UnSeelie Dreams VI

Finally the path all but diappeared under his feet and he came upon a clearing with a pond in the center, surrounded by tall grass. The water was a pure black surface reflecting nothing, not even the moon.

He continued on down the glade, heading for the pond, even though his instincts told him not to approach it. His skin crawled with each step and he fought hard to turn back, but to where, there was no where to turn back to. He stopped and looked back at the trees which appeared to be miles away even though he had just stepped out of them.

Yet the more he walked toward the waters edge the further away and the smaller it got. And still there was no reflection of the surface, no life flickered at all. There was only the hush of dread, of the unknown and unknowable.

His need to survive kept him moving forward. The voice inside whispered, you cannot go back, to get out you have to keep moving forward. Only way out of Shadowlands. Keep moving and never look back.

When he neared the center of the glade, the pond became a stone, round and the size of a shield. Its surface was silvery star light beaming up at him like reflective hematite. He bent down for a better look and was startled by what he saw staring back at him.

An eye appeared from the stone, it took up nearly the entire circumfirence, as it gazed upon him. He startled back from it, amazed yet repulsed by the presence.

The area around the eye was black as pitch with areas that glittered and fluttered about lazily, the iris was a tricolored iridecent peacock of teals, azures, and lilacs. Upon closer inspection he saw three veins running around the cornea. There were tiny insects, almost like butterflies, surrounding it.

Its gaze was intense, mesmerizing. He could not pull away. The insects fluttering increased.

Don't look, the voice cautioned. A sound echoed in the distance.

Don't look into its eye, came the warning.

The sound grew into a howling of wind, of wolves, or just of wild things that he didn't want to think about, so he continued to look.

Something hard slapped him to attention, his face stang where his insect lay on his cheek. He groaned as seering hot pain knifed through his left eye. He turned around to find the orchard was gone and the ground was running with shadows, coming closer, howling with rage and hunger.

The Wild Hunt comes for you. You must move. Go!

He stumbled back, turning to run, then he fell against the stone and continued to tumble downward through the hematite and into the belly of Eco.