Jump to content
    AC Benus
  • Author
  • 3,648 Words
  • 2,340 Views
  • 16 Comments
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Bound & Bound – the Curse and the Captives – - 20. Chapter 20: The Well in the Woods

Chapter 20: The Well in the Woods

 

THUD! POW! BANG..! The cab driver seems to be finding every pothole, divot and bump in the road to goad my hangover into higher realms of pain. My hand is at my forehead, and Silviu, with his smug 'serves you right' snicker, is at my side.

"Those aspirin working yet? he says softly.

"No need to shout," I murmur.

KAPLOW!

I moan in agony and close my eyes. To my surprise, the feel of Sil's arm sliding across my back and patting my far shoulder is heavenly.

"Who knew Romanian red wine packed such a punch?" I say, feeling every word as a throbbing in my temples.

Silviu squeezes my shoulder. "I did."

"Thanks, 'protector,' for warning me."

"You say that as if I can expect you to ever do anything I suggest."

"Ouch. Touché, and you win. Just give me some tea and sympathy right now, ok?"

"Well, we have the canned coffee I brought for later. You want one now?"

I shake my head and regret it instantly. "How about some just plain sympathy then?"

"Okay." His gripping motion on my shoulder morphs in a gliding massage; one that blissfully nestles between my back muscles and neck.

I don’t know if those aspirin tablets have suddenly kicked in, or there really is something to the notion of a healing touch, but my pain and general moodiness quickly begin to drain away from me as if a plug had been pulled somewhere.

I mumble with closed eyes, "You sleep well last night?"

His voice comes in close to my ear. "Yes. The bed was comfy. How was the floor?"

I crane my neck to the side so he can get in deeper with his magic hands. "It was as expected, delightful."

"I would have invited you up top with me, but seeing as you were in such a state, I thought you'd get handsy with me."

"Oh, a real worry, I'm sure. So you made me sleep on the floor for my own good. Very noble, and thanks for taking a moment to toss me a blanket."

"Blanket, and pillow too. You're welcome."

His fingers walk lower on my back and I straightened my spine in helpless rapture. His lips come back close to my ear to tell me softly, "You take the bed tonight."

"Damn right I will, Romani," I joke. My eyes open and I turn to face the window so Sil's healing touch can have better access to my entire back portion. The car's jarring movements feel less innerving now, and I can begin to watch the sights roll by. Farm fields are green, abundant and separated by broad swaths of hedgerows and woodlands. Small homesteads pop up every so often and look to be an odd mixture of medieval thatched-roof and pristine satellite dish.

I scan slightly up the road. Coming from the other direction is a huge hay cart. An old man and boy ride atop the driver's seat, while two white horses clop along out in front with blinders on, and bobbing heads and manes. On the back of the cart are not only hay, but also an apparently complete family – uncles, aunts, grannies and granddads, and kids to beat the band. The whole crowd seems to be chaperoned by a few mature but still youthful grownups. As they pass the cab and I can watch the receding cart, my imagination contemplates that they must be on their way to a festive wedding – although a nagging doubt says they could just as likely be obliged to cart themselves to a funeral. In this regard, these 'peasants' seem to inhabit a land that time forgot – or to set aside the Conan Doyle analogy – these people still seem stuck in Bram Stoker's imagination.

Silviu's fingers make their way up to pinch right behind my ears. I have to close my eyes again, this time in unmitigated bliss.

His breathy tone toys with me. "Feeling better?"

I nod and grunt in delight.

"Good." He gently knocks the back-top of my head to indicate he's done. I turn to face him grinning, and feeling like his kid brother must after some attention from this big lug.

"So, why a well, do you think?" I ask.

"It's a good locale to check out. Wells and springs are mysterious places."

My Romani protector folds his hands behind his head and kicks his boots as far forward as he can in the backseat by turning sideways and robbing some of my foot space.

"But," I ask, lifting my feet up to rest them on top of his. "What's so special about them?"

"Why are they places to connect with the unseen? Think of it this way – water is a necessary force in human existence. Too little of it, and there's famine and drought; too much of it, and there's flood and pestilence. Most sacred wells to Christians are actually the naturally occurring springs that ancient people considered holy. These waters were the same ones churches were built over to baptize the newly converted. Some places became the famous 'wishing wells,' while others got converted to 'cursing wells.' Wishing and cursing wells are said to have such power because they are sourced by elementals – nature spirits who have never lived a human existence, and are changeable by moods. These are the so-called folletto of Italy, fairies of Ireland, and pixies of England."

"So what do you think we'll find today..?"

"If the spring or well is associated with Vlad Tepes, then hopefully we'll find the next clue we need to break your curse."

"Umm. I hope so."

He grins at me. "I think you are feeling a lot better now."

"Yes. Does it show?"

Silviu nods. "It shows in how heavy your feet are."

I lift them. He pulls out, then after I stretch out again, he plops his down on top of mine.

"What did it for you, the aspirin….or…" He leaves it dangling.

I play it coy. "Or…something else." Then I let my hand fall on his knee with a barely suppressed smile. "I'm not getting too handsy, am I?"

Silviu only smiles.

"See," I tell him. "Maybe last night I wasn't as drunk as you thought."

 

˚˚˚˚˚

 

The taxi kept turning onto progressively smaller and less-travelled roads, following some wooden signs and Sil's GPS.

The cab driver finally recognized the place as 'bad,' and Silviu had a devil of a time convincing the man to stay and wait for us. To make matters worse, inky clouds had rolled in overhead and dimmed the whole environment.

We followed another tattered wooden sign staked in the ground, and headed off the road and into a dense wood. Here occasional bird shrieks crying out within the treetops were the only sounds other than our treading over dried leaves and twigs.

Now, as we trudge along with Silviu out in front, the moody feeling returns to me. My eyes keep spying shadows off the trail to the right and left; catching phantom 'things' following our course, but darting and hidden, they loiter behind thick tree trunks just beyond my ability to peer into the foliage. I don't know, maybe they also stay just at the edge of me thinking 'I am just seeing things.'

Sometimes, some branches near where we walk also seem to make slight movements on their own. It is almost as if I could convince me in a moment of panic that they are alive and wanting to entangle me.

It's a weird and frightening sensation, and I hurry my step to get closer to Silviu. We break into a small clearing and the 'well' is not what I expected at all.

No circular stone wall with a bucket suspended over it, no cheery ivy vine to trace up picturesque wooden posts – no, this is clearly one of Sil's ancient and boldly pagan springs of mystique where both dreams and maledictions are eaten up in depthless anxiety.

The 'well' itself is a pool in a stone basin. The enclosure rises about forty centimetres above the ground to form a rectangular curb that's maybe two by three metres in total size. The water in the basin is pure, clear and mysteriously free of any debris. Looking down into it, this fact is startling, for although the trees step back a good three metres all around the spring, the branches and all their leaves still stretch out over our heads and dapple the cloudy sky in the content's reflection. How could none of the leaves get in the water?

Scanning though the immediately adjacent woods – unconsciously looking for movement from 'them' – I notice that all is unearthly still; even the sparse birdcalls have stopped.

I watch as Silviu walks a circuit around the pool while peering deep into it.

"What now?" I ask him in a whisper, as it seems sacrilege to speak in proper volume in the heart of all this quiet.

He comes to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me. I hear him inhale sharply.

"Now, it's up to you," he tells me letting the force of his breath be his inflection. "You remember that day with Daj? She told me you saw just as much as she did in the crystal. So, here's your chance to ask and be shown the next step."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that scrying doesn’t need to be done in a crystal or gem – it's almost best done in water. Nostradamus saw all of his visions in a brass bowl of water."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you not to be scared, first and foremost."

Shit. He was just reading my mind, or at least reading my frightened body language.

So, I shake it out a little bit by putting hands and feet in motion.

"Good." Silviu smiles for me and pats my back. "Now, clear your mind, kneel and look down into the water. Think your question – but Emeric – please be careful. Stay focused, and do not seek to know too much. Some of it could hurt us."

With one final pat on the back, my Romani stud steps off to the side near the tree line at the narrow end of the wellhead. He pauses and watches from about three metres away.

I slowly amble to the centre on the long side nearest to me. My eyes slowly peek over the edge and gradually bring the mirrored cloud cover from overhead into view. I kneel so I can place my hands on the mossy stone curb and brace myself as I extend my head and face over the motionless waters. I try not to look at the expression on my face, because quite frankly it looks frightened. I also try to suppress the emotion I am feeling – a sense of being powerless and dependent upon an already decided and hopeless fate.

 

I blink, and in another moment begin to smell a phantom whiff of the mugwort and chicory that Daj had burned at The Seeing Fox. Her gentle words of 'It’s a cleansing scent' echoes through my thoughts. 'Clear your mind,' she had also whispered, and so I do.

I start to feel my heart rate drop and my brain enter a rhythm of longer wave patterns. Whether in the water, or just in my head, I see Sil with his little brother at the shop. The placidly content look on little Lupasc's face as Silviu picks him up like a piece of luggage strikes me as a look of connectedness – a look of love.

The depths of the waters change. The slight movement of the yellow-green foliage from overhead stops and slips out of focus; in its place the central fields of the spring waters seem to rise in fathomless ascent. A cloud slowly forms and stays in suspension somewhere below the surface, and I know I am ready.

I pose my question as a thought. 'Where do we need to go next?'

A massive round tower appears. It's made of brick, has toothed turrets all along its crown, and seems like a living rook piece from a chess set. The odd features of this tower are a balcony placed about halfway up, and a massive battlement of a foundation. This base is not round at all, but a square with sloping sides that merge with the tower as if the fortification had been built on top of a truncated pyramid.

'Why?' I wonder.

Vlad Tepe's portrait flashes up, but oddly enough does not frighten me. The image fades as I foolishly let myself get caught up in thoughts about his moustache again.

In a panic that the vision is ending too soon, my thoughts scramble. I think, 'Who is my enemy? Bring him here!'

 

The cloudy water gradually turns bloody. My sight drifts across the plane of the pool's surface as a shadow begins to materialize. In reflection I watch as a hooded and robbed person coalesces to stand on the other side of the pool from me.

It becomes more and more distinct. In concentration I will myself to not look away and make the thing unmask itself. In the back of my mind a small piece of me also hopes Silviu is seeing what I am.

'Reveal yourself,' I willfully command with my mind. The cowl flutters like a trembling leaf. It falls in slow motion and as if it's taking the substance of the figure with it, but then suddenly that falling motion stops. The fabric of the hood settles about a metre and a half off the ground and begins to issue a noise. It is a low-reverbed rumble, one that settles into a guttural snarl. The figure takes on the guise of a huge black dog. This hideous thing has the face of a mastiff blended with that of a rottweiler, and those features are set within the massive jaw lines of a pitbull. Its bared teeth and blood-curling growls are no match on the fear-factor scale when compared to its glowing red eyes. Dogs should not have penetrating orbs as large as saucers, but this hellion does.

Keeping its gaze locked in the water's reflection, I whisper, "Silviu..?"

There is no response.

I dare not look up from the pool; I do not need to, for I know this spiritually-summoned beast is actually standing on the other side of this well from me. And, the thing is advancing.

"Don’t move," I finally hear Silviu say.

I swallow and watch the dog take a step towards me.

"Now, stand. Smoothly and calmly – no sudden movements."

I follow the instructions with a fleeting glance to see Sil is exactly where I last saw him. Those are married with menacing glimpses of a massive black dog only a few feet away.

"Step towards me," Silviu says. "Slowly."

I do, and the dog tracks his bloody eyes with me as I move. The creature is not of this world – outwardly a canine, but no dog can be as tall as child, but this one is.

"When I say run," Sil instructs. "You follow me, and do not look back."

I nod, and that causes the dog's growl to shift into higher gear.

Slowly, painfully so, I step towards Silviu and inch along with my sight never leaving our would-be attacker.

I get to Sil's side.

"RUN!" he yells and takes off down the path opposite from where we arrived.

I do not look, but know the dog is hot on our trail.

Keeping my sight locked on Silviu's back, I again feel like the foliage is reaching out to snare me with thorny hands and shredding claws. Instinctively I shield my head, and run forward with panic that the hell hound's panting, which I can hear behind me, will suddenly be in my ear as he pulls me to the ground.

We break into a clearing, and Silviu double-times it like a track star; this gives me space and motivation to increase speed and stay right with him.

I dare to glance over my right shoulder, and the sleek blackness of the werewolf-sized creature glints in the sunlight like mink. Its teeth are exposed and drooling with saliva. It catches my look and barks at me with a mix of a snarl and scream.

Silviu plunges down the slopes of a creek, and scrambles immediately up the sides of the far bank. He comes to a stop.

I launch down the embankment, through the water and reach out to take the hand that Sil is reaching down to me from his side. He yanks me up, and as I cock my limbs to start running again, his hands lock on my chest and back to stop me. His eyes are looking over to the other side, and I suddenly realize the dog has had more than enough time in this delay to be ripping us to shreds.

I slowly follow Sil's eyes over, and am amazed to see the big black dog run up to the edge of the stream and halt. The angry looks it divides between the stream's surface and us say it all – it cannot cross over.

Silviu and I stand and wildly try to catch our breath. Doing so, we watch as the hellion paws madly at the other side of the creek bed.

It glares at us with obvious hate, and as I glance to Sil for some form of explanation, I see the top buttons of his shirt have come undone and his gold coin and chain glint wet and brilliant in the newly emerging sunlight.

"It's like I thought," he breathlessly explains. "These black dog spectres cannot cross flowing water."

"Why?"

"No idea. Just be grateful this one holds true to form."

"Oh – "

He cuts me off with a slight punch to my upper arm. "What did you do, Emeric?! I said be careful!"

The dog rages and increases its growls with Silviu's harsh tones.

"I just…I just, asked to see who our enemy is."

His voice drips with sarcasm: "OH, that's not dangerous at all. Good job!"

"I…" I decide to close my mouth. I have nothing to countermand that.

"Sorry," he says softly.

"What do we do, Silviu?"

"You conjured it, you must be the one to make it go away."

"Great idea." I try my own sarcasm on for size. "But. How do you suggest I do that!"

"Don’t turn your pouty Sean Penn sneer on me, and don’t pretend you're gonna listen to anything I say!"

"Sil!"

"Ah – just go into the state you were in, and command it to be gone."

"Easily said – "

His hand comes up to massage the back of my neck. His tone softens. "Come on, Emeric. I know you can do. What were you thinking of before you started scrying?"

I instantly relax. "You," I tell him bluntly.

Finally I have found something to shut him up. Ignoring his astounded and perhaps somewhat intrigued look, I pick up his right hand with my left.

I massage his fingers and close my eyes. I see nothing, I feel nothing but fear, and that's only reinforced by the shrieks and yaps of the dog across the way waiting to rip our throats out.

That all changes the instant that Silviu begins to hold me back.

His strong hand grasps my fingers with a tenderness that reels me down to my soul.

 

Visions begin to flit in rapid sequence, but as they seem to involve people I haven’t met, doing stuff in places I do not recognize, I struggle to connect with them. Then, one of Sil's images lingers long enough to come into some form of focus. He is wearing a white tuxedo with a lavender boutonnière pinned to the lapel. I have never seen him looking so radiant, and happy. He stands on a platform of sorts and appears to be waiting for someone. There is a feeling of a formal event about to happen, and on an intuitive level I realize that Silviu at this precise moment regards himself as about the luckiest man in the world.

 

I don’t know why exactly, but seeing him like that centers me tremendously.

I open my eyes and grip Silviu's fingers even harder. I tell the creature, "You cannot harm us. Depart and never disturb us again!"

The massive black dog falters in his pawing of the stream bank, and the rumbling gurr in his throat lessens.

"Let's both do it," I tell Sil.

He gives me a resolute nod.

In unison, we say, "Depart and never disturb us again!"

The dog stumbles like an arrow has pierced the hide of its flank; a whimper vibrates the air with a piteous shriek, but we have no sympathy for this black thing from hell.

In another moment, the dog's body takes on a vaporous appearance and the substance of its form begins to rise into a smoky column.

As it gets to the height of a man, it instantly shoots into the sky like a flash of lightning, and in another moment, our ears quake with a crack of noise like that of air being rent into super-heated plasma.

We cover our ears, and as my eyes again alight on Silviu's gold coin, a totally unbidden thought thrusts itself into my head.

That name he had used to check us in – Hans Schnyder – I remember my connection to it. I am suddenly awash with anger; I feel betrayed in the most profound way possible, and yet now at least the coin makes sense.

Oh fuck.

Copyright © 2017 AC Benus; All Rights Reserved.
  • Like 19
  • Love 1
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
You are not currently following this story. Be sure to follow to keep up to date with new chapters.

Recommended Comments

Chapter Comments

  • Site Administrator

Another great chapter, AC. Nice cliffhanger! I want more now! I love how the story is progressing. Sorry this review isn't more in depth, but I'm tired. lol I can't wait for the next chapter. :)

Link to comment
On 03/16/2015 11:52 AM, Valkyrie said:
Another great chapter, AC. Nice cliffhanger! I want more now! I love how the story is progressing. Sorry this review isn't more in depth, but I'm tired. lol I can't wait for the next chapter. :)
So I can make my reply brief, and tell you I hope you like the upcoming chapter 21. It's an important one ;)
Link to comment

Well done AC. The imagery of the walk to the well, the hellhound, and the fleeing was macabre but not overdone. You hit all the right notes at just the right pace. The interaction of E and S in the cab ride to the well, continued throughout the next scene and at no time did I feel them disconnect. Even when E was scrying, I felt S's presence and knew when E went too far, which he did, that S would be there. More and more they are connected and in this together. I wonder did E get a vision of his own wedding? S would make a handsome groom. Answers are coming... it sounded like Laszlo's old castle is the next destination, and now E understands the mystery of the matching coins... I hope his anger isn't at S...Cheers

Link to comment

I had forgotten how bloody scary this chapter is! :o But the drive in the beginning was a nice compensation for the later fright.

The fact that Silviu's touch soothes Em should tell him how important this Romani is to him. Yet he defies or ignores him at every turn. :no: Is it lack of trust or lack of intelligence or just a childish independent streak ? I want to shake him and tell him to open his eyes.

Link to comment

Such a great chapter! I kept thinking of Grimm, H C Andersen (the dog with eyes big as saucers) and Conan Doyle. Nice to see Emeric getting acquainted with his powers.

Link to comment
On 03/16/2015 12:39 PM, Headstall said:
Well done AC. The imagery of the walk to the well, the hellhound, and the fleeing was macabre but not overdone. You hit all the right notes at just the right pace. The interaction of E and S in the cab ride to the well, continued throughout the next scene and at no time did I feel them disconnect. Even when E was scrying, I felt S's presence and knew when E went too far, which he did, that S would be there. More and more they are connected and in this together. I wonder did E get a vision of his own wedding? S would make a handsome groom. Answers are coming... it sounded like Laszlo's old castle is the next destination, and now E understands the mystery of the matching coins... I hope his anger isn't at S...Cheers
Thank you, Gary, as always! There are certain chapters in this book – like the cemetery debacle – where elements of horror are born through the sheer bringing of the reader to the edge of panic, and so far, Emeric has been able to pull us back by not panicking. In this case, he uses Silviu to stay calm, to achieve his necessary level of peace for scrying, and as his savior when he does not know what else to do against the giant black dog. So when you say that the level of connectedness between the two guys is sustained, growing and strengthening, I love it. That is what I hoped readers would get out of this visit to the well, and you certainly did. That makes me feel great.

 

As for Emeric's anger…I'm afraid it may not be totally at Silviu, but the young Romani will have to bear the brunt of it. But then again, sometimes getting mad is the most cathartic thing a person can do.

Link to comment
On 03/17/2015 04:56 AM, Timothy M. said:
I had forgotten how bloody scary this chapter is! :o But the drive in the beginning was a nice compensation for the later fright.

The fact that Silviu's touch soothes Em should tell him how important this Romani is to him. Yet he defies or ignores him at every turn. :no: Is it lack of trust or lack of intelligence or just a childish independent streak ? I want to shake him and tell him to open his eyes.

Thanks, Tim! I certainly remember your reaction the first time you read it, so it is nice to know I can 'zap' you a second time ; )

 

I too like the cab ride, and it seems to me like some of Emeric's pain is psychological (in addition to the hangover), and in that way Silviu's touch is simply an excuse for Emeric to let go of some of the 'stuff' he's been carrying around in silence.

 

You say that Emeric defies or ignores Silviu at every turn, and although the younger man panicked and demeaned to have his enemy brought to them at the well, he uses Silviu's thought at every turn to bring himself into a calm state and to stay focused. So, I would like to think that they are growing in their connection both physically and spiritually, and I hope I have shown that in this chapter.

 

But let's face it, sometimes Emeric is a brat.

Link to comment
On 03/17/2015 07:19 AM, Puppilull said:
Such a great chapter! I kept thinking of Grimm, H C Andersen (the dog with eyes big as saucers) and Conan Doyle. Nice to see Emeric getting acquainted with his powers.
Thank you, Puppilull, for placing this chapter in such consistently great company for the gothic horror genre! Yes, Emeric is maturing as a seer and I think a large part of Silviu is in silent awe of him.

 

If you and other readers are interested, I think I will post some information of the phenomenon of 'the giant black dog.' It does not seem to have much traction in North American folklore, but these spectral beasts show up often in British nightmares. If I can find a picture online, I might be able to show you the actual gouges made by one of these hellions on the inside of a church door where it was trapped with the congregation one night. Imagine how scary that must have been!

Link to comment

AC, if Emeric doubts the seriousness of his situation and the powers of the supernatural now, then his head is full of cement. :)

The cab ride was great--it emphasized the fact that these two do have some sort of bond, even if Emeric is still working it out; it also showed us that, with the legs scene, Silviu is going to give him shit when he feels it will help lighten the mood Em can seem to sink into. We can see what he provides Em, but is love the only thing Em offers in return?

The spectre Em conjured is a slight puzzle--is it a demon? All this time I was thinking that the curse was due to Lady Gretza--so I guess she somehow summoned this creature to torment Em's family? I also hope, quite fervently, that Emeric now realizes the depth of his powers, and will be more cautious in future--he now sees the effects of even thinking the wrong words at a crucial moment--he could have just thought 'Show me the face of my enemy' and not 'bring him to me.' :) In all my reading on witchcraft and magic, it is emphasized that everything must be done to exacting standards or disaster will befall the seeker...it was very interesting that Em could summon the creature alone, but away from the ancient fane, it took Silviu's assistance to banish it completely.

The whole chapter after the cab ride, smacked of H.P. Lovecraft--one of my favorite authors in this genre--I would have also said Wilkie Collins, but we haven't had ghosts hanging about--yet.

Next one please!

Link to comment
On 03/17/2015 08:35 PM, ColumbusGuy said:
AC, if Emeric doubts the seriousness of his situation and the powers of the supernatural now, then his head is full of cement. :)

The cab ride was great--it emphasized the fact that these two do have some sort of bond, even if Emeric is still working it out; it also showed us that, with the legs scene, Silviu is going to give him shit when he feels it will help lighten the mood Em can seem to sink into. We can see what he provides Em, but is love the only thing Em offers in return?

The spectre Em conjured is a slight puzzle--is it a demon? All this time I was thinking that the curse was due to Lady Gretza--so I guess she somehow summoned this creature to torment Em's family? I also hope, quite fervently, that Emeric now realizes the depth of his powers, and will be more cautious in future--he now sees the effects of even thinking the wrong words at a crucial moment--he could have just thought 'Show me the face of my enemy' and not 'bring him to me.' :) In all my reading on witchcraft and magic, it is emphasized that everything must be done to exacting standards or disaster will befall the seeker...it was very interesting that Em could summon the creature alone, but away from the ancient fane, it took Silviu's assistance to banish it completely.

The whole chapter after the cab ride, smacked of H.P. Lovecraft--one of my favorite authors in this genre--I would have also said Wilkie Collins, but we haven't had ghosts hanging about--yet.

Next one please!

Thanks, ColumbusGuy. I don’t think Emeric has any lingering doubts that this stuff is real, and that he is submersed into it fully. How to control his abilities, on the other hand? Well, for one, he better start listening to his protector!

 

You bring up one my favorite aspects of this chapter, namely that Emeric can 'do' a lot, but when he joins forces with Silviu (as in using his very thought to center Emeric, and in combining their forces at the end) he has power, real power. Why is that the case..? Um, please stay tuned for the very next chapter, and do not think you are wrong to suggest the L-word is involved ;)

 

Thank you for a great review, and for suggesting this chapter belongs in the company of Lovecraft and Collins' work. You will turn my head...

Link to comment

Wow, so many seesaw moments in this chapter. I really liked the almost domestic coziness in the cab: so down-to-earth and prosaic. Then they arrived at the mysterious pool, and suddenly Emeric's ordered to see if he can envision something in the water. Then the demonic dog, the panic-stricken fleeing, and suddenly Silviu has them in relative safety and they're sniping at each other again! The vision of S all happy in his white tux really pleased me... and just as I was expecting a kiss to round off the scene neatly, Emeric loses it! I just loved this chapter, AC--not one, but a series of rugs being pulled out from under me :D

Link to comment
On 03/18/2015 04:40 PM, Irritable1 said:
Wow, so many seesaw moments in this chapter. I really liked the almost domestic coziness in the cab: so down-to-earth and prosaic. Then they arrived at the mysterious pool, and suddenly Emeric's ordered to see if he can envision something in the water. Then the demonic dog, the panic-stricken fleeing, and suddenly Silviu has them in relative safety and they're sniping at each other again! The vision of S all happy in his white tux really pleased me... and just as I was expecting a kiss to round off the scene neatly, Emeric loses it! I just loved this chapter, AC--not one, but a series of rugs being pulled out from under me :D
I love the image of rugs being pulled, for in many ways that's what's happening to Silviu and Emeric. They are tumbling, so they better hold on to one another pretty tight.

 

Thank you, Irri, for a great review. So far you are the one person to mention one of my favorite moments in the whole book – after Silviu is assured of their relative safety, he immediately asks "Emeric, what did you do?!" That timing of just barely being separated from the clutches of the hellion, and these two are off bickering again, makes me laugh every time. I love it, it seems totally 'domestic' to me, and I love how your review ties that moment back to the sharing and openness the men in the taxi.

 

As for the kiss, it's coming ;)

Link to comment

Oh, this is excellent stuff! Scary is difficult to write well and yours is up there with best of them.

 

Delicious!

 

tim

Link to comment
On 12/14/2015 02:31 AM, Mikiesboy said:

Oh, this is excellent stuff! Scary is difficult to write well and yours is up there with best of them.

 

Delicious!

 

tim

Thanks for the praise and support, Tim. I appreciate both of them very much!

Link to comment

You take us from the mundane (oh, lord, potholes! ouch.) to the sublimely scary (a supernatural hound). In every description, you had me wondering what sort of adrenalin jolt you would deliver. The scrying well experience got my heart racing, my mind shouting danger, all the while willing myself to read the next line, knowing something frightening could and would happen. When it did, you let my heart rate down easy, even as you allowed Silviu to do the same for Emeric. Great chapter, as all have been so far.

Link to comment
On 07/25/2016 10:26 PM, Parker Owens said:

You take us from the mundane (oh, lord, potholes! ouch.) to the sublimely scary (a supernatural hound). In every description, you had me wondering what sort of adrenalin jolt you would deliver. The scrying well experience got my heart racing, my mind shouting danger, all the while willing myself to read the next line, knowing something frightening could and would happen. When it did, you let my heart rate down easy, even as you allowed Silviu to do the same for Emeric. Great chapter, as all have been so far.

Didn't see that one coming, huh? ;) I think you are hinting at something subtle here, namely how anticipation itself is far more heightening and heart-pumping than actually being confronted with the danger. Yes. I like that – it's true. Once the hellion appears, at least the dread had taken a form that can be dealt with; before, not so much….

 

I hope you enjoy the next chapter; things will official change.

 

Thank you, Parker, for another wonderful review!

Link to comment
View Guidelines

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Newsletter

    Sign Up and get an occasional Newsletter.  Fill out your profile with favorite genres and say yes to genre news to get the monthly update for your favorite genres.

    Sign Up
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Our Privacy Policy can be found here: Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..