by Matthew Fish
“What did you do?” Daniel asked as he rushed over to Hazamel’s heavily damaged body. Piper quickly followed behind him. William and Amelia stood where they were—they knew full well that there was no recovery from such terrible wounds. They were to lose another friend.
“A life, for many lives,” Hazamel spoke hoarsely. “It is…a more than fair trade.”
“You fought bravely,” Lily spoke as she looked sadly to Hazamel. “I sensed danger—but I could not have defeated it.”
“Your axe,” Hazamel spoke as he attempted to hand Abelio’s axe back to Daniel.
“I’m…sorry,” Daniel whispered as he took the bloody handle and placed it by his side. “I’m…I’m happy that my son has such loyal friends—god knows I failed him.”
“You haven’t yet, don’t…” Hazamel whispered. He closed his eyes. They would never open again. A man that did not belong in this time—no longer lived in it.
“You asshole,” Amelia whispered as she struck William in the chest. “I could have helped—I could have done something.”
“You could have died,” William said as he embraced Amelia close to him. “Hazamel purposely did what he did. He did not want to be a part of this time…not really. He put himself in danger in every chance that he got.”
“We could have at least tried, for fuck sakes…he was my friend.” Amelia said as she shook her head and buried it into William’s chest. She hit him a few times for good measure. She was not completely angry towards William. A healthy measure of it was directed at Hazamel—it was such a selfish act, even if it was a seemingly noble one.
“He was a great friend; I had hoped he would find a place in our time…” William said as he shook his head. “I can never blame Mark for leaving; it seems to be our lot to endure only more and more loss.”
“What manner of creature was that, Daniel?” Lily spoke as she carefully approached the man.
“You know who I am?” Daniel asked. He was dumbfounded for a moment. Everyone he had met recently had presumed that he was Mark.
“You’ve visited my Red Manor many times,” Lily spoke as she nodded. “I do well know the difference between you and your child. Though I do not know why you are here, nor do I know why you possess that axe.”
“It’s a long story,” Daniel said as he shook his head. He then turned his attention to the older naked man who bled out from many different cuts and wounds. “Can you speak?”
“…Father, mother, sister, brother,” the man muttered as he reached upward and shielded his bearded face from the bright sun. “Father, sister, mother, brother…”
“What does that mean?” Piper asked as she knelt down beside the dying man.
“Brother, sister, mother, father…” The man spoke as he turned his attention to Piper and stared at her as a tear streamed down from his eye.
“I don’t understand…” Piper said as she placed a hand upon the man’s head. It was burning hot to the touch. In an instant, he turned into a thick black smoke. Piper braced herself from the oncoming onslaught as the black mass forced its way into her mouth. She fell to the ground; the bright sky above turned a pale grey. Her mind grew dizzy. The world seemed to spin around her. Everything faded from the dull grey to a swirling black.
Piper regained consciousness in the oddly familiar house. She watched the front door—just as it had before; it exploded as Corveath entered the building. Her hands were wet from the sink full of dishes. His crushing hand was soon upon her neck. She flailed about until she fell to the ground. Everything faded to black once more. After some time passed, the room came into focus once more—there was blood everywhere. Corveath stood over her, laughing. He picked her up by the back of a long dress that she wore and carried her easily into the dining room. The table was covered in a thick red blood that extended beyond the chairs and covered the white walls. A splash of blood covered part of the window, giving the room an unearthly red glow in the afternoon sun. She kicked at Corveath, attempting to escape. He tightened his grip upon her. He brought her down into the old, musty cellar. There were others there. Their hands covered in blood. There were bodies against the cold concrete floor. There was so much blood.
“Piper…” Daniel whispered as he cradled the young woman in his arms.
“I’m…I’m alright, fiancé,” Piper whispered as she placed a hand to Daniel’s cheek. She found herself resting upon a red sofa. She immediately turned her attention to the door. It was a heavy, black metal door with stained glass windows. Each one contained a different flower. The set of three stained glass pieces reminded her of that other door—however, the metal surface gave her some reassurance that this was not that future that she was sure was soon to happen. She looked around to the odd surroundings; an elaborate oriental rug covered the floor. A giant flat-screen television was affixed to a large shelf that contained odd items like strange creatures in jars and old rusty swords.
“Mark was definitely here,” Daniel spoke as he turned his attention to the giant television that Piper was staring at. “Caesar would have never allowed such an atrocity in his home.”
“They’re warning me of something,” Piper said as she closed her large green eyes and shook her head. “He’s going to come for me.”
“Piper,” Lily spoke as she knelt beside the young woman. “Daniel has caught me up to speed—more or less, on your situation. Do you have any better idea of what you are now?”
“I don’t,” Piper admitted. “All I’ve ever known of myself is that I’m some kind of ghost—a vessel for memories, or…just memories. I know that probably does not help much.”
“There is something,” Lily spoke as Amelia and William entered the great room of the Red Manor.
“Hazamel now resides by your mother,” William spoke as he set down a shovel. “You are lucky that he was there—I do not know how we would have stopped that creature without him.”
“I’m not sure it was luck,” Daniel said as he buried his face in his hands. “I’ve been foolish. They’ve been hunting us—we escaped multiple times, but they always seemed to find us. We thought we were safe.”
“They were just waiting until they could catch you with Mark,” Amelia added. “Fucking jerk offs. Get you all in one place, and then…boom.”
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said quietly. “I led trouble here. I should have known.”
“You would have fared worse off on your own,” Lily said as she shook her head. “It is good that you have come—I may know something of your situation. Besides, anything that helps Mark, Emily, and Maddie is not a cause I would ever consider trouble.”
“What do you know?” Piper asked as she rose from the couch and stared intently at the woman with curiously grey eyes.
“My family has always been something of an oddity—my mother was human, but she was allowed to become a White Stag…one of my kind—A Child of Cernunnos. There is a story amongst my folk. One that speaks of a mortal boy who fell in love with a ghost—a girl of great beauty that lived in a world of memories…some bad, some good, a world that exists within our world. The mortal boy sacrificed his life to help others and was allowed to be with the girl who existed in the other world. They gave birth to a child, however—she would have been bound to a life that was already over…a child of ghost. Cernunnos, who was a friend to those that reside in memories and dreams, granted a wish and allowed the child to be one of the Children of Cernunnos. She walked the world south of here…living a life that she would have been denied in the otherworld.”
“When I spoke to Abelio, he said that these…creatures were unleashed by Cernunnos. Could we seek this Child of Cernunnos and get information from her?” Daniel asked, hoping that this could somehow lead them to a solution.
“Her story is one of tragedy. She fell in love with a mortal boy. They had a daughter—a mortal daughter, who died. The Child of Cernunnos gave up her form and turned back into a ghost, in exchange for her daughter to live on. Her act was just and noble; however, she was b
anished from the world of memories. She is said to wander the lands. She has become more legend and myth than anything concrete. I do not believe that we would be able to find her—if, it was, that she even still existed,” Lily spoke as she searched Piper for any sign. “You do not fit the description of what we know of ghosts—you strike me more as mortal. If I had not witnessed you consume a memory…then I would have great difficulty believing you were one.”
“So we do not know what to do?” Piper asked. “There is still one more out there—and Corveath, he is coming for me. I can see it in visions.”
“There is one who would know,” Lily said as her mind reached a solution. “Cernunnos would know. After all, he is familiar with your kind.”
“How does one come into contact with one of the old gods?” Daniel asked, and then felt slightly foolish. “Aside…from how I did it?”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Amelia interjected. “But uhh, didn’t Hazamel cut that dipshit’s head clean off, sending him to the great Old Country Buffet in the sky.”
“In another time, yes,” Lily spoke as she nodded. “He lives in this time, though he would only be about four years old. We could not find him; the Red Manor that he resides in protects him from harm. However, there is one that is seeking our kind, Perpetuals…Conductors—His mother. We may not be able to speak to Cernunnos directly, but she may know.”
“Will she even give you a chance?” William asked as he rubbed his chin. “This whole idea seemed to hinge on the idea that the woman chosen to be the vessel for Cernunnos’s planned and ultimately failed return would just hand over information.
“I shall send a Chimney Swift to her—I will tell her that I would like to join her son’s forces. Daniel shall accompany me. We will leave in the morning. She will not pass up an opportunity to meet on safe ground if it means possibly adding numbers to her ranks. Right now, that is the duty that Cernunnos has placed upon her.”
“Then that is what I will do,” Daniel spoke as he felt an odd feeling wash over him. Perhaps it was being back in this old place. Maybe it was that he could tell that his son was here not terribly long ago, little things around reminded him of Mark. He supposed it was not that odd—after all, he knew a little bit about Caesar’s strange relationship regarding the house. If the house was passed on to Mark, then that mean that Mark had some strange connection to it that he did not quite understand.
Chapter 7
Mark jolted awake, causing the entire small tent to nearly collapse upon his rather violent awakening.
“What the shit, jitter-fuck!” Emily shouted as her heart pounded in her chest. “Jesus Christ fucking egg salad. I was actually sleeping—for once.”
“What’s wrong Mark?” Maddie spoke as she rubbed at her tired eyes. She arched her naked back and rubbed it. The floor was rough, despite oversized sleeping bag that the three shared.
“I…I need to get back to Red Manor,” Mark said quietly.
“No no…” Emily spoke as she placed her hands out and pushed Mark down playfully. “You promised.”
“We have been gone for almost a year,” Maddie added as she shook her head and let out a short laugh. “Besides, I thought you were getting tired of this trek.”
“Well I thought it’d be more…pretty shit and less…fucking walking,” Emily muttered. “Should have stayed at that cabin at the beach…”
“This was your idea,” Maddie added.
“Yeah, I got that, nipples,” Emily said as she turned to Mark who had his head buried in his hands. “I’m sorry I yelled, jumpy—just, Jesus, you almost literally scared the shit out of me. I love you guys, but that would have just been one messy affair that no one would have wanted to deal with, I’d have to torch this quaint little shit tent of ours.”
“No I just…” Mark spoke as he attempted to gather his thoughts. “I felt something. Something is going on back at Red Manor.”
“We aren’t going back,” Emily stated as she shook her head. “I know, you’re going to say something to convince me, and I’m just going to put it out there…nope. No way—bad memories, chance of dying. Shit biscuits, Maddie already died once already!”
“That worked out alright though, you seem rather happy with the outcome…” Maddie spoke as she pushed against Emily’s bare shoulder and almost toppled her over. “What’s going on, Mark…?”
“My father is there…somehow,” Mark said softly. “He’s back?”
“Alright then…” Emily said softly as her hazel eyes grew wide. “Who has a working cell, and how the shit do we get to the nearest airport.”
*
Lily knocked on the door to Mark’s old room. She entered to find Daniel sitting at the edge of the bed, dressed and ready for the day. Piper was still fast asleep. Her naked body curled and tangled in the white sheet.
“She likes to sleep,” Daniel said as he smiled faintly. “It’s almost like a hobby of hers.”
“You care for her,” Lily spoke as she rested her back against the doorframe.
“I do,” Daniel said as got to his feet. “It isn’t something that I planned on happening—or even was in the realm of any possibility…but, yes.”
“You would do well to remember that tragedy can result from these kinds of messy relationships—our folk say such things are cursed. However, who am I to say anything. My parents ended up fine. It’s just that…when one of the living falls in love with one of the dead—it doesn’t seem like something that could end well.”
“I’m not exactly one of the living,” Daniel said as he looked out the window. The sky was a dull grey. The sun was just upon the horizon and a summer fog danced amongst the trees. “My time here…is short.”
“You should make time to see Mark, at least once,” Lily said as she folded her arms beneath her chest.
“It’s complicated,” Daniel said as he shook his head.
“The things that matter often are,” Lily said as she averted her eyes towards the door. “It’s is time. Calla, the mother of Cernunnos has agreed to talk with us. Of course, under the guise that we are new recruits to her son’s future cause…so we would do well to not offend her and cause her to leave.”
“I got it,” Daniel said as he nodded.
Outside, Daniel felt the cold chill of the morning air. He placed his leather jacket over his shoulders and followed Lily off into the woods.
“We will go through two passages through time,” Lily spoke as she met eyes with Daniel and spoke in a stern voice. “You must listen to me now, for when I transform we will not be able to communicate.”
“I will do exactly as you say,” Daniel said as he felt a strange sense of worry. This was the first time he had met one of the Children of Cernunnos, his mother had always told him the stories—the legends.
“Good,” Lily said as she placed her arm upon the rough bark of an oak tree. “I will transform into the form of the white doe. I will carry you through time—for there is no direct way to reach the spot that we have agreed to meet. When you see the first of two roads, lower yourself against my body and hang on tightly to my neck. However, do not choke me—I do not wish to throw you out of reflex. It may feel unpleasant, so do you best to hang on. Do the same when the second road appears. We will then reach our destination.”
“I understand,” Daniel said as he rubbed his hands together. “I’m ready.”
“Alright,” Lily spoke as she disappeared behind the trunk of the oak tree. She emerged in the form of the white doe. She lowered her body so that Daniel may climb atop of her. He wrapped his arms firmly, but not too firmly around her neck as she darted off into the woods. She ran with a wild abandon, as if a caged creature finally let loose into the wild.
They covered a large distance in a short time as Lily darted over fallen logs and zigzagged past a myriad of obstacles such as thorny bushes and fallen trees. Daniel spotted a road up ahead. He lowered himself against Lily’s back as he saw a strange shimmering, rainbow-like glow. Lily jumped upwards as Dani
el felt a strange churning in his stomach. He felt the odd pull and push, much like the fall and rise of a rollercoaster. They emerged in an open field covered in snow, the morning turned to late evening. The moon was full and bright and the virgin snow sparkled beneath them. They ran straight for a time until another road appeared. Daniel, once again, did as he was instructed—he marveled at the shimmering glow all around him, like some form of strange and magical fireworks all around him as he passed through time.
Lily slowed her pace to a slow stride. She reached a small clearing with a large towering ash tree in the center. She lowered her head so that Daniel may easily dismount. Once clear, Lily rounded the tree and emerged in her human form once more.
“We are here,” Lily spoke as she scanned the horizon.
Off in the distance, Lily spotted a white doe approaching her and Daniel. The doe slowed its pace as it neared the ash tree. As the creature disappeared behind the thick trunk of the tall, full green tree, a woman with long golden hair and brilliant, sparkling golden eyes emerged in place of the white doe.
“You are the one called Calla? Are you not?” Lily spoke as she kept her eyes upon the woman in white who moved gracefully through the thick forest.
“That I am, and you are the ones that sent word—you wish to join Lord Cernunnos’s army? Your numbers are small, but all are welcome. All are appreciated and will be rewarded in his new world,” Calla spoke as she looked to Daniel and Lily with interest as she eyed the pair, attempting to gauge their usefulness.
“We would seek to bring more,” Daniel spoke as he attempted to stay on plan. “Some of my kind have fled west after the events regarding the Ankou. I had contacts that I believe were in this area at one time, I was hoping that you could tell me of their fate. I may be able to convince them to join.”