They stepped through the tear when Daemon had given them time to get used to their new position and they took the time to stretch and get the blood flowing again, tired and sore but everyone was alive and that was what counted.
When they passed through the portal, they were prepared and the swamp they stepped forward into was cool and dim.
Looking around, the frowned as she tried to figure out where they were but it was no good, they had travelled all over the human world and she had no idea in which part they were now in and so she let it go, taking in the murky water and fallen, rotting logs.
This one wasn't anywhere near as pretty as the one with the Vodyanoy but the woman made up for it.
She was absolutely radiant with long, deep green hair and pale skin. She was dressed in what looked like weeds wrapped around her, layered to hide her flesh and it looked like a dress.
Her face was smooth and calm as she picked up long strands of weed and draped them over a fallen log with precise care. She hadn't noticed them and they simply watched her as she worked, calm and peaceful.
When she turned, she was shocked to see them and her eyes were pure white, not even a pupil breaking up the white.
"Hello," she said, confused by their appearance.
Dziwozona were omnivores and one of the few peaceful water dwelling creatures. They tended to only eat fish and bugs to subsidise their tree bark and water plant diets and they had a deep love for decorating everything around them in whatever happened to float into their swamp.
They were not fighters, but if you angered them they would drown you in a heartbeat but that was no easy feat. Generally one had to be actively trying to destroy their swamp to earn their anger.
"Hello, what a lovely swamp you have," Etani said and the Dziwozona beamed, genuinely happy by the compliment.
Pausing to find something, she picked up a long fallen streamer of vine and approached the Dziwozona, offering it to her.
The Dziwozona studied it and then smiled brightly, taking it and tossing it into the water. It wasn't soggy and rotten enough for her, but it would make a very nice decoration in a few days.
"What have you come for?" the green haired woman asked, offering Etani a handful of rotting sticks and a torn lily pad in return for the vine, which she accepted happily.
"I have come to ask for a shred of your magic, if you are willing to give it," Etani asked, affecting an overly happy expression at the gift and taking the time to carefully examine every twig she had been given before piling them very neatly on the lily pad. The Dziwozona watched on in pride, approving of the little pile.
"Will it make you happy?" the Dziwozona asked and Etani nodded.
"Like finding a new patch of brown moss," she said and the Dziwozona's white eyes widened.
"Then of course!" she gasped and Etani smiled brightly, sliding down to sit on an undecorated patch of the log and the Dziwozona approached her.
The kiss was surprisingly dry and soft, more like that of a human that a water dwelling creature and the magic was as slippery and wet as water weeds in her mind.
She didn't feel any different after the exchange, wondering why Daemon had been so insistent on a second and third water dweller.
"Thank you," Etani said, affecting a blissful smile that the Dziwozona returned, simply glad to help.
"If you ever need anything, I will come to you," she said and the Dziwozona tilted her head but then nodded.
"How will you know?" the Dziwozona asked and Etani smiled.
"I'll know. Your magic will call to the magic you gave me," she said, having no idea how she knew that, but it was correct in her mind.
"I will do so then. Farewell strangers," the Dziwozona said and her attention was back on her work, politely waiting for Etani to move before she could slap a pile of mud down as a base for her decorations to stick to.
Etani left the Dziwozona and returned to the men, her little pile of twigs and plant matter clutched protectively in her hands.
Daemon said nothing as he took them and wrapped them carefully in a cloth before he slipped it safely into his pocket, patting it gently when he saw her watching it anxiously.
"I'll keep them safe until we return," he said and she nodded. She didn't know why she cared about them, but they were important.
Neither of the other two spoke as they stepped back through the tear in reality and onto a beach of all places.
***
The sound of crashing waves had them all turning but Daemon kept his hand in hers to keep her from running off and she pouted, wanting nothing more than to run into the water, but then she remembered the last time and her joy sank to the bottom of her stomach at the memories of the twin and her conversation with Uzo.
When she turned, she found the Fae watching her with a pained expression but she only shook her head.
"Why so many water creatures?" she asked Daemon, and he blinked.
"I lost the eyes back at the Strigoi and had been trying to get them back, so I kept returning to creatures likely to return them. I got them back after the Asrai," he said, and she nodded slowly.
She felt sure he had mentioned that before, but it was eluding her.
She frowned and shook her head as they headed away from the small beach and into a small cave that had a shallow pond and a magnificent waterfall that trickled out into the ocean.
It was a lovely little cave and the tiny woman was basking in the waterfall.
She had bright green hair that reached to her knees and iridescent butterfly shaped wings that shone a bright blue and purple.
She was naked entirely and quite curvy for such a tiny woman, making Daemon grin and Jagum blush. Uzo was only staring and when she nudged him in the ribs, he looked away and blushed.
She had to admit that the sight of the naked woman was enthralling and she had to wonder about her own attraction to the woman.
Letting it go, she cleared her throat and the little woman squeaked, jumping and turning.
She was covered in softly glowing blue markings in smooth waves that looked remarkably like water. Her lips were a bright pink and her eyes were a soft, green-blue of the ocean.
"Lovely cave you have," Etani said but that was all she got to say before the woman started screaming and then she was hit in the middle by something surprisingly heavy.
The Asrai had tackled her and she sprawled in the sand, pain from her scars telling her she had torn something.
"Oh mother you came for me! I can't believe you picked me! I was hoping it would be me but I had no idea it would actually be me!" she spoke in a high pitched, rapid voice that was hard to follow with the speed and lilting accent.
The Asrai was pulled off her and she looked down to find a few spots of blood on her dress but nothing serious.
"Oh no I hurt you!" the Asrai wailed but Etani only shook her head.
"Not your fault, I had already been hurt."
She accepted Uzo's hand and he helped her to her feet, but when he reached for the hem of her dress to check her wound, she slapped at his hands.
"I'm fine, don't worry," she blushed, knowing she was wearing nothing under the dress.
The Asrai stepped back from them and her lips were a soft pout, looking upset but still happy to have them there.
"I take it you were aware of our going around?" she asked and the Asrai nodded quickly.
"Everyone knows and everyone is hoping you'll come to them. The whole of Faerie is watching to see if you can do it," she said happily but Etani frowned, looking to Daemon who was also frowning.
"That's concerning," she said, dusting sand off her dress.
"Why's that? Surely they are helping?" the Asrai said brightly, looking more like a young girl if her body wasn't so developed.
"Well we have only been threatened a few times, so I suppose that's a start," Etani said and the Asrai looked shocked.
"What's your name?" Etani asked.
"Tilly!" the Asrai piped up, looking elated to have been asked.
"Well Tilly, I'm sure you know why we have come to you, are you willing to help?"
Tilly squealed again happily and it was clear she wanted to tackle her again, but she resisted the urge.
Putting on an air of maturity, she lifted her pointy chin and smiled, stepping up onto the tips of her toes even as Etani bent down.
The magic was odd, liquid and cool but it made her lungs ache and tasted like salt. None of the others had tasted like anything, but this time it did and when she drew back, Tilly was crying and smiling widely at the same time.
She didn't have any trouble with her breathing after the salt taste had left her and she was left wondering why her lungs had been burning in the first place. She could only assume it had something to do with her not needing air when under water, something she would have been glad for when facing the mermen.
"I don't think we've ever gotten a warm welcome like that," Daemon said, his eyes still on Tilly's chest appreciatively.
Etani slapped his arm and he looked at her, shocked and offended but when he saw her glare, he grinned.
"Jealous?" he asked and her eyes narrowed. Was she? She didn't know, and she didn't want to think about what feelings she had for the demon.
She shook her head but he was smirking as she looked away from him, watching as Tilly danced away to her waterfall, waving to them.
Etani waved back and shook her head at the excitement of the Asrai. At least they had gotten two easy ones.
She doubted the rest were going to be that easy, they were into the more dangerous areas and a thought occurred to her, turning to Uzo.
"I just realised that we all assume you would agree to giving me some of your magic," she said.
His brows lifted, amused by the realisation. Daemon tilted his head, seeming to come to the same conclusion as her.
"I'll consider your request when the time comes," he said haughtily and laughed as Daemon swiped at him, running from the cave as the demon went after him.
Looking to Jagum, she shrugged and he sighed.
"How you have managed to do this so many times is astounding," he said and accepted her hand when she offered it to him.
Waving a farewell to Tilly, they left the coolness of the cave and headed out after the pair.
"I'm not looking forward to the last five, Jagum. It's going to be really dangerous. I won't blame you if you want to leave, we can drop you off somewhere."
He looked down at her when she looked up, his frown was stern.
"I'm no coward," he growled, but she shook her head.
"It's not that I think you are a coward, it's just that this isn't your fight, and I don't want your blood on my hands. The Aswang and the Banshee, then the Celestrials at the end, it's going to be a miracle if we get out of this in one piece."
He squeezed her hand, and his paw found her cheek, stroking along the scars there.
"I will do whatever it takes to ensure you survive, if no one else," he growled and she bit her lip, hating the idea of him dying simply because he had been pulled into their troubles.
"Just promise you won't get yourself killed," she demanded and he nodded, though they both knew it wasn't something he could guarantee.
"I'll do my best," he said and she could only nod.
"Come on!" Daemon called, having Uzo in a headlock and grinding his knuckles into the top of the Fae's head, making him howl.
They set off at a jog for the two and Daemon released the Fae, who aimed a kick for his stomach, sending Daemon flying.
He landed with an explosion of sand and his grin was feral, but she stepped between them, and he skidded to a stop, looking irritable that she had stopped the fight.
"You can settle this later, I need you both in one piece," she demanded and the two glared.
It seemed like they had been arguing about more than just whether Uzo would give her his magic or not, but she decided it was better not to ask.
"We have the Aswang next and I need you both to stay on guard, this is going to get ugly. If we make it out of that alive we're up against a Banshee who could kill us all in a second. Stop messing around,"
That sobered them both and they both nodded obediently, the four joining hands and heading through the tear into the darkness of night.