(Previous Chapter – A Mermaid’s Kiss)
Liese had only just stepped through the colossal iron gates when all light seemed to be consumed by oppressive darkness that settled on her shoulders like a leaden mantle. There were dim lanterns every hundred yards or so as if someone had the decency to leave some form of marker to where the road was, though the light they cast was indigo and scarcely broke through the night. The sky above was darker than pitch; no stars or moon, or any suggestion of time for her to monitor.
She’d never heard of Regin before, yet the name itself had sent a shiver of pure fear down her spine when Kürgis spoke it. She could feel her heart quicken and flutter as a cruel breeze rustled through the aged and dry leaves of the gnarled woodland. All around her was a dark presence waiting for her to stumble from the safety of the road. Whispers in the distance and unnatural howling added to her sense of dread as she continued to force one foot in front of the other and took to counting the dim pools of light that she passed.
After walking for what seemed an eternity with nothing other than stone lanterns to see, Liese finally spied a brightly lit crossroad ahead of her. It was basked in ambered light that spoke to her of warmth and welcome, and the place Kürgis had referred to as Elfinburg. She hurried her pace and closed the gap between darkness and light, relieved to see there was a bench. With a sigh, she dropped down and placed her face in her hands, trying to keep the despair away. Through the space between her fingers, she was surprised to see vividly coloured flowers that resembled daisies growing amongst peach coloured grass around the wooden bench. It was the first presence of life she had seen since parting from Kürgis and the small flowers brought her some comfort.
“It is unwise to sit for too long on this night.” A powerful female voice made Liese start. A willowy woman veiled in black silks and gossamer was sat beside her as though she had always been there. Liese was certain there had been no one about when she sat down, nor had she heard anyone approaching. “I’m the watcher of the crossroads.”
“Oh,” Liese answered, as though the stranger’s statement made perfect sense. She tried to make out who was beneath the veil, but the sheer material did a perfect job of obscuring the woman’s identity. She wore a sweet, unearthly fragrance which was familiar to Liese, though she couldn’t place where she recognised it from.
“You may ask three questions, then you must move on from here.” The woman continued, her voice full of secrets and arcane power.
Liese restrained herself from asking the first and useless question that sprang into her mind, or then what the identity of the woman was. She knew she had to ask something that would give her an advantage in the Darklands if she were to reach Tegan in time.
“Is this the underworld?” She asked after some time had passed and she had contemplated what Tegan had told her about the veil between realms being thinnest during the time Samhain and Beltane.
“Yes,” Liese was almost relieved with the answer. Though the idea of the underworld threatened to consume her with fear, a year with Tegan had taught her a lot about the dead, the underworld and the spirit realms. Now she knew where she was, her uncertainty diminished and she looked around the weird scenery.
“What time is it?”
“There is no specific time here. It is vague and ever-shifting.”
Liese bit her tongue before wasting her last question. Time would try to deceive her into getting to Elfinburg too late, or not at all. “Which way do I go?” She prayed that the stranger could give her a definite answer, though she had a sinking sensation that the road was also set against the traveller in this place. Even the bright lights of Elfinburg had vanished from view.
“Keep to the centre of the road and follow the beacon of the Erlkin.” The stranger gestured towards the road which continued straight on in the direction Liese had started out on, and at its horizon, she could see a brilliant blue light piercing the shadows that hadn’t been there before.
“Thank you.” Liese sighed, resigned to her fate of darkness and lack of direction.
“Take these with you.” The woman in black proffered her a small, hard cake and a weighty golden coin which Liese took and stowed them with the little mouse toy. What a strange collection of possessions to carry through the land of the dead. She realised too late that perhaps one of her questions should have been to ask for a light.
After sniffing at the cake curiously, she finally remembered the fragrance that clung to the stranger. Cinnamon and dragon’s blood, and it hadn’t been so long ago that she’d smelt them. “Aelwyd?” Liese asked, looking back at the crossroads, but both the stranger and the illuminated crossroads had vanished. She was once again devoured by the Darklands with only the dim pools of indigo to show her the road. As she wandered through the trees, she noticed the beacon of blue remained in her sites, as though neither stone or bark could block its light. The light of the Elf-folk.
As she had suspected, the road became tricky to navigate. The lanterns were placed at random and with a varying difference in proximity to either side of the road. The road twisted and turned, proving to her that the next lantern she saw was not always the one to walk towards. She’d lost count of the times she had found her foot slipping from the cobbles and made a hasty retreat back to the centre of the road. Her eyes constantly scanned through the darkness for another pool light to move towards, periodically checking that her blue light was still there.
She had no idea how much time her futile meandering through the dark was costing her. The thought she wouldn’t make it in time to always threatening to paralyse her to the spot; then the distorted whispers on the breeze urging her to continue forwards. The longer nothing happened to her, the worse her unease became. It was reminiscent of the time she was forced into watching a paranormal horror that only had a few minor jump-scares for the first hour, then unleashed pure visual horror that robbed her of sleep for several days.
Wisps of mist crept over the road rich with a cloying scent of moss and pine as the road started to climb through the dense firs. By the time she reached the peak of the hill, she was completely shrouded in the mists which spread out as far as her gaze could reach. The guiding beacon was now glowing and shimmering through the silver sky. She despaired at how far away it had become though, and let out a disgruntled moan, an action she instantly regretted as something seemed to snicker from behind. Something was following her, and being careful to keep out of site. A cold wind rushed passed her and parted the ocean of mist, and through the pallid grey, Liese saw a behemoth wolf prowling through the murk in the distance. She shuddered and forced herself on.
The road descended steeply and Liese broke into an instinctive run, eyes hunting for indigo and blue now they had adjusted to the dim light. Ahead, the road turned around what looked like an ancient stone monument. Dappled kaleidoscopic lights filtered through the foliage towards her and she paused to listen to the forest. The murmurs of the dead had faded away and instead, she could now hear laughter and the jingling of small bells that reminded her of Kürgis’ collar bell.
Liese followed the sounds, music drifting through the air. Woodwind flutes and bodhran, and a sort of mouth harping that was both familiar and foreign. It spoke to her of some ancient time and whispered to the depths of her heart, filling her soul with courage she didn’t know she possessed.
As she passed the weathered remains of the stone monument, she noticed fine runic markings glowing subtly through the lichen. Before she could pay the symbols much notice, her attention was captivated by the procession creating the ethereal music and brilliant lights. It took her a moment to comprehend what she was seeing and she wondered if perhaps she was dreaming and not at all in another world.
Coming towards her were several small gigs being pulled by stunning marbled foxes with turquoise and amethyst-hued fur and jewels set into their foreheads. Four or five fairies were crowded into the carriages that were only built for two passengers. Some were leaning out precariously, while others sat on the rims of the carriages and many more cavorted around them or followed behind riding more of the fantastic foxes.
It seemed impossible for there to be such festivities within a world of death. Liese continued to watch in fascination as the procession drew close enough for the fairies to finally notice her. The enchanting music and dancing diminished as the foxes and their gigs came to a halt. Seconds turned into minutes as both human and fairy studied each other alike. Then, the fairy which seemed to lead the party sprung from the gig. The creature’s petite form was supported by sheer wings of iridescent light as she hovered a short way in front of Liese, its nose wrinkled.
“I’m Tanuki, What brings you to Annwn?” The creature asked, her voice melodic and chiming.
“Annwn? I thought this was the Darklands?” Liese responded, confused by what the fairy had said and forgetting to answer the question. “Oh, I’m Liese.” She offered her hand to the fairy. “I’m searching for someone. We got separated a little while back.”
Though the fairies seemed friendly enough, Liese wasn’t convinced that telling them the specific details was wise. Technically, if she took names literally, the fairies would be connected to the Erlkin and Elfinburg, yet they were out here in Darklands.
“Both the Darklands and Annwn are one. There would be no light without Annwn, and no Darklands without the light. What brings a mortal to our forest?” The fairy asked again, adjusting her vivid purple top hat.
“I need to get to Elfinburg.”
There was a collective intake of breath. More fairies sprung the gigs and stood or fluttered around Liese giggling amongst themselves. Even the foxes chattered and whistled in anticipated excitement.
“The living can never navigate the labyrinthian roads of Annwn. We can show you the way, but first, you must pay tribute to the forest spirits and play their game.” Tanuki spoke while the others cheered and cajoled Liese forewords. She thought a moment, then pulled the cinnamon cake from her sash and offered it up.
“Yes! Come this way.” Tanuki swiped the hard cake quicker than Liese could blink and stuffed it in her mouth whole. Tanuki grasped Liese’s hand and guided her down a small path toward more of the ambered fires and a winding track that looped through the trees. “All you have to do is walk the path three times. Once in the light, once in the dark, and once again to relight the braziers. The first time, you can take as light no as you need. The second time, you must complete the path in less than seven minutes. For the third time, you simply need the make it to the end.”
Liese eyed the path. It was composed of stepping stones and was well maintained exactly like the roads. Her bare feet could easily distinguish stone from the earth, but she couldn’t help wonder what the catch was. The route didn’t seem long. It would likely take ten minutes while idling along. And what did they mean by ‘simply make it the end?’ What would happen? Liese frowned, then promptly massaged her temples. Thinking about what-ifs would not help her, and the rest of the procession had caught up with them and found seats wherever they could around what appeared to be the starting point.
“You remember what you have to do?” Tanuki produced the stub of a black candle from her waistcoat, shook her head and replaced it before waving to another member of her party, who moments later, retrieved a larger black candle from the gig. Tanuki took it, lit it from the braziers and placed it carefully into the loose, dusty soil. Then, she smiled at the dancing flames “Well, get started then.”
Liese started along the path, trying to work out what she should do to help her remember the route. The gaps between stones were consistent enough and she counted her steps between each of the braziers, making each step count for a second. After the second brazier, she came to two in close proximity to each other decided that counting steps and time was pointless. She studied the stepping stones closely, noticing that she was at a crossing point of two paths, the two braziers diagonal to each other with a third brazier a bit further along if she continued straight forwards.
Beneath her toes, she felt a groove in the stone and crouched down to inspect it, fingers tracing out a ‘v’ shape that pointed straight. Next, she studied the stone braziers. The only difference was that the one to her right had five starts engraved into the rim, and the one to her left had six. She moved on to the third brazier, and as she expected, there were three stars carved into the stone. She continued on, the next brazier having four stars engraved in it, and then back to the fifth which told her all she needed to know of the path’s course.
It followed the shape of an infinite loop. Even-numbered braziers were on the right of the path, and odd numbers to the left; the exception being the first, which was central. As she returned to the first brazier and the burning candle, she sensed the excitement in the air from the watching fairies and a collectively held breath. As she passed the candle, all of the lanterns extinguished simultaneously.
Liese stopped dead where she stood. Though she had expected the fires to go out, the sudden contrast from the dim light and utter darkness left her blind and disorientated. As she tentatively took a step forewords and felt for the weathered stone beneath her sole, she swung her arms out for balance. The lack of orientation or point of reference felt like being drunk on too much bourbon as she staggered the dark.
With the return of the darkness came the frightful whispers all around her and every other sense leapt into overdrive. Each little gust of wind felt like something trying to push her over, each groan and sigh of the tree the sound of someone tracking her. The unnatural sounds of the underworld formed a picture of a grotesque, stone fleshed being in her mind’s eye that leapt into life among the subsisting darkness.
With each calculated step she took, the demonic creature of her mind would leer out of the shadows at her with alarming clarity and burning red eyes. Her feet kept feeling dusty earth and she would panic until stepping back to stone and feeling through the shadows for the braziers.
The darkness was closing in on her. Suffocating and terrifying, fear threatened to take over, feeding the Darklands and the spirits within. More conjured demonic creatures gathered in her path and tried to force her off it. She felt sick and feverish, her consciousness threatening to betray her as her fingers felt the fourth star.
It took all of her concentration and mental restraint to keep some control on her mind, to keep walking forwards and to keep to the path without falling. With every heartbeat, she tried not to think about how long she was taking, certain it had been longer than seven minutes. Still, she kept following the path and almost wept when she saw the little candle flame burning ahead of her.
Liese rushed forewords, grasped it from the earth and lit the first brazier. She didn’t slow her pace then. Whether she passed the game or failed, and even if she was no longer timed; the sensation of being pursued was still there in the icy cold breath of the wind and the scratching of dead wood in the trees. She sprinted on, the stone steps bathed in enough light for her to see far enough. She hardly stopped long enough to relight the fires until she finally returned to the beginning. She was trembling all over, covered in a sheen of sweat and collapsed to the floor. The candle rolled onto the floor, her right hand covered in black wax.
The fairies had gathered all around and resumed their frivolous festivities, dancing all around her to the enthralling music.
“You did it!”
“No human ever does it!”
“They always go mad before they can light the braziers.” Several fairies spoke and clamoured at once. They fluttered around her and lifted Liese back to her feet, spinning her around in a wild dance until she was dizzy and swayed on the spot with a multitude of colours sparkling in her eyes. She wasn’t surprised people went mad playing the forest’s game. She was certain she had. She could still see the stone fleshed demon sneering at her through the pines, needle-like teeth barred at her in a wicked grin that made her shiver and clutch her chest.
“The spirits of the forest will let you pass and the road will become more certain so long you do not stray from it.” Tanuki beamed, pointing back towards the road to which her companions were moving towards. “Be quick though, the Hunter is on his way and this path is not a road.” With that, a Tanuki flew after her party, her beautiful wings casting the kaleidoscope of lights all around her until she landed back at the head of her gig.
Liese followed them, fearful of the demon in the trees and whoever the hunter was. She stood in the centre, close to a lantern and searched for her blue light, relieved to see it was still there and not so far away as before. Closer still was the mournful baying of hounds and clattering of hooves thundering towards her. Two ravens circled above her, cronking and cawing.
“This is definitely not what Tegan said would happen,” Liese muttered moodily to herself, waiting for the hunt to come into view.
{Next Chapter – The Wild Hunt}
