#beneath the sqaure mile

[astereodj]

Samurai of the sea

There's no one here

That's been all too clear

A fountain lost in waters

In mystery it slaughters

Don't lay yet to rest

Enemies are heading west

Will hound the samurai of the sea.

In salt waters to bleed

Read the need to plead

Wash over blurry features

As the grimy hand reaches

To the beckon of those creatures.

The path to heaven has concrete sqaures

Sun weary, I'm a little teary

Surrounded by such cheery pairs

What they want in what they seek

It's not what I wanted but all I see

And maybe to climb the peak

With miles beneath my feet

I'll find a lonely wooden seat

And remember what we seek.

[minister-for-femslash]

The Five Labours Of Alice Quinn

Summary: Alice makes a deal with Ember. He will perform the resurrection spell as long as she completes a series of tasks that will prove her worthy... Set during the first timeline.

Pairing: Julia/Alice

Warnings: Suicidal thoughts and character death

Word Count: 10,051

Author’s Note: A fic for Welters Challenge, theme 6: Gods and Monsters

Author’s Note 2: This is a companion piece to my previous entry So It Turns Out You’re Not My Soulmate. But you don’t have to read that one to understand this one. 

The back of Alice's thighs burn. A sharp pain shoots through her chest with every breath. The ground is uneven beneath her feet and she stumbles. The mountain is steep. Too steep. She falls backwards and her fingers sink into the mud as she clings on. Her trousers rip. Small pebbles and rough ground tear at the skin on her knees and shins.

She stops, flops down against the ground, her cheek resting in the mud. She's exhausted. Physically and emotionally. Her hands shake and her head feels too heavy for her shoulders. The world spins around her.

“Julia,” she says. Her voice is weak, barely more than a croak. Her throat burns. “Help me. Please, help me. God, I need you to help me.”

She looks at her wrist. The thin piece of red fabric is still tied around it. Some of it now frayed. It feels looser than it did when she started to climb.

There's a whimper. For a moment Alice thinks that it's coming from her but it gets louder and louder, and she looks up. She can see the top of the mountain with a hint of snow on the peak, and thick, white clouds that seem to wrap around it. It's far away, so very far away. She'll never make it. But just ten or so feet above her is a ledge.

“Help me. Please, help me.” The words echo through the air. It's a woman's voice, kind of husky and a little hoarse.

Alice sucks in a few sharp and painful breaths and then pushes herself up. She scrambles. Her feet continue to slip and she has to keep digging her fingers into the mud. She slowly drags herself up, pulls herself onto the ledge and throws herself onto her back.

“Help me.” The woman says again.

Alice turns her head and she sees a young woman near the entrance to a cave. She has wavy, dark hair. There's blood on her forehead and her right leg is curled up underneath her, twisted at an odd ankle.

“Please, help me.”

She looks like...

Alice quickly sits up and rushes towards the woman.

“What happened?”

“The lizard, he... He kidnapped me and...”

Alice places her hands on the woman's forehead, presses her thumb against the skin. The wound is shallow and Alice frowns. There's a lot of blood for such a small wound.

“You're not a knight.”

“No.” Alice moves down to look at the woman's ankle. “I'm a Magician.” She lifts up the woman's trouser leg and sees the dark, black tinge to her skin. Bruising. It certainly looks like a twisted ankle, but when Alice's fingers brush against it the woman doesn't even flinch.

She presses a little harder just to see, and there's no response. At least until the woman looks down and sees Alice's thumb pressing against her ankle and then she grimaces.

“Ow.”

It doesn't sound very convincing and Alice pulls back.

“Who are you?”

The woman smiles.

The skin under Alice's fingertips morphs and changes. She looks down. The woman's legs are no longer there, instead there's a tail, with thick, green overlapping scales. Alice tumbles back as the woman hisses. Her tongue becomes thin and forked as it flicks out.

Her face elongates. Her hair disappears and her forehead flattens. Her fingers shorten and thick, black claws appear. Her eyes turn jet black.

“I'm sure you'll make a nice snack.” Her words come out as a hiss.

The lizard shoots forward. There's a flash of fangs and Alice dives out of the way. Her body rolls across the floor and there are more scratches and cuts, and a cloud of dust is kicked up. Alice coughs.

She tries to scramble to her feet, but she stumbles and lands on her knees. She looks over. The lizard advances on her and Alice realises that she's dived towards the cave and away from the ledge. Now she's trapped.

Alice shivers. Julia's fingers brush gently against her skin as she wraps the piece of thin, red fabric around her wrist.

“You know they say that if...”

“Who's they?” Alice interrupts.

Julia stops. She's in the middle of tying the fabric as she looks up at Alice, the hint of a smile on her face.

“What do you mean who's they? Just they,” Julia says with a slight laugh. She holds Alice's gaze as she finishes tying the piece of fabric. She makes it tight enough to stay on and then takes Alice's hand and brings it to her lips. She kisses her fingers. “They say if you wear a piece of thread, just like this one, if it's given to you by somebody who loves you completely and purely then no matter what happens, their love will keep you safe.”

“Who's they?”

“Do you have to know everything?”

“I'd like to.”

“Okay, fine. I just made it up. But it sounds nice, right?”

“It sounds beautiful.”

“You're beautiful,” Julia says. She leans forward and gently kisses Alice's lips. Julia pulls her close and Alice sinks into her.

Alice looks down at the thread around her wrist. She runs her thumb across it. She can feel the ghost of Julia's fingers on her skin and her same shiver moves down her spine. 

The lizard charges forward. It's mouth open wide and Alice can see the fangs dripping with what she assumes is venom.

She waits. Waits until those fangs are almost upon her and then she thrusts her hands forward. She hits the lizard sqaure in the chest with a blast of purple energy. It flies backwards. It's claws dig into the ground and it comes to a halt just a few inches from the ledge. Alice doesn't hesitate. She hits the lizard with another blast and it lets out a scream as it topples over the edge.

She rushes forward and watches as it falls down the mountain, it's head cracking heavily against rocks and ledges, until it's body becomes lifeless.

It takes Alice another four hours to make her way back down the mountain. It's slightly easier than going up, but she still comes away with more cuts and bruises. Her entire body is in agony and as she reaches the bottom she sees no sign of the lizard.

“No. No come on, please,” Alice mutters.

She spins around and sees a green scaly foot sticking out of a nearby bush. Alice walks over. She feels a sense of relief as she sees the lizard's body lying there, it's glassy eyes open but empty. She grabs it's tail and yanks it out of the bush.

She drags it back to Ember and throws it down at his hooves. He looks at her and then down at the body of the lizard with little more than amusement.

“Miss Quinn, you succeeded. How marvellous.”

“You sound surprised.”

“Do you know how many knights this lizard has killed?”

“Well, I'm extremely motivated.”

His chuckle is loud and melodic.

“Yes, I suppose you are. This is going to be fun.” He steps over the lizard's body and moves towards her. The click of his hooves echo. “I have a new task for you.” He pulls a knife from somewhere, Alice doesn't want to know where and holds it out for her, blade first.

It's curved, thick and sharp. She reaches for it carefully, grips it with the tips of her fingers. It feels heavy as she turns it over in her palm. There are engravings on the handle. The Fillorian insignia.

“I thought killing the lizard...”

“Resurrection is no easy endeavour, child, even for Gods. If you want me to perform the ritual then you must prove yourself worthy of such a gift. Now, a few miles from here is a lake, I like to bath in it. But ever since that villain, Martin Chatwin came to Fillory my lake has been inhabited by a squid. A rather annoying, pesky little creature. I want you to kill it. Bring me proof and I'll consider granting your request.”  He turns away from her and she knows the conversation is over.

-----

Ember is lying when he says the lake is a few miles away, it's closer to twenty. Night has fallen by the time Alice makes it there and every muscle in her body aches. There's a chill in the air. There are goosebumps on the back of her neck and her teeth chatter as she pushes her way through the tree branches and finally sees the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the water. The knife is tucked into the inside of her jacket.

She takes it out.

There's a shine off the blade as she stands on the edge of the lake. She removes her jacket, then her shoes and socks. Blood is smeared across her skin. On her heel, in between her toes. She steps into the water and the pain shoots through her. She takes another step and as the initial pain subsides there's a coolness to it. She sighs. She lowers herself down gently. Every cut and bruise on her body screams out for just a moment and then the pain begins to dull. The water seems to soothe her.

The knife is still in her hand as she takes a breath and dips her head under the water. Her eyes are open. They sting a little and she blinks as she moves further into the lake. Alice allows herself to float beneath the surface. Her clothes become heavy as the fabric fills with water and she begins to sink. The lack of oxygen causes a burn in her chest. Her body hiccups. She looks up at the surface. She can see the moon shining down and she knows it would be so easy to just continue to sink.

She holds the knife out in front of her and allows it to fall from her hand. She watches as it drops. A moment later she reaches for the handle. She misjudges the distance and it bounces off her fingers and continues to sink. Alice swims towards it. She grabs the knife only to see something flicker to her left. She kicks with her legs and spins.

There's another flicker and a hint of yellow. The burning in her chest is getting stronger but instead of heading to the surface, she swims towards it. There's another flicker and more yellow. A large oval with a small black pinprick in the middle.

It's an eye, a giant eye.

Then there's another. Giant eyes for a giant squid.

Alice stays perfectly still as it stares. There's a ripple in the water as a tentacle slowly reaches towards her. It hovers in front of her face, touches her forehead and then her cheek. Her muscle clench. Her body is desperate for oxygen but she's too scared to move. Another tentacle touches her shoulder and Alice forces herself to smile. 

The squid's eye flick down to the knife in her hand. Alice tries to speak. She shakes her head, tries to mouth the word no but water floods into her mouth and she's choking.

She kicks up, shoots towards the surface only for the tentacle to grab at her ankle. The suckers latch on. There's pain. Lots and lots of pain, as little pincers dig into her flesh. She struggles. Her arms flail and she tries to kick with her free leg but the squid pulls her further down under the water.

Alice's body folds. She looks down and the squid's eyes stare back at her. She brings her arm down. The water restricts her movements and the swing isn't as fast as she needs it to be. The knife barely makes a scratch on the tentacle. She tries again, drives the blade down this time and somehow manages to get enough force to pierce the tentacle with the tip.

The grip on her leg loosens. Alice kicks again. She moves through the water and breaks through the surface quickly. She gasps for air.

There's a crash. Alice is propelled forward by a wave of water and she crashes onto the ground.

She drags herself out. She turns over and sees the giant squid rising out of the lake, with it's bulbous head and bright yellow eyes.

She's somehow managed to keep a grip on the blade. She holds it out. Her hand is unsteady and the blade wobbles.

A tentacle shoots towards her. It's quick. So fast that she doesn't even see it. She just feels it slam into her hand. There's a clatter as the knife is thrown to the ground. The tentacle strikes again. This time it slams into her chest. What little air she's managed to get into her lungs is forced back out again as she's thrown into the air.

She crashes into the side of a tree and everything goes black.

-----

Alice's eyes flutter open. There's a soft mattress under her back, a pillow under her head. Her body aches. There's a dull throb in her chest. She tries to sit up, but her arms are shaky and she can't support herself. She flops back down.

Her eyes close.

She drifts off and after a couple of hours she hears the sound of a door opening. There are footsteps. The creak of floorboards and then a clatter.

Alice opens her eyes. She turns her head and see a young woman placing a plate and a mug down onto the small wooden table next to the bed.

“Where am I?”

The woman spins around. The mug is still in her hands and clear water splashes over the edge and onto the dusty floorboards. She's tall, with long dark hair and a circular face. The woman smiles.

“You're awake. I thought you were going to sleep for like a month.”

“Who are you?”

“Oh sorry, hi, I'm Fen. I found you, near the lake. You were injured and unconscious, so I brought you back here. I bandaged your wounds.”

Alice notices a throbbing in her head. She reaches up and places her fingers against it, feels the crudely made bandage that's there.

“Here.”

Fen takes a step towards the bed and Alice instinctively pulls back.

“It's water.” Fen holds out the mug.

Alice hesitates. Her mouth is dry and she feels dangerously weak. She tentatively reaches out and grasps the mug. She takes a small sip, swills it around in her mouth. It tastes fine so she swallows it down.

“Thank you,” Alice says before she drinks down the rest of the water as quickly as possible. She’s sloppy. Some of it dribbles down her chin. She wipes it away and then licks the drops off the fingers.

“I'll get you another.” Fen takes the mug back and then picks up the plate. There's a slice of bread and a small circle of cheese on it. “You should eat something.” She places the plate onto the bed next to Alice's thigh and then disappears out the door.

Alice picks up the bread and brings it to her lips. There's a pain in her stomach, sharp, like a hot needle and she feels nauseous. She thinks she might be sick. She drops the bread back down on the plate. 

Fen returns a few moments later with another mug of water. If she notices the uneaten food she doesn't say anything.

Alice drinks this one slower. Small, gentle sips.

Fen stands and watches, and Alice feels desperately uncomfortable. She places the mug on the bedside table and tries to sit up, but the moment she does the room begins to spin and she has to lay back down again.

“You need to rest,” Fen says.

“No. I need to kill the squid.”

“What?”

“I need to kill the squid.”

“The one in the lake? The unkillable squid?”

Alice closes her eyes and laughs, because of course. Of course the squid is unkillable. Of course Ember set her an impossible task.

“Yes. I need to kill the unkillable squid.”  

“I guess that's why I also found this.” Fen removes something from her tunic and places it on the bed next to the plate.

It's the knife that Ember gave her.

“If you really want to kill the squid then you need something better than that. Smaller, more delicate, like a fluting knife.”

“You know about knives?”

“My father's a knife maker.

“Can you make me one? A fluting knife.”

“My father probably could. But he won't. Not unless you have something to trade. You really should eat something.” Fen heads for the door.

Alice waits for it to close and then lets out a frustrated sigh.

The stars seem to sparkle as Alice stares up at the sky. There are clouds on the horizon but directly above Breakbills there's a clear sky. There's a tear on Alice's cheek. She brushes them away quickly as a door opens and the sound of music barrels through the air. There are footsteps. Alice looks over her shoulder and sees Julia. She sits down next to Alice.

“Are you okay?”

“No.” There's a sob. She tries to choke it back but it tumbles out from her lips and before she even realises that she's done it, Julia's arm is around her shoulder. She pulls her close. Alice buries her face in Julia's chest. Julia smells like vanilla and beer, and Alice allows herself to cry.

“I just wanted to save my brother.”

“I know.” Julia holds her tight. Her hand rubs gently circles across Alice's back.

“It should've worked. It was going to work,” Alice says. “If Quentin hadn't.” She pulls back from Julia and yet still somehow stays close. “If he hadn't interferred then I could've...”

“He was just trying to protect you.”

“I don't need him to protect me.”

“I know.”

“He interferred and it cost me my one chance to save my brother.”

“I'm sorry.” Julia's hands cup her cheeks. She leans in and presses a gentle kiss against Alice's forehead. They lean into each other. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

Alice sleeps. It's restless and without comfort or relaxation, but she sleeps. Fen brings her food and water at least twice a day. By day two Alice feels well enough to eat something, by day three most of the pain has subsided and by day four she feels strong enough to get out of bed.

She's dirty. Fen has done her best to wash away the blood and the dirt but what Alice really needs is a bath. Fen shows her the metal tub in the room next door. Hands her a bar of soap and rough towel, and then leaves her.

Alice lies in the warm water. She allows it to wash over her, to create a cocoon around her as she momentarily drops below to the surface. She grabs the sponge that Fen has left her and the bar of soap and scrubs every inch of her body.

She climbs out and as she grabs the towel she catches a glimpse of her reflection in one of the metal taps. She almost doesn't recognise herself. Her face looks thin and drawn. There are bags under her eyes and her body is covered in bruises that have turned a sickly yellow and angry red welts.

She looks small and fragile, and broken.

Alice turns away. She grabs the towel, wraps it around her body and quickly heads back to her room. She grabs her clothes – Fen brought back jacket, as well as her shoes and socks. She gets dressed. She grabs the knife and shoves it into her jacket pocket.

She heads outside and the sun hits her face. Alice's blinks. It's harsh and bright, and it hurts her eyes. There's a stone path that leads away from the house with a small lines of flowers on either side. Alice walks down it.

“You're leaving?”

Alice turns around. She sees Fen coming around the side of the house with a basket in her hand.

There's a look of disappointment on her face and Alice has to look away.

“Er, yeah. Thank you for everything you've done for me the last few days, but I need to get going now. Thank you.”

“Okay.”

Alice turns and walks down the path again.

“You're going to get yourself killed.”

Alice ignores the comment and continues to walk, after a moment she hears footsteps behind her, following her.

“You can't kill the squid. ” Fen says.

“I have to try.”

“Why? Why is this so important to you?”

Alice doesn't answer.

“Who did you lose?”

Now Alice stops.

“What?”

“You have this look in your eye. You lost someone, who was it?”

“That's none of your business.”

“Was it the squid? Because killing it won't make you feel any better, it won't make the grief go away and it won't bring them back.”

There such a seriousness to Fen's voice that Alice can't stop herself from laughing. The laughter almost turns to sobs. But Alice chokes them down.

“Julia. Her name's Julia. She was my girlfriend and she was murdered.”

“By the squid?”

“No. By the Beast.”

“I can't stay here,” Alice says. She forces herself to pull away from Julia and stands up. She turns away and starts to walk towards the cabin.

Julia follows her.

“Alice, Alice wait, please.”

Julia's hand is on her wrist. She doesn't grip it tight, or try to pull her back. She just allows her fingers to rest against Alice's skin as they walk. Eventually Alice stops on her own.

“I came to Brakebills to save my brother and now he's gone. There's no reason for me to be here anymore.”

“There are plenty of reasons.”

“Name one.”

Julia hesitates. Her lips quiver as she looks at everything but Alice.

“See.”

Alice walks away. She takes maybe ten or fifteen steps before Julia speaks again.

“Me.”

Alice stops.

“What?”

“You should stay for me.” Julia walks towards her. “There are plenty of reasons for you to stay here. To learn, to grow, to be a great Magician because I know that you're going to be. But honestly, I want you to stay for me.”

“You don't need me, Julia. You're Professor Fogg's favourite and you're a natural.”

“That's not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean.”

Julia moves closer. Her hands come up and gently cups Alice's cheeks. Their noses brush together and Alice holds her breath.

“I'm going to kiss you now,” Julia says.

Alice nods her head.

Julia slowly leans in and kisses her. It's soft and gentle, and Alice feels a shiver run down her spine. She sinks into Julia. Her hands come up and grasp at Julia's shoulders.

Then Julia pulls back.

“There's something between us and I think that it could be really good. But if you leave now, we'll never get a chance to find out and I want to find out, Alice, because the way I feel when I'm around you it's... I've never felt like this before, not even with James and I loved him, I did. But with you it's different... So maybe I'm being selfish and if I am then I'm sorry, but I'm asking you to stay, for me. To be with me.”

Alice can see the shock on Fen's face, as she takes a step back and the basket almost tumbles from her hand.

“The... The Beast?”

“Yeah. He killed her, right in front of me.”

“So... So why go after the squid?”

“I made a deal with Ember.”

“Ember? The Ember?”

Alice nods her head. “If I pass his test, if I prove myself worthy. If I kill the squid then he's going to bring her back to life.”

“Resurrection,” Fen mutters.

“That's why I have to go. The sooner I kill the squid, the sooner I get her back.”

“And what if the squid kills you?”

“We'll be together either way.” Alice turns.

“Wait! Let me help you.”

“You can't help me, Fen.”

“Of course I can.”

“How?”

“I'll make you a knife. One that will give you a better chance of killing the squid than the one you have now.”

It takes three days. Alice spends most of her time in the workshop with Fen as she makes the knife. Both of them avoiding Fen's father who seems more than a little annoyed by Alice's continued presence. Fen asks her questions, about Ember, about Julia, and sometimes Alice answers. But most of the time she sits silently and Fen, somehow, seems to understand. She fills the silences with chatter, and for that Alice is grateful.

She's even more grateful when on the third day she heads into the workshop and Fen offers her the knife with a smile.

Alice holds it in her hand. It feels light, she gives it a few practice swipes and it’s so much easier to manoeuvre, and she wonders if Ember gave her the other knife in a deliberate attempt to hamper her.

“Thank you,” Alice says.

“You're welcome.”

“I wish I had something to give you in return.”

“It's a gift.”

Then Alice realises, she does have something. She reaches into her pocket and takes out Ember's knife. She hands it to Fen.

“Ember gave it to me. I imagine it's probably worth something to a knife maker. Take it. If you're right about the fluting knife then I won't need it. Take it, please, as a thank you.”

“Okay.” Fen takes a knife and then throws her arms around Alice's neck and hugs her tight. “I hope you get what you want.”

-----

Alice stands on the side of the lake. The knife that Fen gave her is clenched in her hand. Her grip is tight. The sun is still out, just. It hovers over the horizon, casting a deep orange hue across the surface of the water.

Alice stares down into the depths. There's no sign of the squid. She takes off her jacket once again, but this time she doesn't step into the lake. She drops it onto the ground and places the knife on top.

She casts.

Alice brings her hands down in a swooping motion and an invisible force slams into the surface. There's a splash. Water showers down onto Alice. She does it again, and again, until she's soaked and then takes a step back.

She waits.

“Come on.”

She hits the water again and then finally she sees it. Movement beneath the water. She quickly grabs the knife and holds it in front of her. There's a flicker of yellow and a tentacle breaks the surface. It shoots towards her.

Alice manages to sidestep it. She brings the blade down and drives it into the tentacle. There's a squirt of green blood as she pulls back. It hits the ground. There's a hiss and smoke rises from the ground. It's acid.

The tentacle quickly pulls back and disappears back into the water. Everything goes quiet. Alice's hands shake as she continues to stare at the lake, searching for any sign of the squid. She sees nothing. She takes a tentative step forward and then another. Her feet just inches away from the water.

There's another splash. Alice doesn't see the tentacle but she feels the suckers around her ankle, the pinchers digging in. She’s yanked onto her back and pulled under the water.

Alice struggles.

She tries to spin, to angle herself so that she can drive the knife into the tentacle. She can't reach. Another tentacle wraps itself around her chest. She stabs at it, over and over, the green blood spurting out into the water. Alice can feel a painful tingle on her skin.

The tentacle hasn't let go. It squeezes and she sees the squid's eyes in front of her.

Alice stops struggling. She allows the squid to pulls her closer. It's mouth opens and she sees the long row of teeth and it's large, throbbing tongue. Her skin is burning. The squid's grip on her ankle and chest get even tighter, and Alice thinks she feels something crack, a rib maybe. But she continues to wait and when she's close enough she drives it knife deep into the squid's eye.

It screeches.

The vibrations ripple out across the water and Alice pushes harder. The knife disappears into the squid's eye and then so does her own hand.

The tentacles let go and Alice pulls her hand back. The squid is still screeching and it's tentacles flail wildly. It's in pain. Real pain, she knows that, but she doesn't stop. She swims forward. The squid doesn't try to stop her.

She drives the knife into the squid's other eye.

Alice swims back to the surface, then grabs the edge of the lake and pulls herself out. She rolls over and sees the squid floating upwards. It's not moving. It's tentacles are sprayed around it, it's eyes gauged out.

It's dead.

-----

“I need a temple,” Ember says as he plucks one of the the little cakes that Alice has brought him – the easiest of her trials so far. “To perform the ritual. I'll need a temple. There's a nice one, just passed the wailing forest that I'm rather fond of it. You will get it ready for me.”

“Okay. I can, I can do that.”

“Excellent. Off you go.”

Alice watches with disgust as Ember grabs a handful of cakes and shoves them into his mouth. She leaves quickly.

Alice chooses not to walk through the forest, instead she goes around it. The sun beats down on her and for a moment she can feel herself smile. She's so close now.

Alice's neck aches. Her back rests against the bottom of the sofa as she leans over the pile of books spread out across the table in front of her. She lets out a sigh. She's tired and aching, and the words in front of her no longer make any sense. She takes off her glasses and rubs at her eyes. She yawns. Her body is crying out for sleep, but she just grabs another book and drags it towards her.

“Here,” Julia says, as she walks towards the sofa with a cup of something hot in her hand.

Alice thinks it's coffee and she happily takes the mug, grateful for the caffeine boost but when she takes a sip she realises it's just herbal tea.

“You need to sleep.”

“I need to study.”

“You're exhausted.”

“And I'll be exhausted for the next couple of days. Ask me a question,” Alice says. She grabs one of the books and thrusts it into Julia's arms.

“Really?”

“Yeah. The test is in two days...”

“And you're going to pass, with ease.”

“I have to be sure. I need to know that I'm retaining the information, so please, just pick a page and ask me a question.”

“Okay.”

Julia skims through the book a couple of times before stopping on a random page.

“How do you conjure a self-contained ball of light?”

“Erm...” Alice closes her eyes and after a moment manages to pull the answer from somewhere in the back of her mind. “You use Chonsky's Glonney.”

“Correct.” Julia skims through the book again. “The best way to remove a curse from an object?”

This answer comes easier.

“There is no single spell that can be used to remove a curse instead you must adapt your counter curse to each particular circumstance.”

“See, you know this.”

Julia closes the book and places it back onto the table.

“Just one more,” Alice says.

“Okay.” Julia hesitates for a moment. She doesn't pick up another book, instead she shifts a little closer to Alice. She reaches out and cups her cheek. “Do you love me?”

“What?”

“Do you love me?”

Suddenly the door is thrown open and there's a high-pitched laugh as Margo stumbles into the cottage with a bottle of vodka in her hand. Margo looks around with slightly glassy eyes. Her laugh gets louder when she sees Alice and Julia.

Alice pulls back.

“Whoops,” she says and takes another swig off her vodka. “Sorry lovebirds, didn't mean to interrupt.”

Eliot steps into the cottage and slams into Margo's back, quickly followed by Quentin.

“Hey guys,” Julia says.

“Hey.” Eliot reaches around Margo and plucks the bottle out of her hand, which he happily shares with Quentin.

“We're just going to head upstairs. Get out of the way so that you two can do whatever it is that geeks do.” Margo brings her fingers together in a way that's obviously meant to be crude.

Alice blushes.

“Come on.” Margo grabs Eliot's hand, who in turn grabs Quentin's and she pulls the two of them towards the stairs.

Alice waits until the sound of their laughter fades.

“What do you think is going on between the three of them?” Alice asks.

“I don't know. But as long as Q is happy then I'm in favour of it.” Julia turns and looks at Alice. “Come here.”

Julia places her hands on Alice's shoulders and with a little pressure gets Alice to turn around. Julia rubs her neck. Her fingers knead at the skin in a way that helps relieve some of the tension that has settled in Alice's muscles. She moves her hands up, places her fingers against Alice's temples and moves in small, gentle semi-circles, and the head-ache that has been on the horizon starts to fade.

“Better?” Julia asks.

“Yeah.” Alice leans back against her as she allows her eyes to close. “I do.”

“Do what?”

“Love you.”

“Well that's good, because I love you too.”

“Hey. Hey, Alice!”

Alice turns around and is surprised to see Fen running towards her. She lifts up her hand and waves.

“Hi.”

“Hey, Fen.”

“You did it. You killed the unkillable squid. So where is she, your girlfriend. Is she back?”

“Not yet. There one more thing I have to do. Ember says he needs a temple, to perform the ritual in. There's meant to be one just beyond the forest.”

Fen's eyebrows quirk upwards.

“Ember and Umber's old temple.”

“Yeah.”

“You want to use that one?”

“Yes, why? What's wrong with it?”

Fen leads Alice up the stone steps. The moss that grows out of the cracks in the stone crunches underneath her feet. The wooden doors are rotten. A piece comes loose and falls as Fen fights to push open the door. It's stuck. The two of them have to work together to force it open. Alice regrets it immediately. The most rotten smell barrels out of the temple. Alice covers her nose and mouth but it's too late, she quickly steps away and unloads the contents of her stomach onto the grass.

“Oh my god.”

“Yeah. This place hasn't been used in a while.”

After a few breaths of fresh air, and then a few more. Alice steps into the temple. The smell is overwhelming, like rotten wood or paper, but she manages to control her stomach this time.

It's pitch black.

Alice lifts up her hands and moves her fingers in the exact pattern that she needs to and a ball of light appears in her hands. She throws it into the air and the temple is illuminated. Alice's eyes go wide.

“This is going to be harder than I thought.”

-----

The sound of Ember's hooves echo around them as he takes his time examining every inch of the temple. Alice isn't concerned. It's taken her weeks of work but the place is emaculate. She’s polished the golden columns at least three times, scraped centuries worth of dirt and muck from between the stone tiles, painted and glossed the wooden beams that run along the ceiling, replaced the wooden doors, with a little help from Fen.

There's no way Ember can find fault.

“Okay, I've done what you asked. Now bring Julia back.”

Ember ignores her. He continues to move around the temple.

“This is remarkable.”  

Alice feels a sense of relief.

“But you fail.”

For a moment his words don't register. It's like her brain just freezes and there's nothing but white noise in her ears. Then she realises. It hits her like a blow to the chest.

“No! No, I did everything you asked. I killed the lizard, I slayed the squid and I gave you your temple, I did everything you asked me to. I passed your tests.”

“You used magic.”

“I'm a Magician.”

“I told you when you first came to me with this request that it was a gift, that you would have to prove yourself worthy of it. You used magic to complete your tasks, you took the easy path. You have shown yourself to be unworthy and because of that, Miss Wicker will remain dead.” Ember heads towards the door.

“No. No, please. Just give me another chance. Please, Ember. Please!

Ember stops.

“I need her.” There's a quiver in her voice. A sob wedges in the back of her throat. “Please. Whatever you want, I'll do it. Just please, bring her back.”

Ember turns to look at her and a smile stretches across his face.

“I must be feeling rather merciful today,” Ember says. “In order to perform the resurrection spell there is a particular ingredient I will need. It is difficult to procure. If you succeed in bringing it to me without the use of magic, then I will consider resurrecting Miss Wicker.”

“What do you need me to do?”

-----

Alice hears the buzzing long before she sees the pixie. Her hands grip tight onto the branch of the tree she’s climbed. She sits there, hidden by an abundance of green leaves and watches as the pixie flies over the field, sprinkling dust over the crops. Her wings shine under the sunlight, changing colour – pink, red, purple, blue – as they move. The pixie is singing. Alice doesn't recognise the song but it's pleasant and sweet, it's voice is almost hypnotic.

Alice sits and listens. She stays there until her legs begin to go numb and then she climbs down, the rough bark of the tree rubbing against the palms of her hands. She moves slowly, cautiously. She doesn't want to alert the pixie to her presence until she's ready.

That doesn't seem to be a problem. The pixie is so focused on the job she's doing that she doesn't even notice Alice until she's right behind her. She turns just as Alice reaches out. There's a scream as Alice grabs her and she's forced to place her hand over the pixie's mouth.

“I'm sorry,” Alice says.

She reaches for the pixie's wings, grasps it with her thumb and forefinger. It feels so delicate. Her hands shake. Alice feels sick and bile creeps up the back of her throat. The pixie struggles against her palm as she pulls.

There's another buzz. It louder than the one before and Alice stops. She looks over her shoulder and sees a swarm of pixies on the horizon. She looks down at the one in her hand. She's no longer struggling. Instead she's looking up at Alice.

The swarm of pixies is closer now and Alice is in no doubt, they're heading towards her.

She lets go of the pixie and it immediately flies towards her. Her claws dig into Alice's cheek. It rips her skin and immediately there's blood. Alice tumbles backwards.

The pixie's claws dig into her back. Alice lets out a cry. She scurries back to her feet and tries to shake the pixie off. The buzzing is getting louder, the swarm of pixies are getting closer. Alice runs.

The ground is uneven beneath her feet. She stumbles and trips, and scrambles back to her feet, over and over again. She slams her way through branches and bushes. At some point she manages to shake off the pixie, probably when she ends up rolling down a small hill. The buzzing has stopped, but Alice still runs.

She runs and runs until she finds herself back outside the temple. She collapses down onto the steps. Her heart is beating fast. Her breath coming in short, sharp pants. She looks up at the temple and she knows. She's come back empty handed

Alice wraps her arms around her legs and places her head against her knees. She knows Ember will find her soon and it will be over.

She hears the buzzing again. She lifts up her head and sees the pixie hovering in front of her face.

“I'm sorry,” Alice says. “I don't want to hurt you but I don't have a choice.”

The pixie moves closer and Alice can see her face. The frown on her lips, the furrow of her thick eyebrows.

“I need your wings for a spell. My girlfriend, she was... She was murdered and I need to get her back.”

“It sounds beautiful.”

“You're beautiful,” Julia says. She leans forward and gently kisses Alice's lips. Julia pulls her close and Alice sinks into her.

There's the creak of a door. Julia's fingers are in Alice's hair. Her lips are so soft and her body so warm. Alice doesn't want to pull back, but there are footsteps and somebody clears their throat.

“Are you guys ready?” Quentin asks. He doesn't look at them, his gaze is fixed on the floor just in front of his feet. His arms folded across his chest.

“Can you give us another minute, Q? Please?” Julia says.

“Sure.” He casts a quick glance in Alice's direction before he steps out of the room.

Julia turns back to Alice.

“Whatever happens next, I need you to know that I love you,” Julia says.

“Of course I know that. I love you too.”

“No, Alice. I need you to understand. I... Love... You. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I understand.” And Alice does. She really, really does and it makes her grab at Julia's shoulder and pull her in for another kiss.

They don't seperate until Margo bangs on the door and shouts at them.

“Come on, lovebirds. Lets get this over with!”

Julia's forehead rests against Alice's. She holds her gaze and strokes along Alice's cheek before offering her a smile that Alice knows is just a little forced.

They stand up and step out of the room with their hands clasped between them.

It happens in an empty classroom. They pull a mirror into the centre of the room and Alice draws the summoning circle around it in white chalk. It takes a while and Alice ignores the impatient mutterings of the others and focuses on Julia's hand on her shoulder.

The closeness is reassuring.

Finally she finishes and they all stand around the mirror; Julia and Alice, Margo and Eliot, Kady and Penny, and Quentin directly in front of it.

“So we're really doing this?” Penny asks. “We're going to summon the Beast.”

“We don't have a choice,” Quentin says.

“I could not summon the Beast.”

“If we don't do this then other people are going to die. Could you live with that?” Julia looks at him and unexpectedly Penny backs down.

“Suppose not.” He takes a flask out of his pocket and takes a swig before handing it to Kady, who takes her own. “Might as well go down in a blaze.”

“Right, well if all of the protests are over, lets fucking do this!” Margo announces with a clap of her hands.

It's a massacre.

Quentin goes down first, the Beast slitting his throat with a non-chalant flick of his wrist. Julia screams. It's raw; full of pain and anguish, and grief. She tries to run to him but Alice holds her back. Instead it's Eliot that gathers Quentin's lifeless body in his arms and the Beast dispatches of him, as well, a moment later.

Margo is next.

She loses control when Eliot dies. She jumps out from her hiding place and hits the Beast with everything she has, every offensive spell she's every learnt. Julia and Alice join her. The three of them together force him back towards the mirror. Then Julia is hit with a blast. It sends her flying across the room and her body seems to crumple as she drops to the floor. Alice is distracted for a moment and she's hit too. Margo is dead before either of them can get back to their feet.

Penny and Kady charge in together and they die together.

Alice looks around at the bodies of their friends and she visibly trembles. Julia's hands are on her shoulder. The only thing that stops her from collapsing to the floor in anguish.

“The mirror,” Julia says.

“What?”

Julia forces Alice to her feet. They run. The Beast turns to them and fires another blast, that hits the wall just above their heads. Julia pushes her towards the mirror.

“Go,” Julia says.

The Beast throws another blast and Julia manages to deflect it. It crashes into a nearby desk which explodes into a shower of wood and fire.

“Go,” Julia says again.

Alice steps through the mirror. The glass feels thick but wet as her right foot moves through it.

The Beast knocks Julia down. He looks at Alice and brings his hand down in the same movement that slit Quentin's throat so easily. His movements are too quick, Alice doesn't have time to react. All she can is close her eyes, grip the edge of the mirror and wait.

She takes a breath, and another, and another, and realises that she's still alive. She opens her eyes.

Her heart seems to stop when she sees Julia standing between her and The Beast.

Julia's body seems to hang in the air as blood pours from her neck. There's an emptiness in her eyes. Alice knows that she's gone, all that's left is a shell. Then Julia drops and the Beast is in front of Alice. She falls backwards, tumbles through the mirror and lands hard on her back.

In Fillory.

“She knew. She knew that she was going to die. She knew that when it came down to it, she was going to put herself between me and the Beast. That she would give up her life so that I could have mine.” Tears fall. “I love her. I love her so much and she died to save me. I need to find a way to bring her back, I need to see her again. Can you understand that?”

The pixie reaches out and brushes one of the tears away from Alice's cheek.

“I don't want to take your wings from you. I don't. But I can't just walk away from my one chance to get her back.”

The pixie moves back. She stares at Alice for a moment and then nods her head. Her wings flutter as she floats down and lands in the centre of Alice's palm. The pixie shrugs her shoulder and her wings fall from her back.

Alice gasps in surprise.

“Thank you,” she says. “Thank you.”

The pixie nods her head again and jumps down from Alice's palm. She walks away, disappearing into the long grass. Alice watches her for a moment, before standing up and heading into the temple.

-----

“There is one more trial you must face.”

Flames flicker out from the floor. Alice steps back as they grow higher and higher, and she can feel the heat on her face. Ember's hands continue to swirl as the floor disintegrates, the stone floor crumbling into dust. He creates a perfect circle.

“In order to ressurect Miss Wicker you must descend into the Underworld and bring her soul back here. It won't be easy. She may not want to come, when people pass over they lose all connection to their old life. Desire, passion, even love, it just drains out of them and they become these empty shells. The closer you get to the real world the more she'll resist, but you must make her come with you because if you don't...”

“I get it, I've got one chance. I'll bring her back.” Alice steps towards the hole in the floor. She stares down. It's pitch black, there's no hint of light. “Can I get a torch or so...”

She feels hands on her back. She's pushed forward and suddenly she's falling. The air whooshes past her ears. Her arms and legs flail. She opens her mouth to scream but no sound comes out. She hears Ember's laugh echo around her.

She hits the floor. It's spongy and she bounces slightly but still her legs buckle. She stumbles. She puts out her hands to break her fall and lands in a heap.

Alice lays on the ground. She's surrounded by darkness, by silence. All she can hear is the heavy beating of her own heart.

She pushes herself up. She stumbles about, her hands outstretched and takes a few tantative steps forward.

“Hello,” she says.

There's no response. Just the sound of her own voice, the word echoing around her, getting fainter and fainter until there's nothing but silence again. She continues to moves forward. The floor beneath her feet become harder and she feels a little more steady.

She sees a flicker of light up ahead. The tiniest of dots and she walks towards it. She keeps her arms outstretched and eventually she feels rough stone under her fingertips. 

It's a corridor. It seems to stretch on for an eternity. She walks and walks and walks, but that small flicker of light doesn't get any brighter, any bigger.

She glances over her shoulder and sees the darkness behind her, turning back isn't an option, not with what's at stake. So she keeps going. For hours, she walks until eventually the light doubles in size.

Alice stops. She stares at it, takes off her glasses and cleans them on the bottom of her shirt and then puts them back on, just to be sure. It's definitely bigger.

Alice runs.

The light gets bigger and bigger until she's standing right in front of it.

It's a torch. There's a wooden handle with a small flame placed on the wall. Alice pulls it free from the metal handle. The flame gets higher the moment she touches it and she can finally see the corridor that she's in. Large stone walls with a curved ceiling.

There's a door in front of her. She moves the torch across it. It's dirty gold with two goat heads – what she thinks is meant to be Ember and Umber – carved into it. There's no handle, just a space in the door. Hand-shaped. Alice reaches down and places her free hand into it.

There's the sound of locks turning, heavy bolts shifting inside the door. She feels a pain in her hand. Sharp claws that dig into each of her fingers. She cries out. There's blood, she can feel it drip down her hand. She tries to pull herself free but she's trapped.

Her blood pours and the locks turn, and eventually the door opens with a loud creak.

Finally the claws retract and Alice pulls her hand free. It's covered in blood. She holds it close to her chest as sharp pain throbs from the large holes in her fingers. The flesh has been ripped and torn. She tries to moves them but there's nothing.

Alice steps through the door. She swoops the torch across the room.

It's circular. There's moss and branches growing out of the wall, leaves under her feet that crunch with every step. There's a throne in the centre of the room. Solid gold, with engravings that match the door.

“Hello,” she says.

There's a flicker to her left.

Alice turns. There's a mirror wedged into the corner. She walks towards it. There's another flicker, a flash of brown hair.

“Julia.”

Alice grabs the mirror and yanks it out of the corner. She stands in front of it and holds the torch up, but there's just her reflection in the glass. She sighs. A wave of exhaustion washes over her for a moment and the torch lowers. Her blonde hair turns brown. She lifts up the torch again and it's back to blonde.

“Julia.” She slowly lowers the torch onto the floor. The person in the mirror lower it as well. The features change. Her own face slowly morphs into Julia's. She feels a sob in her chest. She presses her hands on the mirror and leans her forehead against it. “Julia, oh god, Julia. I love you.”

Julia's hair is down over her face. Her cheeks are pale, almost grey and there are huge black bags under her eyes. She looks thin and drawn, almost skeletal. Her eyes are empty. All of the colour has been drained out of them and all that's left is a murky white.

“I love you.” Julia's voice sounds far away.

“God. I never thought I'd hear you say that again.” There's a desperation in Alice's voice. “Okay, I'm... I'm going to find a way to get you out, just... Just stay there.” Alice takes a step back. There's still enough darkness that she can see Julia in the mirror, copying her actions.

“Just stay there.”

Alice looks around. Her heart is pounding. Her eyes are swimming with tears and she brushes them away as she tries to think of something. She tries to move her injured hand, but a burst of pain comes from each finger.

“A mirror. Why did it have to be a mirror?”

“Why did it have to be a mirror?”

“What?”

“What?”

“Julia.”

“Julia.”

“You're just... You’re just repeating everything I say.”

“You're just repeating everything I say.”

Alice reaches out with her non-unjured hand. Her fingers press against the glass. Julia copies her action and Alice is certain that she can feel Julia’s fingers pressing back.

“Julia. I love you and I'm going to find a way to get you out of there. I promise.”

“I promise,” Julia says. Suddenly she lifts up her head and her eyes meet Alice's. “I promise. I promise. I promise.” Julia's hand shoots through the mirror and grabs at Alice's wrist. Her skin feel cold, but her grip is tight. She tries to pull Alice forward.

“I promise. I promise.”

The mirror is no longer solid, instead it feels like water as Alice's hand passes through it. A chill spread through Alice's body.

“No,” Alice says. She plants her feet and tries to fight back. She grabs the side of the mirror. “No!” Alice pulls.

Julia flies forward. The mirror shatters and shards of glass rain down on Alice. They turn to water the moment they touch her skin. Alice hits the ground hard and the air is forced out of her lungs.

Julia lands face down a few metres from her.

“Julia,” Alice says. She picks herself up and rushes over to her. She places her hand onto Julia's arm, only for it to turn to water. “No. No, no.” Alice tries to grab for her again, tries to turn her over. But everywhere she touches turns to water. “No! No! No!”

There's nothing left of Julia except a puddle on the floor.

Alice wails. She collapses against the floor and half screams, half sobs.

She doesn't hear the laugh at first, but eventually her voice becomes hoarse and her scream becomes silent. Then she hears it. The scorn, the disdain. The derision.

Alice lifts up her head.

Ember is sitting on the throne.

“What did you do to her?” Alice asks.

Ember's laugh gets louder.

“Do you know how long it's been since I've heard a human howl, and whimper, and sob. Ever since Martin Chatwin killed my brother, I have been so busy hiding, cowering in caves and corners of the world that I created I had forgotten how much fun it could be to torment you”

“What did you do to Julia?”

“You think I care about the fate of some human. She is beneath me, you are beneath me.”

“But you said. You told me if I did what you asked then you would bring her back.”

“I lied. I suppose I should be thanking you, you have provided me with so much entertainment over the last few weeks. Julia, help me. Please, help me.” He mimicks her voice and then laughs. “I love her. I love her so much and she died to save me.”

“You bastard.” Alice jumps up. She stalks towards him and lifts her uninjured hand. She sends out a blast. It hits Ember square in the chest but he doesn't react.

His laugh gets louder.

“Do you really think you can hurt me, little Magician? Even with both your hands your power pales in comparison to mine. You can't even begin to conceive of what it would take to kill a god.”

“She died fighting The Beast, trying to stop The Beast. He murdered her just like he murdered your brother.”

“Gods do not care about the deaths of humans.”

“I'm going to make you care.”

Ember laughs again.

Alice can feel the tears streaming down her face. She lifts up her hand. This time she doesn't aim for Ember, instead she aims for the ceiling, the spot in the middle where the curved arches meet. She fires a blast.

The room shakes. Dust falls from the ceiling and a crack appears in the stone.

“What are you doing?!”

Alice fires another blast.

A piece of stone dislodges and falls onto Ember's head. He jumps up from his throne.

“Stop this! Stop this at once!”

Alice fires another blast and another and another. Ember lets out a scream as the ceiling collapses down onto them.

-----

Alice coughs. Her face is covered in dirt and a cloud of dust puffs out from her mouth. She pushes aside a piece of rubble and the sunlight hits her face. She crawls towards it, drags herself out from the remnants of the temple.

A crowd has gathered nearby. Alice can't see their faces. Her vision is blurry, her glasses lost somewhere in the now destroyed temple. They're just a mass of bodies. Somebody breaks from the crowd.

“Alice.”

She recognises Fen's voice.

“Oh my god. Alice, are you alright?” Fen's hands grip her shoulder and pulls her the rest of the way out. “What happened in there?”

Alice turns and looks at the now demolished temple. Her last chance to save Julia, to bring her back snatched away by the cruelty of a God. She grasps onto Fen's arm and clings to her as she cries.

Her heart shatters.