As they moved away from the heat they began to cool down and as soon as I realised that Rachel was shivering I announced it was time to stop for the night.
“I really need a bath,” she said. “Any chance you can conjure one up for me?”
I longed to be able to say yes. “No,” I said, my voice filled with regret. “But there is a river just the other side of those trees if you want to go and bathe.” I removed a towel and fresh clothing from my bag and handed them to her, along with a bottle of shampoo. She sounded so grateful when she thanked me that remorse surged through me once more. How could I have been so cruel to her?
Thankfully Rob went with her. I wanted to be alone to wallow in guilt for a while. Once they were out of sight I created a bow and arrows out of thin air and went hunting. The least I could do to make it up to them was cook something nice.
The meat was still roasting when they returned, so I asked them to keep an eye on it while I went to bathe. From the riverbank I dived in, making my clothes vanish just before I hit the water. It was cold and refreshing and I created a cloth to scrub myself with as I tried to wash away my feelings.
I was not gone long and as soon as I returned I handed round bottles of water. “Make sure you drink plenty. You are both probably very dehydrated. If you start to feel ill let me know.” I really hoped that neither of them did. I was feeling guilty enough as it was.
Rachel emptied the entire bottle, then stared at it in amazement as it refilled itself. She caught my eye and I winked at her, making her smile.
The meat was cooked to perfection and tasted delicious. I withdrew fresh bread and butter from my bag and it turned out to be a very enjoyable meal. Rob and Rachel were both exhausted and retired to their tents early. I stayed up for a while, making sure that they were both asleep before I headed to Death to give him my daily report.
I was just about to disappear when I heard movement from Rachel’s tent and she soon joined me by the fire. “Can’t sleep?” I asked as she approached.
She shook her head, then winced. “My head hurts. I thought sleep might help, but I think the headache is preventing me from dropping off. I have just been laying there, tossing and turning.”
I stretched out my legs, spread them apart and patted the ground between them. “Sit.”
She hesitated and looked at me warily. Did she still not trust me? Then again, I had just led her through fire just because she annoyed me, so I couldn’t really blame her. I sighed. “I just want to help.”
Following my instructions, she sat between my legs with her back to me and her knees pulled up to her chest. She leant forward, resting her forehead on her knees, but I told her to straighten up.
Then I gently placed my hands on her head and began to massage it very slowly. It is a technique I learned a long time ago that is very effective at reducing pain. The fact it could also be quite sensual genuinely did not cross my mind at that moment; all I cared about was helping Rachel. It was my fault she was in pain and I would do all I could to aid her.
As I increased the pressure she began to relax and started leaning back toward me as I moved my hands toward the front. She closed her eyes and was obviously enjoying the feel of my hands on her.
I moved down the sides of her face and pushed her gently forward so I could gain access to the back of her head once more. She moaned softly and I smiled. It was at that point I remembered how some of the women I have massaged reacted and I began to wonder if Rachel would do the same. The thought of her asking me to move my hands over her entire body began to excite me and I had to force my mind away from those thoughts so I could concentrate on what I was doing.
Next I moved onto her neck and shoulders. “Is it helping?” I asked quietly.
“Mmmmm,” she murmured. “It’s handy having a guide who is part god. You definitely have your uses.”
I chuckled. “This is nothing to do with me being part god. It is technique, pure and simple.”
As my fingers worked their way up her neck I felt her head droop as she slowly dropped off to sleep. When I was certain she was not just dozing I stopped massaging her and pulled her backward so she was leaning against me. I placed my arms around her and buried my face in her hair. For a while I thought I was in heaven and had no intention of letting her go.
The fire began to die and I realised how long I had been holding her. Reluctantly I released her, picked her up and carried her to her tent. She was still fast asleep as I laid her down and covered her over. Unable to resist, I kissed her softly on the lips before leaving her tent. As there was no sign of Rob, I vanished.
Instead of going to visit Death, however, I went to see my aunt. I was surprised to find that she was still up, drinking hot chocolate in her kitchen. A second steaming cup sat in front of the chair opposite her.
“Expecting company?”
She smiled at me. “I sensed you would be coming to visit.” I wasn’t surprised. Ever since I was a small boy Famine has been able to instinctively know when I want to talk with her, so her comment was not completely unexpected. “What’s wrong?”
I came straight to the point. “I was cruel to Rob and Rachel today.” She stared at me in surprise, but did not interrupt. “Death said I had to take them through the burnt forest and I was trying to decide whether to take them through the fire or not when Rachel said something that annoyed me. Before I realised what I was doing, I told them that they had to go through.”
“Showing off that you could take care of her?” Famine asked.
“Maybe a little.”
“Did you get them to the other side without them getting hurt?” I nodded as I sipped my drink. “So what is the problem?”
I thought before answering, making sure I got the words right. “I have always been in control of my emotions, thinking things through before reacting.” I glanced at my aunt and could see she was nodding. “Since meeting Rachel I feel as though my emotions are controlling me, not the other way round.” I sounded distraught as I spoke the next sentence. “What is happening to me?”
I expected Famine to look concerned, but instead she smiled. “That’s easy,” she said. “You are falling in love.”
I choked on my drink, spraying the table as I coughed. “No I’m not. Yes, I like her. I like her a lot. But love? No way.”
Famine just looked at me, a knowing smile still on her face. She said nothing. She didn’t need to.
“I have to go. Thanks for the drink. And the chat.” Then I vanished.
I materialised a little way from the campsite and walked in to find Rob beside his tent, heaving violently. When he had finished I handed him some water. “Drink it slowly,” I said, but Rob ignored me and gulped it down. A few moments later he was vomiting it back up.
Despite Rob’s predicament being technically my fault I was in no mood to play nursemaid, so I left him half a dozen bottles of water and repeated my advice before going to my own tent.
I didn’t get much sleep. When I wasn’t listening to Rob being ill my mind drifted to Rachel. No matter how much I tried to deny it, deep down I knew that Famine was right and I began to worry that I would completely lose control of my emotions before the journey was over.
Caves
As soon as the sun began to rise I gave up trying to get to sleep and rekindled the fire. Sitting up, looking at the fire and thinking was almost as bad as lying awake in my tent and thinking, so I was grateful when I heard Rachel leave her tent.
“Feeling better?” I asked with fake cheerfulness as she sat down beside me.
“Much,” she said. “I greatly appreciate what you did last night.”
“Any time,” I said, smiling wistfully as I remembered how long I had been cuddling her.
“Want me to wake Robert?” she asked. Rob was usually up well before the sun got that high into the sky and I could hear a trace of concern in her voice.
“No, leave him. He spent half the night drinking water then vomiting it back up. Dehydration can do that
to you sometimes. Let him sleep a while longer.”
We ate a quiet breakfast, each lost in our own thoughts. Eventually I asked her a question that had been preying on my mind for a while.
“Why do you call the underworld ‘Hell’?”
“I’m not really sure,” she replied. “Maybe because we are always taught that Heaven is above us and Hell is below us.”
“What you call Hell the ancient Greeks called Tartarus. It’s a dark and gloomy place, like a pit I suppose, that is used as a dungeon full of torture and suffering.” I had no idea why I was telling her this. Maybe I just wanted to keep the conversation away from more private matters; like why I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off her.
“Does such a place actually exist down here?” she asked.
“No. You have already seen the place where the nearest thing to torture takes place, but there are parts of the underworld that are dark and gloomy. We might be going to one today in fact, once Rob decides to surface.”
I had been thinking a lot about what route I would take and decided to stop worrying about making Rachel go places she didn’t want to. During the night I had resigned myself to the fact that I had been doing all I could to prolong the journey and would continue to do so no matter what.
Rob did not look well when he finally emerged from his tent, but he assured us that he would be able to continue on with the journey as soon as he had eaten something. A short while later the tents had been packed up, the fire put out and we were on our way again.
We walked through lush, grassy fields toward a distant mountain. When a rocky outcropping came into sight I stopped and pointed. “That marks the start of the mountains. Unlike the previous mountain range that you derided for being small, this one is big, very big. It may look small from here, but that is because we are still a long way from it. We now have 3 options; around, over or under.”
“What are the pros and cons?” Rob asked. I intended on taking them through the caves under the mountain, but I was happy to let them think the choice was theirs.
“Around is simple, no hidden dangers, no hard climbing, just continuous walking, but it will take twice as long as going over.” This time I was only exaggerating rather than telling a bare-faced lie.
As predicted, Rob didn’t like the sound of that so he asked me to continue.
“Going over is harder, but quicker. A lot of difficult climbing will be involved. If you are scared of heights or physical exhaustion I would rule that one out.” This was the truth, well almost.
“Which leaves going under,” Rachel said. “What is the problem with that option?”
“No problem, as such. It is definitely the quickest route, but I should warn you that the tunnels go through fairy caves.”
Rob and Rachel looked at each other. “Fairies?” he asked. “As in tiny female creatures with wings?”
I laughed. “Not exactly. Fairies are magical beings. They can be small enough to fit into the palm of your hand or they can make themselves as large as you or me. They do have wings and can fly, but they are not all female. The males can be very aggressive and dangerous and while the females may appear sweet and lovely, they too have a vicious streak, especially if they don’t get what they want.”
“Will they object to us going through their caves?” Rachel asked, sounding a little nervous.
“No, they may even offer to guide us. The problem is they do not like light in their tunnels.”
“Meaning?” she prompted when I said no more. I was irritating her by not immediately explaining everything, but she was so attractive when she was riled up that I could not stop myself doing it.
“Meaning we will have to go through them in the dark. No lamps. No torches. No light source at all.” I had warned her we would be going through somewhere dark and gloomy, so she could hardly complain.
“Isn’t that a little dangerous?” she asked. “How can we walk through tunnels when we cannot see what is in front of us?”
“I can get us through, but it will not be a pleasant experience. You will feel like you are blind. Are either of you claustrophobic?” They both shook their heads. “Good. Then it may be the best way to go.” Had either of them said yes, I would have refused to take them through the caves.
I looked toward Rachel, waiting for agreement. It would be Rob who made the ultimate decision, but Rachel was much more pleasant to look at. Unsurprisingly, she looked at Rob, who nodded. “Agreed,” he said. Rachel did not look happy with the decision, but didn’t argue against it.
“Caves it is then.”
I led them to the outcropping where a small gong was clearly visible. I struck it three times and one of the rocks slid sideways, revealing a passageway. “Keeps the animals out,” I said before motioning them forward.
Once everyone was inside I pushed on one of the rocks next to the entrance and the rock that had moved to provide entry slid back. As soon as the rock sealed itself into place all sunlight was shut out and we were in the dark. It was complete blackness, the likes of which most humans never experience.
Rachel screamed and the sound echoed around the cave. “You weren’t lying about feeling like I was blind, were you?” she said.
I silently moved behind her. “Are you alright?” I whispered in her ear, making her scream again. I chuckled. This was one of the reasons I had brought her down here. I have perfect night vision and could see clearly in the dark, but she was now helpless and completely dependent on me. My laughter obviously didn’t please her and she hit out at where she thought I was, but I had already moved away and she stuck rock.
“Best not to do that,” I said as she rubbed her injured hand.
“So how are we going to do this?” Rob asked. “Do you expect us to follow your voice or will you rope us together.”
I already knew what I planned to do. “I can do that if you like,” I told Rob, though the thought of tying a rope around Rachel and leading her like an animal made me shudder. “Alternatively Rachel can take your hand and I can lead her. There are no high ceilings and none of the tunnels are narrow so you won’t walk into anything as long as you stay directly behind me. If you lose your hold on Rachel for any reason, don’t move. Call out and I will find you.”
I slipped my hand into Rachel’s and she gripped it tight. It was soft and warm and I could not keep the smile off my face.
“How long till we see daylight again?” Rachel asked.
It was the one question that I had been hoping she would not ask. “A few days.”
“Days?” she spluttered. “You never warned us we would be down here that long.”
“No, I didn’t, did I,” I said casually, then moved away. I gently tugged on her hand and she had no option other than to follow me. I watched as she groped blindly behind her until she found Rob’s arm and worked her way down it until she was holding his hand. Only once I was sure that she had hold of him did I start to move forward once more.
Time seemed to stand still as we walked through the tunnels. Though I could easily see where I was going, I could imagine how Rob and Rachel were feeling. I tried it once, out of curiosity. I had closed my eyes and though I managed to get through the entire mountain without hitting my head or arms on anything, it had not been a pleasant experience. Rachel continued to hold my hand tight and I purposely went slower than was strictly necessary in order to prolong the time that she would need to do so.
At one point she tripped and pulled her hand loose from mine. I spun around and watched her put her free hand forward to catch herself as she fell. Her face displayed panic as her arms floundered in front of her, searching for my hand once more, and I immediately grabbed hold of her. She clasped my hand tight enough for me to feel her heart rate slowly decrease as she recovered from her fright.
“You’re alright. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I saw her nod and was pleased that she believed and trusted me.
As we walked I thought about how easy it would be to take advantage of her down he
re. I could ‘accidently’ brush against her and touch her whenever and wherever I wanted to, but the thought of doing so made me feel physically sick. I could never bring myself to lay a finger on her without her approval.
Despite the lack of sunlight I was able to keep track of time and made sure we all drank lots of water and stopped for food at the appropriate times. I calculated that the sun would just be setting when we reached a cavern. It was not large, but was big enough for us all to lie down in without becoming too separated. It was the perfect place to spend the night.
“We should rest here. Tents are not really a good idea, so are you both okay with just sleeping bags and pillows?” They both confirmed that they were, so I gave them what they needed.
“I can provide you with pyjamas if you want,” I told Rachel helpfully.
“I think I’m fine as I am, thank you very much,” she replied hastily.
I grinned at her. “Surely you’re used to getting changed in the dark.”
“That’s not the problem,” she said. “You can obviously see a lot better down here than I can. How will I know if you are watching me undress or not?”
I wasn’t sure if she was seriously concerned or not, but the comment amused me and I chuckled.
“Do you really trust him so little?” Rob asked, his voice showing traces of surprise and concern.
“I trust him with my life,” Rachel replied, her comment making my heart skip a beat. “But down here, I’m not so sure I trust him to keep his eyes to himself.” She was smiling as she spoke, suggesting she did not have serious concerns about me. “He is male, after all.”
“I’m sure he has better things to do than look at you,” Rob said, making me shake my head. He had never said anything that was more wrong since I met him. I would, of course, avert my eyes had she decided to get changed, but at that moment looking at her was all I wanted to do.
“We need to eat before we sleep,” I said, wishing to change the subject. As with our other meals I opted for cold food. While watching them eat in the dark was very entertaining, I didn’t want to risk them scolding themselves on hot food. It took them a while to get the hang of guiding food they could not see to their mouths and they seemed to have to relearn how to do it each time we stopped for food.
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