39

'Well, that's a new development,' said Kuro, springing off the bed. 'Seems like we've got very little time!'

'Yes,' said Lucien. 'So let's begin, shall we?'

'Wait, what exactly are you going to do?' asked Grace.

'Good question. I've got everything written out here,' said Lucien, revealing a piece of paper full of his scrawled handwriting. 'Oh, uh, I write better than this as a general rule, but I was hard-pressed for time, so...'

'It's all right, but... I can't read it... it's like another language...'

'Haha. It's bad, but it's not that bad; you can't read it because it is another language!'

'Oh! So, what does it say?'

'First, I shall make a simple portal frame from enchanted moonlight – it's simpler than it sounds – and make sure it's formed over the mushroom. We can't uproot it until the very end, so we'll have to do it in the yard,' said Lucien. 'Then, we've got to strengthen it with a special selection of herbs and things. At the very end, we need something from the land we are going to. Ha! What better than YOU, Grace! Looks like you'll get us to Earth like I originally thought after all!

'R–really? That's all?'

'No! Once I begin the ritual, I've got to complete a particular book of chants in one setting, before uprooting the mushroom in the final chant, which ought to trigger the mechanism of the spell and send us catapulting through the portal and land us in Earth. There's no way back – but it's not like we want one!'

'Sounds kind of risky,' said Kuro. 'You could get interrupted. Or caught. And even if you make it, what if it lands you somewhere else instead of Earth?'

'Oh, I've survived Hell,' said Lucien airily. 'What could be worse? I'll find a way back if it goes wrong. But why should it? Think positively, Kuro!'

'Well, if you say so...'

'The herbs and things, do you have them all at such short notice?' asked Grace.

'I've got to gather them first,' said Lucien. 'But thankfully, they're not that many! Only five!'

'And they are?'

'Petula, calina, zxstch, sillip, and... oh, yikes! Moonbells!'

'Moonbells?' repeated Grace. 'It sounds like a pretty flower!'

'It is,' groaned Lucien. 'But they're very rare on this side! They're mostly found in the vast expanses of the Mainland! How am I going to get that...'

'At least gather the first four first,' said Kuro.

'We don't have time!!' said Lucien impatiently. 'It's half past twelve already! I'll be able to gather the other things by one, but finding the moonbells is going to take me an hour or two even in the Mainland! And that's if I don't get waylaid by any of the freaks there! That means I'll be back at three! And if I start chanting the book so late, there's no way I'll be able to finish so fast! It'll take me three hours at least – and by then it will be morning and it will all have been in vain! BOTHER!'

'Relax,' said Kuro. 'I'll get the moonbells from the Mainland, and you can begin the chanting at one instead of three. Won't four herbs be all right in the start if you add the fifth one later?'

Lucien nodded excitedly. 'We're supposed to add them in one by one! Not all at once! And moonbells are at the very end! They're supposed to 'ring' in the portal we want, you know!'

'So it's settled, then,' said Kuro.

'YES!' said the demon happily, before his face fell again. 'Oh, wait... BOTHER!'

'Now what happened?!' said Kuro in surprise.

'Oh, Kuro... cats are allergic to moonbells,' groaned Lucien.

'Well, maybe I'm different?' said Kuro anxiously.

'No, it's universal! They can't stand the things! You'll never be able to carry them home! Even if you manage to pluck them and take them with you for a while, you'll collapse from them when they take their toll on you!'

Kuro said nothing, but his heart grew heavy and it showed.

Lucien sighed. 'Looks like I'll have to go, after all. I suppose if I ran all the way—'

'I'll go,' said Grace quietly. 'Tell me what the moonbells look like, and—'

'Are you crazy?!' said Lucien. 'Do you remember the last time you ended up in the Mainland?'

'Yeah, well, I was new then!'

'Oh come on, you can't even handle Sheltered Hell! Let alone the Mainland!'

'Well, if I manage to do this,' said Grace, 'we can get a way out of all of this. We both want it – we need it! And for that, some dangers have to be risked! I'll do it, Lucien! You focus on those chants and don't waste any more time!'

Lucien paused, and looked at her doubtfully. 'You're right, but...'

'How about I go with her?' said Kuro suddenly. 'If I can't get the moonbells, at least I can try to keep her safe.'

Lucien's face brightened immediately. 'Yes, that's it!'

'Come on, then,' said Kuro, turning to Grace. 'I know what moonbells look like, so I'll show you. Lucien, gather the other herbs and begin the ritual. We'll be back as fast as we can!'

'Grace, take care, okay?' said Lucien earnestly, looking so concerned that Grace smiled and nodded.

'Of course! After my aunt, I don't think anything in the Mainland can really scare me!'

Lucien laughed. 'I suppose you're right! Well, let's go on our ways, then! Time is running out as we speak!'