by R. J. Wolf
Something stirred behind him and he spun around with a startled expression. He didn’t see anything, but he couldn’t shake the feeling like he was being watched.
“Noll?” he called again.
“You trying to wake the dead?” a high-pitched voice replied.
“Hello?”
“Hello to you.”
A tiny figure, no taller than two feet, emerged from the shadows. He was naked, except for a filthy rag that covered his waist and a medallion that dangled from a rope around his neck. His rough looking skin was tan and wrinkled and not a single hair grew on his entire body. As he scanned Eric he flicked his pointy ears then smiled, exposing a row of dagger like teeth the color of butter.
“Noll?” Eric asked as he tried to remain calm.
The creature laughed. “Noll is a lying, cheating dwarf,” he said with an evil chuckle.
“And what are you?”
“I’m certainly no dwarf. I’m an imp and before you tell me about differences without distinctions just think, who would you want to have as a dinner guest.”
Eric smiled through his confusion and scanned the shadows for any other creatures that might be lurking. He was still trying to adjust to this new world and while he conceded magic was real, it still shocked him every time he saw it.
“He’s not here,” the imp said. “Probably something to do with that evil woman of his. But he left me to take care of things while he’s gone. The name’s Brittles. What can I do for you this fine evening?”
“Brittles,” Eric repeated. “The troll ferry…how do I get there?”
Brittles started to laugh. “It’s across town at the subway station near that little dive bar the Lycans love so much. Dangerous place to be this late. You came all the way down here for that?”
“I…I didn’t know.”
“You could just apparate,” Brittles continued.
“Apparate?”
Brittles raised his eyebrows and examined him. “You got the smell of something magic and dark, but you sure don’t act it. What are you?”
Eric shrugged. “A psychic?”
“Nah, you’re no psychic, but suit yourself. Your secrets are yours. Don’t know how to apparate huh? I could get ya there for a fee.”
“A fee? What kind of fee?”
“Nothing much, just a drop of blood.”
“Blood? You want my blood?”
“How bad do you want to get there?” Brittles asked and produced a shiny needle from beneath his soiled rag.
Eric glowered then considered him with reluctance. How bad could a drop of blood really be, even if the needle was likely to give him tetanus or some other disease. He was more concerned with how Brittles was going to get him to the subway station.
Eric stared into the water and shoved his common sense into a dark hole. “Fine,” he mumbled. “But how are you gonna get me there?”
“You really are a dimwitted thing, aren’t you?”
Eric shrugged.
“Well Mr., I’m gonna snap my fingers and send you on your way.”
Eric laughed. “That easy huh?”
“How else do you think apparating works?”
Eric chewed the inside of his jaw and seriously contemplated the question. How did magic work? He’d seen, used it even, but his mind still told him these things didn’t exist. Vampires, warlocks, magic imps…they were the stuff of fairy tales. But so was crawling out of a grave.
Brittles cocked his head to the side and looked at Eric like he was some kind of aberration. “So, what’ll it be?” he asked.
With a deep breath, Eric rolled up the sleeve of his dress shirt and extended his arm. Brittles smiled greedily and raised the needle into the air, his hand shaking with excitement.
“You sure?” he asked and plunged the needle into Eric’s arm before he could reply.
A blinding flash exploded in Eric’s eyes. He fell back and slammed into the concrete as darkness swirled all round him. Brittles’ demonic laugh echoed in his ears and the cool rush of blood dripped down his fingers.
“Beautiful,” Brittles oozed. “Simply magnificent.”
Eric drifted further into blackness, into a void within himself that pulled him down like an anchor. Whispers filled the corners of his mind, dark voices calling to him, twisting his thoughts with their own heinous desires. Something had awakened that Eric feared more than death.
“Come back,” a dark voice beckoned.
Eric pulled away and forced himself back toward reality. Straining, he slowly opened his eyes and found Brittles sitting on the floor, staring a single drop of blood that balanced on the end of the needle. He smiled, and his eyes beamed with joy.
“Yes…yes! A perfect sample. So pure, so dark and powerful,” Brittles crooned.
Eric shook his head to clear it and sat forward. The small pin prick on his arm was slowly oozing blood, but nowhere near enough to explain the pain he felt or the blacking out.
“What happened?” Eric asked in a groggy voice.
Brittles glanced out of the corner of his eye but continued his adoration of the single drop of blood. He was only vaguely aware of anything else, he’d already claimed his prize.
Eric stood up and pressed his thumb against the tiny wound until the bleeding stopped. He stared at Brittles with a glimmer of hell in his eyes and shivered at the cold touch of evil that wouldn’t let him go.
“What now?” he asked. “You promised to take me to the ferry.”
“So sweet,” Brittle continued without looking up. “But so dark…so very, very dark.”
Eric took a deep breath and shuffled his feet toward him. He reached out and placed his hand on Brittles’ bare shoulder. Brittles jumped and spun around like he’d forgotten anyone else was there.
“Yes…yes, the ferry,” Brittles said dismissively. “Enjoy.” He took a hop to the side then snapped his finger with a sense of wonder emblazoned across his face.
Eric closed his eyes as he felt a slight tug and tightened his jaw. A whir sounded in his ear then he heard Brittles laughing again as he idolized his drop of blood.
Eric cracked his eyelids. Brittles was dancing around under the bridge and Eric hadn’t moved a foot. He cleared his throat loudly then tilted his head as his skepticism reached its peak.
“Brittles!” he snapped.
With some effort, Brittles pulled himself away from his prize and stole a glance at Eric. He looked shocked for a moment, but that quickly turned to anger.
“Get! Get out of here already,” he growled.
He snapped his fingers again, then over and over several times. Nothing happened. Grumbling, he sneered at Eric and wrinkled his nose.
“Something very odd you are,” his voice croaked. “But the ferry I promised.”
Securing the needle in one hand, he grabbed the rusted, amulet around his chest with the other. He rubbed it and it burst into life with squirming emerald flames that engulfed the tarnished metal, revealing a luminous golden surface.
Eric glared at the medallion in awe. Something inside of him was spurred and he could feel the foreign magic calling to him. Without thinking, he slowly raised his hand and reached out for it, but Brittles hissed and backed away.
“Mine!” he yelped. “Master gave it to hold, master gave it to keep.”
“S…sorry,” Eric mumbled in confusion, not sure what had overcome him.
“Time for you to go.” Brittles rubbed the amulet once more and the green fire spread to his hand. Extending his fingers, he clawed at the air and a tear rippled across like he scratched the surface of a sheet.
Eric watched in awe as Brittles pulled back the folds of reality exposing a hole that vanished into the dark. He stepped away and glanced at Eric.
“Now go,” he said dismissively before turning back to the blood. “A promise is a promise.”
“What is this?”
“Your way to the ferry. Hurry.” Brittles giggled then held the drop of blood in the air over his head. The be
ad of crimson dangled from the rusted needle then fell, spiraling in slow motion toward Brittles’ gaping mouth. His eyes were wild and glossy, boiling with anticipation. Then as the blood hit his tongue, he closed his mouth and trembled.
Eric watched him with mild interest then turned and stared at the rip he’d created. It made no sense, yet as the power swirled around the torn fabric of reality, he could feel a connection stirring from somewhere buried in his soul.
Magic shimmered all around the split, causing the air to distort. A low hum echoed under the bridge and rattled Eric’s bones.
“Argh!” Brittles suddenly gagged and doubled over.
He grabbed his stomach and dropped to his knees. Eric spun around in time to see his eyes bulge from their sockets then completely pop out and fall to the floor. Unconsciously, he reached out for Brittles, but before he could even touch him, Brittles exploded in a wave of sticky, green mire.
Eric coughed and choked as the thick, inhuman plasma splashed into his mouth. He turned his head and spewed vomit across the ground.
“Yuck!” he barked.
Brittles had been reduced to a smoldering pile of goo. The only recognizable remnants of his petty existence were the dingy rag he wore and the glowing medallion.
“Take it!” a voice inside Eric’s mind cried out.
He felt himself move forward and resisted momentarily. He could sense the power reaching out to him and the evil inside reaching back. Without thinking, he took another step forward and plucked the medallion from the mess that was once Brittles.
The magic inside of the amulet rose to the surface at his touch. His own power surged to his fingertips in response and a smile spread over his face.
Turning around, he tightened his grip on the amulet then walked through the tattered veil and vanished.
CHAPTER 19
THE AETERNUM STRAIT
Eric felt a sudden wave of pressure in his ears and a dizzying weightlessness. He tightened his hands around the amulet and grimaced before slamming into the ground and falling over.
As he opened his eyes he found himself on a platform inside of an aging subway station. It was dark and eerily silent. To his right was a flight of stairs and he could smell the stench of foul water rising from below. Behind him a set of dark tracks vanished into blackness as rats scurried about.
He took a deep breath and pushed himself to a stand then started down the grimy stairs. The concrete was slick with rainwater and mucky, algae that infected everything. Green ooze trickled down the wall and splattered to the floor, the constant pitter patter was like a metronome.
He clutched the amulet in his hand, it’s once vibrant power now dormant and the metal cool to the touch. In the distance he could hear the gurgle of running water, the mysterious Aeternum Strait winding below the city like a massive serpent.
Eric slowed the last few steps and strained his ears. Fear and anxiety shot jolts of caution through his limbs and he tensed then stepped onto the landing below.
The corridor opened into a gaping hall that stretched on for miles. Flames swayed back and forth from torches along the aging brick wall. The light spiraled through the massive tunnel illuminating the black waters in front of him.
Whispers flooded his ears from the shadows. The hushed voices of death that seemed to torment him in the dark. He pushed them from his mind and made his way closer to the canal.
As he stared into the black abyss the amulet hummed gently. Shuffling back, he glanced around the hall and shivered.
“Where’s the ferry?” he mumbled to himself. “Come on…how did you find it Gary?”
Frustrated Eric made his way toward the wall and ran his fingers along the weathered brick. He strained and tried to feel the latent magic that hummed all around him. If I could just focus hard enough.
He knew power was down there, but his ignorance of how to use it was embarrassing. Instead, he stomped around in the dark, cursing Gary’s name and the stupid idea that brought him there.
“Hoo!” a deep grunt suddenly echoed all around him.
A heavy foot fall sounded in the shadows and Eric tensed up. “Hello?” he said in a worried voice. “Who’s there?”
Another footstep sounded, and Eric tightened his grip on the amulet. Something massive shuffled just out of sight and the sound of a chain rattled against the floor.
“Who are you?”
Out of the shadows stepped a massive creature that Eric had never seen before, but he instinctively knew it was the troll Gary had told him about. Its looming figure sent shockwaves of fear through his body. Eric shuffled backward, until he slammed into the wall then stared up at the towering giant.
He gazed at the monster, disregarding the rank smell that permeated from its body. His eyes lingered on the mystic runes that laced the creatures toned skin. The cryptic writing stirred something within in him and he felt a sense of familiarity.
“What are you?” Eric asked uncertain why he hadn’t taken off running yet.
The creature gleamed at him with a look of interest or apprehension. He tilted his head to the side, huffing as he scanned Eric with cloudy, white eyes. His hand slowly gripped the thick, chain that hung from his waist. He looped it around his massive fist then lowered his head.
“Where go?” he bellowed.
Eric twisted his face in confusion. All he knew was the ferry and nothing more. Beyond getting there, he had no destination.
“Where go!” the troll said with more force.
“Where’s Gary?”
The troll stared at him then dropped the chain. He took a deep labored breath and gave Eric one last look over then let out a bone-rattling growl.
“Smash!” the troll roared.
Eric barely reacted in time to avoid the creature’s massive fist. It slammed into the ground obliterating the stone beneath it, leaving a shallow crater.
Eric rolled to the side then stumbled toward the sea wall. The troll charged and swung again just missing him. The draft sent Eric tumbling over like a ragdoll.
“Stop!” Eric shouted and threw his hands up.
“Smash!” the troll replied.
He leapt into the air with his hands raised overhead. The rusted chain still clung to his waist chattering as the slack drew from the turbid water.
Eric clambered to his feet and at the very last minute brought his hands up to block the attack. The amulet gleamed as he tightened his fingers around it and he felt a jolt of its magic rush through his body.
“Garf!!” the troll blared as he plummeted toward him.
With a deafening crackle, the bottom dweller brought his fists down and smashed into Eric’s arms. To both of their surprise, the blow was repelled, and the troll staggered back a few steps then regained his footing. Confusion spread across his face and he looked toward Eric with a hint of fear.
Eric lowered his hands, reeling in shock. He looked down at his arms, amazed to find them in one piece. He opened his hand and glared at the amulet as it gently trembled in his palm.
The troll was still trying to comprehend what had just happened as he cradled his left arm and sulked. His eyes flitted between Eric and his injured limb as he decided if smashing was still an option.
“Hey!” Eric cried out. “I just want to find my friend Gary.
Grunting, the troll lifted his head and glared at Eric. He rubbed his eyes then stomped his feet, sending a rattling quake across the floor. Shaking, he unleashed a trembling yelp and snapped his head forward then charged Eric like a crazed rhino.
Eric looked at the troll then glanced over his shoulder toward the glass-like water. He quickly considered his options then dropped the rope over his head, letting the medallion dangle near his chest. The troll rumbled forward with unstoppable fury, but before he could reach him, Eric turned and dove into the canal.
The water hit him like a brick of ice. It was so cold it burned and stung his face. Eric let out a muted scream that was stifled as the water splashed over his head.
&
nbsp; His instinct for survival came to life and he kicked his legs and started to swim. He swung his arms wildly, but all it did was keep him afloat. While the water looked nearly still from the pier, the current was furious, and it snagged a hold of him and swept him away.
The troll stopped at the edge of the seawall and watched. He had a satisfied grin on his face as he wrapped the chain around his hand then turned and shuffled back into the shadows.
Eric spun around as the water raced him downstream. It didn’t take long for the light to fade and he found himself floating through an endless abyss. All was silent except for the water’s ominous gurgle and the thumping of his heart.
Eric closed his eyes and tried to calm down. The dark was everywhere and as the icy water soaked into his bones he could sense something moving underneath. First, it was only a feeling. Probably his mind filling in the blanks that his eyes couldn’t see. But as the stream pulled him further into nowhere something brushed his leg and he knew he wasn’t alone.
Panic drove him mad. He splashed his hands into the water and shouted angrily, his voice trailing away in the dark. “Help!” he cried out then swallowed a mouthful of the burbling stream.
Kicking his legs, he crawled over the water, scrambling for safety that didn’t exist. The water suddenly splashed behind him and he screamed and tried to swim faster, but it was no use. Something rough and scaly wrapped around his leg. The grip was firm and almost human, but he could only feel three massive digits as they closed around him. Before he could pull away it tugged him beneath the surface.
The gelid liquid flooded his nostrils and pushed its way down his throat like a living, breathing creature. He leaned forward and tried to pry his leg free, but it was no use. It pulled harder and he slipped deeper beneath the freezing waves, gasping for air.
His head throbbed, and his lungs begged for oxygen. Every second beneath the obsidian liquid was a lifetime. There’d be no tomorrow, no future except an eternity spent at the bottom of the hellish brook.
He sank deeper and deeper, the temperature plunged until he lost all feeling in his limbs, and he could no longer make up from down. His thoughts drifted away, leaving his pain behind. A vison of Anna came to him. Not the one from the picture, but a memory. A memory of happier times when the world lay at their feet and tomorrow held the promise of forever. But as the time passed even that faded and Eric let go of everything that held him anchored to the world.