Serpantha a Heiki stood either side of the doorway, both clutching guns, listening for people. When Serpantha heard footsteps behind him, he didn't have to think twice about who would be following him – not that he minded, and he knew Heiki was probably just trying to distract herself. Hearing nothing, Serpantha asked her, 'What did you see exactly?'

'A lot,' Heiki said shakily. 'I watched them cut up the bodies of their children, and I saw your father kill Larpskendya on the beach.' Heiki shuddered. 'I even saw Toyé. She was getting ready to go on recon, and she kept saying that it would be fine to Larpskendya, and I watched her get ready… she looked beautiful, really, and then it just flashed to when she was dying. I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head. The look in her eyes, too.'

'I know,' Serpantha said grimly. 'Nor will I.'

'It's just a lot to take in a one sitting I guess, I'll get over it.'

'How do you think I feel learning that my mother's a murderer?'

Heiki half-laughed sadly. 'When you think nothing can surprise you,' she paused. 'I missed you, you know.'

'I missed you too,' Serpantha said earnestly.

'Not in the same way,' Heiki said, growing more defensive. 'years of therapy didn't help me as much as a year with you. And then you disappeared. Which is why I was in therapy in the first place. Now what's the point of going, I can't tell them the truth,

I'd be locked up and called insane.'

'I'm sorry Heiki, I didn't want this.' Serpantha said.

'I know,' Heiki said immediately. 'but just listen to me. You were the first person to treat me like a person – not some patient, you didn't just sit there nodding or reminding me it wasn't my fault, you talked to me about it. Hell, you even bitched about people with me and offered your honest opinion on things. You were a friend to me, and you helped me. Therapy never did that. I don't think I can make anyone understand the impact it had when you left.'

'I'm not going to pretend to understand, either. The best I can relate is losing someone who you love, but know I've never stopped caring about you. I was never spending time with you as an obligation, Heiki.'

'Why haven't we heard anything yet?' Heiki asked, quickly changing the subject.

'No idea,' Serpantha admitted. 'but we stay here until we do.'

Heiki became solemn. 'I'm sorry about your mother being a killer… And Owlola killing herself, and your son dying…'

Serpantha smirked. 'You're sorry that this is the life I have to live basically.'

Heiki laughed. 'I didn't mean it to come out like that.' She paused. 'I am sorry, though, I mean, for the short time I spoke to her Owlola did seem like a wonderful person.'

'She was,' Serpantha agreed. 'My father always hated her though, because as much as I would like to congratulate myself on seventy-five percent of my children being male, it actually comes down the female line. Owlola had all sisters, and one brother who didn't live very long, so she wasn't considered a good choice for me. That and Owlola wasn't thin and delicate like he wanted the women in my family to be, you should have seen Áraliná growing up, she looked a bit like Volüsa does now. He wanted me to be with a woman who had five brothers, but I never liked her.'

Heiki raised her eyebrow. 'Because women basically exist to make children, be subservient and look good?'

'My thoughts exactly. In my generation that's what was expected, but no longer enforced like it used to be. I wonder why the Witches ever left to become the Highs. But Owlola was brilliant. One time my father caught us laying in bed together, and he screamed at Owlola to leave but she looked him in the eye and said very calmly that she didn't feel like walking for a while..'

Heiki giggled. Then her face fell in thought. 'It's been too long to hear nothing something isn't right.'

'Just wait.'

'What if I went up there? It's a little collapsed and probably gets worse, but I could make my way through it.'

Serpantha thought for a minute before handing her his gun, and saying, 'Be careful. I don't need your death on my conscience I have enough already.'

Heiki half-smiled.

His decision wasn't received well when he returned to the others to explain.

'Heiki is competent human being and I trust her to do this, just relax.' Serpantha defended himself.

Larpskendya burst, 'It's got nothing to do with her; it's you putting her in danger I'm angry about!'

'Now children,' their mother said, almost sarcastically. 'Let us not argue.'

'What do can I call you?' Rachel asked shyly.

'Anything you want,' she answered. 'but I assume you were asking my name, in which case you can call me Oriliagh.'

Rachel nodded slowly, still trying to take it all in.

Venibilles looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, 'How do we get what we need from them? The humans, I mean, and what do we need from them?'

'They have technology to take magic away from a host and imprison it,' Larpskendya said, and then added glumly, 'it isn't much, but it's a chance.'

'This is it then.' Rachel said heavily. 'Isn't it?'

'There is an alternative,' Serpantha admitted. 'We could live out the rest of our miserable lives here, as Volüsa has. But that isn't living it's just not dying, we're better off trying.'

'You realise killing him won't solve everything, right?' Oriliagh asked. All eyes turned to her, awaiting explanation they didn't want to hear. 'If you kill him, there's no guarantee when in time we could end up. You could land in your own childhood, or even mine, centuries before your birth. Or we could die too. And you know everything he does is intentional.'

'What do you mean?' Serpantha asked.

'You think he brought back Zina for no reason?'

Zina looked into Larpskendya's eyes fearfully. 'Larpskendya?'

'I wouldn't look to him for answers,' Oriliagh was almost offended. 'I assumed he knew. People without magic can't travel through a white hole and cross time zones.'

'But she did,' Larpskendya looked to his mother almost pleadingly. 'We both managed to travel here so she can do it.'

'Safeke did that, not her. If he dies...'

'Safeke?' Before anyone explained, Rachel realised and added, 'that's his name isn't it?'

Oriliagh gave a small single nod before turning back to Larpskendya. 'I'm sorry.'

Larpskendya and Zina looked at each other, holding hands, both trying to hold onto tears and hope. Serpantha fixed his eyes on his brother, and a lump sat in his throat preventing him from speaking.

To everyone's surprise, it was Serpantha who spoke first, not averting his gaze. 'If she had magic, how much would she need to be able to come with us?'

Oriliagh hesitated. 'I'm not sure.'

'You know what to do.' Serpantha said, picking up a knife and giving it to his brother.

Larpskendya took it, and he cut his own hand first. Once it was done, he gently took Zina's arm, used a quick spell to numb the pain, and made the same cut on her.

Larpskendya linked their bleeding hands. 'I have no idea if this will work, you know that right?'

Zina nodded, unable to speak.

With his other hand, Larpskendya brushed her face. 'I'm going wherever you are. I would follow you anywhere, isn't that what you said to me when you left Earth to come live with me? I never told you but I would to. I… I want you to remember that. I will follow you anywhere, even to the grave.'

Zina's voice cracked as she said, 'I love you.'

With that, the two of them kissed as their bloodied hands clenched together. And Larpskendya began his attempt to transfer magic to Zina.

Calen went wide-eyed witnessing it. 'I thought you didn't teach anyone how to magic leak.'

Serpantha turned to her quickly, as if she broke him out of a trance. 'I didn't, he figured out how to do it himself as an adolescent.' Seeing her face, he quickly added, 'it annoys me, too, it took me a year to master with someone teaching me. And Yemi can do it as an infant without physical contact. Do I need to explain further how much trouble we are in?'

Calen shook her head.

Some time passed, and Serpantha turned back to them, still kissing. 'Can you let me know just how far you're planning to take this so I know whether to find another room to work in or not?'

Rachel half-smiled.

Larpskendya finally drew away from Zina, and they both had a moment of breathlessness. And then Larpskendya saw new colour in Zina's eyes – it wasn't much, but it was something. His eyes welled up in joy as he healed both their wounds.

'I can't guarantee that will make her able to come with us, if we ever do get to go back.' Oriliagh said softly.

'It worked then?' Zina asked, her tone lightening.

Larpskendya took both her hands, raising her slightly, and instead of going on tip-toe, she hovered off the floor. Larpskendya grinned uncontrollably at her, forgetting everything. Out of fear, Zina landed on the floor.

'What's wrong?' Larpskendya asked, confused.

'I was amazed when Athena could keep changing the appearance of the Barbie she had from Earth,' Zina laughed. 'I don't think I'm the type to ever use magic, it still amazes me too much.'

Oriliagh chimed in, 'Be glad it could all disappear at any second then.'

'What do we do if that happens?' Zina asked warily.

'Then I've got plenty of magic you can borrow.' Serpantha said, looking at Larpskendya. 'To save him giving it away twice.'

'What happened to everything you said before?' Larpskendya seemed baffled.

Serpantha smiled apologetically. 'I know full well you don't want to live without Zina. Living without her now would mean you leaving her behind, consciously leaving her to die. It's not the same as killing who you love, which what I did, but that doesn't make it easier. Yes, I moved on a found Owlola but that's because Owlola is right for me, just like Zina is for you. Not anyone else. And you deserve her, and you deserve to be happy. But you won't be happy without her and you're the only person I have left. We're doing this together, OK?'

Larpskendya nodded gratefully.

Oriliagh spoke up. 'Safeke set it up, made him die in battle and made it so you'd have to take his magic. I tried to talk him out of it, I did, but he was too angry. I'm just glad you were able to find Owlola.'

Serpantha briefly acknowledged her, ignoring all emotion. Yes, he found Owlola, who he loved more than anyone, but he never truly forgot his previous love, his best friend. But it was OK, because being angry always helps in battle, so his anger would just have to wait until the perfect moment.

The mood was quickly broken by Heiki storming into the room, holding both guns to the back of a beaten-up looking young man. He had been completely disarmed, stripped down to a black T-shirt and skin tight black trousers.

'Stand up against that wall,' Heiki instructed coldly. He shakily did so. 'Are you prepared to co-operate completely yet?'

'No,' he answered in bad, accented English. 'You'll kill me whether I do or don't.'

Without hesitating, Heiki ran up to him and punched him the face. He fell to the floor in pain, and after a few more blows she pulled him up and pinned him to the wall. 'You are part of what killed Serpantha's son, what killed innocent people, and you will give us any answer we want.'

'No.'

Heiki pushed him into the wall and let him drop down. She raised her hand, and Serpantha shouted, 'Stop!'

Heiki lowered her hand, keeping a threatening gaze on the man on the floor.

The man spit blood, and then spoke. 'You just do what he tells you then? See, you're afraid too. And not as superior as you think.'

Heiki looked out of the corner of her eye to Calen. 'People should do what you say out of respect, not fear. Which is what I do.'

The man looked directly to Serpantha. 'If you're going to kill me do it.'

'Where would you get that impression?' Serpantha asked with eerie calmness. 'I am, after all, only the father of Volüsa, whose brother you killed, making him my son.'

'I didn't personally do anything, and right now I'm only following orders.'

'I'm not interested in your weak defence,' snapped Serpantha. 'Heiki elaborate on him.'

'He was the first and only to be sent down.' She began, speaking firmly and monotone. 'The others where going to come down as soon as they got his all clear, I have his futuristic version of a walkie-talkie I figured it would be useful, and his weapons are just outside this room in case you wanted them.'

'What have you been instructed to do?' Serpantha asked, although with two guns pointing at him the man didn't exactly have much option but to answer.

'See how many we would need to capture those here with magic.' He answered sheepishly. 'Now tell me why there's a white girl, an Asian and an albino. Some kind of interbreeding between your kind and humans?'

Rachel was about to speak, but Serpantha answered before anyone else could. 'Yes. Though I am unsure what's wrong with that. Some of our kind went off together to live on an alien world and we're some of the descendants. Only we've been away for so long we missed a lot, such as the fall of the High Witches. It would have been nice to receive a warmer welcome than this.'

The man looked at his own blood on the floor and on his body. 'I could say the same.'

'Yes,' Serpantha agreed. 'You will have to forgive my niece, she has an anger problem.'

'So she came from those two then?'

Serpantha nodded. 'But before I digress into my family tree I have questions of my own. What happens once someone is captured?'

'I'm not a medic, I wouldn't—'

'What happens?'

'It's not a straight forward process, the first people it was tried on, such as your kid I suppose… they had to be killed first and now we have a way of gradually extracting each spell until they die.'

'You torture them to death by slowing removing their magic.' Serpantha's disgust was obvious. 'Nguyen, if you don't mind.'

The second she heard her surname, Heiki kicked the man in the gut, winding him. She knew Serpantha well enough to know what he meant.

'I'm not going to tell you more if I get hurt for saying it.' He said weakly.

'Yes you are,' Heiki fired back instantly.

'Besides how bad can it be?' the man said, trying to defend himself. 'I mean, it's just magic, it isn't like we're cutting you open and removing organ by organ.'

'Actually, that's an incredibly accurate account of what it's like, and the longer it lasts the more it hurts.' Serpantha said matter-of-factly.

The man narrowed his eyes. 'How do you know?'

'I know people who have survived the process of having their magic undone.'

'On Earth? Impossible.'

'No, not on Earth, but that's none of your business.'

'On that creature's planet then,' the man looked to Lyrai.

'I have a name,' she hissed. 'and no.'

'I will be blunt here,' Serpantha said, 'you're going to help us and if you don't you will be killed.'

Rachel found herself shudder at his brutality. It was something a High Witch would say, and to hear a innocent looking Wizard say it in a soft Irish voice seemed so wrong, and almost made it more frightening than any Witch saying it. But surely he wasn't being serious, he didn't kill Calen after what she did – why kill an innocent young man?

'What do you want?' he asked fearfully. 'I can't help you get out of this.'

Serpantha shrugged. 'You can give us information to help us figure out how to get out of this.'

'I have an idea,' Heiki said with forced conviction. 'It's risky but it could work.'

'Then let's do it.'

'What if it doesn't work?' Heiki asked, her voice quavering slightly.

Serpantha said firmly, 'Heiki, you're very intelligent. Your plans fail if you get cocky or emotionally involved. Providing those things don't happen I think you're a brilliant strategist. Now what do we do?'

Heiki raised herself with authority and looked at everyone in the room. 'There must be another way out of here, where we came through isn't the original entrance.'

'The only other exit leads out the side of a cliff.' Esimi said.

'That could work,' Heiki said, excitement growing in her voice. 'If our friend here takes Calen out of this base, he can pick us up with Calen at the other entrance and we'll be safe…is there a way down the cliff?'

'No,' Esimi answered.

'We have an aircraft,' the man said, pushing himself to his feet.

Heiki looked to Calen. 'You go with him and make up some story of how you're human and got trapped here with us.'

Calen looked to Serpantha. 'I have magic, if that's detected—'

'You'll be captured and die,' Heiki cut her off. 'but no matter what, you die, we all do, so may as well try it, right? They shouldn't go looking for it in you, he can just say he's taking you back to wherever and come pick us up on the other side.'

'Not exactly watertight,' Venibilles commented.

'And I'm not keen on dying.' Calen added.

Serpantha said, 'If anyone has any better ideas we can do that. If not, we follow Heiki's plan, because it isn't half-bad. One problem though.'

'What?' Heiki asked stunned.

'What happens when he leaves with a human? If he was able to get her out they'll assume it's safe to infiltrate. They'll be able to follow us. Not only that but there are people other than us here, humans with magic. They'll all be killed.'

'We can take them to the lowest levels,' Esimi said.

'What good is delaying the inevitable?' Serpantha threw back. 'It works Heiki it's a good plan but it involves risking our lives and killing everyone here.'

'Then I have an idea.' Volüsa spoke up shakily. 'I will stay here and defend this place as long as we can. Leave us some weaponry, we'll be fine. Lyrai, if you agree to it, I think you should go out there as a distraction. Being a new species, many of that force will be preoccupied with you. It will buy us time.'

Serpantha looked to his daughter despairingly. 'I can't let you sacrifice yourself.'

'Heiki said it. Either way we die. Besides, if you're going where we are, you can always come get us.'

Serpantha gave a small nod with forced calmness to Heiki.

Heiki commanded, 'You and Calen go out, delay as long as possible.' She healed his wounds. 'put your things back on and if you breath a word of what we're doing to anyone, I will kill you.'

'I'll be jailed if I'm found helping you.'

'That's awful I'm sorry,' Heiki said with mocked sympathy, before adding in an angrier tone, 'now get out there!'

Volüsa, Lyrai and the still trembling man left, going to the floor above.

'I hope this works,' murmured Heiki.

'Me too.' Serpantha added casually. 'Now arm yourselves.'

Heiki was the only one who seemed fully comfortable doing so. She picked up a small denim jacket and shorts from the corner of the room, quickly putting them on and using the pockets to store guns and knives. Oriliagh picked up two foot long daggers, inspecting them disdainfully before slotting them into the belt of her dress.

Heiki noticed how uncomfortable Rachel was arming herself. She picked up a belt off the table that was normally used to carry a gun, and she slowly approached Rachel and put the belt around her waist, attempting a reassuring look.

'This is wrong.' Rachel said emptily.

Heiki picked up two knives and slotted them either side of the belt. 'I know. But we don't have a choice Rachel, and if it comes to it we need to be able to defend ourselves, no matter how weakly. Against the humans, against Safeke – against anyone who threatens our lives.'

'I'm not capable of killing.'

Heiki looked her in the eyes and said, 'That's a good quality, and you're the only one here who possesses it, even when faced with your own mortality. It's a good quality…but not for this situation. You have to be strong.' Heiki added with a wink, 'We all know I prefer you meaner anyway.'

Rachel smiled gratefully as Heiki backed away.

'When the two lovers have stopped we should go,' Esimi said.

Heiki was about to back away from Rachel and say it wasn't like that, but she then looked around and realised she was talking about Larpskendya and Zina, who picked the most inopportune moment to not be able to stay away from each other.

Serpantha rolled his eyes. 'I support you reviving your dead human partner but I don't support you consummating your reunion so if you don't mind.'

Zina and Larpskendya pulled away and just smiled at each other uncontrollably, not caring for anything happening around them. Which in any other situation would be romantic, but with death stood over them all it's unprofessional and dangerous. After all, Safeke did everything for a reason, and his reason for bringing Zina back to life would never have been a kindness.

'Esimi lead the way,' Serpantha said emptily.

Once they made there way through the base, the route was surprisingly simple. Once inside the base, it wouldn't be hard to find, and the soldiers had to be inside the base by now – no question about it. And if Calen was detected as having magic, they would be cornered on the edge of a cliff at the mercy of humans, with only knives and guns to defend themselves with against technology that could strip them of their magic. It was hopeless by anyone's standards. The worst part was that surviving on Earth wasn't the main challenge; defeating Safeke was. From here, it could only get worse. But if Safeke did everything for a reason, why dump them on Earth and tell them to survive? Yes, he enjoyed playing games but this seemed more like a distraction. Serpantha couldn't get over it – a life time of battling High Witches and trying to survive, and he was about to be killed by his own father.