Guardian of the Moon Pendant (8 page)
Read Guardian of the Moon Pendant Online
Authors: Laura J Williams
“Plug it into the wall,” instructed Granny. “Turn it on, good, wait ‘til it boots up, right, now click on Skype.
The Skype icon, not IE.
It’s right there!”
“Listen to her, Baldtoe,” said
in a high-pitched
voice.
“I told you... I’m Skullsplitter now!” grunted a hoarse male voice.
“Click on, Harriet,” ordered Granny.
“Do you think she can help us?” asked the squeaky female voice.
“If not, Blane will. Skullsplitter, take this note to Dunvarghan Castle.”
“Hello?” said a voice resembling my mother’s.
“
HARRIET!
” roared Granny. “She’s no good!”
“What?”
“She just lies there dead as a door nail! We’ll never get the Portal closed if she continues to carry on like this!”
“I
..
I...” Mother stammered.
“You know the drill, Harriet,” steamed Granny. “Every nineteen years on the first new moon before the midsummer solstice.”
“I know, Mother,” whined Harriet’s raspy voice, “the Portal awakens.”
“And?”
“A new Guardian is chosen.”
“And…”
“The bond between the Moon Pendant and the Portal is broken.”
“And…”
“Mother, must I?”
“Harriet!”
Mother let out an exaggerated sigh, speaking in a monotone voice, “The Guardian needs to re-establish its control over the Portal by stopping it from fully awakening on the new moon.”
“And…”
“For goodness sakes, Mother,” Harriet snapped. “I know, you know, we all know that the Moon Pendant has to be recharged and to close that damn Portal on the midsummer’s solstice.”
“Good. Now tell me why my Guardian isn’t prepared, Harriet!” argued Granny disappointed.
“Izzy was supposed to...”
“Don’t you go and blame this one on, Izzy!” remarked Granny cutting mother off.
“You had to go and die, Mother!” snipped Harriet irritably. “Now, she’s bloody stuck with that pendant.”
My head was foggy, but I figured they were arguing about me. I shifted under the duvet and let out a soft moan in protest.
“Smack her in the head, Plumface,” ordered Granny. “Maybe that’ll wake her up!”
“Just a wee tiny love pat,” insisted my mother.
“Smack her good!” Granny added.
A tiny hand slapped my cheek hard, trying to snap me out of my delirium, its strike hot, stinging my skin. I cowered under my covers, shivering, wanting it to stop.
“You were supposed to send me an heir that was prepared!” demanded Granny.
“She's pre-med and a bloody black belt!” replied mother, her voice getting higher and higher.
“How many times do I have to tell you, Harriet? It’s not about their damn accomplishments! It’s what’s in one’s heart! Look at you!”
My mother’s voice growled, “I WAS AMBUSHED!”
“And so you ran.”
“They came from bloody everywhere!” My mother paused, taking in a long winded breath. “I did what I needed to do... to protect my family.”
“Facing your fears, my dear, is how one protects one’s family!”
The arguing trailed off, and I was finally left alone.
The shape-shifting nightmares of pointy nosed faeries soon faded. I drifted in and out of a deep slumber, my head filling up with a sugary voice singing in my head, it floated into my room like a soft breeze, nudging me to wake up out of the dream.
I rose out of my bed, searching for the wistful voice
beckon
ing me, my feet barefoot and cold, tip-toeing across the planked floor, my frail body standing before the chilled window, my fingers wiping away the dew, its glass frosty to the touch. Staring out the window I was mesmerized by what I saw.
An ethereal woman stood beyond the MääGord standing stones, a translucent light enshrouding her, her silvery white aura captivating me, her lithe body floating in the breeze like an angel.
I journeyed out of the farmhouse, hypnotized by her beauty, effortlessly scaling the grassy hillside barefoot. She spoke to me in my mind, whispering things, calling me to come closer.
I stood before her, a
celestial
being from another world, her lunar eyes leveled on me, twinkling, greeting me to her presence, her skin pale and bloodless, a soft light illuminating from within her, her emerald gown billowing in the wind.
Her delicate hand cradled my face. “Such a pretty,” she purred, “weak, child.”
I ran the tips of my fingers over the Moon Pendant, a sense of dread rushing over me.
“Your burden is heavy,” she whispered, angling her head, studying the Moon Pendant.
I opened my mouth to speak, trying to force myself to answer her. It dropped open, dry, except for a speckle of foam on my lips, and still nothing came out.
“The Moon Pendant is tricky,” she said with an edge to her voice, her thin finger lingering on my chest, stroking the pendant, adoringly. “You see, it needs your blood.” She leaned toward me, inhaling the air around the Moon Pendant as if it had a scent. She pulled away, her nostrils flaring, her pupils dilated, and her irises moon-like, “to keep it alive.”
Two men appeared behind her from the mist, pale warriors from another time, dressed in shredded tartans, their eyes empty and colorless, their sharp claws sensuously stroking her long locks, awaiting her next command.
“It comes from very old magic,” she continued, her finger lifting up my chin, studying my face. “I see your mother in you.” She smirked with a glimmer of pride in her eyes, “‘Tis a pity she had to take your father away. He was one of my favorites.”
A chill ran down my spine. How did she know my mother and father?
“I believe the realm of man and the realm of the Fae should be separate don’t you?”
I nodded a hypnotic, ‘yes.’
“I’m happy we agree,” she beamed, declaring. “For, I will always secure the
Fae’s
future. It is my most beloved obligation.”
My voice finally released a forced squeak. “Yes.”
“Glorious!”
Suddenly, the two scourged warriors circled me from behind, their decomposing arms latching onto my elbows, squeezing them behind my back, locking me securely into place, their icy cold hands clamping onto my bare skin.
I was lulled in by her beauty, but now a spark of panic ignited deep inside my body. I began to fear for my life. My body jerked violently, trying desperately to break free from their clutch, twisting and turning, straining to get away, wanting to scream, but my voice fell mute.
She licked her lips, an evil scowl quivering over them, “Such a pretty neck you have.”
One of the zombie-like warriors hooked his diseased fingers into my hair, yanking it back sharply, baring the curved arch of my neck, thin and delicate. He waited for his orders like a good warrior.
Straining, I peered down at the woman, her body hunched over and writhing wildly, contorting itself into a different form, joints twisting and popping, limbs elongating, breaking bones, crackling hooves pushing through her feet, her body hurling back to face me, her eyes animalistic.
Her spiny nails inched closer to my neck, seeking out the Moon Pendant, her nails long hollow tubes, outstretched from her fingertips, sharp and ready to slice her treasure off my neck. Her lips curled into a quivering sneer, exposing her sharp fangs, her talon-like nails lancing toward my throat as she swayed her weapons above my neck. “Time to pay, MacAlpin,” she growled, while two of her nails pricked at my neck and tugged at the Moon Pendant.
My eyes bulged.
A sudden burst of cool air shot across my face. Out of the darkness, a glistening sword cut through the night’s damp air, its steel blade slicing off two of the creature’s knifelike nails, her blood spurting everywhere, spattering onto my face. The creature howled in pain, her body crumpling over on top of her wounds, trying to stop the blood loss.
The Highlander appeared out of nowhere, rescuing me once again, wrenching the zombie-like warriors off me bare fisted.
“Get him,” ordered the creature, scurrying away into the shadows, her body exploding into a cloud of black smoke.
Her two zombie-warriors growled at the Highlander, their gnarled hands drawing out their double-edged blades, slowly sidestepping around him, one on each side.
The Highlander swung his sword through the air, steel meeting steel, his boot kicked out, slamming one in his gut, whirling around, his claymore slicing the other’s cankerous arm off. It didn’t bleed. The
unphazed
zombie warrior just stood there in amazement, staring at his extremity lying in the blades of grass. Finally, he saw a dribble of dark green blood, oozing from where the Highlander’s blade had chopped his arm off from his shoulder.
He gave a cheeky smile, flashing his rotten teeth.
The Highlander’s brawny arms arched back and in one swift motion, severed the puckish zombie’s head off from his decomposing neck. It rolled down the grassy hillside, bouncing up high as it hit a few scattered rocks.
The second zombie-warrior hissed at the Highlander, his crooked fangs flaring, and then swiftly scampered off into the dark shadows of the night, searching for his master.
My body shivered inside, staring at the powerful Highlander before me, my mouth hanging wide open, not knowing what to say.
He stood about six feet four inches, maybe more. All I knew is that I had to tilt my head back pretty far to get a full view of this commanding Herculean man. This was the second time he saved me. I couldn’t get a grasp of the full picture. He was some sort of dreamy Highlander, who just happen to show up when I was about to die?
His hand reached down to me as I lay on the ground. “Guardian,” he said. I felt an intense surge of heat flutter throughout my skin as he pulled me to my feet.
Hastily, I smoothed my hair back and dusted myself off, feeling a bit uncomfortable. “You keep saving me,” I said timidly, still absolutely flabbergasted at what happened.
His finger lifted my chin up to
meet his brilliant blue eyes. “‘
Tis my job, Guardian,” he said sincerely.
My heart gushed.
Think of Edgar, think of Edgar,
echoed in my head and quickly turned into my new mantra.
“Your job?”
I asked flatly, trying not to stare at his dimpled chin. Oh, how I loved a good dimpled chin. Edgar, unfortunately, had a flat chin. That’s good; I thought to myself, I’m thinking of Edgar. Stay focused. I must be strong and in control.
Think of Edgar, Think of Edgar!
He arched his back, broadening his muscular chest. “I am Blane, a Sentinel of Light,” he said grinning craftily as if I were the nutty one not knowing what a Sentinel of Light was?
“A Sentinel of..?” I repeated, furrowing my brow, my fingers rolling over my engagement ring trying to think of Edgar.
“Of Light.”
As he finished my sentence, his warm arm wrapped around my shoulder, guided me down the heather covered hillside toward Granny’s farmhouse. “I am here to protect the Guardian of the Moon Pendant.”
“You’re here to protect me?” I said, realizing my engagement ring was now engorged into my puffy skin. I must’ve gotten bloated from all that green grog they were force feeding me.
“Aye, Anabel. I have protected all of the Guardians throughout the centuries. I was commissioned by Danú herself to watch the MääGord standing stones and this region’s Portal.”
Wow, a Sentinel of Light, a great brawny Highlander here to protect me, and only me. I sighed dreamily.
Think of Edgar!
“So you’re kind of a stalker?” I said, fiddling with my engagement ring, twisting it back and forth around my swollen finger.
“I doona know what a...” Blane paused for a moment.
“A stalker,” I said, filling in his words.
“Aye, a stalker,” he continued, “I doona know what that is, lass.”
“It means…” I said grunting, struggling to get my engagement ring off.
My heart sank. I knew I’m supposed to think of Edgar, but my engagement ring was starting to cut the circulation off on my ring finger. I needed to get it off now! I’m sure Edgar wouldn’t mind, if he knew I was in serious pain.
“That you follow someone around without them knowing,” I continued, “sort of obsessed with them.”
“Let me, lass,” Blane offered, holding the palm of his hand out.
I blinked at him, not knowing what he wanted me to do.
“Give us yer hand, lass,” he said blue eyes glittering.
I placed my hand in his, trembling, a chill slithered up the nape of my neck. He licked the pad of his thumb, covering it with saliva, and then tenderly rolled it over my engagement ring, slowly sliding it off.
His eyes swept over me with a flirtatious smile.
I swallowed hard, staring at him wide-eyed, my heart hammering away, melting from his touch.
