Unable to use magic to find out why Claudia had collapsed, Dmitri sat down to think about it. Since it had occurred when she had tried to link, he figured it had to be something to do with her spirit. He reached out for his magic, opening himself up as if linking and he reached for Claudia. He couldn’t find her spirit. What he could find however was a dark cloud where she should be; it flickered as if it contained a flame, trying to stay alight. It must be Claudia, trapped here by some dark magic cast by Draycott! Dmitri drew vast amounts of inner strength and raised his arm, ready to thrust it into the dark cloud and rescue Claudia. His arm shot forward. Dmitri collapsed to the ground beside Claudia’s bed, his breathing slow and shallow; he too was now trapped like Claudia.

Dmitri opened his eyes to darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he did not immediately recognise his surroundings and looking around; he saw that he was in a cave, and there was a river gushing beside the path he was on. He did recognise this cave, looking forward he tried to recall what was in that direction. It led to... he couldn’t remember what it led to.

“Dmitri!” came a cry from deeper in the cave.

Maybe that person knew what was going on thought Dmitri.

He started forward and realised that he didn’t have a torch to light the way. But looking around himself, he saw that the area was now suffused with an eerie glow, the darkness had lifted but was now replaced by this strange source-less light.

“Dmitri!” came the cry again.

On hearing it a second time, Dmitri could hear that it had the sound of a plea for help. “Why would anyone in this cave need help?” wondered Dmitri. He moved deeper into the cave, its twists and turns going off in a myriad of directions. Twice he ended up back where he had started. After the second time, he stopped to think. What if he left a trail so he could know where he had been? He reached into his backpack, which he didn’t recall having mere moments ago; and pulled out some rope. He held it loosely and walked forward, the rope trailing behind him.

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“Dmitri!” The cry sounded urgent now.

He continued moving forward, this stretch of cave was like a corridor, long and straight. Ahead of him on the ground was something, it was, it was the end of his rope! He looked back the way he had come; the rope extended in a straight line into the darkness, ending beyond his view. Reaching the end of the rope on the ground, he picked it up and started to follow it.

“Dmitri!” The cry came from straight ahead!

Dmitri rushed forward, trailing his rope and following the other, then he stopped; standing ahead of him was a figure. Dmitri stopped in surprise; the figure ahead of him was holding the end of the rope that he himself was following; in the same hand that he was trailing his own rope behind him. Even more unusual were the clothes that the figure was wearing; they were identical to Dmitri’s, the uniform of the Exarchs. His mouth suddenly dry, Dmitri swallowed hard, for some reason he was very conscious of the sound of water dripping throughout the cave. Now afraid of the figure in front of him, he gingerly reached out his hand to touch the figure on the shoulder. As he did, the figure turned; his first thought that it wasn’t an Exarch’s uniform after all, it was the uniform of an Exarch’s apprentice. His second thought; Antonio! His flesh an ashen grey, his unblinking eyes stared ahead and Dmitri took an involuntary step back, Antonio’s dry eyes were locked onto Dmitri, his mouth opened, a moan of terror, the pleading “Dmitri!” came out. It was then that Dmitri caught sight of Antonio’s other defining feature, a parallel set of gouges ran deep across his flesh, showing bone and sinew.

“You left me,” came a rasping whimper.