Step Forward

"My feet hurt." I whined for the twentieth time as we walked along a dusty road surrounded by dusty walls. We had been trekking nonstop for three hours, with no food breaks, or bathroom breaks or water breaks. It may have been fine for the two Shadow Men, vampire and half vampire in my company, but I was only human. I needed rest!

Please, somebody give me one good reason why I shouldn't find a nice thick branch and just smack her with it? Angel asked.

"Because I would kill you." Purred a familiar voice. Raziel suddenly appeared and my friends vanished.

"Shall I summon a dais so you may rest your weary and lovely legs?" he murmured. "I would do anything for you, you know that."

Raziel reached out and caressed my cheek, "What is your wish, Piper? To permanently be rid of those whom treat you as if you are daft?"

That would be so nice, something inside me sighed.

Suddenly Raziel was behind me and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Friends don't treat each other the way they have been treating you. You should be treated like a queen."

They're only using you for the light inside of you, that same part as before told me.

"Angela would have never solved the Queen of Hearts' riddle were you not there." Raziel said. "And then as thanks she calls you names and threatens your safety."

"Angel isn't that bad." I weakly argued.

"Then there is your other friends." He continued not even acknowledging my words. "Ezrin tried to harm you before. Do you truly think he wouldn't try again? Damon only sees you as a walking feast and Julian's only concern is his lover, Madelyn."

"Madelyn's my friend." I said feeling myself already losing to him. "She said so."

Raziel chuckled sensing my weakness, "If that is so, my love, then why isn't she ever there for you?"

I tried to stop the tears from coming but they silently fell down my cheeks in a salty flood. Raziel drew me into his embrace and I let myself be overcome with silent sobs. The worries I carried throughout the Labyrinth finally caught up with me in a tidal wave of pain.

Where was the man I loved? Why did he abandon me? How am I going win this constant battle in a world where everything was an enemy, even yourself? Why am I so stupid? Why do my friends keep pointing out I'm so stupid? Why can't I be happy like Ariel seemed to always be?

A great white light enveloped my vision and I suddenly found myself an observer to a scene from the past. There were two people, Ariel Taliesin and a man I had never seen before.

The man was tall and muscular but not all muscles like a body builder, just enough to make him look hunky. His hair was light brown and fell down his back in a loose ponytail that left shorter strands to fall free around his handsome pale face. And when he smiled, his ice blue eyes seemed to light up like magic.

Together Ariel and the man danced gracefully and almost happily. I say almost because ever so often I could see a shadow cross Ariel's face and her happy expression falter.

"Ariel, what is wrong?" the man asked ending their dance with a sigh. "Is it him?"

Ariel adverted her gaze, "I wish you wouldn't refer to my husband like that."

The man reached out and tilted up her chin lovingly, "Do you miss Robert, my love? And your son, Branton?"

A tear fell from her eyes as she nodded, "I still love Robert, my Erlking. I love you both so much! And my baby, Branton--"

Keegan's father sighed and kissed Ariel on the forehead. "You shall return to them then, my love."

Ariel's eyes widened in shock, "But what about our--"

Keegan's father placed a finger to his lover's lips, "Our child will have what this world cannot give it, love. I will give you into Robert's keeping because of that love."

Her smile was radiant and it made my heart swell with the love I saw inside of it. "I will never forget you, Erlking. My beloved." She whispered.

"And no one shall forget you." He said huskily as Ariel slowly vanished from sight and the vision faded.

I stiffened in Raziel's arms and he knew that he again lost in his seduction games then vanished from sight. I looked around and saw my friends had reappeared plus one.

"Keegan!" I exclaimed throwing myself into his arms.

He laughed, "Hey what's that for?"

I pulled back with a smile, "Nothing."

Keegan just shook his head and turned to address everyone else, "So what did I miss?"

Nothing much. Just riddles and death, Angel said with a shrug.

"Same old song and dance huh?" Keegan replied with a smirk. "Anything else?"

"Raziel was trying to turn me against everyone. Then I—sort of gave up for a moment and asked why I couldn't be serene like Ariel was and then I—kinda saw something."

"What did you see?" Keegan and Julian asked almost in unison.

"Ariel was dancing with a guy, who undeniably was Keegan's dad." I replied and sighed dreamily recalling the vision. "He loved her so much that he sent her home and she loved him as much in return."

"So I was a child of true love— not some sick obsession." Keegan stated quietly.

Ezrin chuckled and tousled the half Shadow Man's hair playfully. "Everyone knows Ariel loved your father. Not everyone knows just who your father is."

Damon, Angel, Julian and I stared at the Shadow Man in shock as he continued addressing Keegan.

"The elder Shadow Men know, Lady Ariel knows…"

"And I know but Raziel doesn't so I shouldn't let him get to me." Keegan said with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair, "But it hurts when the Drag Queen from Hel starts in on me."

Ezrin sighed, "You and your humanity, a curse and a gift in one." He sighed once more, "I must go now, my first duty is to Lady Ariel."

"I keep her company and guard her against the more amorous of her admirers." He smiled as his skin changed into a more human color and I watched as his eyes lightened to a soft pink. The fangs stayed and were joined by a neighboring set. He locked gazes with each and everyone one of us until his gaze rested on me.

"Besides, Piper already has two men fighting over her. She doesn't need three." And with that he was gone.

The wisps returned within moments of hearing Keegan's familiar pipes being played. They rejoiced and revealed that they were secretly still hunting the rest of our party. In fact, they saw Madelyn in a town not far away.

Julian led the way down the dusty road that led us to, get this, The Goblin City. Sometimes I really hate Shadow Men and their sense of humor.

The city was actually a gathering of many crude huts made of mud with thatched roofing. As we walked down the empty streets I could hear the faint sounds of ghostly laughter and the cry of many farm animals long since gone from this world. Up ahead, Julian and Damon paused at the entrance of the city's only pub. Puzzled, I walked ahead to see what drew their attention.

WELC

OMET

OMYW

ORLD

I read the wooden sign then looked at the carvings of black flowers surrounding it and then below, at odds with everything else was a blinking neon sign advertising psychic readings. I turned to look at Damon and found him staring at the sign as if it was his worst enemy. A glance at Julian proved that he too found the sign something ominous.

"This is what drew me to Purgatory the night we first met. The black flowers symbolizing a Night World club." Damon said to Julian as if Angel, Keegan and I weren't there.

"It invited me too."

Keegan brushed past the two men and entered the pub without a word.

He is hiding something, Angel said to no one in particular.

Damon flashed everyone a devil-may-care smile. "Shall we go in and discover what awaits us?"

"Let's." Julian replied.

Inside, it was as if we stepped through the barriers of the Nine Worlds and entered Purgatory. The club that is.

The bartender, ever hidden amongst the shadows, was wiping the bar with a clean white rag. At one end of the bar, in human form and dressed all in black was the wolf Fenris. At the other end, also dressed in black assuming a human form was the snake Jormungand.

The club was silent and empty, or so I thought until I saw Madelyn and the Queen of Hearts sitting at a table under a spotlight. Not far away in another spotlight, I spied Rob and Anna. When I took a step towards them the bartender told me to stop.

"After you free these three there will be a final test." Fenris told us.

"We can handle any of you guys' stinkin' test!" I shouted making Jormungand snicker.

"So she says now." He hissed with an evil smile. The snake man went back to business, "Only one of you may free your friends. Who shall it be?"

Julian glanced at Madelyn's blank expression and stepped up, "Me."

Damon scowled at Julian and stepped up beside him, "There's no way I'm going to leave all the heroics up to you, Jules."

Angel didn't even have to look at her love before she stepped forward, Where Damon goes, I go.

I looked at Madelyn then Rob and Anna. I remembered their smiles I remembered the sound of their laughter. I looked at my dress, felt the circlet on my head and then looked down at the fan still wrapped around my wrist after all the adventures we had.

I stepped forward. "Screw your rules, children of Loki. We are all stepping forward to save our friends here and then we'll go get Keegan and then face that final test that yer making such a hoopla about." Then I added smugly, "And you ain't going to stop us."

From the darkness someone began to clap.

"You sure have some spunk!" Keegan told me as he walked out of the darkness with a smile.

"They each have something that makes them unique." The bartender said—proudly? Then he sighed, "Step towards one to see what they see and battle what they battle."

Who's first? Angel inquired.

Julian glanced at Madelyn and then at Damon.

"Rob and Anna. Madelyn has handled worse." The vampire replied.

Now is the time where you review and tell me if I'm doing okay