Rising Moon (The Rune Stone Trilogy)

by Anne Haley

  He was running out of time. This was the busiest time for him at work, and his personal leave wouldn’t be for much longer. When he called his boss in the early part of the week, he had been assured that business was running smoothly without him, but he was missed all the same. He needed the money too. He was quickly diminishing his emergency fund, and he would have to start dipping into his savings.

  Blake had no idea what he would say to their mother if he ended going home without Terra. Their mother had given strict orders to bring her home so they could bring her back to normal. He wondered if she would forgive him if he failed. He’d always had some form of control over Terra, since she relied on him to protect her from harm, and now he felt that control quickly slipping through his fingers. Like she was telling him she didn’t need him anymore. The thought of her permanently cutting them out of her life shook Blake to his core. He didn’t think it would be possible for family members to not need each other anymore. It was believable that family members might grow apart as they grow older, but relationships change and grow with the family. As close as he and Terra had been, he couldn’t fathom living the rest of his life knowing that she didn’t want any part of it.

  CHAPTER NINE

  El began to get bored with her date. She didn’t mind it when men would try to show off to her, picking her up in expensive sports cars, wearing high end designer clothes, and bragging about the multiple condos they owned around the country giving them leisure to be anywhere at anytime. This man did the same, but there hadn’t been any excitement in his lifestyle. He kept himself locked up in his office for long hours, mostly working seven days a week, and not enjoying the benefits that come along with having large amounts of money to your name. He claimed it had been his first vacation he had taken, and his Blackberry rang every five minutes with phone calls and emails.

  Finally, the time had come to say goodnight and goodbye to Trevor, once he got off this latest phone call. He was handsome enough, but El liked to have all the attention and not be waved off every time the phone rang. She was worth more than that, and wouldn’t settle for anything less.

  Her fingers thrummed against her bicep as she had her arms crossed over her chest with annoyance. She even had to be patient to give him the cold shoulder. The realization of what a waste of time this had been forced her to decide she should just walk away, leaving him alone on the street. He probably wouldn’t even notice until he flipped it shut, and then once his phone rang again she would be forgotten about.

  She knew she looked gorgeous tonight too. Her short black dress had black sequins in large bands across her middle, and shined every time she turned in the light. She had finished off her look with black spiked stilettos that made her long tan legs look endless. But now she could only imagine where to shove that stiletto into Trevor. But El wasn’t a violent person, she just had a few tantrums once in awhile. She had swept up her hair into a loose bun with tendrils hanging around her face, and she caught some other guys checking her out. The idea of ditching Trevor and finding someone else that would appreciate her was deliciously tempting.

  Her ears perked up when she heard him wrapping up the conversation, it should be over in less than a minute, and then it’s ‘See ya!’

  However, something distracted El from tapping her foot impatiently. Deep in her stomach she had a heavy, sinking feeling. She turned away from her date toward the street and closed her eyes. When she turned just a little more the feeling became stronger, turning into dread. It had her fingers tingling, her breathing became shallow and her eyes snapped open.

  Trevor long forgotten, El had walked toward the entrance to the public beach. The closer she came, the stronger the feeling got. Her stomach turned in nauseous rolls, and she knew something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

  The sky was black, speckled with twinkling stars that reflected on the water. The moon was far from the earth tonight, and Aylin could feel the distance. She had been sitting on the beach, waiting for the moon to appear, and when it had her nerves calmed slightly. The moon had been absent the last two nights due to cloud cover, and it always made her uneasy when the light didn’t touch the earth’s surface. She stood and began walking toward the cove.

  For the first time in a long time Aylin felt almost whole. She had found the third. Terra was now on speaking terms with her. To be honest, she quite liked Terra’s youthfulness and almost timid nature. It showed Aylin that she wouldn’t go running off to battle an unknown by herself. She would stay close to Aylin and El until she was ready.

  Questions flooded her mind again, sending her head spinning. When would be the right time to tell her about the other side of what they are? How do you spring on a duty such as theirs, one that will bind her for the rest of her life? It was enough to try to swallow that you are now a magical creature, but a magical creature that has a sole purpose of guarding and fighting?

  It had been different with El. When she found El in Seattle, she had an idea of what she was. Her parents had hinted around at it when she was younger, but they didn’t want anything to do with her once she turned. El also could feel the power she had in herself, and knew it was more than dancing in the sunlight and nudging nature along. Aylin didn’t have to do any coaxing to push her along.

  Terra was so different from El. Where El would snap her tongue and hide her fears in her attitude, Terra’s wide eyes spoke volumes. She was still scared, and unsure of herself. Aylin needed to help her confront those fears, push them down until they no longer were a threat. It is good to feel fear, as long as it didn’t cripple her. Fear is a tricky thing, and needed to be dealt with gently.

  At first she didn’t notice the fog that crept along the edge of the woods, following her. When she saw it out of the corner of her eye she began backing away toward the water’s edge. But it was quick and came after her. The fog was thick and pure white. When it reached her she immediately felt weaker, and she collapsed to her knees. It was swallowing her up, siphoning all the strength from her. "No," she whispered, and cupped her hand, but no heat came to her palm. She started gasping for air unable to scream or call for help. There was no more oxygen left for her to breathe. Her lungs screamed in protest. She was too weak from the fog that drained her energy quickly.

  Tears stung her eyes and burned down her icy cheeks. She fell onto her side. The sand was cold and damp on her skin. The world around her was darkening around the edges. Colors drained away, and she couldn’t hear the ocean anymore. Her head buzzed and her throat burned.

  "Aylin!" she heard in the distance, but she was slipping in and out of consciousness. She fought to stay awake, even though her eyelids were so heavy. She felt her fingertips tingle, and she realized they were warming. Her eyes flew open and she cupped her hand again. Streaks of light soared over her head into the heart of the fog. The fog steamed around the light, slowly disappearing. This time her palm burned and balls of light burst from her hand. The fog began to burn away, and quickly disappeared back into the forest. Aylin sat back up and saw El standing a few yards away. "Are you okay?" El came to her side.

  "Yes. I’m okay." Her strength returned as quickly as it had left her. She stood up and brushed off her dress. "How did you find me?"

  "I don’t really know." El shrugged, all the while skimming her eyes over looking Aylin for any type of damage. She reached over and wiped away the tears of Aylin’s cheeks. "I was talking to a friend," she pointed toward the other side of the beach, "and I felt a pull this way. When I came down the walk I saw the fog and felt an urge to follow it. I think it was meant for you."

  "Yes. I think you’re right. There must be a witch in town. One who knows who we are." Aylin grimaced. She didn’t like that she had been caught off guard. She had become too comfortable with the way things were, thinking they were well hidden. She looked at El. "This is very close to my nightmare," she hissed.

  "So it was a vision."

  "Maybe. But this time was different. The fog came from the woods, not the
water. And you’re not my handsome knight in shining armor."

  El’s corner of her mouth lifted. "No, I’m not."

  Then a terrible though entered her mind. Terra was still unaware of the dangers they face, and she was completely vulnerable. "Terra doesn’t know, El. We need to find her!"

  El grabbed Aylin’s hand and pulled her toward the small parking lot near the beach. "Good thing I have my car!" They raced toward the sleek black Mercedes. Aylin yanked open the passenger door and jumped in. By the time she had buckled her seatbelt El had whipped out of the parking lot.

  "Her house first?" El asked.

  "Yes. It’s too late to be at the bookstore," Aylin said, looking at the time on the dashboard. "You’re going too fast!" She gripped the handle on the door. The houses went by in a blur.

  "Yell at me later!" El snapped at her. In less than two minutes they were in front of Terra’s house. The lights were on, but Aylin could see the fog lurking down at the end of the street.

  "El." She pointed. El sucked in air when she spotted what Aylin had seen.

  "It’s not going to get her. We’re here. Should we knock on the door?" She looked back toward the house.

  "Yes." Aylin got out. She felt the heaviness in the air as soon as she shut the car door. The air was so close around her; it felt like she was pushing through water. "Do you feel that?" She looked at El, but didn’t need an answer. El was moving slowly, a look of determination on her face. "Let’s go." She nodded toward the house. They had made it to the steps when the front door swung open. They stared at Blake. He looked furious at the sight of them.

  "What the hell do you want?" He slammed the screen door behind him. "Where is she?" he demanded.

  Aylin’s blood turned to ice. "She’s not here?" As the blood drained away from her head.

  "No, I figured she was with you. What did you do?" His hands were in fists and he seemed to be trying to control his anger.

  "No, she is not with me. I haven’t seen her since yesterday when I stopped by." She looked at El.

  El nodded and started backing away. "I’ll go check the beach," she whispered and nodded toward the end of the street where the fog was lurking.

  "Be careful." Aylin demanded. She knew Blake wouldn’t let her go so easily, so she let El leave by herself. She turned back to Blake. "Why do you think I would do something to Terra?" She frowned. "I have told you I only mean to help her."

  He took another step forward. "Right, and I’m just supposed to believe you right off the bat. You’ve got her in your sights, but she’s not going to become one of your pets like that other one," he jutted his chin toward the direction that El’s car headed down the road.

  "Pet?" That had stung. Neither El nor Terra were anything but her only friends that she can completely trust. "Listen, you really don’t know what you’re talking about. Let me try to explain," she said calmly, putting her hand up.

  "No more explaining. You stay the hell away from Terra, you hear me? She doesn’t need you!" His face turned beat red, and she could see the vein pulsing in his neck.

  "I suppose you know what she needs then?" The burst of anger made her feel lightheaded. "That’s why she was so happy at home? You couldn’t take care of her!" That hadn’t been exactly how she meant to put it, but she certainly wouldn’t back down to him.

  "Don’t you dare try to blame me for this." He pointed his finger at her. "I’ve been trying to think of how you got your nails into her, and I still haven’t figured it out, but let me tell you something. I’m going to make sure she see’s you for what you really are. She’ll be running back home faster than you can blink. You got it?" He was close to her now.

  "What I really am is someone who is helping your sister. She came to me; I didn’t come to your town and steal her away from you. There are some things you can’t protect her from, but I can," she said with determination, "and I will." She turned on her heel and headed toward the gate.

  Just as she reached out to open the latch he grabbed her elbow and yanked her back toward him. "Are you telling me she’s in trouble? Did you put my sister in danger?" His eyes bore gaping holes into hers. She blinked and looked away from him. "Look at me!" His hand tightened on her arm.

  She couldn’t speak for a moment. His eyes had turned from wild fury to concern, making something click in her mind, rendering her speechless. At that moment the heaviness in the air cleared, along with her head. "I didn’t put her in danger," she said with a sadness that she hadn’t meant to, looking him in the eye so he would know that she spoke the truth. "Let go of me Blake," she said as coldly as she could. He released her and she stormed down the block. Once she turned the corner and was out of sight she stopped on the sidewalk and leaned against the fence. Her fingers went to her temples and applied pressure, trying to force the throbbing headache away.

  His eyes. It was his eyes in her dream. Although, in her dream his eyes were warm, kind, and worried for her. Not the fierce anger they held for her tonight. She groaned as she put her head back to look up at the sky. "What the hell does this mean?"

  Aylin waited for El in the kitchen. When she had been on the street, forcing Blake from her mind, El had sent two balls of lights to her. When they had rested in her palm she had a sense of ease wash over her. She didn’t know what happened, but El and Terra were all right. They were safe. Even so, when El walked in the back door Aylin let out a sigh of relief. "She is alright?" Aylin asked.

  "Yes," El laughed. "She wasn’t even in danger. I found her sitting on a park bench so engrossed in a book that she jumped a mile high when I sat down next to her. I don’t think they know about her yet." She hoisted herself up to sit on the counter. "So what went down with you and Blake?"

  Aylin glowered at El. "Let’s just say he is going to be a huge problem. And, there is nothing we can do about it." She opened a cupboard looking for something to distract her, and found nothing. She slammed the cupboard shut and left the kitchen, leaving El grinning from ear to ear.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Aylin had barely slept through the night. She spent the night tossing and turning in bed in fits of mounting anger. The argument with Blake the previous night had escalated to a level that had her hands shaking for hours afterwards. She couldn’t figure out how could someone as gentle as Terra be related to such a stubborn, thickheaded jerk. She didn’t want to even try to figure out why he was the man from her dream. The fight had left a bad taste in her mouth that couldn’t be washed away. Even her morning coffee’s bitterness didn’t compare to it. So, she found herself in the stockroom, expending her energy organizing boxes of tissue and ribbon. She planned on attacking her office supplies next.

  Jordan peaked her head into the small stockroom. "Is that you making all that noise?" The only response from Aylin was slamming a box on the floor. "Just watching you is making me work up a good mad." Jordan sat down on a stool just inside the door. "Are you really going to make me ask, or are you going to get on with it?"

  Aylin turned to face Jordan. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright. Her hair was in a knot on top of her head with a few tendrils escaping around her face, giving her a look like a woman gone mad. "Jordan, I’m still too angry to talk about it. But thank you for the offer."

  Jordan nodded slowly. "I’ve never seen you quite so worked up. Must be that man that came by yesterday looking for you."

  "He came here?" Her hands tightened on the box of order forms. She couldn’t believe that he came into her store looking for her, or Terra. She almost snorted at the idea of her hiding Terra in the back, away from him. "What did he say?"

  "Not too much, really. He asked if you were working and I told him that you’d left early for some personal business to attend to. He wasn’t too happy that he’d missed you. I gather he finally found you." Jordan sighed.

  "Oh, he did." Aylin grimaced. "He is Terra’s older brother, Blake. He has a major problem with her and I being friends. He actually thinks I have some hold over her and won’t let her go home wi
th him. It’s like he has no clue that I didn’t first speak to her until after he had arrived on the island. Plus, why would I not let her go home? She is certainly free to do what she pleases. It’s absolutely ridiculous! But he’s blaming it all on me." Her cheeks felt hot and she had to pause to calm her breathing. For not wanting to talk about their argument, the words came out quickly and easily. "It’s just so frustrating," she ended.

  "Now, why is it that he would even think that you and Terra are withholding something from him?" Jordan, as always, speared straight to the heart of the turmoil with Blake.

  Aylin leaned against the shelving. "That’s just it, Jordan. His issue really is with Terra because she has been pulling away from him. He cares too much for her to unleash his anger on her. So he uses me instead, and he has a lot of anger." She closed her eyes.

  "And you are willing to take the brunt of it. If only he knew that you are protecting her as much as he is." Aylin opened her eyes and peered at Jordan. Jordan shook her head with a look of mild amusement. "Don’t seem so surprised that I know you so well. I have known you since you were ten, and you always stood up for those who were close to you. No matter the consequences."

  Aylin let herself smile. Jordan did know her well. Jordan didn’t know that she’s a faerie, and she might have taken notice to some strange behavior from Aylin and El, but she didn’t ever ask. It made it easier for Aylin to be around her so much when she turned a blind eye to some odd behavior that might not qualify as human.

  One time, not too long ago, Jordan cleaned out the back room cooler from a shipment of half wilted flowers. After Jordan had gone home for the day Aylin returned the flowers to the cooler, and the next morning the flowers looked as fresh as if they had been cut that day. Jordan didn’t comment, only made a number of large arrangements, some of her best yet.