Being what I was, being Ehriad, meant that it was my responsibility to keep tabs on anything Otherworldly that existed on this side of the dolmarehn, faelah or not. An idea came to me and I closed my eyes. Perhaps if I simply felt for the magic . . . In my mind’s eye I saw a faint, crooked string of pale turquoise blue twining off into the distance above the horse path leading to one of the neighborhoods.
Fergus whined softly next to me.
“Hold on Fergus, I’ve found a trail of weak glamour,” I murmured, my eyes still closed.
I breathed in deeply through my nose, drawing on a small amount of my own power, pushing and pulling it into a shell that would erase me from view. Opening my eyes, I left the path running to the road and followed the thread of magic instead. Fifteen minutes later I stumbled upon a house perched at the edge of a small hill overlooking the swamp. The yard backed up into the woods and small spots of vibrant blue glamour pooled around it.
“It’s as if something from the Otherworld has sprung a leak,” I mused.
At that very moment, a door slammed shut and someone walked from the house. I stayed put, relying on my magic to keep me hidden. I couldn’t see the girl very well; she wore a light jacket with the hood pulled over her head, but she carried a backpack and looked too old for middle school.
I should have turned around then and gone back to my apartment. I could have written down the address and looked the girl up later on the internet from the safety of my garage, but I felt compelled to follow her, if just for a few minutes.
Fergus, hide yourself with glamour. We’re following the girl.
The white wolfhound obeyed without a sound and we continued silently up the path, staying several feet behind her. I may have been invisible, but I could still scrape my boots against the asphalt and give away my presence, so I used the distance to help hide any sounds I made. As I walked, I shut my eyes for a split second and noted the ribbon of blue unfurling behind her. So, the glamour was coming from her, but how? Perhaps she’d had an encounter with some faelah or carried an object from the Otherworld.
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t like the idea of following her around. It was intrusive and it went against my personal honor to be intrusive, but I also had to know where the glamour was coming from. It was never a good idea for Otherworldly and mortal things to mix.
Once at the end of the street, the girl stopped and chatted with another girl her age. I heard them say something about a high school, one I knew was only a few miles away. Before turning to leave them in peace, I picked up on the shorter, blond girl calling the other girl Meghan. So, I had a first name now. Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned around and headed back down the street. When I reached the end of the road, and before disappearing down into the swamp, I glanced back up at the house the girl had come out of. Above the front door was a carved wooden sign that read The Elams.
So, miss Meghan Elam, I won’t have to work too hard to discern your identity after all.
Shaking my head, I tried to dispel the knot of guilt that was growing in my stomach. I didn’t make it a habit to stalk young women, but when someone was so obviously shrouded in Otherworldly magic, I couldn’t just ignore it.
Pushing uneasy feelings aside, I continued on, seeking the path I knew would lead to the high school. The faelah had mostly stayed put in Eile this week, and whether I wanted to or not, I needed to learn more about this girl with a string of blue, Otherworldly magic trailing after her.
* * *
I reached the outskirts of the high school within fifteen minutes of leaving behind the swamp. As I caught my breath, I studied the students pulling into the parking lot and reluctantly spilling out of their cars. I shied away from the barrage of smells and sounds that attacked my senses. Several dozen perfumes and colognes clouded the air, along with the high-pitched laughter and false promises being thrown from one person to the other. Combine that all together with the general angst and unavoidable desperation that permeated the atmosphere and it was enough to give one a headache. I was very glad I never had to attend high school in the Otherworld. I would not have survived it.
Fergus and I had been in this area only a week or so ago, checking into a possible faelah problem. I’d been wearing my old trench coat and had used my glamour to adopt the guise of an elderly homeless man. Most people left me alone when I took up that particular costume, so I wore the same cloak of glamour now: one of a decrepit, retired veteran down on his luck, lingering in the woods for no apparent reason.
A few more minutes ticked by before I caught a glimpse of that brilliant blue magic again. It trickled out of a gold minivan. I felt my muscles tense as the van pulled up and parked. The door rolled open and the girl, Meghan, stepped out with her friend. I took a small moment to wonder why I hadn’t detected her strange magic here last week, but then brushed that thought aside once she started moving across the parking lot.
I focused my attention on the group of teenagers, especially the girl I had discovered earlier that morning. They were a good distance away, so I sacrificed a fraction of my glamour, pulling it away from my disguise and using it to enhance my vision just enough to get a clear picture of my quarry. The girl turned and looked in my direction. My relaxed pose stiffened. Pretty little thing, but not in a typically human way. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if her peers thought her to be strange-looking. Humans were often a bad judge of real beauty, in my experience.
I continued to study her, grateful my hood covered most of my face. She was tall with dark, curling brown hair and high cheek bones, but it was her striking eyes that gave me pause. Hazel, flashing to gray, then green and blue, and back to hazel. My heart sped up and I felt my own well of power begin to burn, like a coal coaxed to life by a bellows. Not just a human tainted by glamour. Oh no, this girl was Faelorehn. Suddenly I felt winded, as if someone had punched me in the stomach.
There were plenty of Faelorehn and half-Faelorehn people living in the mortal world. Some chose to live here, some merely liked to visit. But there was something different about her; something I couldn’t quite place. Most Faelorehn wore their glamour like a mantle, hiding their true identity in the mortal world. But this girl . . . Hers was locked away and almost impossible to see, like something lurking beneath a sheet of dark water. Yet the magic that trickled off of her was as visible as the stars in a moonless night sky.
The girl and her companions glanced away and I took the opportunity to slip behind the trees. I would look into who this girl was, this Faelorehn with hidden glamour. And while I was at it, I’d try to forget those eyes and her alluring face, too.
* * *
I visited the high school the next day to catch another glimpse of Meghan, just to make sure she was real, but the following day I had to return to Eile. The Otherworld greeted me with the cool caress of fog and ancient magic. I sighed, shivering a little as the sensation poured over me. The mortal world’s magic was much more subtle than this; much more concealed and gentle. The glamour of Eile took hold of your senses and demanded that you pay attention, and if you chose to ignore it then more likely than not, that same magic would find a way to make you pay attention, and usually not in a pleasant way. Fortunately for me, I had lived a very long time in my homeland and I knew how to show respect to its raw, natural power.
Fergus and I traveled from the dolmarehn through the wooded hills, past the collection of ponds dotting the rolling fields, and on to Luathara, the castle that was left in my care. It more closely resembled a ruined pile of old stones than anything else, but there were a few rooms that were habitable with working fireplaces. The largest room on the third floor was where I often slept. It had a comfortable bed and a full-functioning bathroom (not a rarity in Eile, but definitely an uncommon luxury at Luathara). I had dreams of one day returning the castle to its former glory; of settling down, to some extent, if I ever found a way to break free of the Morrigan’s geis. As I thought about making a life at the castle, for some odd reason Meghan Elam’s image
flashed through my mind.
I stopped, just as my foot was about to hit the first step leading up to my rooms. Oh no. I shook my head. None of that now Cade, I told myself. Currently, I couldn’t risk the luxury of thinking about young women in that way, and I most definitely couldn’t think of the young Faelorehn girl I’d discovered hiding in the mortal world, either. First of all, she was too young for me and secondly, I knew nothing about her.
You know some things, my annoying conscience crooned. She is very pretty, and she has strong magic, like yours . . .
I growled and continued my progress upstairs. I would not think about Meghan Elam, and not only because it was a bad idea for my own sake, but for her sake as well.
“Stay here Fergus,” I threw over my shoulder at the white wolfhound who followed me like a shadow. “I’m going to see the Morrigan.”
My spirit guide whined softly and paused, watching me as I strode past my rooms and through the great gaping hole in the castle wall. I crossed the patio on the other side, my coat growing damp from the spray of the waterfall to my left. I took the stairs at the end of the terrace and descended into the caves that housed the dolmarehn to every imaginable destination in Eile. I could take one to the edge of the Weald to visit Enorah, my sister, or I could take one that would bring me to the other side of my foster father’s abode. But no, today I had to travel to the Morrigan’s realm. My geis required that I check in with her once a month. And that was another reason why I had to stop thinking about Meghan, because if the Morrigan found out about her, her life might as well be over.
* * *
Eile was a very large place, and many Faelorehn would tell you that it had no boundaries. They would also tell you that Erintara, the city of our high queen, was located in the exact center of our world. All the old kings and queens, the gods and goddesses of the ancient Celts, had their own realms, or large expanses of land they considered their own. The Morrigan’s dominion was located on the easternmost stretch of land that nestled up against the endless mountains just on the other side.
I stepped through the dolmarehn and all of my muscles immediately seized up. The air was so frigid here it felt like a layer of ice coated my lungs every time I drew breath. I had walked out of another cave and into a small, rocky canyon devoid of anything living. The stones and skeletal trees that surrounded me reminded me of the bones of the dead. I gritted my teeth and made my way towards the mouth of the culvert where there stood a crude stone circle. Beyond that circle was a diseased forest full of dying trees, and even further past that were miles upon miles of desolate land littered with stones and shallow bogs. The Morrigan’s kingdom was a place of death and despair.
I had been hanging my head as I walked, the sadness of this place acting like a weight to pull me down, but as I came upon the clearing and the stone circle, I glanced up and winced. She was waiting for me, the Morrigan, standing utterly still and wearing a dark blood-red cloak with the hood drawn over her head. An entourage of ravens sat scattered in the bare branches of a dead tree just behind her, watching me with baleful eyes. A pair of Cumorrig, the Morrigan’s personal hellhounds, stood by her side, their rotting flesh and putrescence making me gag.
As I closed the distance between us, she lowered her hood and crossed her arms casually. Though she stood more than a foot shorter than me, the very sight of her made my blood turn cold. Beautiful, like all the Faelorehn, with pale skin, black wavy hair and eyes that flashed red to reveal her powerful fae magic, the Morrigan was the most terrifying and dangerous person you could meet in Eile. Her only desire was to cause war and strife and gain immeasurable power. Therefore, she had no concern for the feelings or well-being of others.
“Have my pets been misbehaving?” she asked in her seductive voice.
“Yes,” I said shortly.
She sighed and rolled her eyes to a gray sky that threatened snow.
“How many did you have to destroy this time?”
I did a mental count in my head. “In the last month I‘ve killed around thirty faelah.”
She sneered, but didn’t look too terribly disturbed by this information. “Such stupid little creatures. I wish I knew a way to make them more intelligent. It tires me to have to replace them all the time.”
My jaw clenched at her callous tone of voice. It may tire her to construct her obscene creatures, but it cost others far more than that. In order to bring her dead creations back to life, she needed the living essence of innocent victims, sometimes animal, sometimes Faelorehn.
Before I could help myself, I bit out, “Then stop making them.”
She arched a perfect brow at me, her face blank with surprise, then her lips curled into a smile and she laughed.
“Oh Caedehn! You are so silly sometimes. After all these long years it still bothers you, what I do, doesn’t it?”
I clenched my hands into fists. “It would bother anyone.”
She snorted and dropped her arms to pace in front of me. “Please, don’t be so pathetic. Those I use in my sacrifices are weaklings. They do not deserve to live if they cannot resist my power.”
I turned on her. “You are a goddess! How can they stand a chance? Your power outrivals even that of your Tuatha De brethren!”
She whipped around, her eyes flashing red, the dark clouds above grumbling their discontent.
“Do you wish to challenge me Caedehn?”
Despite my anger and the slight twinge of fear that burned inside me, I gave a small smile. I stepped back and took on a relaxed stance, crossing my arms loosely over my chest. “You cannot kill me. My geis forbids it.”
The Morrigan released a deep breath and pulled her magic back into herself.
“Yes, that little catch has proven inconvenient on many occasions, but alas! Despite your many annoying characteristics, you have proven handy over the years. One of these days you’ll outgrow your stubbornness.”
“Unlikely,” I grunted.
“So,” she breathed, dismissing her more somber mood, “besides killing my poor faelah, is there anything else you need to tell me?”
I found a young woman the other day who possesses strong Faelorehn magic.
“No.” I said flatly, my muscles tensing once again.
She studied my face for a moment or two, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, as if she suspected something. My heartbeat increased and I willed it to slow down. For a split second she opened her mouth and I was certain she was going to accuse me of lying, but then a flash of crimson lit her eyes and instead she grinned. The expression was very unnerving.
“Very well, you’re dismissed.” She flapped her arm at me as she turned to leave, the ravens hopping from branch to branch in order to follow her every move while the Cumorrig trailed after her.
“I shall see you in a month’s time, then. Try not to kill so many of my pets if you can help it. You know how much it inconveniences me to perform a creation ritual. And you know how much you enjoy attending them.”
I turned and headed back down the dead canyon, punching the trunk of a bleached tree along the way. I would love to kill all of the Morrigan’s faelah, but that was the thing: the more I killed, the more she would create. And that meant standing watch as she tortured the living to reanimate the dead. I didn’t need any extra horrors to add to my list of troubles.
* * *
I spent a glorious week at my castle, just enjoying the free time and the constant caress of Eile’s magic. My last few encounters with the faelah had drained my reserves, and it was nice to feel the pleasant tingle of glamour running through my veins once again.
I would have stayed longer, but my malevolent employer had decided to cook up a whole new batch of particularly annoying faelah that could somehow reproduce on their own. Thankfully, she hadn’t insisted upon my presence for the process of their creation, and I had a feeling that they weren’t true faelah after all. Eile had many creatures of magic, some benign and some not. These particular beings, duinba, or toad people, had a
tendency to gravitate towards evil magic. My guess was that the Morrigan had captured an entire colony of them and was manipulating them to bend to her will. It would explain why they were able to procreate. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was purposely sending them through the dolmarehn near my home just to bother me. She must have suspected I was hiding something after all.
The duinba were coming through the passageway in such large numbers that I had taken to camping out in the swamp. Even then, hordes of them managed to get past me. By the third night of my stakeout, Fergus and I had killed almost a hundred of them and I hoped we’d finally made a large enough dent in their population to slow them down. For the present, all I could do was grit my teeth and bear it until they stopped pouring through the dolmarehn altogether. I was desperate to get back to my research on Meghan Elam, but it would simply have to wait. If I even took an hour to leave the swamp, the little demons would completely take over. I needed to remain vigilant at least one more night to make sure we’d diminished them for good.
* * *
Cumorrig!
The sudden, frantic thought flaring to life in my mind ripped me from my sleep. My heart pounded against my ribs and I had to take several deep breaths to slow its pace. Was it a nightmare that woke me?
Again, that bright, piercing thought came. Cumorrig! Girl in danger!
I bolted from my sleeping blanket, grateful I had gone to bed fully clothed. It took a while for my sight to adjust to the dark, but I think I managed to move through the forest mostly on instinct. I cut through the trees, running full out towards my spirit guide, his internal voice leading me on. Something had happened. Something involving the Faelorehn girl and the hounds of the Morrigan. Just a few days ago Fergus and I had been exterminating duinba, and now there were Cumorrig around? My blood turned to ice when realization hit me. The Morrigan knew about Meghan. Somehow she had found out about the girl and she must know that I knew of her as well. My stomach lurched as I sprinted onward. Had the Morrigan suspected my lie after all?
Faery Realms: Ten Magical Titles: Multi-Author Bundle of Novels & Novellas Page 95
