Moon Spun (12 page)

Ryker leaned forward in the chair and gazed intently into my eyes. “Your grandmother is a direct descendent of a powerful faery called the Green Man, who ruled over all forests. When his powers weakened, his kingdom was passed to Melia who became queen of the forest faeries. Unfortunately, Melia fell in love with a mortal, your grandfather, Claude. She abdicated her responsibilities and, as you know, tried to live as a mortal, an impossible feat for forest faeries.”

Chad gave me a superior look. “Told ya. Maybe you’ll believe me next time.”

Caught up in Ryker’s story, I said, “She tried to take Faye with her when she went back to Boundless.”

Ryker nodded. “She told me the child was locked in a room filled with iron. It fair broke her heart.”

“So, Melia went back to Boundless. Then what happened?”

“Her kingdom was in disarray. Her folk were gone except for a few lesser faeries who have fealty to no one else, creatures such as hedgerow pixies and water sprites.”

“What happened to the other forest faeries?” Chad asked.

“The rest, including my mother, were enslaved by Phaedra, the Dark Queen whose power comes from the dark side of the moon.”

I shivered as my hand flew to the moonstone. Things were becoming crystal clear. Ryker reached out and took my hand. “Which is why we need you.”

310

Chapter Fifteen

Hours later, I was still in a fog of emotion. Ryker had made it perfectly clear he was in Peacock Flats for one reason only. He’d been sent by my grandmother, who believed I could use the moonstone to defeat Phaedra, her mortal enemy, and thus free her people. When I told him I had lots more questions, he said, “Gotta go back to work. I’ll see you tonight.”

Chad and I played Yahtze, but I was so distracted, he beat me four games straight. Chad, over the moon with happiness over the whole Ryker/faery issue, talked about it non-stop. Actually, he was driving me nuts.

“You have to take me,” he insisted.

“What makes you think I’m going?”

“You have to go. Ryker said.”

“Ryker doesn’t get to tell me what to do.”

“Your grandmother might die if you don’t go!”

“You made that up,” I said. “Besides, if I go, and I’m not saying I will, I can’t take you. You heard what Ryker said. There’s going to be a battle. You’re my responsibility. I can’t put you in danger. Remember Blaster?”

“It’s just a bunch of faeries,” Chad scoffed. “Can’t be too dangerous.”

“We’re not talking Tinker Bell smacking somebody with her wand. Faeries aren’t all cute little pixies like Skelly and Jade.”

By the time his dad got home, Chad had reverted to pouting mode. He was so ticked off he wasn’t speaking to me, which was kind of a relief. After assuring Mr.

Hostetler I’d let Faye know he’d call her later (ick!) I drove down Peacock Flats Road, trying to figure out what to do next. It was then I thought of Kizzy. I hadn’t seen her for a while, and she was the one person who truly understood the weirdness of my life. She ought to, since she was the one who gave me the moonstone pendant. I found a wide spot in the road, made a U turn and headed back the way I came. I parked next to Kizzy’s hedge and hurried through the iron gate, making sure not to look at the falcon’s eye painted on a cross bar. A Romany symbol used to ward off evil, the darn thing still gave me the creeps. The eye seemed to follow me, no matter how hard I tried to avoid it. I spotted Kizzy sitting on the veranda and waved.

“Alfrieda!” she called, a lilt of happiness in her voice. I trotted down the sidewalk, already feeling better, even before I stepped into her embrace.

“Oh, darling girl, it’s been too long. What in the world have you been doing? Has that handsome half-demon boyfriend of yours been monopolizing your time?”

Oh crap, Beck. Instant mood killer.

I gently patted her back. “Actually Beck and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.”

Kizzy waved me into a chair. “Oh, you young people. Nothing lasts too long, does it?”

Though I was tempted to give into self-pity and let Kizzy know that this young person—me—

was not responsible for the break-up, I held back. I had other things on my mind. Grandparents, for instance. Where to start? Mike Purdy’s newly discovered father?

Faye’s queen-of-the-forest-faeries mother? I decided to start with my father.

“Remember, I told you Mike Purdy’s parents got killed in a car wreck the day of the Fruit Bowl Festival?”

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The light in Kizzy’s clear turquoise eyes faded a bit. “Sad,” she murmured. “So sad.”

“Mike found a letter in his mother’s safety deposit box. From his real father.”

“Oh, my!” Kizzy exclaimed. “Tell me all about it.”

I told her about Dennis McCarty’s visit and how Mike had flown to Ireland to trace his roots. I dug around in my purse, pulled out a scrap of paper and handed it to her.

“It has something to do with this. Can I use your computer to do some research?”

She reached for the glasses hanging from a silver chain around her neck, and placed them on the end of her nose.

“I see why your father went to Ireland. Ireland, of course, is the mythical home of the Tuatha de Danaan.” She paused and peered up at me. “What is it you want to know?”

My mouth fell open in amazement. I should have realized I didn’t need Google when I had Kizzy, a living, breathing encyclopedia of magic, right here in Peacock Flats, WA. Last year, she’d figured out Beck was a half-demon just by looking at him.

I grinned at her. “Well, according to the letter Mike found, his real father was an emissary from these people.”

When I said the word “people,” Kizzy’s eyes began to dance, a sure sign she was dying to tell me something. I had a hunch I knew what it was. “They are ‘people’ . . .

right?”

Kizzy looked like she was trying not to smile. “Not exactly.”

“So, what are they?”

“Faeries, Allie. They’re faeries.”

“No way,” I breathed. I hadn’t even told her about Melia, Chad, and Ryker. Geez, I was up to my neck in faeries. Then, Kizzy surprised me once again. “That boy you’re caring for . . . Chad?”

Even though I knew what was coming, I said, “Yes?”

“He’s a changeling . . . right?”

“So he says.”

“You don’t believe him? Trust me, he is a changeling. I knew the minute I saw him. He’s a faery.”

I sat in stunned silence, trying to piece it together.

Kizzy said, “Now, back to your original question. As the story goes, the Tuatha de Danaan came to Ireland—some say from outer space—and there they attempted to live peacefully. Highly skilled in the art of magic, they introduced Druid practices to the people of Ireland.” She paused and sighed.

“As always, dissension followed and war broke out. The Tuatha were defeated and went underground. Have you heard of faery mounds?”

I shook my head.

“Standing stones and faery mounds. Ireland is full of them. Your father is in the right place.”

I cleared my throat. “You might not believe this, but there’s more.”

Kizzy tilted her head to one side. “When it comes to magic, there’s very little I don’t believe. It’s about your mother, isn’t it?”

I launched into the whole Claude/Melia/Chad/Ryker story, talking non-stop until the words ran out.

Kizzy frowned and shook her head. “Entirely too coincidental, discovering both your parents have fae blood, one right after the other. There has to be a reason., Alfrieda Think, there must be a common denominator.”

Common denominator? Hmmm. I thought about my conversation with Ryker. Oops. “Um, Kizzy, did I mention Melia knows about the moonstone?”

Kizzy threw up her hands. “You most certainly did not! Well, there you go. Both sides of your 312

family have fae blood. Both know you have the moonstone, that you’re The Keeper of the Light.”

“But, what does it mean? Why now?”

Kizzy thought for a moment. “My best guess is that warring faery factions are moving toward some sort of final resolution. You and the moonstone are at the very epicenter of the conflict. All we can do is bide our time and see how it plays out. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but it’s all I’ve got.”

Opposing forces? Final resolution? The moonstone hanging around my neck was the common denominator in a battle among other-worldly faery kingdoms? Definitely too much to wrap my mind around. “You’re right. Not what I wanted to hear,” I said. “Guess I have no choice but to wait and see what happens.”

She nodded solemnly. “Follow your instincts, Alfrieda. You’ll make the right choices.”

Speaking of choices, I said, “Ryker wants me to go with him to Boundless.”

Kizzy gasped and her hand flew to her throat. “No Allie, you mustn’t. It would put you in terrible danger. Faeries cannot be trusted. This boy, did you say his name is Ryker?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure he’s very handsome, am I right?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. If you like the biker-boy type.”

Kizzy hid another smile. “And, do you?”

Good question. “There’s something about him I don’t trust. He’s a little too . . . it’s like he’s trying to be, oh, I don’t know. There’s just something about him.”

Kizzy nodded. “He’s covered himself in faery glamour to hide what he is.”

“Oh, he told me about the glamour. The reason I don’t trust him is because I’m bummed out about the whole Junior/ Beck thing. I swear, Kizzy, I don’t know why, but my boyfriends keep bailing on me. There’s no way I’m getting involved with another guy. Especially if he’s a faery.”

“That’s my girl!” Kizzy held up a hand, palm forward. I slapped it. Gently. “You’re right to be cautious. Humans aren’t equipped to deal with faeries. Their heads get all muddled. You must never eat or drink anything in faery land, or you may not be able to find your way back.

“I wouldn’t even think of going if my grandmother didn’t need me. I should be able to trust my own grandmother!”

Kizzy thought for a moment. “Faery time is different than mortal time. If you go into the faery world, what seems like twenty minutes could be two weeks. How would you explain your absence?”

My hand flew to the moonstone. “The moonstone will protect me.” As I said the words, somehow I knew them to be true.

“You don’t know that for sure. You’d be taking a terrible risk.”

“What if I told you I can use the moonstone to stop time?”

If I thought I was incapable of shocking Kizzy, I was wrong. She gasped and pointed at the moonstone. “No, you did not!”

“Oh yes, I did!” I told her about turning the moonstone to a new setting and exposing it to moonlight. How the world turned silver.

Her face closed up. “Who else knows about this?”

“Just Chad. And Ryker. Apparently he was spying on us.”

“That’s not good. Chad is a child. He may accidentally tell somebody about it. As I said earlier, faeries are tricky. Ryker may try to use it to his advantage. We have the Trimarks to watch out for, too.” Her beautiful turquoise eyes brimmed with tears. “Oh, Allie, to think that I was the one who gave you the moonstone and started all this.”

I jumped out of my chair and gave her a hug. The last thing I wanted was to cause her pain. “Not 313

your fault. We both know the moonstone is my destiny. I can handle it.”

As I held Kizzy in my arms, she felt so frail and thin, it scared me to death. Maybe I made a mistake coming here and adding to her worries.

As if she could read my mind, Kizzy patted me and said, “I know you can, darling. And I love being part of your life. Please, don’t ever stop confiding in me.”

Before I left, I promised to keep her in the loop. When I got home, I parked the car. Instead of going inside, I sat under the apple tree to think. Kizzy and I hadn’t finished our conversation about me going to Boundless with Ryker. The whole “stopping the world” thing had sent us down a different path.

I picked up the moonstone and stroked its satiny surface. When I closed my eyes and felt its calming presence, I made a decision. I would let the moonstone guide me. I would do what felt right. I wanted to meet my grandmother, but, truthfully, I wanted to go on this journey for Faye. If somehow, someway, I could get Melia and Faye together, maybe Faye would be happy or, at least, less screwed up.

The pick-up was parked in its usual spot, so Faye was home, no doubt waiting for a call from Mr. Hostetler. I couldn’t hold back a huge eye roll at the thought. Once again, I spotted a red tailed hawk soaring over Blaster’s pasture. As I watched, it circled lower and perched on the old cistern. Ryker checking in?

The door to the trailer flew open and Faye stepped out. She slung a bag of trash into the garbage can before she spotted me. “Allie! I didn’t hear you drive up. Beck just called.”

I stood and brushed the grass off the seat of my pants.

“Don’t worry, I gave him a piece of my mind.”

Oh, great. Advice from the Queen of Bad Relationships.

“Um, what exactly did you tell him?”

With a breezy wave of the hand, she said, “Oh, nothing much. Just this and that. He wants you to call him.”

“Yeah, right, I’ll do that as soon as it rains frogs.”

Just as I uttered my bitter words, the phone rang.

314

Chapter Sixteen

“Allie?”

“Yes,” I said in a crisp, business-like tone, hoping I sounded completely and utterly in control of my emotions

“How are you?”

“Just great.” I tried to keep my tone sarcasm free. Apparently I wasn’t successful, because Beck immediately replied, “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, gee, I don’t know. You tell me.”

“My mom called. She said she saw you at the fruit stand.”

“Yeah, and your sister too.” The real issue was hanging there, twisting in the wind. Why should I make it easy for him?

“Allie.” The way Beck said my name, so softly, so filled with tenderness, it put me over the edge. I knew what was coming and was powerless to stop it. My breath hitched in my chest and I made a little sound. I tried desperately to hold on to my anger, but hot, stinging tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks.

“I need to tell you something,” he said in the same compassionate tone. I swallowed hard and tried to find my voice. All I could manage was a squeaky, “I already know.”