dorm.
They passed groups of people going in and out. Couples emerging from rooms dishevelled and bleary eyed. Someone ahead making the announcement, that 'the future king is in the building.' Lou ducked every time a door opened to a new face. Marc evidently liking the attention as he kept stopping along the way to talk to everyone. The two following him giving decent shoves to get his moving again.
Finally, they came to a room near the opposite end and Marc entered the room. The two doors opening to his studio room, his kitchen spreading something foul from the ajar oven. His couch covered in clothes and the bed a mess of sheets.
'So I can pack in probably ten minutes, maybe twenty,' Marc declared rummaging for a bag.
'Well don't bring too much,' Lou warned.
'Nonsense, I know what to bring,' Marc silenced.
'Good, but we also need Ophelia,' Lou smiled.
'Oh? She is perfecting some curse to chuck on one of the stuck-up foreign royals,' Marc nodded, his purple mohawk shaking along with.
'Well, you pack up, make some excuse and meet on the pied pipers cult lawn,' Lou said.
'Also, this is Lucifer,' he tacked on.
'The Lucifer, the one that I have been trying my hardest to best in the school records of misbehaving attendees?' he asked.
The prince nodded.
'Like the one that is so good at magic, other nations have been trying to nab her up?'
Another nod.
'The one who is the reason we no longer have the George dorms?'
Again, he nodded.
'The one that is rumoured to have met every kind of dragon and be married to seven different foreign royal?'
'Not sure about that,' Lou broke.
'But like the one who is still holding the record for the most detentions in her time at the academy?'
'The one and only,' she grinned spreading her arms and spinning.
'Awesome, can't wait to talk more,' Marc said then shoved them both out of his room.
'One down,' Lou shrugged and began for the curse castle. The dorm inhabitants had slunk away, but all the doors were left open so they could see when the two visitors walked on by. A couple people calling out to Lou, and he gave shallow waves to them along the way.
They had to hurry across the campus, before they drew much more attention. Lou also seemed worried with how accurate Marc's information was.
'The curse castle,' was the name for the dingy shack that formerly housed the late headmaster until said headmaster died and turned to mush in his bed. Inside it was a headache of dark purples and mauves, with navy and maroon thrown in. The doors were just sheets of beads braided together and hanging from the frame. Ophelia was leaned on a doorframe staring intently at a piece of dragon scale wrapped in what Lucifer deduced to be otters tongue. There was a fairy hovering by her side, evidently trying to make small talk and get somewhere with the woman, but was being harshly ignored. Though that didn't stop the annoying gnat's attempts.
'Bugger off,' Lucifer said as she pushed past to hug Ophelia.
The ogre grinned and threw her arms around the witch when she saw her. The fairy was however not very good at taking hints, whether explicitly said or subtly given. 'Who are you, witch?'
'Lucifer of the Mines,' Lou added as he stepped up behind him catching each of his wings.
The fairy gave a sharp tug and his right wing let out a pop before falling limp. Then he scuttled away whimpering into the sunflower field outside. Lou slapped his hands across one another and reached out to hug Ophelia too.
'You didn't have to, I was going to turn him into a racoon after,' Ophelia said smiling at the prince.
'He had it coming,' he shrugged pulling back.
'What are you doing?' Lucifer asked turning into the room where Ophelia's current predicament sat.
'Trying to create a gold rodent,' she answered sighing leaving her post at the door.
'Well, you won't get far with an otters' tongue, you need a stoats,' Luci offered.
Ophelia's jaw slightly dropped and then she nodded taking the otters tongue off and returning it to one of the many jars along the walls. Pulling down another and wrapping it back in the place of the otters.
'So what do you need Lou?'
'How do you know I am not here just to see you?' Lucifer asked.
'You never need help, and you never make social visits. So it has to have been Lou that needed to come here,' Ophelia answered staring at the scale.
'The Bilk cavern and gorge have been blocked, and apparently only the next ruler can enter so we are going to go check it out. And then I need to be back in two days for the coronation,' Lou answered.
'Ok sure, just let me do this. I need to let it free in the exchange dorms,' Ophelia nodded.
They stood silently for five minutes, then Lucifer waved her hand and the scale turned into a rat with a top hat and sun glasses. It was black with a wide brown beaver like tail and golden nose. Ophelia glared at Lucifer but did not object to the creature.
'Wha' you wan'?' the rat asked.
'I'm setting you free in the exchange dorms, you can do whatever you please within them,' Ophelia answered. The rat looked at her, then to Lucifer, then back to Ophelia and at last to Lou.
'What about him, he's rich,' the rat asked looking the prince up and down.
'There are five foreign crown royals, and near fifty relatives, I'm sure you will be happy,' Ophelia answer picking the rat up.
'Will have to do I suppose, can't attack my master' the rat spat eyeing Luci.
They made the short detour over to the exchange dorms, which was nothing short of a palace overgrown with roses. The rat, apparently called Keith, disappeared the second they set him free, followed by a brief scream from within.
Ophelia packed the very few things that she wished to keep tossing a bunch of stuff out to the hall. A couple neighbours coming by to pinch it immediately. Then she allowed them to lead the way to the cults green. Marc had not arrived yet when they did, so they had to wait around with the group of unhappy cultists.
'Why are we meeting here?' Ophelia asked, as two goblins watched them. All the members of the pied pipers cult were sitting around the stone edge of the green. Though they were seemingly ignorant of the intruders.
'Because I thought that the cult didn't meet on Wednesdays,' Lou answered shuffling closer.
'It is Thursday,' Ophelia answered.
'Then we don't have two days, the coronation is on Saturday,' he whispered.
'The coronation was changed to Sunday by the queens request,' Lucifer commented. That did briefly sate his worries until he realised how many of the cultist were now watching them in silence now. The grass was uncut and messy, the members were all swinging their feet in rhythm through it. Lucifer was the only one not unnerved by the group of onlookers.
'I'm packed, let us go,' Marc yelled as he trotted up the path. Ophelia and Lou letting out joyous breaths and they intercepted him and hurried away from the group. Lucifer bringing up the rear at a leisurely pace.
They made their way very quickly across the school and back to the entrance. People were apparently all now aware of their presence. Many members of the staff had emerged from buildings and were making cheerful approaches as they hurried away. Marc tugging along his five bags in the darkness once they had the entrance tunnel. Out onto the cliffside that the wall of alumni sat, they caught their breath.
'We will head to the gorge of Bilk, hopefully reaching it by night,' Lou led, 'I'll explain along the way.'
The walk to the collection of skyscrapers was only hindered by Marc collection of bags. No one offered to help as he lugged them along, barely being able to fly six feet from the ground with the extra weight. They caught a cab in Glass Town, flagging out as it almost left. It followed along the Ryan River Highway, all the way into the lowlands of Bline. The duration passing with Marc, Ophelia and Lou catching up on what happened since he had left, just under a fortnight before. Lucifer was listening in to their happy little reunion, but enjoyed the solitude of the front seat.
She watching as they passed through the former estate of the duke and duchess, now a royal winter residence. Cutting across, to take time a distance off the journey. At the Windcove they were dropped off. the cab not making it further due to the many cars and people milling about. Lou sent the tab to the palace, and from there they had to hike through the crowds of people to the rescue team. All gathered around the edge at the mouth of the gorge.
'Well, we are here,' Lou sighed looking ahead.
The gorge was huge, a wide expanse, submerged in black water, ice and fog. Distant howls and whines rolled in on the wind in waves, echoing about the large boulders marking the entrance. People were all gathered around the edge, taped off for the rescue teams. Faces swollen in fear and fright, people were swaying on their feet the closer they got. The occasional person would look their way from the single clustered being that they were attached and entranced with. Shivers rang around the crowd along with groans and sobs. Some calling out names of those who had assumedly ventured into the mist and were yet to return.
Somehow the rescue team did not even question their presence, instead a wary relief flooded their features. Some had come forward to quietly give what information they had of the Bilk gorge in its current state. While the others curled in on themselves and refused to lift their eyes. Worried they may catch the eye of something within the monstrous growth that was seeping through the region, swallowing sound and light.
'We should head in, get some rest once we are in there,' Luci suggested.
'This is where I hand over to you,' Lou nodded.
So she led the way, the three others following like martyrs. Silently carrying their burdens and preparing themselves for what may lie within, that they would have to face. Lucifer took the trail down, reaching the beach of the water. She didn't stop as she led them deeper into the cold, the water beginning to lap against her boots as she followed what remained of the trail she had trekked so long ago.
Ice was floating along, some bobbing in the water as though something had disturbed it, yet everything was now silent except for the splash of those behind her.
A sharp tug on her arm made her turn to Lou, whose mouth moved but his words did not come out. Ophelia and Marc looking as confused at the prince, as Lucifer did. Each then began an attempt to speak, finding their words to no longer exist.
Lucifer pulled out a small piece of Life tree bark from her pocket and concentrated until it sizzled into a flame. She then guided the flame to write in the air.
Voice's do not travel through this fog. We must keep together until I can find a space without.
The others nodded, Ophelia unwrapped her scarf from her neck for all of them to hold. Lucifer nodded at the ogre, then looked to the fairy, Marc's wings giving little light at the back of the pack but fluttering in a frantic matter.
It will be okay.
Slowly his wings returned to their solemn barely moving state and he obviously took in several breaths before Lucifer led the group on. They trekked through the undisturbed waters until a lighter area emerged in the distance, movement shadowed through the fog.
Lucifer pushed forward recognising the limbs of a Cone Sweep, and she led them to the edge of the fiend's cove. The fog broke away when she stepped up, revealing the Cone Sweep gently fanning a flame before its bulk. Ophelia, Marc and Lou watched as Lucifer crept forward slipping beneath one of the appendages to face the creature.
It's six black eyes found her immediately, the three wings standing tall as it lent back on its haunches. Lucifer just pulled a phoenix feather from her satchel and held it up, catching the light from the Cone Sweeps fire. It shimmered red and the Cone Sweep came forward to take the feather from the witch's grasp. It then pulled away with the feather in its maw and curled around its fire away from the intruders.
'One night, the fiend will give us the night,' Lucifer told them.
The three others then immediately set to work on camping, building their small beds and a fire pit to warm themselves and dry their clothes. Ophelia placed in the charge of the fire, while Lou was working with Marc to extract his many clothes from the flooded bags he had dragged with.