Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) (5 page)

A few people straggled into the
dining room. I heard their conversation and then realized Annie and Dilly had
guided them past the cupcake display case and into the gift shop. I smiled at
their attempt to waylay the visitors for my benefit, and quickly cleaned the
floor with degreaser.

After the customers had
returned and placed their refreshment order, I wasted no time in refilling the
honey jars. While we’d lost cakes we might need for other customers, I was more
worried about the fact I’d pushed the women too hard.

Greeting visitors and chatting
them up was part of my usual routine. I found delight in their stories and
where they were headed once they left the Junction. I’d moved from one table to
another when a sudden chill skittered along my arms. With a quick glance around
the shop, I saw nothing to cause the goose bumps that formed on my skin. People
talked, ate, and seemed to enjoy themselves. With a light sigh, I moved on and
wondered if I imagined things, or if I too, was just plain tired.

The gift shop was my solace. I
entered the room, gazed at the merchandise displayed, and relaxed. Faeries of
all shapes and sizes filled the shelves. Books on folklore lay stacked on
tables, and leaded-glass window hangings glistened in the sunlight. Soothed by
the unique beauty and magical appearance of the faeries, I rounded the room,
letting my nerves calm.

It had been a busier than usual
day. I glanced out the window, stopped, and watched as a minibus filled with customers
unloaded. Customers jostled one another while trying to get to the door. We
were about to bombarded once again. Several cars pulled into the lot and parked
alongside the minibus. With a start, I headed toward the dining room. I fluffed
the flowers in each centerpiece that adorned the tables, while awaiting the
group of women due to come inside.

This year, the brilliant hues of
fall’s foliage had been the most vibrant I’d seen in a few years, which
ultimately meant droves of leaf-peepers and other customers for my shop. I’d
worked out a deal with the local Chamber of Commerce to add the Junction to the
list of places to visit, and now I worried if I’d been overconfident in our
ability to offer the quality service I’d always demanded from my staff.

Red crowns adorned the ladies’
heads and coordinated with their bold-colored outfits. I remembered the local
Red Crowns Association members, who made their way along the Maine coast from
Kittery onward every fall. With a wide smile, I offered them a huge welcome as
I met them at the door.

Coriander Stewart, the woman in
charge, swept forward with a high-spirited expression and asked if they could
have their pick of tables. I nodded and motioned them forward.

“You’re more than welcome to
sit wherever you please, ladies,” I said. My glance went toward Dilly and
Annie, who manned the glass cases filled with cupcakes. I gave them a wink and
hurried off to join them.

Annie tipped her head toward me
and murmured, “Do you think they’ll be as much of a pain in the butt as they
were last time around?”

I snickered, and replied, “Hard
to say. They appear docile at the moment, but who knows what they’ll get up to.
Last time around, they paid a price for their rash actions. We’ll see what
happens.”

Dilly snorted and grumbled,
“You’d have thought they were ten-year-olds the way they carried on. It took
forever to clean the floors once they were done mashing cakes and crumbs into
them. But then, we weren’t ready for the food fight that ensued because one
member was miffed at another. Good grief.”

The memory of the shambles
they’d made of my dining room lay clearly etched in my brain, and would remain
there forever. I picked up the phone, dialed Stephanie Jones, a part-time
police dispatcher who worked the afternoon shift, and asked if she’d like to
pop by and pick up cupcakes for the officers at the station. Delighted by my
offer, she said she’d be right over. I smiled, cradled the phone in its charger,
and mentioned she’d be by any minute. Stephanie lived a quarter mile up the
road and drove by daily on her way to work. Her shift would start within a half
hour. My timing was perfect.

Moments later, Stephanie
sauntered into the room, her uniform crisp and clearly marked with a police
badge and sleeve patches. The ladies noted her arrival and glanced at one
another without a sound. I figured they’d gotten the message that this trip,
there’d be no shenanigans allowed at Faerie Cake Junction.

“I have time for a snack,”
Stephanie said. She took stock of the cupcakes laid out in rows, and selected a
carrot cupcake along with a cup of Lady Grey. Annie put the order together
while I filled a box with cakes for her co-workers. When she was seated, I set
the box on Stephanie’s table and settled opposite her.

With a twinkle in her eye and a
smile on her lips, Stephanie asked, “What prompted your generous invitation,
Luna?”

Astute as usual, there was no
fooling this woman. I chuckled, admitted that she’d caught me out and then explaining
my reason for asking her to stop in. By the time I finished the story,
Stephanie had eaten her cupcake and drank her tea between bursts of laughter.

“I guess they’re on good
behavior today, then. Not a cupcake tossed this time.” Stephanie’s laughter
contagious and her good was nature a treat. I pushed the box forward, said she
should come by more often, and then asked if she knew of anyone looking for
part time afternoon hours.

“I’ll keep my ear to the
ground. If anyone comes to mind, I’ll give you a call, Luna.” Stephanie slid
her chair back, tucking the box of cakes into the crook of her elbow so they
wouldn’t fall sideways.

“You haven’t had any other
incidences since the other morning, have you?” she asked.

Shaking my head, I knew she
referred to the theft and whispered, “Nobody has returned, so I guess it was a
one-time thing. It’s bothersome, costly, and I fear the artisans will be
reluctant to supply me with their crafts if it happens again.”

With a nod, assured me the
police were on the lookout for merchandise that matched my description of the
stolen fairie ware. Her stride purposeful, she walked alongside the Red Crowns
troop as they filtered out the door.

The faerie clock clicked over
to three and began its rhythmic tune depicting the hour. The room was nearly
empty, and all was under control for the moment. Annie cleared crumbs from
tables, Dilly sold goods in the gift shop, and I grabbed my jacket with a word
to Annie that I’d return soon. Her surprised expression held a question as she
nodded and waited on a customer.

I scrambled along the path, and
made it to Arianna’s in no time. Crossing the distance between the edge of the
woods and her front door, I watched Ari leave the workshop and head in my
direction.

We met mid-way and she said
with a worried frown, “I’m so glad you could come over. I know how busy you
are.”

Concerned, I asked, “What’s
troubling you?”

“Come inside, I’ll show you.”

Her kitchen was as snug and
warm as it had been previously. I spread my hands toward the fireplace and
listened to the wood crackle as flames licked the bark. The cool days had
become a bit colder with each passing day. I figured an early winter was in
store.

Arianna held a pan covered with
sparkling dust. Instead of the usual iridescence in faerie dust, the edges of
the light sprinkling had a faded appearance. I studied it and then stared at
Ari. “This wouldn’t be real faerie dust, would it?”

“It would. I found it near the
stump at the curve in the path. I think someone stole it from a faerie. You
know what that means don’t you?”

Unsure what answer she expected,
I shrugged and said, “A faerie has cast a spell using dust and lost her aim?”

With a smack of her lips and a
derisive look, Ari said sharply, “No, it means the faerie will surely die if
all her dust has been taken from her.”

Stunned, I couldn’t think of a
word to say until I exploded with, “What the heck are you saying? That there’s
someone lurking about trying to gather faerie dust so they become powerful? So
the fairies disappear? What would their purpose be?”

Ari raised her brows and
nodded. “Now you’ve got the idea. Faerie dust isn’t easily obtained, but when
there’s enough of it, the holder of that dust has enough power to create havoc
in both the faerie realm and in our own. Right now, we co-exist, but if there’s
a shift in power, we’re all in trouble.”

Though I was loathe believing
her, what she said made a kind of strange sense. I figured I’d definitely
better read my father’s entire works to see if he had offered any facts that
matched Ari’s suspicions on the subject of power, faerie dust, and what the act
of gathering it could mean. I sighed, reached out to the dust and then stopped
just before I touched it. I looked into Ari’s eyes and said, “Sorry, I won’t
touch it. It’s fascinating, and calls you doesn’t it? What would happen if I
dipped my finger into it?”

“You’d become giddy and
foolish, like you’d had too much to drink. Larger doses have dire consequences
though. Illness, mindlessness, and madness, are the first three that come to
mind. Surely you knew that?” Arianna asked.

“I’m not as well-versed in
faerie lore as you are, but I plan to rectify that as quickly as I can. My
father studied faeries and whatever goes bump in the night. I inherited a slew
of illustrations and journals and hardbound books that I’ll read. Then we can
compare notes.

Her smile brightened the room.
Arianna set the pan aside and said she thought that was a great idea. “When I
saw this dust glittering on the ground and splashed over the stump, I ran back
to the studio, gathered a pan and brush and swept up as much as I could. It was
a challenge, since faerie dust is like any other dust when it’s disturbed. I
had to tie a bandana over my mouth and nose while I swept up what I could. It
wasn’t easy.” Ari chuckled and walked me to the door.

With a grin, I pictured her
amidst the faerie dust as it wafted in the air while she swept.

“Let me know what you find in
those notes, Luna. It’s important we get an idea of what we’re doing and how to
avoid danger.”

At the bend in the path, I
turned and gave Ari a wave. She stood at the gate watching me. In a matter of
minutes, I made it back to the Junction. I’d quickly learned how to avoid that
which would have impeded my progress when I raced through the forest. I climbed
the steps of the bungalow and found my helpers hard at work.

A lone man sat at a corner
table on the far side of the room. His position allowed him to see all those
coming and going. Two women with school-aged children devoured cakes. The
youngsters drank lemon water while their mothers sipped tea. I smiled and
chatted with them for a moment before I addressed the solitary man who picked
at his cupcake.

“Good afternoon,” I said. “I’m––”

“Luna Devere. Yes, I know who
you are,” he interrupted.

“Do I know you?” I asked.

He motioned to the seat across
from him and pushed the cupcake and plate away. “I’m here on behalf of the
faeries. You’re in grave danger and so are they,” he told me.

This black-haired stranger,
with rich blue-eyes, sent a chill like I’d never known, over my body. I was
cold to the bone. I plopped into the seat he offered and stared at him.

“Is this a joke?” I asked. How
could he know the faeries were in jeopardy? And was he their problem or its solution?

“Do I look like I’m joking?” he
demanded with a flare of his nicely-shaped nostrils.

“N-no, I’m afraid not. You
look, uh, well, never mind…” I trailed off for fear I’d dug the hole I was in
even deeper.
What was his purpose, and how did he think I could be of
assistance?

“It would seem you don’t take
my words seriously, Ms. Devere. I assure you, this matter is of utmost
importance to you and fae alike.” He rose from the table, flipped his napkin in
my direction and said he’d return after I closed the place, with a promise that
we’d talk.

Astonished, dumbfounded, and
nervous, I watched him walk out the door. Mom’s and their kiddies left not long
afterward. I sat there, alone at the table, numb and petrified all at once.
What
the hell was about to happen in my life?
I hadn’t a clue and wasn’t sure I
wanted one, either.

After a while, I sent Dilly on
her way home. Once she’d driven from the parking lot, I filled Annie’s ears
with the stranger’s warnings that might sound as fantastic to her as they did
to me.

She listened, shook her head
and said, “Luna, he’s a psycho, don’t let him get to you. Devin will be home soon
and he’ll make this guy wish he hadn’t bothered you. Whatever you do, keep your
distance from this nutter and steer clear of Arianna, too.”

I nodded, knowing full well
that I’d listen to what he said, and if it made sense, I’d take it to heart
and, if necessary, try to save the faeries. How that would work out was
anybody’s guess.

 

Chapter
5

 

By five-thirty, I’d caught up on the usual
chores, and took stock of the gift shop. I’d run low on some items and made a
list of what needed to be replaced. A knock sounded on the side door. The
stranger stood outside and his impatience was evident, even from my vantage
point. Call me stupid, but I took a leap of faith and let him in. He strode
across the threshold and looked around.

“Your staff is definitely
gone?” he asked.

“They left about thirty minutes
ago. I’m sure you already know that.”

His arched brow let me know I
was on the mark. “What’s your name, and where are you from?” Was he a resident
of the local funny farm, or did he hail from a place much more dangerous, like
a maximum security prison?

“Names aren’t important, but
you may call me Calis,” he said with a flick of his hand. “Where I’m from is no
matter to you.”

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