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Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.

Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.

The waters were calm, the gentle rocking of the boat the only movement. There was no wind, and the prow parted the deep waters in front of them with ease. The sorcerer tried to stay awake. Somebody needed to keep watch.
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Emma slept on as well, though her rest was hardly deserving of that name. It was fitful, plagued with nightmares and jolts of agony as she tried to move one of her shattered limbs. The thing inside her womb thrashed, and she cried out even while asleep.

After awhile, Remus opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had slept, as he had no concept of time in this realm. He did feel somewhat revitalized at least. Remus realized that Hrothbert had been awake for the entire time. He walked passed Kaok, bending down to give her a sweet little kiss while she slept. Then he stood next to Hrothbert.

"I think you should rest, Sorcerer. You're relieved of the watch. I'll assume the duty from here." Remus said in a very official manner.

The Imperator paced around on the deck, watching the sea for more danger. Remus felt sorry for Hrothbert. Knowing that Emma was going through a horrible ordeal must have been emotionally draining. Remus wondered what he would do if Kaok were in the same position...but he quickly banished the thought from his mind. He didn't want to think about it. After what seemed to be a few hours of pacing around, Remus sat down next to Kaok's sleeping form. He stroked her hair while she slept, still maintaining his vigil.

Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.

Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.

"As was I, believe me." he replied, loudly enough for Remus to hear. He was on the ground a few moments later, looking around at their landing site. The sand was the same grayish tone as the sky, tiny silica crystals sparkling in the dim light.

The shore stretched up to a series of rolling, barren hills, but there was something else of interest. A high-walled hole in the rocks, the entrance to a cavern.

He could sense Emma. Her life-force burned in his senses, weak but still present.

And a second energy, latched onto hers like a parasite.

Remus grabbed Perseverance, Valiance and his pistol and jumped out of the boat, glad to have his feet on dry land again. Space was one thing, but the sea was another altogether. Space was vast and empty. The sea was filled with various life forms that tried to kill and eat you.

"Where to now?" he asked Hrothbert.

"Why do I always get the field assignments?"
Frida found herself wishing that she'd worn more clothing, since she was coming to England. And with the timing - it was more than chilly. More than she'd been anticipating, anyway.
Frida instantly quieted upon stepping onto the estate grounds. It was ominous and dark and foreboding, and she really wished she'd called in sick that day. Still, it was too late to back out now. She crept forward, pushing open the gates gingerly. She kept going, nearly tiptoeing her way across the place; she had wards in place, powerful ones, but she wished she'd brought something to defend herself with. Pepper spray, maybe. The door was open, and that couldn't be a good sign, not with a place as deserted as this.
"Are... are the lord and lady here?" Frida asked, sticking her head in the doorway. No answer.
Everything was off, just a little bit. Things weren't the way they should be. Frida reasoned that, maybe that could be chalked up to a strange decorating syle; maybe a single rapier was better than two. But that vanished when she saw the blood that pooled on the ground.
'What have I gotten myself into?' She followed the blood, coming eventually to a door; it's silver doorknob was red, dark and light. She shuddered. Thankfully, it was already open; there was even a footprint on the door. She wasn't entirely sure what this might mean, but she was glad she wouldn't have to figure out how to open the door without touching the bloody knob. She saw Emma's body, lying there on the ground. 'That must be... she's Lady Emma, isn't she? Why is she-' Frida kneeled next to the corpse, closing her eye. This wasn't good. 'Unless - this is an odd situation. She wasn't dead before; if she were dead, they would know, right? And they would have told me. So something must be wrong.'
Frida touched Emma's brow, trying to detect any tampering. This couldn't be right. There was something odd -
There it was.
This wasn't the lady of Bainbridge at all.
Frida sucked in a breath, forcing her eye open wide. Something was very, very wrong here. She looked around the room, trying to notice some trace of that same magic that had made this - this fake.
'There. In the mirror.' Frida hadn't found traces of the other magic at all; rather, she'd found the magic of a human. A very powerful one, at that, and she stepped into the mirror only very gingerly.
"Into the rabbit hole, I guess."
'I've really got to stop talking to myself.'