Chapter 10: The Marble City

"Quickly," urged Raven in a whisper.

She led them quietly along the soaring ivory bridges and balconies of Azarath. The city was breathtaking, even in the dim lighting. Of the few people that crossed their path, all of them wore cloaks like Raven's. Each time, the group waited in hiding for them to pass. They continued only once the path was clear. The sky above them was too dark to call morning, but at the same time, too bright to call night. Sunrise should be soon, Robin thought. It would make it harder for them to go unnoticed. Then again, considering where they were, terms like that might not even apply here.

As he followed Nightwing carrying the unconscious Beast Boy, Tim felt a lingering unease in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure if it was his body reacting to Raven's teleportation or to their situation. Something was wrong. Raven wasn't telling them the whole story. Why did they have to sneak around in the first place? He already knew that Raven had enough vague issues here to need to leave, but to act as if they were trying to hide a dead body? Her words didn't explain what was happening. Tim was willing to let some things go on faith, especially with M'gann vouching for the girl, but sooner or later, they were going to need a real explanation. He really hoped it was sooner. They had found out the hard way that a mind reading was not a substitute for real trust. The girl had shrugged off Psimon's attack, so clearly she had some psychic chops. She could very well be capable of something subtle enough to trick Miss Martian.

If he was honest with himself, there was another reason Tim was on edge. Cassie. She had finally opened her eyes when they arrived in Azarath, but he could tell that she was trying to bulldoze her way through her injuries. There was a stiffness in the way she held herself that she couldn't hide, especially from him.

"We're almost there," warned Raven. "I just need to speak with a friend that can help us. He lives nearby." At the same time, a green cloaked boy about Tim's age turned the corner in front of them. He fell backwards and let out a yelp of surprise.

"Raven," he said, "where have you been? Do you know what Magistrate Coman is saying now? His men have even been looking everywhere and watching everyone connected to you. You can't go disappearing like this." He noticed her companions, and his face paled. "W-what are they doing here?" He stared at them with a horrified look.

"Theron, I can explain," said Raven. She knelt down and put her hands on the young man's shoulders. "These people saved my life. I want to help them. We have to find someone, and you're the best person I know at scrying."

Tim watched the exchange between the two Azarathians. It was more proof that Raven wasn't giving them the full story. For some reason, Azarath wasn't a place where they would be welcomed. He could only guess as to why. Tim decided to file away the information to sort through later, when he had more pieces of the puzzle.

Raven continued, "But first we need to get off the streets. My friend is hurt. We are going to hide until nightfall. The usual spot. After that, it's like this never happened. Okay?"

Theron didn't answer immediately. His mind was obviously torn. "O-okay. I'll sneak a mirror out tonight after the others leave," he stammered. "You're going to need some food if you're going to be staying… I can bring you some."

Raven hugged her friend. "Thanks Theron. That would be wonderful." He nodded. When he stood, he dashed off in the opposite direction.

Tim glanced at Nightwing and Artemis. They were both confused. Nightwing shifted Beast Boy on his shoulders and silently mouthed, "Not now." They watched the youth leave. One more thing to add to the category of mysteries surrounding their guide.

"This way," called Raven.

The group continued around the corner. After several more stressful minutes of dashing from alcove to alcove, they arrived at their destination. Almost cathedral like in appearance, the colossal structure ahead of them would have been at home in any of Earth's most beautiful cities. Its white towers easily soared over two hundred feet in the air.

With a sharp tug to the handle, the group ducked into an out of the way door. Raven led them along a dark hallway and to another arched doorway. Every step echoed in the vast structure. Beyond the door, the resulting scene took their breath away. The entire central portion of the structure had been transformed into a pristine forest. They could hear the birds just beginning to wake up and start chirping. Tim was no botanist, but he did recognize the birch, hawthorn, and oak trees in front of him. The green oasis promised to hold many more species.

"Welcome to the Aviary," announced Raven. "We should be able to rest here for a while. At least until Theron comes to start scrying for your friend."

Nightwing set Beast Boy down on the ground against a tree. "We need to talk, Raven. What's going on? Why are we hiding from everyone, and why was your friend afraid of us being here?"

Tim heard a rustling in the path ahead of them. His hand darted behind his back to rest on his staff, just in case. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tigress grip the handle on her crossbow. A dark haired woman glided into view. Her blue gown and robes flowed to her ankles. She surveyed the group, her eyes resting on each of them for a moment.

With an ethereal voice, she answered Nightwing's questions. "It is because in your journeying here, my daughter has broken the laws of Azarath. It is forbidden for anyone to leave Azarath or to bring an outsider here. The Elders will imprison us all if you are discovered."

"Mother," voiced Raven. The older woman rushed forward to embrace her.

Tim berated himself for letting down his guard. If the woman had intended to hurt them, they had given her an excellent opportunity to attack. There was no way that she should have been able to get that close to them without their knowledge.

"Ahem," coughed Artemis, "maybe you could introduce us, Raven."

"Oh, of course," answered Raven. She looked to the ground and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Everyone, this is my mother, Arella." She turned towards the woman and began to introduce the heroes that accompanied her.

Arella knelt down to examine Beast Boy. She glanced at her daughter, her eyes forming a wordless question. Raven gave her a noncommittal expression. Tim noted the similarities between this exchange and the silent conversations that Barbara sometimes had with M'gann.

She placed her hand on Beast Boy's forehead. "This one has been placed under a strong psychic binding," she explained. A faint blue light glowed from under her palm as she murmured a few words. "He should awaken soon, now." She turned to face them again.

A few moments passed without anyone speaking. Tim decided they couldn't wait any longer for Raven to explain herself. Maybe her mother would give them the answers that Raven would not. "Why is Azarath so strict on people coming and going?" he demanded bluntly.

Arella sighed and looked into the distance. Several seconds passed before she started to speak. "Like many places, Azarath is not without enemies. Monsters that want to destroy peace and beauty simply because it exists. In particular, a powerful demon lord named Trigon wants to conquer every plane in the universe. He vanquished world after world in infernos of flame and shadows. Nothing could withstand his wrath. After sacrificing hundreds of lives fighting him, Azarath was able to use the demon's pride to tip the scales in our favor. We trapped Trigon along with some of his most powerful lieutenants to a single empty plane. Now, he toils endlessly to gain access to this place to learn our secrets and to use our city to spread his evil across all the planes." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "A little over a decade ago—"

"A little over a decade ago," Raven interrupted, "a woman left the protection of Azarath and journeyed to Earth. While she was there, one of Trigon's disciples captured her and used her to summon his master from his prison. His first act on your plane was to rape the woman. Azarath feared that everything was lost, until the summoning became unstable. The woman was not powerful enough to anchor the demon completely. She was able to escape in the chaos once Trigon was ripped away from your plane. The laws on leaving and entering Azarath are meant to protect us all from Trigon's secret followers. If he ever gained control of someone powerful enough to summon him permanently…" Raven left the end of her sentence unspoken.

The tale chilled them all. To think that evils so menacing existed, and the world at large was utterly ignorant of the fact. Some things were finally starting to come together and make sense, at least, Tim thought. There were so many parallels between Raven's story and the past few days. The new threat, Brother Blood, might even be connected to Trigon's agent. Tim had a few suspicions, but not enough evidence to convince himself completely yet. Better to wait to see if more information would present itself.

Suddenly, Beast Boy's head shot up with a loud gasp. "Look out!" he shouted. The young hero was halfway shifted to his gorilla form before he noticed his surroundings. "Uh…um…nevermind, I guess. Where am I?"

"How much do you remember?" asked Artemis.

"Well, we were in Egypt, and then there was this guy that came from nowhere. He grabbed me, and it felt like I had this big slimy lizard crawling around in my brain. So creepy. It didn't go away until a big blue swan came flying at it. After that, I woke up here."

Nightwing began to fill in Beast Boy on everything that had happened since Brother Blood had ambushed him. Artemis cut in often for clarifications, and Raven murmured back and forth with her mother. Meanwhile, Robin watched Wonder Girl sway on her feet.

Arella followed Tim's gaze with an understanding eye. "Perhaps you all should get some rest. You have journeyed farther today than most do in a lifetime," she said. "Follow me. Theron won't be able to sneak away from his post for several hours."

As the others settled started moving, Tim sent Cassie a pointed look. They both fell to the back of the group and began deliberately lagging behind.

"We're not going to be able to find them again," warned Wonder Girl.

Tim smiled and raised his wrist computer. "Tracker in the hardware. We can home in on Nightwing later. Come on, let's find a quiet place to get you doctored up."

Cassie smirked and raised one of her eyebrows. "So, you want to go play doctor with me, Mr. Drake?"

Robin stopped abruptly. "Oh, um…. I meant literally. Uh… mostly, anyway. Not that I…" stammered Tim.

With a tug of his cape, Cassie pulled Tim to her lips. Tim noticed her wince in the effort, but she still wore a mischievous smile. "You're cute when you trip over you own tongue. Lead the way, Timmy."

A/N: Sorry for the long time to update. I haven't abandoned this story. This chapter was especially challenging for me, and I haven't been able to focus on it. I hope you enjoy it. Ratings and reviews are welcome. I'm always trying to improve.