Jane and Falla looked up in surprise at the rapidly approaching Diggory. He looked terrified.

"Diggory?" asked Falla, "What happened? Where's Rass-"

"Rassa's in trouble! We need help! He's stuck in the cave!" Diggory insisted.

The girls looked at each other as Diggory sprinted past them and towards the village.

"Cave?" asked Falla in confusion, "There isn't a cave around here. How far did they go past the boundary line? They weren't gone that long".

"Well, whatever happened, Rassa's in trouble, we should go get help too," Jane insisted. She helped the other children towards the edge of the forest, Falla following behind.

Diggory crashed through the forest edge and into the field next to the village, "Help!"

The villagers who heard looked up in concern, and saw Diggory, Sir Carter's son, sprinting towards them. They straightened, afraid that something had happened as the other children began to emerge from the tree line. Anxious parents looked for their child, relief filling their expressions when they saw them.

"Help!" Diggory shouted again, rushing into the village. He made his way to Rassa's house where his mum was busy sorting through lentils out the front of their home, "Help!"

He said as he came to a stop before her.

She looked at Diggory in surprise, "Diggory? What by the gods is wrong?"

Diggory gasped for breath, "It's-" He coughed, his speech too quick for his breath to catch up, then started again, "It's Rassa...he...he's stuck in a cave".

"Cave?" she frowned, "There aren't any caves in the forest Diggory, not for many kilometres".

"I swear it's true!" Diggory insisted, "Please we have to help him!"

Regardless of whether or not there was a cave, this was her son the boy was talking about. She stood and turned to one of her neighbours who was watching with concern, "My husband needs to be told".

"They are out in the far field, it will be some time before he can be brought back," the woman replied sadly.

"He still needs to be told," Rassa's mother insisted, then she turned to Diggory, "Show me. Show me where my son is".

Diggory did not need to be told twice. Rassa's mother moved to follow, then paused, turning and grabbing the axe from the wood pile beside her house, then she followed after Diggory.

"Anna! Whatever is out there you can't face it alone!" one of the women called as Rassa's mother rushed past after Diggory.

"Well if you wish to offer help, I would not be opposed to it," Rassa's mother replied, "But he is my son, and whatever danger he is in, I will attempt to save him".

A group of villagers drew together and followed Anna and Diggory into the woods.

***

All Rassa could see was an endless darkness. He didn't know how far he'd been dragged into the cave before he'd been held aloft, restrained by chain-like bindings that held his arms and legs in place. The only thing he could ascertain is that he'd been brought into a large cavern, as his cries for help echoed off the walls, and he couldn't hear his tears hit the ground. Kept suspended in the air, Rassa could feel something touching various parts of his body. His chest, his arms, his legs, his head. It scared him immensely not being able to see what it was, but something told him he would rather be faced with the darkness that what horror had brought him into its lair.

"Such a valuable specimen..."

"Suitable..."

"Yes..."

"...Make the pact".

"...Form the Seal!"

Various voices spoke around Rassa, all of them sounded dark and threatening. And each time they spoke their words were echoed by so many others that Rassa's best guess of how many creatures were in that cave with him was in the hundreds if not the thousands. As their words reached a climax, a feint hissing arose and grew louder before stopping right in front of Rassa, and two blood red and glowing eyes opened inches in front of his face.

Rassa shouted in surprise, trying to pull away but unable to move.

"Boy".

There was no mouth or nose or even a face, only red eyes in the darkness, but Rassa knew it was the eyes that spoke to him.

"Please, let me go," Rassa begged, "I'm sorry if I trespassed, really I am. I was only looking for the bunny!"

The dark chuckle Rassa had heard earlier echoed through the cavern, and was then repeated by various voices which cut off with the eyes' next words.

"You may leave freely...but only once we have made a pact with you boy".

"Pact? What can I possibly offer you? I have nothing, my family are poor, commoners!" he replied desperately.

"Material objects are not our goal".

Rassa did not quite understand what the eyes meant, only that money was not what it desired.

"What is your name boy?"

"R...Rassa".

"Rassa," the eyes echoed, and the name was passed around the chamber in various chilling voices.

"And what race do you belong to?"

Rassa frowned in confusion, was it not obvious? Did the eyes not see him?

"Answer!" snapped the eyes, causing Rassa to flinch in fright.

"Human," Rassa replied quickly, "Please don't hurt me".

"Oh, Rassa, dear boy, we don't want to hurt you, quite the opposite".

The eyes faded, then Rassa felt a presence at his back, but was unable to turn his head to see. But the voice let him know that red eyes was now behind him.

"You see, we have been locked in the shadows for so long that my people are no doubt forgotten by the world, and we have no knowledge of what the world has now become, but once, in a time ruled by Chaos, we were one of the most powerful races to exist. Our court was akin to a god's, dazzling and blinding and rich beyond reason, yet our...habits...drew negative attention. The others feared us and our potential, so they locked us away, banished us to the shadows where we have remained ever since".