Shadows to Stars Chapters 8 and 9

The next day, your black-clad new friend approaches you without a hoodie or cloak on the street as you walk back from the store. 

The air is dense with mist and the man pulls his hat over his ears with a shiver. "For now, you can call me Bodach. Did you figure out the one word message I left you in the Malleus pages?"

You fall into step beside him and merely nod. Bodach has a reassuring air about him and you find yourself relaxing for the first time since this whole Fae business began.

"Good on you, my friend." He pauses, clasps your elbow, and turns you to face him. "Listen carefully to what I'm going to tell you.  I know your curiosity has you wanting to follow Selina and that phooka to Sauvie Island, but don't you dare go."

"Why not?  It's just a tourist trap."

"Was just a tourist trap. It's something far more sinister now. Even if you could set foot on that place, which you can't at least not without Fae help, you'd never be the same again."

You swallow hard. “What-"

Bodach cuts you off with the slash of a hand. "I'm going to tell you something, well, a couple of somethings. To be honest, my Order could use your help because you have the Sight. Long ago we swore to protect one of the last magical human bloodlines, one that is being hunted down and eliminated systematically by someone or something on that island. We need to figure out how to stop it or a lot more than an ancient bloodline will be lost. I can’t tell you more than that now.”

"I saw you in the Lodge. Why not recruit some Fae and go there yourselves?"

A broad smile crept across your new friend's face. "We may not be Fae ourselves, but we are not quite human either.  Were we to go to Sauvie, our own magic would light us up like the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. My Order has never before welcomed in an outsider, but, times grow dark. Frankly, we're losing. It's unorthodox, but joining us could help us go where we cannot, and help you remain safe from unsavory Fae.”

Almost the same bargain Pangur Ban offered. “I’ve had about enough of magical beings 'protecting' me."

"Fair." Bodach tucks a slip of paper into your hand and steps into the shadows.  "I know you're going to follow that phooka despite my warning.  Stay a safe distance from Sauvie Island. When you tire of staring at the mist, go to that address. The password is the word you found in the Malleus pages. After you see what's inside, you can decide if you want to join us and walk deeper into this mystery."

Selina had fully expected the Phooka to stall, demand time to prepare, or insist on some elaborate ritual before agreeing to leave. Instead, he’d barely let her finish naming the time and place before declaring, “Grand! Let’s go!”

Because she needed time to gather supplies and, more importantly, didn’t want the Phooka knowing where she lived, she suggested they meet near the bridge to Sauvie Island at nightfall.

She didn’t love the idea of entering the island after dark, but fewer bystanders meant fewer prying eyes if things went wrong. Besides, Fae were just as dangerous in daylight as they were at night.

As they parked in the neighborhood overlooking the island to wait, Charlotte fidgeted, twisting a curl around her finger. “Do you trust him?”

Selina barely suppressed a laugh. “Trust him? No. But our bargain will keep him from outright killing us.”

Charlotte shifted restlessly. “You said Fae were tricky. Are you sure he can’t weasel out of the deal?”

Selina sighed. She wasn’t sure. But something else had been gnawing at her. An enclave of Fae, powerful enough to ward an entire island, should have sent the Phooka scrambling to talk them out of this deal. He should’ve been desperate to barter something else: riches, favors, glamour.

Instead, he’d jumped at the chance.

Whatever was on that island, he wanted in or wanted to get us in. And that was more terrifying than any trick he might pull. Before last night, Selina would have brought this conundrum to Hieronymous. After their last exchange she doubted he’d tell her anything. Suddenly she felt very alone. 

“The bargain will hold,” she said. A sliver of doubt refused to leave. Experience taught her Fae always found loopholes. No. She’d been thorough this time. “It’s what’s waiting for us on the island that worries me.”

Charlotte swallowed hard, but didn’t argue.

Selina and Charlotte exited the minivan near a row of houses overlooking Wapato Bridge. The sight of it sent a cold pulse of dread through her ribs. She remembered the last time they’d tried to cross; how the magic had sunk into her mind, twisting her fear into something desperate. Goosebumps spread over her skin as the night deepened.

Charlotte pulled her hoodie tight. “It means a lot, you know. All you’re doing for me. We only just met.”

Selina smiled, seeing flashes of her younger self. “When my visions started, I was alone. No one to tell me I wasn’t shattering. No one to help me control it.” Her voice softened. “I definitely know the feeling of needing someone in your corner.”

Charlotte toyed with the hoodie’s string. “I hope we’ll still be friends after we find my dad.”

Selina tapped the teen’s shoulder. “Bet on it.” She surprised herself by wanting Charlotte close, but it felt good to be the one looking out for the teen.

A low growl split the quiet.

A huge black dog trotted toward them, glowing yellow eyes cutting through the gloom.

Charlotte yelped and ducked behind the car, but Selina didn’t move.

The dog’s shape rippled, blurred at the edges, then snapped into the form of the Phooka, who smoothed his long neck ruff with a grin.

“Well,” he said, all teeth and mischief. “I can already tell you two will be absolute killjoys on this miserable quest.”

Charlotte peeked out from behind Selina. “You don’t have a car?”

The Phooka sighed dramatically. “I can ride for a short while in those dreadful iron machines, but it’s… uncomfortable.” He popped into the shape of a crow, flapped once, and shifted back. “I prefer more efficient modes of travel.”

Selina pressed the button on her keychain, and the van chirped. “Guess I’m driving, then.”

The Phooka wagged his finger. “Terrible idea. Smashing through those wards in a minivan would be like shining a beacon that says, ‘Hello, terrifying Fae overlords, please come kill us.’ Besides, you can’t drive when you’re glamoured.”

Charlotte clutched the amulet beneath her hoodie. 

Selina shook her head, and a cold edge sharpened her tone. “Not happening.”

“Oh, unbunch your granny panties, witch. The very specific deal we struck prevents me from harming you.”

Charlotte chewed her lip. “Why do we need it, though?”

The Phooka’s hooves clopped as he sauntered past the car. “Why do doctors give sedatives to screaming patients?”

Charlotte blinked. “To calm them down?”

He snapped his fingers. “Exactly. Without my glamour, you’ll panic before we’re even halfway across. And unlike sedatives, I can turn it off as soon as we land.”

Selina hated that he made sense. Still, she wanted assurances. “Swear you’ll drop it the instant our feet touch the island.”

The Phooka clapped a hand to his chest and lifted the other, palm forward. “I solemnly swear to unglamour you even if the horrors you see turn you instantly into gibbering fools.”

Charlotte tensed. “Horrors?”

Selina shot the Phooka a glare. “Nice. Her dad’s on that island.”

The Phooka spread his arms as his shape grew and coalesced into something massive. “And we’re going to find him. Let’s move along, then.”

Charlotte’s jaw gaped. Selina followed her gaze and registered a black griffin with glowing yellow eyes. 

The Phooka clacked his beak. “What? You thought we’d just stroll over? Even with my glamour, the more time you spend in the ward, the harder it will be.” He stomped a clawed foot and lifted his chin high. “All aboard!” He lowered his wing.

Selina helped Charlotte clamber on his back and slid in behind her. “Wrap your arms around his neck and don’t let go.”

Charlotte gulped and cast a backward glance. “I’ll hold tight enough to choke him. I don’t like heights.”

“Not cool.” The Phooka sniffed the air and stuck out his tongue. “Is that iron?”

The talismans. Crap. Selina fished out hers out. “Charlotte, take yours off, too.” She tossed her pendant onto the hood of her car.

The teen frowned, but complied. 

The Phooka griffin galloped along the lamplit street, unfurled his wings, and lurched into the night sky. Charlotte yelped and clenched the Phooka’s neck hard enough to make him squawk.

The ward sank into Selina’s mind like claws. Her heart pounded, sweat beading her upper lip. The terror built. Immediately, a warm, shimmering sensation replaced it.

The Phooka’s glamour.

Charlotte giggled. Selina slurred, “Don’t let go.” 

The warm haze wrapped around her, dulling her thoughts. Somewhere in the distance, a voice, her own, screamed dire warnings, but she let them drift away as the exhilaration of flight overtook her.

The feathered back beneath her tottered to a halt. 

The beast squawked. “Thank you for choosing me for all your travel needs. The shapeshifter has come to a complete stop, so please get the fuck off my back. You’re both heavier than you look.”

Charlotte rubbed between her shoulder blades as she slid off. “Like whiplash. One moment I was blissing out. The next…” 

Selina landed beside her, shaking off the lingering effects of the glamour. A bloom of cold sweat sent a shiver up her spine. The terror had vanished now that they were through, but the fog was everywhere, thick as liquid. 

Something about it made her skin crawl. Fog should drift with the wind. This moved in spirals, coiling, slithering like it had intent. Thick tendrils slid along the ground, brushing against her like searching fingers.

Where it touched, her skin tingled like blood rushing back to a dead limb.

Selina swallowed hard. She could feel the power in the mist. Whatever magic was fueling this, it was ancient and impossibly strong. 

Charlotte must have felt it, too. She rubbed her arms, stuffing her hands deep in her hoodie pocket. Her eyes bored into the shifting mist, tracking its movements.

The Phooka, now in his true form, stared into the fog, ears drooping. His long fingers traced patterns in the air. “I’d started to believe the day would never come,” he murmured. “That it wasn’t true.”

The Phooka’s words snagged. Not true? For a heartbeat, Selina was stone as every suspicion bubbled to the surface. “What wasn’t true?” 

His black ears jerked up, his usual unctuous grin snapping into place. But it didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, nothing. I’d feared the Fae would never again gather… never create a home of our own.”

Charlotte bristled. “This isn’t your home. It’s ours. You can’t just take it.”

The Phooka’s lip curled. “And before you, it belonged to the Multnomah people. I imagine they said the same thing.”

Selina stepped between them, shooting the Phooka a warning look. “We can debate that later. Right now, we’re here to find Charlotte’s father.” 

She kept herself between the Phooka and Charlotte. Every moment with the Phooka only compounded her distrust.

He waved a palm inches from his nose. “Might be difficult. I can barely see my hand.”

Selina tried to fan the mist from her face unsuccessfully. “Need I remind you of our deal? I’m sure your magic can clear us a path.”

Instead of answering immediately, he ran a hand through the fog. The mist curled around his fingers like it welcomed him. “This seems bigger than a missing person,” he said at last. “Are you sure you want to keep going?”

Charlotte rounded on him. “We’re not abandoning my dad!”

Selina took a wavering step deeper into the fog. “Maybe there’s a clearing up ahead. We just need a landmark.”

“Can’t you fly us until you see one?” Charlotte asked.

The Phooka let out a single dry chuff. “No can do, my sweet summer child. You were too busy tripping the light fantastic to remember, but we almost crashed mid-flight. There’s another barrier. Keeps us grounded just below the treetops.”

Selina halted mid-step. “Then we go on foot.” She tilted her head, listening, then pointed. “I hear water behind us. This way leads deeper onto the island, maybe to clearer ground.”

With a final glance at the restless fog, she stepped into the white, letting it erase the world behind her.

It took only minutes of walking before the mist thinned, revealing a road lined with darkened houses. Not a single light shone. One door stood wide open, swinging slightly.

A cold stone settled in Selina’s stomach. “Something’s off. Shouldn’t there be power? People?”

The Phooka flapped a hand. “That’s an easy one. No. Once the enchantment grew strong enough, people would’ve left for work, a show, whatever, and never came back.” He jerked a thumb at Charlotte. “Like this one.”

Charlotte gulped. “My dad worked from home. That’s why he never left.” She pointed at a snapped power line and a jagged break in the road, like some force had pulled the island apart. “That’s probably why there’s no power.”

Selina exhaled slowly. They needed to find Ellis Holloway and leave. No street sign marked their location, but there weren’t many roads on the island. “Charlotte, do you know where we are?”

She was already jogging ahead. “This has to be Gillihan Road. We live just past the organic farm.”

Selina and the Phooka hurried to keep up. After a few minutes, Selina’s lungs burned. “Charlotte… hold up.”

The Phooka’s laugh was an irritating bray. “Skipped gym class one too many times?”

Selina shot him a glare. “How far, Charlotte?”

The Phooka examined another jagged split in the pavement. “Further than you think. The island is growing.”

The corner of Charlotte’s mouth twisted as her forehead wrinkled. “That’s impossible. An island can’t just grow.”

The Phooka pointed lazily at the broken power lines and the widening cracks in the road. “Then what caused that?”

Selina frowned. In this world, Fae could bend fire, summon storms. Their own domain, the Underworld, was more fluid, shaped by their will. But not here. Her world wasn’t this malleable. Or shouldn’t be. “We’ll theorize later. First, we find Ellis.”

A wave of mist rolled over them, prickling her skin like static. Selina inhaled and instantly regretted it. Her lungs burned, not with heat, but with something harsher. The sensation was more like a chemical burn.

She turned to Charlotte. “You feel that?”

“Like bugs on my skin and breathing acid? Yeah. What is it?”

Selina lifted her palms to the Phooka. “You seem to know more than you’re saying. What is this? You feeling it too?”

He shook his head. “All I feel is cold. This isn’t any magic I’ve—”

A wavering howl shattered the night. Too guttural to be a wolf.

Charlotte gripped Selina’s arm. “What was that?”

Selina tightened her hold on the girl. “No idea. But we need to move. Now.”

The Phooka’s form rippled and stretched, and suddenly, a sleek black horse pawed the ground with a gleaming black hoof. “For once,” he said, tossing his mane, “I agree with you. Hop on.”

The equine Phooka raced along the disintegrating roadway, following Charlotte’s directions. Not a single home they passed seemed occupied. Some were scorched, black streaks licking up the siding. One that sat close to the road showed claw marks raked across the door.

Charlotte hadn’t seemed to notice, and Selina was glad.

“There! Turn right, Phooka.” Charlotte was jabbing her finger at a long driveway. “That’s my house.”

Before Selina could stop her, Charlotte leapt from the Phooka’s back. “Charlotte! Wait!”

An ache formed in her throat. She wanted to ease Charlotte through what she’d see in her home. Bits of what Selina had seen during the tarot reading resurfaced. She knew the devastation Charlotte would soon discover.

Charlotte sprinted up the concrete porch steps and wrenched the door open. Selina raced in behind her, cold dread punching through her chest. Reality was much sharper than her vision of this place had been. 

The interior of the home was completely shredded. The couch lay overturned, its stuffing spread through the room. Claw marks from something huge marred every wall, densest around a shattered mirror.

Charlotte’s strained voice carried through the house. “Dad! It’s me. Where are you?”

Selina darted toward the stairs, but the Phooka caught her arm. “If he was here,” he muttered, “he’s probably dead.”

Selina shoved him off. “Hush. Don’t let her hear you say that.”

The Phooka’s golden eyes gleamed. “What? The truth?”

Selina ignored him. No blood. No body. That meant Ellis could still be alive.

The Phooka sniffed the air and sauntered toward the kitchen. “Oh, I found blood in here.”

Selina followed, her throat tightening at the scent of rotting food. The Phooka crouched beside a dark stain on the floor. A patch of blood congealed with a clump of long gray fur.

“Squirrel?” Selina murmured.

The Phooka grimaced. “Looks that way. But why kill an arboreal rodent in the kitchen?”

Selina listened for Charlotte. No more shouts for her father. Just quiet sobs.

She bit her bottom lip and climbed the stairs. Every room was in the same state: claw marks on the walls, shattered mirrors, destruction everywhere.

At the end of the hall, Charlotte sat on a small bed, her face buried in her hands.

Selina sank beside her. “No luck, huh?”

Charlotte threw her arms around Selina and sobbed. “What happened here? He’d never leave the house like this.”

Selina held her and stroked the girl’s hair. “I don’t know, sweet. But there’s no blood. He must have escaped, or maybe he left to look for you.”

A sharp whistle cut through the night.

Selina froze.

The Phooka’s voice slithered up the stairs. “Attempted reunion’s over. You need to get down here. Quickly.”

Charlotte jerked upright. “Dad?”

The Phooka’s tone was clipped. “Not unless your dad is Fae.”

Selina grabbed the girl by the hand and bolted for the stairs. “Any Fae here are bad news. He’s right, we have to go.”

Charlotte pulled her hand free. “One second.” She darted to the bedroom mirror, snatching a handful of photographs and a Beanie Baby, a yellow cat. She shoved them into her hoodie pocket before sprinting for the stairs.

Selina chased after her. They found the Phooka pressed flat against the wall below the dining-room window. He mimed for them to drop low.

Charlotte clamped a hand over her mouth and sank to her knees. Selina crouched beside her, heart hammering.

The Phooka whispered, “One of the Sidhe. Unseelie.”

Charlotte squinted. A tall male figure crept along the tree line, his silhouette barely visible through the mist. Then he pursed his lips and blew another sharp, eerie whistle.

Charlotte leaned into the Phooka. “What’s an Unseelie Sidhe?”

The Phooka didn’t look away from the window. “You’d call them elves. All Unseelie are… less friendly. Think Tinkerbell versus Maleficent.”

Selina’s blood whooshed in her ears. “We can’t get trapped in here. We need to slip past the Unseelie.” She had managed herself with Pangur Ban and the Phooka, but she knew her limits. A fight with Unseelie gentry was a no-win encounter.

The Phooka pointed out the window. “Easy. If there was just one. But looks like he brought friends.”

Selina risked a glance.

More figures emerged from the mist. A stocky, winged Fae approached the Sidhe with a dagger drawn. Behind her, a goblin and another elf. More slid through the fog, their forms blurring in the shifting whiteness.

The winged woman bowed to the elf warily scanned their surroundings. “No sign of it. But we found half a dozen Fae remains. Unrecognizable. What it didn’t eat, it shredded.”

The goblin spat. “Also found parts of two humans.”

Selina tensed.

The elf poised a hand over the sword heated at his hip. “Changed?”

The goblin shook his head. “No, sir. Not enough left to be sure though. They looked normal, but could’ve been in an early stage of metamorphosis.”

Selina inched closer to the window, ignoring the Phooka’s warning hiss. She didn’t plan to run out and ask if they’d seen a middle-aged Black man named Ellis, but she needed to hear everything.

The Sidhe grunted. “All the kills we’ve found are within a two-mile radius of this house. If the mist transforms them into beasts, maybe they’re instinctively returning to their dens. If we wait here, it’s sure to return.”

The winged Fae lifted her chin. “We should get reinforcements. One of the dead was a troll. That thing killed and ate a troll.”

“No. We’re spread thin. We stay. Tell the others to form a perimeter.” He snarled at the Holloway house.

The air around Selina seemed to shrink. The Phooka was right. Their chances of finding Ellis and surviving were rapidly approaching zero.

A new figure emerged from the trees. A tall, wispy woman with feathery white hair. “It could be inside.” She gestured to the house. “We should secure the residence.”

The Phooka’s form rippled, expanding into a massive black wolf. His yellow eyes burned. “Fuck. Fuckity fuck. We can’t be caught here. I knew you two were trouble. We need to get back to Portland. Now!” 

Selina crept toward the kitchen and snatched two knives from the block. She pressed one into Charlotte’s hand. “Remember your bargain, Phooka. We have to find Ellis. And avoid whatever beast they’re hunting.”

Charlotte’s hands shook as she raised the knife.

The Phooka pressed against the door, muscles coiled. “Break for the road. Don’t stop running or fighting until we’re clear.”

Selina pressed her free hand against Charlotte’s back and gave the Phooka a nod.

The Phooka threw the door open and they burst onto the front porch.

***

The malice rolling off that island makes your skin crawl. Bodach's offer becomes more tempting by the moment. You unfold the little wad of paper he gave you.

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