Page 52 of Realm of Nightmares
Ceridwen had set up a meditation spot on the floor by the foot of her bed again, except this time she’d placed a couple of pillows there as well. She’d marked the wooden floors with some kind of chalky paste, creating a circle outlined with four distinct points, each facing one of the cardinal directions. There was an ebony bowl filled with what looked to be bones in the center, and a small collection of crystals was lined up through the middle of the circle.
The leather-bound journal on her desk was open again, but this time the pages were blank. There were no foreboding messages written in his sister’s elegant hand, nor were there any explanations from the last time she scried.
“What are you attempting to find?” Tiernan asked, becoming all too aware of the way shadows crawled across the floor like long, spindly fingers of the undead.
“A couple of things.” Carefully, Ceridwen placed the stones he’d given her on the tips of each of the points, then stepped into the circle. “Mostly I’d like to uncover the source of thevirdis lepatite.”
“The source,” Tiernan repeated, more to himself than to her. “You want to find out how it’s made? Or where it’s located?”
“You could say that.” Ceridwen twisted her golden hair over one shoulder, securing it in place with a bright blue ribbon. “I feel like it would be worth our while if we can prevent more of them from falling into the wrong hands. Don’t you think?”
“Of course.” He glanced around. She sat upon a pillow, her dark pink gown spread around her as she methodically organized the crystals. Her movements were incredibly precise, and Tiernan realized with a pinch of shame that he had no idea what she was doing. “Do you, ah, need any help?”
“Just stand right there.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Or you can take a seat by me. It’s all fairly simple.”
Hesitation kept him firmly rooted in place. “And if you do that strange floating thing again?”
“Then I suppose it’s a good thing I’ve got these pillows here to help cushion my fall.” The smile she gave him was a ghost of its usual self and didn’t reach her eyes.
Tiernan lowered himself onto the ground just outside the circle. The faerie lights glimmering overhead dimmed, casting a soft, pale glow through her room. Next to him, Ceridwen stared straight ahead, unblinking. Whispered words floated from between her lips, her voice so low he couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. The stones she placed on the ground began to spin, wavering against the hardwood floors, their dark smooth surfaces illuminating in shades of crimson, cobalt, emerald, and silver.
Ceridwen’s head tipped back and her eyes glazed, morphing from twilight like his own to an opaque gray.
“Ceridwen?”he quietly called to her through her mind.
But she didn’t respond, so he slid into her thoughts, walking right into the vision with her.
It was something out of a nightmare. The ink of dusk colored the sky a hazy, muddy teal, and a fine mist slithered along the ground. All around them were bare, crooked trees whose trunks were bent at obscene angles. They protruded up from the earth like gnarled, bony hands, reaching upward to scratch at the moon and claw the stars. A murky stream twisted its way through the bog, sulfuric vapors rising off its foul surface. Rotting shrubs jutted up along its soggy shore, and though Tiernan couldn’t be sure, he could’ve sworn glowing eyes watched them from under decomposing leaves and branches.
Tiernan debated asking where they were, but Ceridwen was gazing straight ahead. A shadowy figure hunched over what looked to be a cauldron, stirring with a wooden ladle.
A hag.
She wore a matted fur cloak draped around her shoulders and tattered pieces of patchwork clothing. Her hair was wiry and straight, black with streaks of gray. It fell in front of her face, concealing her features from view. Lanky, knobby arms reached over a fuming cauldron set atop a bundle of smoldering logs and twigs. Bubbling green liquid popped and spat up into the sky, hissing against the cool bite of the air.
Tiernan grabbed Ceridwen, pulling her behind the cover of one of the mangled trees coated in vines and overgrowth.
“There’s no use in hiding,” the hag called out, her voice cracking and splintering like charred wood. “I know you’re there.”
Ceridwen’s eyes went wide, and she grabbed Tiernan’s hand.
He drew her in closer, protecting her.
The hag cackled, a rough, craggy sound that caused the hairs along the back of his neck to stand on end.
“You seek the wrong answers, young seer.”
Tiernan edged up to pry through the tangled mess of branches and leaves to better see the hag. She continued to stir the cauldron, pausing every now and then to toss in some ingredient from one of her many pockets.
Rolling up her sleeve to reveal a swath of nearly translucent flesh, she reached into the bubbling concoction. She hummed to herself before fishing out a hideously green stone that flared and throbbed in the dim light of the gloaming. She hefted it up, holding it high, examining every angle and facet.
“You should not ask where thevirdis lepatitecan be found,” the hag mused, inspecting the one she held between her bony fingers. “But why it is sought in the first place.”
“Say nothing,” Tiernan spoke into Ceridwen’s mind, and her fingers tightened on his own.
“Ah…” the hag sniggered. “You brought your brother this time.”
Tiernan’s head whipped to the side, and he stared his twin down.This time. Meaning Ceridwen had been to this place before, had interacted with the hag more than once. But Ceridwen refused to meet his eye. Her lips were pressed together in a firm, tight line and she remained focused on the hag across the bog, who continued to stir her cauldron as though she was mixing a soup and not pulling vile magical stones from the depths of its boiling surface.
