Hollows of the Nox Read online

  Hollows of the Nox

  Copyright © 2019

  by Matthew E. Nordin

  Shadows of Eleanor ~ book one

  for those who understand the power of words

  Chapter One

  Sagging shelves of books and the scent of ancient paper welcomed Eldritch to his familiar shop. The planting season was over, and he could finally enjoy the myriad of stories and languages few had the privilege to read. The two-story building held more writings than any place within a hundred miles of his village. How the old building held it all without falling over was beyond him.

  Although more of a library, the fantastic collection of books was available to buy or trade. The locals of Raikrune stopped in for an occasional herbal drink while the real customers were the wanderers. The pages of things forgotten lured strange visitors. People from all races of the known world stopped in to browse the rare collection.

  Luckily for the community, the travelers liked to buy some of the local crops as well. This was likely the main reason why the shop remained in Raikrune. The rest of the town did not share Eldritch’s passion for books.

  “Too much of that reading is bad for you,” Sayeh quipped from over Eldritch’s shoulder. “Someday I’ll have to charge you for all your time in here.”

  Although Sayeh was the only other person in the building, Eldritch jerked back in the wooden chair. It cracked and popped from age and misuse.

  He froze.

  It would not be the first time one of the decrepit chairs broke from under him, even though his father teased him about his petite frame and ordinary looks. In fact, none of the other locals gave him a second glance.

  Except for Sayeh, who stared at him. The young caretaker of the shop looked different from the last time he saw her―an allure he hadn't noticed when they were children.

  She pointed at a map on the page he was studying.

  “My father tells me to keep your head in your own work and not in the noses of others,” she said. “Or something like that. From what I can tell, it’s what all those foreign languages are about.”

  “I believe they say, you should not put your nose in other people’s business. Or books.” Eldritch turned and studied Sayeh’s face. She kept her youthful smile, but her lips were fuller. He didn’t care if she read any of the books, as long as she enjoyed hovering near him.

  “Well, whose ever nose it is, why are you so interested in other people’s tales when there are good things here?” She brushed her hair back and leaned against the table. It too creaked from the age of the soft wood.

  “Where else could I learn about the unknown horrors of the deep ocean, or the merchants who trade with the malevolent elves, or delight in the whimsical and elusive magic of the fae? I wish I lived closer to the border town.” Eldritch stopped to take a breath, imagining himself wandering along the edge of the forbidden fairy forest.

  There was one soul who managed to get close to the hidden entrance. The one whose journal laid before him written in a language few could understand. The one Sayeh rested her arm on with her jaw slightly opened.

  Her blank expression brought him a sense of bliss. Being born in Autumn, she appeared to radiate the crisp season. He found himself staring into her amber eyes.

  “Can I get you something to drink at least?” She winked.

  Eldritch's cheeks grew warm. He tried to speak but feared his words would fall from his lips like a bumbling drunkard. The poetry he’d read escaped his speech with each look she gave him, a mesmerizing beauty.

  “Whatever is nearby, thank you,” he managed to sputter.

  She turned to the kegs lining the bar area. Although the locals preferred the tavern for drinks, travelers would often find themselves lingering among the extravagant collection of books in the shop. Most browsed through and did not make any purchases, but they did buy Sayeh’s herbal drinks. Her mother had taught her a recipe for boiling different leaves to create unique and invigorating blends. Sayeh expanded on those for her own flavors, with some help from Eldritch.

  “This first one’s on me.” Sayeh returned with a full mug. “What are you learning about today?”

  “It’s the fairies,” Eldritch said. “The fae folk, I mean. They live north and west of us, before the sea. Their realm is guarded by a mysterious barrier none have been able to pass.”

  “Well, if no one’s been in there, how do they know about them?” Sayeh set the drink in front of him.

  The chair across from him squeaked loudly as she sat down. She giggled from the noise before resting her arms on the table. Eldritch tried to hold back a laugh but the grin plastered across his face gave him away.

  “The fairies?” She questioned again. “How does anyone know about them?”

  “They trade with the settlers on the border towns.” He glanced at the book. “It’s rare when they come. Sometimes not for years between visits. But they love showing their tricks and telling stories to the humans. . . us, I mean. This book is written by one who tried to sneak inside.”

  “Did he make it in?” She leaned closer to the book.

  “He disguised himself with magic and followed a fairy right to the edge of their forest. But something made him turn away.”

  “Did the fairy put a spell on him?”

  “It’s unclear. It says he was blinded and lost consciousness, then he woke up farther away from the forest than he had been. A feeling of lost hope overtook him. Something dire. It invaded his thoughts, and he fled back to Caetheal and never ventured there again.”

  “Does it say anything else about the fairies?” Sayeh picked up another book on the table and flipped through it.

  “Yes. I believe there are deeper secrets I have yet to understand.” Eldritch looked out the window. The emptiness of the road mirrored his heart, it longed to be filled with the adventure and magic he’d read about. “I must discover the hidden beauty and worlds beyond the ink of these pages.” He promised himself.

  “I like the ones with the funny looking creatures in them.” Sayeh set the book down and leaned back with her arms crossed.

  “Those are an additive to a book’s real power.”

  “I’d like to have that power too, I think.” Sayeh’s eyes widened. “I mean, I hear a lot from the travelers. People’s lips loosen with the right drink. You’re lucky I haven’t used any on you, yet.”

  Eldritch inspected the drink in front of him. Everything looked normal.

  He took a careful sip of the sweet herbal mixture. It tasted of sap and strawberries.

  “Would you like me to teach you the languages of these older books?”

  “What a wonderful idea!” She clapped her hands together. The movement caused the chair to crack, and one of the legs broke free. Sayeh and the chair crashed to the ground. She started laughing hysterically on the floor.

  “Maybe I should teach you how to sit properly in a chair first.” Eldritch laughed with her and held out a hand.

  She grabbed it and almost pulled him down. The sweet smell of jasmine and vanilla floated up from her dress as it brushed across his leg.

  Something jingled from inside the fabric.

  “What was that?” Eldritch said after Sayeh steadied herself.

  “Sorry, I almost forgot.” She plopped a bag of coins on the table. “I need to get this counted before my mother comes to close up. You don’t mind, do you?”

  Before he could answer, the door swung open.

  A man shambled in with the smell of a long and unpleasant journey, not the typical customer for the shop. A couple of empty bottles clanked about his belt. He looked around and found a seat at the nearest table.

  “Are you sure you’re not looking for the alehouse, sir?” Sayeh asked, but the man le
aned back into the chair and shook his head. “If you’re not interested in books or ale, I can make you an herbal drink.”

  “That’ll do,” the stranger said while keeping his eyes on Sayeh.

  “Where have you traveled from, friend?” Eldritch walked over with his chest out, trying to mask his pale and scrawny features. The way the man stared at Sayeh was unsettling. “Can I help you find a book to your liking?”

  “Just passing through is all.” The man gazed hard at Eldritch. He turned back to Sayeh who had returned. “A quiet shop is what I’ve been needing.”

  “Here you are,” she said setting the bottle at his table. “Feel free to grab a book you like but be sure to put it back unless you are looking to purchase it.”

  Sayeh walked past the man and faced Eldritch with a look he couldn’t read. The way she smiled at him and her intoxicating perfume were different than when they were growing up together.

  Her smile left her face as she was jerked away from Eldritch. She stumbled back. The man wrapped his bulky arm around her waist.

  Eldritch lurched forward, but a dagger was pointed toward him from the man’s other hand.

  “Easy lad.” The man tightened his arm around Sayeh’s waist. She stopped struggling as he held the dagger to her neck. “There’s no need for anyone to get hurt. I see one bag of coins. Where’s the rest?”

  Eldritch's mind spun with confusion. He hated feeling powerless but knew he couldn’t attempt to overpower the man without Sayeh getting hurt. He looked away toward the door.

  “Don’t think of going anywhere,” the stranger said to Eldritch. “We don’t want anything bad happening to such a pretty wench, do we? Sit back in the chair.”

  The man pulled out a rope. Eldritch couldn’t stop staring at it. Something about that rope. There was nothing peculiar about it, only that it would be used to confine him.

  “Did you not hear me, boy?” The man loomed closer to him with Sayeh in his grasp. She was shaking. “I said sit down.”

  The man's words traveled past him as if spoken to someone else far away. The room seemed to spin and his vision blurred as if he were looking at everything from underwater. A new presence lurked along the back recesses of his mind, trying to get his attention.

  “You see it?” A voice trailed inside hiss mind, like a breeze blowing by. “Do you see it? The words are there. You know what they are.”

  He peered from the corner of his eye to who or what spoke to him. The unseen voice used an ancient tongue, the old language he had read but never heard.

  Eldritch trembled from his racing heart and looked again at the man. Although the stranger held the rope, he did not control it. He did not control the dagger, or Sayeh, or even his mind.

  “Do you see me?” Eldritch’s words formed deep within an unknown part of his mind before they left his lips. He watched a force wrapping around the man’s brain, like the rope in his hands. “You see me. See how you are powerless before me.”

  The dagger crashed to the ground.

  Sayeh pushed away from the man who had dropped the dagger and the rope. He pulled the hair at his temples and knocked over his drink, letting out a loud yell as he fled into the streets.

  Liquid soaked into the rotten wood where the stranger once sat. The sound of it dripping on the floor muffled the other noises around the shop.

  “Eldritch? What happened? Are you okay?” Sayeh shook him. “Eldritch?”

  “Yes.” Fatigue filled his words. “He won’t come here again. I made sure of that. What about you? Are you okay?”

  “I think so.” She grabbed his hand. They were softer than he expected. “What was that? You were speaking in some language I’ve never heard anyone speak before. It was frightening. But it terrified that troll of a man.”

  “I had to scare him off,” Eldritch said. “If you need to go home, I’ll clean up the mess.”

  “You don’t need to trouble yourself with that.” She pulled him closer. “Perhaps you could stay longer though?”

  “It’s late.” His heart pounded faster. “My parents may start to worry. I believe your mother is coming soon to help you close.”

  “Yes.” Sayeh frowned and looked out the window. “I’ll clean the spill before she gets here. Thank you, Eldritch.”

  “I’m sorry if I scared you with those words.” Eldritch tried to remember what he had actually said to the man.

  “You’ll have to teach me how to speak with such a fearsome voice and the old language. I am eager to learn everything you know.”

  She gave him that smile again. He nodded as all his other thoughts escaped.

  The sun hung low on the horizon when he slipped out of the bookshop. He had to admit, he found Sayeh very attractive, almost enough to forget about his own desires. His parents wanted him to settle down, marry someone from the village, tend the farm, and live a monotonous life. Of course, having the books in the shop at his disposal would be convenient, but he wanted to leave―when the time was right.

  There was still much to learn from the mysteries of the books. Something called to him, deep within them. The words spoke to him, spoke through him. He needed to listen to their power.

  Chapter Two

  “You came back.” Sayeh dropped the book she was about to shelve and sprang to greet Eldritch at the door. “It’s been over a week. I thought something may have happened at the farm.”

  “All is well there,” Eldritch said. “I had to help my parents finish planting. It will be best to stay inside with the days getting hotter.”

  “Are you ready to teach me?” Her smile made him feel warmer than the temperature outside.

  Sayeh’s complexion should have been lighter compared to those in the fields since she spent most of her time inside, but the layers of unwashed dirt and ink smears created a creamy tan.

  “My grandfather taught me to never fear the power of a good book,” Eldritch said. “The most simple tome can hold secrets beyond what we can fathom. The older, the better.”

  “You told me he was blind though. How could he teach you to read?”

  “He taught me from what he had learned when he could see, and when his vision failed, he could make out most of the shapes.”

  Eldritch took a deep breath. His grandfather passed away too suddenly. Although mostly blind, he had the ability to unlock the phrases and symbols of other languages, finding the true meaning of words. It was almost like the books spoke to him in some way beyond sight. The handful of books he memorized had distinct textures on the covers. It was like he could feel the markings on the paper as well.

  By teaching another, Eldritch hoped to learn more of the magic his grandfather taught. If he could focus on teaching and not on Sayeh’s smile.

  “Eldritch?” She waved a hand in front of him. “Are you going to teach me today?”

  “Oh yes.” He tried to shake off his thoughts and looked away. “If you want to grab us drinks, I’ll get the books.”

  Days passed as Eldritch taught Sayeh his favorite stories. He first opened the simpler ones of pirating on the seas, assuming she heard such tales from travelers stopping by the bookshop.

  In fact, she picked up on them too quickly, like she was faking her naivety for a way to spend more time with him. Of course, he didn’t mind spending more time with her. He shivered from the thought of being closer to her.

  No, that wasn’t it. Something else was reaching into his mind.

  “She is keeping you from true power,” a voice, not his own, whispered inside his thoughts. “A waste of time.”

  Eldritch stood and looked around the room. No one other than Sayeh.

  “Is everything all right?” She asked and raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes, sorry, it was nothing.” It had to be the wind making noises, or he must have imagined it. Yet the words the voice said left a chill in his chest that wouldn’t go away. “Let’s get back to the story of the pirate. Do you understand it?”

  “Very much and I like it too. Who knew
there were elves on the seas? I’d always seen them as pleasant and polite whenever they stopped by here.”

  “One must have had his ears pulled a little too much growing up.” Eldritch laughed to shake off the tension.

  Sayeh grabbed her ears and stuck her tongue out at Eldritch.

  “Careful not to pull too hard, you might become a pirate too.” Eldritch leaned forward and stuck his hands behind his ears. He should have felt foolish, but she enjoyed everything he did. It made him more nervous.

  “You would make a great elven pirate,” Sayeh said. “Sailing across the deep seas to the fairy lands, but not to good fae, to the dangerous ones who would try to capture you. But you’d fight them off with your clever words and skill.”

  “She knows,” the voice whispered again. “Ask her. You want to learn more about the dark fae.”

  The voice breathed in his ear the way his grandfather would read into the books.

  “Can you tell me some of the stories you know of the fae?” Eldritch stammered.

  “I don’t know if I’d be much help.” She blushed and looked at her feet. “I’m sure you know more than I do from those books you read. You study them all day.”

  “Yes, but you mentioned something about dark fairies. I have not read anything about those creatures. Do they live in the deep waters or another island somewhere?”

  “Oh no, not at all.” Sayeh moved back in her chair and flopped her leg upon the table to restring her boot lace. “They live in the forest too. Well, one of the travelers said so. He travels through the border towns a lot and has even seen some of the dark fae.”

  Eldritch tried not to stare at her soft leg. It strained the border of her dress and lifted the hem of it. He swallowed hard, attempting to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. “What else did he say?”

  “They’re like us, they have good ones and bad ones. There is a balance in the forest, but the bad ones never come out or are locked away somewhere.” She shrugged. “He didn’t say anything else about them. I imagine they sneak out of the forest and play tricks on the people in town. At least I think that would be more fun to do if I was a dark fairy.”