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Amelia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Just... Just take my mind off it. Have you caught up with the case file?"
Finn glanced down at the file open on his tray table, flipping it around so Amelia could see the photograph attached. It was a black-and-white picture of Huldra House, the Victorian mansion at the center of their new investigation. "Just familiarizing myself with our next 'haunt.' So, we're dealing with two deaths, most probably homicide. The first was Lord Carmichael, an aristocrat, killed outside his cottage several days ago. It looks like his head was caved in, a piece of black rock lodged in his skull. Pretty vicious, makes me think it was personal. Then, just last night, a fisherman from the mainland ran aground on Huldra Island. No pictures yet since the body was only found a few hours ago, but the report here says his body has been difficult to reach. We'll find out more when we get there."
Amelia looked at the picture, and her face turned serious. "We need to find out if the two deaths are connected. Apparently someone who lives there has called in a favor from the Home Office, someone with clout. A Lady Ferguson. She lives at this Huldra House, and she specifically requested us. Apparently, we're being put up there, but I can't say I'm looking forward to that. The mansion looks even creepier than its description."
"Right? Maybe we'll find a ghost there," Finn agreed, his eyes still glued to the eerie photo. “Or one of the Little People.”
“That's Ireland, you numb skull," Amelia said, sighing. "Remember, I spent a lot of time as a kid in Scotland."
“Wait,” Finn said, turning to Amelia as the storm rumbled outside. “You're... You're notoneof the Little People, are you?” He gasped jokingly and then put his two index fingers across each other to make the sign of the cross.”
“You'll need more than that to stop me from tossing you out the window,” Amelia sighed, looking back down at the photograph of Huldra House. "Actually, I'd say that house does look like something right out of Scottish folklore. And some people take that stuff really seriously. They do not like you messing around with it.”
"Really? Do tell."
She sighed. "Scotland is a land of myths and legends. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in the Highlands and a little around the islands. And let me tell you, Finn, people there are serious about their folklore. You might think it's all old wives' tales, but there are locals who avoid certain places like the plague."
Finn chuckled, amused by the idea. "Are you telling me I should pack garlic and holy water?"
Amelia grinned but shook her head. "That's Eastern European tradition. It's not about vampires or anything like that. It's about the Huldufolk."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "The what now?"
"The hidden people," Amelia explained. "They're supposed to be these supernatural beings who live in the natural elements—hills, streams, woods. Some stories even say they can enchant you and lead you to another realm. But their main aim is to stay away from humans and to keep humans away from them."
Finn leaned back, a playful smile on his lips. "A hidden realm? Well, that sounds like a good time. Maybe they can provide some tips for the case. Or even give us the lottery numbers for next week. I'm still suspended with the FBI, so I could do with a cash injection."
Amelia smiled, but her eyes remained solemn. "I don't buy it, either. But I know some who do. According to the tales, seeing a Huldufolk is an omen. An omen you don't want hanging over your head."
A sudden jolt of turbulence shook the plane, causing the overhead lights to flicker. A few passengers gasped, and Amelia clenched her fist around the armrest. Finn glanced at her and said, "I guess the plane didn't like your story. Oh God! What if the pilot is one of the Hidden Folk!"
Amelia shot him a nervous smile. "Very funny. I'm not one of superstitions, but let's keep mocking the supernatural to a minimum while we're thirty thousand feet above the sea."
The pilot's voice suddenly filled the cabin with a thick Scottish twang. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're beginning our descent. Please fasten your seat belts and make sure your seats and tray tables are in their upright and locked positions."
“He's very professional for being a pixie,” Finn said.
As the plane began its descent through the turbulent atmosphere, Amelia stared past Finn out the window, her face turning introspective. "You know, the thing about folklore is that it taps into our most primal fears. And when you're in a place where those stories originated, it's hard not to feel... affected."
Finn looked over at her. "Are you sure you don't believe in the Huldufolk, Winters?"
She hesitated for a moment before answering. "I believe that stories persist for a reason, even if that reason is just to make sense of things we don't understand. Even if those things don't exist, a belief in them can affect people's behaviors. It can make them do crazy things."
Finn nodded, his eyes falling back to the case file, then back to Amelia. "That's a fair point, but folklore or not, something bad is happening on that island."
She looked back at him, her eyes tinged with apprehension. "You know, they say that if you see a Huldufolk, you're already dead."
“It's fine,” Finn replied. “I'll just keep my eyes shut. Clever like a fox, that's me. But it does mean you'll have to lead me around so I don't bump into things or walk off a cliff.”
The plane finally broke through the clouds, revealing the shadowy silhouette of Huldra Island below them. It was an unsettling sight—a dark, shapeless mass surrounded by the churning sea, as if it were a realm separate from the world they knew. Finn felt a shiver crawl up his spine, and he suddenly understood what Amelia meant. Here was a place where the line between myth and reality could blur into one unsettling narrative. The landscape is so domineering that it could even trick you into believing in the old tales.
They both stared out the window as the island grew larger, its details still hidden in the mist and darkness. And for the first time, Finn felt a sense of unease that went beyond natural explanations, beyond the details outlined in their case file. For lurking in the shadows of Huldra Island were stories, myths, and perhaps truths that neither of them could fully comprehend—yet.
CHAPTER THREE
Finn and Amelia stepped out of the airplane into a rainstorm that seemed to have been waiting for them all day. As water lashed against their faces, both rushed to shelter beneath the plane's wing, struggling to make out the figure standing next to a battered Jeep, holding a sign that read "Wright & Co."
“I guess I'm 'Co'!” Amelia shouted over the wind, her red hair blowing unpredictably in the wind.
