Epica!

It was calm. Gentle snowflakes drifted down at Helena's feet. Light snow had fallen in short bursts throughout the night sporadically. It didn't bother anyone so hardly anyone took notice of the short lived life of the crystal flakes. How much longer they would fall Helena didn't know, yet she took solace in the moment. If only just for that moment.

Around the corner from the festival they took refuge in one of the few empty steel benches left unoccupied by the busy festivities. She had stopped trying to organize the papers the merchant had given her for her purchase. Looking at some of the sheets it appeared that the 25 meters of canvas she had purchased would be in a variety of different tones; each one with it's own receipt. A patchwork sail would have to do.

Beside her Ariel sighed. Hardly any vapor escaped his lips in the bitter cold; something that didn't seem to bother him in the least bit. His hazel eyes stared off into the distance. They revealed how much he had aged in so few years. How much he had changed. Proper had been the right way to describe him before, now the couldn't be farthest from it. Back home he had kept his hair trimmed down and was cleanly shaven everyday. He wore the clothes that were provided to him by the Ark.

He was passionate back then, she remembered that fondly. She couldn't go anywhere without him making comments of how things worked the way the did. How they could be better. She would never ask to know these things but he always told her anyway and she enjoyed listening to how enthusiastically he spoke. He would've made an excellent teacher.

He had allowed his hair to grow out much like he had as a child. She had almost forgotten it's color; like beach sand, she promised herself to never forget it again. Small stubble had began to form on his jaw, a few days old perhaps. Lastly, instead of the simple Ark clothes she had grown so familiar with, he wore a clean cut black coat that didn't suit him; though it did fit him quite well.

He was quieter now; much less willing to interject when he was presented with something that piqued his curiosity. Passion, however, was not gone for good. There was still some passion left, if only for her in the stillness of the night.

Ariel stared at a group of young children running by with their newly purchased masks. A pig, a bull, and a jackal raced by laughing as they went.

"We should get you one of those masks." Helena mused holding tightly onto the mess of papers in her hand.

"I'd rather not." Ariel mumbled standing up from metal bench. "They're a bit disturbing." he shrugged when Helena gave him a questioning look.

"They're paper maché." Helena responded standing as well and shoved the receipts back in her pocket in defeat.

"And still disturbing. I wonder if the man responsible for making them is equally disturbed or just lacks the proper mask making skills."

"Are you saying you could make a better mask?"

"At least I know what they should look like."

Ariel walked off with Helena a bit behind him. Her steps slowed as she watched him ahead of her alone. Only he wasn't alone anymore. Neither was she. She picked up her pace to match his and took his hand in hers. He quickly peered down at their hands as his steps faltered. Then he stared at Helena who couldn't help but smile at his brief confusion.

Then he squeezed her hand and she knew he understood. They were together now. They'd always be.

"You're the only one Helena." he whispered in her ear.

"The only one to what?"

"Just know," Ariel replied softly. "You're it."

Helena smiled at the vague answer. It was enough. Those three elusive words seemed to escape her yet again; but it was enough.

"Lets get moving." Helena suggested. Ariel agreed, but finally released her hand and wrapped his around her shoulders pulling her closer as they walked. She wrapped her arm around him before asking, "Say, if you could make me a mask, what would it be of?"

"I would make you. . ." He thought for a moment before saying, "a cat. You'd be a cat."

"A cat! Maybe. . . . . .Maybe I'm a lion. Then I can have a luxurious mane."

"You would be a lioness. They don't have a mane unfortunately."

"But I want the mane. . . " Helena muttered lowly with a faint pout as they approached the main street again. It had stopped snowing. The festival goers were unphased by the short snowfall and pressed on with their merrymaking.

A few ways off Helena spotted a merchant displaying small dark brown beans. "Is he selling cocoa beans?!" Helena exclaimed.

I should've bought the cocoa, she thought remorsefully as she looked down at the insurmountable height beneath her. Her hands gripped onto the wood railing tightly as if they alone kept her from falling over. Her dark hair billowed in the wild wind, blowing this way and that daring her let go.

"Your latch is off." she heard Harland point out from the other side of the crow's nest. She didn't respond. It wasn't that high. "Helena?"

"Hmm?" Helena finally turned to face him.

"Your latch is off. You're not properly secured." He came over to her side. "I could've sworn I saw you put it on." He muttered as he took the leather strap attached to the recently rebuilt mast.

"I forgot."

"There." he said as he clipped the metal clasp to the metal ring on Helena's harness. He paused and stared at Helena trying to solve the puzzle.

"Thank you." she said then quickly went back to brushing the crow's nest with a concoction of wood preservatives.

"You seem. . . off today." Harland pushed further. He hovered over her ignoring his job. "Looks like it's going to be a nice day today." he said looking out over the horizon at the rising sun. Helena didn't respond. She feared he would try and probe her defenses over something she preferred not to speak of.

"You know, I once knew this man," Harland started with a sudden resolve. "he walked with a limp - something about falling off a horse a few years before - and he would come up to me every day and say 'Harland my boy, you wouldn't mind fetching your older sister Margie for me would you? I wish to speak with her' and everyday I would always tell him the same exact thing; 'she's not home today Mr. Tomas.'

I never did tell him that my father had taken her overseas as his first lieutenant. But everyday he'd show up like clockwork. I could time my days to that man.

This man, what a nerve this man had. No one called her Margie except me. . and well mother. Father did as well I suppose, not often enough though. He was a stubborn one too. Wouldn't tell anyone what he wanted with my sister, though I suppose I had him figured out very early on.

It wasn't long before what he wanted to say got the best of him and started to affect the way he acted. Started showing up twice a day, growing desperate after every passing day. Guess he figured I was lying to him. The best thing would've been for him to talk about what he wanted to say instead of doing what he did-"

"Harland just stop!" Helena slammed the rag down hard into the bucket making the mixture splash in many directions. Harland raised an eyebrow, expecting more. She sat down and would say no more. She seethed in silence.

"So one day finally he shows up flowers in hand-"

"Stop with your stories, your idle conversations!" Helena shot up to his level. "Stop with your nonsense, your metaphors, and your broken advice! Stop making me believe things will never be... Just for once Harland! Just STOP TALKING!" she raged as if he were the responsible for her pain. The pained expression on Harland's face a mere seconds later made her her lashing out at him. A shaky sigh escaped her. She had no words.

"He hurt you that much huh?"

In an instant Helena realized that emotional breakdown she had unleashed the night hidden safely in the abandoned captain's quarters had not been enough. She had thought all she needed was one moment to herself to safely shed all the tears she was going to shed for him. Her master plan of locking away every memory of him away was already failing miserably as traitorous tears started to well up in her eyes.

"He's a fool Harland." She choked out; Her pale eyes filled with an anguishing emptiness. "Just a fool."

Her head bowed as she felt a defiant tear escape. More than anything, she wanted to run. Go hide in a corner and cry, where no one would see her shame.

As she wallowed in her despair she felt the warmth of Harland's body holding her in protective embrace. "He's no just a fool if he can leave you like this." Helena heard him mutter lowly. She could say nothing, there were only those few tears. "There are always bad things that happen. There's always heartbreak. I should've told you that before instead of filling your head with romanticized ideas of love."

"Then I wouldn't have even come this far." Helena replied pulling away from him and wiping away the stray tears. "I was set to jump ship that first time we docked in Port Aire when weren't on the civilized of terms."

"I remember being somewhat civilized." Harland interjected. "No one really liked the idea of you on deck. Only woman Captain allowed on ship had been Margie and that's because she's his daughter. I wasn't aware you were that close to leaving us."

"I did leave." Helena leaned back on the railing. "I realized how stupid I was chasing a man across the world on a ship filled with people who couldn't wait to shove me overboard. I walked around the town unsure of what to do. Home was no longer home. That drug, that cancerous drug. It destroyed everything that I once knew of Home. I couldn't go back to that place."

"You haven't told me this."

"There was no way forward. I wandered aimlessly until the sun went down. That's when I saw you and your pregnant wife." Harland smiled faintly at the mere mention of his new family. "And I wanted what you had. I saw her pregnant belly and I knew that someday more than anything I would want a family. A new home. . .Ariel." It pained her to say his name. "He was the only one I could see in that future. The only one. I wasn't looking for him to bring him back home, like I had told myself...There was nothing to go back there for anyone. He was the reason I was on the ship and the reason why I would stay. I realized, right then and there, that I was in love with him. I never felt more alone....until now."

Helena unconsciously wrapped her arms around her self. Down below everyone continued to work unaware of the tearful girl up in the crow's nest. The oil remained untouched.

"You're not alone Helena. Everyone here loves you, very much."

"Call me ungrateful, but it's his love that matters most to me," she remembered fondly all the tender kisses that lit her skin on fire, the way his hands would caress every curve of her body.

"Did the two of you. . . " Harland skirted around the question. Helena understood but couldn't bring herself to confess. Her hands clutched tightly onto her shirt. "Oh, Helena. After a day?"

"He loves me. I know he does." she said though her argument felt stale. "I just wanted so much to hear him say he loved me, just as much as I loved him. He would pretend not to hear and still chose to leave."

"He left you?!" Harland said unbelievingly. "After what I assume to be a fantastic time." Harland was at a loss. He was unsure if he should be angry. As though someone had wronged his family. "Tell me he had a good enough reason at that!."

"He didn't say." Helena muttered meekly. "Only that he'd leave by noon."

"What's the time?"

Helena reached into her pocket and pulled out the watch Ariel had fixed for her all that time ago. Helena had replaced the black plate replaced with glass after the brass rusted beyond repair. The gears, visible through the glass plate, had never stopped moving since Ariel dipped them in his solution.

"Fifteen to eleven."

Harland paused. Helena spotted something different in him, he was processing. Thinking of what advice to give her. Helena feared he would encourage her to forget about him. That she should move on from this cruel man. She never could. Ariel was the only man she had ever felt any intimate affection for and ever would. He was the only one that could bring her tired journey to an end.

"And, you're sure. You love him." Harland finally said.

"Yes."

"And you feel he loved you too?"

"Yes."

"After everything, all these years, you're just going to let him go?"

There was no life without Ariel. Whatever reason he had for leaving he'd have to get over. She had not come this far to simply give up. "No. I won't let him go."

"I don't know the details of what happened last night. I know you're hurt, but this is your chance. If you let things go the way they are now, he'll disappear off the face of the planet and the likelihood of you finding him again are slim to none. If he must absolutely leave, figure out where he's going so the two of you don't lose each other again."

"I won't let him go." Helena repeated with resolve. She refused to let Ariel become only a memory.

"Good. Now go. Find him. I'll finish up here." He said looking down at the crow's nest, most of which had yet to be oiled. It would a long day for him.

"Thank you Harland." Helena said after giving him a tight hug.

"Do me a favor before you go?" Harland said that warm grin now back on his face. "Beat the stuffing out of this fool for me when you see him, alright?"

Helena smiled but made no promises before unhooking from the mast and climbing down the makeshift ladder that had been made. Most of the crew were oiling the new deck with the same wood preserving substance from the crow's nest. The snow storm had brought the Beldam so savagely down to the earth many parts of the ship had been smashed to pieces. Thankfully no one had been hurt in the accident and the crew quickly got to work at collecting lumber from the nearby trees. Only the captain currently suffered a mild flu from the cold weather and had to be confined to the doctor's quarters for bed rest.

As Helena came down from the nest the crew went about their business allowing her to slip by unnoticed on to her path. Down the wooden plank she went over the side of the ship with a hop in her step. There would be no stopping her, she had come so far. Unsure of if she was still angry at him, Helena had no choice but to go to him before he left. He could not be some distant stranger that she had only seen once in her life, he was family and he had to see that as much as she did.

The pure white snow on the ground made a soft crunching noise as her foot stepped off the plank. She reached for her pocket watch and checked the time; ten forty eight. The crash site was an hour's walk at least and she'd have to be there before the time he said he'd leave if she hoped to intercept him. With that looming in the back of her mind, Helena took off, running as fast as she could through the heavy snow. At times the snow felt so thick she thought she would just sink all the way with her next step.

In her angry haste to leave Ariel's apartment she had left behind her coat. Now in another haste to get to him, Helena refused to waste anymore time in trying to get a spare from the cargo hold. She told herself if she ran fast enough she would not fell the cold. That wasn't the case as the snow significantly slowed her pace. The cold swept in like a bird of prey; clutching on to her and refusing to let go.

Helena breathed warm air into her hands then rubbed them against her arms. It was a futile attempt. The cold somehow burned her lungs forcing Helena to pause and take deep breaths to soothe them. Angry, frustrated tears brimmed at the edge of her eyes. The mere thought of not making it. . . She refused to even think of it; she could never forgive herself for the future she robbed herself of.

"Please God," she found herself saying in the security of the forest, give me strength. Maybe it was a hopeless cause praying to a 'ghost' as Ariel called Him, but Helena had faith that someone had to be listening in someway. That miracles did happen. Don't let him leave without my goodbye.

There was only silence in the snow covered forest.

Helena took only last deep breath and forced herself to move, this time in a steady, rhythmic pace that she kept until she reached Salvo in just over forty minutes. Weary, she crossed the bridge to the entrance. The river below had slowed considerably since she last saw it; a clear indication that ice would start forming over it any day now.

The morning after the festival, the merchants had began to clean their booths. People scurried here and there collecting their orders or making sure all their supplies were in order. Helena paid them very little mind, and rushed to Ariel's apartment. The cobblestones were slick forcing her her pace to be cautious. But she had time now, checking her pocket watch again it was only eleven thirty. Surely he wouldn't leave before noon.

Once she spotted his building around a corner, Helena raced over even though her chest burned and her legs ached. Up the stairs, and down the hall to door she had known he lived in. It finally dawned on her that she had seen no one pass her by as she made her way up. Surely if he was indeed leaving there would be scores of movers aiding his departure, maybe stacking some of his furniture on a wagon outside. But there was none.

Maybe he had chosen not to leave and was waiting patiently for her to come. Would he welcome her with open arms? She didn't think so, especially after the terms they had parted on. Should she knock or would he be angry of she just barged in? She raised her hand to knock but noticed the door had been left slightly ajar. Helena softly pushed the door open.

It had to be a mistake. She looked down the hallway then back again; there was no mistake, this was the room from before, only it wasn't. Gone were the furnishings, the beautifully draped windows, the pelt. Gone was the beautifully decorated apartment that Helena had grown fond of. In it's stead stood a dainty chamber nearly a third the size of the one before. The wood floor was rotted in places and the walls were a sad pale gray color. There was a cot in the corner, a hard wood nightstand, and a small adjacent bathroom.

"Ariel?" she called though there was clearly no one there. Her foot met the soft fabric in the center of the room. A faded green military jacket lay ignored in the center of the room. With a shaky hand Helena reached down to pick up the jacket. Without unreasonable doubt this was her jacket. "How?"

Had she been so clouded by Ariel she had not noticed the room? Impossible. There was no way to explain the sudden transformation. She walked backwards in a daze - It wasn't right - when she felt her back bump into someone walking by.

"There a problem little lady?" a gruff male voice came from behind her that made her flinch. She looked at him wide eyed. He stared at the jacket in her hands. "You wouldn't happen to be breaking in here would you?"

"No!" Helena defended, then dropped her jacket to appear less suspicious. "I'm looking for someone. Someone who lived here."

"Don't live here no more. He left last night." Helena's hands dropped her to sides. Ariel must've left right after she had. No matter how fast she had run, she would have never caught him.

"Are all the rooms like this?" Helena asked still hoping that perhaps she was in the wrong room.

"Yep." the man replied curtly. "I think you'd best be goin' now."

Helena nodded solemnly and left with slumped shoulders. The man closed the door to Ariel's old apartment and followed her out. "If you ever see him again, will you let him know that I came back to see him." she said sadly.

"Will do." he said and that at least brought her some comfort. He outstretched his large thick hand which Helena took as a sign of farewell. "Marcus." he introduced himself after Helena took his hand in hers.

"Helena." she said politely and felt his hand stop shaking hers at her name. Only he didn't let go. His grip tightened slightly.

"Helena." He repeated slowly as a smile slowly forming across his cracked lips. Helena yanked her hand away and said a quick goodbye. She wanted nothing to do with this man. "Wait!" Marcus called after her back had turned. She sped up her pace. "I know someone who might know where Ariel went."

That made her stop. "You know where he is?" Helena asked once again filled with hope.

"Like I said. I know someone who might." Marcus replied back to his short answers knowing he had Helena's interest. "Thing is, I'll need a few days to get in contact with this person. Come back into town in a three days. I'll be in the tavern all day."

"Thank you!" Helena excitedly said and choosing to ignore his previous shady behavior in exchange for that chance of finding Ariel. "Three days then." Helena made sure and Marcus nodded. She didn't want him to change his mind so she left quickly knowing that all hope was not lost.

Just outside the building Helena spotted Ariel's horse breeder friend seemingly waiting for her with one of his black horses. She approached him cautiously. "I saw you were back in town." he said and the horse's ears perked up. "My friend purchased this from me in secret, though I can't seem to find him anywhere." he said motioning to the black stallion behind him then looking around as if Ariel would miraculously appear.

"He left." Helena replied simply, though it didn't seem like the breeder was all too concerned with Ariel's whereabouts.

"No matter. I'm sure his intention was to gift him to you." he said stretching out his hand that held re reigns.

"For me?" Helena asked skeptically and instinctively went to take the reigns. It didn't seem like a thing Ariel would do, or a horse something he would give her. It didn't seem to fit.

"It's already paid for." He replied nonchalantly before sauntering off. It occurred to her that she didn't even know his name. She had trusted Ariel's word and didn't question him further on the identity of this strange, odd man.

Something didn't sit right with her, but she mounted the horse anyway and rode off to the Beldam for three days to pass.

She waited those three days in tense anticipation and made sure to tell Harland all of it as soon as she arrived back; excluding the incident with the room. Unsure of what had exactly happened she decided to keep that to herself less she appear to have gone insane. All hope was not lost.

To keep herself busy, Helena made sure the Beldam was properly oiled down. After a fierce debate among the crew, it was decided that the horse would be sold in their next destination instead of butchered on the spot. A makeshift stable was built for the stallion in the below decks.

On the third day, a grim faced Harland came up to Helena who was securing the rigging for the third time that morning. "Helena." he said his voice tight with emotion.

"Do you think I should go now?" Helena asked too anxious to notice his distress. Her worst fear was if Marcus decided to leave early. Maybe she should be the one waiting on him. That way she wouldn't be so grieved if he didn't show.

"Helena." Harland repeated. His voice croaked catching her attention. "It's the captain."

Helena dropped the piece of rigging. "What do you mean? He had a small flu just a few days ago."

"He's gotten fever. He's over 41 degrees at times. Dollet says he shouldn't be alive." Harland paused.

"Harland." Helena stood up and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
d
"He wants to see you." he said finally recomposing himself. Helena nodded solemnly and followed him without another word down into the narrow passages in the below decks of the Beldam. The passage they took was lit by uncommon glowing glass bulbs. One of the many modern technologies installed in the ship.

Steam that jutted out of the brass pipes that ran along the passage walls made the air thick. This along with the uncomfortable swaying, and tightness of the halls made Helena feel sick. It hadn't before; it must've come from the grim situation. She trailed behind Harland as they moved through the claustrophobia inducing ship.

They reached the sick bay and Harland stopped at the door. "He wants to see you." He repeated slowly.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't want to see you too." Helena reassured but Harland shrugged and turned away. Helena went stepped through the door alone.

Inside Helena spotted Dollet standing over the bed where the senior Captain Harland lay dying. She approached slowly, watching as the sickly captain came closer into view. He was pale, with dry lips. His weary hands shook as they clutched tightly onto the rough blanket that covered him.

"Margie. . ." he croaked when Helena was at his bedside.

"No. It's me, Helena." she corrected.

"Let him be." Dollet remorsefully said beside her. "He's very feverish. Could go any second now. The last thing I can do is let him go in peace."

"Margie. ."

"I'm here." Helena kneeled down to his level and took his hand in her own. He was too cold despite the warm temperature emanating from the furnace.

"No, no." The captain shook his head slightly. "Not Margie. I sent Jimmy for Helena. Helena. . " Helena smiled at the returning recognition and nodded. "You're too much like my Margie. Too much." It was the first time Helena had heard him talk of his family. Even with Harland - who was part of his crew and he saw on a daily basis - he kept at a cold distance. "Dollet."

"I'm here captain." Dollet responded, straightening himself at his name.

"The ship goes to her." The captain said shakily.

"Helena?!" Dollet exclaimed matching Helena's surprise.

"I can't captain your ship." Helena said knowing full well how much Harland had spoken of someday maybe having the Beldam. "Harland wants her."

"Jimmy could not love my Beldam the way you could."

"Captain, the fever is clouding your thoughts!" Dollet felt the captain's forehead then went to fetch a washcloth to wipe away the gathering sweat beads.

"I am no fool Dollet. I know I am dying. I can feel my mind going already. Let me use one of the last moments of sanity I have left." The captain said with the sternness that had commanded the respect he was known for. Dollet stopped misstep holding the cloth before the captain turned back to Helena, his stone grey eyes fading and the wrinkles ever so evident on his face. "The Bedlam would always come second to that woman of his in Port Aire. Sell her in a heartbeat if it meant keeping that woman fed. The Beldam comes first, you will put her first."

"I. ." Helena was at a loss. She couldn't think of what to say. The determination on the captain's face finally made her say. "I will put the Beldam first." if only to appease the dying man. No sooner had those words left her lips the captain's head sank back on his pillow. He was at peace knowing what he loved most would be taken care of after he was gone.

"Sing for me Margie, like you used to."

Helena looked back at Dollet who shrugged then turned away to hide tear rimmed eyes. Helena complied with the dying man's wish. Singing him his last lullaby.

"Just like. . .my Margie. . ." The captain said just before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Dollet stepped in. "He won't last long, Helena. He needs medicine." he said, but Helena couldn't think. So much was happening, too many things were running too fast across her mind for her to process them efficiently.

"Helena is going into Salvo." Harland's voice cut in from the doorway. "Isn't that right Helena?" He stepped closer, though still not fully in the room. The sight of his fragile father appeared to keep him at bay. "Is he dead?"

"No. And he won't be either." Helena said determined. "I'm going to Salvo. Do what ever you can to keep him with us Dollet. What does he need?" Helena asked before grabbing one of the captain's coats that hung on the wall.

"Pain reliever, fever reducer, and antibiotics. Antibiotics are most crucial." Dollet instructed and Helena nodded solemnly. She paused in front of Harland. His face was blank and he didn't approach his father's side.

"I'll be back before nightfall." she said and left.

Helena had the black stallion saddled up and she rode him into town as fast as she dared take it. She was there within the hour. It was a different town now. All the lights and cheerful merchants had long since been gone. The horse slowed to a trot as if feeling the hungry stares peering from the alleyways.

It was quiet. Eerily so. Helena could only hear the stallion's heaving breaths and his hooves crunching on the snow. Her hands gripped tightly onto the black leather reins. This town was not where she wanted to be at the moment. It was foreign, strange, and unfamiliar. Just like Ariel's apartment had been. She kicked her heels into the horse's sides and it's pace sped up.

The general store was right on the corner of the street where she had seen it before during the festival. A few people shuffled about when she entered. It carried assorted goods that had been freshly restocked from the festival. It didn't seem like there was any hurry with the people in the store. Most just stared at her, an outsider in their town. Helena wandered the aisle before spotting all the medicines behind thick iron bars on a shelf behind a counter.

The man behind the counter stared blankly froward with dark circles under his eyes and mouth slightly agape. To catch his attention Helena had to raise her voice and wave her hand in front of his face. Even after she attained his focus, his movements were sluggish and slow, as though he were sleepwalking.

Of the things Dollet asked her to retrieve, only the pain reliever was not in stock. She went outside where the horse was clumsily tied to a post and placed the medication in the saddle bag. Helena was just about to buckle the bag shut when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder that made her jump and put her hands up close to her face.

"Marcus!" she shouted in relief. She had forced to not think of him, that she had other priorities at the moment. But now that he was here..."You'd best get to telling me you have good news, or disappear."

"Ariel's in back town to settle some business."

Just like that, any and every priority she might've held before instantly fell down the line. Her first and only concern was finding Ariel, though the captain's life hinged on the balance. Marcus spotted her hesitance.

"Those beasts return to where they were stalled last before the night comes if they are set loose. Like machines those things." he said nodding to the black horse. Helena looked at the horse skeptically. Marcus added, "Everyone round these parts know that."

Helena chose to believe him because it was the only way to do both things. She united the horse then slapped it's haunches before watching it go down the street in a trot in the direction of the crashed ship with the precious life saving vials safely wrapped in cloths inside the saddle bags.

"Where's Ariel?" Helena asked eagerly after the horse had disappeared around a corner and in the direction of the forest.

"Last place he was spotted was in the slums. You'd best be getting there immediately."

"The slums?" Helena asked curiously. What business could he have there.

"Come with me young lady." Marcus said ushering her down another street.

They walked briskly away from the main street where the festival had taken place. Past the dusty windows of shut down shops and the dilapidated buildings of a town that had once pulsed with a lively people. Now they all shuffled by like dead corpses living just for the sake of being alive. Empty hollow things, heads down with eyesight shifting in paranoia and hands clutched tightly on their chests guarding what they held shallowly held dear.

Where were all this people that night? Helena wondered. They had manifested from the shadows it seemed. How could one area enjoy such luxuries when the rest of it's people lived in such poverty? How was any of it fair.

"We're here." Marcus announced coming to a sudden halt. "He went in there." He raised a finger towards the only building that seemed to show any signs of life; A two story building with large windows where shirtless women moved like marionettes dancing beneath a water's surface.

"In there?" Helena asked not once looking away at what seemed like the belly of the beast. "Why?"

"He is in deep trouble my lady. He requires your assistance." He said. If Ariel was in danger, she would be the first to come to his aid. He was smart, but never possessed much brawn. Helena stepped forward but Marcus stopped her. "Just keep walking forward." he told her sternly. "No matter what you see, what you hear, just keep walking forward."

Into hell she descended.