Rising Moon (The Rune Stone Trilogy) (14 page)

             
"
Oh yeah? I say we hunt them down and take them out. Then we can spend the rest of our days laying on the beach and swimming with dolphins.
"
El grinned.

             
"
I like that idea,
"
Terra added.

             
"
Yes, it sounds tempting. But we have no idea who they are El. Unless you have a witch radar in your head.
"
She raised an eyebrow at her.

             
"
Not exactly.
"

             
"
We need information.
"
Aylin crossed her arms.
"
We need to find out who they are before they attack us again.
"

             
After a few moments of silence El broke it with a snort.
"
So, Aylin tells me you can’t produce plants.
"
She nudged Terra with her elbow.
"
I thought it would come natural from you, you know since your powers are directly linked to the earth.
"

             
Terra glared at her.
"
As it so happened I did, earlier tonight. I drifted off in the backyard and when I woke up I was surrounded by flowers.
"

             
El raised an eyebrow.
"
But you can’t do it on command?
"

             
Terra sniffed at El and raised her cup to take a sip, and instead sucked in a mouthful of petals. She coughed them out and El was roaring.
"
El!
"
Terra grabbed a handful of the purple petals and threw them at El.

             
"
Just proving a point.
"
The petals disappeared in mid air, just before landing in El’s perfectly groomed hair.

             
In the middle of that afternoon Terra ran the entire way from her house to Aylin’s again. Even though she had left their house only a few hours ago, she knew that she couldn’t wait to talk to her friends. Aylin and El were at the front door when Terra shut the gate behind her.
"
Terra?
"
Aylin opened the door.
"
Something is wrong.
"
She frowned.

             
"
Blake just called.
"
Terra was out of breath from running.
"
It’s Mom. Not well.
"
She was shaking her head.

             
"
Come inside.
"
El said holding the door open.

             
Terra collapsed in the first chair she could find. Aylin sat on the ottoman in front of her and El stood a few feet away.
"
He said that she isn’t eating and the doctors don’t know what is wrong with her. She’s in and out of consciousness. He said she looks terrible.
"

             
Aylin watched Terra for a few moments. She could feel the pain in Terra’s heart, and it made her own go out to her.
"
Okay. What do you need to do?
"
Aylin asked calmly.

             
"
Aylin, I have no choice, my mother is so ill. Blake says…
"
Terra choked up, not able to finish.

             
"
Terra,
"
Aylin took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"
Do not apologize. This is your mother. You don’t have a choice to make, I ran to my mother’s side when she needed me. It’s as simple as that. Family always comes first. Be there for your family.
"

             
"
Thank you for understanding,
"
Terra whispered.

             
"
Honey, just because we aren’t normal doesn’t mean we don’t have hearts. If it were my mother I’d be on the first plane out of here,
"
El said.

             
"
What about the witches?
"
Terra asked quietly, looking from one to the other.

             
"
Just remember your purpose when the time comes for you to step away. We’ve all felt the threat to the elements. El and I think we can keep it at bay for a little while. We might have some tricks up our sleeves to keep them distracted for the time being. If for some reason you need to get a message to us and you can’t use the phone, you can go back to the old way.
"

             
"
Mail you a letter?
"
Terra raised an eyebrow.

             
"
Well, in a sense, yes. Put your message in a jar and bury it in the earth. We will get your message, and you’ll know when we do.
"

CHAPTER TWELVE

             
Three Months Later

             
The last weekend in September brought cooler weather and hints of autumn colors of yellows, rust, and deep reds that had become visible. The grass was still green and some of the leaves began to turn brilliant reds and yellows. Aylin’s gardens were full of mums ranging in every color from deep purple to sunny yellow. They were the only blooming flowers she left in the garden. Soon she would bring in gourds and pumpkins in all sorts of sizes and scatter them throughout.

             
She hadn’t brought the autumn colors inside her home yet, but she allowed the smells to come in. Her house smelled of cinnamon, cloves, and warm fresh apple confections from El’s nonstop baking and cooking. Both of them were becoming increasingly restless from not hearing from Terra. Since she had left, the island had remained quiet. There weren’t any attacks in their dreams or lurking fog in the woods.

             
Most of the tourists had left at the end of the summer. The hot summer had brought in even more people this year wanting to escape to the beaches. The Lilac Tree had a very good summer with business, gaining Aylin a nice cushion to sustain for the winter. Jordan was pleased with the hefty bonus for all the long days and six day work weeks that Aylin hadn’t asked her to do. Jordan was a hard, diligent worker who knew when she needed to pull some extra weight without being asked. It made Aylin’s life easier.

             
"
Ow! Son of a-
"
Eliana yelped in the backyard.

             
"
What happened, El?
"
Aylin called out the kitchen window.

             
"
Stubbed my toe,
"
Eliana grumbled. The cooler weather didn’t change her attire because El hardly ever felt cold. She wore only a magenta tube top and denim shorts.

             
Aylin sighed and stepped out the door, dressed appropriately in loose denim jeans and a long sleeved knit top. Standing on the stoop with a hand on her hip she said,
"
You know, just because you don’t feel the cold doesn’t mean you walk around barefoot all the time. Protect those manicured toes.
"
She raised an eyebrow.
"
What did you stub it on?
"

             
"
A glass jar, half buried.
"
Eliana smirked.

             
"
What?
"
She stepped down to the bottom step.

             
"
Looks like paper inside it.
"
El leaned down, squinting at the Mason jar.

             
"
Pull it out!
"
Aylin ran to her side.
"
Is it Terra?
"

             
Eliana wiggled the jar out of the dirt and unscrewed the lid.
"
Oh, smell that?
"
She moved the jar closer to her face and inhaled.
"
Midwest air, if you ask me.
"
She handed the jar to Aylin.

             
Aylin plucked the folded paper out and quickly opened it. It read:

Aylin and El,

I have missed you two! Mother is doing so much better.
I feel like I’ve become stronger, I’ve been practicing in the woods and I can now conjure up plants. Unfortunately they aren’t what I think
they will be, so I still need some work.

But I need your help. There have been a few times when I’ve been in town that I walk by someone and the
hair on the back of my neck
stands up. Not good, right? I think the same g
roup of witches that were on
the island have come to Lancaster Bay. Th
ere is something else too. I
think there are other faeries around here. Fr
om a distance I swear I have
glimpsed distinct glowing faeries.

What should I do? Do I try to approach them?

             
             
             
             
             
Terra

             
Aylin looked at El.
"
It’s time we left our island.
"

             
"
You know, that’s okay. We need a change of scenery anyway. Maybe you can have more time with that yummy Blake,
"
El said and nudged Aylin with her elbow.

             
"
Yes, I haven’t yelled at anyone for awhile.
"
Aylin scowled at her.
"
Come on, let’s let her know we got her message.
"
She brought her hands together, forming a cup. El did the same next to her and then they turned to face the woods. El closed her eyes and Aylin blew lightly into her hands. A ball of light appeared in their hands. Once it was the size of a golf ball she parted her hands and watched it soar into the woods.

             
Terra sat on her deck facing the woods, wrapped in a heavy sweater. Nighttime was so cool now that she dressed in layers. Sipping on her hot tea, she closed her eyes enjoying the long needed peace and quiet. It had been a busy day in her mother’s bookstore and even more work to avoid Blake. She had become very good at deflecting his persistent questioning all summer. Ever since she had come home he had tried to act as if he were happy that she had come back. But there was still
tension between them when they did talk.

             
Arriving home she had found her mother in very poor health. Blake had talked the doctor into letting him take her home, promising he would take care of her. He thought she would heal faster at home than the sterile confines of the hospital. To his surprise he had to argue with her because she didn’t want to go home and be alone. By the time the argument was settled she had manipulated him into staying with her until Terra was home. The day after Terra came home her mother ate her first meal. The first couple of weeks Terra stayed with her mother in the apartment over the bookstore, making sure she had someone nearby and waiting on her. She continued to eat, and she began to gain some weight back, and the color returned to her cheeks. Terra was convinced that her mother’s illness had been psychological. It was too coincidental that this illness happened after she ran away and Blake came after her. When Terra had left Lancaster Bay her mother had been in perfect condition. However, she kept this theory to herself all the while hoping that she wasn’t the reason.