The back way she'd mentioned turned out to be a storm drain a couple blocks over from the front door. It was grated and covered with grime. Ignoring the grime, Liz grabbed the grate, pulling hard. At first nothing happened, then slowly the grate swung upward silently, as if on an oiled track, exposing the darkened drain beneath. Levi thought he heard little feet scurrying down there, disturbed by the unexpected motion.

"Are, uh, are there creatures down there?” he asked.

"Nah, I don't think so. Maybe some rats. Dad keeps most everything else out"

"So... there are rats, how big?"

"Seriously? They're rats. You'll be fine, now help me down." She said, holding out her hand as she started to back down into the pit.

He grabbed it, surprised at how light she was. He lay on his belly to give her the most slack he could, lowering her into the darkness. He hoped it wasn't too deep, his arm was only so long.

When he couldn’t lower her any further, he felt her let go. Immediately after, he heard a soft thud.

"You alright?" He called

"Yeah, just fine. Hold on a moment."

He heard some rustling and grunting and then a clang right by his head that made him jump. Then Liz's coppery head popped up from the hole.

"Alright, you coming?"

He followed her down the ladder, feeling for each rung in the dark.

"Where'd you get the ladder?" He asked.

"Dad stashed it there in case we ever had to get out this way, but it's been years since anyone used it. It's kinda gross how dirty it got."

At the bottom Levi pulled out his phone. There were about twenty missed calls from Paul and Alice, texts too. Too bad I don’t get service in the sewer, they must be freaked out. Oh well.

He held the phone up, casting a dim light into the low tunnel ahead.

"So, how far does it go?"

"No more than a quarter mile or so. It's a bit twisty, and there are some narrow spots, but it's not a bad walk; at least it wasn't last time I was down here."

"How long ago was that?"

"A couple years. Dad checks it every spring, and after bad storms, just to make sure it's still safe. He used to take us with him, but we had an alligator loose here once and he decided he'd do the rounds alone after that."

"An alligator, seriously?"

"Hey, the stories come from somewhere. But with all the rats around, I don't think anything big is down here. They don't stick around where they'd get eaten, they're way too smart for that. Now let's go."

They made their way down the cramped tunnel, stooping in places as the tunnel became smaller, often suddenly. Without the light he would have hit his head more than once. The going was slow, as the ground was slick with slime and standing water. They were down there only a few minutes when his phone beeped then shut down.

“Oh no.”

He desperately tried to turn it back on. Even after his night in the woods, he still didn't like the dark, especially here in a cramped tunnel below the city. He thought about alligators.

"I think my phone's dead." He said finally, "I should have checked it before we went down here, I haven't charged it since yesterday. You've got yours right?"

"Nope, mine drowned remember, but don't worry." She sounded as calm, as if commenting on the weather.

"What do you mean don't worry?" He was trying really hard not to think of how badly things were going right now but, since the darkness had fallen, the scurrying footfalls had gotten louder.

She laughed like he'd said something funny; well that didn't help at all. Here he was panicking, and the girl he was trying to impress was laughing at him.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'm Guthri remember?"

From her upraised hand the soft, warm glow of yellow flames began to flicker, spinning on Liz's palm like a tiny dancer. The light grew, banishing the darkness from its usual haunts, sending it to some deeper place, free from this child of fire.

Levi's eyes grew wide. "Wow, I didn't know you could do that. That's amazing."

"Well, I've got to have some secrets don't I?" She tried to sound casual, teasing, but even in the dim light he could see her blushing.

The trip wasn't a long one, though it was slow and circuitous, weaving through several branching pathways. Within minutes Levi was totally, completely lost.

Finally though, they came to a dead end; a solid wall blocked the path before them. Had she made a wrong turn? But Liz stepped right up to the wall, placing her flame in a small cavity in the stonework. The light sparked and went out, but not before a single flame raced along the wall to disappear in a crack in the wall. There was a muffled groan from somewhere beneath and above them, and the wall began to swing toward them, causing Levi to jump back. The light that flooded in blinded him momentarily but Liz pulled him through the doorway.

He was still blinking and squinting when he heard voices from all around him.

"Liz!"

"What happened?"

"Liz, thank Naashi you're safe!"

As his eyes adjusted he realized he was surrounded by Liz's family and at least a dozen other odd looking people, all crowding around Liz. They had finally made it to Taambervol and, unlike his last visit, most of the neighbors were there, crowding around and some of them were even more outlandish looking than Liz’s dad. Levi didn't have long to look though, as the whole lot parted to let Ravea pass through.

"Ahh. My Lizzy, I thought it was you coming through those tunnels. Clever girl to remember your training." He gave her a hug before turning to Levi. "And Levi, I see you've made it through all this as well. Good, good. Now come, the text you sent your sister was concerning."

###

They went directly to Ravea’s study where they found Alice and Paul already waiting.

"How'd you get here?" Levi asked.

"Well,” said Paul. “That's a nice way to say hello. Not, I was worried, or I'm glad to see you guys. Here I thought we'd at least get a thank you for bringing that guide of yours."

"Sorry, thanks," he said, relieved to see the book in his friend's hands. "Uh, but seriously, how'd you find this place?"

"I've got my sources," Paul said with a wink.

"He's friends with Liz's little sister on Facebook," said Alice.

"Hey, she friended me; I was just being nice. It's a good thing I did too, otherwise we'd of been hiding under a bridge or something. You know Levi, you really could have sent more of a text than that. Seriously, we were freaking out and neither of you were picking up."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Yeah, sorry. We were running from a bar-something. Flaming eyes, big teeth." He shuddered.

"So were you guys okay?" Asked Liz. "Miss Farr said they were coming for everyone."

"Huh? Oh yeah, we’re fine. Alice and I were studying and."

"I was studying, you were just screwing around."

"Yeah, whatever, I was studying." Alice gave him a glare that made him wince. "Anyway, so we got your text Levi, grabbed the guides and headed over to your place for your stuff since we figured you might need it. So then I messaged Lila who told us where to go. We got picked up at some park, and here we are."

"Children, I think we have something more pressing to talk about, if you please," said Melanie, Liz's mom. "Please go ahead dear."

"Right, thank you my lovely," the patriarch said. "Liz, Levi, We must know what happened out there? The rumors have spread faster than the wings of Mercury."

"It's pretty awful Dad," Liz said, more serious than Levi had ever seen her. "Someone blew up the lawn where we were watching the movie. I think they might have been after Levi. Then Reggie and Miss Farr were trying to kill each other, she said he'd betrayed everyone, that the other hunters are dead, and we shouldn't trust anyone. Then they ran off. Next we went to Connie's office and the whole thing was torn apart, with blood on the walls. We were just leaving when a barghest came after us."

"You're certain it was a barghest?" Melanie asked.

"Yep. it was dressed like a student, but it’s eyes gave it away. We killed it, drenched it in the chem lab, but it was close."

"Good, good." Ravea said, nodding. "Continue."

"Well, there wasn't much more to it than that. We walked a long way, then grabbed a bus to the back door, not much to tell after that."

"Well, that is a great deal to take in,” said Ravea, drumming his desk with a finger. "But why here and why now?" He got up, moving to stand before the fireplace; gazing into the flickering flames.

"Excuse me sir," said Levi, hesitant to interrupt.

"Eh, what is it?"

"Have you ever heard the name Surtr before?"

"Where did you hear that?" demanded Melanie. The calm exterior gone. She stared at him with the fierceness of a hawk.

"Well, before the place blew, we were sitting in the park and Baldr here," he held up his tattoo, "he burned real hot and mad and I heard in my head 'beware Surtr.' I didn't realize what was happening at first and maybe, sort of, ignored it. Well, it happened again, and that's when Liz got me to leave. It's a good thing too, right after that that everything blew. Do you know what Surtr is?"

"A demon from the old world," rumbled Ravea. He stood by the mantle, head down, eyes locked in the flames. "He is a frembragh, a defiled traitor. In the wars before the rift he and others followed Marath, betraying their comrades and their God to seek after the power of the Beasts. Baldr and he have fought before many times, though never without great destruction. If Surtr is involved, then this is just the first of the destruction that will follow."

"Were the others, I mean the hunters; did they know about this?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, before the barghest came, I found a folder on the floor and it had, well here." Levi handed the muddied folder to Ravea. It hadn't done well in the tunnels. "Liz and I looked through it but we really don't know if it means anything."

Ravea and Melanie spread the contents of the folder out on the desk, looking over them for a long time; one occasionally commenting or pointing something out to the other.

"Look, here's New Mexico."

"And the Alberta attack."

"These are harpies for sure."

Levi exchanged shrugs and glances with the others, as they tried to tell what it was the two were looking at.

"I can't believe Alastair wouldn't tell us about this,” said Melanie finally, rising from where she was bent over the desk, stretching as she did so. "I've never seen so many attacks in such a short time."

"Well, you know he's never been the same since you quit, especially not with why you quit."

"I know, but still, this is serious; especially if Surtr is here. It's been centuries since a demon has crossed the rift, not since the war."

"Not a surprise I suppose," Ravea said, tapping the desk thoughtfully. "Something's changed, something vital. And now, with the Order in disarray, there's no one guarding the border."

"What do you mean by vital?" Alice asked. Her dark eyes full of curiosity.

"I'm not sure child, and that is what concerns me the most. It's a feeling of change, like the shifting of the tides before the tsunami. The rumbling of the earth before she spews her fires. But these all are known, their signs well understood. This new feeling, these rumblings, these I do not know, and that is what worries me."

"So, uh," said Paul, "what does this shifting have to do with demons then?"

"Ah, my darkling boy," Paul winced at this. "It has everything to do with it. They sense the change, as do we all, as does the force which drives them and," Ravea gestured broadly at the pages on his desk, "it has begun to make its move."

"You're not suggesting this was more than Surtr's work then?" Asked Melanie, for once looking worried. "You know Surtr’s stirred things up before. What makes you think this is anything more?”

“How do the geese know when to fly? While Surtr has reached across before, this feels different. I worry it may be that Marath has finally woken, and I worry that, someday soon, Surtr and the other demons will even cross over."

She pushed her husband away, looking at him crossly. "Now I won't have you bringing any of that Anzra nonsense into this. He was an idiot who got himself killed, not some prophet like you make him out to be."

Levi looked back and forth between them, totally lost.

Liz interrupted. "Dad, Mom, I don't get it, isn't Surtr already here? It sure sounded like that 's what Levi's adjutor said."

"No," said Ravea. "Even if he might cross eventually, it's not likely to be any time soon. The demons, like the Djinn and other such beings, can't cross over in physical form, not since the old days. The rift prevents it.

What they can do is come through as spirits like with the adjutors, or they can send their servants to do their work."

"Wait," said Alice. "So then, if that's true, why did you say they might be able to cross?"

Melanie sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's a stupid prediction of one of Ravea's favorite useless scholars, killed long ago for being an idiot."

"Anzra's insight was impressive Melanie, despite his unfortunate end. You know he predicted our current state very well. And, Alice, what he said on this account was that the separation of our world was unnatural, that it defies natural order and cannot remain stable. It is likely that, given the right circumstances, the rift will narrow, allowing beings like the demon Surtr to come across. There are those who believe the rift has been narrowing for quite some time now, since the early 1900’s in fact, and that its collapse is accelerating."

"Could it make a road disappear?" Levi asked.

"Eh, what?"

"When we were in Kansas a whole stretch of road just disappeared. Could this narrowing do something like that?"

"Liz mentioned that you were caught in that. I would not think so, though I can't say what actually did happen. No, I can't see it making a road disappear, though it is possible that whatever caused it was let through by such a thinning."

"Dear," said Melanie. "Even if that's true, aren't we getting off topic. We still have a rogue hunter, some nasty creatures, and a demon to deal with."

"Yes, yes, quite right," Ravea said with a chuckle. "Where would I be without you to keep me on track."

"Right," Melanie said, addressing everyone. "The point here is that Surtr." Ravea coughed. "Fine, or whomever is controlling Surtr, has been orchestrating attacks against hunters across the whole of North America; likely for the last few years. They somehow got to Reggie, I can't for the life of me figure out how, and with him, along with some unsavory creatures, they've made a move against the hunters here.

We'll be reaching out to our contacts to determine if anyone else survived, and where the monsters may be hiding. In the meantime." Here she gave each of them such a look it made Levi shrink into his seat. "I expect each of you to stay here at Taambervol. You cannot contact anyone, or go above ground for any reason. No phone calls, text, email, or whatever other internet thing you're using. Not till we know more about our enemy and who else is involved. I don't want anything being tracked back to here. Got it?"

They all nodded, though Levi noticed Paul stirred when she mentioned the internet. Thankfully he stayed quiet.

"It'll be alright," said Liz, "there's lots to do down here and I can go check on anything you need me to."

"Not you either Lizzy."

"Wait, Mom, What?" She looked shocked.

"Your mother is right," said Ravea. "Until we know more, you and the other children must stay here too. We don't know who they're after. It could very well have been you and not Levi they were targeting tonight. No, we must be cautious."

"Dad, come on, you know I'm careful. Please." She gave her most winning smile; one she'd probably used successfully many times before. This time it failed her.

"Sorry Lizzie," he said, ruffling her hair. "Not with barghests and the like. You’re capabl, but this is for adults. Now, I'm off to talk with the neighbors. Don't worry, we'll get everything sorted."

Liz looked ready to burn her parents to the ground with her gaze, as she glared at their receding forms. "I can't believe he's grounding me."

"Well, uh, it's not like it's just a flu going around or something," said Levi, thinking of their recent scrapes with death.

"I've been training with my dad since I was a kid. I killed the barghest remember? Now he’s treating me like I can’t handle myself."

“I know, but I’m sure he’s still worried. Besides, what about the hunters? They’ve been at it for years, I mean that’s their job, and they got beat, they could all be dead.”

She whirled to spear Levi with her gaze. “Just say it. You think I can’t handle myself either. I can’t believe even you’re treating me like a kid.”

“No, wait, that’s not what I meant.”

“Just leave me alone.”

She was gone, storming off to her room; murder in her eyes.

Paul whistled. “Probably shoulda kept out of that one.”

“Yeah.”

“She killed a dog demon by herself?

“Yep.”

“Probably shouldn’t go near her till she’s cooled off a bit then.”

“Nope.”