A World Away

Abyss.

Pure darkness with nothing to drag her down, to press upon her chest the suffocating weight of a thousand responsibilities. Some would find it a fate worse than death; the absolute nothingness that went on without end.

Moran found it contentful. With nothing at all what was there to worry about?

Until she inhaled, drawing in breath that had been forcibly expelled to find water instead. Eyes flying open, a dark inky hue of blue filled her vision. This wasn’t nothingness, the darkness that hung over dreams, filling in the blank spots that couldn’t be remembered.

Moran was immersed and sinking, the hollowing chill of icy water pulling her to consciousness as the hazy light above dwindled the further she sunk.

As her mind was suddenly befallen with confusion and seized by panic that clung to every nerve and flooded her thoughts with horrible endings, her instincts took control before she doomed herself to death. Arms spreading out gracefully and pulling her upwards with powerful strokes, countless summer days spent at the lake having shaped her into an exceptional swimmer. At the back of her mind a memory surfaced, of her younger sisters giddily holding onto her shoulders as she pulled them along the surface and sometimes below, having to grow stronger as Hailey and Tammy grew older…

Even with the extra weight it had been easy to move forward, easy to see the light of the sun dance upon the surface, it's warmth not too far behind.

There was no warmth here. The surface was a muggy deluded white and she didn't know what awaited her up there. No time to think of that now, not when her fate in the water still had yet to be determined.

Lungs burning Moran stretched her fingers out towards the soft glow. Desperate, almost feeling the hands of death wrapping around her ankles, eager to drag her back down into a watery grave.

If it ended here she would be lost forever.

Her sisters abandon.

One last kick, one last push. One last second…

Feeble warmth cascaded over her. The layer of darkness was peeled back as the glow of the surface fell upon her; the remaining four feet a translucent and clear membrane, allowing her to see the white crystalline world beyond the water’s edge. Skeletal trees peeked over the shattered bank and an expanse of foggy sky with drifting snow remnants struck another chord of fear within her.

How could it be snowing? In the middle of summer... In southern California...

Spots appeared in her vision, driving away the crawling horror that added another layer of coldness to her limbs and heart. A new strength filled her and Moran pushed forward with one last ferocious kick and broke through the surface.

Sounds of retching filled the air as water dribbled past the corner of her lips. Eyes screwing up from the involuntary spasms that raced throughout her chest Moran kicked her way towards the water bank, hands stretching out at the exposed roots and recesses in the earth. Just as her numb fingers smashing into the cold ground and her feet came in contact with solid ground her coughing fit ceased, a loud gasp filling the air as she inhaled and caught her first breath.

No longer drowning, no longer suffocating, Moran laid her face against the wet earth and focused entirely on her breathing.

Safe, she thought, putting off the for now for later. Ignoring it in favor of catching her breath and coughing up the last bits of water still inside her.

Body aching, her very being freezing and extremely tired. Never before had she felt so terrible.

Never before had she been so close to death.

The only sound to be heard was her haggard breathing and once again a small voice at the back of her mind instructed her to keep quiet, that she was not safe yet. Death never ceased it’s effort to take you. Especially to those so reluctant to die.

The pleading voice refused to go away. Instead it grew louder and louder, until it finally clicked within her mind. It wasn’t her own voice urging her own, but Hailey’s. The thought of her sister pulled Moran from her immobile state, throwing off the throes of fatigue as the reality of what happened barreled forward. Memories, unpleasant and horrible.

And outlandish.

Wild and unbelievable. Surely nightmares mixed with reality, because what had occurred in that shop… in that room…

It couldn’t be possible. Stuff like that didn’t exist. Magic…

Magic wasn’t real.

It must have been a dream, her mind trying to fill in the blank spots. Whatever those two had done-

Snap!

Breath halting -though her heartbeat sounded so terrifyingly loud- Moran froze as another snap followed the first. Lifting her head slowly, taking note once again of the whiteness that blanketed the landscape and how it wasn’t possible that it would be snowing, she tried to find the source of the sound.

There was only white landscape to be seen. Which was impossible. The town she had visited was enclosed by farmland; pastures upon rolling hills that went on for miles. No woodlands. Not like the one she was surrounded by now.

Unless…

Unless she had been unconscious for a very long time, though it didn’t feel like it.

It had felt like minutes. From being dragged through the shop, thrown into the room and-

Burning.

Fingers curling into her palms at the mere recollection, the agony that had flowed through her arms and into her chest, spiraling into her mind and within her forehead. The book…

The book-

-

“She has the sight!” Freya cried out, throwing Moran to the ground, to the center of the earthy room that held a strange scent of salt and something elusive. “The book! Get the book!”

Phone fumbling in her hand, Moran was only one number away from getting help when Freya smacked it away. With strength that left behind blossoming bruises she handled Moran like a doll; forcing her to her knees with her hands held out; claw-like nails digging into her shoulders as encouragement. Mouth spewing out threats that alongside spittle.

Another joined them, a young woman with flowing white hair and a youthful face that was both bewildered and joyful as she dashed into the room. In her hands was a large book, the very one Hailey had tracked down and so desperately wanted to get her hands on.

“You’ll see!” Hailey had told her. “You’ll see that my dreams are true! Magic is real!”

The book was all that Hailey could talk about. A book from a simple shop that had good reviews. Moran had been careful, she had checked to make sure it wasn’t some scam site or a skeevy place in the darkest corners of town. She had contacted other customers, verifying and making absolutely sure it was safe. Moran had done all she could do and Hailey rarely wanted much; she knew money was tight and was always mindful of that when asking for things.

It was going to be her thirteenth birthday and Moran wanted it to be special. She wanted to get the leather bound journal with it’s gray eye upon the face and the ring of runes that encircled it.

“Hold her still, The woman cried out, her voice familiar. Moran had spoken to her on the phone.

“Cast quickly! Hurry! Our time has finally come! The crumbs we have scattered far and wide, years of waiting, years of sacrifices finally holding purpose! Cast quickly girl! Hurry!” Freya’s guttural voice became shrill, her hands shaking and breath hot against the back of Moran’s neck.

Feldes whispered underbreath, too fast for Moran to make out what was being said. Not that she cared too much about that. She feared what would happen when their spell failed. Magic wasn’t real after all. Once nothing happened they would get angry.

They would-

-

A chill passed over her, breaking Moran free from the past in time to see a billow of fog roll down the broken bank.

Snap!

A shudder ran through her, the distinct sound of bone breaking again and again making her stomach do flips and had she not just thrown up half the river she would have done so then.

What the hell is that, she thought, body recoiling as it grew louder, creeping closer to where to she lay.

Still partially submerged in the water Moran turned her head, looking for a place to hide or to at least conceal her momentarily, but there was nowhere to go. The body of water continued onward on both sides of her and despite the absolute stillness of it she was sure that it was a river. The bank opposite of her was a good sixty feet away and though she had caught her breath Moran doubted she would be able to swim across it.

“Ahhh…” A raspy voice hissed, echoing upon itself in an unnatural way. “Ahhh…”

The snapping continued, as did the fog. Wisps of curling silver appeared on the bank’s slope, like a tattered veil swaying in the wind. Twisting in the air, growing longer and longer until a forehead appeared.

Then a gaunt face, jerking back and forth alongside the snapping sound as wriggling bumps rippled beneath it’s gaunt skin. Moran’s hands flew to her mouth; stopping the choked scream that threatened to burst from her. Dark holes where the eyes should be, a gaping mouth; it’s transparent lips tight against yellowed teeth, a skeletal body with shreds of cloth swaying despite the absent wind… Shoulders hunched, it’s neck breaking over and over again… The raspy moan that escaped it’s mouth, white tongue flickering back and forth…

Slightly transparent… but not quite.

It wasn’t the first time she had seen such a thing. The realization horrified her.

Not the first time…

-

A silver eye -faded by time but silver nonetheless- stared down at her from it’s blue leather face. Hailey had been drawing something similar for over a year now, the Eye of the Silver Court she called it. The elegant script that surrounded it, small narrow runes that were incomplete…

Until now.

A soft green glow emitted from the ring as Feldes whispered on, her voice growing stronger as the book began to vibrate.

Moran twisted her body, trying to shake free of the crone’s grip as she pleaded with them to let her go, promising she wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened here. Offering all the money she had. Promising anything…

“Repeat the words!” Freya commanded. “Say them with my granddaughter! You wish to be free! Say the words and free us in turn! Say them!”

Moran did as she was told, saying the words through numb lips as the book hummed with power, flying open and it’s pages flipping wildly as a soft golden light began to shine from the letters within. The smell of earth grew, as did the salty taste upon her tongue. Fear kept her from refusing their demands, but a growing sense of dread begged to her to stop.

Nothing good can come of this.

As the chant continued on Feldes’ features twisted, pain forcing her to her knees and the book held out like a burden.

No longer the precious object it was once was seconds before.

Just as the realization that the painful burden would be passed onto her Moran’s strength failed and not another word passed through her lips.

Nor did they pass through Feldes’.

The book, shaking so violently that it stirred the air surrounding it, sent out shockwaves that ratted everything within the room as it burst into golden flames that roared into the air.

“Take the book!” Freya screamed into Moran’s ear. “Take it! Give it to her, Feldes!”

With a gleeful shout Feldes thrust the book forward and a gust of icy wind burst from the pages, throwing Feldes backwards into a table, sending pots and stacked books flying into the air. The tight pressure upon Moran’s shoulders vanished. Freya hollowed in pain as she too was thrust backwards.

The gratifying sound of shattering glass didn’t last long. A symphony of music sprung into the air, pitched high and almost elusive to Moran’s ears, but not quite. It sunk into her skin, putting order to the power that grew wild inside her. Lessening the pain, but numbing everything else as well. The fear… the panic… any strength that she may have had left to resist whatever they ordered her to do next.

“Grandmother!” Feldes cried out, throwing herself back to the ground and clutching Moran’s shoulders. “Hurry! Hurry before you get left behind! Hur-”

Everything froze, time falling away just as the world did; destroyed by a growing oblivion that Moran could sense just beyond the horizon. She was a fixed point, everything else realigning itself to adapt to the sweet music that uncoiled itself from the depths of the book within her hands. A calm before a very violent storm.

Snap!

The wind turned back on itself, flowing back into the book that now glowed silver.

Silver like the Eye.

“No!” Freya cried out. “Let go! Let go! Feldes let go!”

The ground vanished from beneath them and the book grew heavier in her palms. Moran tried to drop it, fling it away or return it to Feldes, yet the book stubbornly refused to leave her and as she looked up to plead with Feldes the sounds of screaming finally reached her ears.

Screaming, yet unable to let go of Moran,Feldes howled in pain as her body began to wither away. Hair growing stringy and straw-like, skin tightening over bones as her body lost mass within the blink of an eye. The vibrant clothes she wore were torn to shreds, clinging to her body by mere threads as gray eyes sunk into her skull, leaving black pits to stare back at her.

Moran couldn’t ignore the horrible truth being played out between them. As Feldes withered away the power of the book grew and burned so brightly that it paled the chaos around them. With one last throaty wail Feldes threw back her head, cracked lips mouthing words that escaped was regained again as the woman opposite of her faded into a transparent ghost Moran’s hearing and the wasted woman let go too late.

Or too soon.

They were ripped apart, Feldes fading into nothing while Moran was yanked away like a puppet on strings, streaking across the swirling chaos and into an abyss…

Into the river…

-

A small splash.

No louder than a goldfish skimming the surface of it’s tank.

From her. Perhaps something else fleeing from the threat that fixed it’s eyeless gaze upon Moran and let out a pitched scream.

Propelling itself forward on all fours Moran had only a second to react before it was upon her. A fine blanket of fog cascading upon them; pillowing the ground with a layer of white ash far colder than the dead river that would be her grave.