The Dodge Charger rolled through the Caribou Interior, of British Columbia. Nerea decided to take Highway Sixteen. Once upon a time logging trucks and heavy machinery ruled the area. Government legislation changed all that. The logging industry took a nasty downturn in the ’90s and many towns suffered the consequences.
The highway itself was a curiosity. Among the hills and valleys, ghostly figures floated on the shoulder of the lonely stretch of road. Their incorporeal bodies mimicked their death state. The visceral display added a heaviness to the interior. The engine revved into high gear and Nerea sped up.
Plume gripped the handle on the roof. His knuckles were white, “Why did you have to take Highway Sixteen?” The Seelie spent much of the trip tense and terrified of the death trap he rode in.
“I am not thrilled about our road choice either, Highway sixteen is the shortest route to the west coast,” She flicked the flood lamps on.
The eidolon, a magical entity attached to Warren on a soul level, shared similar feelings to the Seelie, “The eidolon is getting antsy. Why are there so many spirits?”
Plume lowered his voice and spoke in a tone so low, Nerea and Warren had to lean in just to hear him. “We did extensive research on your country. Highway Sixteen was flagged for potential sluagh activity and you do not want to be caught in a storm of sluagh.”
Warren cocked his head to the side, “Sluagh?”
“Restless and angry souls, they seek only to feed off the life energy of the living. They say auramancers like you can grasp their ectoplasmic forms and battle them as if they were alive,” Plumes tone went educational, and his hands talked more than he did.
“You mean Ghosts?” Nerea looked over from the driver’s seat.
“Sluagh is our word for ghosts. The highway has claimed forty lives, maybe more for all we know. None of them died peacefully, and many will want vengeance for their grizzly deaths. This doesn’t include murderer’s souls eager to return to the sites of their carnal pleasures,” Plume let the thought sink in.
Nerea said a prayer and made a cross with her hands, “It’s a bit late to change routes. We will make sure to travel during the day. Keep your eyes out for the nearest town.”
The towns along highway sixteen took a firm stance against the night. Stadium lights lit the entrances and exits to the little villages and iron hung over doorways. The once welcome signs to the little hamlets now read, Don’t overstay your welcome, and we have loaded twelve gauges. The motels and hotels closed their doors, only the necessary shops remained open.
When they reached Burns Lake and found no open hotel Nerea growled, “We are stopping at the nearest gas station. We will see if there are any more towns between here and Prince Rupert.”
Warren and Plume stretched their legs, “Plume, if I learn how to control the eidolon can I help these people?”
“Yes, you could.” Plume arched his back, “Do humans travel like this often?”
“A bunch of people in a car? Yeah, some families plan whole summer trips and have adventures across the continent. Some of the small towns, like this one, erect some ridiculous attraction, like the world's largest pair of skis. Mom lived for that stuff.” Warren remembered the old polaroid camera his mom used to take on their trips. Each ridiculous attraction was entered into the book of journeys. Which included bizarre road signs.
Plume put his slender arm around Warren, “Maybe you should carry on in her honor. You smiled at the memory.”
Warren ruffled Plume’s silly bowl-cut hair, “You know that’s not a bad idea. What is with your hair? It feels like silk, but looks like straw.” The eidolon touched his mind, a sense of panic tingled along Warren’s spine, “The eidolon is worried about something.”
The plume reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a strange powder, “Let’s find out.” Plume began to trace patterns in the air, he spread the powder on the gentle wind. Plume’s fingertips glowed and the patterns formed symbols in the air. Another second passed, his whole hand started to shine. His erect digits passed over each symbol they vanished until one remained. The mysterious symbol glowed forest green.
“What does it mean?” Warren stared at it, the eidolon sat on the forefront of his mind eager to hear the explanation. “Why doesn’t the eidolon know what you did?”
“The eidolon only knows what you do. It will know magic when it senses it, but will only be able to identify what kind after you’ve learned it. Think of it like a child trying to understand the world around it. As for what it means, there is a magical animal nearby, it’s passing through.” Plum clapped his hands.
Warren relaxed the eidolon did not, the spiritual beast still sensed something else. That something else made it nervous. “Why is it still nervous?” If it wasn’t reacting to the creature what was it reacting to?
Plume leaned against the passenger door, “Your spiritual companion is a part of you. It remembers everything you do. It’s nervous about magic because you are. I can’t blame you, the first encounter wasn’t exactly whimsical or fun.”
“I don’t feel nervous or scared at the moment.”
“Ahh, but the eidolon looks deeper than the surface. It knows your pain, your joy, all of your secret fears and desires. Your goal is not to dominate the eidolon, but to form a partnership of sorts with it. This is what you will learn in New Avalon,” Plume smiled a little.
“Something funny?”
“I love the family I come from, but you humans give the word depth and meaning. When you are immortal hellos and goodbyes don’t mean as much. Gatherings and reunions are less joyful because you will see them again. I appreciate you allowing me to experience this journey with you,” Plume blushed to the tips of his pointed ears and his pointed shoes left a trail in the dirt and gravel.
“Were you immortal?” Warren asked. His curiosity attracted the eidolons attention who seemed eager to know the answer itself. He leaned against the car next to Plume.
“Sometimes a Seelie would grow tired of the endless years. When that happens they would travel to an elder grove and join the sacred ground as trees. We call it the changing. The elder groves followed us to the earth realm. We settled near them so we may speak to our loved ones.”
Nerea emerged from the convenience store with road snacks, and some refreshments, “We have at least another hour and a half drive. A small town called Houston may have a place for us to stay. The people are terrified of the forests and what lives in them.” She saw Warren and Plume leaned against the car, “Everything okay?
Plume nodded, “Yes, we should get going. New Avalon awaits”
The roads made Plume queasy. Warren and Nerea teased him a little about it before he passed out. “Wake me up when we reach Houston,” He curled up in the backseat and passed out. The trip took longer thanks to dense fog. The headlights barely penetrated the thick wall of mist, and Nerea grew more frustrated with the lack of vision. “What is with this fog? When will it end?” her teeth were clenched, and her head practically rested on the steering wheel. Warren placed a hand on Nerea’s arm, “What is with you? Ever since we left the gas station you’ve been different.” He hated seeing her like this. It reminded him of his mom lounging around in her sweatpants. “I hate this whole trip. I used to tease Melanie that she bra
Day came to the small town of Houston the only thing good about it was the world's largest fly fishing rod. At one time people came from all over just to fight a steelhead trout. With the economy on the decline and the town with boarded-up shops and dirty streets, no one wanted to come anymore. The motel diner was not the cleanest, and not a single employee wore a uniform, just black pants, and a black T-shirt. On the wall pictures of semi-famous people who passed through the town. Above the bathroom doors a small sign read, “We have run out of toilet paper, please use the spotted owl beak side down.” Today Warren and his two companions would board the ferry to New Avalon in hopes Warren could gain better control of the eidolon. Plume trusted the spiritual be
The wind whipped Warren's hair around as the massive boat carried them onward toward a group of islands off the coast of Vancouver. White shoals crashed into the boat, a pod of killer whales put a show for the handful of people watching from the deck above. They oohed and ahhed as the black and white mammals played in the waves. “Are you Warren Vandal? I can barely tell you, humans, apart, you all look the same to me.” A female voice asked. “There’s no need to make that face, it’s just a question.” Nerea and plume were off talking in the passenger area. She had questions for Plume about New Avalon. At this point, Warren welcomed someone else to talk to, “I’m Warren Vandal,” he said as he raised his hand. &
Warren found it hard to believe New Avalon was new in any fashion. Fully formed buildings made of wood and stone stretched to the heavens, paved roads and primitive street lamps dotted the sidewalks. Seelie people of all shapes colors and descriptions carried on their day. The sight of the Dodge Charger got more than a few finger points and astonished looks. Warren waved to the people outside the vehicle, “How is this possible? New Avalon was just formed the other day.” Vasilia laced her fingers in Warrens, and gave them an enthusiastic squeeze, “Time moves slower where we are from. We had time to prepare for the big change. It’s the reason why humans had to be careful how long they spent in our realm.” “Yeah one guy came to a wedding, it lasted a week, he returned to the earth realm, and thirty years passed, he returned to our realm and lived
The eidolon took to the queen almost immediately. Images of a knight kneeling danced across his mind. “I get it already,” Warren said under his breath. He knelt before the queen, “A pleasure to meet you, my queen.” Elphame touched him lightly on the forehead, “Please rise. You flattered me with your actions,” She scowled at Vasilia, “I thought we agreed the choice was his Vasilia. You walk a thin line, Daughter.” “I only wanted to make sure he didn’t get lost on the way to you,” Vasilia replied with a smirk. Vasilias' words fell on deaf ears. Elphame saw Nerea and motioned her forward, “Please don’t kneel. I get enough of that from my people.” She clasped both of Nereas hands in hers, “Welcome, I wish more parents would come to see their children off.” It started with narrowed eyes and ended with Nerea pulling her hands free, “I intend to remain
One would expect many things if they were to visit the land of Seelie. Winged people, strange hairstyles, odd skin coloring, and of course magic. One would not expect to see a fully loaded armored personnel carrier in the middle of a Seelie castle, and yet in front of warren, sat a fully loaded armored personnel carrier. Queen Elphame flourished her hand, “Project Scald Crow is our response to human fear,” she said proudly. “The Arcane Seekers will help solve magical problems all over the continent, thus raising our profile with the United Nations, we were denied entrance into those sacred halls.” Warren marveled at the sleek design and the crow's head painted on the hall with large glowing red eyes, “What does this have to do with me?” Nerea once again protectively stood in front of Warren, “Yes please explain it to us in English, and slowl
The events of the day weighed heavily on the mind of Warren Vandal. He wasn’t ready to make adult choices. He always pictured his adulthood somewhere in the nebulous future. A future where he played in the NHL and signed autographs for his fans after the games. He never dreamed of dealing with beings like Archon, or meeting Seelie queens, and armored personnel carriers. Nerea backed off and let him think things over. The queen graciously allowed them to dine alone to talk things over. The beeswax candles lit the elaborate table. Warren couldn’t help but look at the empty chair and wished his mom filled it. He’d give up all the magic in the world just to get her back. It was but a dream, because Seelie had tried to put things back, but failed. Great tension ruled the dinner table. The sounds of Cutlery on wooden plates and the crackle of the fire kept the maddening silence at bay. Nerea poured a glass of
Sleep didn’t come to Warren the previous night. His mind put a laser focus on the choice he had to make. During the night he tossed and turned, making a choice and then unmaking it. Archon remained silent and allowed him to choose the witching hour, Warren came up empty. “Archon, what should I do?” Warren asked. A picture of a man voting and a person shaking their head, and then his picture, with a checkmark. He manifested at the foot of the bed and laid down. If Archon had been real, Warren would’ve been squashed beneath Archon’s form. “Do you think Theria is the right choice? I mean you are older than me, so your opinion matters.” Archon sat up straight and conveyed his message while flourishing his talons. The pictures flashed and Warren took it as a fatherly speech about mating, and how important it was for the