Rising Moon (The Rune Stone Trilogy) (32 page)

             
"
I don’t know.
"
She chewed on her lip.
"
It would be great if all this other stuff wasn’t going on. It’s something I wasn’t prepared for.
"
She leaned back and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes.

             
"
But he’s perfect Aylin! I mean, he already knows what you are, and you know what he is, so it’s like a match made in heaven.
"
Terra threw her arms in the air.
"
What is there to think about?
"

             
"
Calm down, Terra.
"
El put a hand on her leg.
"
Give her some time. She’ll come around to see that it’s right. It will just take her a little bit. It’s going to happen whether she likes it or not.
"

             
Aylin waited until they were in the jeep driving back to Lancaster Bay, with Blake and Owen right behind them in Blake’s truck, to tell them about the incident the previous morning. It left the three of them deep in thought, trying to figure out a way to protect themselves from such vicious attacks. They needed Blake to do more research in the Seanchai. Hopefully there would be some information on things that worked to fight against the coven.

             
They just needed more information. In reality, what Aylin knew from her mother hadn’t been anything they could really use against the witches. They couldn’t protect The Rune by building beautiful gardens around it with the palms of their hands, or burn them with their balls of lights. They needed something more powerful than any of that. There was the magic they could do with their minds with projections, but that was time consuming and took a lot of concentration. They needed something that could be used to guard them, and to attack the coven.

             
Weapons. When it came to battles the key ingredient was a weapon. That was the piece they were missing. Guns, knives, and arrows weren’t the kind of weapons they needed. These witches were similar to faeries in that department. Shooting a faerie wouldn’t kill them. It would aggravate them and slow them down, but not kill them. However, if the bullet had been made of pure iron and shot straight into the faerie’s heart it would surely kill them. But it wouldn’t kill a witch. They have healing powers and spells that stop it.

             
It was a lot for them to think about, and it made the car ride quiet. They were each deep in thought, and once in awhile one would throw out an idea, but it would be turned down after analyzing it.

             
They needed help. 

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

             
Aylin filled out an application in the floral shop rightly named Petals By The Shore. It’s location overlooked the marina near the main highway, next door to the coffee shop. The outside looked promising when she walked by, the front windows held clear vases of red roses and wood planters overflowing with mums. However, she was disappointed when she walked inside. The shop was small, and poorly lit with a few florescent lights that hummed and flickered. The linoleum that covered the floor had cracked under age and neglect, with dirt waxed into it. The walls were a gruesome shade of pea green and the shelves along the walls had once been white, now were yellowed with water stains and dirt.

             
The shop felt humid, as was expected with flowers, but the atmosphere was sterile and unwelcoming. There weren’t any cheerful bouquets ready to be plucked off the shelves and tables, there weren’t cute porcelain vases that could be used for a themed arrangement, and there weren’t any type of gift items.

             
It was a skeleton of a gift shop run by a busybody that should be surrounded by cheerful trinkets. Lisa had been more than happy to give her an application, and made sure she told Aylin that Mary had given her a good recommendation. Aylin stood at the front counter, the only flat surface to fill out the application, when the doorbell chimed, announcing another customer walking in.
"
Mary! What a nice surprise!
"
Lisa called from behind the counter. Lisa was a large, happy woman. She had a smile for everyone that walked in her door, along with a juicy piece of gossip as long as the listener had a piece to tell her also. Her hair was auburn and cut into a bob that curled under her fleshy chin, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement.

             
Aylin turned her attention to the door and watched Mary walk swiftly toward her.
"
Hello Lisa. How is business?
"
Mary’s bookstore was a few blocks down from the floral shop.

             
"
Slow. How is the bookstore?
"
She walked around the counter.

             
"
Same.
"
Mary smiled to her.
"
Hello Aylin, I saw you walk by and was hoping you were heading in here.
"

             
"
Yes, I thought I would take your advice.
"
Aylin nodded.
"
Thank you.
"
She stiffened when a chill ran down her spine. Behind her, behind the counter, a door had closed and someone had entered the room, filling the shop with a sharp wolf’s bane scent. It stung her nose, and her skin felt instantly grimy.

             
A witch was in the room.

             
Her hands froze, gripping the speckled counter until her knuckles were white. She tried to turn her head just enough so she could see out of the corner of her eye.

             
Standing behind Lisa was a slight young woman, no more than seventeen, and her long hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her grey eyes were rimmed with thick black eyeliner, and widened when she saw Aylin. Her lips parted when her jaw slackened, and the breath that escaped slammed into Aylin’s cheek, stinging her skin.

             
"
Of course.
"
Mary smiled and patted her arm. Her hand felt ice cold on Aylin’s skin. Aylin jolted at the temperature of Mary’s hand, snapping her out of her stare at the girl, and she whipped her head back to Mary.

             
"
Oh! You’re so cold!
"
She reached out to Mary’s hand, but both disappeared into her coat pockets.

             
"
Yes, yes. Poor circulation.
"
Mary sighed, sounding a little frustrated.
"
When is your first day?
"
She looked at Lisa.

             
"
Oh, I have to call her references, but I told her next week.
"
Lisa waved her hand at the papers.
"
This legal stuff is such a pain now. Aylin, this is my daughter Julia.
"
Lisa wrapped her arm around the girl.

             
Aylin turned to face the witch, and her lips trembled when she tried to smile.
"
Hello,
"
she croaked. Dear God, this store was small. She felt the walls moving closer in, suffocating her. She hid her hands in her coat pockets.

             
"
You’re going to work here?
"
Julia raised a cynical eyebrow that was heavily penciled in.

             
"
You know I’m short a florist Julia,
"
Lisa snapped.
"
I hope to start her in the next few days.
"

             
"
Oh, I can’t wait,
"
Julia’s voice slithered over her, leaving her feeling dirty and desperate to leave the store. No way was she going to be working here.

             
"
We’ll see,
"
Aylin managed.

             
"
Of course you’ll work here. You think you can live at Terra’s for free?
"
Mary snapped.

             
Aylin felt her breath catch. She hadn’t even thought about what Mary thought of her staying with Terra.
"
No, it’s not like that. I have my business back home-
"

             
"
That you deserted. Who’s taking care of that now?
"

             
Lisa watched Aylin carefully. Julia was practically salivating at having her within reach.
"
Someone I trust.
"

             
"
Of course!
"
Lisa laughed, cutting the tension.
"
I would never leave my store to someone that couldn’t run it right. First thing about running a business is knowing whom you can trust. Right Mary?
"

             
"
Aylin, may I speak with you for a moment?
"
Mary turned toward her. Lisa’s head leaned in toward them.
"
Outside?
"
Lisa pouted, but returned around the corner.

             
She followed Mary outside, holding her tongue. It was none of Mary’s business how she ran her life. She stepped out the door, surprised by the bitter cold of the wind. The fresh air cleaned off the griminess that had coated her skin and she took a deep breath.
"
Is something the matter?
"
Aylin asked, concerned.

             
"
No, not at all. I have a few things on my mind that I wanted to discuss with you.
"
Mary crossed her arms over her chest.
"
I saw you and Blake last week at the diner having dinner. Are you dating my son?
"

             
Aylin’s eyes widened with surprise. She hadn’t been prepared for such directness from Mary, though she figured she would be discussing this with Terra instead.
"
Oh, well.
"
She felt her face flush and she looked down at her feet.
"
As far as I know we are friends.
"
She looked back up to look at her squarely. She had nothing to be ashamed of.
"
We ran into each other in town and decided to have dinner. Is that a problem?
"
She shrugged.

             
Mary watched her closely.
"
Don’t be silly. I know there isn’t anything there, but be careful Aylin. Not from Blake, but there are eyes all over town.
"
Aylin felt her head spin. Was she referring to the witches, and if she was then what did she know, Aylin wondered.
"
Gossipers,
"
Mary said quietly and waved her hand.
"
Blake’s ex-fiancé isn’t very friendly, and I don’t want her to get the wrong impression.
"

             
She felt her cheeks flush. Neither Blake nor Terra mentioned that he had been previously engaged, although, she hadn’t asked. Aylin forced a sighed, grasping to keep calm.
"
Oh, no. It’s nothing. We’re just friends.
"
She let herself smile.
"
Was there anything else?
"

             
"
Yes, I have to deliver some books to a bookstore in Grand Marais, and I was wondering if you would like to join me? I thought it would be nice to have some company with me.
"

             
Aylin had a hard time keeping up with the
rollercoaster
their conversation took. First, Mary accused of her of leeching of
f
Terra, and then she wheedled her nose into her relationship with Blake, and now she asked her to keep her company. Aylin felt almost dizzy from the twists and turns Mary threw at her.
"
Sure,
"
she agreed before she had really thought it through.

             
"
It will take a good chunk out of the afternoon, but it would be a good way to get to know each other.
"

             
"
Um, yeah. That sounds nice,
"
Aylin said uneasily. The thought of spending the entire afternoon with Mary made her a little uncomfortable, but she would have to force herself through it. This was Terra’s mother and she would force herself be comfortable around her.

             
"
Wonderful. I will pick you up at Terra’s at three. That should give us time to get there and back before dinner.
"
She smiled.
"
Now you go back inside and don’t let Lisa know what we were discussing. She is very kind but has a very busy mouth.
"

             
"
Okay.
"
Aylin nodded and waited until Mary had crossed the street and was halfway down the next block before retreating down the opposite direction, away from the floral shop, away from the danger that lurked inside.

             
Aylin sat on Terra’s front steps in a sweater and jeans jacket, waiting for Mary to pick her up. She had left a note on the fridge, not knowing where Terra and El had run off to. Those two were becoming close, and it made Aylin feel good. She knew that when the day came they would be okay. They would make it through with out her. She only hoped that the day would be far off, since she wasn’t ready to leave and there was still so much work to be done.

             
She also had some unfinished business with Blake. The kiss definitely left her even more intrigued with him. She just might be able to accept him for what he wanted to be with her. He certainly hadn’t hidden his feelings from her, or from El and Terra. Terra didn’t seem to mind; actually she seemed to be very happy with the fact that Aylin and Blake were being more than friendly with each other.

             
Then there was the whole issue of him having an ex-fiancé. She would have to ask Terra about that. She didn’t want to jump ahead of herself. It might be premature to be asking about previous relationships when they didn’t even know what was going on between them. But, she could still ask Terra.