Read Online Sign of the Throne: Book One in the Solas Beir Trilogy by Melissa Eskue Ousley - Free Book Online Page B

Riordan frowned. “There’s El Cucuy in Mexico, a monster said to kidnap and eat children who won’t go to bed. And in Belgium, there is a cannibalistic shape-shifter that changes from human form to that of a black dog. It’s called Oude Rode Ogen, or ‘Old Red Eyes.’ Kind of scary, considering what you saw.”
    Abby nodded, remembering those red eyes staring at her. Putting her mug down, she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Cassandra put down her mug as well and slipped her arm around Abby again.
    Riordan studied Abby’s face. “Is this too scary? Should I continue?”
    “I’m okay,” Abby said. “Go on.”
    “Okay,” Riordan said. “I almost hate to though, because the myths get even scarier.”
    Abby smiled weakly. “Bring it on.”
    Riordan laughed. “All right, but remember, you asked for it. In some of my research, I found tales of predatory behavior toward sleeping people, and some of the attacks seemed almost vampiric in nature. But it’s hard to tell where the legends end and fact begins. For example, there is a similar superstition about the aye-aye, a rare black lemur from Madagascar. It has these large, bat-like ears and a ghoulish face, and the middle finger on its hands has a long claw for digging out bugs from trees—kind of a creepy-looking thing. Combine its looks with a total lack of fear of humans, and you can see where people got the idea that the aye-aye creeps into homes at night to pierce human hearts. The unfortunate irony is that it is a harmless creature that is killed on sight, and it is on the verge of extinction just because it looks scary.”
    “It sucks to be an aye-aye,” Abby said. “What did you mean about the attacks being vampiric? As in actual vampires?”
    Riordan shook his head. “No, not exactly. Have you ever heard the term ‘hagging’?”
    “No,” Abby said.
    “Well, you know what a hag is though, right?” Riordan asked.
    Abby nodded. “A witch. An ugly, old woman witch.”
    “Yes. The term comes from Newfoundland and refers to a witch, the old hag, but the phenomenon is worldwide, ranging from Canada to South Asia.” Riordan’s face lit up—he seemed to be in his element now, enjoying the opportunity to converse about folklore, gruesome or not. “There are legends from all over the world talking about attacks on sleeping people, and there are many names for it—the nightmare, the succubus, being ridden by a witch. In Mexico, it is referred to as subirse el muerto , or ‘the dead climb on top of you.’ The attack usually starts with a rustling sound or footsteps, and then the person sees a horrifying shadow being. The victim is unable to move and feels pressure all over their body, but especially on their chest and face, making it difficult to breathe. In some cases, the attack is so intense that the person suffocates and dies, and there is no evidence of the cause—only the fact that the person died in their sleep. Those who survive say they felt like their breath was being sucked away.”
    Cassandra raised her eyebrows. “Is this related to that old wives’ tale about cats sucking away babies’ breath?”
    Abby studied her. If anyone were going to be skeptical, it would be Cassandra, given her scientific background. Riordan was the one who liked ghost stories.
    “Well, that is an old wives’ tale, but it’s possible that it’s related. Maybe that story has its root in hagging, if similar to what Abby observed, these beings can shape-shift into cats,” Riordan said. “There has been some documentation regarding hagging—something called sudden unexplained death syndrome that occurred among Hmong refugees in the United States in the 1970s.”
    “SUDS? The acronym for that is SUDS?” Cassandra interrupted. She was grinning and shaking her head in disbelief. 
    “I’m serious, Cassandra,” Riordan said. “Anyway, Abby, the theory is that the Hmong had certain rituals and offerings to keep such beings at bay. But,