That incident did not last forever, nor were they sliding down the tunnel as if it were a slide. They ended up fairly soon in a subway cave, more significant than what they saw in Ellery Forest. It wasn’t primal, nor was it a place where they were cramped, or so they could tell as soon as they joined.

“Look on the bright side. At least we’re not in the rain,” Finnian said.

“Nor do we have to dodge lightning,” Ead added.

“You’re unique in seeing a bad situation through different eyes,” Blanche replied.

After all, she was in on it too. The cave’s darkness was such that it would have been difficult for them to see under normal circumstances. They would have started some light to change it, although the wolf asked them not to do it so quickly. He barely had to focus on perceiving the vibrations in the environment, for down there, it was so easy to see them with his magic that they were stunned. They could never find out how numerous the eltheans that dominated the place were, but they could tell that their numbers would threaten anyone.

“The advantage is down here, where they have total control of the environment,” Ead said.

“Anyone trying to cross their territory could fall into one of their traps. But the earth elthean could detect and avoid them,” Nero said.

Although it had not been their case, by choice, when they saw the storm, they understood that they could not do it outside, as they would have liked. It would have been an unnecessary risk, not to mention the possibility that the nagas would prefer not to intervene in an environment that did not support them. However, opening a hole in the mountain would give them a chance to intervene.

They had positioned themselves in a circle, the five elthean surrounding both Signers, alert to their surroundings even when they were the ones being watched. Then the subway was illuminated by the crystals around it. They were not on a platform, nor was there any chance of them falling back down any holes, though remembering how they ended up there, better not to tempt fate. What they did see were tunnels, too many to be compared to a labyrinth and, of course, the nagas. So many that they could not count them without getting dizzy.

As they already knew, they were snakes of considerable size and with human features on their heads. Their scales varied in colour and intensity, as did their eyes, making distinguishing them a real challenge. But they were not there to attack them or make them their dinner. They were observing, or so it was until they gave way to one.

“Here comes their leader. Watch out!” Leith warned them.

The sound of a body sliding across the floor was eerie because of how fast it moved. However, what took his breath away was how imposing the naga looked. As large as Leith at her Champion level, her scales were a white-grey that made her stand out from the others because of how unusual she was. She had a series of markings around her body, all green, sparkled and illuminated her presence. She remained at a safe distance and did not position herself offensively, although she didn’t need to with all the snakes that kept their eyes on her.

“Are they seeing if we are a threat or not?” Ead suggested.

It made too much sense, confirming that these were elthean smarter than many claimed. A hiss reached his mind, quiet at first, but then it came to Finnian more clearly.

“Ethereal?” Finnian repeated.

“That is my name.”

This time the naga did not use her mind but a soft, velvety voice. He shivered as soon as he heard it, though not from fear of what she might do but from excitement at something so new and different. The elthean didn’t add anything else for a few seconds, but she didn’t look away either, waiting for them to do the same. After a quick introduction, they didn’t move as Ethereal held her own.

“Why have you brought us down here?” Finnian said.

“You were in our territory,” Ethereal said.

“That’s possible, but we were looking for shelter from the storm,” Rune interjected.

“Is it true what they say? Do you attack anyone who passes through Everground?” Leith said.

Stories are just that, stories. It depended on how they were told, but they were never what they first seemed. Just as the snakes did not hesitate to plunge them into the earth, bringing them into their domain where they were most powerful, they have not been attacked yet. Ead’s assumption was valid, though they did not yet know this elthean well enough to be entirely sure.

“We need to survive. We need to eat. Have you come to a stop us?” Ethereal said.

Her speech was similar to theirs, though slower, for she had a habit of slurring her words.

“That depends on your intentions,” Finnian said. “That’s why you haven’t attacked us, isn’t it?”

“Are you waiting to see what we do?” Aer said.

“You are too few to feed my children,” Ethereal admitted. “However, even here, we know how to recognize the Signers.”

They were surrounded, and any move they considered a threat would begin their confrontation, putting them in great danger once again. However, they knew their identity and were not mistaken for other elthean was as vital as the conversation they continued to have.

“Do you know Cinder? The Lord of Calamity?” Finnian said.

That made quite a few nagas tense up. The buzzing sound they all produced managed to stun him, though not so much that he lost sight of what was around him. Perhaps it was their way of answering him without anyone else intervening.

“What have they done to you?” Leith said.

“We’ve lived here for a long time. Wouldn’t you protect your home?” Ethereal said.

Cinder was old, not as old as Ethereal, but old enough that many would have trusted the wisdom that age gave anyone. However, that elthean was as manipulative in his words as his actions. He had tried to bring the nagas of Everground into his service, but it did not sit well with him to receive refusals from almost anyone.

“They attacked our mountain, destroyed the nests they found,” Ethereal continued. “That’s why we attacked the travellers, but not all of them.”

They could dominate the mountain, although they had not made it uninhabitable. They did not know what other types of elthean would live there apart from them, although if their words were valid, they would not be the only ones. Cinder had used his influence to make them a threat, but he was the real problem. When they needed to eat, they did, none of them could help it, but they attacked without remorse those who bore Cinder’s essence or ended up being considered a threat.

“Why are you hiding? Your fragrance is masked,” Ethereal hissed.

“We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves,” Aer admitted, as strange as that may sound.

“There is more,” Ethereal continued, though she did not reveal what she sensed.

What did she see that the others didn’t? Were they ignoring a detail that could be crucial?

“We want to defeat the Lord of Calamity and another elthean, one they call the Eroder,” Blanche said.

“We came here to find out if you’re on their side or not,” Finnian said.

“And if we are?” Ethereal said. “What would you do?

“That depends on your answer.”

Was what he was about to do crazy? At that point, what wasn’t?

“Do you see this?” Finnian said, pulling out the timeless orb that Avira had handed them. “It’s enchanted to lock you in, all of you.”

“That’s your plan? Those are your intentions?” Ethereal said.

“Those are the intentions of others, not ours,” Finnian said, shaking his head. “Because I am certain that you are not on either side, least of all Calamity.”

Ethereal’s eyes were focused on the orb. If she were so bright, she would be able to detect the magic it contained, though not concretely all that it could do. Expressing aloud that he could finish them off with what he had in his hand would be akin to throwing a rock at them to make them angry. He did not want to provoke them but to acquire knowledge others preferred to omit. Thus, the timeless orb disappeared from his hand with a gentle gesture and was lost from her sight.

“That Lord of Calamity came here once, but we do not work for him,” Ethereal said. “Not then, not now, and not later. We are not part of that ancient evil that has not left Elthea.”

“Nor then?” Aer repeated.

“Nor now?” Rune repeated.

Wait a minute, what had just happened? Not only had she admitted that Ariel was there or that they didn’t work for him or anyone else. But something else!

“Were you here when the previous Lord of Calamity arrived,” Finnian said. “He was defeated. Why do you say that the ancient evil has not left Elthea?”

“We don’t have those answers. All we know is that the corruption did not leave completely,” Ethereal said.

The cycle repeated itself. There was always a calm before the Lord of Calamity arrived and after each Signer defeated them. It was part of Elthea’s history; they could not change it. Unfortunately, there were still too many unknowns about that last enemy that continued to affect them. Was it habitual?

“Are you going to let us leave? Or are we going to have to find our way out?” Nero said.

“You can be more than this. You know that, don’t you?” Leith interjected.

Perhaps the dragon bore the closest resemblance to those present, though that didn’t make them even distant relatives. She shot a glance at Finnian, who quickly nodded, understanding what she meant.

“We respect that you don’t want to be on either side, but there will come a time when you have no choice,” Finnian said.

“Cinder branded you as beasts who could not be reasoned with,” Aer added.

“This is your home. We have not come to invade or take it from you,” Rune said.

“But you can be more than this, be part of Elthea in another way.”

They were intelligent, to the facts was referred. Perhaps their culture was different, but that didn’t stop them from learning from each other, did it?

“Your ideals are touching,” Ethereal said, “but we have always inhabited this mountain, and nothing will change that.”

“No one’s saying you should abandon it, only that you should be a little more open to what this world has to offer,” Finnian said. “There are evil elthean, like Cinder, but others don’t behave like that. And if you were otherwise, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

Ethereal did not move, appearing as threatening as at first. Nor did the rest of the nagas act, perhaps sharing a mental link to communicate effectively. Then, just as happened before, a new whisper reached hers and no one else’s.

“I had a vision that warned me of your coming, one in which I was to give you a message. You and yours will be the only ones who will be able to cross that gate.”

“What gate?” Finnian said.

“You may not have found it yet, but you know what it is,” Ethereal replied.

His vision, the key he got from Lelile. They were pieces of a puzzle where he was still missing some, but he was getting dangerously close to getting them. Then, Ethereal spoke again, addressing those present.

“Others will show you the way to the surface, but do not harm anyone here or tell others what you have experienced here. Unless you want to end up as food.”

After that, she was lost in one of the tunnels, leaving him with more doubts than the encounter they had.