“We’re in the subway,” Jeremy said, gazing at the massive domed ceiling. Murals lined the walls, and soft light illuminated the vast chamber, but he didn’t see a source. Moirai walked past him, but they were silent; he couldn’t even hear footsteps or rustling clothes. “Why can’t I hear any of them?”

“It’s a casting to avoid human detection,” Sinta said as she looked around. “This many Moirai in one place might draw attention, so it’s better to be careful even in an abandoned station. And those stairs, over there, probably lead right up to the surface, so it’s not like we’re remote.”

Jeremy spun to look at the stairs, and he saw flashes of grimy walls and dirt-covered concrete floors instead of intricate murals and a spotless tile-work floor. Lines of energy writhed along the unused tracks, and when he looked at the fountain, it pulsated with green light.

“Something is wrong here,” he said.

“It’s not wrong,” Sinta said, her voice filling with wonder. “It’s a glamor, at least part of it is.”

“It’s one of many,” Adelia said. “They’re all connected and layered. I can sense them. Some are in better shape than others, and some are very old.”

“A good place to bring in travelers,” Pinta said.

“And the fountain is old,” Jeremy said. “It’s powerful, I think.”

“Ancient, by the looks of it. Perfect tool for long-distance traveling,” Adelia said.

Jeremy watched veins of energy coursing through the walls, floor, and ceiling. The harder he looked, the more he saw beneath the layers. Concrete and steel. Support beams underneath the glamor of an elegant domed ceiling. Graffiti underlying the murals on the walls. Darkness and echoes. Just him, no one else around. A faint light in the distance. Trash and the smell of feces.

“Adelia!”

A faint rumbling growl in the darkness. More echos. Was he mad? Maybe it was a dream the whole time. Maybe he’d been wandering abandoned subway tunnels, homeless and alone. Magic and monsters keeping him company in his mind. Reaching into his pocket, he felt the bag of partially melted gold. Adelia. He squeezed his eyes shut. Adelia.

“Jeremy, don’t do that!” Adelia said.

He opened his eyes. The stench was gone. The fountain was back. His friends were back. They were his friends. They weren’t imaginary. Moirai passed them, all shapes, colors, and sizes, silent and focused on their own destinations. “What happened?”

“You lost your sight for a moment,” Sinta said. “You were looking for the glamor so hard that you looked beyond into the human world.”

“We’re in an abandoned subway station,” Jeremy shuttered at the sudden terror of being alone underground. “How can it be like this and that at the same time?”

“Those with sight can see different truths for the same thing,” Adelia said. “These layers of glamors aren’t just illusion here; they’re something more; they change reality.”

“The silent thing is creeping me out,” Pinta said.

“It’s all creeping me out,” Jeremy said with a shudder.

“Let’s find our new doorway and be out of this place,” Hope said from her perch on his shoulder.

The group made their way down the platform. As they entered the complete darkness of the tunnel, he felt a tremendous buildup of pressure before a massive surge of air nearly swept him from his feet.

“Train, next tunnel over,” came Sinta’s voice.

“How do you know—”

“Do you seek market or passage?” A giant marble dragon loomed out of the darkness, and Jeremy swallowed his words, stumbling backward. Hope and Des fluttered their wings on his shoulders to keep their balance.

“We seek passage,” Adelia said.

“Then pass through the market and onto the bridge,” the dragon said. His tone was surprisingly soothing as Jeremy gaped at his menacing teeth. “The bridge will take you to passage. Good journey.” The dragon started to fade back into the darkness.

“But we don’t need the market,” Sinta said.

“All roads lead to market in the underground.”

“Then why ask?”

The dragon’s chuckle echoed and faded with him, and they were alone once again.

“You always have to go through the gift shop,” Jeremy said.

Sinta held up a doll’s head, spoke a word, and a feeble light streamed from its eyes and mouth.

“Now that’s creepy,” Pinta said.

“It fits in here,” Jeremy said with a shudder, causing Hope and Des to flutter their wings again.

“This place is amazing,” Sinta said, swinging her light from left to right. Brightly painted tiles lined the walls and floor, and Jeremy wondered what they were walking through in the human world.

“We’re here!” Hope said, gliding off his should and into the darkness ahead.

“Wait,” Jeremy said, but her white skin lit up as she flew, a beacon for them to follow.

“Show off,” Des murmured on his shoulder.

“Can you light up, too?” he asked her.

“The opposite, seer. Haven’t you noticed the balance my sister and I keep?”

“Fascinating,” Sinta said, holding up her doll head. “You’re born from the same human, exact opposites, despair and hope to balance each other.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Des said, crossing tiny arms over her breasts.

“I wonder what that human was like.”

“A rollercoaster,” Hope said as she swooped back to land on Jeremy’s shoulder. The companions stood in front of a stone archway filled with soft yellow light. “A real market,” Hope whispered.

“Let’s go.” Sinta lowered the doll’s head and tucked it into a canvas bag slung across her pumpkin-colored shoulders. Jeremy could sense her excitement. Stepping into the light, they found themselves in another tunnel, larger this time. Light poured in through windows in the ceiling far overhead, illuminating blue-tiled walls and flooring. Crowded tents stretched out in rows before them for what looked like miles. An abandoned railway track snaked down the middle aisle.

“Welcome to Capital Market,” boomed a voice in front of them. The deep voice originated from a small sock monkey. It had buttons for eyes and a red tassel on its hat. A tray of what looked like junk to Jeremy was strapped around its neck. Broken lighters, old television remotes, pieces of discarded plastic figurines, and a wilted bouquet.

“I have it all, anything you need, artifacts for any situation!”

“That’s a first,” Sinta said, inspecting the sock monkey. “Who animated you?”

The monkey was about to answer when Adelia said, “We need directions.”

“We know all the places there is to know, pretty lady. What can we tell you?

“We need to move on,” Jeremy whispered into Adelia’s ear. Odd lines of black and green energy writhed into and out of the monkey, stretching out behind it. “Something is wrong.”

“No, thank you,” Adelia said, and the group walked on.

Looking back, Jeremy watched the monkey solicit the next group of Folk who walked in. What kind of place was this? Turning, he examined the tents as they passed. Some of them were full of old toys, while others were full of cooking utensils. Still, others looked like pawn shops or thrift stores full of random items. Moirai of all shapes and sizes hawked their wares from single-person camping tents to house-sized patchwork creations of orange, green, and yellow canvas.

“Gain the sight!” A small cloaked Moirai bellowed from a tent full of bottles. Her enormous ears drooped down to slender bronze shoulders, and her eyes were white with no pupils.

“Love and hate, control your fate,” called another winged Moirai. She was nearly as tall as Jeremy and had bright blue skin. A tiny strip of cloth barely covered her muscular thighs, and nothing at all covered her breasts. Her yellow eyes followed Jeremy as he passed, and he tried not to stare. The texture of her cobalt skin, her smooth neckline, goosebumps across the top of her breasts, nothing else existed. Waves of contentment sent delightful shivers down his spine. Semitransparent wings slid out from behind her back and pulsed in and out as Jeremy neared.

“Do not fall prey,” Des whispered in his ear, breaking the spell. “I know temptation, I was born from it, and that winged devil will drink your soul.”

“He’s right,” Adelia said, poking him in the ribs.

Jeremy tore his eyes away from the Moirai’s bare skin. “So blue, her skin,” he muttered as the fog lifted.

“And there’s so much of it,” Pinta said with a whistle. Spinning, he walked backward to stare as he strode by. The blue-skinned Moirai leveled a yellow-eyed glare at him, and Pinta lifted his hands and shrugged. “You can’t charm me, sweety. But I appreciate what you’re offering to the human.”

“Stay focused, Pinta,” Adelia said.

Pinta turned back, shaking his head and chuckling.

Jeremy pulled a half-eaten oatmeal bar from his jacket pocket and took a bite.

“The lady is right, human.” A firm hand wrapped around Jeremy’s arm. “One must stay focused in the market, especially if you’re a human.” Jeremy tried to spin around, but the hand held him fast. He had never felt so much strength.

“Otto,” Adelia said. “How did you find us so fast?”

“You and that gold are a beacon in the dark,” Otto said.

“The gold you nearly destroyed,” another Moirai said.

“Ulrich,” Adelia said. The new Moirai stepped up to Adelia and swept his gaze over the small party. A dark cloak hung over his gray and black armor, and his chiseled jaw was clenched. His piercing green-eyed gaze seemed to look into Jeremy’s soul, and he winced.

“You cannot fight or craft harmful energy in this place,” Adelia said.

“We would never break an accord, lady,” Ulrich said. “But you are coming with us.”

“No, she isn’t,” Jeremy said without thinking.

Otto let go of Jeremy’s arm and took a step past him to stand next to Ulrich.

“She will return home,” Otto said, holding up the bag of gold before slipping it under his breastplate. How did he get that out of his pocket? He never felt a hand! Otto’s black eyes bore into Jeremy as if challenging him to attack. Ulrich’s clenched jaw loosened, and his expression softened. It was almost sad. His bright green eyes and cinnamon hair contrasted Otto’s dark features and black eyes. Otto’s armor was almost identical to Ulrich’s except for a slight reddish tint in the metal.

“Do not interfere and you will not be harmed,” Ulrich said.

“But you can’t take her. We don’t have all the pieces,” Sinta said.

“Sinta, don’t,” Adelia said.

“What do you mean?” Otto asked.

He turned his penetrating black gaze to Sinta, and Pinta stepped in front of her, hand on his mallet. Otto chuckled.

“She doesn’t—” Adelia started to say, but Ulrich interrupted.

“Tiny protectors for a battlefield goddess. There is some metaphor or justice in this.”

“A goddess?” Jeremy said. “What—”

“It’s time to go,” Otto took her by the arm and spun her away.

“Wait!” Jeremy said, “Sinta is right. We’re missing a single piece of gold.”

Ulrich and Otto turned back and stared at him.

“How do I know this is true, human?”

“Because Sinta told you, and you know your kind can’t lie,” Jeremy said.

“That’s true,” Des said, wings buzzing as she floated an inch from Jeremy’s shoulder. Her high-pitched voice was calm, but Jeremy felt the intensity underneath the tone. “And another truth is…” she stared hard at Ulrich, “If you harm our lady, Adelia, I will burn you.”

Otto chuckled again, but Ulrich put his hand on the other warrior’s arm. “I see you, champion of Adelia.” Turning to Adelia, he said, “Where is this piece of missing gold?”

“On a field in France,” Adelia said.

“A battlefield full of wild Folk. And we must find that piece so Adelia can unbind,” Sinta said.

“You will take us to this field, Adelia,” Otto said, starting to turn. “Say goodbye to your little protectors.”

“No,” Jeremy said. “We all go. Adelia is bound to Shark and his Folk, and if she doesn’t fulfill her agreement, I can tell you, you will pay for it. I can see the consequences for you. Clearly. Tampering with a Moirai deal is dangerous, and you will connect yourself to that failure. He’s already called in his favor of might, and for your own good, now that you know, you must not step in the away, or it is to your great peril.” Jeremy didn’t know if that was all true, but it sounded good, and he was a seer, so he should be able to make out connections and consequences, he assumed.

“No, seer, we will not suffer. But she will, and there’s nothing we can do about that,” Ulrich said, shaking his head. Turning his sad eyes to Adelia, he said, “I’m sorry. Nick has ordered it, and there is nothing we can do.”

“You shouldn’t have run away,” Otto snarled. “Now tell your enthralled little protectors to get back. You’re coming with us.”

“They are not enthralled, Otto. They are my friends. And I didn’t run away, I—”

“You left for that human,” Otto spat. “You’re a—”

“She can’t unbind without the last piece, and she can’t find it without me,” Sinta blurted.

Pinta, still standing in front of her, raised his mallet. “Don’t you say another word,” he growled, glaring at Otto.

“That’s enough,” Ulrich said, lifting his gauntlet-clad hand. He studied Adelia for a moment before nodding his head. “We will travel to this battlefield and retrieve the last piece. Nick was clear that you must return and unbind from the artifact. We are kin, Adelia, and not unmerciful, even if you did abandon St. Frances.” Otto tilted his head and clenched his jaw, but said nothing. “We make no promises after that. Your agreement to this other Moirai is not our agreement, and Nick’s judgment is between you and him.”

“I did not abandon St. Frances. I had to leave,” Adelia said. “I don’t understand why Nick needs this gold so badly or why he wants me to return. There are hundreds of artifacts at the church, and I’ve never served as a Moirai Knight of the Cross with the Red Star.”

“For good reason, and you never will. You’ll always be—”

“That’s enough, Otto,” Urlich said, glaring at him fiercely, all traces of compassion swept away. “We must go to the bridge.”