Rising Moon (The Rune Stone Trilogy)

by Anne Haley

  Her mother again had left early because she was tired. Terra set to reorganizing the front display of photography books. She lifted her head when the bell jingled, announcing the door opening. Blake strolled in and walked straight toward her. "Hey," she smiled, but her mind went immediately to what El had seen this morning. Did he really posses some magical strength?

  This was not the place to confront him, when someone could overhear the conversation. She couldn’t see him breaking down and confessing his secrets to her when she held so much from him.

  "So, when were you going to tell me that your new friends were in town?" He crossed his arms.

  Terra rolled her eyes at him and turned back to her display. "I don’t see that it is any of your business." He was in a foul mood, and she was glad she decided to keep her mouth shut for now.

  "The hell it isn’t." He walked around the table so he could see her face. He was bull-headed stubborn about getting his way, but growing up with him she had learned to stand her ground. Just because he physically towered over her and could throw her over his shoulder and drag her away until he thought she had a lick of sense in her, she knew he would never do that to her. He would be crushed if he ever did harm her.

  "You know, I’m an adult now. I can make decisions without discussing them with you or mom. I have been for a few years. Did you miss that memo?" she snapped at him.

  "I know that. Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop looking out for you." He frowned. "I ran into Aylin this morning."

  Now Terra looked at him. "Blake, what did you say?"

  "Nothing. I was just a little surprised to see her, since no one told me that she might be crawling all over our town. We agreed that we’d stay clear of each other for your sake."

  "Nice. I’m pretty sure she walks, not crawls," she smirked.

  "Whatever. You expecting any other guests any time soon that I need to avoid?"

  "Nope," she said smartly and slapped a stack of books down for emphasis. After failing at trying to make small talk with her he left giving her a short clipped goodbye. She hated what this was doing to him. If only he could understand that this was a good thing, then he would be happy for her. Instead everything that she did got his back up. All her life she had been a people pleaser, and this wasn’t sitting well with her. Maybe she would talk to Aylin and see if she could make an exception and let Blake in. What harm could that do?

  Terra closed the shop and locked up at five, pulling on her fleece jacket to walk home. Although she owned a car, she preferred walking while the weather permitted it. When the land became a frozen tundra then she would use her vehicle. She had only taken a few steps away from the store when she stopped in her tracks. Across the street, looking away from her was a faerie. She wore a long flowing skirt that rippled in waves around her legs. She had a blue haze around her, and Terra knew she was a water faerie. Each time the sound of a wave crashing into the shore traveled up the street to where they stood the haze around her pulsed. It wasn’t as bright as El and Aylin’s, but it was visible. When Terra took another step the woman looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with her.

  The woman nodded in acknowledgement and Terra smiled. She turned back to the direction of the water and Terra sighed. As used to she was at seeing Aylin and El, it was still a shock to see the glowing fae in her town, out in the open. The differences between humans and faeries were so obvious to Terra. A faerie doesn’t have to look down to watch her feet to step over an obstacle like a tree root, or a rock. She knows her surroundings without looking. Humans spend a lot of time watching their feet when they walk.

  Faeries also don’t fidget. They can stand perfectly still for long lengths of time, listening and breathing as opposed to the constant movement of humans. She didn’t notice this until this past summer when she went back into the woods near her home and found her field of bluebells. She stood at the edge, watching the light play with the soft petals for hours. When she made a movement she let out her breath, and her limbs were stiff. Terra hoped that one day she would get used to running into others, that it wouldn’t be a jolt each time.

  Turning the first corner she heard her name called from across the street. She looked over in time to see Owen crossing the street toward her. So far she had successfully avoided him, keeping the conversations short since she’d been back home. She wasn’t ready to answer a dozen questions as to why she had run away. "Hey Owen," She smiled up at him.

  Owen was a man of contradictions. His square jaw, high cheekbones, and smooth skin reminded her of the advertisements of the gorgeous men in cologne and jean ads in magazines. His black hair was just long enough to tie back in a ponytail. One didn’t have to stretch the imagination to know he had a muscular build under his fitted shirts and low slung jeans. His eyes were ice blue and were always friendly toward her. He looked the part of a male model, but he never would have considered that for a profession.

  Not native to Lancaster Bay, his father had moved him here when he had been five, shortly after his parents went through an ugly divorce. His dad always wanted to live a quiet simple life raising their son. His mother thrived in the city, climbing to the top of her company to become C.E.O. His dad had tried living in the city for a few years but knew in the end he couldn’t live that life. His mom didn’t have time to raise a son and pursue her career. It had been an easy decision for her to give full custody to Owen’s dad. When Owen had been ten he admitted to Blake that he doesn’t remember what his mom looks like, and hadn’t spoken to her since his sixth birthday.

  In spite of being deserted by his own mother, Owen grew up to be a caring, generous guy that was completely loyal to Blake. Both their dads had worked at the lumberyard, while Mary, Terra and Blake’s mom, took care of the kids during the day. There had been more nights than not that they would all gather around the dinner table together.

  Owen had been as good to Terra as Blake was, standing up for her when she needed it, and teasing her when she became an awkward teenager. It had been mortifying the first time she was kissed by a boy because they had hidden behind the schoolhouse and Blake and Owen busted her. It took a long time for her to live that down.

  She and Owen shared a common interest in a wide range of books. He loved reading as much as she did, or at least he used to before he became obsessed with computers. He had borrowed books from the library as often as she did. The librarian had caught onto their interests early and would hold special stacks for the two of them.

  "I haven’t seen much of you since you’ve been back." He fell into step with her.

  "Yeah, it’s been pretty crazy for us with Mom sick, and running the bookstore. You know," she shrugged.

  "Sure. I hear she’s getting better." He shoved his hands in his pants pockets.

  "Oh, um, yeah." She nodded.

  "Blake said you have some friends in town." He didn’t notice the heated look he got from Terra. "We should all get together. You know, like old times." He nudged her with his elbow.

  "Old times with new friends," she said.

  "Exactly." He winked.

  She hated to admit that it was nice talking to him. He was always so upbeat; she began wondering why she had spent time actually avoiding him. "Actually, that sounds like a great idea. I’ll talk to Blake." Maybe Blake would warm up to Aylin and El then too.

  "Leave the sourpuss to me." Terra couldn’t stop herself from laughing. "He has been a grump lately, huh?" She nodded in agreement. Owen was feeling bold, so he stepped in front of her, stopping her walk. "Listen, I’m going to be in town for awhile now, maybe you and I could grab dinner sometime."

  She smiled up at him. "Maybe we could. Catch up on old times. I bet Blake would be up for it too."

  "Oh. Yeah. Probably." He moved out of her way and continued walking with her. "Well, I should let you get home to your friends." He nodded to her and crossed the street toward the old Ben Franklin before she could say goodbye.

  "So, Blake came and saw me today at the store," Terra said,
pushing around her stew in her bowl. She watched Aylin for a reaction.

  "Did he?" Aylin didn’t look at Terra, knowing her eyes would deceive her.

  "Yeah, he said you and he had a nice talk."

  "You did?" El piped up. She had been extra cranky on this overcast day. Her mood always soured on cloudy days. "Got a date?"

  Aylin glared at El. "No. We decided to avoid each other from now on."

  "You know, he’s just jealous." Terra shrugged. Aylin almost dropped her spoon. "It’s obvious. Ever since we were kids I always turned to him when I had problems. I always wondered if it bothered him, but this is the first time that I didn’t go to him. I can see now that it really bothers him that I didn’t. I suppose it doesn’t help either that the first time he saw you he couldn’t stop staring at you."

  Aylin felt her cheeks flush. "I understand it really is bothering him that you couldn’t go to him with this, but he doesn’t need to bring it up every time we see each other. I mean, now that we’re all in the same town he could at least try to be civil," she grumbled.

  "He’s not good at that." Terra smiled. She couldn’t help herself. "Give him some time. I’ll try talking to him."

  Aylin immediately felt her guard shoot up. "Terra, he can’t know, I’ve told you that." Terra flushed, and Aylin knew immediately that Terra had still been considering letting him in. "It’s not just because I don’t think he would accept it, but it would put him in danger if he actually came to believe you. We, at least, have ways of protecting ourselves and have to stay focused on protecting The Rune. We can’t be distracted by trying to protect him." Aylin crossed her arms.

  "Aylin, just listen for a moment," El finally said, setting down her spoon. "We just agreed that he’s not an average person either. He is the strongest human I’ve ever seen. Maybe he doesn’t know it, but he might be able to help us too."

  Aylin couldn’t believe what she was listening to. She couldn’t believe that they were seriously trying to convince her to open their existence to an innocent human. No, this was their secret to protect and the only thing that is keeping it possible was to keep it secret. She remembered one of the stories her mother told her when she first became a faerie and found it a perfect moment to relay it to them.

  Hundreds of years ago there lived a handsome water faerie named Cole who fell madly in love with a human. At that time the fae didn’t mingle with humans. They kept to their elements, the woods, lakes, and oceans, always keeping out of sight. One day a young woman came to the pool in the woods that he had made his home. She dipped her feet into the water. From the moment her skin touched the water’s surface Cole was completely taken by her. He’d never seen a more beautiful creature in his life. He became obsessed with her. He pulled his hair over his ears and spoke to her. She was startled at first, not noticing him on the other side of the pond, but she smiled and talked to him.

  After she left, continuing her journey home, he went to other fae that he considered his friends and told them of her. He wanted to follow her home, and watch everything she did. He wanted to sing to her, to grow flowers the color of her eyes, and teach birds the melody of her laugh. But the other fae warned him how dangerous that would be. They couldn’t coexist with humans, and absolutely could not fall in love with a human. Their existence would become known, and they would be feared, hunted down and destroyed by the humans.

  Cole refused to listen to his elders and fellow fae. He knew what he wanted, and could think of nothing else. He caught her scent in the woods, and followed it a long distance until he came upon a village. He’d never walked among the humans, but he observed the way they walked and talked, the way they dressed and laughed. He stole clothing from a nearby clothesline, and kept his long hair over his ears. He made himself appear to be a traveler taking pause in the village.

  The following day he found his beauty, and she was shy around him. He coaxed her into spending an evening with him, and he sang to her. From that moment on she could only think of him and his song, wanting him more every minute of the day. They were betrothed after the first week, much to the girl’s father’s dismay.

  She had no idea that magical creatures existed except in children’s bedtime stories. So on their wedding night, when they would normally consummate their marriage, he instead lifted his hair, showing her his ears. She had cared nothing for deformities, as long as he continued to sing to her. But when he took her outside and into the woods he made a large pool, with lush water flowers blooming before their eyes. He explained to her what he was, and she became increasingly frightened of him. He tried to reach out to touch her hand, but she ran away from him, straight into the village, screaming at anyone that would listen that her new husband was a monster.

  No one believed what she said. It was a belief in the village that sometimes for new brides the wedding night can be a little traumatic. But, Cole couldn’t allow her to continue calling him names and running away from him. With his heart broken he brought her back to their tiny house, and he knew there was only one thing he could do. He had to erase himself from her memory, and he knew it would drain everything he had in him. He grabbed her hands and forced himself into her mind.

  By the time he was done he resembled an old withered man, and the woman stared at him dumbfounded. He excused himself and hobbled out the door, heading straight into the woods. He made it to the pool that he had created for her, letting his body sink to the bottom and he never rose again.

  "That’s horrible." Terra had tears in her eyes and was shaking her head slowly. "If that woman really loved him she would have accepted him for who he was."

  "I agree with Terra," El sounded a little surprised by herself.

  "So you understand why I refuse to let anyone know." Aylin nodded and picked her spoon back up.

  "Aylin, you said yourself we can’t live in fear," El argued. "Plus, do I really need to bring up your mother?"

  Aylin's mouth dropped open. "What about my mother?"

  "She was human. Your dad trusted her to keep his secret," El said crossing her arms over her chest.

  "She knew his secret before they even met. Both of her parents were faeries and the faerie gene skipped her. So she grew up all around it."

  "But she was human and she kept the secret," Terra shrugged.

  "This is different!" Aylin slammed her spoon down onto the table. "He didn't grow up already knowing this. If you tell Blake what would stop him from spreading it around town? What if one of those people is one of the witches we’re fighting? Then they would know where we are, and most likely use him against us!" She grabbed her bowl and stormed into the kitchen. She started the water to do the dishes, but she was too wound up. She shut the water off and grabbed her heavy sweater off the back of her chair and went to the front door. She couldn’t stay here.

  "Aylin, where are you going?" El called to her.

  "I need some air."

  "Don’t walk out of here mad," Terra pleaded.

  "Then tell me you don’t want to tell Blake," she hissed, her hand on the doorknob.

  "I can’t. Aylin, I’m telling you, it feels right to me. I think he needs to know. He’s not going to go downtown and yell at everyone that we’re freaks, and the witches aren’t going to use him against us. I am hoping he can fight against them. No, I know he can." Terra’s cheeks were flushed with anger.

  "Well, it feels right to me to keep the knowledge just to us three. I need to clear my head." She swung the door open and jumped back. Blake stood on the front stoop. "Damn it!" She put a hand over her heart.

  "Sorry." He took in her flushed cheeks and wild eyes. She was bent out of shape. "Leaving?" He stepped aside to let her by.

  "Don’t look so smug about it." She looked around the corner at her friends who were still sitting at the table, watching her. Without another word she was out the door. She practically ran down the steps into the driveway and found the path that led into the backyard and the woods behind the house. She didn’t go far, just enough to disa
ppear from view, then sat down on the cold earth. She took deep breaths to slow her racing heart. The moon found her, twinkling through the bare trees. She looked up at it and sighed. "Just this once, you could tell me what to do."

  Placing her palms on the ground, she waited for the beat. It was long and slow, but she waited patiently until the vibrations traveled up her arms and into her heart. She sighed and folded her hands in her lap. The wind was picking up tonight; she could hear it travel through the forest, rustling the remaining leaves that clung to the trees. It reminded her of the sound of the ocean, hearing the waves come from hundreds of yards away.

  She had made valid points, and couldn’t see why they wouldn’t accept her reason for keeping Blake out. Since she was the oldest, if only by a few years, she felt she knew best. It was absolutely vital that they keep themselves secret.

  Narrowing her eyes, she looked deeper into the woods around her. There was a slight green haze traveling through the trees, barely visible to her faerie eyes. It was another creature, and the closer it came, the brighter the haze became. It lengthened out from the form of a ball to stretch to the ground. She was not in the mood to deal with more faeries. She only wanted space right now.

  She didn’t move a muscle when the green glow melted into a male form. He was tall and lean, and his silvery white hair hung to his waist. As he stepped closer to her his features became visible. His face held high cheekbones and a narrow nose, and his eyes were luminous silver in the darkness. His ears were points at the top, made visible by tying back part of his hair. The haze around him lit the forest giving the white birch tree trunks a green hue. He looked older than her, but his clothing set her off. He wore something that seemed to have come from medieval times with the leggings and a long tunic belted around his waist and soft leather boots on his feet. He moved silently toward her.

  He watched her carefully, as she watched him. He moved with authority and no hesitation. When his glow reached her she sucked in air. He was old, much older than she had imagined. He had centuries behind him, and he was very powerful. The power was intoxicating to her, making her fingertips tingle, and she held her breath against it. He stopped just two feet away from her. "Hello," his voice rang like deep bells in towers, echoing in her head.