Nicodemus was crouched low to the forest floor. He lifted a lip in disgust. He forgot how much he hated his old school. Especially the people inside. How they had cut him out, wouldn't even let him see his sister. Disgusting. All of you. Filthy little rats who have let their egos grow bigger than their brains. Little rats who assume that being a mage is the greatest thing. That everyone wants to be a mage. He thought. Well, you're wrong. He stood silently, watching the three magelings he had been tracking for the past half day follow closely behind a shadowy figure. They entered the woods just a few yards away from him, and he held his breath, praying that Basilton didn't catch his scent. He didn't. Up ahead he heard a growl. That damn Snow child. He thinks he can get whatever he wants if he growls loud enough. He waited until the four people had a good lead before taking a less direct route, following the sound of their crashing. That was, until he saw, just ahead of him, a white, shining figure. Ebb. He stopped, mind going blank. Then from far off, someone screamed.

-0-0-0-

Penny, Baz, and Simon all crashed into the clearing at the same time. The trees were thick and dense around them. Three paths branched off in front of them. Impatient, Simon growled and marched forward to the middle path. He stooped and picked a piece of paper off of the ground.

"Basilton," He read aloud, eyes flicking to Baz uncertainly. "Before you lies the path of your past, present, and future. Every question will be answered, every answer will have a question. But be warned. The want for knowledge has put others on a fiery course"

The three of them didn't move. They didn't even breathe. "There's another one," stated Simon after a moment, strolling to the path on the far left. He picked up the other piece and scanned the first line.

"Penn-"

"Read it"

"Penelope Bunce. Most would describe her as a smart girl. Always knows what to do. But what they don't realize is that she's falling apart behind the scenes. If you wish to repair this damage, travel onwards"

Penny was practically in tears but her eyes were alight with malice.

"Where's yours?" asked Baz, accepting the paper Simon handed him. Simon nodded to another small piece on the ground in front of the path on the far right. He went to receive it and opened his mouth to read. Though before he could utter a word, Baz reached out and took his hand. "You don't have to do this"

Simon just stared into his eyes, a blanket seeming to fall over the once piercing gaze. He opened his mouth again and read out loud once more.

"Simon Snow, the Mages Heir. Such an impressive title for such a pathetic child. One who can't even control his own magic. One who has to use another as a vessel. The secret to your ability to control magic lies ahead, but so do many trials. Ones you must face alone"

He stopped reading and looked up. The three stared at each other, each gripping their paper tightly. Finally, it was Baz who broke the silence.

"No. No, we aren't playing her sick little mind games. We are not splitting up!"

"Baz-"

"No! Come on, we'll all go with you" he stated, walking to the path on the far right. The moment he tried to step into it, though, he was blown back. He thumped against a thick tree trunk and slid down, grimacing in pain. Penny screamed, its sound echoing around in the forest.

"Baz!" cried Simon, sprinting to his side. Within moments Baz was able to breathe again, gasping for the life giving substance. He coughed and spluttered a bit, waving away Simons attempts to help and rose shakily to his feet. He shook out one leg, letting his ankle stretch and roll, wincing again.

"Don't touch the barriers" he coughed. Penny rolled her eyes and turned, looking down the far left path. She took a few steps forward.

"Penny, no!" cried Simon again, watching as nothing happened. She stepped a few more feet down the path and turned back to watch them.

"Sorry Baz, I think we have to go down our own paths" she said with a small shrug.

"No! We'll go back if we have to! We can find another-"he cut himself off, turning and stopping abruptly. The way they had come was covered by the same green field that had been covering the right path just before it blew Baz back. Now that they had a close view, they saw that it was moving, runes swirling over the surface like a bit of oil floating in a bowl of water. "Shit".

-0-0-0-

"Okay," Penny breathed. "We have no other choice. I'm sorry, but I personally think we should go through with it. It's our only option" she huffed, turning towards her own path. She turned her head back slightly and looked at them out of the side of her eye, offering a small smile. "See you guys on the other side" she said, taking off down her path.

"Pen, wait!" called Simon, but was forced to watch helplessly as her back slowly disappeared, swallowed by the darkness.

"She's right" whispered Baz, placing a cool hand on Simon's shoulder. Simon nodded and let his shoulders fall in defeat. Baz leaned forward and gave him a small kiss just behind his ear and turned, stalking to the middle path.

"Baz wait!" sobbed Simon, stopping himself just short of being blasted into last week. Baz turned and made eye contact. "Please" he pleaded, holding out his arms. Baz was there in a flash, face buried into his neck.

"Don't do anything stupid" he mumbled, his voice being muffled by Simon's sweater. Simon, not trusting his voice, just nodded.

"I love you, Baz" he croaked. He felt Baz's arms tighten around his waist, providing a comforting pressure in his chest.

"I love you too, Snow" he said back. And when Simon leaned in for a kiss, he didn't object. It started tight and closed mouthed, but soon Baz's mouth opened, his tongue sliding into Simon's mouth. Simon couldn't stop a small whimper from escaping the back of his throat, traveling into Baz's. He drew back quickly, concern blotting his features.

"Hey, it'll be okay. Okay? We'll see each other soon. Hey, look at me" he pulled gently on Simons chin, angling his face up. "Remember? I told you that I would always be the one to do you in, and when have I ever lied?"

Simon chuckled quietly. "Quite a bit, actually"

"Yeah, but besides that. And if anything tries to hurt you, I will burn down this damned forest to get to you"

Simon smiled, and felt himself calm down slightly. Baz always had that impact. He could just make people calm. And Simon certainly wasn't complaining about it now.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

And the two split, each heading into his own path to the unknown.

A/N: oooh! I sense some serious sh*t coming up! *Ominous music plays*