~Prologue

There's a night every year, always a different night, when you can look out of the window at the top of the tower in Alder House, and you can see Things. She stood before a dilapidated old building with vines trailing up its length, those words echoing in her thoughts. Before her was a large sign, and written upon it in curving golden letters, was the name of the mansion- Alder House.

Neneh tried to remember the stories that her ma used to tell her of Alder House. There were three floors and a tower that extended almost to the clouds. The cool evening breeze played with her long, violet hair and she swept it from her face gracefully, tilting her head as far back as possible to catch sight of the eloquent tower.

“Neneh, I want to tell you a story.” Her mother’s smiling amethyst eyes matched Neneh’s curiosity and excitement at the prospect of a new story spun from her mother’s fantasies.

“Tell me, ma!” She squealed with excitement.

“It is about a mansion-” The woman began, taking Neneh into her lap and playing with the girl’s hair.

“Is it Alder House?” Neneh asked excitedly, she liked the stories about Alder House the best.

Her ma laughed softly, “Why yes, it is Alder House!” She said, “Once long ago the land that now holds that old mansion was a portal to many worlds, both good and evil. Those were tumultuous times and many fled to the magical area. It was then that Alder House was built- as a way house for weary travelers. It started as a small cottage, and as the land prospered it grew and grew. The people desired to touch the stars in those days, those magical balls that light up the night sky. They wanted to hold the moon within their grasp, and so the tower was built.

That tower extends into the heavens, so close to the stars of other worlds and yet still so far. There’s a night every year always a different night, when you can look out of the window at the top of the tower in Alder House, and you can see things.”

“What are they, ma?” Neneh asked curiously, “Are they spirits, or maybe light fragments reflecting in some unique way, or crystals, or-”

She blushed and stopped speaking, allowing her ma to continue the tale that she had interrupted. “Nobody knows, except on that night something terrible happens in Alder House. The demons of other worlds are allowed access to this world, which was cut off from the others many years ago, the reason for this is also unknown. On that night the demons roam the house and the countryside, murdering all that they see.

That house has a bloody history, but it is full of wonderful mysteries…”

Neneh stepped onto the forgotten lawn, watching where she placed her feet for small animals or holes almost automatically as she moved. Her mother had taken her to Alder House only once before, she remembered it so clearly. For that had been the last time that she’d ever seen her ma.

Now she was older, and Neneh planned on finding out where her ma had gone. She had been alone for so long… There were footsteps pounding so closely behind her… “Run Neneh!” A woman screamed in terror. Neneh shook her head to clear it of the scream that still rang in her ears.

Her fingers reached with shaking apprehension towards the rusted doorknob, and after a moment she clung to it, as though for fear of her life. For only a moment she stood there, panting and trying to slow her racing heart. Finally she pushed the door open; it creaked slowly inward, and within its yawning mouth was utter blackness.

She lifted out a simple lightsphere and tapped it. For a moment nothing happened, and then a pale blue glow began to grow steadily stronger until she could see into the first room of the house. “Ma?” She called softly, stepping into the doorway.

She was met with only silence. Neneh swallowed a lump in her throat and took several shaky steps inside, leaving the safety of the doorway behind, and slowly getting over the fear that had been consuming her for so long. This isn’t so bad… She thought, was I just hallucinating the last time? Imagining that ma and I were being chased by something? No, it wasn’t just a dream. Ma disappeared that night.

Neneh frowned and touched a hand reassuringly to the sharp knife that she carried in a small sheath at her hip for protection. Her thin frame froze as the door slammed shut, her heart hammering once more, but when she turned, nothing was there, “Calm down, Neneh, it was just the wind.” She said softly to herself, catching her breath once more and continuing to move.

Although it had been seven years since she’d been to Alder House, Neneh’s feet automatically led her to the staircase that wound through the tower. She took the first step slowly, uncertainly, and when she found that it was as steady as the last time she’d come, she took another step, and another, until she was moving at a steady pace, winding her way farther and farther up into the air.

She glanced out of one of the small, slotted windows and saw the sky grow black. Her lightsphere flickered and she lifted it frantically, what was going on? Lightspheres usually lasted a good month before dulling. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

That’s when she heard something scraping along the stone wall a little distance beneath her. That was when she realized that she was trapped in the tower, and her mind moved back to before once more. She was suddenly 9 again, terrified beyond reason and running from some unknown enemy…

Neneh shook her head, “No, I won’t do that again. Ma’s lost; I came here to find her. I will not succumb to my fears anymore.” She said thickly, her fingers shaking as she reached into her sheath and pulled out the deadly blade defensively.

“What’s down there?” She quivered in the darkness as the ground beneath her shook, and slowly she moved backwards up the stairs, until she bumped the wall at the top of the tower.

Neneh jumped as cold stone met the bare flesh of her back. She shivered and glanced out of the window. A small distance beneath her small, silver streaks sped across the sky, dancing beautifully to an unheard melody. The way they lit up the tower made her wonder how she couldn’t see them from below…

Her mind was snapped back to the current situation as whatever had been following her up the stairs entered the tower. It was a large beast with fangs curling up from its lower lips, and blood red eyes taking her in hungrily. She didn’t need the lightsphere to tell her that it was ravenous.

It let out a large bellow, causing Neneh to cover her ears defensively, before it leapt forward, slashing at her with its deadly talons. Neneh lashed out with her knife quickly, slicing across both of its eyes. It howled in pain and knocked her blood-soaked blade away, leaving Neneh defenseless. It clawed at her, slashing at her clothes and flesh alike, and she backed away from its blind grasp as quickly as possible.

Finally it brought its heavy paw backwards before striking out at her panting form, each of its three talons impaling her body; one through each of her shoulders, and one through her lower belly. She cried out as her body pivoted backwards, through the unprotected window and into the still night air.

She didn’t even have the energy to scream as she fell, nearing the strange, dancing silver lights. “I’m sorry… ma, for not finding you…” She whispered, allowing tears to flood from her eyes. And then the light engulfed her; everything turned black.


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