Disclaimer: See First Chapter

A/N: Thanks to NikkiEvans and I'll be Seeing You who reviewed. I have raised the rating since this is starting to get a little darker.

The Underworld is very similar to the hell in Constantine and the events between the mortal realm (this realm) and the Underworld are not coinciding. There is no time in the underworld and it may seem like a day or an eternity there whereas in the mortal realm there are set days. When Lyndsay receives the message a few days after they were kidnapped it only feels to the others like a few hours. (You'll see when you read it so don't worry too much about it.)

BTW, check out the reposted Power Within and Legacy, the two stories before this one.

Chapter 17: A Grain of Truth

Lyndsay sat numbly as she looked around at the face all staring at Marcus in disbelief. Correction: Every face except Miranda's. Of course she already knew but she had to be there for the other explanation. The explanation of why Carlie, Jess and Nathan had all disappeared.

Marcus's voice droned on and on, as he went into detail about the past year and a half. About how Carlie and Jess were real wizards and the prophecy, how they were the heirs and that the Lord of the Underworld was after them (and a few other hundred demons).

Then came the bit Lyndsay knew would cause some uproar. The part where they found out that their children had been kidnapped. Lyndsay whole extended family was there (since they were at her house), then Miranda and Nathan's parents. It was only then she realized that not all the sorceresses' parents were there. Jess's were missing and because she was still in a daze she blurted out the question, interrupting Marcus.

To the parents and family in the room present, it looked like Marcus just ignored her but he answered via telepathy. /We can't tell Jess's parents/

/Why/

/I can't go into it Lyndsay./

"Witchcraft is the work of the devil." Nathan's dad growled.

"It is not, it's a natural thing, like having red hair, or being tall, you're just born with it." Miranda snapped.

"My son will take no part in it."

Lyndsay rolled her eyes. "Dude, he's apart of it no matter what."

Nathan's father looked at her. Lyndsay had only met him once before, a long time ago when it used to be Nathan, her and Carlie. His eyes were hard and dark and he was a tall bulky man who looked very foreboding.

"Who are you again?"

"I'm Lyndsay Mr. Tucker." She sneered. "I've only been Nathan's friend since we were seven!"

"Jim." Mrs. Tucker put her hand on his arm in a calming way.

"Mr. Tucker I can understand how you feel but like anything witchcraft has its good and bad sides." Marcus said.

"I don't want my son going to hell!" He shouted.

"Mr. Tucker, when I was alive I practised witchcraft freely, a little too freely since I was burnt at the stake for it."

Everyone's eyes widened. "What do you mean when you were alive?"

Marcus grinned. "You're Catholic right?" he asked Nathan's parents.

They nodded and he continued. "Well I'll use it in terms you are familiar with. The underworld is hell, the dark lord of the underworld is the devil and I am what you'd call an angel."

"You're an angel?" Lyndsay asked.

Marcus laughed. "If you want to put it that way. As I said, when I practised witchcraft freely and when I was nineteen I was burnt at the stake and I went to the rapture realm or if you want – heaven."

"So Nathan won't go to hell?"

Marcus shook his head. "Nope he won't. You've got nothing to worry about. The lord works in mysterious ways."

"Hey" Lyndsay piped up. "Does that mean that since Fan Tail is the head of the rapture realm he's God?"

"First of all it's Phantal and second he's more the manager of the rapture realm. He's never seen the big boss." Marcus told her.

"Enough about this!" Nathan's mother shrieked. "Where is my son?"

Marcus hesitated. "I have an idea but I hope it's wrong."

"Why? Why do you hope it's wrong?" Nathan's father asked.

"If I am correct, Nathan, Carlie and Jess are in the underworld." Marcus sentence hung in the air for a few moments before Lyndsay whispered "Does that mean they're in hell?"

"Yes."

"NO!" Nathan's mother screamed. "My little boy! Oh my sweet baby boy!" She whimpered over and over.

"How….how can that be?" Nathan's father asked. "Don't they have to be dead?"

"No. While you can't just orb into the underworld there are ways to surpass the gates without being dead." Marcus explained. "I could be wrong though." He supplied as a lame comfort to Nathan's parents.

"What are you supposed to tell Jess's parents?" Miranda asked.

"I'm not telling them anything." Marcus answered.

"They are going to notice that their son is missing." Miranda kept her face impassive but by the tone of her voice you knew that she didn't approve.

"I will make sure that they won't know."

"You've told them. Why can't you tell Jess's parents? They would understand better." Miranda continued.

"I think you should all go home and get some rest. I will find them." He reassured. "I promise."

A scream awoke Jess. The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was how hazy it was. Then he smelt it. The most disgusting thing that had ever graced his nose. Brimstone.

The scream echoed again and Jess recognised it this time.

Carlie.

He jumped up and scanned the area, he could make out a large shape coming towards him and he readied himself for the attack but it didn't come. Nathan gripped the front of his robes and pulled him into a kneeling position.

"Oh god." He wheezed.

"Where's Carlie?" Jess asked.

"Oh god! Please help me!" Nathan spoke to the sky.

Another scream.

"Where's Carlie?" Jess shook Nathan angrily.

"Here. There. Anywhere. Nowhere." Nathan groaned.

Jess pushed him aside. He cuffed his hands around his mouth. "Carlie!"

"Jess help me!" She screeched. "Get them off me!"

He didn't know where she was. He could barely see anything in the smoke but yet he sprinted forward in hope of finding her.

"Carlie where are you!" He called to her. All that was going through his mind was: Please let her be okay, please let her be okay.

"HERE!" He turned and the smoked had thinned revealing Carlie being pulled by a group of the most disgusting and frightening demons he would ever lay eyes upon.

"Avada Kedavra!" Jess shot the killing curse at three of them before discovering it only knocked them off their feet.

A large ball of white light hit another square in the chest. Jess turned to see Nathan (clearly in his right mind now) throwing another ball of light at the demons.

"How are you doing that?" Jess called.

"I don't know but its working pretty good!" Nathan answered.

Jess wasn't sure what to do but managed to stun a few demons. When they began to drag Carlie off both Nathan and Jess panicked in spite of this Carlie pulled herself together and set her captures alight.

Running towards Nathan and Jess, Carlie looked back to see the smoke had almost vanished and what looked like a ruin of a city was visible through now very thin smoke.

"Where are we?' Carlie asked when she reached them.

"I don't know." Jess whispered as they studied the surroundings. One of the demons Nathan had hit began to stir then another did.

"Come on let's go before---" What Jess was going to say was before more came but he didn't finish as demons began to emerge from the buildings.

"Run!" Nathan screamed as they turned and dashed off into the city.

Three days since Christmas, three days since the disappearance of three quarters of The Sorceresses Circle.

Lyndsay closed her eyes in an attempt to relax and soon images flashed before her eyes. Smoke and fire. Her eyes snapped open and the images were gone. She closed them again and kept them closed and soon saw a deserted smoky street.

Her breathing was heavy as she continued to run down the street.

"We got to hide. There is no way we can outrun or fight them." Jess's voice said.

Screams and flashes of red. Then a flicker of a building that looked half torn down. Nathan sleeping beside her. Jess watching out the window.

Then darkness…………

She opened her eyes, it didn't seem right the vision felt burned into her. Did that make sense? Her mind felt fried. She never felt this way after a vision.

"Marcus" She whispered and he immediately appeared at her side. She had a feeling he was keeping a close eye on here.

"I had a vision but this one was different." Lyndsay slowly explained.

He nodded. "How was it different?"

"For one thing it didn't come to me like usual. I had to keep closing my eyes to see it and its burning." Lyndsay continued.

"Burning?" Marcus straightened up. "Have you felt like this before?"

"Not from a vision but come to think of it, it feels like when you annoy Carlie and she tries to fry your brain." Lyndsay smiled thinking about the many times Carlie had told her that she almost lit people on fire.

"It wasn't a vision." Marcus declared. "It was a message."

"A message from who?" Lyndsay asked.

"Carlie. She's a dreamographer. Means she can burn things into other people's minds. Such as a memory or picture."

"Carlie is sending me messages?" Lyndsay gasped in disbelief.

"Looks like it. You probably didn't get the full message." Lyndsay didn't see what Marcus did since he did it in such a swift motion. All she knew was a sudden jab was made in her head.

She blinked and looked around. No longer was she in her room but somewhere dark

"Let's see if we can't find this thing." Marcus said from beside her.

"Where are we?"

"We're in your mind. I'm seeing if I can't drag up the full message." Light began to flood in and soon Lyndsay was standing in a destroyed city and they were not alone. The most hideous things she had ever seen were scuttling towards her and Marcus at an alarming speed but passed through them and chased the three figures Lyndsay knew to be her friends.

The scene abruptly changed and they were in a shabby room. Carlie and Nathan were sleeping on the floor while Jess watched out the window.

The scene shattered and Lyndsay was back in her room.

"Oh god. They're in the underworld." Marcus moaned.

"How do we get them out?" Lyndsay asked.

"I'll work on it. Just get some rest." He said then disappeared as he orbed.

Lyndsay sighed and rubbed her temples. This holidays sucked so far.