Arkhaven logo

“Eibhlin, Milady, Arianrhod is most well known as the ‘Witch of Hours.’ It is her greatest magic, and do not think the temptation irrelevant to you. It never is, not to humans. However, no matter what, you must not accept her offer. You are here for Mealla’s key and nothing else. Do not accept anything else!”


The key! Mealla’s key! That was it. That was why she had come here, to this swamp, to this tower. To find the key the Witch had obtained from the corrupt abbot. But… why did she seek the key? Why… no. Now was a time to focus. There would be chances to think about all that later.


Eibhlin promised. “Good,” said Mel. “Now, touch your hand to your brow and repeat after me.”


With her undamaged hand, she touched her fore-head and repeated, “I swear upon Yashul’s blessing that I shall not accept anything from the fairy Arianrhod, the Witch of Hours, except the key which I seek.”


At last the stringed instrument seemed satisfied. It released a strumming sound resembling a sigh. “Thank you, Milady. And now, let us go see the Witch.”


It took effort to move her numbed feet forward, but at last Eibhlin reached the other shore, and when she rose out of the water, the warmth immediately returned as if it had never left. More than that, her feet and clothes were perfectly dry. The tingling of her two keys sent quivers down her spine, as if they recognized magic. The feeling only increased as she approached the door.


The door was black and fashioned of wood. Silver gilded the polished surface, and it looked more like onyx than wood. Eibhlin stood before the door, hesitant. The feeling of dissonance returned and pulsed inside her head. There stood the door, and to speak with the witch, she must go through it, but need she see the witch? Could she not return… return to… she could not recall to where. But could she not go back anyway? However, the vibration of the keys sent another feeling. They knew. They could feel their sibling nearby. She couldn’t back down, not when she was so close.


Eibhlin reached for the silver handle and pulled. The door didn’t budge. She tried again, this time pushing. Nothing. Well, now what?


“Knock, Milady. Unless you have the key to the door, you must knock,” said Mel.


Eibhlin did. The timbre was undoubtedly that of wood, and the sound echoed in the air as if in a great hall. She waited a few seconds, letting the echoes fade, and then….


“Come in.”


The voice that answered tumbled into Eibhlin’s mind like a cataract, wiping out all prior doubts. So sweet and cool! Like freshly melted snow on the first day of spring, or a sip of freshly drawn water on a summer’s day. She wanted more! She wanted to drink from that voice!


Suddenly, a gentle pull reined in her senses. She stood just inside the entrance, her hand still upon the door handle. She could not remember opening the door and stepping through. Fear rose up in her stomach. Just two words had held so much power over her. She would have to be more careful from now on. “Especially now that I’ve crossed another threshold,” she muttered.


Just then, the voice came again like the sound of bells ringing clear on a winter’s evening or a river’s soothing speech. “Don’t forget to close the door behind you.”


Eibhlin did as she was told, though slowly. She could tell now, could almost taste the syrupy spells saturating the speaker’s words. She now stood in a dark, circular room. It was only a single floor, and the ground and walls were bare. Light came in through small holes in the roof, giving the room an appearance as though moonlight was raining down through the black, or like stars shooting through space. Across the room stood another door.


Another threshold.


“Well, aren’t you coming up?” asked the heavenly voice.


Eibhlin felt the urge to run through the door, and she only just stopped her feet as they tried to move without her will. Deliberately, she stepped toward the door, taking a deep breath as she opened it. Beyond the door stood the walkway, a walled, roofless path leading straight up to the tower. She stepped onto the pathway and back into the uninhibited moonlight.


The full Moon sat behind the tower, so that as Eibhlin went up the path she also stepped closer and closer to the Moon. As she stared at the Moon, a sense of dread, of powerlessness washed over her. Oh, how she wished Mel would speak to her now! However, every time she tried to catch the instrument’s attention, it remained silent, as though it were not enchanted at all. Up and up she climbed. Each step she felt her soul become more and more pressed within her. At last she came to the door. Eibhlin knocked.


“Come in.”


By now, the pull of the voice was close to irresistible, but Eibhlin leaned into that rein on her senses, which she now imagined as a drop of sunlight resting in her chest. She opened the door, but she did not go in immediately. First, she glanced inside. Just inside the door was a short hallway, one lit in a similar manner to the gatehouse, only the beams of light were much larger, forming a patchwork pattern on the floor. At the end was another doorway.


One more door. One more threshold.


Eibhlin stepped inside. She approached the fourth door and knocked.


“Come in,” the voice said again.


Eibhlin opened the door, but despite an urge so strong it felt as though it would tear her apart, she did not enter the room. She gasped.


Thresholds panel 2
Fairy Door series cover
Thresholds episode cover
17K views978 likes
8 comments

Fairy Door

Created by
author avatar placeholder
V. A. Boston
After years of neglect from her father, Eibhlin has had enough. But when a purse of infinite gold, a fairy, and a trade shatter what little relationship she has with her father, she resolves to set things right. Aided by a magic compass and a talking instrument, she now seeks three magic keys and their magic doors to find the fairy once again and recover what was lost. She broke their relationship. Now, she’ll brave the Fae to fix it. If she can get there. From the fantasy tradition of The Chronicles of Prydain and The Hobbit comes a tale of love and redemption perfect for fans of all ages.
Returning Home+Afterword episode cover
Returning Home+AfterwordEpisode #60
Then What Will You Do? episode cover
Then What Will You Do?Episode #59
I Just Can't episode cover
I Just Can'tEpisode #58
The One She Sought episode cover
The One She SoughtEpisode #57
The Fading Man episode cover
The Fading ManEpisode #56
Mists of Memory episode cover
Mists of MemoryEpisode #55
The Hammer episode cover
The HammerEpisode #54
Lady Mealla episode cover
Lady MeallaEpisode #53
True Magic episode cover
True MagicEpisode #52
Back to the Beginning episode cover
Back to the BeginningEpisode #51
A Moment to Breathe episode cover
A Moment to BreatheEpisode #50
The Moon's Scar episode cover
The Moon's ScarEpisode #49
Moonstricken episode cover
MoonstrickenEpisode #48
What Remained episode cover
What RemainedEpisode #47
Chaos and Mourning episode cover
Chaos and MourningEpisode #46
The Witch's Triumph episode cover
The Witch's TriumphEpisode #45
The Color of Sunbeams episode cover
The Color of SunbeamsEpisode #44
Temptation episode cover
TemptationEpisode #43
The Witch of Hours episode cover
The Witch of HoursEpisode #42
Thresholds episode cover
ThresholdsEpisode #41
The Tower episode cover
The TowerEpisode #40
Frantic Escape episode cover
Frantic EscapeEpisode #39
Memory of Tragedy episode cover
Memory of TragedyEpisode #38
Fae Moon episode cover
Fae MoonEpisode #37
The Witch's Swamp episode cover
The Witch's SwampEpisode #36
Into the Fae episode cover
Into the FaeEpisode #35
Wicked Dealings episode cover
Wicked DealingsEpisode #34
Pangs of Conscience episode cover
Pangs of ConscienceEpisode #33
The Monks episode cover
The MonksEpisode #32
Tensilkir episode cover
TensilkirEpisode #31
Comfort in the Dark episode cover
Comfort in the DarkEpisode #30
Departure and Darkness episode cover
Departure and DarknessEpisode #29
Better Hands, Better Heart episode cover
Better Hands, Better HeartEpisode #28
The Final Day episode cover
The Final DayEpisode #27
Vi's Price episode cover
Vi's PriceEpisode #26
Keeper of the Bells episode cover
Keeper of the BellsEpisode #25
Up the Bell Tower episode cover
Up the Bell TowerEpisode #24
Rumors of Bells and Fae episode cover
Rumors of Bells and FaeEpisode #23
The Fae Realm episode cover
The Fae RealmEpisode #22
Enchanted Instrument episode cover
Enchanted InstrumentEpisode #21
The Seaside City episode cover
The Seaside CityEpisode #20
The Compass episode cover
The CompassEpisode #19
The First Key episode cover
The First KeyEpisode #18
Aftermath episode cover
AftermathEpisode #17
The Dark Elf episode cover
The Dark ElfEpisode #16
The Messenger of History episode cover
The Messenger of HistoryEpisode #15
The Kithara episode cover
The KitharaEpisode #14
Untamed Trees episode cover
Untamed TreesEpisode #13
The Craftsman episode cover
The CraftsmanEpisode #12
Elshiran episode cover
ElshiranEpisode #11
Elven Counsel episode cover
Elven CounselEpisode #10
Through the Door episode cover
Through the DoorEpisode #9
Fairy Key episode cover
Fairy KeyEpisode #8
Into the Woods episode cover
Into the WoodsEpisode #7
Decision episode cover
DecisionEpisode #6
The After Storm episode cover
The After StormEpisode #5
A Midnight Exchange episode cover
A Midnight ExchangeEpisode #4
The Broken episode cover
The BrokenEpisode #3
The Cracks episode cover
The CracksEpisode #2
The Border Town Girl episode cover
The Border Town GirlEpisode #1
,
List icon
Comment icon
Prev icon
Next icon
Fullscreen icon