They went on their way to the land most of them never knew of its existence, a place they wouldn’t even dream of a day earlier. They couldn’t imagine how all of that could be kept a secret from them for years. They were not thinking much about their destination, as they were completely engrossed in what they were seeing, and they were too busy to worry about any danger or threat. Tunnel after tunnel, the warriors couldn’t stop gazing outside the little holes in the wagons’ covers. The net was a striking spectacle for those who were seeing it for the first time; it looked as ancient as history and as prestigious as the inside of a castle. There were many travellers apart from them; carriages and riders were coming and going in every direction yet the net was perfectly organized. Every tunnel had a name, and in every tunnel, there were two or more traffic inspectors putting order to the movement of the travellers as well as directional signs at every turn and by the entrance of every tunnel. There were traffic lights but not the electric ones. They were three, glass balls coloured red, yellow and green, dangling next to each other by threads from the ceiling—but with no lamps, the warriors wondered how they were putting on and off their lights.

    ‘Those orbs contain Light Fairies,’ Erick answered them casually. ‘Sometimes they’re called Humming fairies.’

    ‘Fairies!’ Mellissa was intrigued.

    ‘Yes, they can turn on their twinkle whenever they want,’ said Erick.

    There were other squares with either a sculpture, a fountain or a funny clock in the middle, but the warriors didn’t care to ask about their names. They probably had another strange dubbing that they would fail to remember a moment later. From the small holes in the covers of their wagons, they could see other strange-looking carriages; there were house-shaped carriages with six horses pulling them, small open carriages where people reclined on beds of roses and were pulled by donkeys, and there were mules pulling trains of six wagons. They saw stables, men cleaning the tunnels, and stations at every entrance of every different cosmic kingdom where people in uniforms checked the travellers' papers.

    They were told that Chief Josephy was one of the coachmen working at Zodia and that he knew the confusing network of tunnels like the back of his hand, yet Erick was checking a map the whole time. Leo, on the other hand, could not understand the complex map Erick was holding. It was indeed a net of more than a hundred main tunnels, and what made the map look even more difficult to read, was the fact that the tunnels stretched on four levels. Yet finally, after four and a half hours of travelling, in which they got used to the net’s surroundings, Leo spotted the word Hozafia on Erick’s map.

    ‘Are we almost there?’ asked Leo.

    ‘Yes,’ said Erick. ‘After we pass this tunnel we will take the next two turns to the right’—Erick explained on the map—‘and then we’ll arrive at this tunnel.’ Erick pointed out a tunnel where the name Airvalner was written. ‘At the end of it, as you can see, there is the entrance to Hozafia; the warriors’ private entrance.’

    ‘Is there more than one entrance?’ asked Leo.

    ‘There is one other, for the regulars,’ said Erick.

    ‘Regulars?’

    ‘The non-gifted Hozafians,’ Erick nodded. ‘We can use both entrances, but theirs is farther and will be closed by midday.’

~

Back at the Rest House, Alfred and Brita were getting the place ready for new customers who usually arrived at noon. After the warriors had gone, and the few guests that were still sleeping in had left for the tunnels as well, Alfred and his family were all alone and free to talk.

    ‘I hope things go smoothly for them today,’ said Alfred. ‘It’s their first time inside the tunnels. I think they’ll enjoy it.’

    ‘Well, five hours crammed inside a coach is not exactly what I would call enjoyable,’ said Brita occupied with cleaning the kitchen. 

    ‘I can't relax until they’re safe at the academy. I feel responsible for their safety.’

    ‘Our responsibility ends when they enter the Dark Tunnel. They’re Erick’s responsibility now,’ Brita reminded her husband. ‘Oh, I hope that boy returns soon.’

    ‘Yes me too,’ said Crystal with a far-off look, her hands in the pockets of her apron.

    ‘I’m talking about Doicel, the delivery boy. I sent Melvin to look for him,’ Brita interrupted her daughter’s dreams. ‘We need to start cooking and he didn’t bring the groceries yet.’

    ‘Oh Mum, I’d rather talk about the warriors, weren’t they nice?’ asked Crystal.

    ‘They were certainly not nice,’ Melvin answered as he came out of the Dark Tunnel carrying two bags. ‘None of them are.’

    ‘Good, you found him, give me those.’ Brita took the groceries out of Melvin’s hands and went to the kitchen at once.

    ‘Melvin, come give me a hand with these chairs,’ said Alfred. Melvin went to help his uncle, still frowning at Crystal.

    ‘Why do you hate them?’ she asked.

    ‘I don’t hate them, they hate us regulars,’ said Melvin. ‘That’s how they’re raised.’

    ‘That’s not true,’ said Crystal, ‘they don’t hate us.’

    ‘They believe their gift makes them better than everyone else. The masters of the world. Even though we were born in Hozafia, they’re the ones ruling it. Maybe you’re right; they don’t hate us, but only because they don’t care enough about us to hate us,’ said Melvin. ‘Relax he didn’t even notice you.’

    ‘What are you talking about?’ asked Crystal.

    ‘You liked that Leo warrior didn’t you?’ Melvin laughed.

    ‘What an insolent thing to say, Melvin.’ Brita was shocked, and so was Crystal.

    ‘You’re just bitter,’ said Crystal indignantly.

    ‘Alright, I’m sorry! Forget what I said, just—grow up,’ said Melvin. Crystal fumingly walked to Melvin, words in her throat, she certainly seemed too angry to forget what he said and apparently was about to escalate the argument, but Alfred stopped her right there.

    ‘Stop talking about them,’ Alfred said firmly. ‘General Sebastian said he’ll come back today, remember? He can be here any minute now.’ Crystal didn’t say what she came to say and settled for punching Melvin in the shoulder and walking away.

~

    ‘We’re almost there,’ Leo announced to those in the first wagon and Mellissa told those riding in the second one. The news certainly cheered everyone up.

    ‘Did you hear that? We’re almost at Hozafia; the place we’ve only been hearing about until now,’ said Claudia.

    ‘This is all—surreal. Two days ago, I would never have expected to be anywhere else today but school,’ said Ursula.

    ‘You won’t have to see Mrs Fields anymore,’ said Claudia with a broad smile.

    ‘I’ve definitely escaped my punishment for good this time,’ Ursula was thrilled.

    ‘Ursula,’ Claudia started urgently, leaning in closer to her friend. ‘After seeing the tunnels, I think I’m starting to remember. I knew about this place long before I had my gift.’

    ‘You mean that—but Erick said it’s against the rules,’ said Ursula. ‘Your parents told you about this too, didn’t they?’

    ‘Only in stories,’ said Claudia quietly. ‘My mum used to tell me stories about Hozafia. A world where many things are possible. A world of gifts, a world with rat-faced creatures, a world of tunnels. Everything is making sense now. I always wanted to be part of her stories and I never thought that this could actually happen one day.’ Claudia seemed excited.

    ‘Wow, your mother used to tell you stories about this, and she never told you they were real?’ Ursula was impressed.

    ‘She probably knew she had to keep the truth from me,’ said Claudia.

    ‘Yet she was trying to prepare you for the day you come here. My mum never mentioned this place even in stories,’ said Ursula thoughtfully. ‘Can you still remember those stories?’

    ‘Yes, they’re all coming back to me,’ Claudia smiled. 

    ‘Good then you have to tell me all about them,’ Ursula smiled too. ‘There’s so much I need to know.’

    Claudia’s expression changed as she noticed something on the road that was speeding towards them. ‘Who’re those?’ she asked. From their seat at the end of the second wagon, Ursula and Claudia could see a group of horse riders moving with speed in their direction.