Not long after Hyacinth gets home, a raven appears at her kitchen window and taps on the glass with its great beak. In the sheen of its feathers, held only in the iridescence and not part of its colouring at all, are swirls and lines she recognises from the stones of Abersky and the Cigfrain who kept watch over the hunters as they fled the Sluagh and the Cù Sìth.
Hyacinth opens the window and the raven presents her with a vellum envelope.
“Corvids bring the most interesting letters,” Hyacinth says, as she takes the envelope. The bird bows, utters a soft croak, then launches itself into the air and flies away.
Hyacinth makes herself a cup of tea and sits at the kitchen table to read the letter. It is from the witch Dolmech, who lives on the lochside not far from Abersky.
Bran Croft
Loch Briste
Sutherland
Annwyl Hyacinth,
The folk of the village told me of how you helped Old Morgan understand what was happening, so she could tell Queen Drusicc. It was a bad business. A very bad business. I was on my way over when that twmffat English boy ripped Aberscasbethau from its moorings and sent it spinning like a drunken buzzard over to the Ancestors. As you may have gathered by now, that did nobody any good at all. Aberscasbethau should only meet with her ancestral village at the Cyfodiadau y Twyll. That’s when those bastard guiodel are blinded, although there are few places where it works at all. It happens at the time of what you would call the Great Conjunction, and a long line of women going back into the ages have made sure that this window never sticks. Quietly, with no fuss. I am just the latest, and you have my gratitude for your part in ensuring I will not be the last. For even if the guiodel try to stop us, we will continue to bring the light of the descendants to our imprisoned ancestors. If it’s war they want, then war they shall have, and we have a forge and iron aplenty.
I hope they will not attempt to put a stop to our family gatherings. It is bad enough that they tried to replace the spirit of Coed ar y Ffin with one of their own, and now our dear Cerddinen must pretend allegiance to the enemy when they come to make sure our kin are still imprisoned. Ah well. Needs must when the devil comes calling.
If you are ever back by ours, drop in. I shall know you are around. Mewn pob daioni y mae gwobr.
Diolch yn fawr
Domelch y Pritani
Hyacinth folds the letter carefully and puts it back in its envelope. She has no intention of going out of her way to share its contents. It’s not a secret, but it is a personal letter, after all. Neither Keira nor Karl would be especially interested, she thinks, and she most certainly will not show it to Elres, who is not to be trusted. Still, if Robin pops round for lunch, she might tell him about it.
Thoughtfully, she puts the envelope away somewhere safe. She would like to meet this witch Dolmech. Perhaps there are other witches out there, too.
“Well. You will be delighted to hear that Queen Maedhbh has agreed her current décor would not, in fact, be enhanced by the presence of your decapitated heads. Leaf green and blood red are not a good combination unless it is a battlefield, apparently, and she fears it might give some of her younger, more impressionable courtiers the wrong idea about the future she sees for her race.” C glares at them. She is not often visibly angry. She is so now. “I gave you very strict orders, yes? Can everyone agree that I gave very strict, very precise orders? Can we have that on the record? And I understand that it was Elres who made the initial decision to investigate further rather than returning as instructed? Yes? And by the time you made the decision to return as per orders and hand over the evidence you had collected, you were no longer able to leave?”
Everybody shuffles their feet and makes affirmative noises.
“Excellent. We have had suspicions about certain unsavoury practices on the part of our — ahem — esteemed allies for some time. You may consider, Mr Novac, that your team was an ill fit for this mission. I can assure you, it was carefully considered and absolutely fit for the job. Ms Sayles has the mindset to do unsavoury things where necessary. Robin comes from a time when the Sìth still lived in this Realm. Hyacinth — yes, I know she is not here — is an accomplished witch and as sharp as a tack. Elres is… Elres has a particular background that made her well suited to this mission. Mr Novac, you have the stopping power of an ill-tempered rhinoceros and little compunction about using it. Would you have suggested I send our intern? No. I thought not.
“There are only a few things I need to know at this point. The Sìth would have us believe that the Pritani — yes, Ms Sayles, those are what you would call the Picts — are a dangerous race. They say the tribes they have imprisoned were those who refused to give up their culture and integrate with changing society. They insisted on keeping their language, their customs, their martial practices, their pride. Their magic, ladies and gentlemen. Did they seem dangerous to you? What were your impressions?” Before anyone can answer, she continues. “And Windsor. Was there anything that might help us to ascertain how he found out about Abersky and its unique arrangements? Was he an opportunist, or do you think he had any additional agenda? Ideally we would have him in custody. As you know, we have agents who are very skilled at extracting information from even the most unwilling subject. Still. No matter, Needs must.”
Robin holds up one hairy hand. “Robin no do an investigate, me only throw rock.”
C sighs. “If you say so, Robin. I am sure you were more helpful than that. Or perhaps I should be speaking to your previous incarnation.”
“Keira no let Robin help. Robin want drive, Robin want rock go bang, Keira say no. Me only throw rock, sing song of Robin’s people… and me maybe mumble mumble mumble.”
Robin shuffles back behind Karl.
“All I wanted to do was have Keira get some pictures of the stone circle. Seemed like an important place to photograph. Not her fault that things went sour so quickly,” Elres says.
“This is not about fault,” C says sharply. “It is a record of fact. No one is being thrown to the wolves, or should I say Cù Sìth. I am establishing, for the record, what happened in what order. That is all. Anything more than that will come from your own people. At least as far as you are concerned.”
Karl grunts. “I’ve shared my opinions on the suitability of the team on a mission that wasn’t meant to go sideways; you didn’t throw us under the bus, and that’s really all I was worried about. As regards the Pritani, between them and the Sìth, they were the ones who didn’t attack us and in fact protected us while we were undoing the nutty professor’s work. They also aided us in keeping the villagers from getting fitted for body bags, and, excepting pointy-ears over there, I think we’ve made some tenuous inroads toward a functional working relationship. And they don’t seem to be shrieking assholes, which is more than I can say for our current Sìth allies. Ma’am.”
C almost manages to hide her smile. “Thank you for that carefully expressed assessment, Mr Novac. I am pleased you were less informative, not to mention expressive, when you approached me earlier. Elres, perhaps you can keep the ‘shrieking assholes’ part of Mr Novac’s assessment from official dispatches? Thank you so much. In your opinion, Mr Novac, is there likely to be anything left on site that makes it worth sending some forensic techs to run clean-up?”
“No worry, Karl leave plenty needing clean. He make big mess,” Robin cackles.
“Might be reasonable to gather up any equipment Dr. Wonko left, just in case any of it is potentially operational or instructive to like-minded dumbasses,” Karl says. “We were mostly concerned with shutting it down at the time; he might have more equipment tucked away under his bed or something. My sister-in-law is tenured faculty, and given what she makes, I have to assume these machines aren’t terribly expensive to make, if he had 8 or 9 of them. Might be an even ten, and again, see previous, re: like-minded dumbasses. And,” he says, jabbing Robin in the ribs. “as messes go, one sluagh tartare isn’t that bad.”
“I doubt anyone will replicate the work. It seems” — C pinches the bridge of her nose as if cutting off thoughts of even more complications — “Dr Windsor was born in 1843 and has been working on this problem for quite some time, aided by canny investments of an inheritance. Nevertheless, I shall send in the Cleaners. A sensible idea.”
“That’s a genuine relief, ma’am,” Karl says.
Robin leans out from behind Karl and holds up his hand. “Ok. Robin help, me go do clean.”
“No, Robin, we need someone sensible. As much as I appreciate your willingness, I am sure we can find something more suited to your talents.”
“C just like Keira and say no Robin,” Robin says, miming his idea of Keira telling him ‘no’ for the umpteenth time. “C Just like Keira, but old. Me bet second best stick C say no to Robin want rock go bang just like Keira.” He goes back behind Karl, muttering loudly. “Robin go Merlin and me get magic rock go bang. magic rock go bang better than just rock go bank, must have better name… hmmmm… Thunder rock! Yes. Thunder rock good name. Me get thunder rock from Merlin. If Merlin in good mood Robin get rock not only go bang, but when rock make thunder all who hear go surprise poop!”
Keira steps forward, obviously annoyed. “I took a LOT of pictures and distinctly a) reminded people we should not investigate; and b) prevented at least one Covenant Asset from jumping through a hole in the world; and c) managed to convince a local to talk to a relative to prevent an entire village being stuck in a fae prison. I DID GOOD OK?”
“Thank you, Ms Sayles. Your photographic evidence has already been passed to the Research and Archive Division,” C says, checking her computer screen. “We have a physiotherapist ready to assess your injury for any lasting damage, should you consent to medical support. Your intervention in the case of the villagers is duly noted and most appreciated, even though I understand Hyacinth mediated on the more technical aspects? A pity about Dr Windsor. I am sure we would have found placing him in one of our interrogation units most… edifying.”
“Dr Windsor’s demise was an unfortunate case of a ricochet warning shot. Won’t happen again.”
“Is that a euphemism for…” C checks her notes again. “Shot him in the talisman?” She offers a wink so subtle it might not even be a wink. “I cannot say I would have acted differently. A passing observation, no more.”
“All I can decisively say is a warning shot was definitely issued, and his talisman was hit by a bullet. Ma’am.”
Karl’s face is so impassive, the inside of his cheek must be a raw mess from being bitten to keep himself from laughing. His eyes have not so much as moved in Keira’s direction since she began talking, but after that last “ma’am” he was vibrating so hard that C’s tea resembles a water glass in Jurassic Park, and right now it’s 50:50 whether he’ll make it through the rest of the debrief without laughing or exploding.
Robin stops muttering for a moment. “Keira make bad promise. Man no here. Man already dead.. Hard to kill man already dead. Very hard if dead man no here,” he exclaims.
C fails to hide a chuckle by clearing her throat. “Very well. You are all dismissed. Thank you. Should there be anything else, I am sure I will be able to find you.”
Somewhere in the wild and desolate far north of Scotland…
Hyacinth
Battle-proven frost witch with an irresistable old granny act.
Elres
On secondment to the Covenant from… Well. That’s Need To Know, and so far nobody has needed to know.
Robin
A Neanderthal who accidentally travelled from “long time back ago” after touching a magic obelisk.
Keira Sayles
Nickname “The Smile”. Ended up working for the Covenant after charging them for her assistance on a mission. It’s cheaper to have her on the payroll than accept her freelance rates.
Karl Novac
The Novac family has been providing private protection against supernatural creatures for generations. For a price. Karl works for the Covenant because he’s more interested in monster hunting than diplomacy.
Mission summary:
C sent the team to the tiny hamlet of Abersky in the far north-west of Scotland. One of the Covenant’s allies had claimed a Fringe Physicist was in the area, up to no good. The mission parameters were quite simple: check it out. See if there is anything unusual. If there is, report back. DO NOTHING. It was not supposed to be an investigation. the only job was to verify that something needed investigating. Should an investigation be needed, the allies in question would take that on themselves.
C was very clear about this. Everyone said they understood.
Everyone.
On arrival, the team repaired to the village pub, where Robin explained to Karl that a “pint” meant a beer and Keira took some photos of the wall of fog about a mile offshore. The landlady, Mary Urqhuart, mentioned when questioned that there had indeed been someone odd in town — an English lad, she said, was renting the old McPhail farmhouse. “He doesn’t really talk to anyone,” she said. “He does a lot of hiking up the back hill, near the stone circle.”
Elres insisted that they investigate further, despite Keira’s objections. On leaving the pub to investigate the farmhouse, the team discovered the mist had come all the way into the village. As Keira drove the Covenant Range Rover slowly out of the village to the McPhail farm, the mists grew thicker until she could barely see a thing. Within the mists, shadows moved.
In the farmhouse, the team found various papers covered in calculations, maps, a few photographs, and some strange pieces of apparatus that looked like old valve radios hooked up to crystals by means of wire resembling flexible haematite. Despite their orders to leave well alone, they decided to go looking in the woods for the stone circle.
In the woods, they came across a reality tear — a blue, shimmering fracture that appeared two-dimensional from any viewpoint.
Robin, surprised, through his rock at it, and his rock vanished through the tear. It was his favourite rock. He was distraught. He immediately tried to go into the tear to find his rock, but Keira held him back on the basis this was A Very Bad Idea.
Hyacinth and Elres decided they would go through instead.
On the Other Side, Hyacinth and Elres became separated. Elres recognised the place as the Betwixt, the world that exists in the gap between the Land of the Fae and the Land of the Humans — between the Underworld of the Sìth and the Overworld of Earth. She called for Hyacinth, knowing how easy it would be for a human to become lost there, even a human as magically powerful as Hyacinth. When she did so, Hyacinth called back from somewhere in the misty gloom.
But so did something else. A deep, throaty bark shattered the eerie stillness. Then another. Both Hyacinth and Elres could feel the burgeoning fear as the Cù-Sìth approached. Elres drew her flaming sword, seeing red eyes, twin points of flame in the twilight. She called again for Hyacinth, knowing that if she ventured so far into the Betwixt she lost sight of the portal back to Earth, neither of them would make it back.
Hyacinth found her, but the black dog was between both of them and the portal, and it seemed it would be impossible for them to pass. Although she had drawn her sword, Elres had a power that none of the team knew: she banished the Cù-Sìth, sending it far away. Ears flat, tail between its legs, whimpering, the great dog slunk away into the darkness like it had been scolded by its master.
Hyacinth and Elres made it back through the portal, Hyacinth now very suspicious of her team-mate.
The others had already gone.
~⊕~
Tired of waiting for Elres and Hyacinth, and with more and more shadows appearing in the mists, the other three had headed towards the circle. As they proceeded, they were stalked from above by a small, implike creature that fluttered through the trees above them, watching their every move.
On reaching the circle, they decided not to go inside the perimeter of stones. “That’s magic stuff,” Keira declared (not for the first or the last time). “Magic stuff is not my job. Where did Hyacinth get to? She does magic stuff.”
At that moment, a loud, deep bark echoed through the trees. The stone circle began to glow with a blue shimmer resembling the one they had seen in the forest.
The team made to scarper before being swallowed by some sort of proto-dimension. Behind them, figures appeared in the circle: a man and a woman, surrounded by a pack of lithe, restless hounds with white fur and red ears. The man was large and swarthy, carrying a short sword. The woman was tall and red-haired. Both were painted in complex designs of bright blue. They spoke in a language the team didn’t understand, but which sounded a little like Welsh. Their hounds began to pour from the circle in an undulating wave of shining teeth and panting tongues.
The team ran, almost colliding with Elres and Hyacinth, who had finally caught up. All of them headed back through the trees, only pausing long enough for Keira to shoot the bat-winged creature tracking them from above. The white and red hounds gave chase.
As they approached the outer edge of the forest, the shadows in the mist grew more numerous, more substantial. Finally, they caught sight of one — a terrible, cadaverous form with dead-fish eyes and the thin, greasy hair of a corpse. it screeched, running towards them, only for two of the white hounds to set upon it like lions on a gazelle. The white hounds continued to protect them as they made their way out of the mist-dense forest.
Upon reaching the farmhouse, they discovered it was occupied. A man was there, wearing a tweed suit and packing equipment into a bag. This man turned out to be Dr Gerald Windsor, who was unexpectedly co-operative when it came to explaining what he was doing, although his confident assertion that he was making a perpetual motion power generator from an astronomical conjunction didn’t make a lot of sense. Keira was finally reduced to shooting him, although this did no damage until Hyacinth’s magical senses determined he was protected by an amulet.
Amongst his papers, they found a diagram showing how his devices were connected to the stone circle, and decided to end this.
Outside, the cadaverous creatures were everywhere, and both Keira and Hyacinth found themselves overcome with terror at the sound of their terrible screeching, so both of them were unable to stop themselves fleeing. Elres, Karl and Robin were not affected. Karl laid into the nearest pair, aided by Robin. Karl’s serious firepower made short of work of his opponent, but Robin was bitten and was being drained of life until Elres stepped in with her flaming sword and stabbed the creature attacking him. She then banished them all, clearing the way for the team to regroup and head back to the circle.
Up at the circle, the entire population of the village had gathered and was heading towards the great rip at the centre of the circle. Local PC Kenneth McLeod was desperately trying to get them to stop. He and Keira recognised each other.
“It’s the wrong time!” he yelled.
With some effort, Keira was able to find out from McLeod that the circle was a gateway to the village’s ancestors, imprisoned by the Sìth in a kind of temporal limbo. Once a generation, circumstances arose that blinded their Sìth prison guards and allowed people from the village to meet with their Pecht ancestors — frequently becoming inhabited by more recent ancestors while this happened. Windsor had somehow found out about this and thought he could tap the energy created by tearing the village free from its temporal moorings. The problem was, doing it at the wrong time meant the Sìth guards could see it happening, which was why the area was swarming with Sluagh and Cù-Sìth.
Keira relayed all of this to Hyacinth, who managed to explain to one of the villagers, at that moment possessed by the spirit of her Great Great Great Great etc Grandmother, who could speak the language of the Pechts. She in turn explained it to the Queen, who ordered all of the villagers to leave the circle while the Covenant team found all of Windsor’s devices and smashed them, anchoring the circle back in the present where it should have been, and bringing the village back to the present.
But so did something else. A deep, throaty bark shattered the eerie stillness. Then another. Both Hyacinth and Elres could feel the burgeoning fear as the Cù-Sìth approached. Elres drew her flaming sword, seeing red eyes, twin points of flame in the twilight. She called again for Hyacinth, knowing that if she ventured so far into the Betwixt she lost sight of the portal back to Earth, neither of them would make it back.