Hand in hand, Kate and Rafe searched the manor until they found the ghost of the Countess, who regarded them with her usual contempt.
Kate crossed her arms, "you said you could help us get to the land of the dead."
"That I did," the Countess agreed.
"So help us," Rafe demanded
"Tsk, tsk, not so fast," the witch chided, "how do you two plan to survive as living people in the land of the dead? The reckoning could have done it but it's power is gone, and the land of the dead would kill you if you are down there too long with no protection."
"Our power," Kate answered.
The Countess laughed, "sweet Katherine, you're powerful, yes, but not powerful enough to sustain yourself down there for as long as you would need to."
"No," Kate shook our head, "we won't be directing our magic to protect ourselves. We'll be directing it to protect each other. Because magic responds to emotion and we each want to protect each other very strongly. That should fuel our power so as long as nothing happens to either of us, we'll both be sheltered."
"Hmmm," the Countess mused, "under ordinary circumstances it shouldn't be possible. But you two are both anything but ordinary. Your levels of power could handle it, and anyone with any knowledge of magic can see the connection between souls you two have developed... yes, I think you could pull it off, with caution."
"That's the truth?" Rafe asked.
"Wise of you to check, but yes, it is the truth."
"Good," Kate declared.
"So, if you two have this all figured out, how do you expect to find your way around without alerting the Dire Magnus that you're there?" The Countess questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"We'll have help," Kate replied.
"Oh?"
Rafe nodded in agreement, "we have a friend on the other side who can help us out."
"Well, I'll be damned," the Countess said.
'You probably are already', Rafe thought sarcastically. But wisely, he didn't say it out loud.
"There's an actual plan," the Countess marveled.
"There will be once you get us where we need to go," Kate corrected her.
The Countess nodded, "right. Follow me." The two teens did, trailing after her as she walked briskly through the chilled corridors of her once extravagant mansion. They kept going down flight after flight of stairs, until their legs began to ache.
"Where are you taking us?" Rafe demanded to know.
"The basement," the witch answered curtly.
Kate frowned, a flash of being locked in the Dire Magnus's basement, being tortured there, shot across her mind. She stopped firmly on the stairs, and as soon as she stopped, Rafe did too.
The Countess gave them an annoyed look, "why are you stopping?"
"I'm not going any further until you tell us how you're getting us to the land of the dead and what it has to do with your basement," Kate said.
The Countess rolled her eyes, "really?"
"Answer her questions," Rafe's voice became lower and more dangerous.
"Fine," the witch sighed, "do you think I just built my mansion anywhere? Me, a powerful, glamorous witch? Of course not. This place is special, and I chose it for its power."
Kate sucked in a breath, "you mean to tell me there's an overlap... a fold, here?"
"Yes," The Countess said, "that is correct. And don't look so surprised, you know I like being surrounded by power."
"But, well, having the entrance to a fold in your basement is excessive, even for you," Kate commented. The Countess didn't give her a response to that statement.
Rafe frowned, "But with the destruction of the reckoning, all folds closed, with exception to the one in the Rose Citadel garden. How is yours still open?"
"Well, I took precautions of course. I am a skilled witch after all. A dark spell or sixteen did the trick, it seems, because when I arrived here and checked, it was still functional," the Countess stated, studying her nails.
"Please tell me we aren't walking into a vortex of your dark magic?" Rafe sighed.
"Do you have any other choice?" The Countess asked.
Kate took Rafe's hand once more, "I guess not. Take us to the fold."
The Countess nodded, but before continuing on, said, "you know, it'll probably be easier for you to make it then it would have been before. The new flimsiness of the barriers between life and death means you should be able to make the crossing far smoother than before."
"Well I guess that's one thing going our way," Kate sighed.
The young couple and the ghost continued down the stairs until they reached the basement. Much like the attic, it was dusty, with broken furniture piled in every corner. But the basement was far colder and darker than the attic, and there was the static of magic in the air, and a deep curtain of shadows by the back wall, signaling the presence of the fold.
Kate stared at it, knowing her destination was on the other side, knowing the journey would be dangerous, and finishing her fight to stop the Dire Magnus, even more so.
Rafe saw her holding her breath from the nerves and asked gently, "are you ready?"
Kate nodded firmly, "as I'll ever be."
"This is where I leave you two. You'll have to find your way from here," the Countess said.
"What are you gonna do?" Rafe wondered.
The Countess smirked, "first, I'm headed to Loris to help those fools you call friends. Then, I'm finding a decent home renovator to restore this place to its former glory."
She turned to leave, but then turned back for one moment, "oh, Katherine?"
"Yes?" Kate asked, trying to hide the way her voice shook at the thought of what lay ahead.
The Countess's violet eyes became hard and determined, "give him hell."
Then she was gone, leaving Kate and Rafe to take those next few steps toward their heavy destiny.
"Let's do this," Kate said. As one, she and Rafe began walking forward, toward the thick veil of shadows, ominous and heavy with magic. Their grip on each other's hands tightened as they walked in.
They refused to let go, even as they crossed the smoke-like barrier of life and death.
A/N: A slightly shorter chapter, but I'm pleased with it, because we're really getting into the action now. Also, I figured only the Countess is extra enough to keep something like a fold in her basement.