UnSeelie Dreams XV

The woman, he knew, spoke to his heart and all he had was her. The mead was too sweet for his taste but he finished off the glass allowing the amber liquid to warm him. He contemplated the Faun and the gauntlet under hooded gaze. The silver shone against the soft unnatural glow coming from the walls and ceiling. He didn’t dare give in to them as much as he already had given.

“And if I don’t do what She wants?”

“Then you will no longer be under Her protection.”

“What does that mean?”

The Faun did not explain further but he shivered at the thought of the possible alternatives. His mind instantly filled with visions of limbs torn and cries so shrill it was hard to imagine ever belonging to a human. Growing pale with the knowledge of the happened to last unfortunate soul, he glared and picked up the gauntlet.

It fit snugly against his right malformed hand. He flexed his hand into a fist then relaxed.

“Never touch any of the food offered or take any fruit from the trees in the realms you will enter.” Suddenly Faun stood in front of him, lifting his chin to meet him eye to eye.

It chuckled as he jerked away. Faun tossed a small bag of coins onto the table. “You will have need of these where you are going.”

Quickly, he snatched the bag up. “When do I leave?”

“Time is of no consequence here.”

The floor shifted under him. He fought to gain his balance as he reached out to grab at anything. Cold hematite melted and he found himself falling into a vast universe. Again he awoke before the full moon and the crashing waves of the sea. The smell of apple blossoms clung to the air and a taint of decay filled him with dread.

He lay on the ground in a valley beyond the apple orchard listening to the turmoil of the ocean’s rage just over the cliff wall. Wild flowers and wetland rushes covered him, concealing him from sight. He took a moment to clear his head. Just over the noise of the waves he could hear the rustling heading toward him.

They come for you. The voice whispered in his head. Must not panic, be still.

Sweat beaded his brow as he held still, not even daring to breathe. Who are they? He asked the voice silently. The answer came in a vision of foulness and blood, jagged teeth and yellowish eyes which held no sympathy or empathy, only a dull cruelty and hunger for flesh.

He could hear the grunting and thrashing behind him. His heart pounded as adrenaline pumped through him but he fought the urge to run. Clutching the bag of coins firmly, he waited for the signal in his head to move.

Keep very still.

There suddenly came panting cries as something or someone was running for their lives. He shuddered at the rush of movement coming very close to his hiding place. Screams echoed around him. He could hear bones breaking and gurgles.

Move slowly away now. They will not notice you while they are feeding. Do not let the grass cut you, they can smell blood. And they will hunt you.

He gagged but edged away from the slaughter. Gently he moved through the rushes toward the river, letting the water protect his skin from the sharp blades. He could still hear the feasting behind him.

He crawled until he could not hear anything but the night. How long had he been trapped? He no longer knew or even cared. A bitter smile touched his lips. Time is of no consequence here. Here was just nightmare upon nightmare.

Weary, he stopped moving and rested on the bank. The river was murky and thick, its dark depths reflected the moon over head. A lit torch with an attached chain running out across the water and well into the dark beckoned him forward.