The Pillar of Horns

Chapter Ten

"No!" Elspeth replied from behind her hiding place. "I think we're good thanks!" The angry snarl told her that sarcasm was a poor choice. She looked around frantically, searching for something she could use. A weapon against an angry god, chosen from gift shop junk. There was a strange noise, not quite the clicking of hooves onto tile, but more a strange mixture of clacking and squelching.

Blood. The events of the night before raced through Elspeth's mind. It was made of blood. Its solidity was an illusion, brief moments of coherency amongst the chaos of crashing gore-filled eddies. There has to be a minimum, Elspeth thought. It couldn't hold together last night. Enough of the blood used and it fell apart. Her eyes settled onto something, a neatly stacked pile nestled into one of the nooks shelves that held the array of gifts. Elspeth smiled, she had found it. Her weapon.

Cernunnos lumbered forward, moving like a crashing wave. As he stepped his body shook and wobbled like poorly set jelly. He was incomplete, the ritual interrupted. Normally he savoured the hunt, the chase, tracking his prey through the night. Now though he was racing against time. He needed to deal with these two people, these "detectives". He didn't have long, his body already starting to slough apart, pools of blood trailing where he walked. Supplicants were replaceable, there was always more humans eager to offer the appropriate sacrifices for a boon. That is, of course, if he could survive the night.

The curved table ahead, there was someone there, he was certain. The woman had shouted from behind it, barking defiance at his godly order. A wicked smile curved across his lips even as a handful of his gnarled yellow teeth collapsed into their constituent blood, tricking down onto his already red skin.

"Come out woman," Cernunnos snarled. "I will make it quick. You should be proud, to meet your end at the hands of your god!"

"Didn't work out so well for you last time did it?" Came the reply from behind the counter. Cernunnos chuckled at the response. Brave to the last. He was at least certain that his prey was worthy, he was humble enough to admit that.

"I underestimated you, I admit that," he said, stepping closer to the desk. "You and your comrade have proven admirable warriors." Blood dripped free from his leg, splashing onto the tile as he took another step. "I will take no pleasure in ending your lives," Cernunnos said, the lie hanging in the air threateningly.

"Yeah, same here," Elspeth replied. She popped up from behind the counter, her hands grasping something tightly. A stack of large tea-towels, "I love Raasay" emblazoned on the top. She slid the top one of the pile, throwing it outwards in one swoop. It struck the twisted god in the chest, sticking to his vicious body. It quickly stained red, drinking deep his blood like a vampire.

Cernunnos stumbled backwards, peeling the now soaked towel from his chest. As his hooves found purchase, so did Gregor's knee. Seeing the advance of the horned god upon his colleagues hiding place he had burst forth from his doorway, running across the open hall, stepping over the bodies of townspeople as he ran. His knee raised up into the creatures back. He felt it sinking in, the blood forming the body of the beast losing any semblance of solidity. Gregor quickly pulled his leg free, blood splashing onto the floor and staining his trousers.

Cernunnos roared as it tried to stabilise itself, arms thrashing, trying to desperately to land a blow on one of the humans. He could feel the rage building within him, escaping as heat, his body begging to boil, bubbles forming on the surface of the blood. It howled, its horrid shrieking wail cut off as Elspeth struck Cernunnos across the face, a tea-towel wrapped around her hand like a knuckleduster. Blood splashed outwards in a curving splatter, a chunk flying free, Cernunnos' face melting back into shape slowly.