"Draz no," Arabella gasped. Claire looked towards her, confused.

"I... I don't understand," Claire said, "do you want him to stay this way? To stay..."

"Of course not, Claire," Arabella exclaimed, "Alek is my brother! I also know that Alek wouldn't want you to risk your life like this. Even for him. Draz is suggesting is far too dangerous."

She looked towards Draz. "You said it yourself, Claire is more likely to die than to succeed. It's not worth it. Isn't losing one friend enough?"

"I understand your concerns, but that is why we will need your strength," Draz insisted, "If we are going to succeed, working together is the only way."

"What you are talking about requires more than just strength, it requires a considerable amount of skill. Claire isn't from here, she has no magic, no formal training," Arabella protested. "Even if we could start the spell, there is no guarantee she'll return in one piece, if she returns at all. Did you forget what happened last time?"

Draz fell silent, turning away.

"I don't care," Claire interrupted, her voice strained by grief and desperation. Her conflicting emotions made it impossible for her to see beyond her own pain. Each time her heart beat in her chest it felt as though a knife was being stabbed into it over and over, deeper and deeper.

"Please, can't you try to understand that? I don't care what the risks are. If there is even a small chance I can undo this, I will take it."

"Even if you might die trying?" Arabella asked quietly, her voice somber.

"I am prepared for that, yes," Claire said, her words resolute.

"Claire," Draz said quietly. He took hold of Claire's hand and squeezed it gently. "Despite what others say, you are far stronger than even you believe. You may not be from this world, but this place has a way of changing those who dwell within it. Ara is right, you have no magic, but that is only because you have yet to awaken to it."

"I'll do whatever I need to, just tell me what it is," Claire replied.

"If we do this, you cannot be afraid, fear will be your undoing," Draz continued. "You will need to clear your mind of all things, of grief and sadness, of fear and hate, even of reckless love, all of these things cloud your judgement. You must focus only on your sense of self and your connection to Alek."

"I can do that," Claire said, "what are we doing exactly?

"We are going to enter Aevitis," Arabella replied.

"Aevitis?" Claire questioned. She glanced towards Draz who let out a heavy sigh.

"Time, it is like a river, it is always moving forward, but for those strong enough to swim against the current, it is possible to go back," Draz explained. "You will have to navigate against the flow, and go back to a point in time where you can warn Alek of what is to come. Only then can we prevent this awful future from taking place."

"That will be easy," Claire said, feeling a sense of hope rising in her. "I can do that."

"It'll be harder than you think," Draz continued, "you do not enter the river in a physical state. As a result, if somehow you do manage to reach a point in time far enough back, you will not be able to interact with Alek on a physical level. You will have to find a way to reach him without being able to speak to him."

"Draz is right, Aevitis is not without its dangers, Claire," Arabella offered, "Not only is the river difficult to enter, but it is equally as hard to get out again. You must not allow yourself to be distracted, or drawn off course, even the smallest slip could lead to disaster."

"What sort of disaster?" Claire asked anxiously. She did not regret her decision, but she was starting to doubt her ability to succeed. Before Arabella could reply, Draz spoke up.

"Your mind will be swept away, lost forever. If you're lucky you will simply drift through the eons, forgetting yourself and simply ceasing to be as far as you are concerned. What is more likely to happen? Your mind will be consumed by the Mare and you will live in endless torment, reliving the worst moments of your life over, and over."

"All the while the Mare will feed on your pain and your sorrow. Either way, your body will be left behind to slowly wither away and die," Draz explained, his words cool. "Do you still want to go?"

"No one would think less of you if you chose not to do this, Claire," Arabella assured her.

Claire felt her chest constrict again before her gaze dropped to Alek. Was she strong enough to save him when she wasn't even strong enough to save herself?

There was only one way to find out.

"Yes," she replied.

Draz sighed and Arabella moved to join them were they sat on the floor.

"I know I am going to regret this," he grumbled. "Let's do it already."

Claire felt renewed sense of hope flood over her and she threw her arms around Draz drawing him into a tight embrace. "Thank you," she whispered, placing a chaste kiss upon his cheek. Pulling away, Claire turned her gaze towards Arabella, missing the flush that was beginning to creep up Draz's neck.

"What do we do first?"

"First we must create a beacon, something to guide you back," Arabella said. "For that we will need something that connects you to this time and place, something familiar."

"How do you know all of this?" Claire asked.

"I come from a family of magicians, Claire," Arabella replied, "My father hoped I would follow in his footsteps, but I found the studies to be tedious and I didn't have the discipline or drive Alek had. Just because I'm not interested in learning magic and all I talk about is fashion, doesn't mean I'm ignorant."

"Besides," she smirked, "the girls love it when I pretend to tell their fortunes. Now, do you have something we can use?"

"The pendant," Claire said after a moment of thought. She reached behind her neck and unclasped the chain before handing it over to Arabella.

The young woman took the charm and nodded.

"This will do," she said, placing the pendant on the floor in the middle of where they all sat. "Now we need an anchor, something which will serve to keep you from losing your sense of self while traversing Aevitis. You will be connected to this anchor, and it will be connected to you."

"I will act as her anchor," Draz said.

Arabella nodded again. "Be wary of this connection, for while it exists your collective thoughts and emotions will flow freely in and around you both. This can be an overwhelming experience, a sensory overload if you will. You must not let them distract you, but instead serve as a reminder of who you are and what your mission is."

"Alright," Claire said, sounding more confident than she felt. At the moment it was all she could do to keep her emotions in check, she wasn't sure what she'd do if she suddenly found herself exposed to Draz's feeling as well.

"Once we begin, there is no going back," Arabella continued. "Once the doorway to Aevitis is opened, your essence will be drawn in and you will have approximately one hour to complete your task."

"What happens if I can't do it in an hour?"

"The Mare will have picked up your scent," Draz said. "They'll be on the hunt."

"What are they exactly? The Mare I mean," Claire asked with obvious hesitation.

"They're ethereal beings that feed off of negative emotions. Typically they invade the dreams of their victims, conjuring horrible visions and eliciting fear. While the experience is unpleasant, they're typically harmless as the Mare cannot enter the physical realm," Arabella explained. "However, they are drawn to live energies like moths to the flame, and once they're aware of your presence they will pursue you relentlessly."

"Are you ready?" Draz asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Claire replied.

Arabella nodded and extended her arms in front of her. She crossed them at the wrist and motioned for Draz and Claire to do the same. "Now let us take each others hands," she instructed. They did as requested and Claire saw they had created a hexagonal shape over where the pendant lay on the floor. "Clear your minds, and focus only on the words. Claire, you will know when the time is right. Draz?"

"Time is right for what?" Claire asked, but received no answer.

Draz began to chant in a low, steady tone. The words were like none that Claire had ever heard before, nor did she understand what they meant. They were mesmerizing nevertheless and it was easy to lose herself in the gentle, repetitive cadence.

The sensation was subtle at first, but Claire soon felt a swirl of air spiraling gently around their hands. The warm up-flow of air reminded her of the moment on the train when Draz and Alek had used the levitation spell to lift them to safety. It had been Claire's first real experience with magic and the awe it inspired still lingered even now.

As her thoughts began to stray, she felt the swirling breeze starting to fade. Realizing she was no longer concentrating on the words Draz was speaking, Claire refocused and the spiraling current grew more prominent once more.

The air began to grow warmer, and Draz's voice grew louder. Over the sound of the chanting, Claire swore she could hear the faint rumble of thunder. Looking upwards, Claire expected to see dark patches of sky through the parts of the roof that had caved in.

There were no angry clouds, nothing to indicate an approaching storm, but the rumble of thunder seemed to be growing louder and more persistent.

As Draz's chanting grew faster, and his voice louder, the air began to coalesce above their hands into a swirling mass of blue-gray clouds. Claire could only watch as the heavy fog expanded outwards, encompassing her and her companions in its cool embrace. The crumbling warehouse around them began to fade away the thunderous roar had gotten so loud that Claire could no longer hear the sound of Draz's voice.

Looking around, Claire was startled to realize that the cloud cover had grown so thick she could no longer see Draz or Arabella who had been sitting less than a foot away. Overhead small pinpricks of light began to blink into existence as the thick fog began to dissipate. Her companions were gone and Claire was no longer sitting on the cold, concrete floor of the warehouse.

Pushing herself to her feet, Claire saw that she was standing on the bank of a wide, iridescent river made of swirling colors and shimmering lights. It rolled along with thunderous turbulence over and around stones white as bleached bones, winding one way and then the next before disappearing beyond the horizon.

Claire? Can you hear me?

Draz's voice entered her thoughts so unexpectedly she jumped and turned, her heart racing. His voice had been so loud, so clear, that Claire expected to see him standing behind her, but there was no one. She was alone with the crystalline river at her feet and rolling fields of long, shimmering grass swaying against an invisible breeze at her back.

What's going on? How are you here?

I'm your anchor, remember? We're connected.

Right.

Arabella had explained as much. Claire just hadn't expected Draz to be in her head. Honestly? She hadn't known what to expect.

It's weird I know.

You can read my thoughts too? Claire questioned anxiously.

Yeah, so feel free to imagine me naked.

Claire scowled.

Don't get your hopes up. This place is breathtaking, Draz. I wish you could see it.

I can, well, I can see it how your memories perceive it. Don't let its beauty distract you. This place is dangerous and you've got a limited amount of time before that danger starts hunting you down.

Claire could feel a sense of urgency and uneasiness sweep over her and while she couldn't explain it, she knew the feelings were not her own. They wrapped her thoughts like a blanket, making themselves known, but also distinct enough that she did not mistake them as internal manifestations.

Yeah, I know, what do I do?

You need to swim.

Couldn't I just say on the bank and follow it?

Even as she asked she began to run along the embankment in the opposite direction of the river's flow. She ran for about a minute when she realized that the horizon never moved and she could see her own fading footprints left behind in the soft earth. It was like she was caught in a loop and she would get nowhere this way.

If it was that easy, Claire, everyone would do it. If you want to save Alek, Claire, you have to fight. You get into the river, and you fight.