The Lost Girl, part eight

"Well, this is certainly something," Antoinette remarked quietly. The tunnel had emerged through another arch, depositing them at the foot of a surprisingly solid dirt road. Old, heavy trees surrounded the road on either side, and from out here the arch was just an arch: a free-standing arrangement of mortared stone in a small forest clearing. "Someone's putting some work in to maintain this road."

Peter chuckled. "They are, but that's not going in our reports."

Antoinette looked puzzled. "Isn't this sort of thing illegal?"

"Discretion is the better part of legality," Peter replied easily, and Morri grinned hungrily at Agatha. "Having a passage to the Grey is legal. Trading with outsiders may or may not be, depending on exactly what's being traded. Bringing unregistered outsiders into the Mundus is illegal, but unless it causes a problem the Ministry generally ignores it; we don't have the resources to stop all of it, so we save our efforts for fairly egregious -- and public -- violations."

Antoinette considered that, then nodded. "All right, I can see that." 

Chris could, too. He didn't like it, but he could see it. No wonder the old snake asked if I planned to bind it... That had been more than a year ago, nearly two, and he hadn't really understood at the time. It was only after he'd come to the Ministry and seen just what could be done with a geas that he'd begun to understand. 

Peter turned to Agatha. "Do you know which way they went?" He glanced at the road, and then amended the question. "Do you know where they were headed from here?"

Agatha looked momentarily panicked, then shook her head. "There's a seasonal pattern," she said, "but I don't remember much about it, and I don't know what season we're in, here."

Antoinette turned to look at Chris. "Scent?"

He'd already been tasting the air; now he shook his head. "I think it's rained since they departed." He glanced at Elyssa, but she shook her head as well.

"All right," said Peter. "Then we'll do it the hard way. We'll start by following the road, though." He shook his head. "Before we do... I want you to look around this place. Study it. The Grey is malleable, and even if you're not a pathfinder it'll sometimes take you to a particular place if it's important to you."

Antoinette frowned. "So Seekers are just... better at bending it to their will?" 

Peter considered that, then nodded. "Something like that. Pathfinders can command the Grey to shape itself to our will as we move through it; everybody else has to ask and hope it responds. It takes practice, and it's a matter of sensitivity as much as will, but if we get separated... well, even if none of you have that particular talent, you can still try to picture this place, start walking, and focus on avoiding everything that isn't here until you return here." He paused and looked at Antoinette. "Your Arcana will still work out here, so you could also get back to the Mundus through the cards." Then he looked a Elyssa, Chris, and Agatha. "If you can't find your way back, find someplace safe to stay and just wait until I can collect you."

They nodded, and then started looking around. Peter gave them about five minutes before he said, "All right, let's get moving. We'll stick to the established paths for now; I don't want to have to force my way through the Grey this close to the Mundus."