Victor awoke to a cloudy and unpleasant morning. The sun had barely risen, though even when it had its light was drowned by the fog that hugged the coast like a blanket. The air was eerily still and deathly silent so that even the smallest noises could be heard. Somewhere there was the soft crackling of a woodfire, the smell of smoke touched Victor’s nostrils and drove him awake. He sat up shivering and felt an itch in his chest.
Sam was sitting near him, preparing some concoction from the ingredients in her apothecary satchel. He leaned over and opened his shirt to reveal the rash that had formed on his torso. “You’re ill,” she said. “I’m not sure what it is but this ought to help until we get to West Harbour.” She handed him a bowl of hot fluid, dark red in colour and with a bitter fragrance.
Victor knew the value of Samantha’s potions and drank it happily, though it had a rather unpleasant aftertaste. “Could use some sugar. Is this the famous Grand Elixir you keep talking about?” he asked with a smile.
“This is a brew of Witch Hazel, Water Reed, Chamomile and a few other bits and pieces. It’ll help with any symptoms that come out of that rash.” She started to laugh. “And I doubt I’d find the legendary secret ingredients to the Grand Elixir in some marsh.”
Out of the fog came Hansel and Rodrick; they had been scanning the mist for any signs of trouble but now they set their minds to preparing breakfast. As Hansel built up the fire Rodrick leaned against a tree and glared out over the water.
“What is the Grand Elixir?” Hansel asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”
Before Sam could answer Rodrick began to speak, without breaking his gaze on the water. “The Elixir of Life is a mythical potion that’s supposed to grant the drinker eternal youth, remedy any illness and treat any wound. Some alchemists have spent their entire lives and voyaged all over the world trying to formulate such a potion, but in a thousand years no alchemist has ever achieved this.”
Sam continued the explanation. “I haven’t had much to work with so far but I’m hoping Mrs. Ling’s guidance will help me.”
Hansel prodded the growing fire with a stick. “Do you really believe such an Elixir exists? Surely if in a thousand years no alchemist could figure it out then it must be impossible.”
“That may be so, but still, something drives me to keep looking. If no alchemist had succeeded before in formulating an elixir from natural substances, then maybe it’s time to assume that some unnatural substance exists that will help me unlock the secret.”
Rodrick turned and smiled. “You have quite a quest set in front of you, young Samantha. I have a feeling Ling will enjoy teaching you when she gets back from the east.”
As soon as their breakfast was finished they packed their things and pushed the boat back out into the sea, with a lantern on both sides. Even with the extra light the fog became so thick at times that they could not see from one end of the boat to the other. Something seemed off about the water, too, and they watched it with angst as it swirled, cold and grey, beneath the mist. “This fog is infernal!” Hansel cried. “Should we be sailing when we can’t even see.”
Rodrick kept his voice quiet. “In a fog like this it’s best to keep moving. We’re alone here, or perhaps not entirely alone.”
“Well that’s an unsettling thought,” said Vic, scratching his head.
“Do you know the tales they tell about this fog?” said Rodrick. “These tales are very old, and they’re told by sailors from these parts as a warning to outsiders. The fog is unnatural, they say, and it has eyes that follow you always until you turn your back and seek them. The fog devours men or drives them insane. They believe that it lives and breathes like some entity fuelled by darkness and torment.”
Victor shivered. “It’s not, though, is it?”
“Of course it’s not!” Rodrick laughed. “It just fog! Though I have been watching it closely; wraiths in particular tend to inhabit such places, as there is no wind or sunlight to scatter their etheric presence. When a wraith claims a life here the body is often never found, and when it is they blame it on the fog!”
Soon enough noon was upon them and yet the fog had not lifted, as Victor expected it should have, and thus he began to think that maybe it was unnatural. After Rodrick’s accounts, he could not seem to be rid of the eyes that crawled over his back, and for the rest of the day the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. The silence dragged on, only to be broken by the constant rhythmic slushing of their oars paddling through the water. Victor grew tired. He feared that the rash on his chest was giving him a fever. There were strange lights in the distance.
Suddenly he became aware of an odd shape lurking in the water, floating through the mist, graceful and serene. He noticed the flowing black hair and glowing green eyes of a girl, and she was watching him as she treaded the water comfortably. ‘She has no clothes,’ he thought. ‘She must be cold.’
He called to the others. “Look there in the water! There’s a girl!”
Sam and Hansel leaned over and caught her gaze, and somehow in the back of their minds they knew something was wrong, but they didn’t know why. “What is she doing out here?” said Hansel. “We should help her!”
Rodrick placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “You will do no such thing!” he whispered coarsely. “Your eyes and ears will always tell lies, and your minds are not yet trained to see The Truth. Though you cannot see it, that thing is a Nokken, and it has cast a shadow over itself to mask its true form.”
Victor seemed disorientated. “A Nokken? Oh, my god! We knew about them! We knew that they were here!” He stared intently at the girl and it remained unmoving in the shadow of the fog, staring back with her glowing green eyes. “How could I ever believe—”
“It’s not your fault. Some Nokken have found a way to overcome human logic in order to prey on wiser minds like those of the academy’s students. Look at her and see how beautiful she is. Now, close your eyes.” He placed a hand on the back of Victor head. “Now look again.”
Victor opened his eyes and jumped with fright. A terrible chill flew down his spine and a tightness grew in his chest. The beautiful girl had transformed into a dark and dismal thing, with blemished skin as dark as coal and orange bloodshot eyes. It had hair like a knotted mass of reeds, sticks and mud; its sinister eyes were sunken and the top of its nose was flat. No more of the creature could be seen, as only its eyes lurked above the surface of the water, still watching, unmoving, as though it lay in wait. Fear consumed poor Victor, and somehow the creature knew this. A shadowy voice crept its way into the back of his mind. Victor…
Rodrick observed it with an expressionless gaze. To him it was just another monster that needed to be killed. He took up a crossbow that he had brought for this very occasion. “Fortunately the only weapons of a Nokken are fear and deceit.” He took aim and fired a bolt, and it flew through the mist to embed itself between the creature’s hideous eyes. With a spurt of blood the Nokken flailed around in the water, splashing and screeching in an unholy manner. A second bolt put it out of its misery. “Remember that your enemy is a creature of lies, and that you must always seek The Truth.”
After the encounter, no one spoke for the rest of the day. Victor felt troubled to the core, and despite all his best efforts, sleep eluded him for many nights to come.
ns 172.69.58.200da2