Chapter 2

Setsunai slowly drifted in and out consciousness. She could feel that she was being moved but she could not tell how. The air felt strange, almost thick. Her throat burned as she tried to take a deep breath. Slowly she cracked one eye open. All she could see was darkness. It took a moment for her to realize that she was blindfolded. Her body stiffened in panic as she remembered what had happened.

'Don't move." Said a silky voice. "We wouldn't want to punish you for misbehaving." The voice chuckled. "As fun as that would be for me. The Master wants you whole." Its voice laced with disappointment.

"Where am I?" She asked hoarsely.

"Cant you feel where you are?" The voice asked. "I'm sure you have heard of this place."

She thought for a moment. She was pulled through a portal... no a gate. The Spiral Gate. "I am in the Otherwolrd?" She said in a defeated voice. She could feel the magic was deeper here but something was keeping her from grabbing it. "Why can't I feel my magic?"

"Because we don't want you to have any power little girl."

"Why did you take me? What did I ever do?" She refused to cry.

"You married into the wrong family. Let's hope he actually passes his trial this time. The last one did not end well for him or his beloved. She was so delicious though."

"Trial?" Fear went through her whole body as she tried not to think that she could be sharing the same fate as Hieronymus' last love. She heard from the headmistress that her name was Violet and that she was eaten by goblins right in front of Hieronymus. She did not know the rest of the story. She refused to listen to anything but that small bit. She wanted to hear the rest from him when he was ready to tell her.

"Yes. The house of Grabiner has a, what is the word that they hate using for it, ah, a curse. I'm sure they would refer to it as an unfortunate event that happens with each marriage. Well actually the only marriages it effects are those where real love is involved." The voice sounded amused.

"But we don't love each other. It is just a marriage in name." She began to panic, he didn't love her. He just started to tolerate her. "Well I like him a lot but I am only sixteen and I don't even know what love is!" She was getting angry

"Well I guess that means that he fell in love with you. Lets see if his love will keep you alive."

He loves me? Just the thought gave her strength. "If that is the case you are in for a world of pain because he has had years to study and perfect his craft. He is the one person you do not want to be an enemy of."

She heard the voice sigh. "I cant stand when they start professing how wonderful their husband is. I hate to do this because I thought the conversation was going well but I cant have you talking anymore." She hit the ground hard as the spell that was moving her was cut off and felt her blindfold get yanked away.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust. She was in a dusty, barren wasteland. "I thought the Otherworld was lush." She then looked at her captor. He was tall lean and his skin very pale, like the color of moon light. He was wearing leather pants and a leather vest that was open to show his torso. A set of wicked looking daggers hung off his belt at each hip. His straight hair was the color of spun rubies, no, deeper like a wine. The light was all wrong here and everything looked super saturated with color. His face had sharp features and his eyes were completely black and soulless.

"There are parts of the Otherworld that even the strongest of the wizard world fear to tread." He gestured with and open hand to the desolate land around us. "Welcome to what humans call hell."

"You are a demon?" She couldn't hide the tremor in her voice.

"No." he said has he knelt in front of her and gave her a smile. The wind blew a lock of his shoulder length hair into his face. She felt herself relax a bit. "I am much worse." To make his point he hit her on her temple with a the hilt of one of his daggers. Colors swirled about her eyes and nausea consumed her. She started to get tunnel vision as the pain in her head exploded. Then everything went black.

Hieronymus was in his workshop getting everything he needed together. He had various items that he had Petunia help enchant. He had scrolls that were pre-enchanted with spells for quick casting. He also dug one very important item from the bottom of his wardrobe. His great-grandfathers sword. It was enchanted with a spell that would deflect most mortal strikes. He did not receive this gift until after Violet was lost. It could have changed the tide of events that night. He shook his head and tried not to brood over what could not be undone.

There was a knock on the door."Yes?"

"I brought you some vials with various healing and restorative droughts." Petunia handed him a cloth pouch. It rattled as he placed it in his satchel. "Are you going to bring the Manus?"

"No. They have a way of twisting any order they get and I do not want be be done in by a so called protector." His hands shook as he put things away. "I can't believe that it is happening again. Pray that I am not too late this time." His jaw clenched he looked at Petunia with haunted eyes.

"You are much wiser and more practiced than you were the last time you were in the Otherworld. You are not running after her blindly."

"This is all my fault."

"Why do you say that pop-kins?" That earned her a dirty look.

"I was in a daze from Violets death when my father explained that those of the house of Grabiner should not love. He said there was an unfortunate event that happened with each true marriage. The bride would be spirited away and the groom would have to save her. If he failed she died. I tried to keep her at a distance. But somehow she got in." He reached up with one hand and touched his chest. "I will not let her die because of some ridiculous family curse!"

"Do you even know where to begin to search for her in the Otherworld?" Petunia carefully asked.

"The Wastes." He fastened the sword in its sheath to his belt. "That is where I had to go when they took Violet." His eyes looked haunted. He shook his head and his eyes took the glint of steely determination. "This time I know what lives there and I have devoted my life to know how to win this trial."

Petunia looked at Hieronymus as he finished strapping various objects to his belt. He no longer looked like a teacher. He looked something fearsome. She had helped him create what he was wearing with the aide of her black magic. He wore reinforced garments made out of chameleon cloth. It shifted ever so subtly to the surroundings so that he could not be seen. He had not invoked the enchantment for it yet so it hung as soft gray material around his body. An amulet hung from his neck that dampened his presence so that he could not be tracked by spells. He looked every inch a battle-mage from the stories of old.

"You look like you are armed for bear." Petunia stated mildly.

"Not bear." He said distracted.

"What then?" she questioned.

"Imps, goblins, banshees, manticores, constructs of who knows what type, changelings and of course it wouldn't be a true rescue if there wasn't a dragon."

"I think you are going to need more potions." Petunia said in a shocked voice.

So yeah... Tell me what you think! I don't want Hieronymus to be too out of character but I think he would be this way if he managed to be calm and very pissed off at the same time.