by Anne Haley
"Wakey wakey," a woman spoke to her, and her foul breath clung to the inside of her nose. She woke gagging on the breath mixing with the sting of the metallic scent all around her. She was on her back, and the cold wet rock was uneven underneath her. Her body felt heavy, the iron was still in her bloodstream making her sluggish.
Aylin dared to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, and the woman that hovered over her was ugly. Her gray wiry hair was tied back, and the pieces that didn’t fit frizzed all around her head. Her face was large, and the doughy skin had a purple hue in the darkness. Her eyes were black holes, and the whites were blood shot. She smiled when Aylin met her gaze. "She’s awake!" the woman announced and pulled away to stand over her.
Trying to lick her dry cracked lips, she attempted to observe her surroundings. Surrounded in rock, the smell told her it was rich in iron ore, and the air was so close it was difficult to breathe. "What do you want?" Aylin’s voice crackled in her dry throat, causing her to cough and gag more.
The woman came back into her view and grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked on it until she sat up. Aylin tried not to gasp in pain, but it was impossible. The woman looked behind her, and Aylin noticed a figure standing in the shadows. Even with her blurry vision she could see a large man with a dark energy swirling around him in oily wisps of smoke. She thought she saw him nod, and the witch turned back to Aylin.
Pointing a finger at Aylin’s wrist, she asked, "Where are your friends?" Her voice was harsh, and she smelled bad, a mix of sulfur and onions.
"I’m alone." Her eyes pricked, she already knew what would come next. One flick of the witch’s finger sliced into Aylin’s wrist. Thick, sticky blood pooled in the palm of her hand.
"You lie," she hissed. "One more time. Where do they stay? In town? In the hills?" Aylin bit her lip and closed her eyes. She was rewarded with her other wrist being sliced open.
Her body began to tremble with pain. Her energy seeped onto the floor with her own blood. It would be slow and painful. Her vision blurred into a gray fuzzy cloud and her body swayed until her back hit the wall behind her. Her head dropped down and there was just enough light to see her blood mixing with the puddle of water under her.
Aylin didn’t make it for dinner, so Terra made her a plate and stuck it in the fridge. "Well, I’ve called Mom three times and it goes straight to voicemail," Terra said. She looked at the clock, seeing that it was nearing eleven. "Where the hell are they?"
"I’ve tried calling for Aylin, and I can’t feel her," El said, walking in from the kitchen. She had been out on the deck trying to get a connection with Aylin’s mind.
"I can’t just sit here waiting around for them." Blake paced in front of the fireplace. His hands fisted at his side and his jaw was clenched. He had a bad feeling about Aylin. "I feel like I’m going to go crazy."
"I know the-" El stopped, frozen in the doorway. She sucked in a breath and grabbed her head, her body doubling over in pain.
"El?" Blake stepped toward her, but Terra grabbed her head on the couch. El collapsed to the floor and began to moan. "Terra?" He knelt in front of his sister who had her head in her knees. "Terra!" He shook her shoulder.
"No!" Terra’s head whipped up. "El!" She turned to where El lay.
"Yeah, it’s not good." El staggered to her feet.
"What happened?" Blake asked them both.
"It’s Aylin," El said gasping. "She’s in trouble. We have to go!" She stumbled toward the door.
"Wait!" Blake beat her and stood in front of the closed front door. "What is going on?"
"She connected with our minds. She’s so weak she could only do it for a moment. She’s in severe pain. Someone is torturing her." She looked at Terra.
"I think she’s in a cave," Terra said weakly.
"Around here?" Blake asked.
"I think so," Terra nodded. "Blake, we have to go help her." Terra stumbled toward him.
"I know." He agreed, and every muscle in his body was rigid. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He wanted to bust the door down and search for her with the madness he saw in their eyes, but they needed to be smart about this. "But you two are in no condition to do much of anything right now. And there are dozens of caves around here. Let’s try to figure out which one." He put his hands on his hips. "You saw what she was seeing?"
El nodded. "But it was distorted with pain. We’d never be able to figure out details of what she’s seeing." She thought for a moment. "I have a plan, but Blake is right Terra. We need to strengthen ourselves. We need to go to The Rune."
Terra looked at her shocked. "What is that going to do? We don’t have time to do this, they could be killing her-"
"I know Terra!" El snapped. "But we need to go to The Rune. Then we will find her." The steely look El gave Terra kept her quiet.
"What do you need me to do?" Blake asked, pleading. El gave him a look that told him she was going to have him stay behind. She wanted to tell him this wasn’t his fight. "Oh no, I’m coming with you. You brought me into this, so now I’m apart of it. Even if Aylin thinks this is her destiny."
"What are you talking about?" Terra squeaked.
Blake pushed his hand through his hair and looked down at both of them. "Shit, she’s going to skin me alive."
"What is it?" El grabbed his arm.
"It was something in the Seanchai I found. I confronted her on it and she told me to keep it a secret. It was about all the previous Moon Faeries. Each one of them sacrificed themselves to keep the Sun and Earth protected and hidden. If that’s what is happening now she is meant to die."
Terra’s eyes rimmed with tears, and El held her mouth in a firm scowl. "I knew she was keeping something from us. And you were in on it," she practically spit. "Nope, she’s not going to sacrifice herself, not while I’m around."
"That’s exactly my thoughts on it. So I’m coming with. I told her I wouldn’t let anything happen to her." He tried to keep his voice steady, but his hands trembled. It wasn’t fear that shook him it was fury. It happened right under his nose and he was beginning to feel helpless.
El grimaced. "Fine. Meet us back here in an hour. Be ready to drive." She led Terra around Blake, out the door.
The women stumbled into the woods. Terra had been weaker than El. Once they were at least a hundred yards off the path she let Terra sink down to the ground. She held her hand and squeezed it. El closed her eyes and forced the rest of her energy into her mind. She had just enough. Her palms grew warm, forming a small, weak ball of light. She opened her eyes and let the ball go. It hung in the air in front of her. "Lead the way," she whispered. She pulled Terra back up to her feet and they slowly followed the light. It moved slowly, allowing them time to trip over roots and tangle in the brush. Finally, El saw the small clearing. The sight was enough to give her a small surge of strength. "Come on, Terra, just a little farther," she said quietly.
She pulled Terra to the large stone slab. It was just large enough for the two of them. It was light enough to see the top of the slab covered in the Skill, Protection, and Journey runes. The Rune wasn’t going to fail them; they only hoped that they wouldn’t fail it.
El had flashes of the memories that haunted her the last time she tried to use rune magic. She prayed that this time wouldn’t lead them down a similar path. She helped Terra climb onto the stone surface, and then she pulled herself up. The white stone was smooth under their hands, and the rune symbols were deeply carved. "Lie down," she said to Terra. As soon as they were flat on the surface, the stone began to warm and they both lost consciousness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Blake stood leaning against the side of his old Chevy truck. It had been over an hour since he watched the two women stagger into the woods. He had raced home and changed into dark jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. He also had a run-in with Owen, and it had been a close call.
When Blake had pulled into his own driveway, he parked his truck behind Owen’s car, cursing. Owe
n, unfortunately, had a key to his house. Blake wondered if Owen didn’t have a key if he could let himself into the house just as easily. When he walked in Owen sat at his dining room table drinking beer, waiting for him. At least he hadn’t gone digging through his house and found the Seanchai. Owen was adamant on finding out what was going on with Blake and Terra. Blake attempted to ignore him when he changed clothes, but Owen followed him around the house.
Blake swore to him that nothing was going on, he just had some things to deal with, and no, he didn’t need any help. It left a bad taste in his mouth to lie to Owen, his best friend that had been through nearly everything with him, but desperate times called for it. It unnerved him when Owen threatened to use any means to find out what was going on. He was afraid they were in trouble, and was hell bent on finding out the truth. After practically shoving Owen out the door he grabbed his black ski cap and came back to Terra’s. Blake took the long way around the neighborhood to make sure Owen hadn’t followed him. He was pulling his cell phone out of his pocket when he heard cracking in the woods. He looked up and saw El and Terra walking out holding hands. They looked a hell of a lot better than when he left them. The color had returned to their cheeks and their eyes were bright with determination; however, there were still dark shadows under their eyes. "Ready?"
"We need to change," El said. "You have the right idea," she said, noting his dark clothing.
"Are you two okay?" he asked, following them inside.
"It was so amazing Blake!" Terra turned to tell him everything.
"Later." El put her hand on Terra’s arm. "We need to get Aylin back first."
They changed quickly, both wearing dark pants and long sleeves. "I thought you don’t get cold," Blake stated, never seeing her so fully dressed.
"I don’t, but my skin would glow. Kind of takes away trying to hide." She smirked.
"Right," Blake said, nodding. "What’s the plan?"
El stood on the other side of the dining room table. "Once we start driving I will feel for her." She tapped her temple. "Hopefully I can latch onto her. The feeling will get stronger the closer we are to her. When we get near the cave Terra and I can try to feel how many are in there with her. Then hopefully we can do a simple grab and run."
"Grab and run?" Blake asked, cautiously. "It can’t be that easy."
"No, it won’t," El sighed. "I’m not sure exactly what we will be facing. The rock has large amounts of iron in it, so Terra and I will be weakened immediately upon contact. The walls of the cave will be feel like a lead blanket for us." She looked at Terra. "But I don’t think they will be expecting us, at least."
"Why not?" Terra asked.
"I believe that since they have her inside the cave they think that it will stop our connection. The iron weakens it, definitely, but it doesn’t block it." She watched Terra as she said "But remember, it’s going to be painful. Being surrounded by that amount of iron isn’t going to feel good. If you feel yourself losing ground get the hell out of there. As long as one of us survives then The Rune will remain hidden."
"El…" Terra was shocked.
"If she dies tonight, she will not be alone. I am confident enough that you and Blake will be able to protect what’s not theirs," she said with finality.
"El, when we all come back, you and Aylin included, we are going to have a conversation about unnecessary heroics," Blake said.
"Fine." El scowled at him. "Whatever gets you through it." She headed for the door. "Lets go."
Aylin woke screaming. The cuts on her wrists were reopened with a blinding pain. She forced her eyes open, and saw the iron cuffs being pressed into her wounds. The witch elbowed her in the cheek when she weakly struggled against her. "There’s nothing left for you to fight for." The witch cackled, "We’ll find the other two. They’ll be joining you soon enough. Then we’ll find the Duile ourselves."
Her blood was burning in her veins. It worked too hard to move the thick, clotting liquid to her heart. Once it reached there, she wouldn’t have much time left. Her only hope left was if she had made it through to El and Terra. The witch thought she had been unconscious, and she only had seconds. Her strength was slowly ebbing away and memories drifted and flashed through her consciousness. Memories of her parents, her childhood, the moment she learned who she was in the garden, Eliana’s musical laugh, Terra’s innocence, and Blake.
Oh, Blake. She should have had more time with him. Her reservations that she held against him meant nothing to her now.
"Where are you now?" The witch picked up her head by her hair. "Fading away on me?" She slammed Aylin’s head against the wall, sending new explosions of pain into her system. Every part of her body screamed in protest.
A faint glimmer tingled her fingertips. She flexed her hands, the movement rubbing her flesh painfully against the cuffs. The witch’s back was to her as she was walking away. Aylin waited for her fingers to heat, but she couldn’t get them past lukewarm. It would have to do.
She dropped her hands in the puddle under her and she watched the blue lightning bolts spark on the rock, traveling through the water, crawling like fingers, and gripped the witch’s leg. The witch screamed and grabbed her leg. Her body began to convulse and contort in pain from the tremors Aylin sent to her.
A sharp cold wind sent Aylin tumbling backwards, crashing against the wall with a crushing sound. "Enough!" the male shouted at her. His deep voice echoed off the rock walls, and the witch was left shuddering. Aylin barely had time to get her breath when the witch dragged her by the chains of the cuffs across the wet rock. The sharp edges bit into her skin, tearing her jeans and sweater.
"You’re going to die before the night is over you filthy faerie," the witch sneered as she stood over her. She grabbed the front of Aylin’s sweater and lifted her torso off the ground so her face was close. "I’ll kill you myself. But you’ll give us what we want. Pain does wonderful things to loosen a tongue. I’ll make you go insane and everything will come out easily. You’ll even lead us straight to your precious Duile." She dropped Aylin into the puddle and her head cracked against the hard floor.
"Give it a rest for now. You and Julia stay with her," the man in the shadows said, and Aylin blacked out.
"Our link is getting stronger. We’re getting closer." El was frowning, her eyes closed and her hands clasped together, a fine layer of sweat forming on her brow. Blake was driving slowly down a gravel back road that was barely large enough for his truck. They had crawled up the mountain that loomed over Lancaster Bay. The slow drive had gone on for two excruciating hours while El searched for Aylin. Blake and Terra sat in silence as they crept along the gravel road.
Now they were deep in the forest, the sky barely visible through the thick trees. If they met a vehicle going the opposite way they would have a serious problem since the trees stopped where the road began. Every few minutes a branch would bounce off the windshield. "Stop!" Her hands shot out and gripped the dashboard. She started gasping and opened her eyes. "They’re here." She pointed out the passenger window.
"I don’t see anything." Terra peered out around El.
"It must be back in the woods. But we are definitely close." El wiped her forehead with her sleeve. "She’s really weak and running out of time." El looked at them. "We need to be quick. You and I are going to get out," she focused on Terra. "Blake, we’ll try to see how many are in there. You turn the truck around so we can leave in a hurry." She opened the door. "And be quiet."
El led Terra through the trees. Now that they were out of the truck they could smell the iron. El held back a gag when she could taste it on her tongue. The forest was pitch black, silvery streaks stretched through the branches, the moon was searching for Aylin. El and Terra moved silently through the brush, the only sound was the wind sending the dry leaves scuttling across the ground. They were careful not to touch the rock when they came to the sheer cliff. It stretched high above them, standing gray and cold.
They were close now. They were on a
thin beaten down path that traveled alongside the rock face, giving them a clear view free of the thick trees.
Creeping slowly along the cliff, they came upon a gaping hole in the rock face. El stopped and pulled Terra down to a squat. "Take my hands," she whispered. "Relax your mind, don’t think about Aylin. We already know she’s here. Think of your mind reaching out like fingers. Feel your way around, count how many minds you feel." Terra gave her a short nod and closed her eyes.
A small smile came to El’s lips. Terra never questioned herself, she just knew if she had to do something, she would do it. El closed her eyes and blocked her mind to Aylin. She felt her mind slide on the rock of the cave towards an opening. Everything inside the cave felt wet and cold. She made it to one heartbeat, beating rapidly. One, two…oh no.
"El," Terra whimpered.
"I know." El opened her eyes. "We won’t hurt her, but we can’t take her with us," she whispered. "If we do, they’ll know where we are. They are in control of her right now. Until that control is broken she can’t be trusted."
"But-"
"Focus Terra!" El hissed. She would have to be hard and emotionless tonight. It would be better for the both of them. "We are here for Aylin."
Terra’s eyes were filling with tears, but she nodded. A twig snapped behind them and they jumped up as Blake’s tall form emerged out of the trees. "Well?" he whispered.
"Two witches in there. But there is a complication." El looked at Terra, then back at Blake. She reminded herself to be cold. "Your mother is in there also. She is under the witch’s influence. As I was telling Terra, there is nothing we can do for her right now. We can only take Aylin." She steeled herself, ready for his anger.
