Chapter Eleven: Nightmare
"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others."
-Jonathan Swift
Tendrils of crimson curled along his skin, their rough surface sending jolts of pain deep into his nerves. When he opened his mouth to scream they flowed inside, smothering his cries and pulling him deeper into the drowning pain. All around him there was red, it filled his vision as much as it did his veins and his body screamed in protest where his own lungs could not. In a moment he'd snapped one of his bindings. Loki surfaced from the thick mist, arms and legs still tightly bound despite his struggle. His free hand searched for any surface to give him leverage against the mist, to pull himself out of the despairing pit. All he'd managed was a breath before more of the ribbons flew from the mist to pull him again beneath the surface.
"...there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you..."
The whisper, like the pain, was familiar enough...but the scene shifted then, a skull rose next to him in the mist, floating next to him with it's black hair creating an obsidian halo around it. The female voice was different than the other, darker somehow...
"You think you know pain? I will make you long for something as sweet as pain."
Her lips moved forward, forcing him into a kiss before the skull melted to the same red tendrils that held him down, flowing into his lips. He coughed as much as he screamed. Just before the image broke into consciousness he swore he saw other forms in the mist...
"Loki, are you okay?" Edith asked, jumping up from her place nearby when he coughed blood unto his bedclothes. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine...I'm fine." He insisted, clearing his throat and cursing this mortal form as the images began to withdraw from his mind...even Thanos would have difficulty finding him here. At the moment Thanos wasn't what was worrying to him...
"You're bleeding." Edith replied in a tone that told him how little she thought of his protests. "What happened?"
She was more frightened now than she would have been if she had a nightmare of her own. Certainly such things could be scary but what could possibly bring a creature that calls itself a god to such screams...
"I bit my tongue...I wasn't expecting her to act so quickly...she's certainly here...somehow." Loki remarked, glancing at the creaky manor and frowning. "Nor is she alone...I'm unsure what other spirits are here but they are..."
"What are we to do...sleeping obviously doesn't seem to be going well." Edith remarked...she'd not gotten any herself yet. She certainly didn't like the idea that Lucile's ghost was the one haunting them. "What can we even do to them?"
"I am no necromancer..." Loki answered, though his tone was thoughtful and she waited for him to finish the remark. "But...we did pass a library. We can go attempt to study anything it might have on the topic of spirits."
"I'm up for it." Edith didn't even lay down again, just picked up a robe and slipped it on. It wasn't long before the pair was settled in the library, Edith turning on every possible light and candle while Loki perused the books as best he could.
"Some of them are missing." He remarked...tapping on one of the shelves. "There are many of the books organized by topic...even a section for fiction and the supernatural but mention of ghosts is not present."
"Do you think they knew?" Edith asked, worried that Loki had been correct about Thomas' guilt in the dark plots that seemed to surround this place. "They knew that they were haunted here?"
"It's more recent than the last time someone living was here." Loki remarked. "I doubt they knew of spirits, it's more likely Lucille's spirit somehow altered their placement. Such things aren't uncommon with souls of strong emotion or willpower."
"But why would she target you?" Edith frowned. "She loves Thomas."
"Well, other than she may know that I'm not Thomas." Loki replied with a vague motion as he continued to look over the books. "I imagine she wants Thomas to suffer. In her eyes Thomas betrayed her to be with you. She wants to steal you from him."
"Great..." Edith muttered. "Couldn't you have just left her drugged on the boat?"
"People build a tolerance to such drugs after a while." Loki explained. "It was the easiest method by which to keep your security. I hadn't planned on being haunted by the creature. This library is worthless as is. I don't know enough of this place to guess where she could have moved the texts...what about the church? In the morning we could walk to the local city and explain we want the home blessed?"
"I guess we could..." Edith answered with a frown. "Will that work? Does that sort of thing really work?"
"I haven't the faintest idea." Loki smirked at her irritated expression. "Is it not worth the attempt? It will give us the chance and a good excuse to buy any copies of such books for ourselves."
"Fine. Fine...anything to escape these walls for a time." Edith agreed. "What will we say to the priest?"
The following day...
"Thank you for the help Father, my wife has been beside herself with worry since our return." Loki was thanking the priest after his rather convincing tale of Edith's concerns. She was offering him a deadpan stare when he turned back to allow the small procession of churchmen to head out to Allerdale Hall.
"For someone blaming me, you were the one screaming with nightmares last night, as I recall." Edith whispered, offering her first smile at the dirty glance he gave her. She knew men were supposed to look the strong strapping lads but he had lain it on a bit thick for her taste. It was only because she knew it wasn't actually Thomas that she let the charade go on at all. The church was less likely to go at their behest if it was the man screaming for help – just a sad aspect of the world she was in. "Are you always so sexist?"
"If I were to be completely honest with you, it would only make you uncomfortable." Loki answered, then shrugged. "I don't particularly care one way or another Edith, nor is it something I intend to argue over. I know you aren't some witless shrieking female, as do you. What does it matter what others consider you? Let us head to the bookshop. I doubt they'll have much but we can try."
He walked that way without glancing at her, his mind clearly on other things but Edith was left to quietly chew over his carelessness of personal appearance. He spared only what thoughts he must toward what others thought of him. At first she'd considered him shameless, but that was a judgmental way of being jealous of his impervious self-confidence. Edith could be that way, she certainly had always endeavored to...but secretly she still feared how some might judge her actions...her father would be beside himself right now if he knew what was happening here...
"Are you concerned?" He asked.
"Yes." Edith answered, pushing her mind from the idea of her father. "What if the members of the church are injured? I can't imagine Lucile will be any kinder to them than she was to us."
"Spirits only have limited control on our world." Loki replied honestly. "It is not much risk, and they go with more forewarning and less hatred from the residents than we did. If we survived the night, I expect they'll survive the day. Goodness, does this place have no organization?"
He was frowning at the room full of shelves and boxes with no noticeable form of arrangement...this would take all day to properly consider...
"This is just the first place...I should head on to the market. The stalls won't stay out the entire day." Edith remarked, just as unwilling to search here. "I'll let you do it so my weak female sensibilities have a chance for some fresh air."
Loki pursed his lips at her swift retreat, the brat had beaten him to walking out and leaving her. It would be admirably clever if he wasn't the one stuck. He had to admit he was growing a fondness for this particular mortal...he supposed it was the least he could do was look after her since he'd created the supernatural aspect of this mess. Lifting a box from the many in the shop while the shopkeeper woke to notice he was inside he only offered a nod and began to search.
Edith meanwhile smirked to herself at successfully ditching the young man that often played her escort these days. The strange creature that wasn't her husband, but was at the same time...she hoped that this plan of his with the priests would work...but she couldn't know if it would. She doubted it, the church had it's place but she had even seen a ghost inside a church before...if they were repelled by blessed ground then how could she have seen the glimpse of her mother at the funeral?
She was lost in thought at their current plight when she rounded a corner and knocked a stack of cloth from a woman's arms. Silk fluttered around them, Edith caught what she could but several of the lovely scarves ended up in the mud. She shook her head at the situation.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry ma'am...I'll pay you for them." Edith said immediately, helping the older woman keep her balance. "Are you all right?"
"Just startled." The woman answered, offering a slight smile. "Aren't you a kind child, offering to pay. Silk is expensive."
"Yes, but I insist." Edith replied, pulling her purse from her side. "How many pounds will I owe you?"
"Only a few were soiled, I should be able to clean them dear. You don't need to trouble yourself." The woman had darker skin, filled with wrinkles from age, coarse compared to the silk she wore. She had deep blue eyes that looked even older than the obvious years on her face. "You are a lady in fine clothes, why are you in this area of town? Alone no less. Are you trying to get attacked by unsavory sorts?"
"No, no of course not." Edith insisted. "My escort I left behind, he was boring me."
It was the nicest lie she could come up with on short notice...
"We're looking for books on spirits." Edith explained.
"Oh, that's a dark topic for such a bright young woman." The older woman stated, gathering the clean silks to set them on part of her stall and putting the soiled ones in a bag...probably to try and clean them later...
"It's...well we think our manor might be haunted." Edith replied.
"Oh?" The woman asked curiously. "That is a strange thing to think."
"Yeah...but I think it is." She repeated, glancing over the lovely things gathered at the stall. She looked back to the old woman after a moment of recognition. "Are you a gypsy?"
"You could call me a wanderer yes." The woman replied with a friendly smile. "It's why I keep a stall here. The higher class area doesn't normally deal with us."
"Nonsense, you are no different than us." Edith scoffed at the idea immediately. "Money doesn't make someone better, it rarely makes them richer – not really. I really insist that you let me buy the soiled scarves so you don't lose anything because I wasn't paying attention."
"I appreciate that my lady. Are you looking for gypsy answers to spirits then?" The woman asked, a spark in her eye that seemed to show she knew more than she was letting on. "If you'd like I could add a bit of a spell to protect you from foreign spirits."
Edith glanced up and down the alley – witchcraft was something no one wanted to be caught dealing with...out of safety if nothing else. Thankfully no one was nearby, she nodded as she bit her lip. She didn't want to be caught dealing with such darkness, but now that it had targeted her what choice did she have? What could it hurt to try?
"Wonderful...let's see, for you dear...what's a good gem..." The woman looked at her carefully before reaching up to one of the pendants on her cart – a silver quarter moon set with a teal and white colored stone. "Amazonite, it helps dispel negative energy near you and encourages feelings of calm."
"It's beautiful." Edith answered...she'd always enjoyed the night sky and the moon...the color was pretty...the pattern of the white and green was almost like a firework trapped within the stone. "How much do I owe you?"
"As you insist, do you have a few shillings?" The gypsy elder asked.
"I must pay more than that...I have a pound note. Here." Edith offered the note with her best insistent expression. Breaking into a smile when the woman took it. "Pleasure, thank you so much."
She doubted the trinket would help her but it was lovely, and it did help her mood to have such an exchange...even if it was more money than they could afford.
"There's a book stall around the next left. It might have some books on ghosts. Don't buy from the tall Englishman, his books aren't usually real copies anyway." The old woman stated, then moved to help someone that had just turned the same corner.
"Thank you..." Edith repeated, touching the new pendant around her neck before leaving the woman to her work and heading down around the corner. She might not get as much backlash for spending the money here if she could find something useful for Loki. She didn't notice the slight glimmer to the necklace as she moved, it faded before anyone else in the alley had seen it either.
End Chapter
I know it's been a while. My son's been moved to a bridge hospital. So he's out of the NICU and stable but still in need of a lot of care that we don't have the time for (we're trying to get some nursing arranged but its slow). The move has really helped my mood though. Despite being pretty busy still with college I really wanted to get up a chapter. I has plans XD.
-Aura
To my reviewers:
Thanks to everybody, you really help keep me going! I love getting reviews, even small ones : )
RavenStag – Thanks so much for all the kind reviews. I am glad you've enjoyed my story so much so far. I hope you continue to.
Xitlali – I'm starting to ship them...then I'm still a Jane Loki shipper...but Edith and Loki is pretty all right too XD.
Akoto3725 – I am not sure if I'm still the only person writing such a crossover. I sort of expected there would be a lot of them. I appreciate that you're a fan and hope you stay so.
Sparky – Yes, there will be more between them. I'm working up to another 'interlude' between them as we go along. It'll be sooner than it seems! They are spending the night in town after all XD.
MyraValhallah – The house itself is one of the thin places in the world that allows spirits through – Loki described this shortly in Chapter 10 (I think it was 10.). I always sort of figure supernatural rules are semi-mutable as long as you keep them the same in any given piece of fiction.
Thephoenix – She is.