Chapter 3

Fire and Water.

It took Presto a long number of seconds to recover. Shadow Demon? Ruling the Realm? This HAD to be a joke! He opened his mouth to tell them what a dumb the idea it was, but Dekkion silenced him with a look.

'No, Magician. I do not lie. The Demon of the Shadow rules with an iron hand, and the Realm has become a terrible place. You are fortunate never to have been there!'

Presto looked at Lorne for confirmation, and the young boy nodded.

'I saw it with my own eyes,' he said quietly. There was a look of utter revulsion on the boy's face.

'Tell me,' whispered Presto, suddenly sick with guilt.

'Magician, I do not think that you should know…'

'Tell me,' repeated Presto firmly. 'All of it. You have to. Tell me what it's like.' Tell me what I've done.

The Knight was quiet for a few seconds, his head bowed. When he spoke, his voice shook with restrained emotion.

'The Demon of the Shadows has destroyed all the places where light and hope could hide. Without a Dungeonmaster to keep the balance of power, the Realm was doomed.' He took a deep breath. 'All the great cities of the Realm are gone. Tardos Keep was one of the last to fall. But before it went the Cityport of Kilan. And Hadorin, Helix and Granton. Also Amoran, Amulree and Mindril. Serad and Torad, Enuma, Zinn, Recadia, Anshar and Kishar.' He turned to look at Presto with a terrible compassion in his eyes. 'But first in the line of conquests was Kadish. The King of many Kings, Rahmoud, is dead.'

The Knight fell silent, bowing his head once more. Then he looked back at the Magician.

'And I have seen the Tomb of the young Cavalier. I am sorry, my friend.'

Presto gulped, fighting back tears again. What have I done? The Realm, the whole Realm destroyed…Mindril…Kadish…Rahmoud…Varla… Presto let out a choked sob and Dekkion put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it firmly.

'The brave Acrobat has told me your story, Magician. And I believe you spoke the truth.'

Presto's heart lurched again. He knows. They all do. (They know what the Hat's done) They know what I made the Hat do.

He didn't know which was worse, the kind smile on Dekkion's face, the aloof look on Lorne's or the terrible knowledge inside him. His magic had done this; he never knew it had the power to do this sorta thing. He had never really thought about it, but now his magic had destroyed all these lives and all these cities and all those people…Varla…

'I know of your plan,' continued Dekkion, 'and I can help.'

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Presto almost smiled. Yes, the Hat! It was the only chance! He suddenly realised what he was thinking. The Hat? The only chance? (We are SO completely screwed, Presto!)

Then Diana spoke.

'But how are we gonna find a way to the Inner Circle?' she asked. 'The was in was destroyed.'

'There is another way,' replied the Knight. 'It is not an easy path to tread, but together we may succeed.' Dekkion looked that them, fear on his face. It was not a sight that filled the Magician with confidence. This was a Celestial Knight, not Eric the Cavalier. Celestial Knights weren't supposed to do scared!

'This is the Underworld,' continued Dekkion, 'the ultimate source of the Power of the Realm. Here are kept all five Elements of the Realm: Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Magic. In each Plane there is an entrance to the centre, where the Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn resides.' Presto and Diana looked at each other in surprise. There was another way in! 'This is the Plane of Fire. Beyond the mountains lies the Plane of Water.' But, my friends, I fear we will find more than Water Elementals there.'

'Who, or what, else is there?' asked Diana uneasily.

'There will be others, some who have fled the Demon above and some who now live to do his bidding. It will be a very dangerous road. But I will lead you, right to the very centre, if you wish.'

There was no need to check with Diana, so the Magician nodded readily. The thought of doing this alone was not appealing.

'And I'm going too,' said Lorne suddenly. When Dekkion looked at the boy in surprise, he added: 'Korlock went that way!'

The Knight shook his head.

'You are better without that accursed Stone.'

Lorne gave a sneer, reminding Presto of the Cavalier. He winced as a sharp pang of regret and remorse passed through him. And what about the others…?

'It's mine,' Lorne hissed back at the Knight. 'And I'm gonna get it back!'

Dekkion didn't reply, but it was obvious that he didn't approve. But Lorne didn't seem to care.

'So, when do we go?' the young boy asked.

'We must find supplies here,' said Dekkion, still looking reproachfully at Lorne. 'We will leave in a few hours.'

He stood, towering above the Acrobat and the young boy.

'Rest now, Magician. Soon, we will return.'

With a slight nod, Dekkion walked out, Lorne following him out of the cave. Diana waited for a few seconds then sat down beside Presto. He smiled uncertainly at the Acrobat, but she just put her head on his shoulder.

'Tell me what it was like,' she said wistfully. 'Tell me what we should have done.'

Presto shifted to get comfort, wondering what he should say.

He spoke about meeting the German pilot Joseph Mueller, finding Lorne and destroying the Stone of Astra; and then how Sheila had found and freed Karena, Venger's little sister. Then he told her how Eric had been tricked by the Nameless One and they'd all gotten swapped round by the Wish Imp's magic. Diana gave a low chuckle when Presto said he'd been turned into the Acrobat for a few days. He also told her about their last run in with Venger and how the Thief managed to get them free. Finally, he spoke of their most recent adventure against the Darkling, and how Martha had come to help.

The Magician fell silent. So many things had happened, so many things had been undone by his stupid spell. All those cities, destroyed. Rahmoud was dead. Their new friends from Earth were probably dead too. He sniffed. What had happened to their other friends? Where were Hank and Sheila, Bobby and Uni? Were they safe? Were they even alive?

'Do you think we'll find them?' he asked suddenly. There was no need to clarify the question for the Acrobat; she knew exactly who he meant.

Diana shook her head.

'I think they're gone,' she whispered back.

He slipped his arm across her shoulders, suddenly feeling terribly alone.

'I'll change it back. I promise.'

Neither of them spoke for a very long time.

'C'mon, hurry up.'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah,' drawled the Cavalier, 'I'm on my way.'

'Er-ic, you haven't even moved yet!' shouted Bobby. 'We'll just leave you here.'

'Meay!' came the echo from Uni.

There was a muffled snort from the Cavalier, and Presto was close enough to hear a mumbled "see if I care" from beneath the blanket.

'Eric, get a move on!' said Hank sternly. 'We can't wait all day for you! Dungeonmaster told us to head for Mindril.'

'Maybe all these first watches have been too much for you,' suggested Sheila, giving the Cavalier's blanket a sly grin.

Eric poked his head out and scowled up at her.

'Very funny!' he hissed, much more annoyed than he aught to have been.

Hank suddenly whipped the blanket off the distracted Cavalier.

'Stop being so lazy!' said the Ranger. 'Presto, pass me that water bucket!'

Hank looked at him, directly at him.

'Presto? Presto!'

Presto woke with a start. He was curled up under a dirty blanket, still in the cool, dark cave. Diana was gone. He reached up to straighten his glasses, trying to stop his hands from shaking. Dreaming of his friends hadn't made him forget what had happened, if anything, it made him feel even worse. This was like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.

He thought about what he had to do: change it back. He had to, but a small part of him was beginning to wonder just how to do it. The Hat; even if it was recharged, there was no guarantee it was gonna work any better this time round. And, even if it did, what were the others gonna say when they found out what he'd done to them? They were never gonna trust him or the Hat again! Never, ever, ever.

There were quiet voices from the entrance of the cave, and he pushed himself to a standing position, feeling inexplicably sore. It was like the time he'd had measles, he felt terrible, weak and shaky. Not the sort of condition he needed to be in. This is not gonna work, Presto! (But it has too!)

The Hat was still tucked into his belt, and Presto pulled it out. There was still no hint of magic about it; it was just a pointy, green hat. He was nothing without the Hat, and he couldn't even get that to do what he wanted. Relying on the Hat to save them was never a good idea, and this time he didn't even have a dumb riddle to help.

'I don't think this is gonna work,' he murmured, giving a little wave over the Hat. Nothing happened.

Lorne suddenly poked his head round the corner of the cave, making Presto jump.

'Sorry, Magician,' he said curtly. 'But it's time to go.'

Presto walked unsteadily forward, keeping hold of the rock wall. He looked at Lorne. What had happened to the lively, sharp-witted boy he'd met? This was a different Lorne, melancholy and hard-hearted. He was looking at Presto with a suspicious air.

'Hi, Lorne,' ventured Presto.

The boy turned away without replying, not that Presto could blame him. This was all his fault. Lorne shouldn't be stuck in this awful place, he should be with the Gypsy family that adopted him. It was just another life he'd destroyed by the stupid spell: his stupid spell from his stupid Hat.

The Magician shivered again, despite being hot and his hand tightened round the useless Hat. What was he without it?

The others, they were waiting for him by the cave entrance. The Acrobat and the Knight carried small packs as well as a flask of water each. Lorne held two flasks, and handed one to the Magician.

Presto took it, but even though he was still thirsty, he didn't drink. The others were all watching him.

'So, Magician,' said Dekkion after a moments silence. 'Are you ready?'

A small part of Presto was aching to say "No", but now was not the time for quick quips. They had a job to do. Instead, he nodded.

Dekkion turned and walked forward, Lorne following close behind. Diana gave Presto a quick smile then moved too. For a few seconds, Presto just stayed still, taking short, shallow breaths. This was it. There was no other way back. Gathering up the last shreds of his courage, he pulled on the Hat and followed the others out.

The four of them left the caves and went out into the ash plane. They climbed up high over one of the cones, following Dekkion's lead. Presto paused, looking back across the dull ash and caught a quick glimmer of yellow and white from far behind them. He shivered again.

No one talked, as the Knight set a brisk pace. The Acrobat walked beside Presto for the whole time, as if she was his self-appointed bodyguard. They crossed the ash mounds, but Presto was unable to tell how long it had taken them. Just as Diana had told him, there were no days or nights, no suns or moons, just the never-ending pale sky above. When he mentioned it to Lorne, the boy just shrugged as if he'd seen it all before.

Eventually the ash plain ended and the landscape started to slope monotonously upwards. They started to see the occasional shallow pit in the otherwise smooth rock.

'These are flame pits,' Dekkion told them. 'We must get past as quickly as we can, but we must not be seen.'

Presto was about to ask why, when he saw the reason. Salamanders and fire snakes were frolicking in the flames, looking like they were having a wonderful time. From what he knew about those creatures, they wouldn't like to be disturbed.

They crept past, one by one, trying not to be seen. Presto was shaking. Those evil creatures would like nothing more than to catch them and roast them. But the Elementals were to busy playing in the fire to notice the Magician and his friends and they passed safely to the cooler hills beyond.

Time was distorted in this strange place. Two hours or twenty hours or maybe two hundred hours after they had started, they reached the mountains and began to climb.

Their brisk pace slackened. Diana had deliberately slowed, and was walking beside Dekkion at the back of the group. The Knight seemed to be struggling with the uphill walk, and was breathing heavily. But he refused to rest, saying it was too dangerous to stop yet.

Now that they had enough breath, Lorne started talking to Presto, asking him about the life in the Realm, what Presto had taken to calling "real" life. Then he asked about the Cavalier.

'You got on great with him,' the Magician replied with a heavy heart, 'just like a brother.'

Lorne smiled.

'It must be nice to have a family. I don't really remember mine.'

Presto nodded. Lorne was an orphan.

'Eric hated climbing,' continued the Magician. 'He had all this armour, see, like Dekkion and there was nothing he hated more than having to climb mountains in it.'

Presto flicked a glance back at Dekkion. The Knight was still having problems.

Lorne gave an affable smirk, a glimpse of the old Lorne showing through.

'The old man just can't take the pace!' he said.

The Magician grinned back, happy for a fraction of a second until he remembered.

Presto was a sociable soul, he liked other people around to talk to. But the companionship of Lorne only reminded him of his friends. He missed them. He longed to hear the cocky comments from Bobby, or the scathing put-downs from Eric. He longed to see the comforting smile from Sheila, or the proud, brotherly grin from Hank.

The Magician had a deep uncomfortable ache inside. He never knew just how much those guys had meant to him. It was up to him to set this all straight, to put things right. And that thought didn't fill him with confidence. They had relied on him in the past, and what had happened? Giants and Slimebeasts, danger and near-death experiences: not good at all!

And there was still the unresolved question of how was he gonna get the Hat to cooperate, even if he did get it recharged. What was he going to say? If a slight slip in phrasing had caused all this, then what guarantee did he had that he would make things better, not worse? That thought did nothing to make the climb any easier.

Soon the gentle slope of the hillside was replaced by warm rocks for them to clamber over, but they didn't stop. It was a hard climb, and the Knight never let them rest for more than a few minutes at a time. When they reached the top and crossed the divide, what Dekkion called "the ridge", everything suddenly changed.

Ahead, looking down to the Plane below, all Presto could see was blue and green and there was the distinct, clean smell of fresh water. There was a huge, calm lake at the bottom of the mountain; a very long way down.

The descent was made all the more treacherous by the weakness through his body. Presto had long since finished his flask of water, and he was getting more exhausted by the second.

How long was it since they'd left the caves? Hours? Days? Weeks? He had no idea. Why couldn't they have some night? When were they going to get a chance to rest? He was ready to drop, and the rocks slowly became clammy and cold, making his hands numb and he had to stop every so often to warm them by tucking them under his arms at any brief opportunity.

Their progress slowed even more. Dekkion was tiring and only Diana seemed to be able to keep up the gruelling pace. Eventually, less than half way down the mountainside, the Knight ground to a halt. Presto noticed there was more, fresh-looking blood seeping through Dekkion's broken armour.

'I must rest,' said Dekkion. 'We should rest before we reach the Plane below.' The injured Knight looked round at his friends, worry etched all over his face. 'We may be attacked the instant we set foot on the Plane. We must be careful.'

'I'll take first watch,' said Diana suddenly. 'You should all rest while you can.'

Presto looked up gratefully to the Acrobat. The exhaustion through him was more than just physical. Mentally and emotionally, he knew he couldn't go much further. It was all like a bad dream, a nightmare of nightmare-ish proportions. How could one little spell cause so much damage?

He huddled up, pulling his robes tightly around him, thinking only to close his eyes for a few minutes. But, in spite of the danger and the fear, Presto quickly sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When he woke, Lorne was already awake. Diana was half-dozing on the ground beside him, curled up in a little ball. She looked cold. No one spoke, and he let the others sleep, busy thinking and worrying and worrying some more. It was always the same: spell, Hat, death, friends, spell, Hat, death, friends…over and over again.

Dekkion woke at last, a while after Presto. The Knight looked grey, and the bleeding hadn't stopped. The three kids exchanged worried glances and Diana pointed at the fresh blood on his armour.

'You had better tell us what happened, Dekkion,' she said firmly. 'We're not going anywhere until you explain.'

The Knight waited, but one look at the expressions on his friends' faces must have convinced him to speak.

'I was in the city of Amulree,' he said. Presto frowned. He recognised the name. It was one of the cities he'd spoken of before they'd left: one of the cities that had fallen to Shadow Demon.

'It was a great city,' continued the Knight in a deep, mournful tone, 'with a strong army and a wide wall. But it wasn't enough. Fresh from their victory at Tardos, the Demon's army came and crushed us. There was no time for a siege, no time even to fight. The demons came in like lightning, overwhelming the guards and taking what they would.' Presto realised the Knight was shaking, with a look of disgust on his face. 'Against the great city, the Demon sent his two most lethal slaves. "Pain" and "Torment" they are called, and deservedly so.'

For a few moments, the Knight stopped, his laboured breathing the only noise.

'So I fought. I knew what they had come for, the Heart of the City and the magic that resides within it. I fought before the doors of the treasury, but it was all in vain. I was the last man standing. Torment wounded me.' The Knight touched the side of his armour, where all the blood was. 'Then Torment laughed and called for his sister, Pain, to come. As she swept in, I looked in her eyes, and was afraid.'

The Knight was silent again, looking down at the slimy stones they were sitting on. The other three looked at each other. Diana had a look of confusion on her face, but Lorne looked scared, plain and simple. Presto was confused too, and scared too, and also sickened with guilt. He couldn't stand to hear anymore, then Dekkion started talking again.

'The Demon of the Shadow desires power above all things. But it will pervert and distort, subdue and use, rather than needlessly destroy. And there its power resides: in lies and deceit and regret. I would not be used in its grand plan for domination.' Dekkion looked up at his friends, a cold look on his face. 'I fled. I used the power of my Sword, and came here.'

Presto didn't speak. He could only guess what it cost the Knight to flee in the face of an enemy, the Celestial Knights were proud and fearless and brave. He shivered. The Demon who challenged him must have been terrifying to scare Dekkion. The knot of guilt inside grew tighter, and Presto almost gave in to tears of despair. Almost.

Then Diana spoke.

'Why are you still bleeding?' she asked Dekkion gently.

'My wounds from Torment do not heal,' he replied. 'They will never heal. With no magic to aid me, I am doomed.'

The group was silent, and Lorne bowed his head. Dekkion looked up at the Magician, making Presto gasp. The look of steely determination in the Knight's eyes hit him like a real blow.

'But you must succeed, Magician,' he said. 'So we must go.'

Dekkion rose slowly, using his Sword to lever himself off the ground. Lorne stood too, helping the older man to stand. The two remaining young ones looked at each other again before standing. Presto knew what Diana was thinking, he could tell from the look on her face: They were in really, really big trouble if anything happened to the Knight. Without Dekkion's help and guidance, what hope did they have?

Following the others, Presto started to climb down the slippery hillside, having to cling on with both hands. As they descended, the air became damper and cooler and there were thick lumps of moss and lichen on the stone. Soon they were finding small puddles of cold water, and the rocks became more dangerous.

But eventually they reached the base of the mountain, and the Magician could stop and look around properly. They were standing ankle deep in water, and water was all around. There seemed to be no end to the calm, silvery blue of the huge lake in front of them. There was no sign of land anywhere but the grey mountain behind.

Presto gulped.

'We don't have to swim all the way to the centre? Do we?'

The Knight shook his head, and sat heavily on a large stone to catch his breath.

'No Magician. We must follow the whiter waters, and keep to the shallows.' Dekkion took a deep breath. He was looking paler now, and more exhausted. The blood on his armour was spreading.

'Are you gonna be OK?' asked Lorne quietly. 'You're gonna come with us?'

Dekkion nodded and pushed himself sluggishly off the rock.

'Come, my friends.'

They started off again, sloshing through the shallow water, following the line of the mountains. Lorne walked next to Dekkion in the lead, looking carefully around all the time, while Presto and Diana walked behind.

Next to him, the Acrobat was quiet. Often he caught her looking up at the sky, almost in despair. Eventually, not knowing what else to do or how to help, he took her hand. She smiled at him, but her eyes were full of tears.

'I miss the stars,' whispered Diana. 'I miss him so much.'

Presto tightened his grip on her hand, and she turned back, smiling shyly. He knew without being told why she liked the mid-night watches. Kosar would always be in her heart. What had Dungeonmaster said? But you will meet again? Would they really be reunited? Presto flinched as he realised what he was thinking. It was wrong! None of that could happen now, he'd changed it. How could he have forgotten?

The Acrobat must have seen the look of shame on his face and she gave a sad smile, but didn't let go of his hand.

They walked on in silence for a while, the Magician trying to concentrate on the world around him, rather than give in to the guilt that was slowly building inside. Initially, the Plane of Water seemed a much better place than the Plane of Fire. It was flat for a start, and calm and cool. Softly, in the background, Presto could hear the tinkle of water dropping into water, and the dull, muffled roar of a nearby waterfall.

They walked on, and on. And on. Sometimes the water got deeper, deep enough to have to wade properly, sometimes it was so shallow that it was no deeper than a puddle of rain. But there was the constant dampness all the time, wet feet, wet legs and a faint sheen of sweat on his face. Presto quickly grew to hate it.

The Magician was counting the steps through the waters, his senses dulled by monotony when Dekkion and Lorne suddenly stopped. Presto stopped too, his heart thumping in fright. He hadn't been paying attention to what was going on as they'd seen nothing but water and rocks for hours.

He looked to where Dekkion was pointing. But instead of a giant water snake or Godzilla, he saw the figure of a beautiful young woman, playing in the water like a dolphin, a good distance ahead. She was ignoring them.

'It's a Nereid,' said Dekkion quietly. 'Perhaps, if she is asked, she may be able to guide us to the Inner Circle, but…' he glanced at Lorne, 'we may frighten her if we all go.'

The boy shrugged, as if to say "well, I didn't want to go anyway".

'We'll go talk to her,' said Diana, and the Magician nodded. The sight of the blood-covered Knight would be enough to terrify most creatures!

'Do not try to disguise yourselves,' said Dekkion breathlessly. 'And just speak the truth. There is no way to persuade her if she does not wish to help.'

Slowly, making no effort to hide their approach, the two remaining Young Ones walked forward. The Nereid soon became aware of them, and sank down, her blonde hair fanning out in the water behind her.

Diana and Presto stopped about ten feet away and waited. Her eyes flicked nervously from one to the other, but she didn't try to escape. After about a minute of waiting, the nymph slowly rose, so she was standing waist-deep in the water.

She was undeniably beautiful, with a slim, delicate build and white clothes draped over her body. She watched them, her gaze still flicking back and forth between them

'Hello,' said Presto. 'We're…'

The nymph flicked her head in a curt nod.

'You are the Pure of Heart,' she said. Her voice was like the whisper in a seashell, filled with the promise and longing of the sea.

The Magician and the Acrobat glanced at each other. She knew!

Diana nodded.

'We need your help,' said the Acrobat. 'We have to get to the Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn. Can you show us the way?'

The Nereid shook her head and a look of fear and disgust crossed her beautiful face.

'A creature, an evil creature stole my Soul-Shawl,' she whispered. 'It controls my fate now, and I must obey.' The nymph shuddered and the two friends looked at each other again, eyebrows raised. Presto felt sick. What had the creature done to make the Nereid so afraid?

'It told me to wait here,' the Nereid added. She looked urgently at the two young ones. 'Only if I am released from its grasp, will I be free to aid you.'

Presto nodded.

'What should we do?' he asked. The Nereid drew herself up fully out of the water, her long golden hair clinging to her. She pointed towards the mountains.

'Master has gone. It has gone to torment the Dragon of the Waterfall and steal his treasure.'

'We'll help you,' said Diana firmly, 'We'll get your Shawl back.'

'Yeah,' added Presto. 'We promise.'

But instead of looking pleased, the Nereid gave an infinitely sad smile and sank into the waters. There was barely a ripple as she disappeared.

Dekkion and Lorne rushed up.

'What did she say?' asked Lorne. 'Isn't she gonna help?'

'We need to get her Soul Shawl back,' explained Diana. 'Some jerk took it, and has gone to rob the Dragon in the waterfall.' She pointed in the direction the nymph had told them.

'Well, what are we waiting for?' demanded Lorne. 'Let's get goin'!'

Dekkion nodded in agreement, but made no move. Presto looked at the Knight anxiously. He was paler still, and had started leaning to one side. Blood occasionally trickled down the side of his armour.

'And we cannot leave her enslaved,' said Dekkion, his deep voice low and calm. 'We must go, as quickly as we can. Diana, lead us on.'

The Acrobat swung round, and marched ahead, leading them back towards the mountainside and towards the dull roar of the waterfall.

They didn't have to walk far. Close beside the mountain, in the short valley it had carved, there was a huge waterfall. Enormous billows of mist floated out from its base, covering the four companions in dew. There was a shallow grotto full of mist off to one side, but that was empty, and apart from the continual movement of the water, everything else was still.

They waited, and Presto kept looking around uneasily. There was something weird about this place. It was so quiet and creepy, and he had the constant feeling they were being watched.

'Perhaps we should look behind the waterfall,' suggested Lorne suddenly. Dekkion shook his head.

'No, there is no way behind, and the power of the water is too much. Nothing can be hidden there.'

The Magician looked at Diana, who just shrugged back at him. Beside her, the Knight frowned.

'This is not right,' he murmured. 'There is something…'

The waited for a few more seconds and, just as Presto was about to suggest they left, when the water around them began to undulate. The waves began to grow and swirl.

Then there was a shout from behind them.

He turned round, as his friends did the same, and he cried out in fear and surprise. He recognised the hooded, fur-clad man standing before them even before Lorne had hissed his name:

'Korlock!'

Presto instinctively looked to the man's chest, and saw the red, glowing Stone of Astra.

'Get down!' the man shouted.

The Magician froze, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the water beside them surge up in a sinuous wave.

'Get down!' bellowed Korlock again. Presto still didn't move, even as Korlock raised the Talisman round his neck. He took a quick step back, and stumbled on the edge of his robe, landing in the water with a heavy splosh. It was just in time as the Stone flared into life, sending red fire straight at the place where he'd been standing.

Presto sat in the water for a few moments, surprised and relieved at his good fortune. More long, red arcs of fire burst out of the Stone sending water showering everywhere and the Magician scrambled to his feet.

Presto looked back in amazement. There were long tendrils of water trying to grab them. Behind the tendrils were three large, blue-grey figures, like scarecrows with wings. They had short swords, and were growling and spitting at the humans.

Dekkion stood up tall, dragging his Sword out of the scabbard and rushing towards the figures with a hoarse shout. Pulses of energy burst out of the sword, and the figures retreated, fading into the background as if they didn't care what was happening. The Knight slowed and looked round. Presto saw the look on his face: it was terror. He shuddered.

Suddenly, Korlock was grabbed by something from behind, and pulled down below the surface. Lorne raced forward towards him. Tendrils coiled around the Acrobat, intent on pulling her down too. With a firm flick of his Sword, Dekkion staggered over, slicing through the closest tentacle. Diana fell to the ground with a splash. The Knight turned, his sword pulsing with light. He sent its magic power towards the remaining Water Elementals surrounding them with blue fire. One by one they fled.

Lorne had pulled a spluttering Korlock up, free of the water, and was lifting the Stone from his neck.

'Lorne!' called Dekkion anxiously, 'do not…'

The boy turned, a look of fury on his face.

'Don't tell me what to do, old man! The Stone is mine! And I'm keeping it!'

He put the chain over his neck and let the Stone fall to his chest, still glaring at the others. Then he looked down at the waterlogged Korlock with a scowl.

'Where's the Soul-Shawl,' he demanded.

Korlock shook his head.

'I do not have it, boy,' he spluttered. 'I…'

'I don't believe you,' snapped Lorne.

'Enough,' said Dekkion harshly, making them all jump. 'It is beyond our reach, and we must go.'

Diana stared at the Knight in shock as the Knight stumbled through the water towards them.

'But we need to find the Shawl,' she said. 'She won't help otherwise.'

Dekkion shook his head, leaning on his sword, obviously in great pain.

'It is beyond you reach, Acrobat,' he said. 'We must leave this place. Now!'

'Why?' asked Presto. This wasn't making any sense!

'There is nothing more we can do here,' insisted Dekkion.

'But the Nereid!' objected Presto, unable to accept that they would just leave the creature to its fate. He'd seen the twisted look of terror on her face and had sensed her desperation. They couldn't just walk away! 'You said we'd help! We have to help! We can't just...'

Dekkion shook his head firmly. Presto could hardly believe that Dekkion, yes Dekkion the Celestial Knight of all people, had gone back on his word!

'We cannot aid her, Magician,' said the Knight. 'I see now that this was a trap and the Nereid had no choice. They were waiting for the good or the unwary, and she was made to send us here. This time they got more that they realised, but our presence here is now know. If we stay to help her, we will surely fail. If I had only realised in time…'

Presto didn't reply, caught between breaking a promise and helping his friends. He didn't really believe that they would abandoned the nymph: Hank would never have done that! He would never have left the poor creature enslaved. In all their time in the Realm they had never yet failed to help anyone, and he didn't want to start now! He looked at the Knight for an explanation.

'I-I made a terrible mistake in leading you here, ' said Dekkion, the words punctuated by short gasps. 'I fear that those creatures are loyal to the Demon of the Shadows. We must go.'

Diana and Presto looked at each other, and the Magician saw his own fear reflected in her face.

'Wh-what do you mean?' he stammered.

'Those were no ordinary Elementals, my friends. They were Demons of high Rank and Power. I recognise them.'

The Magician shuddered.

'And now we have lost the element of surprise,' continued Dekkion bitterly. 'This is my fault, I should have been more wary. For the Demon of the Shadows will soon know our hiding place, and will guess what we seek.' The Knight gave a noticeable gulp. 'He will be waiting.'