They Mostly Come Out At Night

by Benedict Patrick

  "He cannot respond, my lady. He was… well, he was as good as murdered on the night that you met. He hasn’t spoken a word since, or even really had any kind of interaction with the outside world until he heard your name yesterday. These tears, even, are new to me though I've known him my entire life."

  Andromeda turned to look at Adahy again, and both of them shared tears on their cheeks. She looked away. "I do not need to ask you who has been sharing my marriage bed for the past forty years. I have learnt much in recent nights. I have a gift, you see. It runs in my bloodline, much like the gift of the Magpie King runs through the Corvae. I can walk in dreams, and have been walking through yours." Still staring forward, she slipped a thin silver dagger from her wrist.

  At the sight of the weapon, Lonan flinched backwards.

  "This was for me. Tonight. I imagine I would have used it already if you had not appeared." Lonan did not know how to reply to this so allowed her to continue. "After all that has been revealed to me, I see no further reason to remain in this life."

  "We need your help," Lonan stated bluntly.

  She laughed at this. "And I should care about two insignificant lives? When so many have suffered already, none more so than me?"

  "The Andromeda that the Magpie King met all those years ago would have cared."

  "Ah, well, that is your problem, then. She died years ago, at the hands of another Magpie King. The one your friend Adahy allowed to have me."

  "He hardly allowed it. The man was his friend. He had no clue until it was too late."

  The queen sighed. "This too, I know. Forgive my abruptness. I had come here tonight in search of a simple end, which you have stolen away from me. When you told me that the serving boy had returned, I had hoped it was in some way to save me. If he had truly felt that he was falling in love with me, would he not have come back from the dead all those years ago?"

  "Look at him," Lonan suggested firmly.

  The queen turned again to look into the old man's eyes.

  "This man has come back from the dead. As much as his body was able to live, he kept it going after all the damage it had sustained. It was your name that brought him to life again, that caused him to make sounds and move again. He has come back for you, as much as he is able to."

  Tears fell and Queen Andromeda moved her hand to touch that of the man who would have loved her. Adahy let out a low moan at the feel of her skin against his.

  "But," Lonan continued, "all of this may be coming to an end anyway. He knows who I am now, Maedoc. I don’t think it will be long before he discovers Adahy. I was attacked by a… monster last night, and was lucky to escape with only this." Lonan held up the stumps on his hand to show his wound.

  The queen grew pale. "What did that to you?"

  "A monster. Like a person, but with jet black skin and sharp teeth. He was there, the Magpie King, commanding it. It was dressed like him."

  Andromeda began to shake. "What became of your attacker?"

  "Dead, thank Artemis. I was saved by another who set it on fire."

  The queen's face disappeared back into her hood. Then, to his surprise, Lonan heard her give out a sharp sob.

  "My lady?"

  She held out a hand to command him to stop his questioning, but his curiosity was too strong.

  "What attacked me on that night?"

  It was the queen's turn to inhale deeply. "My son. Or daughter, possibly. I do not know which have survived."

  She looked to Lonan again. He could only kneel there with his mouth open, aghast.

  "I always thought it was me," she explained. "When they came out wrong, twisted, he claimed it was my fault. I was a bad mother, poor breeding ground. Then he took them away from me, to raise as his offspring. And put a new monster in my belly as quickly as he could.”

  Adahy's hand, still in hers, trembled.

  "Since stealing into your dreams, I now know the truth, however. It was him, his blood, poisoned by the black flower of the Magpie King. Blood that he passed on to our children." She looked Lonan deep into his eyes. "That thing you killed was mine, but it would not know me if it saw me. I did tell you I have suffered."

  Lonan left the silence to breed for a while, and then continued, "He wants to find me."

  "Yes. Yes, he does. He wants the information you have in your head."

  "I don't understand?"

  "The Lonely House. The black flower. He wants it, for our children."

  "But, he was there. Why does he need me to tell him?"

  "You underestimate the effects the drug has had on his mind. It is riddled with holes and inaccuracies now. He does not mount the night in any strategic pattern. He could not travel to a specific village in the forest if he wanted to. I doubt he even knows all of their names. He roams at wild, taking what he wants. But he wants that flower again, and will take the knowledge from you if he can. That is why he has been sending his agents to your village, both at day and night, to find the person who had been dreaming about his past. The attacks on your village have been much worse recently, have they not? Did you not wonder why this had happened?"

  No, because I thought it was happening in my dreams. Because I thought what was happening to young Adahy was affecting my village. "What about you? You know too, do you not? Where the flower is?"

  She laughed. "Oh, I dare not tell him that I know. He would torture the information from me and then kill me for fear it fell into other hands. It was dangerous enough when I let slip that I had started to see these dreams in the first place - that is not a mistake I shall repeat twice."

  “Could I not just tell him? Would he let me live if I showed him the way?”

  Lonan’s voice faded at the stare that he earned from the Owl Queen. Yes, that had been a foolish thing to say. If the queen’s life was at stake, then a lowly villager with no Knack had no chance.

  “What would happen if he got the flower? What difference would it make for him?”

  “For the Magpie King?” The queen shrugged. “Nothing, I expect. For his children? They possess power already, yes, but nothing like him. My husband is old now, his body ruined by neglect. I daresay it shall not be long before the forest is rid of him. In a generation or two, it could be that the villagers will have nothing unnatural to fear in the dark anymore. But if my children all possessed the power of the Magpie King, and if they learnt how to pass it down to any offspring that may come… He is mad, completely mad. There are days when he roams the halls of the Eyrie, screaming at Wolves that are not there, but some part of him, some primal instinct, cares for those abominations, his Children. The only time I see him show any affection is towards those creatures. He wants to provide for them before his end. He wants them all to have his power.”

  Lonan understood what Andromeda was saying to him, but he could not allow his mind to move past one particular thought. You’re talking about me as if I’m already dead. We aren’t talking about how to save me, we are talking about how to save the future of the forest. But my life is just beginning. This isn’t fair.

  In Lonan’s desperation, the accusing face of Branwen came into his thoughts. I can still make a difference for her, though. And for Aileen, our mother, and little Clare. And for the Tumulty boys and their children, for Mother Ogma and the rest of Smithsdown. My life’s as good as over, but maybe with the end of it I can make some kind of difference for everyone else.

  "So… so, we have to go to the Lonely House then. That’s where the flower is. We could get rid of it, get it away from him for good." Or maybe use it to beat him? “That’s where this will all end.”

  "Perhaps. I cannot see the future. Or the past, most of the time. You will find what you seek there, but it would do to you as it did to him. If you use it then you will only replace one mad king with another."

  Lonan's mind was whirring. "Still, that’s the only course of action we have."

  "You know who will be waiting there for you?"

  "Yes. I saw her in the dream."

&nbs
p; "You know it will be different this time?"

  Lonan looked to the queen for clarification.

  "Adahy and Maedoc visited when the moon was waxing full, when she was almost at her most content. The new moon is three days from now. She will be feeling empty and cruel."

  Lonan's skin crawled. "So, the Magpie King and the Pale Lady will have to fight over who gets first shot at me. Such a conflict could work in my favour."

  "You should leave. It will be dark soon, and I have a deed to perform before he arrives with the night."

  "You’re still going through with it?"

  "What would you have me do? Suffer him again, knowing what I know?"

  Lonan had no words to answer with.

  The queen took Adahy's hands in hers, and spoke softly to him. "Avenge me, king that would have been my husband. Avenge the life we should have had together."

  Lonan bowed to the totem pole, then stood to leave. "My lady, Gallowglass. Which direction is it in?"

  "Head west. The paths that lead that way from the temple should take you there. Beyond the village, you will need to find your own route."

  "Thank you my lady. And... one more question?"

  Andromeda nodded for him to continue.

  "How many children do you have?"

  Her face grew grim, and she turned away from him, forever shading her features in blackness. "You must understand, madness can be infectious. I... I'm ashamed to say I struggle to answer that question. I do not know which survived childbirth or their father. Memories of the infants blend into one. Suffice to say he bred with me until my body could gift him no more abominations. A dozen, perhaps? I truly cannot tell. Now leave an old woman with her last thoughts."

  Lonan and Adahy left the temple, the last people to ever speak to the queen.

  Back outside, they moved quickly. Lonan did not doubt the queen would hold off her suicide for as long as possible to give them time to clear, but when it did happen, it would be expected that the two villagers who prayed with her might have information about why she took her life. Lonan did his best to encourage Adahy to jog with him, but the old man remained as stubborn as ever with his movements. The only difference were the tears that now streamed from Adahy's face as he mourned the woman he loved.

  "It’s terrible, I know," Lonan attempted to convince the old man, "but she gave us a command, her last command. If we don’t keep moving forward, we’ll not be able to complete it for her."

  His encouragement fell on deaf ears, however, as Adahy stoically plodded along the path. It did not help when the land began to rise steeply, straining their calves as they were forced to push upwards as well as forwards. As night fell, they found themselves on a narrow path that was winding up a cliff face. On one side of them was sheer rock, the other was empty space, with the trees below distancing themselves further the more the pair pushed onwards. Lonan's instinct was to find somewhere to shelter, but a lack of a place to hide and the uncertainty of what was behind them forced them to continue through the night.

  It was on this cliff path they were found by the enemy.

  A black shape dropped in front of them, just within the shadows cast by the fading moon. Lonan stopped cold in his tracks, frozen by fear of what was about to happen.

  "Bad boys," came a manic chuckling from within the shadows. "Oh, bad boooooys." The voice would sound almost child-like, if not for the menace that laced every syllable uttered by it. "Daddy will be so happy I have found you, yes he will."

  The shape emerged from the blackness. It was female, this time. Much like her brother, she had obsidian skin, a beak mask and a feathered cloak. Her chest was bare, however, and long greasy hair sprouted from behind her cowl, plastering itself across her mask and face.

  "Going to pick a pop of ratties, bake 'em, fry 'em, crunch for later," she sang as she moved lazily towards them on all fours. "Put 'em in a pocket holding, smack 'em if they're being bolding."

  "Well," Lonan ventured, assuming there was no way he was going to escape having to tussle with this creature, "Mummy was right. You’re fucking crazy."

  The creature stopped and cocked her head. "Mummy?"

  Sensing a glimmer of hope, Lonan continued. "Yep, that's right, the person who gave birth to you? The person who took one look at you and got rid of you? I don't suppose you were able to speak as soon as you popped out of the womb? Because if you were singing that song as you sprouted from between her legs, that would explain why she abandoned you."

  The creature ignored the insults. "Lily has a mummy?"

  "Well… possibly. When I last spoke to her a few hours ago, she was planning on taking her life. You have to understand, nobody in their right mind is going to be proud of producing something like you."

  "No more mummy?"

  "Well, I don't know. How quickly can you get to the temple?"

  The creature suddenly disappeared. Lonan stood for only a second, then grabbed Adahy again and pushed forward.

  "I give sunrise the best part of an hour. If we can survive for that long, we may have bought ourselves another day."

  The pair pushed onwards, reaching the top of the cliff and achieving a burst of speed when their feet found a gentler gradient to follow. At every sound Lonan assumed their death had returned. A rustle in the bushes turned out to be a badger foraging for snacks. A dark shape that covered the moon was a stray cloud playing tricks on the forest below it. For the second time in Lonan’s life, dawn was unexpected and welcome.

  With the knowledge that they were safe from pursuit, Lonan led Adahy away from the path and they collapsed in an exhausted heap to catch a few hours’ worth of sleep.

  Again, there were no dreams.

  A Lost Tale of the Corvae

  This is one of the final tales of Artemis the sly.

  Artemis first came across the Lonely House in the days immediately following his theft from the Magpie King. He saw the open glade surrounding the building. He saw the House’s occupant waiting silently at the window.

  Artemis uttered up a prayer of thanks to the gods his people worshipped before arriving in the forest. He gave thanks that he was not desperate enough to seek her aid, and then turned his back on her and left.

  The second time he came upon the Lonely House was years later. Those years had been difficult for sly Artemis, as the Magpie King’s agents continued to pursue him throughout the forest, constantly seeking that which had been stolen from their master. At this visit, Artemis stood for almost an hour, staring at the figure that waited silently for him.

  Finally, he turned his back on the Pale Lady a second time, deciding he would rather face death and ruin at the hands of the Magpie King than strike a bargain with the creature awaiting him inside.

  The final time that Artemis came upon the Lonely House was in his last days, when his hair had more grey in it than brown, and the treasure that he had stolen from the Magpie King weighed heavily on his old frame.

  With a smile of relief, he entered the House without hesitation.

  The Lady was waiting for him inside. She had taken the appearance of a faceless young woman.

  “You have finally brought me the black flower of the Magpie King,” she said. Although the Lady had no mouth, Artemis could tell she was smiling.

  He reached into his bag and withdrew the treasure he had stolen from the Magpie King’s home.

  “It has brought me no pleasure,” Artemis said. “Since I stole this plant, I have been hounded across the forest, unable to stay in one place for more than a few days.”

  “Then why have you kept it for so long?”

  Artemis scowled. “The only thing worse than living a life of being hunted would be living a life in which he gets his own way. I will die before this flower is returned to the Magpie King. Unfortunately, I fear that time is very near to hand.”

  The Pale Lady nodded, silently.

  Artemis held up the black flower, offering it to his host. The Pale Lady leaned forward earnestly.

  “I want
you to take the flower. Keep it from him, continue my purpose after I am gone.”

  The Pale Lady paused, tutted, and then leaned back.

  “I am afraid, Artemis the Thief, this I cannot do.”

  A look of dismay flooded across Artemis’ face. “But, this is why I have come to you. You make bargains with others, you give them what they want in return for unthinkable prices. Perhaps I am not being clear enough. I want you to keep this treasure from the Magpie King. In return I offer you my life.”

  The Pale Lady tutted again, the smile returning to her voice. “There are two problems with your request, friend Artemis. First, what you offer me is not worth my time. Your life is now measured in days, not even weeks, and thus holds little value to me. The second problem is much greater. The black flower cannot be kept from the Magpie King.”

  Artemis shook his head. “You are wrong. Look at me, I have succeeded for so long. If I was younger, if age had not crept up on me…”

  “No, the tale of the Magpie King and his gift from the Magpie Spirit is now etched into the very fabric of this forest - it cannot be written away that easily. The forest itself wishes to return things as they were. Just look at the troubles it has sent your way since you stole the flower from him. In my hands the flower could be kept from him for some time longer, but eventually it would be returned. Perhaps at great cost to myself.”

  Artemis hung his head in defeat. “I am without hope then. That bastard and his brood have stolen my people from me, and turned them all against me. I am to be denied my revenge, and his gifts will continue to pass down his line for all of history.”

  The Pale Lady stroked her chin. “You speak of revenge. If this is truly what you seek, then perhaps I can give you what you wish.”

  “You can keep the flower from him?”

  “No. The Magpie King must rule the forest, and he must be able to pass his powers to his heirs, but I believe the story will suffer some small changes.”

  “What do you suggest?”