by Matthew Fish
“They were led by a Perpetual who calls himself Lord Corveath, a person of power that I believe your husband, Tany Zampa, worked with from time to time,” Daniel spoke cautiously, attempting to not let on that he knew more than he should in this situation.
“Do not speak to me about that traitor Corveath,” Calla said sternly, her beautiful, pale face turning to one of anger and spite. She turned her back to the pair and began to slowly walk away. “If that is what you have come to me with, then I will take my leave of you now. Lord Cernunnos has forsaken Corveath and his companions; they will be reaped and laid to waste when the time comes.”
“Wait,” Lily said as she attempted to ensure her endeavors were not laid to waste. “We are not his companions, we are his enemies—we seek information. I have information I can exchange in return.”
“You sought to use me? The lady who speaks for Lord Cernunnos? No amount of information will save you from his wraith,” Calla spoke as she stopped and turned her narrow golden eyes upon the pair and gave them a look of utter disdain.
“I know where your husband is,” Lily said, attempting to save the situation that seemed to be quickly descending into pointlessness.
“As do I,” Calla said coldly as she looked away. “I was forced into contract with him, by the Ankou—by Lord Cernunnos. I know where he is. I am in no hurry to retrieve him. I will do so when I am instructed to.”
“You have no love for him,” Lily spoke as she nodded. “I know of him, he is not a good man. Do not worry though. You will not be forced to endure him for long.”
“How could you know such a thing?” Calla spoke as she averted her eyes from Lily and Daniel.
“I cannot change you from your path, time has been locked—it is unchangeable. However, I have seen the future,” Lily added. “You will be free to wander through time again, that is what you want, is it not?”
“I must answer the call of my Lord Cernunnos,” Calla said as she wiped away a bit of sadness from her eyes with long delicate fingers. “I wanted a different life, but I must do as I am commanded.”
“Then do as you must,” Lily said as she nodded. She took Calla’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “But believe me, you will be free in time, let that hope sustain your dream to be allowed to live as you please. We do not seek to stop you in any way; we know that you must recruit. We do not seek to go against Lord Cernunnos’s commands for you. All we ask is for information.”
“Though I trust your words, I still cannot see hope for my own future,” Calla spoke as she released Lily’s hand. “I will answer your questions as long as they do not harm Lord Cernunnos’s plans.”
“Thank you,” Daniel spoke as he neared Lily and Calla. “You called Corveath a traitor. He is an enemy of mine as well, one I hope to soon rid myself of. I believe that this would align with Lord Cernunnos’s wishes. In order to do so, however, I need to know what he did.”
“There exists a place, west of here—a place where this world intersects with the world of memories, a sacred land where the mortals that called themselves the Niutachi worshipped the White Stags of Cernunnos. They coveted a special cave, it was a place where they could relive memories of their past. Also, in times of danger, they could call upon the restless and angry memories of those who had passed violently, or through great trauma. These memories would take the form of a beast and protect this sacred land from those that sought to do harm.”
“I’ve had a few encounters with those,” Daniel spoke as his mind wandered back to the thought of those fierce, strange smoke creatures with emotionless glowing blue eyes. “So how does Corveath fit in with all of that?”
“Lord Cernunnos did not truly believe that the Ankou could succeed alone. When recruiting troops to his cause, Corveath and about six other Perpetuals were found wandering the area—escaping. My husband convinced them to join our cause; he showed them his great wealth that he acquired through our contract. He was convinced that he held their loyalty. Five collars made from ancient rare pure silver were crafted by Lord Cernunnos himself. He spoke to me in a dream regarding a ritual that would allow Corveath the travel to this sacred land and trap five memories. He would then return with these fierce creatures and they would join in the battle with the Ankou, and if they Ankou failed—they would ultimately join with Lord Cernunnos. When the day came for Corveath to return, he did not. He took these weapons for himself and fled west.”
“What kind of ritual?” Lilly asked as she grew confused. “I thought that he was kind to those that resided in the other world, why would he seek to use them so unjustly?”
“Lord Cernunnos can be kind, but as any lord, he can be cruel when he feels that terrible actions justify noble causes. He wanted them to ensure a victory,” Calla spoke as she shook her head. “I do not know the details of the ritual. They were not shared with me. That is all I know of the subject.”
“Do you have any idea how we can stop them?” Daniel asked. Unsure if he would get a clear answer as these creatures could seem to be useful to Lord Cernunnos.
“The collars…are they in your possession?” Calla asked as her ears piqued up at the idea that the rare items might be within reach.
“Lost to the ocean, sadly,” Daniel said, “When I first came upon Corveath, he was holed up in a giant ship beneath the ocean with about two hundred Perpetuals, a few conductors…not exactly sure of the specifics. When I went to face him, he blew the place up so that he could escape and the collars I could have used were either destroyed or just gone.”
“A pity,” Calla said as she let out a short sigh. “You’d be able to control them if you had them…I suppose, you could try returning them to their homes. Although they may be commanded to hunt you down, they might also feel a strong pull to return home. Something…I can admit to feeling from time to time.”
“Do you know where this place is?” Lily asked.
“It is called Pine Hallow, deep within the rolling hills of Ozarks of Missouri. Travel to the City named Springfield and head south east from there. How far, I do not know. It is a broken land, much of the magic that resided there is gone. However, you may find some solution there.”
“Thank you,” Daniel spoke as he nodded.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Lily added. “You did not betray Lord Cernunnos—when we come upon Corveath, we will make sure he knows who he has wronged before we take his life.”
“I will forget that we have spoken,” Calla said as she looked to Lily with sad, wide eyes. “Thank you for a taste of hope. Whether it comes true or not, I suppose time will tell. Though if you have seen the future and are being true to me, then you have done me a great favor.”
“You will be free again,” Lily said reassuringly.
Calla smiled a short, brief flash of happiness as she walked beyond the length of the ash tree and transformed into a white doe. She darted off into the forest until she disappeared in a shimmering, rainbow glow as she made a passage through time.
Lily and Daniel returned to Red Manor. Piper, William and Amelia greeted them—Daniel explained what knowledge Lily had helped gain from Calla.
“So your best option is to head to that place…” William spoke as he rubbed his chin and began to pace back and forth. “Let me get Felecia on the phone and we will all head out.”
“No,” Daniel said as he shook his head. “Piper and I will go alone.”
“That’s just…fucking dumb,” Amelia spoke as she folded her arms at her side. “If this involves Mark—and my sister Emily, and Maddie, then I want to go along. I want to do something to fix this crazy shit.”
“You would do better to have us with you,” Lily added.
“We will go alone,” Daniel repeated as he reached a hand out to Piper and drew her close to him. “I have already deprived my son of a friend. I will not put any of your lives in danger.”
“And how will you stop that last creature if it comes for you?” William asked. He was greatly displeased with this turn of events. T
hen again, this seemed to be how things often went—it reminded him of the old days regarding plans and meetings in Red Manor.
“I’ll remove my collar,” Piper said quietly. “I’ll sacrifice myself to stop the last of my kind from doing any more harm. I did not know Hazamel, but I know that my existence has caused him to pass away from this world. I know that it has caused all of you pain.”
“It won’t come to that,” Daniel spoke as the sad idea of Piper giving up her own life to save others filled his mind. It all began to seem a little futile—this fool’s errand that Abelio had set him upon.
“But if it does,” Piper said as she looked to Daniel and gave him a stern look. “I choose to surrender my life—so that you may collar and destroy the creature. You said I had a choice from here on out. This is my choice.”
“I did,” Daniel replied sadly. “And…you do, just—make sure it’s a last resort.”
“Well, given between the two options I would rather continue to spend my time with you,” Piper said as she reached for Daniels hands.
“I suppose if you can’t be convinced otherwise,” William muttered as he looked down to the floor and shook his head. “Go ahead and take the remaining SUV—there’s cash in the glove box and a high powered rifle in the back. I’ll call Felecia and arrange a pick up for us, so—go and fix what you need to fix. Maybe when you are done, you’ll come back to us.”
“I don’t believe it will be allowed,” Daniel said as he smiled to William. “Thank you, my old friend. Lily, thank you for getting us the answers we needed, and Amelia—thank you for your help.”
“It was an honor to see you again, Mr. Argent,” William spoke as he let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted to do more, however—he would respect Daniel’s wishes. “You’ve been missed.”
“Undo what Cernunnos has wrought,” Lily spoke as she placed a hand upon Daniel’s shoulder. “Set things to right, I know that you will succeed.”
“Go fuck some shit up,” Amelia added. “Do it for Hazamel.”
“Thanks again, all of you,” Daniel spoke as he took a set of car keys from William. He looked around the grand entry to Red Manor one last time and smiled. After all that he had heard regarding his son—he was happy that Mark had built such a life for himself. He just hoped that he could help preserve it.
Piper and Daniel climbed into the undamaged SUV and back up into the grass. Daniel looked back to the destroyed vehicle a short distance away. He was surprised, in a way, that they had survived so many encounters. Each other, however, seemed to bring them closer to failing. He hoped that this last encounter would not end in failure—he could not allow it to do so. He drove the SUV down the rock road and continued along the highway until they passed into Missouri. It was just after nine p.m. when they reached Springfield, Missouri. It had been another long drive—though not nearly as taxing as that twenty-four hour shift he had pulled earlier. He headed out of the busy town and found a small motel called the Red Rose Inn. The sun was a faint orange glow that illuminated the tops of the trees amongst the high bluffs that surrounded them. The orange contrasted sharply against the cool blue that hung just above it—fading upward into a deep violet purple. The sound of crickets filled the air as the occasional song of a frog joined in the late evening chorus.
Daniel returned from the office with a silver set of keys. He opened the door to room number eleven as Piper followed him into the motel room. He was getting used to these kinds of spaces—they were beginning to feel rather familiar and comforting in an odd way. Piper sat down against the red, floral print bed as Daniel made his way into the bathroom and splashed water upon his face.
“So, we will be there tomorrow morning….won’t we?” Piper asked as she brought her knees up to her chest and squeezed them tightly.
“Yes,” Daniel answered as he emerged from the bathroom and sat down beside Piper. “One way, or another, we will sort everything out tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid for us, fiancé,” Piper said as a tear streamed down from her eye. She released her hold upon her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around Daniel.
“We will be alright,” Daniel said as he placed his face against hers. The roughness of his scruffy face brushed against her delicate soft skin. He knew that he could not guarantee that everything would indeed be all right, however—it was better than letting her worry. “No matter what happens,” Daniel added. “We will be okay.”
“Thank you for bringing me this far,” Piper said as she began to kiss Daniel.
“Thank you for trusting me in the beginning—I’d not have gotten either of us this far without you by my side,” Daniel added.
As the night continued and the faint sound of crickets and frogs faintly filled the room with their night songs, they made love. Their pace was slow, a delicate joining of two worried souls who knew not what the lay ahead for them once this night ended. They made the best of their time, joined as one—they were able to push aside the troubles that haunted them and threatened to steal any amount of happiness that now filled both of their hearts. After hours passed, and they had spent each other into a kind and welcomed exhaustion, they allowed their minds to drift to sleep.
Chapter 8
In the morning, Daniel and Piper hit the road. Piper acted as a compass of sorts—giving Daniel the way that they needed to go. It was as Calla had said, these memories—or whatever they were, had a calling, a need to want to head home. They drove along a small two-lane road as the looming bluffs gave way to gentle green rolling hills. High wild grasses and wildflowers filled the meager spaces between the densely forested hills.
“This seems a lot like the place you’ve told me about,” Daniel said as the road was eventually swallowed beneath the canopy of a great forest.
“This feels right,” Piper said quietly as she stared out the window, a hand upon the cool surface of the glass. Though being back here gave her a great feeling of comfort, she could not shake the feeling that something terrible awaited them. Perhaps they would come upon that house—in fact, the more she thought upon it, the more she began to remember it. She pointed off to the right as a small gravel road emerged ahead of them. They followed the road a bit, as the SUV crawled its way over the rough graveled surface as a heavy, white dust filled the air and danced about them. The sun shone brightly through the dancing swirls of dirt and dust kicked up by the SUV tires, tiny swirls of illuminated smoke danced in their wake. They rounded a large hill and came upon a small wooden building. It was in such a sad state, with its shattered glass windows and broken walls. An illegible sign dangled beneath a roof that was full of holes. Tight, twirling vines climbed along beams that attempted to hold up a porch. The entire building had a slight slant as it looked as though the earth attempted to claim part of it.
“Doesn’t look like a very populated place,” Daniel said as the SUV climbed over a high buckle in the road. They continued onward and passed by a house that seemed to be a little bit more cared for than the others were. Piper had Daniel stop as she gave a moment to gaze at the front door—it did not match the one from her visions. They drove on a little bit further and found a newer construction. A cottage style house resided along the gravel road. It was large and had a long driveway. The yard was a little overgrown from neglect—however the house looked far newer than any of the others in the vicinity. Daniel pulled into the driveway of the wood home. Piper jumped out from the passenger seat as she walked towards the front door. It was exactly as she had seen in the visions—only, it was the end result of what she had witnessed. The door was smashed in completely, shards of stained glass rested upon the concrete step. She peeked into the building. Black stains filled the kitchen.
Daniel climbed out of the vehicle and placed his hand upon Piper’s back. “Is this the place?”
“Yes,” Piper whispered as she placed a hand upon the cracked doorframe. “This does not make any sense though.”
A low growl filled the air behind them. Daniel quickly whirled around and pre
ssed his back against Piper. A lone, large black wolf approached. With each step, the wolf sent up a swirl of dark smoke as its blue eyes narrowed at the sight of Daniel and Piper.
“They’ve found us,” Daniel said as he reached a hand out and summoned Abelio’s axe.
“No…” Piper said as she placed herself in front of Daniel. “This…this is my last chance to know what is going on.”
“You said you’d do this as a last resort…Piper—do not do this…,” Daniel spoke as he placed a hand upon Piper’s shoulder. “Don’t leave me.”
“This…I...I kinda knew that it had to be this way,” Piper whispered a she looked to Daniel and smiled. “Thank you for everything, fiancé,” Piper added as she reached to her neck and unclasped her collar. She pushed Daniel away as hard as she could as she began to sprint towards the wolf-like creature. The wolf lowered its head as it charged towards Piper, its mouth open and the obsidian fangs flashing in the morning sun. Piper held out the collar just as she disappeared into the inky darkness of the wolf’s body. She attempted to find something to latch the collar on as her heart filled with dread. Had she missed? The darkness swirled around her, filling her lungs and chocking her as she attempted repeatedly in vain to find something to attach her silver collar upon.
“No…” Piper choked as she fumbled around in the complete black of the thick smoke. “I…I need answers—I need to stop you,” Piper whispered as the thick smoke stung at her eyes as she attempted to keep them open. She stumbled against something at her feet and the silver collar fell from her hand. She collapsed to the ground and attempted to find it—her fingers outstretched as she desperately sought out the collar. The thick air filled her lungs. Everything was begging to fade. ‘It cannot end like this,’ Piper thought to herself. Her mind was growing hazy, her thoughts were disappearing, “Daniel…I’m sorry,” Piper whispered as she succumbed to the smoke and fell lifelessly to the earth.