Chapter 18
“I fear the price will be paid for generations to come, but what other choice have we?”
The Old Ones.
Nic frowned. The phrase was unfamiliar, and that was a rarity for him. He didn’t delude himself by thinking he knew everything, but he knew plenty more than everyone else. “I’ve never heard of them.”
“I’m not surprised. Their stories have faded with time, but some are still passed down the old-fashioned way—through oral traditions.” He smiled. “There are two worth noting: the Marrow Witch and the Dark Mother.”
Nic tilted his head. He could have sworn Silas’s eyes were dark brown when he’d sat down, but now they were a dark, ocean blue. There was something cold and cruel lurking inside them.
Silas went on, “Each of these ancient beings has a magic unto themselves. No one knows how they came to possess it, or truly remembers the particulars of it, but they have magic nonetheless. The Dark Mother, for instance, is the mother of all monsters.” His tone was hushed, and Nic found himself drawn in.
“Responsible for all the Earth’s most unsavory creatures. ”
“Hmm, that so?” Nic suddenly felt he was being taken for a fool. The idea of there being one divine mother monster, was the most baseless, conspiracy theory nonsense he’d heard in a while. Which was saying something, since Hornsby could easily give this man a run for his money.
Aside from spectral beings, the cryptids and monsters they’d discovered over the years were direct evolutions of other creatures that already existed within their ecosystems. Plus, there were plenty of stories and folklore that dated back through the centuries to support these theories.
There was no ancient god or goddess responsible for such a thing.
But Nic had spent enough time in the bowels of Entity to know that some stories had traces of truth, no matter how outlandish, and Nic was eager to find that sliver of truth here.
“The Dark Mother has the most enviable magic.” Silas paused, seeming to mull over the statement. “Well, to some. I personally disagree.”
“And the Marrow Witch?” Nic indulged him.
Silas’s smile returned. It was a sardonic twist of the lips.
“Oh, she envies that magic very much. You see, the Marrow Witch possesses a cruel and bloody magic. Of myself, for myself. ” Silas clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“It’s a brutal, sacrificial power that wields unpredictable results. ”
Nic decided to challenge him. “That’s fairly vague, is it not? That can apply to a wide range of magics.”
“Of course it can. Protection, concealment … imprisonment,” Silas hissed in a voice so low and filled with such malice that it drew goosebumps along Nic’s neck.
“Right, so …” Nic was desperate to change the conversation now. His eyes flicked down at his watch.
Where are you, Alexys?
“Are these two creatures the only Old Ones, as you call them?”
“No, they aren’t.” Silas tilted his head to the side, considering, then said, “Unfortunately, we won’t have enough time to discuss the rest of them.”
Nic swallowed his disappointment.
How had Silas managed to capture his attention so easily as to make him forget himself? He was far too clever to be baited, and yet … As someone who spent the majority of his time specializing in facts, it was out of character for him to be so easily fooled.
“Well, thank you for telling me,” Nic said. He was keeping an eye out for Alexys when Silas continued speaking.
“Long ago, when the Marrow Witch was most jealous of the Dark Mother’s gift, she decided to, let’s say, borrow the magic.”
“Pardon?” Nic frowned, and the expression had Silas nodding in agreement.
“A nasty business, borrowed magic. It always comes with a price, which of course was precisely the lesson the Marrow Witch had to learn.” Silas rose to his feet then, and Nic found himself doing the same.
“She created life, created a monster, and that was not within the bounds of her magic. It twisted and altered her intentions until it birthed a creature trapped endlessly in stages of death and decay. Never able to live, but never able to die. A grotesque reminder that she had broken the rules.”
That’s when it clicked.
“The Hollow Walker,” Nic stated.
Silas nodded again. His smile was almost gleeful.
A creeping dread came over Nic. It was, he had to admit, a spooky origin story, but even if he wanted to entertain Silas’s theory, Nic had never heard of immortal monsters born of magic. If one existed, it was something Entity, and Nic, would be aware of.
Right?
“Let’s say your story is true,” Nic started, trailing behind Silas who was making his way toward the exit, “why didn’t the Marrow Witch kill the creature when she realized what it would become?”
“Because it’s useful,” Silas said, stopping to face him. He loosed a dramatic sigh. “Besides, killing it was beyond her abilities. Even cruel magic has laws.”
Nic wasn’t expecting that. If nothing else, it was good fodder for the campfire. “So, it just lives in the mountains, eating people and slowly dying, forever?”
“Something like that,” Silas mused.
“That’s beyond cruel.”
Silas’s smile stretched wider, and he looked, for a moment, like he had too many teeth. “Yes, very cruel, and terrible, and delightfully vengeful.” Nic wasn’t fully listening to him, his gears were spinning.
“So that ties into the cult activity then, explains why it’s such a hotbed in Mercyhill?
” When Silas didn’t offer an answer, merely the curious lift of a brow, Nic said, “I’ve read the reports.
Activity peaked along the Appalachian Trail during the Sixties and Seventies.
Locals say there’s still cult activity in the region. ”
“There isn’t.” Silas said it matter-of-factly. Like he was an eyewitness who knew much better than any of these reports did. “Foolish stories told to children to keep them out of the woods after dark.”
Nic didn’t believe him, and something about the man’s body language told him he knew Nic didn’t believe him, but didn’t care. That Silas enjoyed causing discord even within Nic’s own thoughts.
“I would love to stay and tell you all the stories that these mountains and hollows have forgotten, but I’m afraid we’re out of time.” Silas looked at his watch, shiny and gold. “I have a meeting to get to, and you have a coworker to find.”
Nic blinked, then blinked again, then realized he still hadn’t seen Alexys return. He looked down at his own wristwatch and cursed.
“Don’t worry,” Silas said. He buttoned the jacket of his suit and adjusted the sleeves until they sat perfectly against his wrists. “She won’t get into too much trouble before you find her.”
Nic frowned, but Silas waved him off.
Nic waited ten more minutes in the lobby for Alexys before he returned to the room. When he discovered Alexys’s belongings were gone, Silas’s words coalesced in his mind.
Lovely. Just. Lovely.
Nic had been abandoned.
Part of him was outraged, but he was also incredibly impressed. Alexys had pulled the wool over his eyes, and he hadn’t suspected a thing. He had to hand it to her, he didn’t think she had it in her, but her message was clear: go home.
Unfortunately for her, Nic couldn’t.
Not only was he increasingly confident he’d find proof of the Hollow Walker, he now had two people to save. Elliot was one thing, but Alexys? She wasn’t cut out for the field, and she surely wouldn’t stand up against the Hollow Walker should she somehow manage to find it on her own.
Nic grabbed his things and headed downstairs where the cab he’d called was waiting. Fortunately, the rental was in his name, so he’d be able to catch up to her quickly. And then, Nic would carry on with his research.
He was closer to a discovery than he’d ever been before, and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass him by.