After the Dark Read online

  “I dunno — I just felt weird after — like there was this other possibility I’d never considered. It made me feel small somehow,” Dirk said.

  “Oh, I wonder what it’s like to feel small,” said Pil with a sarcastic smile, attempting to lighten the mood.

  “You know what I meant, Pil —”

  “Yeah, I get it. It’s no good thinking on it, though. I don’t think there’s a real answer to that question. We might as well pretend it doesn’t exist, right?”

  Dirk nodded. There was a long silence after which Felicity, Pil, and Dirk were lost in their own thoughts, and Sandy hummed quietly to himself. Time stretched on and the trees began to blend together. It felt to Pil like they had been traveling for hours, and the sun weighed more and more heavily on his shoulders. Finally, without any indication, Pil stopped and the others followed suit.

  “Let’s rest here a bit,” said Pil, tired. “Up in the trees again — I think.”

  Dirk nodded gratefully and they immediately began to unpack. It didn’t take long before their hammocks were set up in the tree and Pil was laying in his, waiting for the rest of them to get settled. The warm sun now felt like a familiar friend, and it made him unusually tired. Eventually the warmth and peaceful atmosphere of Lungala lulled him into a quiet sleep.

  Pil woke, confused; he hadn’t meant to fall asleep so deeply. He felt well rested but still drowsy.

  As he hopped out of his hammock and took in the view, he wondered idly how long they had all slept. There was no way to tell the time of the day, the sky was bright as ever and would remain that way for several days. And although there was now a slight wind, everything seemed much the same. A bed of closely woven trees threw darkness across the untouched patch of land that, at first glance, teemed with life. It was only upon closer inspection that Pil noticed the extreme stillness that encompassed the vibrant landscape, like an eerie silence that screamed of danger.

  Felicity, it seemed, had fallen asleep after all, and Sandy and Dirk remained severely lifeless, snoring softly in their sections of the large oak. Pil jumped down from the tree and took in the quiet field of greenery.

  The wind picked up suddenly and brought with it a far-off sound. It was like the low-pitched hum of distant song whispering lightly against the sound of the wind. It caught Pil’s sharp ears but instead of feeling afraid or curious as the hum rolled over a series of octaves, he felt only an intensely serene sensation begin to spread over him. The song grew as Pil tuned into it and along with it grew his feeling of tranquility.

  As though from far away he heard himself whistle sharply up to warn his friends. He wasn’t quite sure why he needed to warn them, clearly whatever was making this gentle noise was nothing dangerous.

  Pil was completely mesmerized by the song as it pitched, high and low, seemingly coming from the wind itself. He hardly noticed at all as Felicity and Dirk dropped down next to him.

  “Pil, what —” began Felicity, but she quieted at the look on his face.

  Pil turned to her as if in a daze. She was looking at him with concern. Dirk had his ears turned towards the wind as he listened intently.

  “What is that?” Dirk whispered.

  “What is what?” Felicity asked entirely too loud. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “You don’t hear the song?” said Pil quietly so as not to overwhelm the voice that was now clear in his ears. It was all around them now, clearly a girl’s voice, but how could anything be quite so lovely?

  Pil saw Sandy fall clumsily from the tree and walk over to them, his face a mask, his eyes still closed.

  “Sandy!” said Felicity loudly. Pil shushed her, but she ignored him. “Sandy…” she said again, trying to grab him. But he ignored her and walked serenely forward as though sleep-walking.

  “Pil, what’s going on?” Felicity asked in a scared voice.

  Pil, too, ignored her and turned around to the spot in the forest where the music was coming from. Vaguely he noticed Sandy pass him by, heading for the spot, still fast asleep.

  And then another voice joined the first, wordless and beautiful, and nothing else mattered. He could still hear Felicity, but she sounded very far away now, so intent was he on hearing the sweet sounds mingling so softly together.

  “Pil — Pil, he’s going into the forest!” Felicity shouted as though through a fog.

  What did it matter to him where Sandy went; what did anything matter? Only the gentle humming of the two voices playing lightly along the wind was what really mattered, wasn’t it?

  But he could now see Sandy; he was walking headlong towards the spot Pil was staring attentively at. Pil felt jealousy roar up inside him, seeming to deafen out the world. He would not let Sandy get to the voice before him! He had to see what lovely creature was creating it, and he should be the first. Pil noticed he was already walking forward, heading after Sandy, who was pushing slowly through the brush.

  “Pil!” screamed Felicity rudely as she hurried to catch up to him. “Pil, Stop! Dirk — help me — Dirk, hey! Where are you going?! Not you too!”

  Pil ignored her and walked on. Really, now, she ought not to be making so much noise. Felicity’s interrupting the music, Pil thought as he caught up to Sandy.

  Tranquilly Pil pushed past Sandy without sparing him a glance. He would reach the spot first. His eyes were trained for the sight of whoever was making the music, which was getting louder with every step.

  The whole of his extremely sharp ears were fixed on the song as it pitched and rolled; so that he hardly heard at all Dirk’s heavy footsteps as he crashed through the forest behind him.

  “Pil! Dirk! Sandy!” Felicity practically screamed in an anxious, but harsh whisper.

  Pil sped up. Dirk might catch up to him soon, but he had to be the first to see them. A separate quiet part of him wondered where he was going. But what did it matter? Surely nothing that could make this sound could be dangerous. Moreover, the voices were female and very pretty. The women who were singing it must be very beautiful.

  “Pil — get back here!” said Felicity as she rushed up next to him. She pulled him lightly by the wrist in the opposite direction.

  Pil said nothing but pulled onward, only slightly irritated by her interference. He dragged her through the forest with him, still staring ahead. Suddenly, a dark copse of trees gained his attention. The leaves of some closely planted trees were woven together to make up a shade in the bright morning sun. It seemed to Pil that this was where the song was drifting from, he was almost sure of it.

  The sound was quicker now, more hurried, pitching and falling as if drawing him quicker to it. Obligingly, he sped up to match it. He was jogging openly now and didn’t care if anything heard him crashing through Lungala or what lay ahead. Felicity was dragged along with him as he was stronger than all her weight.

  “Pil, stop it — it’s dangerous. You’ll get us killed!” she screamed desperately.

  Pil could have laughed, but he was too intent on getting to the dark shade in the forest. Surely nothing in there would be dangerous; it seemed to him that Felicity was just being jealous.

  Felicity finally gave up her useless pulling and instead unsheathed his sword from his side. Carefully she followed next to him. Pil frowned at her but continued forward. The song was so strong now, it seemed to be pulling him like a rope. The shade was growing close and he could almost see dark shapes standing inside. Pil flew across the forest until he, at last, walked into the shade.

  14

  Fairy

  Standing serenely in a pool of leaves were the two most beautiful women Pil had ever seen. They were timeless, and their skin was porcelain and smooth. Each of them had long, flowing night-black braids, and extremely sharp features.

  They were wearing strange blood-red leather clothes, which were woven tightly around their bodies, highlighting their frames. Their large eyes were black, pure black, with no whites to be seen. But it was a beautiful effect, thought Pil. Even their sharp eyebrows and t
heir pointed ears, which were unusually long, seemed only to accent their beautifully proportioned faces. Suddenly Pil realized the singing had stopped and the girls were watching him passively as he gaped openly at them.

  “Hello, boy,” said one of them in a voice like the chiming of the wind. “What is your name?” she asked with a toothless smile.

  “P — Pil,” he stuttered in awe.

  “Such a pretty name,” she replied. Her voice was like the music, honeyed and warm. “Won’t you come closer?”

  Pil nodded and was just about to run to her when Felicity jumped quickly into the shadow, brandishing his sword.

  “Don’t touch him!” she yelled furiously.

  Pil turned to her. For a moment he was furious at her. What was she doing being so mean to these nice strangers?

  But the moment faded as a loud hiss tore through the air behind him. Pil spun around to see that the beautiful black-eyed women had changed. They looked fierce and cold they were sneering at Felicity with mouths full of razor-sharp teeth. Their bodies suddenly looked withered and he noticed for the first time that they had long pointed nails.

  Feeling suddenly returned to Pil’s body with a flood of confusion. What was he doing? Why had he been acting so strange, his mind had felt so foggy and faraway. As Pil took in the shocking creatures in front of him, he suddenly understood. This was magic, he had been put under a spell and had led Felicity into danger.

  The two women before him were posed as if ready to leap at Felicity. And suddenly Pil was furious, furious at himself for being tricked, for acting so recklessly. Pil ran in front of Felicity, grabbed the sword from her hands and brought it out to face them.

  “What are you?” Pil growled at them.

  They turned to look at him in unison with hard, mocking expressions on their faces. “We are Fairies from Carroway Valley,” replied one of them coldly. “And you, small Elfin, are food.”

  Pil went cold. He had heard of the Fairies, but there were no pictures. Never would he have imagined them to look like this, beautiful and yet terrible.

  Suddenly Sandy appeared, cutting through the tension of the glade as he trotted peacefully through the leaves towards the Fairies. He was still dead asleep.

  Pil held out his sword and pushed Sandy back with the flat side of the blade. Sandy faltered back but then continued walking, attempting to pass through Pil’s sword. Pil grabbed hold of him and slapped him hard in the face. Sandy woke with a start.

  “Was — where’s the singing food?” he said groggily, rubbing his eyes and looking up. He froze as he took in the forest scene. The two Fairies were still leering viciously at them. Pil was brandishing his sword, and Felicity was standing back, looking terrified.

  “What’s going on?” he asked lamely.

  Pil didn’t answer him but turned swiftly around to face the Fairies.

  “Let me and my friends go,” Pil said to them. “We won’t fight you.”

  Their laughter was high and cold. “You think to hurt us? No, silly boy —” and with that they jumped.

  But not forward like he had anticipated. They leapt high into the air, higher than was possible. They floated gracefully on the wind. And then, with a gentle turn, they put their feet to the trunk of a large tree and pushed off hard. They careened towards Pil and Felicity, claws first.

  Pil acted only too late. He brought his sword up in an arc right as the Fairy bore down on him. They fell hard on the dirt in a tangle of limbs and leaves. She had knocked Pil back before his sword had reached her.

  With astonishing speed, she recovered, and her cold, hard hands wrapped quickly around his throat. Pil brought his sword defiantly up once again, but she swiftly pinned both his arms beneath her knees. She was stronger than her frail body made her appear. Her harsh deadly fangs hovered over him in a fierce snarl. Her face was hard and etched with a terrible rage. Still, Pil was faintly aware how beautiful she was; like a beautiful nightmare, or something that was once fair, twisted almost beyond recognition.

  Even as the life was squeezed out of him, Pil wondered at her black eyes. Like mirrors, they reflected his panicked face, now red with blood. His thoughts were growing dim as he struggled weakly against her iron-like restraint. His vision was blackening and, as he gasped fruitlessly at the air, the last of his energy left him.

  Pil was not frightened. Though he might die, he had seen things that no living Elfin had. Indeed, he felt almost accomplished as his vision faded. Certainly, he had lived a life worth remembering, hadn’t he? And then, in a rush of air, her grip slid away from his neck, leaving him gasping desperately.

  Pil’s vision returned in a flash and he blinked around at the Fairy woman. She was distracted, looking off into the forest to Pil’s left, her expression worried. Desperately Pil scooped his sword back up and swung again.

  Without even glancing at him the Fairy knocked his sword aside, almost casually, with her hand. She pinned his arms down beneath her again, still looking away.

  “Basil!” she screamed, distressed.

  Pil looked back. Basil, the other Fairy, was lying on the floor as though sleeping. Felicity, whom Basil had attacked, was rushing fiercely towards him. With a snarl, the Fairy on top of him bore down on him again. Forcing his head back, she gripped his neck and bit down. Sharp points of pain spawned from the spot on his neck, but it was the sucking that made his vision blur and his thoughts go dizzy. She was draining him quickly of his blood, gulping it down with great pulls that seemed to bring a fresh wave of cold lifelessness.

  Felicity screamed wordlessly, and Pil felt the Fairy lift its head and the world steady. The Fairy snarled at Felicity, her pointed teeth dripping blood down her face. And then she was gone; she had leapt high into the air as though she were weightless. There she floated gracefully on the wind, high above Felicity.

  “Pil!” Felicity screamed as she knelt next to him. Felicity ignored the Fairy, who had at last landed, and was rushing to her companion’s side.

  Pil attempted to sit up but his vision blackened suddenly. “’M all right — Fel,” he stuttered.

  Pil pressed firmly down on the wound on his neck, attempting to staunch the bleeding. The world came back into clear focus with a fresh wave of pain.

  “No, you’re not,” said Felicity, concerned.

  Pil ignored her and got haltingly to his feet. The Fairy had reached her friend. Basil was pulled unceremoniously from the ground and thrown over her shoulder.

  The Fairy woman spared Felicity a furious glance before she leapt again high up into the air. She landed light as a bird upon a high branch.

  There was a loud slap from behind Pil. He looked around. Sandy was looking mortified at Dirk, who was rubbing his face furiously. Dirk’s expression cleared, and he looked around the glade.

  “What happened?” asked Dirk, confused.

  “Enemies,” said Pil simply, glaring back up to the tree.

  The Fairy cackled. “I alone would be enough to deal with all you, little Elfin.” She cocked her head toward the trees with a smirk. “But I think I shall leave you to the fate of the Bahbeq; I will be content enough to take your tiny leader.”

  “I won’t be tricked by you again, Fairy,” Pil growled at her.

  She laughed again, high and shrill, “trick? It is no trick. Come now, your favor lies only in the sweet taste of your blood… come —” and then her voice changed, her eyes seemed to grow, and she began again to sing.

  How beautiful and dark the song was, it seemed to echo around the forest only to find its way back into Pil’s ears. Pil felt suddenly proud to have his blood dripping down her porcelain chin.

  She was calling him, her eyes beckoning him forward, and he realized he was moving already. Felicity screamed something and tried to pull him away, but he hurried forward. Why is Felicity being so aggravating? I just want to be with the Fairy woman, just want to follow her. Can’t Felicity understand that?

  “Pil, stop!” yelled Dirk.

  Pil spared him a re
proachful look. Surely he should know not to be so loud while the Fairy sung. Pil found himself already at the foot of the tree, Felicity closing in behind, but she did not have his skill for climbing. Pil flew gracefully up the tree, quickly as he could, his eyes never leaving the Fairy woman who was now looking down on him kindly. How like an Elfin she was, except for her black eyes, large ears, and her fair face so dreadfully flawless. It seemed to glow with radiance; her eyes seemed to grow so that he was soon engulfed in her darkness.

  Felicity had grabbed his ankle and was attempting to pull him back down. Pil kicked out at her, annoyed. Why couldn’t his friends understand that he just wanted to follow the Fairy? They could go on without him; they didn’t need him, really.

  The song grew louder and all else fell from his mind. He rushed desperately up the rest of the tree and leapt onto her branch. She looked kindly down at him and held out her hand. He reached for it gratefully, and her touch was cold — cold and unspoiled.

  With a quiet grace, the Fairy leapt off the branch, pulling him like a weightless doll along with her. She leapt quickly and precisely from tree to tree and he floated on the wind behind her, like a bird.

  Pil was glad to be with her at last. The song continued as they traveled. Pil didn’t care where she was leading him. As long as she would sing to him forever, he would be happy. They moved through the forest with great speed, and Pil was soon lost among the trees.

  Finally, she slowed and then suddenly jumped lightly down into a clearing. Pil marveled at how he seemed to float down behind her, as though the wind itself was slowing their fall. There was a tent and a fire in the clearing and the Fairy set Basil down in the tent before coming back out to face him.

  “What’s your name?” Pil asked in awe.

  “Sage,” she said simply, stopping her song.

  At first, he was sad to hear the song stop, but then he stopped and shook his head.

  “Where —”

  Sage struck out, hitting him hard on the temple. Her hand was like stone. Pil fell to the ground, unconscious.