They stepped behind the waterfall to behold a shimmering silver portal. It was about ten feet tall, opaque, and rippled like the surface of a lake. Mists from the waterfall contributed to an ethereal effect. The Forgotten One went through immediately, not waiting to see if they followed. Raith turned to his companions.

  “Are you sure you guys want to do this? It’s not too late.”

  Thea shook her head vehemently.

  “You heard your brother. If you’re going then so are we.” She looked to the stump of her arm and swallowed, then waved it with a sad smile. “Besides, what other team would have me now?”

  It killed him inside to see his indomitable friend look so defeated.

  “Whatever else happens, we’ll figure that out.”

  She put on an unconvincingly brave face and nodded. Nyhm cocked his head as he stared at the portal.

  “It’s strange, I can only remember the mask now that he’s out of sight.”

  After taking a moment to reflect on the disturbing gap in their memories, together they stepped through.

  Damp fog encompassed the team. The ground beneath their feet felt unnaturally smooth, but the mist was so thick they couldn’t see even that far. Thea slipped and grabbed out with her good hand, catching Raith’s shoulder.

  “Good idea,” Raith said. “Let’s keep a hand on each other so we don’t get separated.”

  The Forgotten One’s voice barked out from fog ahead.

  “Are you fools coming?”

  “On our way.”

  Together they moved carefully forward. Raith’s boots gave him the steadiest feet on the slick ground, so he walked in the middle for support. Nyhm probably didn’t need it, but Thea’s hooves were having some trouble. If their guide hadn’t spoken, he wouldn’t have even know what direction to go in the thick fog.

  The path sloped gently upwards for a time before turning back down at a similar pitch. Every step forward was hesitant, as though the ground might not be there the next time he put his foot down. After many long minutes of walking like this, they emerged from the fog and Raith’s stomach dropped as he realized how close to the truth that had been.

  They stood upon a rainbow, hundreds of feet above the surface of the ground. A breeze of exotic flowers and honeyed air replaced the permeating dampness. Below, the forest unfolded like a dream. A living mosaic of trees and wildflowers. The canopy was alive with glowing fireflies, and the trees seemed to sway to an unseen melody. A mist, tinged with soft pinks and violets, coiled around the treetops, hiding glittering rooftops of fae villages nestled among the branches.

  In the distance, crystal spires rose above the foliage, their faceted surfaces reflecting the starlit sky. A waterfall of liquid moonlight cascaded from a floating island, feeding a river that glowed like molten silver as it wound through the woods. Winged creatures, some as small as butterflies, others as large as rocs, glided through the air, their laughter like wind chimes on a summer breeze. The cloud they had just been walking through loomed behind them, massive beyond words.

  Raith had never been bothered by heights, but this was pushing it. Nyhm looked sickly, and his grasp on Raith’s arm had become vice-like. Only Thea remained unperturbed, her eyes lit up with wonder.

  “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

  Far ahead, the Forgotten One trudged steadily forward. He had gained quite a distance while they cautiously made their way through the cloud, and they now had to hurry to catch up.

  “Are we going to the city?” Thea asked, pointing towards the distant spires.

  The horse mask tilted her way and let out a snort of derision.

  “Certainly not. I’ve no use for sidhe frippery. It’s bad enough the road brings us this close.”

  They descended into the forest, reaching the bottom to find a desolate landscape that bore no resemblance to what they had seen from above. The trees were tall and skeletal, their bark peeling in long, curling strips. Their branches clawed at the sky, twisted and tangled as if frozen mid-writhe, forming shadowy fingers. Some trees were hollow, their gaping maws of darkness filled with the faint sound of whispering wind.

  It was not silent, but what Raith heard made him wish it were. The faint rustling of unseen creatures, too large for comfort, moving just beyond the edges of his vision. Twigs snapped, though no footsteps followed. A low, distant moan drifted through the air, the wind carrying a sound too close to a voice for coincidence.

  The dirt trail stretched ahead unevenly, strewn with roots like grasping fingers, waiting to ensnare the careless. Patches of fog swirled across the ground, thicker in some places as if hiding something beneath them. The Forgotten One turned to them as they gathered at the base of the rainbow.

  “This will be your only warning. Do not stray from the gossamer path. Things may try to trick you, make promises, beg for help. Do not listen to them. This road takes us from the the faewilds into the dream realm, and leaving it would be dire. If you step off of the path for only a moment, even if you are not trapped or devoured that moment might be a year for we who remain.”

  Without waiting to see if they understood, he turned and resumed the steady march. Every step forward felt like stepping deeper into something’s waiting grasp. Raith was certain they were being watched. Eyes, unseen but undeniable, followed their every move, their gaze a weight upon his shoulders. The forest did not want them here.

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  “Is this the same woods we saw from above?” Thea asked in a whisper.

  The trio jumped when Forgotten One made no attempt to lower his voice as he replied.

  “It is not. Places within the dreaming are not connected the same way they are in the mortal realm. Now be silent. I am not your tour guide.”

  It was a hundred feet before anyone realized they were clutching onto each other like children. Raith let out an embarrassed laugh as they let go, but everyone remained close as they continued through the ominous woods.

  The perpetual gloom eventually gave way to a desolate city. The rotted husks of buildings lined the streets, yards overgrown with weeds and the decaying remains of abandoned life. Raith marveled at the abrupt change, and dared to ask another question of their guide.

  “We’ve been on this road for hours. How did you reach us so quickly after I used the ring?”

  “Scarce moments pass in the mortal realm on this particular road. Decades might have passed had I chosen another, even as my time on the gossamer path felt only minutes. One of many reasons mortalkind abandoned these ways.”

  They arrived in the center of the city, and the Forgotton One approached a large, official looking building. Warped double doors marked the entrance. As he pushed on them, the hinges let out a slow, groaning wail that was swallowed by the vast emptiness beyond. The inside air was stale, thick with the scent of dust, mildew, and old paper. Dim light filtered through shattered windows, casting jagged shadows across peeling walls and shattered tile floors.

  They moved deeper, past collapsed ceilings and rotted furniture until they came to the stairwell. The door to it hung half off its hinges, revealing a stairwell that descended into utter blackness. A faded "RESTRICTED ACCESS" sign clung stubbornly to the wall, its warning long forgotten.

  “That doesn’t look very safe,” Raith said, but the Forgotten One ignored him and proceeded down the stairs.

  The first step sent up a cloud of dust and the sound echoed far too deep, as if the stairwell descended longer than it should. The air grew colder with every step, the scent of mold and stagnant water growing stronger. Their footsteps felt muffled, swallowed by the darkness.

  Another door at the bottom of the stairs framed the same opaque shimmer they had seen behind the waterfall upon first stepping onto the gossamer road. They followed the Forgotten One through to find themselves stepping out of a mirror into some sort of throne room.

  For a moment Raith thought they were still in the abandoned city, but this room had a more constrained decay. Almost purposeful. Cobwebs and dust covered every surface, yet the place didn’t feel dirty. Tapestries hung on the walls in frayed scraps, but somehow managed to preserve their artistic integrity.

  Sitting on a throne of carved black wood was the thinnest, palest elf that Raith had ever seen. Stringy black hair fell past his shoulders, and a faint red tinged around his eyes. The man’s clothing was the height of refinement from centuries past, clinging in elegant tatters to his narrow frame.

  The Forgotten One marched up to the strange elf and took a knee, bowing low and removing his mask in one smooth gesture. Raith saw that beneath the mask, he looked almost identical. A rare breed of fae called a nuckelavee, with the face of a horse, sleek black fur and shining black eyes.

  “As requested, I have brought the godlaced to your service, Sire.”

  The elf leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at the party still gathered near the mirror.

  “And what of these other morsels you have brought, Gloam?”

  He spoke in barely a whisper, but somehow his voice reached their ears perfectly.

  Gloam stood and glanced back, gesturing with a massive hand.

  “The godlaced requested to bring these two, and I saw no harm in it. If you do not wish to take them into your service, I will dispose of them.”

  Raith’s blood ran cold with fear. He should have pushed harder to stop Nyhm and Thea from coming with him. Now they were in danger for his cowardice. The fae tapped his finger on his chin thoughtfully and considered the group.

  “Leave them for now.” He looked towards Raith and beckoned them with a slender finger. “You may approach.”

  The three stepped before the pale fae while Gloam positioned himself to the side of the throne protectively. Thea whispered out of the side of her mouth as they lined up.

  “He is a sluagh noble of the Unseelie Court. Kneel and bow.”

  The sluagh gave a wicked smile.

  “It is a pleasure to see my estranged kin have not lost all knowledge of our ways. The Hollow Earl, to be precise. But you may simply call me ‘sire’ or ‘my lord’.”

  Thea stood, so Nyhm and Raith followed suit. She shot Raith a look that told him to keep his mouth shut, which was fine by him. He didn’t want to accidentally violate some obscure fae etiquette, and was happy to let her do the talking. Especially if it meant the Hollow Earl didn’t decide to ‘dispose’ of them. Thea bowed her head slightly.

  “We come to you as nobles of the mortal realm, and formally request to be hosted under the Rights of the Patrician.”

  The condescending smile vanished, replaced with a snarl of fury. Raith’s heart clenched in fear at the abrupt change.

  What the fuck, Thea? You’re supposed to be the diplomatic one.

  The Earl sat forward in the throne and his whisper whipped into the chamber like a blade.

  “This cannot be,” he leaned forward and peered at them each intently. “But I see the truth of it upon you. Bring me Remi immediately.”

  Some...thing Raith had not noticed earlier rustled in the corner and slunk from the room, taking many of the shadows with it. The Hollow Earl reclined again and sat like a statue, staring directly at Raith while they waited.

  Raith shifted uncomfortably under the weight of that unwavering gaze for several long minutes, finally breathing a sigh of relief when the eyes flicked towards a man entering the room. He was wearing expensive Malutian clothing, with long black hair in an intricate braid, and appeared to be at least two decades older than Raith.

  The man stepped before the Earl and took a knee. Before he could speak the sluagh whispered.

  “Why did you not tell me of his nobility, Remi? I had thought you a more competent servant. Or perhaps you have told me lies…?”

  Remi’s head shot up in alarm and he prostrated himself in the ground.

  “I told no lies, my lord. I swear it. Only the truth has come from these lips since I was taken into your service.”

  “Then you are incompetent, and therefore of no use to me.”

  As the Earl spoke, three rat-like creatures crept out from the shadows behind his throne. Each the size of a dog, with dirty gray fur and elongated front arms. They circled and sniffed at the prostrate man, nipping towards him with massive incisors but never quite connecting. Remi shook with terror but dared not move.

  “I humbly beg to serve you, my lord!”

  One of the creature sunk its teeth into the man’s calf, worrying its head back and forth as he screamed in pain. Raith shuddered.

  “We were not nobles when Remi first came to me. Please stop.”

  The Hollow Earl held up a hand and the creatures instantly ceased their torment, but did not back off completely. The sluagh frowned and turned to Raith.

  “The courtesy you are owed under the Rights does not permit you to interfere in my affairs.” He considered Remi thoughtfully for a moment. “But I may yet have use for this one. Rise worm, and show our guests to their quarters. As it is written, three days of hospitality you shall receive and not one second more. We will meet again for for breakfast. Now leave me.”

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