Beyond the Wall

I’m in a magical world surrounded by spirits and talking animals, wonder and amazement, yet locked away like a condemned man. Fantastical world, sure, but, a room with only walls and a bed inspires no joy. What my hosts expected of me when they left me with nothing to idle time away is anyone’s guess. My cellmate from before was nowhere to be seen. 

Through the window, I watched the sun descend further behind the distant mountains. How much time had passed since the meeting I had with Lady Marisa? Five minutes could pass in an hour, and one hour could equally pass in five minutes when deep in thought. What could I think about? How to get home? Nothing inspired me when my environment was static. I could only hope the King would find something.

Then a tapping sound interrupted my thoughts. I called out to the other side of the door but no one answered. The tapping continued. Maybe I was expected to open the door. I rushed over and opened it, but no one was there. I closed the door and walked back to the bed when I heard the tapping sound again. The window!

I poked my head out of the window where a large bird-like creature was perched outside, tapping its beak against the great oak tree. It gave me a sharp look with its cat-like eyes as it turned its head; in the rising moonlight its blood-red beak cut through the night. Sharp talons gripped the tree while a scaly tail hung loose.

“I understand you are looking for a way home,” said the creature.

“Huh?”

“I was informed by a salamander that King Eulerich’s court had an unusual guest. I presume you are of whom he spoke.”

His low viscous tone tarred to the air, mixing with the remainder of the day’s warmth.

“Oh! Yeah, I did ask a salamander for help, but the King and a high priestess said it wasn’t possible for me to go home.”

“Indeed? And acquiesced did you?”

I shook my head. “No, I made it clear I want to go home. The High Priestess said they’re looking for another way to send me home.”

“Indeed. If they are to be believed.”

“What do you mean?”

“They will search and search, but who is to say if or when they will find your path? Seduced you to this world, I know not how; but tell me, do you know for what purpose the High Priestess wishes to marry you?”

“No… How do you know about the marriage?”

“We are spirits without a soul,” said the creature, as he touched his chest with his wing. “But a human is a being with one. In order for the High Priestess to fulfill her role, she will wed a human, and thereby steal his soul.”

I clenched my shirt like I was tightening an invisible valve.

“So, you’re saying they’ve been lying to me this whole time? They don't intended to find an alternative path home?”

“Cooorreeect. Does their hospitality not puzzle you? Does the alacrity they show not vex you?”

“Well—I mean…”

I couldn’t find the words. I didn’t know who these spirits were. They did seem helpful on the surface, but maybe it was as the creature said: a trick to get me to lower my guard.

“So you know of another way to get me back home then?” I said, jolting out of the window.

“I do. But we must make haste, for I fear that your host will move soon to imprison you. Remove these bars and step outside. Worry not, I will carry you to the place that will bring you home.”

If there was even a chance that I could go home I had to take it. It was better than waiting here for eternity or having my soul stolen. Fortune favours the bold, as they say. If this ended up being too-good-to-be-true, then I could smooth this out with Lady Marisa.

Although there was no glass, I removed the muntin from the window, stepped out, and was carried away by the bird-like creature. We flew for quite some time and the night grew darker. I still had my rain jacket from this morning, so the wind and temperature were tolerable.

After some moments, the creature said, “We shall arrive momentarily. A ritual to traverse the barrier separating our worlds must be performed. I will dictate what you must perform and recite.”

I had never performed a ritual before, but with my new ally helping me, it should proceed without issue. I had seen many rituals performed on TV and in film that I believed I knew how to move my body with intended, ritualistic purpose. We began our descent and the air felt electric.

We landed in a grassy field with what looked like an altar atop a knoll. I scanned the area and saw the ruins of a building behind me, but it was too dark to see any detail.

“What is this place,” I asked, pointing to the altar and ruins.

“It is an ancient site from long, long ago. I will go gather a necessary ingredient, whilst I am gone you are to remove the chalice from the altar and bring it to the ruins—a temple from long ago. There you will find a basin with water. Fill the cup and return here,” said the creature.

With his orders given, he flew off into the night. I walked up to the altar and found a metal cup in the centre. Although, the moon was behind me, the cup reflected a faint light from in front of it. A white beige, opaque, colour. I held up the cup to examine it under the moonlight but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

What caused the mysterious light source if it wasn’t the moon? The bird-like creature wasn’t here to answer my questions, so I took a wide berth around the altar, when: bam!

“Ow!” I said as I rubbed my nose.

An invisible wall blocked my path. I held up a hand to touch it and sure enough there was a wall that I couldn’t see in front of me. There was no texture to the wall; it existed as a barrier that stopped anything from passing through it. I smacked it, and a faint ripple moved across the wall, reflecting the moonlight as it went. This must be a gate back to my world, and the ritual the creature spoke of will open it no doubt.

I rushed down the hill to the temple, coming to a ruined door on its last hinges. When I touched the decaying wood, it collapsed backwards to reveal the interior. A miasma of dust enveloped the air and my nostrils. As if it was a testament to its maintenance, moonlight profaned the temple. I could see the water basin waiting for me directly ahead. I filled the cup as I had been instructed, and took a moment to appreciate what remained of the temple.

Located a dozen yards away, on a throne that was once important, sat a kingly skeleton. I didn’t expect to see remains here of all places, which startled me and caused me to nearly drop the cup. I wanted to get a closer look at this skeleton, so I left the cup on the lip of the basin and crept over to investigate. Despite the state of his temple, the skeleton looked satisfied to remain on his throne. His work was completed, and now he rested, while his soul had departed to a place beyond, leaving behind its earthly body.

I wondered who he had been and how he got here. Worms prodded my feet with questions as they writhed around, looking for the next corpse to devour. I stepped back from the throne and returned to the basin, retrieving the cup and heading back to the altar. The bird-like creature had returned, and with him he had brought a snow-white lamb.

“Good, you have retrieved the blessed water. Now we will conduct the ritual. Lead the lamb to the altar, from where you will offer up a prayer to open the portal back to your world,” he said.

Leading it by a cord around its neck, I brought the lamb to the altar. What role the lamb played in all this I had no idea, but to worry about details now, when I was close to home, seemed silly.

“Now you shall recite the prayer: O Moritz, I humbly beseech you to lift the veil that shrouds our lands.”

“O Moritz, I humbly beseech you to lift the veil that shrouds our lands,” I repeated.

The once invisible barrier began to reveal its true colour.

The creature continued, “Permit the transgression of one soul, and let him journey from your grace.”

“Permit the transgression of one soul, and let him journey from your grace.”

“Now for the last verse; at the end, say your name. Now: With this vessel,” the creature made a gesture with his wing.

“With this vessel,” I said, making the same gesture. At these words the cup in my hand grew warm.

“I bless the guiding lamb, and shepherd it with my soul, in my name.”

“I bless the guiding lamb”—the lamb began glowing—“and shepherd it with my soul, in my name: Ferdinand Bern—”

“STOP!” shouted a voice.

A large, blurred shadow swooped over the alter, knocking the cup out of my hand as I lost my balance. The shadow flew in a wide arc as it prepared to make another pass. In the moonlight I saw that it was King Eulerich with Luna on his back.

“Quickly, finish the prayer, now! We must complete the ritua—”

But he never finished his sentence. Luna had jumped off King Eulerich’s back, drew a sword from an invisible sheath, and in one practiced motion, severed the bird-like creature’s neck as she glided down.

“Move away from the lamb,” commanded the King.

The lamb next to me had lost its snow-white wool—now turned dark. The lamb trembled in agony. Suddenly, it looked up and our eyes met. A crazed look had come over it, and its eyes shone red. It transformed on the spot into a wicked monster that howled with incomprehensible rage and horror, summoning a gruesome tempest upon us.

Luna leapt at it, aiming to drive her sword through its heart; but the monster grabbed her sword with its ferocious claw, and swung it and Luna aside. King Eulerich surged forward and calmed the gathering storm with his powerful wings. He grabbed the back of my jacket with his beak and yanked me away from the monster. As I struggled to my feet, I saw the cup that I had been holding, and grabbed it. Luna circled around and stood next to me as the King faced off with the shrieking beast.

“Begone, servant of Wode! Go back to the evil hold beyond!”

The creature disregarded King Eulerich’s command and lunged at him, but he struck it down with a powerful strike of his talon. He then looked at me, and I my blood ran cold and my vision dark. The last thing I remembered were his large, yellow eyes staring at me.