Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) (11 page)

Uneasy, I shifted from one foot
to the other while trying to decide my best course of action. I had no choice
but to return to the shop and drive to Arianna’s. Turning to head home, I was
confronted with another such mound of guck.
What was I to do?
Wondering
wouldn’t get me anywhere, so I glanced around for a fallen branch. I found one
that wasn’t too short and used it to poke the mound. Instantly, the gooey blob
popped, deflating as would a pin-pricked balloon. Goo splattered and oozed
across the ground before it completely disappeared.

I rounded on the other blob and
found it closer than it had been. I reached out with the branch and pierced it,
too. When it popped, a shower of guck splashed over my slacks and shoes before
the eerie material ran down to puddle around my feet. Then it was gone.

I tucked the branch into a belt
loop of my slacks and ran the rest of the distance to Arianna’s.

The house lay empty. No one
answered when I called. I stared at the chimney that seemed to erupt from the
roof of the barn studio. Smoke puffed from it. In less than a minute, I opened
the door to Arianna’s workroom and stepped inside. Dressed in a fireproof
apron, thick work gloves and protective goggles, she’d withdrawn a metal pipe
covered with molten glass and had begun to blow into the cold hollow tube.

I stopped short, watched her
expertly shape a large bubble and curve the end of the glass to make a smooth,
rounded hanger. The lovely decoration would someday adorn a Christmas tree.

I stepped closer, noting the
sparkle within the glass ball. Faerie dust swirled inside the sphere. I caught
my breath. How had it gotten in there? Arianna heard my breath intake and set
the rod down carefully before she turned to me. She hitched the goggles up on
her forehead, withdrew the gloves, and put her hands on her hips.

“What, exactly, are you doing
here, Luna? You nearly scared me to death,” she remarked.

“But, but, you called and said
you needed help,” I answered.

“I haven’t been near the phone
all day, much less called you for help. Are you sure it was me?” Ari asked with
a hint of curiosity in her voice.

A tidbit of doubt crept into my
mind as I considered her question. I nodded. “I could swear it was you,
although you sounded hysterical. I thought the pixies were after you, or maybe
Calis had you by your throat. Either way, it scared me enough to race over here
and leave the Junction in the hands of my help.”

Arianna stared at me. She
scowled and said, “From the look of you, I suppose you met up with something in
the wood?”

How did she know?
What
exactly was it that I’d encountered? Things were out of control, my life was
heading downhill fast, and now I wondered if I’d lost most of
my
marbles. Had anyone seen them haphazardly rolling around?

“Now that you mention it, I did
come across something I’ve never encountered before.” As I was about to tell
her, I caught her sideway glance and knew we weren’t alone. It took only a
second before she ushered me outside and firmly closed the studio door behind
her.

“Tell me,” she urged.

“Brownish-green guck blocked my
path, divided itself in two, and prevented me when I tried to turn around and return
to the Junction. I poked the goo with a stick. It popped and dissipated without
a sign it had ever been there in the first place. Weird, really weird.”

She began to chuckle and then
stopped. “The pixies are having fun at your expense. They enjoy a good bit of
trouble. The little twits pull stunts here quite often, so I’m used to them.”

“I figured it might be an ogre
or a troll when I first saw the mound. It was huge.” I shivered and rubbed my
hands together before I stuffed them into my jacket pockets.

With a cool stare, Arianna
remarked in an odd tone, “Whoever has fed you that load of crap should be
slapped. We have no ogres, trolls, or giants here that I’m aware of. They stick
to their own habitats.”

“You’re sure, then?”

A half-smile formed on her lips
as she said, “I’m sure. I’d offer you a cup of tea, but I really need to finish
the work I’ve scheduled for today. I hope you don’t mind.”

I waved her words away and said
I had my own work to do, but adding I was happy to find her safe and well.

Dark clouds had rolled in,
raindrops began to fall, and I entered the woods. The same woods that Calis had
insisted I stay out of. I’d not be fooled again by the pixies, the little
troublemakers would no longer get the bits and bobs of finery I usually tossed
to them from the steps of the porch either. Pixies adore sparkly doodads and
bits of ribbon. I kept snippets of leftover package decorations until I had
enough to offer them as a reward for being friendly and having protected me in
the past.

I strode through the woods with
purpose, my eyes flicking back and forth in search of signs of danger, pixies,
or even for Calis for that matter. I’d come to the small bridge that crossed a
stream and was about to walk over it when I heard a rustling noise behind me.
With a glance over my shoulder, I yelped and ran like hell.

A fierce-looking, thick-scaled
beast emerged from behind a massive tree trunk and clawed the air with long,
talon-tipped fingers. He gave a deep, horrific roar as I increased my speed.
“Run, run away,” the wicked beast bellowed.

I did. I moved, with the wind
pushing me faster and faster with each step. When I reached my backyard, I
heard a twitter of laughter and saw two blue faeries perched on a cluster of
dried out hydrangeas.

“Run fast, you have,” one blue
faerie said.

“Scared, you are,” the other
chimed in.

I nodded and gasped for air. I
hadn’t known I could run like that.

“No need, fear not,” they said
in unison and flew away before I could ask why.

Up the steps I went, into the
shop that was now loaded to the hilt with customers. My help looked harried.
Guilt washed over me as I scrambled into the kitchen to work alongside them.

“Where’s Dilly?” I asked Annie.

“She’s handling the gift shop
while Leslie and I wait on customers. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Everything
all right?” Annie gave me the once over as she handed me an apron.

I nodded, gave her what I hoped
was a bright, happy smile and left for the dining room. Trays overflowed with
teacups, saucers and dainty plates. I hauled each one into the galley and set
them down for Annie to clear. She emptied and reloaded the dishwasher while I
set about filling tea pots. Leslie took orders and handed them over the counter
in return for cash.

All went smoothly until I
glanced up and saw Calis standing inside the doorway. His face emotionless, his
eyes darting here and there, taking in the crowd. I took the final request,
plopped a cupcake onto a dish that matched the teacup and pot, and then passed
it to Leslie before I joined him.

I motioned for Calis to join me
on the porch. Without a word, he followed me toward a table with two cushioned
chairs. Even though it was October, I hadn’t yet put the furniture into
storage. Many customers still enjoyed their tea outdoors on warmer days.

Before he settled across from
me, I blurted, “I received a call from somebody I thought was Arianna. She
yelled for help, and then the call was disconnected. Do you know anything about
that?”

His eyes fixed on mine, Calis
said, “No, nothing. What was her problem?”

“That’s just it, when I got to
her, she said she hadn’t made the call or used the phone all day, and then she
said the pixies were amusing themselves at my expense.”

“That’s likely. Though, I’ve
never heard of a pixie using the telephone before.” Calis leaned back in the chair.
Lost in thought he stared at the table for a bit. When he looked at me, he
smiled and said, “They’re a magical lot, with mischief at the top of their
to-do list. I’d say you’ve been had.” He snickered.

Put out by his inability to
take the episode seriously, I snapped, “Real funny. I didn’t think it so funny
when I went through the woods to Ari’s and was stopped by two mounds of goo
that burst like balloons when I pierced them. Then on my return home, I was
frightened by a scaly monster with claws the size of butcher knives. Find humor
in that, I dare you.”

His face straightened as I
blathered on about the monstrous things I’d seen in the woods. Calis leaned
forward and gripped my hand so tight I could hear the bones scream for help.
“You didn’t listen to me when I ordered you to stay clear of the forest. How
can I make you understand that you should listen to what I say?”

I yanked my hand from his grasp
and gently massaged the offended bones and tendons. “It was the fastest route,
and frankly, I don’t take orders from you or anyone else, so get over
yourself.”

Blue eyes that took on the
appearance of obsidian ice gazed at me through his narrowed lids. Calis was
pissed – but then, so was I.

“I wasn’t there to help you if
you’d been under attack by the
‘scaly monster.’
Was it black, by any
chance?”

I nodded and thought of the
eyes that had glared at me from within the scariest face I’d ever seen. I
looked at Calis and the thought struck me like a bolt of lightning. Those eyes
were as blue as the ones staring at me now. I studied his dark hair, long-fingered
hands and knew I was onto something.

It occurred to me that I was
being played by more than one entity, and wondered why. After having had my
ex-husband try and take my property out from under me awhile back, I wouldn’t
be surprised if someone was trying a similar feat by driving me mad. It wasn’t
surprising to think someone was scaring the daylights out of me by using pixies
and mind games for weapons.

I inclined my head slightly and
said, “Where were you this afternoon?”

“Around,” he answered.

I glanced at my watch and stood
up, “I’ll do my best to stay away from the woods. I must get back to work.”

He nodded, watched me closely,
and then left me at the door. He walked away without a backward glance. Anger
mounted as I thought about him being behind these worrisome events. With a
shake of my head and a hefty sigh, I returned to my customers and chatted them
up while making my way across the room.

Our workday had ended with
Leslie wishing us well. She had stayed all afternoon instead of leaving when
her shift ended, for which I was extremely grateful.
Cupcake sales had gone on until the cases
were nearly empty. I’m not complaining, I’m thrilled when the cakes are gone.
It means less for me to dispose of, or eat, and with time at a premium and my
waist at risk, I was happy with sales.

We flopped into chairs, weary,
but smiling. Stephanie stood at the door awaiting her mother.

“How did my mother do today?”
she asked while Leslie retrieved her coat from the hall closet.

Annie sat up and gave Stephanie
a wide grin. “That woman never blinked an eyelash when the cars emptied and
crowds bustled in. She’s a blessing, for sure.”

Her laughter filled the room as
Stephanie watched her mother wend her way through tables. “I’m ready to go
home,” Leslie said with a chuckle. “This is the best fun I’ve had in ages. See
you tomorrow, Luna.”

The three of us watched the duo
amble to the car, Leslie talking all the while.

Chapter
9

Aware I’d let the help down, I remarked
brightly, “Leslie worked her heart out today, didn’t she?”

Dilly answered, “She sure saved
our bologna.” She left the table, gathered her coat and purse, and trundled out
the back door with a wave of her hand and a promise to see us tomorrow.

Annie swiftly responded with,
“I don’t know what’s got you so bothered, Luna, but you’d better sort it out.
We can’t hold the business together forever while you dash out the door on a
whim. And what is this Calis character all about, anyway? I’m sure Devin would
have a fit if he was here.”

Okay, so I was being
reprimanded. Knowing I deserved it, I’d placed my responsibilities on the
shoulders of those who shouldn’t have to carry it. This was my business, not
someone else’s. I’d built it from the ground up with hard work, delectable
cupcakes, and a personal touch that brought folks back again and again.

“You’re right. I’ve been
foolish. There’s something going on that’s bugging the crap out of me.”

“Tell me, then. I’m all ears,”
Annie said as she poured tea and set a steaming cup of tea in front of me,
followed by a cupcake.

Before long, I’d revealed
everything. Starting from the moment I’d set eyes on Calis right down to the
weird way Ari was behaving. Annie listened in her no-nonsense way of dealing
with life. Her rapt attention somehow made me feel better. When I’d finished
the entire story, she leaned back in the chair, sipped her tea, and then spoke
her mind.

“I think you have another
person who has plans for taking what you own. This Calis guy is always hanging
about. I see him when I leave at night. He doesn’t think I notice, or maybe he
doesn’t care if I do, but either way, he’s always close by. Kind of a stalker –
you know?”

“I wasn’t aware he was
hovering. It’s good to know,” I said.

“Luna, I think he wants to
scare you off the property. I heard a customer talking to her friend yesterday.
I didn’t give it any thought then, but now I think it’s important. The land
between this place and Arianna’s has always been wooded and protected by a landowner.
It seems he’s passed on to greener pastures so to speak and his son is looking
to utilize the land. The problem is the land can’t be sold, but can be used in
other ways.”

Jittery just thinking about the
possibilities, I asked, “Did the customer know what the heir plans to do?”

“No, the conversation ended
there.” Annie plucked at her napkin and then asked, “How do you feel this
connects to the faeries dying off?”