To Pierce the Shadows – Part 1
The bell rang. Hector had been caught by some surprise, having been lost in thought and in his work. He had great plans for his National History Day (NHD) project and had gotten lost in the research. But now, class was over and he followed the throng of students toward the exit.
Warm sunlight streamed in from open windows and caressed his cheek. He felt surprisingly free of his usual preoccupations and worries. Petals fell. in scattered clumps. Hector supposed they looked quite nice.
On a whim, he made a stop at the bathroom. The walls were drab, the kind of beige that slips from one’s memory. And the tiles were an off-white that could have looked nice a decade ago. But his school, commonplace though it was, was a small comforting force in Hector’s life.
Hector exited the bathroom and was greeted only by silence. There were a dozen after-school clubs and programs, yet there wasn’t even the sound of distant chatter. Hector stood in the silent hall. He even stopped breathing, listening for something other than silence. He was greeted by faint music. Hector strained his ears, trying to figure out what it was.
He walked forwards, making his way down the hall, away from the exit, searching for the source of the music. Each step was slow, careful, deliberate. And the music grew louder. The music reminded him of wind chimes, harp strings, and drums like hoofbeats. But there was something else to it that Hector couldn’t place. He needed to find out what it was.
Driven forward, Hector wound his way around the school. If he had been paying attention, he would’ve noticed how all the lights dimmed and how he was being led down corridors that shouldn’t have existed. Shadows, somehow vibrant, danced. Instead, entranced, he wandered down the hall in search of the music.
The music was far louder, the melody flowing through his blood, his heartbeat matching the beat of the drums. Hector was close. Whatever it was would surely be around the next corner. He rounded it, anticipation at a fever pitch.
A foul stench pierced the air. Hector stopped; his mind cleared. The warm feelings that had felt so bubbly just a minute before rang false. Before him, at the end of an impossibly long hallway, something lurked. Shadows obscured much of its features.
Afterward, he would only be able to remember vague impressions of its form: a tall form whose head brushed the ceiling, knees bent like splintered wood, needle-like teeth stained, a rotten flower tucked in mossy green hair. Its mouth was slightly agape, the sweet, enchanting music emanating from it. Hector bolted.
He ran, his only objective being to get as far away from the thing as possible. Even though he did not turn, he still felt the eyes of the creature piercing the back of his skull. The halls stretched on before him. Hector finally realized that he wasn’t exactly in his school anymore. Unfamiliar classrooms lined the walls; hallways intersected in ways they shouldn’t have.
And then, ahead of him, came a shape. He couldn’t make it out in the half-light of those strange hallways. But it was yet another unknown creature. A mystery ahead, a terror behind, Hector threw himself into the nearest classroom. He then skulked behind a couch, not pausing to consider its incongruence with the setting. Hector peered out from behind it. From his vantage point, he could scan the hallway before him.
And there was a moment where Hector could just begin to gather himself. He sat there, in the half-light, cowering. But, even through his fear, Hector couldn’t ignore his fascination. His attention was only half on the hallway. Instead, he tried to conjure an explanation for what he had seen. A hallucination? Hector thought that it was the most reasonable answer. It was far more likely a thing than a creature being an elaborate mockup, or else something real. Yet there was the fact that he was calmer, his mind cleared, and still sitting in an unfamiliar classroom. He needed more information, to back and—
His thoughts were broken. Out the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the hallway before him. Hector tensed. The first figure to come into view was the horrific creature Hector had seen at the end of the hall. Slowly, leisurely, the creature rounded the hallway. A violet tongue slithered between the thing’s teeth as if searching for something. Hector held his breath, and even his heartbeat slowed.
And then there was a figure clutching a sword in their right hand. A helmet obscured their face, and Hector found no discerning features. The person staggered forwards. In their hands, they clutched an azure orb. It appeared cracked slightly, and there was a spiderweb of fissures from where the knight’s fingers gripped it. The knight, for it was a knight, wore armor that gleamed even despite the otherwise gloomy hall.
The knight and the monster faced each other, and Hector was struck by the size difference. The creature loomed over the knight, head scraping the ceiling. And the knight couldn’t have been taller than Hector himself. They looked slightly injured, one leg looking unsecured. But their stance was steady and forceful. Hector didn’t doubt their prowess.
“How did you make your way here from the Fae realm? I expected something more imposing. But you look frail, and your Glamour isn’t even working correctly. How did you expect to ensnare someone while looking like that? Your music isn’t that good.”
The opposing creature, presumably a Fae, snapped its needle-toothed mouth closed and hissed, its teeth bared. And the knight strode forwards, and the Fae took a single step back. This encouraged the knight, who spoke in a softer, colder tone. “You’re lucky I found you before you ensnared someone. You know what the Fae queens would say to your breaking of their contract.”
The Fae shrieked. From beneath its robes, it drew a long, thin needle, almost as tall as Hector himself. It charged, needle pointing towards the knight’s heart. And the knight stood their ground. The azure orb glinted softly, then blazed with an overpowering brilliance. Then, the Fae shone blue, and its movements slowed. This halted the Fae long enough for the knight to deflect the needle with their sword, though the action looked strenuous.
The knight turned and stared at the Fae, who seemed disoriented by their slowed movements. Although it seemed to Hector that the effect was wearing off, the blue sheen that had engulfed the Fae was fading. The knight clutched their orb, fingers digging even farther into it, marring its surface even more. Viscous liquid dripped from the sphere. It splattered upon the ground in large droplets. Then light began to emanate from the sphere. It grew in intensity till Hector felt the need to cover his eyes. The Fae shrieked and reeled back. For a moment the world was blotted out, replaced by blinding blue. The light dissipated.
And the blue glow departed from the Fae. It darted, impossibly fast, towards the knight. There wasn’t finesse to the attack; the needle wasn’t well aimed. And so, though the Fae managed to tackle the knight, the knight was able to deflect the blade. Still, Hector glimpsed the knight fall to the ground. Though the knight rose, their arm drooped slightly, and the azure orb was no longer held as high nor clutched as tightly.
The knight continued their attack, lunging for the Fae. But Hector wasn’t able to keep up with the fight. Both figures moved shockingly fast, their movements difficult to follow. He was only partially aware of the battle taking place just before him. Azure light sliced through the air; figures danced; shadows flickered in the half-light; blade clattered against blade. But the tide of the battle was in the knight’s favor. Hector was awed by their prowess and it made him feel less afraid.
The battle was over. Hector hadn’t been able to follow what was happening. But he saw the Fae with wrists bound by a simple iron chain. It shrieked as the knight bound it. And the knight-! Their helmet had shattered. Hector didn’t recognize their- her -face. Still, it was a clue.
Dragging the Fae behind, the knight began limping down the hall. They left the scene like actors finished playing their parts. And Hector was left behind, startled, as his world became a wholly different place. Eventually, he made his way toward the exit. In the half-light he followed the splatters of scarlet and violet blood that trailed across the floor.
Hector stood before the school for an interminable length of time. Petals fell in scattered clumps. Hector supposed they looked nice but they could not distract him from his worry. There was some trepidation in returning to the building. A fear, of the place, of the Fae, still gripped him. He looked at the doors and for a moment saw the endless hallways in which he had been prey. Hector blinked and the seen vanished. He took a moment to silently thank the knight.
But he stepped inside the school building and was momentarily taken aback by the off-white flooring and the smudged walls. Incessant mundane chatter filled the hallways. He had almost expected to again see walls bathed in half-light and halls that stretched far beyond where they were supposed to. Instead, everything was in-keeping with normalcy.
“What are the best and worst things that happened to you this week?” The day after Hector’s encounter with the supernatural. And so he had to ensure the question that was asked every Wednesday in English. The teacher said it encouraged people to strengthen their relationships with one another. Hector disliked this event, that day especially so.
Hector recalled the Fae in all its terrible majesty, the knight in all their glory. He didn’t mention them, of course.
“I did well on my most recent calculus quiz.” He said, lamely. This was true, although it was insignificant compared to the things he’d seen.
“And I had trouble sleeping last night,” he said, remembering instead the copper-stained lips, and needle teeth.
