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Thane, Layala, and Piper whipped around to find Hel approaching wearing a dark gray tunic with intricate designs around the shoulders and over the chest as well as thick black leather pants for fighting. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows revealing the many runes and tattoos on his forearms.

“I’m a little hurt that I’m not a part of the club.”

Layala blew out a long breath and narrowed her eyes. “Our training isn’t until the evening.”

“I’m well aware.”

Thane had a hunch he’d show up, hoping he would even. He was tired of the elusive games and Hel holding all the cards. “Now that you’re here, I challenge you to fight, a sparring match. And when I win, you’ll give me some answers.”

Layala’s eyes widened but she pressed her lips together and didn’t protest.

Hel looked bored when he said, “You know this will be a repeat of last time.”

Thane smiled, ready for a challenge. “What happened to me being stronger and a better fighter.”

“Well, that was then, let’s see if it’s still true.”

“Swords?”

“I think we might be tempted to do more than just spar if we have swords,” Hel said, narrowing his eyes.

“Alright then.” Thane rolled up his own sleeves and took a few steps back. Even if Hel was strong in magic, no one was a better fighter than Thane. With confidence, he moved into a fighting stance and held up his fists.

“This fight stops when one of you is injured or taps out,” Layala clarified. She glared at Hel. “You must agree to the terms.”

“Agreed.”

Thane nodded. “I agree.”

With bloody noses and hair miffed, both Leif and Fen stopped their own bout. Fennan spit bloody saliva into the grass. “Let’s bet. Five silver on Thane,” Fen said.

“I won’t bet against him,” Leif said, taken aback.

“I will,” Hel said with a smile. “Five silver it is.”

“Done. Thane is the best fighter in all of Adalon.”

The confidence of Fen only fueled Hel’s entertainment. His eyes sparkled with joy and with a mischievous smirk, he said, “I hope you have five silver to spare.”

“We’ll see.”

“Say when,” Thane said, drawing Hel’s attention back to him.

Hel lifted his palm and said, “I promised to drag you through the underrealm, and I always make good on my promises.”

In a flash, Thane was plunged into darkness, as if he was falling through worlds; the sky and landscape around him dropped at a blurry speed then it halted, and he stood in a dark forest with blue light. Massive trees with roots twisting and growing ten feet out of the ground stood all around him. Black-capped mushrooms with tops that reached his shoulder grew in bundles. Sleek dark vines hung off trees, moss covered fallen rotting logs. A black pond bubbled to his left and smelled acrid. Was this real? Could Hel truly transport him to the underrealm and was that where he stood now?

A serpent slithered past his boot, and he jumped back. It was as thick as his thigh and Thane couldn’t see the end of its length.

“Do you remember this place?” Hel’s voice echoed all around him as if he was in the branches above.

“No,” Thane said quietly, unsure what he might draw if he made too much noise.

“You’ve been here before. You wanted some answers, some insight, you can have it.”

A twig snapped and Thane whipped around, reaching back for a sword—he didn’t have one. “You tricked me,” Thane snarled. “We agreed to a sparring match.”

“You didn’t specify what kind of sparring. This is how we spar with magic. Not every spell is a physical attack… Have fun.”