Ehriad: A Novella of the Otherworld Read online

  “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?

  Yes, my conscience whispered. Oh no, nothing good would ever come out of this . . .

  I gritted my teeth and hissed as a long, thin blackberry vine sliced across my neck. I ignored the burn and kept moving. If the Morrigan’s hellhounds were involved, then the girl was in real trouble. Could the goddess know what Meghan was, or was she just interested because I had been interested? Or was I simply overreacting? The Cumorrig could have wandered into the mortal world on their own; it had happened before.

  Growling, I picked up my pace, hurdling over a fallen eucalyptus tree and landing in the middle of a small meadow where, it seemed, all hell had broken loose. Off to the side the girl was trying to crawl away from an onslaught of two or three of the hellhounds while Fergus fought off one of his own. I didn’t spend much more time studying the scene. With the moonlight to help aid my sight, I reached for the closest Cumorrig, the one trying to get to the girl’s neck.

  I quickly took care of the other hounds, breaking their necks and crushing their skulls to ensure they didn’t resume their attack, all the while keeping the angry beast that was my fae magic in check. I threw their carcasses deep into the brush where they could disintegrate out of sight. I would be punished for it later; the Morrigan did not appreciate a waste of her favored minions, but at the moment I didn’t care.

  Silence, like a dark shroud, descended upon the small glade, punctuated only by Fergus’s gentle panting.

  All clear? I sent him before turning to glance at the girl who was doing her best not to be noticed.

  Yes, he returned, no more faelah.

  Good. Setting my mouth into a firm line, I slowly turned and began studying the young woman sitting on the ground in mute shock. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and her hair a mess. She wore a nightgown of sorts, something that looked more like a long t-shirt. She sat stiffly, obviously
terrified, but trying very hard not to let her panic take over. I smiled, impressed with her resolve. Most humans would have lost it by now, after having been attacked by faelah. But she was Faelorehn, made of stronger stuff than your average mortal. However, if I was judging correctly, I’d say she’d never seen anything Otherworldly in her life. But perhaps I was wrong . . .

  Taking a small breath, I lowered my eyes, years upon years of training forcing me to study her entire person to make sure she had no obvious injuries. My gaze dropped further and I caught my breath. The nightgown had gathered at her waist, baring her naked legs, pale as her face in the moonlight. For a moment I was blissfully distracted, that is, until my conscience kicked in.

  Don’t stare Cade. Remember, you want to help the girl, not convince her you are some twisted degenerate . . .

  Unfortunately, I think it was too late for that. I could only hope that the hood of my trench coat hid my face from her view. I turned my eyes away, just in case she could see me, though I wouldn’t mind studying those shapely legs a bit longer.

  Focus Cade, the poor girl’s been traumatized. She needs help, not ogling.

  While my conscience was busy scolding me into behaving like a gentleman, Meghan decided it was safe enough to talk.

  “Who are you?”

  Her voice trembled. Time to play it smooth. You’ve been dying to learn more about this strange girl for months now. Here’s your opportunity. Don’t mess it up. Slow, careful movements and gentle words . . .

  I dropped into a crouch, trying to make myself smaller so I wouldn’t appear so intimidating. Apparently that was the wrong thing to do. She made a small noise and tried to scoot back further, her exposed legs still causing a distraction. I took a breath, ready to say something with every intention to reassure her, but she beat me to it.

  “Hobo Bob?”

  I could tell right away that she hadn’t meant to say those particular words, for she seemed to shrink in on herself and even in the dim moonlight I could see her blush.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled, scraping at her hair nervously, “I mean-”

  I released a small laugh, hoping it would lighten the mood, then spoke before she had a chance to continue, “Is that the title you have awarded me?”

  “Huh?”

  I chuckled again and stood back up. Crouching was uncomfortable and the fear pouring off of her eased a little when I backed away.

  “I often heard the spoken insults of the young people attending your school, but I never paid them much attention.”

  And it was true. The times I spent loitering around the high school, trying to sniff out faelah and then that thread of glamour she trailed around, I’d allowed my own magic to enhance my hearing and managed to catch several conversations traded between the students. Most of them were tedious, bland or the typical cruel gossip I often found in such places. But on several occasions I’d caught them eyeing me warily and using the moniker ‘Hobo Bob’ while pointing indiscreetly. I didn’t mind. It kept their curiosity at bay. No one ever bothered to pay much attention to a vagrant.

  I sighed and lowered my hood. I was through with being Hobo Bob. If I was going to learn more about this girl and in turn help her, then she needed to know I wasn’t going to harm her. Though this was not how I planned on introducing myself.

  I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and caught her studying my face. She didn’t seem afraid, but almost fascinated. A smug smile pulled at the corners of my mouth and I allowed myself to believe she liked what she saw. Since she was scrutinizing me, I let my gaze drop once again to her legs. Nice legs, long and lean like most of the Faelorehn. I wondered then who she belonged to. She obviously had no idea where she had come from, so I suspected she’d been under the impression she was human for a very long time.

  Meghan emitted a small gasp and quickly scrambled to pull her nightgown down. I guess I had been staring a bit too long. I felt my face turn hot and almost laughed out loud. When was the last time I’d flushed like this? Probably not since I was no higher than Fergus’s shoulder. Now, why should I care if Meghan caught me admiring her? Oh, this girl was definitely going to cause some turbulence in my already tumultuous life.

  “Forgive me,” I finally murmured, shrugging off my trench coat and placing it over her shoulders. I hoped it didn’t smell too terrible after spending half a week in the woods with me.

  “What were those things? Those . . . dogs?” she asked after a long moment.

  “Hounds of the Morrigan. Cumorrig.”

  “What?”

  I huffed a tiny breath. Well, I had decided to help her discover who she was, hadn’t I?

  “Most folklorists would call them hellhounds,” I offered. Yes Cade, break it to her slowly. She’s been through a terrible shock.

  We were both silent for a long time and I had a feeling she was either trying to take this all in or simply figuring out how to get away from this nightmare. I couldn’t say I blamed her.

  “Thanks for helping me, but, um, who are you?”

  Not quite what I expected her to say next, but at least she was still talking. I wanted more than anything to spend the rest of the night speaking with her, but what she needed most right now was a good night’s rest without any nightmares to trouble her sleep. There was only one way to make that happen and it involved doing something I really didn’t want to do.

  Every Faelorehn being had the power to erase another’s memory, but none of us was ever supposed to use that power. Some, like the Morrigan, exploited it whenever it suited them, but others were careful to use it only when necessary, and sometimes it was necessary. Like right now. I wanted to help Meghan and in order to do that I had to erase as much of tonight’s ordeal from her mind as possible. It would be like erasing the chalk from a board; all one did was smear the white powder around until the words were no longer visible. That’s what I’d do with Meghan’s memories. I’d smudge them to the point where she couldn’t read them anymore.

  “You were right in guessing my identity earlier,” I said as a way to distract her a little. A distraction always helped with the erasing process.

  She leaned her head back to watch me, her expression one of pensiveness. Okay, good . . .

  “Our first meeting wasn’t supposed to go this way.”

  Alright, I wasn’t really sure how our first meeting would have gone had I had any control over it, but it definitely would not have included the Morrigan’s hounds.

  Suddenly, she tried to stand up so I reached out a hand and said her name, then blanched. Not smart, Cade.

  She shied away and murmured something that might have been an expression of gratitude as she tried to hand me my coat. Wonderful. She looked ready to bolt.

  “You can’t go on your own,” I blurted, desperate to salvage what I could from this terrible night.

  “Please,” she rasped, “I just want to go home.”

  I stiffened and drew away from her. “You’re afraid of me.”

  Well, of course she is you dolt! Sometimes I really hated my conscience.

  It was too late to try and calm her, so I decided to go ahead with my plan. If I was lucky, she’d forget this entire night.

  “I screwed this all up, I know, but it’s best if you forget any of this ever happened.”

  She became fully alert, her eyes darting back and forth like a cornered deer.

  I moved slowly forward. “Tomorrow, this will all seem like a dream. I’ll send Fergus in a week. Follow him and I’ll introduce myself properly.”

  “What are you doing?” she squeaked.

  Before she could dart into the forest, I let my glamour flow from my fingertips, enclosing her in an invisible web of magic.

  She gasped and started to collapse, but I caught her gently in my arms.

  “Who are you?” she murmured blearily.

  This time, I answered her.

  “You can call me Cade,” I said softly, “but you won’t remember any of this, so it doesn’t matter.”
r />   She went completely limp and I scooped her up into my arms, holding her close to my chest. I savored her comfortable weight and breathed in her unique smell for a few moments. The scent of lavender and spring surrounded her and all of my aches and pains from the last several weeks of faelah hunting seemed to disappear.

  You could have handled that much better, Fergus said into my mind.

  I grumbled and glanced down to find him panting up at me.

  Oh, if that isn’t the understatement of the evening, I don’t know what is, I sent back.

  You like her, he returned.

  I ignored him and turned to walk up the equestrian path. As we made our way through the dark towards Meghan Elam’s house, I could have sworn I heard the echo of canine laughter in my head.

  * * *

  The door to Meghan’s room was unlocked and wide open. Fergus had admitted to leading her down into the swamp and I had chastised him for it.

  You wished to learn more about her and since the duinba were gone I thought it an opportune time.

  First of all, we weren’t absolutely sure the duinba were all gone, and secondly, don’t you think it’s a lot more dangerous leading her into a swamp infested with Cumorrig?

  He sniffed and said, I was unaware of the hellhounds.

  I shook my head. I would never understand canine logic.

  Checking to make sure there were no other humans about, I stepped through the door and crossed the room. It was dark, but I could pick out a few details. The room was a bit cluttered and it resembled the typical teenage girl’s domain: a lava lamp in one corner, posters adorning the walls, a desk, a small couch, a TV, a computer . . .

  I sidestepped a few piles of clothes and came to the bed, laying Meghan’s unconscious form gently on the mattress and pulling the sheets up around her. Before I left, I simply watched her for a moment, reaching out a hand and caressing her face. Her skin was smooth and cool and an image of her reaching up and pressing her hand to mine shot through my mind. I pulled my hand back and sucked in a breath. It was dangerous to have such thoughts, especially if the Morrigan knew as much, if not more, than I did. I would have to play this all out very carefully, and if I was smart, I’d assume the goddess knew everything.