When Edison retired to bed, he expected to fall asleep instantly, but instead he was drawn to stare into the crystal ball. But even though he stared into it until he could scarcely keep his eyes open, the crystal remained stubbornly opaque.

Ballocks. I need to sleep. Edison set the ball back on its stand, blew out the lamp, and settled to sleep.

Edison looked around him, even his most vivid dreams hadn’t been like this. He could smell the stench of death and decay and feel the cold and damp of the tunnel. But even without any natural light he could see as he wandered along it, turning in a circle more than once until he came to a cavern.

He stood at the edge of a huge chasm. Below him were figures, too far away to see clearly. Despite which, Edison was certain one was Eira and another his mother, both bathed in silvery light. Opposite them were another two figures, but these stood in shadow, and he didn’t recognise either.

Then his attention focused on another figure that appeared in the centre, they too were illuminated by white light and Edison leaned forward. It was the man he’d seen in the crystal ball.

As before, his hair swirled around him, making it impossible for Edison to see his face, but he felt the man’s fear. The man turned from Eira and Edison’s mother and faced the figures in the shadows. Only now they weren’t alone.

Between them a pair of elliptical green eyes glowed. The evil emanating from the unseen beast was almost palpable. Edison screamed at the man to get away. To run. But no sounds came from him.

The beast advanced, concealed by a green fog and the man stood his ground, as if trying to protect Eira and Edison’s mother. But alone, the man was no match for the hidden evil. He vanished, and Edison gave a silent scream of loss and pain.

Then the creature began to advance on Edison’s family. There was nothing else Edison could do as he peered down. He’d failed the man, but he would not fail his family. He flung himself down into the green fog. The sensation of evil around him almost froze him to his marrow.

Then Edison hit the ground, knocking the breath from his body. The beast’s gaze fixed on him for an instant.

With a choked cry Edison sat up, lungs heaving, heart racing, and sweat dripping from his face as well as coating his chest. Edison leaned over to light the candle, wanting to chase the shadows as far away from him as possible.

He studied his hands and arms, even pushing down the bedding to stare at his body. The lingering sensation of cold were vanishing quickly, but Edison was sure he wouldn’t feel clean until he’d washed himself.

Uncaring about how cold the water would be, he got out of bed and filled the bowl from the water jug beside it. The cold water against his skin was clean and refreshing. The moment he’d briskly towelled himself dry, Edison got back into bed, pulling the covers tightly around him. But he left the candle burning.

A dream. No, a nightmare. That’s all. But even as he tried to reassure himself, Edison knew it was more. A warning. My family’s in danger. But from what? And who is the stranger? My heart felt like it was torn in two when the evil consumed him.

As he lay there, Edison warred with himself over revealing the dream to Eira. But as he drifted back into an uneasy sleep, Edison decided against it. If she laughs at me, then what? No, I need to find out more about her before being certain I can reveal such things. Maybe I can find out more at the mine. Or even the tavern. Maybe it’s time I took Gavril there as thanks for him bringing me home.