I nodded to him and both Ray and the dwarf started making their way to another part of the forest as I followed Charissa. Within minutes, the path had led us to a crystalline doorway that glowed brightly as if it was powered by daylight. Looking around, all I could see was the door, that seemed to exist by itself. Charissa was somehow able to open it with a wave of her hand and bid me to follow.
As soon as I stepped through I was suddenly in a massive chamber with walls of crystal all around me. Looking around, I noticed that the door had vanished and I couldn’t see the ceiling as the walls around me seemed to have an infinite vertical length that reached up into the dense clouds above. In the center of the chamber was a sunken pool of clear liquid. There were crystal tables and chairs all around. Everything glowed with its own inner light and it was so bright that I had to squint.
“Your shoes are still stained by the dead lands,” Charissa said as she pointed to a chair. “You need to remove them so that my servants can take the taint of death and despair away.”
I sat down on the chair and took off my trainers and damp socks. As soon as I placed them on the stone floor they were quickly snatched up by tiny little winged faeries that I had not seen before. As I stood up in slight surprise a swarm of them were suddenly upon me and I shrieked in surprise. But my sudden fears soon turned to laughter as I felt their tiny hands and legs tickling me all over my body. Within seconds it was over and they flew away. But as I looked down, all my clothes were missing and I was completely naked. I cried out a second time as Charissa started laughing again.
She was clearly eyeing my nudity as her playful eyes darted back and forth. “Were my servants a little too fast for you, Steve?”
Not wanting to be shamed any further, I realized that the only possible alternative to standing around naked in front of her was to get wet so I covered my private parts and ran over to the pool. I tested the strange, luminous water with my toes and it felt comfortably warm so I quickly lowered myself into it. Within seconds my feelings of coldness and dread were completely washed away. I closed my eyes and began to relax while just my head and shoulders stayed up above the enchanting waters of her bath.
Just as I sighed with contentment I felt her caressing hands on my shoulders. I opened my eyes and quickly turned my head and that was when I realized that she was sitting on the edge of the pool right behind me. She wrapped her pale, slender legs around my chest and started kissing me passionately on the lips.
I shrieked a little and gently pushed her away. Charissa seemed disappointed at first but then she smiled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed a mortal,” she said softly. “Especially one that is as handsome as you. The Fates have told me that you will grow into a very strong and attractive man in the years to come.”
“T-Thank you for the compliment,” I said. This was the first time that anyone other than my mum had kissed me so I was feeling quite awkward and uncomfortable. I just didn’t know what to do next. “I-I think I’m finished bathing now. Could I have my clothes back, please?”
Charissa stood up and clapped her hands. Suddenly all my clothes appeared on a nearby table along with a silvery towel. They all seemed to have been washed clean except for my pullover.
“All your clothes are now free of the taint,” Charissa said as she picked up the towel and handed it to me, “except for your tunic. My servants said that there was something foul in it and they couldn’t touch it.”
I started thinking what it was that repelled them as I gently took the towel from her and dried myself carefully, making sure to keep my sensitive parts covered. “Sorry, must have been something I picked up in my travels,” I said as I began putting my clothes back on.
“It’s of no consequence,” Charissa said. “I know of your quest to rescue your sister and her lover but if I might make a suggestion to you.”
I nodded as I buttoned up my trousers. “I’m always open to other ideas.”
“You are our first mortal guest in ages,” she said. “And you are still a boy as well. That makes you highly valued in our society. I pledge that no harm shall come to you if we were to marry. As you well know time passes differently here and you can live for a very long time in this realm. Your life will be one of endless bliss and you will be forever safe here as long as you are with me.”
I was in the middle of tying my trainers and then I just stopped. She was offering me a chance to stay with them. If I took her up on her offer then I would be living happily ever after, just like the happy endings in all those fairy tales. But then my thoughts turned to Amy and Mark. And then to my parents and Ray and what had happened to the city I was living in.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “While your offer is very tempting I must say no. My family is in trouble and I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try to make things right.”
Charissa walked over to me and placed her hand on my chin. “I admire your bravery and honor, Steve of London. I do hope that you succeed in your quest. And I hope that when all of this is done you will return to our lands and be with me again.”
I stood up and smiled. “Well, if I succeed then you never know…”
She instantly laughed as she hugged my shoulders and gave me another deep kiss. This time I went along with it. For a whole minute our mouths were locked together and I felt waves of sensuous pleasure wash over me. If my other classmates only knew of this they would be terribly jealous of my achievement. By the time our lips finally parted we were both grinning from ear to ear.
“Come,” she said. “My father has returned. I shall take you to our banquet!”
The feast was held in another huge clearing not far from where the silver trees were. There was a massive stone table shaped like a crescent and we all sat behind it as dozens of faeries danced and flew around in front of us. The Erlking was a giant of a man. He was dressed in some sort of tree bark armor and he had a long green beard that was constantly dampened by the frothy green beer that kept dribbling from his mouth every time he took a swig from his drinking horn, which was quite often. While the Erlking sat at the center of the table, Charissa was to his right followed by myself, Ray, and Tock. The food seemed mostly to be strange fruits and salads. There were also insects roasted on sticks which I didn’t touch. The liquid refreshments gave me a strange sensation as I drank from a cup that contained a fiery liquid with a cool peppermint-like taste which ran easily down my throat.
Since he was non-corporeal, Ray didn’t eat anything so he spent most of the time just whispering in my ear. “I’ve learned that since faeries don’t sleep and they live forever they get bored easily. This is why every night is like a banquet. They have to do something posh so they don’t get fed up by their existence.”
“So if they don’t sleep I guess this means we can’t steal a branch from one of those silver trees,” I said softly to him.
“I’m afraid not. One of them would see you either way and an alarm would be raised.”
“So how do you propose we get a branch then?”
“I think the only possible way short of fighting them is that they give you one.”
“How will I bloody get them to do that?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see if there’s an opportunity.”
Some time had passed and I drank some more of the strange, luminescent liquid that they would pour into my cup while the music and dancing continued in front of us. There was a time when I got drunk on a bottle of wine when I stayed overnight with Ray and another friend and we drank the whole lot before falling asleep. Drinking all that faerie ale sort of gave me flashes of color that danced around my eyes and all the movements around me seemed to blur. Ray said something to me but all I heard was gibberish.
I wasn’t quite sure as to what happened afterwards but the next thing I remembered was that the Erlking had stood up from his stone chair and he was addressing a crowd of faeries arrayed in front of him.
“…And so it came to pass that our guest, a boy na
med Steve from the human land of London, has graciously been invited as our guest of honor here,” the Erlking said as he raised his drinking horn in a salute to me. “But the other thing is that he has spurned our gracious hospitality and insulted my daughter when he refused her hand in marriage!”
I instantly came to my senses as I noticed that all the faeries were now looking at me and their demeanors had suddenly changed. It was just a moment before that their faces expressed merriment and bliss but now their appearance had taken on a malevolent, demon-like form and I noticed that their mouths that once formed smiles were now snarling with fanged teeth, and their eyes that had once been wide with wonder had narrowed into sinister slits, as if they were all predators carefully eyeing their prey.
“This is not good,” Ray whispered in my ear.
The Erlking’s salute to me soon turned into an accusing finger as he pointed at me. “This human boy, this interloper, has offended my house! We will show him the wrath of the entire faerie realm!”
As he said those words, I noticed that all the music and merriment had stopped and there was suddenly a cold, disturbing silence in the air. With the exception of Charissa, who had been tearfully cowering by the Erlking’s side, every other faerie had drawn their little swords and had pointed them all at me, like an array of silvery fangs that spelled my doom.
I knew I had to do something before they could attack so I stood up and put my right hand up, hoping that they would at least hear me out. “M-my thanks to the Erlking, h-he has been a gracious host to me this evening, as well as his beautiful daughter Charissa, who has been most kind to me. I must apologize if I have somehow offended his family and the entire people of the fey for that was not my intention at all. I-I had travelled to your fair realm in order to secure an item that I need in order to return to my world, for my family is in great danger and I wish only to keep them safe.”
Tock immediately jumped up on the stone table and stomped over the plates of food until he was right in front of me. “So, ye come here to steal from us, is that it? We have ways of dealing with those who steal from the fey folk!”
A roar of derision came from the assembled faerie hordes as the mob became even more agitated. I could see Ray looking at me with a deathly fear in his eyes. He knew that if anyone was going to get hurt then it would surely be me.
I looked at Tock and shook my head. “I have no intention of stealing from anyone. I had planned to ask for a favor from the Erlking and from the fey people to take but a single branch from your silver apple tree.”
The Erlking tilted his head back and laughed and I felt a wave of relief cascading through me when the other faeries started laughing too. “So you were going to ask us to give you a branch from one of our sacred trees?”
I smiled at him and nodded. “Yes, sir. If I could, please.”
The Erlking looked at me with haughtiness in his eyes. “Do you expect us to give away one of our most sacred items to a mortal just like that? A favor requires a bargain.”
I had a feeling that was coming. Ray had warned me about this before. “I’m sorry but I’m not asking for a bargain at all, just a favor.”
Howls of insults and anger once more erupted from the mass of faeries that were arrayed in front of us. It looked like the crowd was back to its demonic state as their blades were drawn and there were plenty of gnashing teeth.
“A gift without reciprocation is not in the nature of the fey,” the Erlking said. “If you expect something from us then you either give something in return or you must win it in a contest.”
I pulled out my pocket torch and showed it to them as I turned it on. “I have this artificial light and I will gladly exchange it for a tree branch.”
Tock roared with laughter and the crowd laughed with him. “We have many brothers and sisters who can make their forms glow at will; why would we be in need of that?”
It looked like that didn’t work so I put the torch back in my pocket before feeling the other stuff I had in there. I could have shown them my pocket knife but it seemed that each and every one of them had their own little daggers so that was pointless too.
I saw Charissa whisper into the Erlking’s ear and her father nodded in assent. “Since you have nothing of value to trade with I propose a contest,” the Erlking said.
I was feeling uneasy about all this. “What sort of contest?”
Tock waved his arms as he gestured to the crowd. “Let the fey decide!”
Almost immediately the crowd began to roar a single word. “Hunt! Hunt! Hunt! Hunt! Hunt!” they all chanted in unison.
Before I could say anything the Erlking pounded his massive fist on the stone table. “The fey have spoken! It shall be the Wild Hunt!”
The crowd roared with approval. As he said those words all I could do was look at Ray. My best mate looked like he was about to cry as he realized what it all meant. The Erlking and his riders would go hunting. And I would be the prey.
Chapter 8
I must have been running for an hour when my legs started to hurt. I had been dashing from one footpath to another across the endless expanse of the mystical forest, preferring speed as opposed to trudging through the thick underbrush which would have slowed my progress down considerably. But as I heard the bellows of the hunting horns and the howling of the pack of dogs that they had sent out ahead, I wondered just how long it would be before they could catch up to me.
The contest was pretty straightforward: The Erlking ordered me to start running as quickly as I could while they prepared their mounts and their hunting hounds. If I could evade capture until the full moon was right above me then I had won the prize of the silver branch and was free to go. On the other hand, if I was captured before that time then I would be forced to stay in the faerie realm forever. I was determined to succeed because of my concern for my country and for my family. I was so close now that I dared not fail.
Ray had been moving alongside me, but since he was a ghost his legs didn’t start to buckle, unlike mine. He instantly faced me when my running had slowed to a brisk walk. “Have you gotten tired, Steve?”
“What does it look like, you knob,” I said, panting. “I don’t think I can move any further. How far away are they?”
“From the sounds of their dogs, they’re getting close,” Ray said nervously. “You’ve got to get a move on, Steve!”
The aches in my legs sent sharp pangs of pain rocketing up to my head. “I’ve got to rest, mate. I don’t think I’m going to make it. How far above us is that bloody moon?”
Ray looked up. “It seems you need just a little bit more time until it shines right above us. The Erlking said that once the moon is directly above the winning prey of the hunt, its light will shine a moon ray directly upon him. I think you should keep running just a little bit more and you could very well win this match, mate.”
“You can’t win, Steve,” a voice just to the right of me said. “My father has told the spirit of the moon that it must never move to its high point once he sounds the assembly horn for the hunt to begin.”
I turned and saw that Charissa had been standing there on my right flank. “How did you get here?”
She looked down. “Oh, Steve, I have been running with you all this time. I just made myself invisible. Now that you’re tired I fear that they shall catch you soon enough now.”
Ray shifted his form until he stood beside her. “What do you mean he told the moon not to move an inch? Can he do that?”
Charissa nodded. “My father rules the land of the faeries and as such he can control both the weather and the stars that shine above it. The moon itself can respond to his wishes and every time he calls for a hunt, he always finds and captures his prey.”
I had had enough. “What a dirty trick your own father pulled! And to think that I’m in this predicament because of you!”
Charissa covered her eyes with folded hands as luminous tears rolled down her arms. “It was not I who told my father of your rejection,
Steve, please believe me! I had a fondness for you the moment I first laid my eyes on you and would have never wished this upon you. I realize that you will never love me if my father imprisons you here just like he did with so many others in past ages. The mortals that are trapped here without their consent ultimately wither and die and I do not want that to happen to you!”
I gently took her hands away from her face and smiled at her. “I-I’m sorry for telling you off like that. I had no idea that it wasn’t you who told. But you’ve got to help me find a way to win this contest.”
Charissa’s demeanor instantly changed from sadness into hope as she gave me a hug. “Oh Steve, if only there was a way to help you. But my father has never lost out to a single prey when he goes out on the Wild Hunt. The lone quarry always gets caught as they are ridden down because they are alone and have no help.”
“But Steve’s not alone,” Ray said to her. “I’m here to help and so are you. What can I do?”
I stepped back from her arms and nodded. “Yes, there must be a way! Since you have the power to become invisible can you make me invisible as well?”
Charissa shook her head. “I only have the power to make myself invisible or to change my form.”
My eyes opened wide as I thought of an idea. “That’s it then, if you can change your form can you become a copy of me and try to lead them away?”
Charissa smiled as she closed her eyes and began a silent chant. Within seconds her entire body began to shimmer into a blurred form and then quickly metamorphosed into an exact duplicate of me.
Ray tried to clap but no sound came from his hands. “Bravo! She looks exactly like you, Steve! That’s brilliant thinking right there.”
Charissa looked like me but her voice was still hers. “I’m going to turn left at the footpath ahead, Steve; you go the other way. I shall do this for you even though I have never helped a mortal before. But you must promise me that once you have the silver branch and are free to travel between worlds you shall come back here for a visit at least once for every year that passes by on your earth.”
Pagan Apocalypse Page 9
