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“We’ll start retracing Mila’s steps tomorrow and see what we can find,” Nelson said, snapping his notebook shut and regarding Nox. “You believe these girls are going to be sacrificed before Samhain. Isn’t that a celebration of the beginning of winter? Wouldn’t it make more sense to do this in the spring if the Dagda is a sun god?”
Merlin smothered a snorting giggle. “There was very little to celebrate about the coming of winter back in those days, my darling,” he countered and Nox hummed in agreement.
“Samhain was the beginning of the ‘dark’ half of the year and when they missed the sun the most. They opened burial mounds and had great feasts with sacrifices because they believed the veil was thinnest then between the living and the Otherworld. But Samhain isn’t what we need to worry about. There’s a full moon on the eve of Samhain. But not just any full moon. It’s a…” He pointed at Merlin, giving him the stage and letting him bring it home.
“Hunter’s moon!” Merlin’s hands spread dramatically and his eyes sparkled. “The crops have been harvested and the animals are in a frenzy, gathering food and preparing their nests and dens for the winter. Game is at its fattest and easiest to spot in the barren fields and forests beneath the light of the hunter’s moon! It is the first moon of the fall and usually falls earlier in the month but this year it has shifted due to the super blue moon last cycle, an occurrence that only happens every ten years or so. To the druids, the hunter’s moon was an open line to the gods, when the veil between worlds was thinner and this year, it’s thinnest on the eve of Samhain.” He pointed at a picture of the crime scene on the board. “It also signifies the season of the rut for deer and elk.”
Nox clapped softly and gestured at the photos of the missing girls. “Which explains the need for brides and all the antlers to invoke Cernunnos and bind him to the ritual. In earliest traditions, he is connected to the Damnonii, the ‘Stag People’ of Scotland, and described as a trickster and the son or an incarnation of the Dagda. That’s why you’ll occasionally often find horns, antlers, and serpents combined with the Dagda triskelion.”
The furrow in Nelson’s brow was deep as he nodded at the board. “That gives us two significant overlapping spiritual events.”
“And it only happens every ten years or so. That’s why I’ve been screaming like my hair is on fire,” Nox added, making Nelson swear as he flipped his notepad back open.
“How about I top this off?” Merlin asked briskly, swiping Nelson’s half-drunk whiskey off the desk. “He looks like he could use a nightcap.”
Nox plucked the glass from Merlin’s grasp and cut him a scolding look. “Not so fast,” he said with an accusative click of his tongue. “Nelson’s had a long day and needs to rest.”
A hard snort escaped Merlin as he rolled his eyes. “A few drops of ashwagandha, damiana, and horny goat weed never hurt anyone and that man’s root chakra needs tending. He’s as stiff as a board, but not in a good way.”
Nelson’s eyes were wide with fear as they swung to Nox’s. “I don’t need a nightcap or the chakra thing.”
Merlin chuckled and headed for the door as Nox went to get his overcoat and top hat. “I beg to differ. Nox, you sort him out and call me in the morning.”
“I won’t be doing any ‘sorting’ but I’ll call you,” Nox said, helping Merlin into his coat and handing him his hat. They said goodnight and Nelson was cautiously sniffing his whiskey when Nox rejoined him. “It’s safe.”
Nelson gave his head a shake before taking a sip. “He’s not what I was expecting either, but he is…interesting. How old is Merlin?”
“I have no idea,” Nox confessed. “But he’s looked and dressed exactly like that since I was a child.” He shrugged and signaled for Nelson to follow. “Bring that with you and finish it upstairs while you’re turning in.”
“It’s only twenty minutes to my place,” Nelson said, but he climbed the stairs next to Nox, his neck craning as he studied paintings and peeked down the hall.
“You’re exhausted, Nelson, and you’ll have to turn around and pick me up in the morning because I don’t have a car.”
“You don’t have a car?”
“I never learned to drive.” Nox enjoyed Nelson’s shock. “While I appreciate that cars are now a necessity in a modern capitalist society, I don’t like them and have never needed one.”
“What about my car? You seemed to like it just fine and you know a lot about it.”
“That’s different, isn’t it?” Nox argued as they took a left at the top of the stairs. “Your Continental is a piece of American automotive history and it has true significance. It’s almost a time capsule and talk about getting your money’s worth…” He laughed at how many cars the average American would own over the span of sixty years and how rare it was for parents to pass cars onto their children these days. “My grandfather didn’t drive either, but I would have learned if he’d left me a car like that.”
“The house isn’t bad, though,” Nelson observed.
“It’s fine,” Nox replied with a wink, using Nelson’s standard compliment. “This is you,” he said as he pushed open a door on their right.
“That’s…” Nelson nodded at the guest room. Nox had it remodeled after the ceiling leaked and had chosen a simpler Scandinavian aesthetic. He had a feeling the basic king-size platform bed and bright white bedding would suit Nelson better than the more traditional guest rooms at the other end of the hall. “That’s fine. Thank you,” Nelson said as he bowed his head appreciatively.
Nox pointed at the door just across the hall. “I’m right over here if you need anything.”
“Will I—?” Nelson started, then locked his jaw and nodded. “Okay.”
“Shh…” Nox placed his hand on Nelson’s chest, willing him to let go of his restless need to hunt and prove himself. “Relax and rest, Nelson. Give your soul a chance to heal before you take it out and beat it up again.” He drew in as much of Nelson’s angst as he could and touched the aching emptiness in him.
Nelson held himself rigid, but his eyelashes fell and there was a twitch in his jaw as he nodded. “I’ll try my best.”
Nine
There was nothing else that Nelson could learn at Elsa Hansen’s apartment or the bookstore and it would have been a waste of time to return to them. But Nelson was nervous when he found himself in the forest outside of New Castle again.
