Liam helped Kami to her feet and they looked at the others, trying to determine what to do.

"It's easy, we just get the hell out of here," Samuel said.

"No, it's anything but easy," Yasmin countered. "Have you forgotten the shadow creatures? And their awful leader?"

Kami frowned slightly.

"You know, I've been wondering what made her into that. And where does she get her power?"

Liam couldn't help but smile at her, though she was looking at Yasmin and didn't see. She was always trying to understand things, make sense of them. In his experience of her character, right now, she was hunting for helpful information.

"Why do we care, she's an evil witch!" Samuel said, rolling his eyes.

"She can't have always been," Kami insists, turning to Samuel now. "What are her motives, why is she like this? How did she get her power? I mean, I have my scarab, as weird and inexplicable as that is... but what about her? D'you think she has one too? Or something similar?"

"I have no idea," Liam said, "but I know that we must under no circumstances underestimate her."

"That's for certain," Yasmin said.

"Well, that's all very good, but how about we try and figure that out while finding a way out of this hell-hole?" Samuel asked.

"Not without Neyna," Kami and Yasmin said.

"Not without their Neyna," Liam said at the same time.

Kami looked at him; he was looking at Samuel like there was no way he was even debating the issue. She felt a rush of affection for him.

"Okay, okay..." Samuel said, raising his hands in defeat. "Can we just go, then? This place is giving me the willies..."

The others rolled their eyes and set off.

As good as it was to be able to move freely again, there was no relaxing in the creepy, dark tunnels. Everyone was tense as they walked slowly, looking everywhere. Kami glanced worriedly at her grandfather. He was exhausted and even with Yasmin's help, could barely stand. If things got bad and they needed to run...

"I'll carry him." Liam said, squeezing her hand. "We won't leave him behind, you have my word."

A part of Kami was think that would do little more than endanger Liam as well as Gedo... but she knew she would never leave him behind...

Trust your necklace, Kami...

Kami gasped and stopped dead, looking around wildly.

"Kami, what's wrong?" Liam asked, eying her like he was trying not to question her mental health.

"That voice... someone spoke just now!" Kami said, still looking around, spinning to check behind her. Seeing nothing, she looked back at her friends. "Didn't you hear it?"

Liam and the others glanced at one another.

"No... Kami, are you feeling all right? Maybe you overworked yourself with the necklace..."

"No, I heard someone!" Kami said. "It sounded like..."

Baba, she almost said, but couldn't. And looking at her friends' concerned faces, she suddenly wasn't so sure... she caught her head in her hands, letting out a moan of despair.

"I don't know anymore..." she said tearfully.

Liam caught her hands. She let out a sob and looked up at him/

"Hey," he said, brushing a tear off her cheek with infinite gentleness. "We can get through this. Okay? We've held on this far, we're not going to give up now, are we?"

Kami looked into his warm, gentle brown eyes. The way he looked at her... she'd never experienced that before... her ex-boyfriend certainly never looked at her that way... Unthinkingly, she stepped forwards and slid her arms around him, feeling comfort in his strong embrace. He was a fair bit taller than her, so his head gently rested on hers, his hand rubbing her shoulder soothingly.

"We'll be okay... you just have to keep the faith."

Kami let out a shaky laugh.

"I don't know how I can lose it... with you near me..."

She looked up at Liam, unsure why she had just said that, her eyes glistening.

"I hate to interrupt the emotional moment, there, guys, but we have to keep moving." Samuel said, though for once, his tone was almost gentle.

Kami hastily wiped her eyes with her palm and said:

"He's right... we have to keep moving."

And so they did, but when Liam reached for her hand again, Kami didn't pull away. She wasn't sure if it was part of the connection she had to Liam or just needing the touch, but she liked it.

After a while of turning corner after corner, the echoes of their footsteps so loud Liam was sure they were going to be caught any minute, they reached a large chamber that reminded Liam of the room he'd been in when he'd gone in alone. The memory sent shivers through his body. Kami appeared to sense it because she looked up and asked:

"Liam, are you okay? You're shaking..."

He looked down into her beautiful face, her brown eyes wide with concern. He resisted the urge to touch her cheek, feeling she had enough on her plate right now.

"Oh... yes, I'm fine... this place just looks unpleasantly familiar."

He squeezed her hand again, and they walked on. Kami glanced back at Gedo, who was still holding on to Yasmin's arm. His face was covered with sweat, and Liam, following her gaze, hoped that things wouldn't get ugly... because he knew that even if he carried Gedo, running would be tricky. Just then, Samuel stopped, holding his arm out to stop Chris. The others paused too.

"Uncle Sam, what are you..." Chris began.

"Shh!" Samuel hissed, looking around. "I heard something..."

Kami, who hadn't heard anything but the sound of their footsteps, said:

"If it's a joke about earlier..."

"It's not! Now shut up!"

Liam and Kami exchanged glances. Never had they seen Samuel this serious.

"What is it?" Liam asked, edging closer to Kami.

"Something's coming..." Samuel whispered. "We have to get out of here now."

Liam glanced at them all. Chris, so young he shouldn't have been here in the first place... Yasmin, biting her lip but keeping her face calm. Kami, rubbing her fingers anxiously, glancing at Liam, then at her Gedo.

"Yasmin, get Gedo on my back," Liam ordered quietly.

Silently, she did, with a hand from Kami. Just then, Kami froze. Liam had seen the moving shadows as well. He glanced at Kami, his mind screaming to keep her safe.

"The shadow creatures!" Chris called, pointing.

Sure enough, several black slithering shapes edged towards them. They looked like snakes with razor sharp teeth. Yasmin yelped and leaped back.

"RUN!" Liam yelled.

They hurried forwards, crossing the chamber and into another hallway. Their footsteps sounded like thunder in Liam's ears, his heartbeat louder than a drum. His breathing was heavy, due to Gedo's weight on his back. He wasn't all that heavy but the effort was still significant. And the fact that they had next to no idea where they were going was not helping matters.

"Whatever happens, just keep moving!" Liam encouraged them.

They could hear the snarls and snapping of the creatures as they slithered behind them. Kami then clasped her necklace, pulled it off from around her neck and held it out behind her. It glowed brightly, and the creatures recoiled. Just when they were beginning to think it might work, they stopped dead.

"And where do you think you're going?"