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"That's just brilliant. Let's hope there's no Minotaur waiting for us to tie off such an amazing night," Athanasius snapped.
Mara hushed him, but she knew he was only grumbling because he was frightened. She held onto Augustus, thankful that he was still alive and trusting that they were in the cave for a reason. She didn't think of what had happened to her teashop or whether they would ever find their way out.
"Do you feel that?" Augustus asked suddenly.
"No?"
He held out a hand and closed his eyes. "I can feel warmth. There are soft energy waves in the air. It's coming from that way."
Augustus took a path to the left. They took three steps until the world disappeared beneath their feet, and they were falling down, down, down…
Mara's scream cut off as they hit dark, steaming water. Athanasius wailed, and Augustus cursed.
"We must be in a hot spring," he said, his hand finding her in the gloom.
More worms lit up on a shore, and they swam towards the muddy bank.
"Do you think magic is still trying to punish you?" Mara said, panting. She twisted her shirt to try and get some of the water out of it.
"Without a doubt," Augustus complained. "You still with us, puss?"
Athanasius shook violently. "When we get out of this, I am going to make your life a living hell, sorcerer."
"He's fine," Mara said, managing a small laugh.
"I suppose we should keep following the worms and hope for the best." Augustus looked towards the opening in the rock face. "Jesus, words I thought I'd never say."
Time didn't seem to work in the caves. Mara felt like they had been walking for days or months, depending on the moment.
"Surely this can't go on forever. Sorcerer, do some magic to point us in the right direction," Athanasius suggested.
Augustus made a small gesture with his hand. Nothing happened. "Nope. Nothing. I can't even feel my power right now." He gripped Mara's hand tighter. "I think we are close."
With every step, the worms grew brighter. Mara gasped as they turned a sharp bend and found themselves in a cavern glowing brightly. Augustus might not be able to use his magic, but it hung so thick in the air that Mara could taste it in the back of her throat.
"Now what?" Athanasius jumped off Mara's shoulder and darted off around the cavern. "There's nowhere else to go."
"I can feel the magic, but none of it is mine," Augustus said, walking about.
"What's that?" Mara asked. Something was glinting purple in the moss and mud. She crouched down and dug into the ground. It was a gold ring, an amethyst the size of her fingernail in its center. "Look!"
Augustus froze. "Fuck. That's Gwen's ring. We must be in the same place where I dueled Highfell." He held out his hand, and Mara dropped the ring into it. As soon as it touched his palm, the cave shook around them.
Magic exploded in the center of the cave, sucking all the power in the air to it. Wind and light roared around them, a glowing pillar of power.
Inside of Mara, the power of heartache called out to her in a screaming cry of agony.Magic's heartache.
"I hear you,"Mara replied, trying to comfort it. She stood up, her hair and clothes whipping around her. The strange big miracle raced through her veins until she burned with it. The outline of crow feathers glowed under her skin.
Augustus was staring at the vortex, his eyes glowing silver. He turned and spotted her. "Mara!" He tried to reach for her, but the power in the air knocked him backward.
"It's going to be okay, Augustus. I know what the miracle is for now." Mara smiled at him, taking one last look before she stepped into the vortex and exploded into crow feathers.
* * *
Mara was falling, the wind roaring around her, lightning dancing over her skin. She landed on something firm, the gray and blue walls of a cloud around her. She was in the heart of Melbourne's magic, and she wasn't alone.
A tall woman with shining red hair and an old-fashioned dress walked through the wall of magic and came toward her. She had one pale blue eye and one brown. The noise died as soon as she held out a hand to help Mara up.
