by Matthew Fish
The Betrayal of Cernunnos
By Matthew Fish
Chapter 1
The Story of Damara, Abelio, and Cernunnos
As far back as time itself, there existed a massive island in the Otherworld. This island was one of the Emerald Isles, a nearly endless chain of islands that existed in an ever calm, endless and gentle sea. Upon this expansive island lived the Goddess Damara, who brought life to the rivers and guided their many ways. She lived in solitude in a great castle far to the north. Though the animals that she lived among gave her some companionship—she wished for more. Out of this wish she birthed from the sea and stream the race of Mortals. She lived amongst them for a time and over their short lives they multiplied and began to spread across the great island. They flew banners of dusk blue and brilliant yellow with the hummingbird as their symbol to represent their brief lives.
Not to be outdone, Abelio the God of the apple tree—cut with a large axe from the flesh of his beloved trees forms that mimicked that of the Mortals. However, Abelio’s Perpetuals were sturdier and were gifted a nearly endless existence. They lived beneath a banner of black with silver twin rabbits bounding in an endless circle to represent their exceptionally long lives.
As both the Mortals and Perpetuals began to spread out and live amongst each other—they began to build homes and structures. They cut down large areas of forest and filled them with simple dwellings. That is when they came into contact with a third race, one which the God Cernunnos had already established. Cernunnos was a wanderer—he lived amongst the many forests, streams, and mountains never staying in one place for very long. His favorite animal to hunt was great stags, which he hunted with a fine large bow that he had crafted over a hundred years and arrows cut from the ash tree. Before Damara and Abelio had created their folk, Cernunnos had created his own kind. They could be mortal in form but they also took up the visage of a great white stag or white doe, for Cernunnos was often in the form of a pale man with great antlers—vastly different than the beautiful, pink skinned and fair haired Damara, or the tanned and muscular Abelio. Cernunnos gave his people a deep respect for nature and the ability to walk through time so they would not have to interact with the other races of man that filled the Emerald Isle.
For a time, there was a great peace and all lived happily—as was the way of the Emerald Isles. Then, greed, jealousy, and eventual conflict found its way onto the great island. The Mortals grew jealous of the Perpetuals long lives and sought ways to extend their own through taking the blood of the Perpetuals—a pointless act as nothing could extend their meager lifespan. The Perpetuals, in kind, began to kill the Mortals for it was easy to do so. The White Stags were not involved in the petty conflicts until the Perpetuals began to spot the sacred creatures and hunted them for their fur and antlers. Flying a banner of brown fabric with an intricate design of the White Stag crying out for vengeance, Cernunnos marched his folk upon Abelio’s Perpetuals. Cernunnos gifted his kind a third form, the form of anger which put the White Stags on an even level to do battle with the Perpetuals. However, war was not to come—not to the Emerald Isles.
Dismayed by the actions of the creations of Damara, Abelio, and Cernunnos, the Goddess of the Sun and all light banished the island to another realm. She twisted the island and ocean around it into a sphere and set it adrift in a new sea of stars and planets. The Moon God was happy with this decision, for he worried that one day the inhabitants of the island would search out other islands where his people, the spirits, lived. Though they removed the Earth from the Emerald Isles, they did not abandon it. Between the two they split the duties of brining light and darkness to the new planet and decided to give all who lived upon the Earth free will to do as they pleased.
Damara was deeply saddened by what she saw as banishment. As the great land mass that was once the island tore apart and spread across the surface of the planet—she decided to sleep beneath the ocean, buried under rock and sand. Before leaving, she gifted to the race of Mortals the ability to bear children that could kill the Perpetuals—a gift that Abelio found useful as well for not all of his kind were well behaved and he regretting giving them too much strength out of the three races. Before burying himself deep within the earth so that he may ever watch over his precious apple trees—he gifted a few amongst his kind special powers over the elements in the hopes that they would take these gifts and use them for the betterment of all. Cernunnos lived for a very long time amongst the forests as he explored the new world created from the old. He survived long enough to see most of his kind hunted and slaughtered by early Mortals and Perpetuals alike. Frustrated and exhausted, Cernunnos used an ancient passage through the world of dreams to return to the Otherworld where he wandered the Emerald Isles alone. Eventually, Mortals and Perpetuals forgot about Damara and Abelio as they faded off into mere legend and eventual obscurity. The White Stags, thought vastly short in number compared to the Mortals and the Perpetuals, continued to hold onto their traditions and never forgot about Cernunnos. They lived nomadic lives of solitude with very little human interaction, content to wander through time even as it became more and more dangerous as the world of the Mortals and Perpetuals grew ever larger. As time passed ever further on, eventually even the Goddess of the Sun and the God of the Moon grew to become indifferent to the happenings on Earth—so much so, that they did not even notice that Cernunnos had returned to it.
*
Lily placed her back against the rough bark of a nearly leafless white oak tree. She peered over the hill and spotted a White Stag approximately twenty yards out. She brought up her left arm and pointed the antler-horned bow. She brought back a wooden arrow with a pure white tip and black fletching to her cheek and released it. The arrow flashed in a shimmer and instantly reappeared buried deep into the stag’s chest. The stag let out a cry as it stumbled back and fell to the ground dead. Lily jumped up from her hiding spot and dragged the deer to a large moss covered rock that jutted out of the ground like an ancient altar. She pulled the beast upon the stone and retrieved an axe that hung from her belt. She brought the short axe above her head and chopped off the antler’s of the White Stag. She picked up the large antlers and carried them a short distance to a cave she had found nearby.
Lily had matured; she had stopped aging around twenty—usually the age that her folk stopped growing any older. Her long black hair tumbled to just above her chest as her wolfish grey eyes flashed in silver as she worked in the dim light of the cave. Her once roundish face was now sharp and well defined; her nose was a short arch that rested right above her small but well defined lips. She wore a tan leather hunting jacket with white fur lined on the inside and cresting to the top of the hood. Her long legs were partially exposed through a skirt cut from the same material as her jacket. She wore high brown boots with white tops and her breasts were covered by a mere wrapping of white fabric. She bit roughly into her lower lip as she worked a blade against the severed antler—forming new arrow heads from her prize. She felt little remorse for slaying one of her own kind. The White Stag had been tracking her for some time; it merely did not recognize that it was tracking its own demise. Lily had led it here—where she had set up a meager camp in the damp earthen cave beneath a large red maple tree, its roots twisted and outstretched as it shared the small space with her.
Lily worked long into the afternoon as the air grew cold as evening threatened to approach. The hushed rustling of falling leaves could be heard all around her. It would be cold soon—probably in a mere few weeks. Lily affixed the arrow heads onto wooden shafts as the sun slowly disappeared upon the hilly horizon, filling the air in a gentle ember glow. Her breath appeared in tiny white wisps of smoke as she attached the black feathers of a Chimney Swift
to the ends of her arrows. She cut tiny notches into the bottoms and placed each one into her dark leather quiver. The feathers, Lily had gathered from a Chimney Swift that sat upon her shoulder and chirped cheerfully of Lord Cernunnos’s return into the this world. She reached to her shoulder and broke the tiny bird’s neck with her bare hands and picked it clean of its feathers. It was a messenger sent from Cernunnos to call all of his kind to him, that he carried the weapon of the Ankou and would save the world beneath its bloody banner. To Lily, it was a call to action to something her mind was already set upon—justice for her brother’s death and the harm Cernunnos had allowed the Ankou to inflict upon her friends. She did not know how he came to exist in this world, but felt it was a transgression that should not have been allowed. She did not have the slightest idea of how she would kill Cernunnos, or banish him from her world—but it would not stop her from trying. She cleaned her axe and sharpened it against a gritty stone before placing it into a holster on her belt beside a Damascus steel folding knife with a yellowish antler handle. She pulled up a large, dirty and worn robe that she used as a make shift blanket and covered her body. A chill filled the air. Night came early, the days were growing shorter. Off in the distance she could hear the howl of wolves—they had found the body upon the stone altar that she had left for them. She dug into a sack full of berries and dried fruit and had a meager meal before resting her head against the dirt floor and allowing herself to fall into a cautious slumber.
“Emily!” Mark shouted as he rushed about their bedroom as he attempted to place his Standard on. A loud thumping sound could be heard off in the distance, followed by the sound of a many footsteps approaching. It grew closer with each passing second.
“Still tired…” Emily muttered as Maddie entered the room.
“Lay in that bed much longer and you’ll die there,” Maddie spoke as she pulled Emily’s blanket away, revealing her naked body as she attempted to fight back for the warm blanket. “Get up!”
“It’s the Ankou,” Mark muttered as he pulled back the curtain and peeked out the window.
“What the fuck?” Emily asked as she stretched her arms out wide and let out a short yawn. She climbed into a nightgown and wrapped a soft black robe around her cold body. “We killed that guy…forever ago.”
“Well it definitely looks like the Ankou, bigger—more human like, but just as pissed off,” Mark said as he placed a hand upon a pistol and loaded a clip into the chamber. “There’s a whole goddamned army out there.”
“I can’t get anyone on the cell,” Maddie said as she paced around the room nervously. “William isn’t answering; it is not like him at all. The Ankou should not be here…I—we watched him disappear.”
“Well, they can’t get through,” Emily said as she shrugged as she rubbed her shoulder. “Should we go see what the asshole wants?”
“Near the border,” Mark said as he nodded.
“Easy peasy,” Emily said as a large gust of wind filled the room as she projected the small group into the yard.
“Very brave of you to come out to meet us,” the creature spoke as it held its scythe up into the air as a loud cheer resounded. The jagged white blade of the scythe was covered in fresh blood. “You are familiar with Death Bringer—I have come to know that the three of you are Perpetuals. You will be given one choice, follow me, Lord Cernunnos or meet your swift end.”
“Are you not the Ankou?” Maddie asked as she looked at the creature’s glowing blue eyes. The face was definitely more human-like, and the beast was much larger and muscular.
“I have both of my horns,” Cernunnos spoke in a strange distorted tone. “I am what he could have been—yet I am so, very much more than that. You three have talents, much like your fallen comrades did. Do not choose to die in vain as they did.”
“You ugly fuck,” Emily said as she balled her fists as they erupted into flames. “I’ll tear your little prick right off and force it down your throat until you choke to death on it.”
“We share a father, little insolent one,” Cernunnos spoke as the familiar man in the gold suit with his messy brown hair emerged from the crowd. He cocked up his collar and rested his hand against the shimmering barrier.
“Hey, piquer…little cunt, and other cunt, all grown up—nice looking group you make,” Tany Zampa said with a laugh. “I’m a hard one to get rid of, no? You see, you dropped me off but a few years ago—of course that was nearly eighteen years ago your time. Thank you for that favor, having that death bringer knock me off right at that time. Now I know that we haven’t exactly seen eye to eye in the past, but you’ve all proven to have certain talents that can be very useful.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Mark said as he pulled out a 1932 quarter from his Standard. “I might not be able to take you all on, but I’ll definitely kill you this time.”
“Strong words from behind that little barrier of yours,” Zampa said as he backed off a few steps. “Told my son here all about how Conductor blood kills Perpetuals…you all look like you haven’t aged much—not like you should. Perpetuals after all—not like it matters little shits….”
“You always enjoy being used by people don’t you?” Mark added as he eyed Tany Zampa.
“Used…me?” Zampa spoke with a laugh. “How many people get to say their son is a god?”
“Enough talk,” Cernunnos commanded as he placed both hands on his scythe. “Are you with us, or am I speaking to the dead?”
“Good thing I’ve still got some of the old arrows,” Maddie said as she raised her recurve bow and aimed it at Cernunnos. “We’re protected…”
“Do your worst,” Mark said as he nodded. He had one hand on his pistol and the other on a handful of coins.”
“The worst it is,” Cernunnos growled as he sliced at the barrier with his scythe. The shimmering glow tore away as the scythe passed through it like a blade cutting through a single sheet of paper.
Maddie loosed an arrow into Cernunnos’s chest as he continued his advance through the barrier. In a series of flashes it disappeared completely. Emily’s hands shot out a large ball of flame engulfing a group from the large force that surrounded them. Mark fired his gun into the crowd as he attempted to get a lead on Zampa. Cernunnos emerged from the fire and quickly descended upon Maddie.
“Quick,” Maddie spoke as she fired another arrow, slowing his advancement slightly. “Get inside you two, protect the young one.”
“We won’t leave you,” Mark said as he fired his gun at Cernunnos.
“You don’t have a choice,” Maddie said as she attempted to release one more arrow just as Cernunnos descended upon her with his blade whirling. In one single, swift motion he cut Maddie into two as blood filled the air and loud cheers came from the army. The flames died down as Emily let out a scream. She wrapped her arms around Mark just as a series of loud popping noises filled the air.
Mark found himself in the upstairs hall of Red Manor, a crying could be hard off in the distance. He opened his eyes as he felt Emily’s embrace disappear. She slowly turned to ash in front of his eyes.
“Emily…” Mark whispered as he looked around confused. “No…”
He attempted to grasp at the ashes in an attempt to keep her together—to somehow make her whole once more. His hands were filled with grey warm ash…that was all that remained of Emily. A terrible crashing noise took his attention away as tears came streaming down from his eyes. He brought his knees up to his chest and began to sob. Cernunnos came through the wall and brought his scythe down upon Mark.
Lily woke up as the cold morning air filled her lungs. She let out a short cough. She crouched down in the cave as the sound of hooves against fallen leaves filled the air. Even in the musty cave her senses were keen—realizing it was safe, she emerged.
A young man stood before her. He had dark brown messy hair and light skin. He had brilliantly large yellow eyes and wore a hunting uniform made of the same material as Lilly’s, only he had long pants and carried a spea
r that Lily had fashioned from a long pole and two White Stag antlers.
“Sun,” Lily said as she wrapped her arms tightly around her companion. “Have you heard word from Red Manor? How fare the Perpetuals?”
“I bring bad news, Lily,” Sun spoke as he closed his brilliant eyes and looked down. His aquiline nose hung above a grimace from his rough, dry cracked lips. “Your Red Manor has burned to the ground. I found two bodies—both of them I recognized…also there was a child, Cernunnos did not spare it.”
“No…” Lily whispered as she brought her hands to her chest and narrowed her eyes as she wiped away tears. “They were supposed to be protected.”
“It appears that Cernunnos is not hindered by such protections,” Sun added as he shook his head. “I found none alive and markings suggest that they arrived in great force. More numbers than we presumed—Mortals, Perpetuals, our folk. I believe it to be a force tenfold of what we faced at Lake Falls. Your Red Manor was his last order of business in this area…soon he will march on the continent, then the world.”
“And…our resistance numbers around seventy, we will quickly lose ground once he gains momentum from here on out. There can be no stopping him…not this way,” Lily spoke as she grew disheartened. “I must return to Red Manor.”
“But there is nothing left of it,” Sun spoke.
“I had hoped to leave them out of this,” Lily said as she grabbed Sun’s arms tightly and nodded. “Last time I was with them I was a burden—this time I shall teach them of what we all will face. I will give them a chance to save their future—to save our future.”
“It is not allowed of our folk to change what has happened.”
“It was not allowed when the Ankou did it,” Lily said defiantly as Sun passed by the tall red maple and took the form of the stag. “But since Cernunnos is here in our world and not governing his own rules in the Otherworld, I have a feeling it will be permitted. We must walk through time and find them long before this fate befalls them…before it comes to us all.”