When at last the hunting party came to a halt, the foremost rider wearing an eye patch lowered his hood and looked at her with a piercing silver eye. “I’m Fjolnir. Are you the hunter or the hunted?”

“Hunter,” Liese answered; the niggling sensation she was being tracked by some other unknown entity was bad enough. She didn’t want to have a party of what seemed over twenty also pursuing her through a world she didn’t know.

“We will see. There is a colossal boar deep within the forest, but know this: As you hunt, so are you the hunted.” Many of the accompanying hunters laughed with grating barks and inhuman sounds. Fjolnir turned his destrier away from Liese and urged it straight into a gallop. The horse reared with a roar, the wild hunt taking flight through the shadows and raised a bracing wind in its wake. The two ravens alighted with mocking cronks and spiralled up above the canopy as she stood watching their departure.

A toneless, disembodied voice crawled over her. “Run.” Liese’s skin was crawling all over, and in a blind panic, Liese leapt into a sprint without first checking her direction.  Jagged branches tore at her flesh as she forced her way through razor-sharp pines and dense ivy that tried to drag her down. All the while, feral and primitive howls and shrieks followed behind and alongside her. She tried to keep her gaze set ahead. She needed to keep the blue light in her sites.

When she’d told Fjolnir that she was a hunter, she’d been hoping that she could join with them and figure things out as they went. All thoughts of hunting a boar were gone as she continued her mad rush through the Darklands. She had no weapon and no armour; there was no chance of her succeeding or surviving. Her only chance now was to keep ahead of whatever was pursuing her and to reach Elfinburg.

Snarls and growls reached ever closer, insidious chuckles and taunts lashed through the otherwise silent world at Liese. She was clutching her chest and struggling to take a breath. In the moment she faltered, something grabbed the material of her dress and dragged her back into a deep hollow of tangled roots. A calloused hand clamped her mouth before she could let out a scream and a thick arm bound her tight. She was completely pinned and unable to see her captor. She watched as a horde of disfigured undead thundered straight past, unaware that their prey had already been seized.

Liese bit at the hand still clasped across her face and wrestled with all her remaining energy. A chaotic frenzy was coursing through her veins like fire, overwriting her thoughts and instincts with the pure desire to escape both the dead and her captor.

“Quit your squirming or you’ll bring ‘em straight back at us.” A gruff voice muttered close to her ear, a lesser binding magic laced throughout his words. Liese ceased her fighting and tried to catch a glimpse of whoever, or whatever, had spoken as the creature loosened its grip a fraction. It was a man of sorts with goat-like horns and downy feathers covering one side of his face. Amber eyes peered back at her from a neutral expression and he shook his head slowly, pressing a finger against his lips before returning his watch to the darkness. 

“Never seen ‘em riled up so much in a few hundred years. I wonder…” The creature sniffed at the air and grunted. “They do have a lust for living souls. Why d’ya leave the road eh?”

Liese couldn’t answer. She was exhausted and stunned by everything that had happened. Recognition of the stone fleshed demon from before had hit home as the horde had gone past. She’d seen it before in many nightmares, and often in the darkness of her room when she woke from them. Prowling ever closer to where she lay terrified beneath the quilt, stalking her for its time. The dawn would always banish it, but there would be no dawn here, and she knew that it would soon turn back and sniff her out.

“Oi.” The creature jabbed at her arm.

Liese turned in response, still struggling to keep her wits together. Whatever the thing that caught her was, it at least seemed civil for now, though crude with its behaviour. Her gaze fell to a dull, hefty sword propped by the creature’s side and she wanted to ask about it, or even to say anything. No words would come, and she felt the darkness of oblivion seeping through her mind. Sleep beckoned. Her eyelids were heavy and her body was becoming weightless. “Don’t sleep!” The creature hissed, prodding at the centre of her forehead with a taloned finger.  The touch sent a bolt of electricity right through her core and she sat up straight.

“Ow. I don’t…can’t… who was…is…you?” Words tumbled from numb lips. Liese mewled in frustration at her inability to form a sentence and pummelled at her temples and clawed at her hair simultaneously.

“You mean the leader of that there pack? Tha’s Zaza. Right tasty piece of work, even if I say so meself. I’m Jack, nice to meetcha.” The creature patted her on the head with a heavy hand, though it seemed to have the desired effect of stopping her madness.

“Um, sorry about that,” Liese muttered ashamedly, her hands dropping to her sides. “I’m Liese. Thank you, I guess?”

“Pah! Don’t go thanking me jus’ yet. I only grabbed ya ‘cause I figured you might be able to help me out. Tha’, and it’ll really piss Zaza off.” Jack winked, sitting back on his haunches and looking her up and down. As the shadows shifted, she noticed a white pumpkin that had been hollowed out and held a glowing lump of coal.

“I don’t…” Liese sighed. She took several slow, deep breathes to instils some clarity back to her mind before trying again. “What do you need help with?”

“I’m trying to cross over t’other side, it’s much prettier and got plenty of light see? There’s a ferryman of sorts not far from ‘ere, ‘cept I can’t pay ‘im an’ I can’t go through Elfinburg neither as my type ain’t welcome.”

“But what can I do?”

“I dunno. What can you do?”

Liese bit back a retort at the petulant response and thought about her options. For the time she was inside of the hollow, she was safe, though her time was slipping past at an unknown rate. Jack was clearly a demon of sorts, though at odds with the other residents of the Darklands. He’d saved her life, so taking the ferryman herself would only make her another enemy and there was no guarantee the other side that Jack referred to would be any less hostile. She looked at the sword again, longing for the blade to be at her side.

Liese gasped, fingers reaching into the sash and clasping the warm golden coin with relief. “This for the sword?” She held the coin in her fist with enough of the gold glinting in the feeble light from the coal.

“Jus’ so ya know, this thing don’ even have an edge.” Jack’s eyes had gone wide with hunger and were trained on her hand.

“That’s okay. I just have a feeling…something I can’t explain anyway. Deal?” She was surprised that the creature had had the decency to warn her of the swords inferiority as she lowered her hand in preparation for the exchange.

“Yours.” The creature grunted and he knocked the sword over so it landed by Liese’s side with a dull thwump. She dropped her golden coin into Jack’s hand, certain she had made the right choice. “Gotta ask, What’s with the cat toy?” Jack continued, tilting his head to one side and sniffing the air again. “Didn’t know humans went for catnip.”

“It’s my cat’s. I’m not sure what she gave it to me yet. If you don’t mind my asking, why the coal in the pumpkin?”

Jack snorted as he secured the coin in the depths of his coat pockets. “you get yourself to the other side too, then maybe I’ll tell ya. Better go now. I can tell ya now, tha’ Zaza’s picked up your sent.” And with that, the semi-humanoid creature pounced from the roots with his pumpkin securely in the crook of his arm. Liese shivered and wished he’d not told her that the demon Zaza was already coming back so soon. She lifted the blade in her right hand, uncertain of what she’d actually do if she had to use it.

She crept from the roots and looked all around for the beacon. She had no idea how far she had been forced off track and her heart dropped even further when all she could see was a rising wall of black on the horizon. Uncontrollable shivers shot up and down her spine, the recognisable sensation of demons creeping closer washed over her and made her mind waver again.

There were more of them. Too many to try and fight with a dull sword she didn’t know how to swing yet. She could hear the guttural snarls and growls and the breaking of twigs underfoot. They were quieter than before. More ordered. The idea that the demons were capable of such meticulous stalking horrified her and tore at the calm she had not long regained

“Wait, that’s not…” Liese swung her head around in the opposite direction and saw the flash of ivory as a showed beast snuffled in the earth. A wild idea filled her mind, and she started to edge towards the boar. There was no breeze to betray her and the demons and the dead were still a reasonable distance behind. 

Twenty feet. Ten feet. She could almost hear and feel Zaza’s rasping breath on her neck, but she kept her slow and silent pace. Five feet. The boar finally sensed her closing in. Angry vermillion eyes glared at her as it turned, brandishing its tusks at her and roared. The trees trembled and crows and ravens alike took to the firmament in an angry cawing and screeching. Liese added her own voice to the cacophony, bellowing at the boar and charging forwards.

She could do it. She had to. The boar lashed its tusks again and reared up. Liese dove into a sideways roll at the last second as the beast came crashing down. She continued with her momentum, spinning on her toe and leapt onto its back using its shoulder as a perch before straddle the boar’s back before the beast could start another attack on her. The sword she had been using to counterbalance came down hard. The flat edge whacked the beast’s rump and both screamed at the night as the boar started on furious charge straight towards the horde of demons.

The boar kicked and cavorted, tusks ripping demonic flesh apart while trying to dislodge the unwelcome rider. Liese held tufts of the coarse fur for dear life and clenched her legs tight to the beast’s back. The foul creatures scattered in all directions with howls and curses and Liese finally let out her breath as the boar settled into a levelled run. Zaza had been there. She had only just managed to spot him watching the scene from the safety of a tree, its cruel, grey features set into a furious expression.

As the boar carried her further away from the nightmare and the cool breeze whipped through her hair, she finally felt less afraid. As they entered a clearing, two ravens appeared in front of them and Liese was certain they were the same two from earlier. They worked together to distract the boar and confuse its vision until the brute finally came to a halt. Then the ravens landed on its tusks, cronking together again. She sensed they were being smug about their actions and calling to the hunting party as their voices echoed all around.

Sure enough, the mournful cries of the hounds answered back and were followed moments later by the thundering approach of destriers. Fjolnir was smiling as the riders came to a halt, once again circling around Liese. Many had lowered their hoods now and she could make out men and women of all ages amongst the hunting party.

“You have a very unconventional method of hunting. I see you somehow found one of Regin’s swords too.” The semi-blind man nodded at the dull blade Liese was clinging to. Her hand was in such a state of cramp from clinging to both the sword and the boar, she didn’t think she could let go of it anytime soon even if Fjolnir demanded it. He rode alongside the boar and patted its flank, speaking softly to it in another language. “Come. Time to let Trwyth return now.” Fjolnir offered a hand to Liese as she slid from the boar’s back and lifted her on to the horseback with him as though she were a feather. 

Her earlier exhaustion and aches returned while she contemplated this new predicament. She wondered what to do next and searched for the beacon, almost letting out a sob when there was still no sign of it. The hunt moved off again as the boar Trwyth lumbered away. She wasn’t sure if she was a captive to Fjolnir and his party or what, she only knew she was beyond fighting or running anymore as she rocked from side to side to the motion of the destrier.

They passed behind a waterfall and entered a tunnel of total darkness and purifying mists. Liese’s senses spiralled out of control again and Fjolnir held one shoulder to keep her steady throughout. She could see light ahead and the group splashed across a burbling stream, exiting the cavern to a town of stunning architecture and colour.

She felt the destrier come to a stop. Heard the merriment all around her. It was all so far away and she felt herself falling from the horse, unable to do anything about her. High above her in the highest tower of a beautiful castle was the blue light she had been following for the longest time. She sighed with relief as she fell into the embrace of sleep, not even aware of Tegan rushing forwards to catch her.

Original article: The Edge of Darkness III – The Wild Hunt.

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}

Original article: The Edge of Darkness II: Fairies of Annwn.

Chapter I | A Mermaid’s Kiss
Chapter II | Fairies of Annwn 
Chapter III – The Wild Hunt

Original article: The Edge of Darkness.

Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and is one of the four greater festivals (along with Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh). It is the end of the pagan year and a time of celebration of the lives of those who have passed on. Samhain, like Beltane, is considered liminal time when the boundary between this world and the otherworld could be more easily crossed, meaning spirits or fairies could more easily cross into our world.

The Edge of Darkness follows Liese who unwittingly summoned Tegan, a ghost, the previous Halloween and has been roped in to helping him since…

A Mermaid’s Kiss

Zimt, Beifuß, Grü– Minze
Mit Atem und Willen werde ich diesen Zauberspruch wirk–
Tol–irsche, Kardamom, Wermut
Mit der Dunkelheit der Nacht nehme ich jetzt die Flucht
Nixi– Atem

Liese looked at the curled pages of parchment that had taken all her attention through October. The penmanship of her current page of study was messy with inkblots obscuring parts of some words, as though they had been written down in haste. It made one of the listed ingredients vexing to translate and her own listed translations on the adjacent page were as messy. She was also certain there was something missing. Some other instruction or incantation.

The pages demanding all her time were bound in a well-worn leather journal. The contents were dedicated to documenting the politics of the day, court etiquette and horsemanship from what she had gleaned from the scant few illustrations and recognisable words. The entire contents were in German; not a language she had studied in school. It was something she was coming to regret increasingly as the year passed her by.

It was a potion of some kind, she knew. Some of the ingredients such as cardamom and wormwood were easily recognisable. Figuring out which mint was required hadn’t proved too challenging either. The incantations and other ingredients, however, had been far more challenging. Especially as she was staying with her cousin, Eva, in the countryside; and they had no internet or network coverage. Normally, such a situation would be paradise for her. But in those desired imaginations of tranquillity, she wouldn’t have to thumb back and forth through an old, faded German dictionary from some other century.

She leant back in her seat and looked out of the window at the darkening world. The rain had been falling heavier since the early hours, and the view across the field was becoming more reflective than green.

Liese had discovered the journal the month before after an impetuous trip to a small village in the southwest region of Germany. She often wondered if she had been fevered and delusional to have embarked on such a spontaneous venture, but then she would look at this journal and the page she had been shown, and she knew there was something real about it all.

On the previous Halloween, Liese had been at her own place in Bristol. She’d taken a powdered blend of acacia, Althea and star anise and burnt the incense until her room was infused with the incense, then taken the seven of cups tarot card and, as instructed, contemplated the card for a while before making a wish and placing it beneath her pillow. She later realised, she should have made the wish in the morning.

That night, she had dreamt she had been at a masquerade ball dancing with someone… or no-one… she couldn’t tell. Everything was a surreal blur of colour and lilting music and some familiar presence. Then, she had woken up to a crisp first of November with only a vague recollection of a dream and no idea of what she’d set in motion, or of the spirit she had summoned.

Tegan. She never saw his true appearance or even much of him at all. Yet she knew his name instinctively and he had taken to haunting her personally. Their “conversations” were more signs, sensations and freakish activity that resulted in assorted groans and curses from Liese.

He’d gotten her to Germany by somehow influencing the sat-nav in her car to bring up a specific destination when she got in, and by making the car cut-out on her every time she tried to cancel the guidance and drive off. Eventually, she had become so frustrated she had screamed in the general direction of where she presumed Tegan was and agreed to go. From then, she had also regretted her decision to switch to a hybrid vehicle. But then, ‘exposure to paranormal activity’ wasn’t on her list of priorities to check out when she signed the contract for it.

Liese pulled the tarot card from the journal and contemplated the image again as she wondered what had happened to Tegan. He had vanished on her after getting her to the journal. All she’d had to go on from that was that her journal opened to October 31st back at the hotel room, with one of the cups and teaspoons from the room placed on top. After a year of his hauntings, she felt an almost telepathic connection to the ghost. She had found herself missing his company, as annoying as he could be, and was growing concerned about his lengthy absence.

Kürgis, her cat, wasn’t helping the growing sense of unease Liese felt either. The silver tabby came pelting into the study, halting against the window on her back legs with front paws resting on the panes, her face pressed right against the glass. It was as though the cat was monitoring the rising waters as she huffed and sneezed several times before tearing off out of the study again to continue her high-speed inspection. A cool breeze rippled across her skin in the cat’s wake.

“I have to ask, why did you call your cat Pumpkin?” The voice came from behind Liese, and she swivelled around on the seat so quickly she sent the journal and her notes flying. She had gotten used to strange breezes, flickering lights and the occasional sounds of someone walking around. She was even familiar with the sweet fragrance of spices that preceded something unexplainable happening to her. Indeed, the kitchen had its own ghost that was known to knock on the cabinets with a walking cane, a habit carried over from the man’s life.

But this…Liese stared. Her breath caught somewhere in her chest as she found herself almost nose to nose with a spectral person dressed in Rococo fashion. Tegan. Though she’d never seen him before, she recognised the sweet accompaniment of spices that rushed her senses and signalled his presence. Normally he was a shadow that resembled a human, and occasionally she would see some detail of who he might have been.

“Why are you staring at me like you’ve seen a ghost?” Tegan asked, straight-faced. Liese continued to stare, her mind floundering as she tried to figure out a reasonable response to that question. Did he know he was dead? She was still trying to come to terms with how handsome he was… or familiar? His eyes were an inquisitive silver. Intense and hypnotic. She couldn’t remember where she’d seen them before.

“Kürgis came with that name when I adopted her,” Liese said, dodging his question and leaning around ephemeral flesh to retrieve the journal and papers. She had felt the colour warming her cheeks and had to silence her mind from what it was trying to tell her. She hesitated as she sat back up, glancing at Tegan and wondering how she was meant to act, before turning back to the desk and opening back up to the potion. She’d never actually had the have a physical discussion with him before.

“You do know…” Before Liese could finish, she sensed the silent laughter coming from somewhere close to her right shoulder and sucked her breath in. If she started scolding him out loud, someone would definitely come and check on her. So far, no one knew about the specific details of the journal or about Tegan. She wasn’t even convinced that anyone else would see him, even if she now could.

“Tollkirsche, not toll-kirche,” Tegan said, audibly smothering the laughter from his voice as he pointed down at the ingredients. “Belladonna.”

“As in deadly nightshade? Wouldn’t that kill-” she stopped suddenly, sitting up straight and wincing, hardly daring to breathe or look at him.

“I mean, it wasn’t specifically considered a poison when I was alive. It was used in a variety of ways. And yes, we discovered large doses of it never ended well, and no, that wasn’t what killed me.” Tegan answered, no trace of emotion in his voice to suggest what he might be thinking. “And that last line would translate to ‘a mermaid’s kiss’ in your language.”

Liese held back her cynical retort as she turned around again, seeing in his eyes that he wasn’t joking. “I don’t know about a mermaid’s kiss. What is this potion? Why is it so important to you? Why did you get me to go all the way to Germany to retrieve it?” She stopped and took a breath. There were so many questions forcing their way to the surface. “What do you do with the mermaid’s kiss? There’s something missing isn’t there? Some final instruction?”

No answer came. Instead, Tegan’s eyes became unfocused and his facial expression obscure, though he didn’t move away or vanish into the aether. Kürgis broke the tension by returning for another frenzied inspection of the view through the window, not even faltering for a moment as she brushed past Tegan.

“You have to tell me something about this potion,” Liese whispered, gesturing over her shoulder. She wanted to know what was driving him down his path with such determination. She’d entered into the private residence of the castle through ancient and secret passages, been in his old bedchamber, found the journal beneath the false bottom of a desk drawer and left again; all without being caught thanks to Tegan. She needed to know something of what was happening, and what her part in it was.

“It’s not really a kiss as from a mermaid, just her breath, but given like a kiss. It just doesn’t sound so pretty in German. Technically it’s also from a water sprite or river maiden since she lived in the Great Lake. It creates a flying potion.” He pressed a single finger to the middle of her forehead for the briefest moment, a sensation like static rippling across her skin. “To be liberated from your mortal form and fly using your mind. And when consumed upon Beltane or Samhain when the veil between worlds is thinnest, it allows you to glimpse upon the other realms. We’re both looking for someone, we can help each other.” Tegan’s gaze had moved to something on the desk behind her and an image of the tarot card on her desk came into her mind.

“Who says I’m looking for someone?” Feigning ignorance, but also feeling a small sense of foreboding about what would happen. She pushed it away. She trusted Tegan, he’d kept her from danger all the time they had been together.

“You summoned me.” Was all he answered with.

Liese wondered how much Tegan knew about her. About her wishes and dreams, or even the meaning of the individual tarot card she’d carried everywhere as a talisman since he first appeared. She still didn’t know what the connection was between her wish and the appearance of the ghost scrutinising her every detail as she lapsed into silence. She let out a sigh and finally stood up from her workstation, stretching before gathering everything up. She hoped Tegan would have an idea of what was on her mind as she stepped around him and headed towards the door.

She made her way across the hallway and down a small series of steps to the kitchens, grateful that the pumpkin carving hadn’t started yet. Ellen was curious enough, but nothing compared to that of her son, Garth. No matter what was occurring, he was ready with fifty questions. Simple yes or no answers were never good enough, and Liese didn’t feel up to answering for the sudden collection of herbs and spices she was fetching, what they were for and whatever else might be asked by a young, curious mind.

She pinched off a few spearmint leaves from one of the plants on the kitchen table as she went through, placing her items down and switching the kettle on, then into the larder where she pulled various jars off the top shelf. “Do I specifically need to use the belladonna?” Liese muttered towards Tegan as she roughly chopped some cinnamon bark and crushed a cardamom pod, adding it to a jar with the spearmint leaves. She wasn’t keen on adding something toxic to a tisane, or of going into rain that still lashed at the windows, simply to appease a ghost.

“No, it should work without it, and I’ll think of an alternative for the mermaid’s breath. How do you intend to acquire mugwort and wormwood though?”

“Oh, that’s easy enough. I-“

“Liese? Is that you in here?” A voice drifted into the larder, that of Aelwyd, Elen’s housekeeper. If the stories were to be believed, the elderly lady had been the housekeeper for well over a hundred years, having travelled extensively before that. Liese crushed another cardamom pod and added the seeds to a cafetière with some coffee and went back into the kitchen. She decided to act as though nothing strange was going on. She wasn’t sure when Aelwyd had come into the kitchen and was well into mixing ginger cake batter and she worried she had somehow walked straight passed her without realising. More to the point, the elderly lady was looking past Liese, sharp green eyes penetrating the cool dark of the larder.

Liese spun around, but there was no-one there. Tegan had gone. She turned back to Aelwyd who had returned her attention to the cake mix and said nothing. Had Aelwyd also seen Tegan and heard their discussion? The kettle boiled and Liese attended to her coffee. She also poured a small cup of water and added a mix of mint leaves to the water for Aelwyd.

“Thank you.” Aelwyd smiled as Liese placed the cup close to where she worked.

“What are you making? It smells divine.” Liese said as she lowered the plunger of the cafetière and Aelwyd covered the bowl with a clean tea towel.

“Lebkuchen.” She said with a wink that was full of knowledge and mischief before she exited the kitchen. Liese was more confused by her sudden departure. There was simply no way someone could have prepared a cake mixture in less than five minutes, and she was certain the kitchen had been empty when she arrived…

“Well, that was intense. I think she saw me.” Liese had to wrestle the cafetière from toppling over and she placed a hand on her heart once the coffee was secure. She was certain her soul had vacated her body after Tegan crept back up on her. Even Garth had never managed to spook her so successfully.

“And specific.” She agreed, her heart still racing wildly, as much from Tegan startling her as Aelwyd’s sudden desire to bake a German biscuit that originated not too far from the castle she’d paid a visit to. “Do you think she somehow knows what I did?”

“No way. Maybe she just saw my journal in German and made her own conclusions up?” She wondered what conclusions Tegan was coming to, to have said that, but decided she probably wouldn’t like the answer. So, she gathered everything back together. Balancing everything in the crook of her arm, she made her way back up the stairs, continuing up to the top floor and darting into the room she was back using for the duration of her stay. “Anyway. Wormwood? Mugwort? You at least need those two for this to work.”

Liese smiled at the ghost as she placed her items on the small table by her armchair. Maybe he didn’t know much about her and was only present when she knew about it. “Luckily for you, or me I suppose since I’m making your potion, I have both of those.” She pointed at two potted plants in one of the bay windows. She’d been using a blend of both plants as a tisane to aid in better sleep for many years. Though she’d never experienced lucid or prophetic dreams from either. She had a caddy full of dried leaves that already had a bit of spearmint blended in. “Did you really use the breath of a water sprite?”

“Is it so hard to believe?”

“Maybe? I suppose not. Either I am talking to you, a ghost. Or I really am going mad.”

Tegan started pacing up and down the room. Blackwood floorboard creaked beneath his ephemeral form until he came to a stop right in front of her and took her face in his spectral hands. “You’re only mad if you believe you’re mad. I promise you, this is just as crazy for you as it is for me. The worlds of our lives are so disparate.”

“What do you see? Normally I mean. I’ve never truly seen you before today, and I’m not really sure why I can now, either.”

“Because the veil between us is thinnest, and perhaps because there is a magic to this place as well.” His hands dropped back to his sides, though he remained toe to with her. “Everything is usually a blur. It’s like a dream…. vague, fluid… I felt I was going mad, never knowing what to believe. The mermaid was called Meri, She was a good friend of mine.” Though Tegan was still smiling, Liese could sense the overwhelming sadness somewhere behind his cheerful demeanour. His words brought some comfort to her though. Hearing him confess to questioning his own sanity made her more certain of her own. She dropped into the armchair, watching the flames flicker within the fireplace.

“Do you think we’ve met before? I swear I’ve seen you somewhere before.” She didn’t even have to look at him to remember the penetrating silver eyes

“I think I’ve been dead since what I’m wearing was in fashion.” Tegan settled on the floor beside her legs after his non-answer, and they lapsed into silence. The wind cried through the falling dusk and sounds of laughter and animated chatter drifted into the room from downstairs.

Eva was orchestrating a pumpkin carving competition between Garth and a few friends as part of their family tradition of getting ready for Halloween. Liese knew she ought to join them. It wasn’t often they got together anymore due to busy work schedules and family commitments, especially with her other cousin and Eva’s sister, Parisa, due later this evening. The three of them always dressed up as the three witches when they were going through high school, or any chance they got to dress up and fool around for that matter, and it had been over five years since all three were together. Even longer since they got together for Halloween. Both Eva and Parisa would be here in the morning and all the days afterwards. But Tegan may not.

He’d been an almost constant companion to her in his own way over the last year, scaring her half to death with his haunting and pranks in an attempt to communicate and prove his existence to her. She wondered what creating and drinking this potion would do. She had a suspicion that nothing would be the same again afterwards, and she worried he would be gone forever; that some secret, unwritten contract would be fulfilled.

Liese studied her from the corner of her eye. Long, dark tresses fell in gentle waves that shimmered gold in the light like polished ebony(??), fine, elfin features… he seemed far too beautiful to be human. Especially with his mesmerising/captivating silver eyes. Even made flesh, she suspected his otherworldly beauty would remain. She couldn’t help wonder how many hearts he’d broken in his time.

Liese had fallen into a trance-like state as she’d contemplated recent events and watched the flickering flames. She’d been lulled by the gentle patter of the easing rain and started imagining a world where mermaids existed and what it might look like, 

Kürgis was sprawled out in front of the hearth.  She’d obviously decided that the rain was no longer a threat and the house wasn’t going to float away.  It was now fully dark outside, she realised. Downstairs had fallen silent, Eva and the children having left for the town to join in with trick-or-treating.

Aelwyd had come in and re-stocked the log basket unnoticed. The housekeeper had diligently lit all the candles Liese had set out in ceramic jack-oh-lanterns around the room and left a small plate with two lebkuchen sweets balanced on top of the journal. A sign if ever there was one, Liese thought, looking at Tegan who’s eyes were still fixed on the flames.

“Aelwyd knows about you, I’m sure of it.”

“Mmm. She reminds me of someone.”

“You were here the whole time, weren’t you?”

“I realised too late that she was coming in, so I figured I’d play dead.” 

Liese fixed him with a somewhat exasperated expression as a laugh escaped her. “Seriously? Playing dead? I suppose you’ll be corpsing around next…”

“I’m the best at it.” He tried to keep a poker face, but Liese could see one corner of his mouth twitching before he covered his mouth and made a coughing sound.

She shook her head, got up and picked up her jar of spices from the table. “Come on, let’s make your potion.” Liese also picked up the small ceramic tea caddy next to it. Next, she retrieved her small kettle from the hearth and filled it with water from a bottle before placing it in the fire and settling next to Kürgis who was still stretched out, a paw twitching lazily from time to time. 

She then started measuring the ingredients from both the jars into a tea egg, whispering the specified incantations with each set of ingredients and was about to place it in her cup when Tegan caught her wrist mid-motion.

“Wait. Maybe this will help in place of the mermaid’s breath.” He crouched beside her, the pressure through his fingers pulling her hand towards him. She realised his touch wasn’t as cold as before, or as fluid. Or was that just her imagination? When the tea egg was back at eye level, Tegan pressed his lips against the metal and let out an audible breath, a faint impression of his lips left in condensation remained when he released her hand. Part of her wanted to ask how he’d harvester a mermaid’s breath, and part of her might not want to know.

When the kettle started to whistle, she removed it from the fire and sat it on the rest to cool off. She added more logs into the fire, banking it up slightly to last longer through the night. Then, she resumed her main task and poured water slowly over the tea egg and inhaled the sweet aroma of spices that enveloped her. The atmosphere in the room had changed. The energy shifting… charging. She could feel the magic of the night all around her, rising within her and permeating her heart, filling her with boundless excitement.

“What will happen?” Liese asked quietly, swirling the tea egg in a clockwise direction. “What happened when you took it?” She also wanted to ask him why, but that felt like a personal question and she couldn’t exactly answer why she herself was making it.

“I remember feeling like I was flying, I didn’t feel encumbered by my mortal flesh. But I was awake, the potion was different… so I can’t say for certain what might happen with this one.” Tegan’s expression was pensive, as though trying to remember some forgotten detail that might have some relevance.

Liese felt a light touch between her shoulder blades and the image of the seven of cups card flashed through her mind. ‘Make a wish and have faith.’ It was a strange voice. Otherworldly, feminine… The candles flickered and guttered in a wind of their own before straightening back up and letting the light settle.

I did, then you came… she said to herself while still turning the tea egg. She let her mind empty of all the mental clutter and focused her intentions towards the swirling waters. With a deep sigh, she lifted the tea egg out at last. “Will you stay with me tonight, Tegan?” She asked. He’d brought her this far on their journey. She felt it was important he stay with her at least a while longer.

“Of course.” He claimed the vacant armchair, sitting sideways in it so he could see the door, the fire and the bed.

“No. I meant beside me. This is the night of the dead. If I start to panic while on the astral planes, I could easily summon something dark without meaning to. Who knows what might find me and follow me back?” She was blushing at her admission of fear and after pausing to retrieve the lebkuchen, walked directly to her bed without checking for his reaction or response. She was relieved when she heard the rustle of silks and creek of a floorboard a moment later.

“So, to flying and to dreaming.” Liese smiled, holding her cup up to a toast before taking a swig or the bittersweet tisane. She couldn’t help but giggle slightly. She compared her attire of skinny jeans and oversized hoody against Tegan’s navy breeches and waistcoat with silver embroidery, trying to ignore the frilly lace cuffs of the tunic or the white stockings and ornate heels, and she finished the last mouthful of the potion.

“To a journey beyond your imagination.” He added, taking the other lebkuchen and biting into it. It was the first time she’d ever witnessed him interacting with anything of her world, and she couldn’t help wonder if the gingerbread biscuit was still physical as several crumbs fell down onto his waistcoat. She bit into her own, revelling in the rich sweetness after the strong bitter of the wormwood that cut through honey.

“Let your mind empty and quieten. Let go of the world. Don’t resist against what you feel.” Tegan said. She could feel herself melting down the pillows as her head sunk into the plump down and her eyes were looking up at the ceiling. She felt weightless and intoxicated. Her mind was spinning and she reached out for Tegan’s hand before anxiety took a hold of her.

Did a ghost’s make such a difference to a blend of herbs and spices she was accustomed too? Only Tegan’s hand didn’t feel like a ghost’s. She wasn’t sure what she felt. Flesh and bone? Ice? A sort resistant and static energy that hummed against her palms? Or was it a combination of all three… a combination of sensations that squeezed her fingers back and sent a surge of electricity through her soul.

Liese mumbled something incoherent as her mind drifted towards sleep. She had an image of Aelwyd walking ahead of her through a torchlit corridor, carrying a censor of burning Dragon’s Blood. The smoke was heavy and cloying in her lungs and forced the breath out of her lungs.

She couldn’t breathe. She was falling. She tried to cry out for Tegan and her hand passed through thin air as the roaring sound of water filled her ears and icy waters rushed around her. The immense pressure remained around her. She panicked that the flooding had been far worse than she realised and the darkness became absolute. 

When her eyes opened again, she found herself on a sandy surface as air rushed into her lungs, and she saw someone watching her from a lake. Glowing gold eyes seeming out of place in the dark world. A mermaid. The water sprite winked at her then slipped back into the shadowy waters and was gone without explanation.

Liese studied the place where she had found herself. It felt too clear to be a dream, though she knew she was nowhere in the real world. She wasn’t even certain how to describe what she was looking at. A black, oppressing world of stone, levitating monoliths and iron gates that opened to a veiled road that led away from the lake. In the distance, she could make out a fantastically illuminated castle that glistened like a star. She looked around her for Tegan, her heart sinking at his absent presence. Wherever she was, he wasn’t.

She stood up and brushed herself down, fingers feeling sheer silks beneath them instead of cotton and denim. “Oh no.” She rushed to the water’s edge and stared at her reflection that was both one she knew and recognised, and one unfamiliar. She couldn’t place what was different about her, besides being dressed in layers of silk and with her hair pinned up in an ornate fashion.

“Are you finished admiring yourself?” A silky female voice said from close to where Liese knelt and she whipped her head around to look for its owner.

“Kürgis? How are you here?” She gasped in shock as she spotted her silver tabby grooming herself as though nothing weird was going on.

“Someone with an ounce of sense had to come and help you out.”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Sadly not, this is your fate. You must find your own way.”

“Why are you here then, if you can’t come with me?” The brief hope of company was dashed in with those few words

“Your separation from Tegan was unexpected.” Kürgis stopped and took to fixing the fur of her tail. Liese suspected the cat knew much more and had almost said something that would no doubt be really useful to her. “You must find him before the sun rises. Make for the castle. He’ll be there somewhere.” The cat continued full of confidence.

“How do you know?”

“Because that’s his father’s home. Elfinburg, House of the Erlkin. It’s just the other side of the Darklands, it should only take you a few hours to cross.”

“What’s the catch?” It all seemed incredibly straightforward and too easy. A place with a name ‘Darklands’ hardly gave the impression of walking through a park

“That’s the realm of Regin. I’ve no idea what you’re going to find in there.” Kürgis sat back on her haunches. The cat seemed completely unfazed as she continued to stare intensely at Liese as though waiting for something. “This might help you though.” Her front paw was resting on something, and she flicked it over to Liese. It was Kürgis’ favourite catnip mouse. Amazingly, the cat hadn’t swiped the catnip out first.

“Um, thanks.” Kürgis smiled at her in a way only cats can, somewhere between adoring and total haughtiness, then she leapt into the shadows and was also gone. “Dark, treacherous-looking road it is then. What could go wrong?” She said to herself, placing the mouse toy Kürgis gave her into the sash around her waist and leaving the lake behind her for the darklands.

Next Chapter – Fairies of Annwn

Original article: The Edge of Darkness I : A Mermaid’s Kiss.