*_Talk to them? Isn't that dangerous?_* my mind kept replaying the image of the previous villagers with their rows of jagged-looking teeth.
*_You will make no progress if you don't._*
So I shut my eyes once more and said, “Hello,” to the villager standing closest to me. The little person looked up, and I was shocked to see the same face that had wanted to make a meal out of me in the previous village.
“What do you want?” the voice sounded irritated and bore no flicker of recognition.
“I… I need… I need directions to the palace,” I said, not quite sure what to say.
“What palace?” the little creature asked me and I batted my lashes in confusion. I looked ahead to where the palace should be, but I could see nothing; it was gone.
When I looked down again at the creature, its fangs were lodged in my calf. I screamed and opened my eyes. When I returned from my mind, I was displeased to discover that a bite mark had formed on my leg and I could see blood gushing out of my leg.
The only relief was that I felt no pain.
I could also see the village now and, once I had passed through the village, I saw the palace again. It was a lot shorter this time in distance. In fact, I felt like I could reach for its gate with my hand, but I knew that if I tried to do so it would be a pointless journey.
*_Do I close my eyes again?_*
*_Yes._*
This time I was transported into a village full of giants. They were so tall that I reached only their knees. I poked the one closest to me and the giant bent down to take a good look at me.
“I would like to visit the palace. Can you give me directions?” I asked. Although the giant was frightfully tall, he had a kind face that made me feel strangely at ease.
“I must lift you up so you can have a better view of the landscape,” he said with a sweet smile. I nodded at what he said like a moron, and he placed me on his palm and carried me upwards.
Once I was a good way up I noticed that his face had morphed into the first lady I had encountered. Her face bore a wished grin as she took me and lifted me all the way up only so she could shove me down her throat.
I screamed and screamed and finally opened my eyes.
I walked out of the village and this time I was at the very gate of the large palace.
When I arrived at the gate, there was no guard standing by it. I wondered if perhaps I was at the wrong place. I pushed the gate, half expecting to find it closed, but it was open. When I entered the compound, I found it strange that no one was inside. The entire place looked dead. There was no one in sight nor was there any evidence that the place was inhabited.
I walked to the door of the great building and knocked but no one came to the door. I pressed my ear against the door to check if there was activity on the other side, but I was greeted with cold silence.
*_Raven?_* I reached out to my wolf, *_what the hell is going on here?_*
*_Just push the door open._*
I did and the whole scenery changed. I was standing in the middle of a large room in a straight line with several other women. There was a large bulky woman who walked amongst us, inspecting us as she walked by.
“Marilyn?” she said in a loud voice and I had a feeling she had called my name. I looked up at the bulky woman, wondering who the hell she was and what the hell she was doing.
“You will serve the princes of the Black Sea,” she said, and I nodded even though I did not understand what she meant.
“Go stand among them,” she ordered me, pointing in the direction of a group of women that stood in a single line at the far end of the room. I asked her no questions because she seemed like an impatient woman, and I was a little frightened of her.
“Yes, ma'am,” came my response and I walked in the direction she pointed.
When I got there, I joined the line and waited like I saw the others doing.
“Do you know why we're here?” someone whispered behind me. I turned to look at the lady. She appeared to be about my age.
“No,” I said in response and observed that the faces of all that stood there were masked with confusion and fear.
“I should never have come here,” I heard regret in the voice of the woman who stood behind me, but I decided that it was too early for that. I did not regret coming here, I realised that if anyone wanted to hide my twins this would be the perfect place to do so.
“QUIET” the bulky woman shouted in an unusually high-pitched voice.
The room fell dead silent at the sound of her voice. She continued to assign people to various places and when it was all done, she motioned for each group to enter different rooms.
When we had entered the room we were assigned to, a lanky tall man was waiting for us. When the last of us had entered, the man cleared his throat.
“Your fears drove you here, but you are wrong to come here because in this place, your nightmares will pervade your existence, and you will live each day praying for your death. You cannot die because you are already living among the dead. I would like to welcome you to the abode of King Hades, ruler of the underworld and the great Dead Sea.”