As they rode down the street, Aria once again had her ear buds in – mostly to block out the sound of the wind roaring by her head. As she pondered where they might be going, and what the repercussions of missing her interview might be, she jammed along to one of her favorite musical artists.

The sirens are screaming, and the fires are howling

Way down in the valley tonight.

There's a man in the shadows with a gun in his eye

And a blade shining oh, so bright.

There's evil in the air and there's thunder in the sky,

And a killer's on the bloodshot streets.

And down in the tunnels where the deadly are rising

Oh, I swear I saw a young boy down in the gutter

He was starting to foam in the heat.

She was curious, to say the least. As they sped by familiar streets and buildings, she couldn't help wondering just what her Uncle Press was involved in, and why he needed her help to deal with it. She hadn't missed the looks he had tried to conceal, either. Whatever he needed from her, for whatever reason, she was certain he regretted having to ask her.

I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram

On a silver-black phantom bike.

When the metal is hot, and the engine is hungry

And we're all about to see the light.

Nothing ever grows in this rotting old hole,

And everything is stunted and lost.

And nothing really rocks, and nothing really rolls,

And nothing's ever worth the cost.

Still, as upsetting as missing her interview was, and as strange as her uncle's looks were, she tempered her worry with faith. Her uncle had brought her on some fairly exciting adventures before, but he had never led her into any danger. Wherever they were going, she trusted in him to keep things from getting too out of hand.

Well I know that I'm damned if I never get out,

And maybe I'm damned if I do,

But with every other beat I've got left in my heart,

You know I'd rather be damned with you.

They were riding out of town, but the direction confused her. At first she thought they were headed towards the large town of Granite Bay, or maybe even Sacramento, but they weren't headed towards the city, or even any of the surrounding towns. It looked like they were going in the direction of the old rock quarry. There was almost nothing else out there; just a few houses and a long road that looped around and spat them back out on the road to Lumis.

Oh, baby you're the only thing in this whole world

That's pure and good and right.

And wherever you are and wherever you go

There's always gonna be some light,

But I gotta get out, I gotta break out now

Before the final crack of dawn.

So we gotta make the most of our one night together

When it's over, you know,

We'll both be so alone.

The further they rode, the more certain Aria became. They were headed to the rock quarry. After about half an hour they pulled up in the forlorn gravel clearing that people now used to park. The quarry had been abandoned decades ago, and no modern touches could be found, save for the litter that occasionally adorned the ground. She had been here a number of times before. The quarry was fairly large with many hiking trails, trailing ponds, boulder piles, and a few caves. Her uncle had brought her here all the time as a kid to practice hiking, and her parents had taken her here every year for Easter for as long as she could remember.

She swung her leg over, grabbing her bag and stepping onto the ground. As her Uncle hopped off the bike, she noticed that he left the keys in the ignition. "Uhhh, Uncle Press? I think you're forgetting something," She said quizzically.

He waved her concern off. "Don't worry about it, it'll be fine. Let's go."

She glanced back at the bike again. Although this wasn't exactly a heavily populated area, and the people in her home town were generally good people, this place attracted a lot of angsty teenagers who were looking for some privacy. If they left it alone too long, she was certain it would get stolen. She shrugged it off though. If her uncle wasn't concerned, he knew what he was doing…or it was his loss.

As she followed him through the mossy, forested quarry, she occasionally paused to grab some of the plants that grew just off the paths. Miner's Lettuce was a long-stemmed, bright green plant with an odd, flat green head. Her father had told her about it when she was young. It was edible, healthy, and pretty tasty. Although it probably wasn't sanitary to just eat it right out of the ground, she did it anyways. It had never hurt her before. She followed her uncle along one of the paths they had taken a hundred times before. She was unbelievably confused. Where were the people they were supposed to help? Had they all met up at one of the clearings in the quarry? If so, why did they have to meet so deep in the forest? Why were they here in the first place?

At last her uncle stopped, turned off the trail and gestured for Aria to follow him. He took off down a small deer trail through the brush. She followed him closely, curiosity nearly overwhelming. Overhead, a western meadow lark shot by, warbling loudly, and she looked around. She had explored the quarry thoroughly as a child, and had never come across anything out here. After another ten minutes of walking they at last reached what she assumed was their destination – an old, abandoned cave, probably used for mining at one point. It was partially grown over, but there was an obvious space cleared for people to get in and out. She looked at him curiously. Although she was tentative about going into the small, dark space – there was dangerous wildlife out here – her curiosity overcame her. It almost always did. If there was one thing wrong with her, it was that she was curious to a fault. She would dismiss even the most threatening situation if you got her interested enough.

Uncle Press glanced back at her one more time to make sure she was still with him, then wormed his way into the small cave. Aria followed close behind him, fanny pack getting caught on the rock, bag of books and blades getting snagged on the branches. She would have left the bag at with the bike, but she was certain that when the bike got stolen, whoever took the bike would grab the bag as well, regardless of the near worthlessness of the contents.

She pulled out her IPod and turned it on. Using it as a light source, she was just barely able to make out her surroundings. She was surprised to find that the cave was much roomier than she thought it would be. Most of the caves at the quarry were either small, shallow natural caves, or sealed off mine shafts. This one was large enough for two people to walk side by side in, and protruded deep into the rock. As she followed her uncle down the deep tunnel, she noticed that there were no cigarette butts or broken bottles around. This was odd, because teenagers tended to find these caves with ease, and use them to get away with all kinds of things. Apparently this cave had remained undiscovered by the youth of the surrounding towns. Or anyone else, for that matter.

A moment later she took that thought back. As Press led her into a fairly large chamber, she saw there was someone sitting against the wall across from them. He had a small fire going, so Aria could see the rest of the cave. It was extremely large, big enough for half a dozen trailers to fit in side by side, with enough room for a few Volkswagens left over. There was another tunnel branching off from this large cave, a small one along the wall halfway between them and the guy by the fire. She realized that this must connect to the main mine, a series of tunnels and shafts that worked its way several miles underground. Most of the entrances had been blocked off for fear of people getting lost. Apparently this one had been overlooked.

As she looked more closely at the person across from them, she saw that he was dressed in fairly ratty clothes, and was holding a beer bottle in one hand. He was probably a vagrant, or one of the local high schoolers looking for a place to drink without getting busted. She wondered if this was the person she had been brought to help.

But when Uncle Press saw the guy, he stopped dead in his tracks. Press glanced back at Aria, then murmured, "The place you're looking for is down there," he said while gesturing to the tunnel between them and the man. "Keep going straight, then look for a tunnel with a star carved into the rock to the left of it. It should be the third one on the left."

She was baffled. Why was he telling her this? Wasn't he coming with her?

He continued, "Run down that cave until the rocks turn solid grey. When you've gotten there, shout, 'Denduron'. I'll follow you as soon as I can." She looked at him in confusion.

"Uhhh, alright, but–" She was cut off as the man stood up and called out to them.

"Hey," he said, sounding vaguely drunk. "What're you doin' in my home?" His words were slurred, but he didn't look like much of a threat. Mostly he looked like he was about to fall over.

Uncle Press tensed. "You're not fooling anybody, you know," he said nonchalantly. "No one knows about this cave. If they did, there would be litter everywhere." The man looked up at him a bit strangely, as if not fully understanding him. Aria certainly wasn't.

The man looked like he was about to speak again, when Press interrupted. "Also, you're holding a brand of beer that hasn't been sold on this territory for thirty years."

At this the man raised both eyebrows, and then smirked, drunkenness gone. "Well then, I suppose there's no need for the charade now, is there?"

Aria's breath caught in her throat. In the flickering light of the fire, it looked as though the man was undergoing some sort of transformation. His form seemed to liquefy, writhe for a moment in the uncertain light, and then he solidified into an entirely new person.

The man who stood in front of them now had long, sleek black hair falling down to the middle of his back. He stood nearly seven feet tall, and wore a dark suit with a crisp cut. What struck Aria most was the eyes. They were a cold, bright blue, and seemed alive with malice. They locked onto hers briefly, and she shuddered. They studied her for a moment, then went back to Press.

"And pray tell, who might this be? I was under the impression that I would be seeing a familiar face. I wasn't aware that you would be sending…fresh blood." He said this with a smirk that chilled Aria.

Uncle Press narrowed his eyes at the man standing across from them. "Things have changed. I suppose this means you're a bit behind on our tactics. That's unusual for you, Saint Dane. Don't you normally take pride in keeping one step ahead of us?"

This made the man's eyes narrow briefly, then his face regained its calm, self-assured mask. "Never mind. New players or old, it will not change the outcome."

"Don't you wish." Uncle Press looked back at Aria. She was caught somewhere between petrified and fascinated. He looked her in the eye and said, "Cave. Star. Third on the left. Denduron. Go now." With that he turned to Saint Dane and pulled something out of his pocket. Saint Dane did the same, reflexes like lightning.

Crack!

There was the thunderous sound of two weapons discharging at once. Aria's eyes widened, and she took off for the cave – right into the line of fire. There was another crack as a gun went off. Just before darting around the corner, she felt a searing pain on the back of her shoulder. One of the bullets had grazed her.

She was terrified, and using her IPod to light the way, she stumbled along as quickly as she dared, looking for any sign of the cave her uncle was talking about.

Aria could hear gunfire coming from behind her. Whoever this Saint Dane guy was, Uncle Press was keeping him occupied. She was afraid for her uncle, but frankly she was more afraid for herself. She would just have to trust that Uncle Press knew what he was doing. She wasn't armed, after all, and she wasn't about to bring an IPod to a gunfight. So she kept running. Or stumbling, rather.

She had passed by one cave to the left of her and two to the right when she heard a sound behind her. It was a low, threatening growl. She paused. There were a number of animals that could make a sound like that, and none of them were the kinds you wanted to turn your back to. She turned around…and wished she hadn't.

A mountain lion was prowling towards her. Its fangs glinted and its eyes glowed bright yellow in the limited light. It was stalking towards her, and as Aria watched, two more joined it. They prowled out of the cave to her left, the one she had just passed.

What were mountain lions doing this deep in a cave? Besides that, why so many? They were usually solitary animals, rarely found in groups exceeding two members. This wasn't the case with these three, though, and as they stalked towards her she realized that there was another sound coming from the cave to her immediate right. Shining her IPod light revealed yet another of the monstrous beasts prowling towards her. She swallowed her fear and started moving slowly backwards. What was going on here?

She decided to take a nice, calming approach. They outnumbered her significantly – there was no way she would be able to trick them into thinking she was a threat. One, perhaps, but not four. She would have to try to convince them she wasn't dangerous. Animals didn't generally attack unless they were hungry, or they felt that a threat needed to be dealt with. The risk of injury was too high to attack for any other reasons. As she moved slowly backwards, she chanted in a soft, sing-song voice, "Nice kitty…warm kitty…little ball of fur…" she passed yet another cave to her left. The next one would be the one she was looking for. She continued to step back away from the animals pacing towards her. "Happy kitty…sleepy kitty…"

The beast in front roared and sprang at her. This kitty was neither sleepy nor happy.

Aria grabbed her book-bag and swung it at the beast. It connected with the creature's head, causing it to stumble. The other three paused for a moment. A moment was enough, and Aria took off down the tunnel. No longer caring about the lack of light at her feet, she aimed her IPod towards the left wall searching desperately for the tunnel. The beasts were right on her tail. It would take only a few more moments for them to catch up to her, and then there wouldn't be anything she could do. At last she saw the cave, and darted sharply around the corner. The big cats behind her tried to turn as sharply and got into a pileup. She was grateful for this; if they hadn't they would be using her as a scratching post right now.

She ran forward, listening to the low growls of the lions behind her. They were probably already up and running again. She sprinted forward, and it wasn't long until the rocks turned from brown and dusty to pure, solid grey, just like her uncle had said. She looked around for some indication of safety, but found none. In fact, the tunnel seemed to stretch on without end, and she knew she wouldn't be able to outrun the animals chasing her. Her heart sank, and she turned around.

The mountain lions were back, prowling cautiously up to her. They seemed deterred by the rocky substance before them, prodding at it with their paws and growling in irritation. Nonetheless, she doubted that would stop them from getting an easy meal. Aria backed into the tunnel, heart pounding, thoughts flying wildly around in her head, wondering why she had even consented to come here, who that man who had shot at her was, where Uncle Press was –

Suddenly she remembered the last thing he had told her to do. Not knowing what the point was, but desperate for any kind of help, she gathered her breath and shouted out, "Denduron!"

There was a shift in the atmosphere. The big cats widened their eyes, then began to back away. Aria felt a surge of relief, followed by fear.

She felt something tugging at her, and realized with a start that the rock beneath her feet had turned totally clear.

The cats fled as light began to fill the tunnel. Aria was terrified. What was this? Wind pressure? A vacuum of some sort? A freakin' tractor beam? She started to struggle against the force pulling her in, but paused and turned her head to get a better view of what was happening. A light was speeding towards her, and as frightened as she was, her curiosity overcame her. She heard a mismatched jumble of musical notes emanating from the tunnel. She stood, unable to struggle against the indomitable force any longer, and watched as the mysterious light enveloped her.

Suddenly, she was floating. She felt as though she was moving, but couldn't tell how quickly or in what direction. Forward, she supposed; but forward unto what? As she looked around, heart beating wildly, she saw the walls were as transparent as the rocks that had been at her feet.

She was equal parts terrified and fascinated. Looking out she beheld a vast star field, stretching endlessly all around her. She was wildly confused, but didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. Was she in space? That's what it looked like, but if that was the case she was isolated from it. She could breathe perfectly well, and the temperature was normal.

She eventually relaxed, at least a bit. No mountain lions, no man with a gun…so far this place seemed a lot nicer than the one she had left.

Thinking about that sent a pang of fear and regret shooting through her. What about Uncle Press? She knew that there was nothing she could have done, but the fact was she had left him. She hadn't even hesitated. He would now be trapped between both that Saint Dane guy and the lions. He had a gun, but how much good would that do him? A mountain lion could take three or four bullets easily without slowing down, unless you got them in the head. Heck, even a human pumped up on enough adrenaline could take a several rounds to the chest and keep coming until the brain registered that it was dead. She was less scared for herself now, and much more concerned about her uncle. Guilt pulsed through her. She prayed that he would be alright.

After an indeterminable amount of time, maybe hours, or perhaps a few minutes, she heard once again the jumble of notes that had accompanied the beginning of her journey. She tensed in fear. Was she about to land? Where would she end up? Back in the cave? The other end of the rock quarry? Somewhere else?

The musical notes grew louder and she was at last deposited at her destination, gravity resuming its normal force. She glanced back at the tunnel and saw the light receding back into its depths. She blinked, then turned back around. Initially she thought that she had wound up with choice number two: the other end of the quarry.

She was in a cave; that much was certain. The rocks weren't very different from those in the one she had just left, but the first thing that registered with her was the temperature.

It was freezing.

She looked around wildly and noticed that there were enough differences between here and the rock quarry mine that it was unlikely she was still in the same place. These rocks had a different texture and color from the ones in her geographic region.

She also realized that it was a bit difficult to breathe. Low temperature plus low oxygen typically indicated high altitude. How could that be, though? She had just been underground!

The laws of physics didn't seem to care, though. When she moved to look around a bit, she found the exit to the cave, and looking out…she was staggered by what she saw.

She was on the top of a mountain. Snow surrounded her, and before her stretched a vast land seemingly untouched by modern civilization. A forest sat at the base of the mountain, and she could see no large buildings or man-made clearings from where she stood. Looking at her more immediate surroundings, she saw a sled of some sort just outside of the cave, right under an overhang that shielded it from the elements. A pile of some sort of cloth sat near the rocky tunnel that had deposited her here, and outside of the cave multiple, bright yellow spikes jutted up out of the snow. Maybe some strange natural rock formation, unique to the area.

Aria turned back to the cave, half curious, half frightened. For the immediate moment, curiosity was winning out. She was exhilarated, but not knowing what to do, she just walked around the cave trying to get her bearings. She was too worked up to think straight. She hoped her uncle would find her soon.

It wasn't long before the tunnel began to glow again. Since it wasn't sucking her in, she assumed it was likely depositing someone, the way she had been deposited. She perked up a bit. Uncle Press must have managed to get away.

As the jumble of notes grew louder, Aria stood up and took a step towards the flume – then stopped dead in her tracks. It wasn't her uncle who was stepping out - it was the other man. Saint Dane.

Aria quickly back-pedaled, eyes widening in panic. The man landed, saw her, and immediately darted towards her. She flung herself back against the wall, but he followed her movements. Once she was trapped he grabbed her face roughly, and brought himself down to eye level. Their eyes locked, and he studied her intently.

Saint Dane gripped her face tightly and brought her closer to him. He looked her in the eye, trying to figure out which spirit had been sent to combat him. It's said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, after all.

The girl was terrified, he could tell that much. Also immediately apparent was that this was not one of the Travelers he had faced in the first war, nor any of their acolytes. It was possible that they had been sent back with new bodies, but Saint Dane could tell that this wasn't the case. Whoever this spirit was, she was new to him.

And yet… something about her seemed familiar. He couldn't quite place it, but he quickly dismissed it. He had come to know many spirits during him time in Solara. It would not be surprising if he had known this one as well. Furthermore, it would not stop him from exacting his revenge. If the ones he sought feared him enough to send replacements in their stead, then he would simply have to tear through these ones first.

Tremors racked the girl's body. She stood paralyzed, unable to look away. Good. She was right to fear him. He smirked, and then stood up straight. He had things to do, places to be…and if this was the pathetic Traveler that Pendragon had sent to fight him, Saint Dane knew he would see her again soon enough.

The man, Saint Dane, studied her intently for perhaps a full minute. Then, smirking at her, he let her face go and turned to leave.

Her mind had gone blank while he was studying her, but now the thoughts came flooding back. She was afraid, yes, but as she remembered the way he had transformed in the cave earlier, questions began to flood her mind. Who was this guy? How did he transform like that? What was this place, and why was he here? For that matter, why was she here.

Curious to a fault.

She took a step forward, exclaiming, "Wait! What–" She was cut off as he whipped around, pressing his gun to her forehead and glaring down at her. His eyes blazed blue, and Aria suddenly remembered the pain in her shoulder from where his bullet had grazed her. As the cold metal was pressed to her skin, she wondered numbly what had become of her uncle. As much as she wanted to know, any questions she might have asked dried up on her tongue. It seemed that her brash curiosity was what had upset him, and she had no intention of making things worse.

The gun was pressed more firmly against her skull. He looked like he was about to say something, when the tunnel began to activate again. He glanced at it, looked down at her scathingly, then stowed the gun and whirled around to leave. He disappeared out the cave entrance, and Aria stood trembling. Whether from fear or cold, she wasn't sure. Probably a bit of both.

Once out of the cave, Saint Dane looked to the lands below him. He concentrated briefly on changing his form, and moments later was soaring through the thin air on ebon wings.

He made his way towards the Milago village. He had business there, after all. As he flew, he contemplated the girl from the cave. This new spirit…Aria…was too bold for her own good. He wondered what had driven her to step after him. Bravery? Insolence? Perhaps she was simply abysmally foolish. Whatever the reason, her sudden lack of fear had irked him. She had gone from terrified to inquisitive in five seconds flat. He might have tossed her around a bit had Press not cut their interaction short. He let out a mental sigh as he flew over the forests below him.

No matter. He was certain he had made it clear that he was not to be trifled with. And if he hadn't?

She would learn in time.

Credits:

Lyrics from Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf