Moonshine & Mischief: Moonshine Hollow #4

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Zoey, wait.”

  Zoey smiled kindly at her and reached for her hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “But we are. We’ll start patrols,” Slade told them with a nod to Samuel.

  “Be safe!” Polly called out as they left. “Do you want me to leave too?”

  Jane shook her head. “Actually, if you all could stay it would be great. I need help finding my powers. I’ve suppressed them for so long in order to hide, but in my nightmares I use them to fight Ian. I think my powers are trying to tell me to use them. I’m hoping my terrors will stop once I feel confident in my powers again.”

  “Perfect,” Zoey said, holding out her other hand to her father. “We can have a group lesson!”

  “Then let’s get to work,” Polly told them as Agnes and Vilma rolled up their sleeves.

  “We’re going to zap that little bugger,” Vilma said before sending a zap of magic right at Jane.

  Jane’s hands flashed up and a spark shot out of her fingertips and then sputtered. “Ow!” Jane shook her hands at the sting of Vilma’s magic. “What was that for?”

  “To wake you up. Let’s get started,” Vilma said as she aimed her fingers and shot.

  13

  Jane was exhausted but exhilarated. Her powers were finally free and it was as if her magic was singing with joy. It had taken all morning and afternoon, but she could call them forth whenever she wanted to now. She was remembering old lessons and learning new ones.

  Zoey and her father had helped Jane more than Polly, Agnes, and Vilma. It was clear that the Rode family had powers that were stronger than the Farrington family, and Jane bet stronger than the grand master and grand mistress, too.

  “Was I too hard on you?” Magnus asked as everyone sat down for a restorative drink Agnes made.

  Jane smiled at the man who looked like a thirty something but who acted liked a strange combination of warrior, teacher, and father. “No. You taught me so much. I feel so . . . energized. I also feel much more secure in my abilities.”

  Suddenly there was a person next to her on the couch and Jane fell to the side and let her magic fly.

  Neferu flicked the hit away and looked annoyed. “Well, I see it’s been a productive day all around. Did you find your powers hidden away in a tomb?”

  Jane cocked her head and looked over the elegant and subtly powerful woman. “I can’t tell if you actually care or if you’re just a bit— “

  “Okay!” Zoey said, leaping into the conversation. “Jane did a lot of training today. What about you?”

  Jane saw Neferu’s lips twitch, and she didn’t know if it was a smile or a curse.

  “Niles, Fern, Raiden, and I did a lot of work,” Neferu said, running a hand down her black slacks.

  Jane noticed the others were standing by the kitchen table talking to Lauren and Linus. The whole crew was almost here in a blink. A second later, Zoey answered the door before there was a knock as Slade and Samuel walked in.

  “What’s going on?” Jane asked.

  “We have news,” Neferu said as she stood up.

  “Tell us what you’ve found,” Lauren said as they walked into the living room.

  Jane didn’t know if she wanted to hear it. The way Galen mentioned his Nan had her wondering if he was part witch, and she didn’t know what to make of any of it. Something she hadn’t told the group was that the Stones of Stenness held a place in her family history. She had planned on telling them that night.

  “Galen Sinclair is not a witch,” Neferu told them and Jane didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that. If he were human, it meant he’d live a normal human life, which was a blink of the eye in terms of her life expectancy.

  “The Standing Stones of Stenness are very important to witches the world over,” Fern said, taking over for Neferu. Jane was surprised, but she tried not to show it. She thought the stones were only important to her family, not all witches.

  “For thousands of years, witches have consulted the stone keeper for advice. Witches have joined in meditation to speak to the Goddess at these stones and have sought the stones’ healing powers to help restore their magic,” Fern continued.

  “Wait,” Jane stopped her. “I knew that about the stones from my family. My father consulted the stone keeper on my marriage, but we never encountered any other witches there. Were there other stones that also held this power, like Stonehenge? I’m afraid my isolation has hindered my learning.”

  Fern shook her head. “Stonehenge is a human creation that we happily welcome as the main attraction of that kind for the British Isles. The truly magical stones are spread around the world. North Carolina, Scotland, England, Ireland, Bulgaria, Morocco, Japan, Poland . . . we have them all over. We did not set the stones in place or create the circles. We don’t know who made them, but powerful magic is within them. If it was the Goddess, it would make sense, but sometimes standing stones are infused with dark magic. For all light, there is dark. It’s the balance of life. We’ve done our best to bury those though. The stones in the small, and at the time, very isolated Orkney Islands are important right now because of what came with them. Or, I should say, who. Niles?”

  Niles stood up as Fern sat down and cleared his throat. “The stone keeper. The first one appeared with the Stenness stones a little over five thousand years ago. They lived in a small cottage near the stones and were a guardian of sorts to both the stones and the witches who visited them.”

  Jane listened to the history of her people and found herself feeling so angry with her parents. They had told her how special she was and that was why she lived in relative isolation from other witches because they’d be jealous of her and want her power. No one here was trying to take her power. They were trying to protect her and teach her; they weren’t even making fun of her for not knowing what other witches appeared to already know.

  “There have been two stone keepers over the past five thousand years or so. First the man. Then after he retired, his wife became the keeper of the stones.”

  “But”—Jane interrupted him as her mind processed it all, “that means the stone keeper I saw when my father sought advice on my marriage contract was Galen’s Nan?”

  “Yes, but let’s not jump ahead. This is where things get interesting,” Niles said. He turned to Raiden, “Tell them what we found.”

  “We were looking over the records of Mariam Sinclair, the last stone keeper, who died two years ago. We wanted to find out if Galen was really her grandson. It appears each stone keeper at Stenness lives approximately five thousand years. The husband died eight years ago, then Mariam two. The husband was six years older. That’s all we really have to go on. We found out that, yes, Galen really is the grandson. Not only that, but his father is almost five thousand years old.”

  “Excuse me, what?” Jane blinked in surprise. “How old is Galen?”

  “It appears Galen is thirty-six. It also appears his mother is sixty years old. His father’s appearance is similar to what you’d see in a human in his mid-seventies. We found records of numerous marriages over the years, but it wasn’t until he married his current wife that things changed. According to Mariam’s journals, her son married his soul mate forty years ago and only then was he blessed with his first and only child, Galen. Four thousand plus years of marriages and not a single child. Mariam believed it was because true love plays a role in producing children for her family.”

  “So, Galen’s father is the new stone keeper?” Zoey asked what Jane was wondering.

  “Again, we found the answer in Mariam’s journals. Her son knows about the keeping of the stones. He knows about witches and was raised to take over the job, but he was born when his parents were first married. He’s approaching the end of his life in another twenty years. When Mariam asked him to take over, he declined. He wants to spend the last decades of his life with his wife. Mariam worried that meant the end to the stone keepers since Galen appears to be aging at a normal human rate.”

 
“Do the other stones have stone keepers? Maybe they can cover two locations?” Jane suggested.

  “There is another family of stone keepers who had thirteen children who are all keepers at different locations. However, the Stones of Stenness are the most powerful,” Raiden explained. “We actually tried taking some of them to the stones and the stones wouldn’t let them into the Sinclair cottage.”

  Raiden smiled then and Jane knew he wasn’t done yet. “So—”

  “So, we kept reading Mariam’s journals and found her last entry. That morning she’d gone to the stones to commune with the Goddess. She had a vision she’d seen before. A vision of a couple, but now after almost four hundred plus years she knew who they were. She saw them leading the next generation of young witches into the future. She wrote that while she saw the vision, she heard words spoken to her and she raced home to write them down. It was a letter to Galen conferring unto him and his true love all powers of the stone keeper jointly for the next five thousand years and then unto their children who find their true love matches for the rest of time.”

  “Oh my Goddess,” Zoey said slowly as everyone nodded and stared at Jane with wonder. “You’re the stone keeper.”

  “What? No I’m not. Galen and I just met and he doesn’t even know about witches. Plus it’s his grandmother who bound me to Ian.”

  “What did your father tell you about that night?” Neferu demanded.

  “That the stone keeper agreed with the match. My mother and I were against it, but my father went into the cottage and spoke with the stone keeper. I remember standing there with my mother in the stones as we opened our magic to them asking for guidance. The door to the cottage opened. My father bowed to the stone keeper and she nodded to my mother and me. Then the door closed and my father told us she’d agreed with him. The contract was signed and I’ve been haunted by it ever since.”

  Neferu stood and held out her tablet. “Is this your marriage contract to Ian?”

  Jane took it and looked down at a photograph of a document she’d known all to well. She scrolled down and saw her father’s signature and nodded. “This is it, but where did you find it? My father and Ian were the only two who had copies of it.”

  “It was folded up in the pages of one of her journals from that year,” Neferu told her. “Along with this.” Neferu swiped the image on the tablet and there was a picture of an open journal. “Read it out loud.”

  “Master Farrington visited me this evening, seeking my counsel on the marriage of his daughter. I asked to speak to the young witchling but was denied that honor. The stones have told me that Jane Farrington is special. How special, I do not know and may never know.

  “When I read the copy of the contract for marriage Farrington handed to me I was filled with cold dread. The feeling of evil washed over me as I read the contract giving away Jane’s power to young Ian. A voice I’d never heard washed over me, warning of the story of the Selkie. I told Farrington the contract was cursed. That Ian was a Selkie—a person using his handsome appearance to disguise what’s underneath. I saw underneath Ian’s disguise and nothing but heartbreak and evil resides there. He must be cast out of the Tenebris or their future is lost.” Jane took a breath and read on. She was so engrossed in the story she couldn’t stop reading.

  “Farrington nodded and thanked me. He left, and as I said farewell I learned two things. The first was that Farrington would condemn his daughter to a sad fate for I saw how the next four hundred years would play out. The young witch would be alone, running for her life.

  “The second vision occurred when I looked into the circle and saw the young witch standing with her mother. A light shown upon her and I swore I saw my husband standing next to her with his hand in hers as he looked lovingly down upon her. Only, it was my husband as a young man, not the older man he is now becoming. I know in my heart of hearts that Jane Farrington is somehow linked to my family.”

  Jane read the last word and looked up. Everyone was staring at her as her mind and her magic swirled. “My father lied and defied the stone keeper. I never should have been engaged to Ian.”

  “Stone keepers follow the same laws of love as witches. True love makes it possible for you to have children. True love grants you tremendous power as you join into one,” Zoey said in wonder as Jane flipped the images until she saw a picture of the last journal entry.

  “Mariam saw Galen and me in the circle the night my father visited. It wasn’t her husband looking at me, it was Galen.” Jane’s heart beat madly, and it felt as if her magic were cheering. “Oh my Goddess, Galen is my true love.”

  Zoey clapped her hands and Polly looked as if she were going to cry.

  “We need to tell Galen,” Slade said suddenly.

  Jane cringed. “I don’t know how he’ll take it. I’m excited I found my true love. I know they’re hard to find and even harder to recognize sometimes. What if he doesn’t recognize it and leaves, thinking we’re all crazy?”

  “He’s already showing signs of a true love bond. He won’t leave you.” Slade sounded so sure of it that Jane let her hopes soar. “Plus, if we have to battle Ian, true love will give you greater powers. No one will protect you more than your true love,” Slade told her before looking lovingly at Zoey.

  “That goes both ways. My powers are stronger when I protect my love. Not only that, but I think the bond had strengthened my powers in general,” Zoey told her as she held Slade’s hand in hers.

  Linus cleared his throat and drew everyone’s attention. “We know Ian’s already here. He’ll be coming for our Jane. I vote we tell Galen everything. Now.”

  Suddenly it was done. The council voted and Galen would be brought into Jane’s battle.

  “I don’t even know how to tell him,” Jane admitted.

  Linus shook his head. “True love should be explained by someone who knows it. Intimately. The only man here who does is Slade.”

  “You want me to tell Galen about his family history and oh, by the way, the girl you like is actually your true love and you’ll now live for five thousand years taking care of witches and the stones back in Scotland?” Slade asked without a hint of expression.

  “Exactly. I knew you were the right man for the job, son.” Linus thumped Slade on the back as he walked by him and opened the front door. “No time like the present.”

  Slade kissed Zoey and held out his hand to Neferu who handed him the tablet. The door closed behind him and Zoey burst out laughing. “I would give anything to witness that talk. You know, I could cast that invisibility spell . . .”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Lauren said as she placed her hands on her hips. “Your wedding is just over two weeks away. We have a seating chart to go over. We have a first dance to pick out. We need to finalize the flowers for your bouquet.”

  Zoey groaned and Jane smiled. The talk of wedding plans helped calm her as she thought about Galen and if he’d accept her or reject her.

  14

  “So, what seems to be the matter today?” Galen asked as he looked up from the chart Slade filled out. Nothing looked wrong. “Or do you need a physical?”

  “No, I am in perfect health and will be for many centuries to come.”

  “Um, okay. Then what can I do to help you?” Galen took a seat on the rolling stool in his exam room and faced Slade.

  “I’ve been sent to talk to you as I’m the only male with a true love mate.” Galen opened his mouth but nothing came out. He had no idea what Slade was talking about as the huge man shifted uncomfortably in the plastic chair. “See, when a man and woman love each other—”

  “Okay, Slade. I have patients to see. I know about sex, I learned all about it even before medical school. I don’t know why you thought I needed to know this, but rest assured I do.”

  “Shut up and sit down,” Slade snapped with frustration. “This has nothing to do with sex and you might as well cancel your other appointments. This is going to blow your little human mind. And until you accept
what I tell you, you are still just a human.”

  Galen felt his jaw tighten as he tried to keep his cool. “You see, I’m a human and you’re a human,” he said sarcastically. He thought it might make Slade mad, but instead he laughed.

  “I’m sorry. Here’s the thing: what I’m about to tell you is going to make you open your mind to truths you didn’t think were possible and it all goes back to two women that you love. Your Nan and Jane.”

  “Jane and I just met. Wait, what does my Nan have to do with this?”

  “Your Nan and your grandfather were keepers of the Stones of Stenness and lived to be five thousand years old. You father is four thousand, nine hundred and eighty years old but didn’t want the job so your Nan asked the Goddess what to do. She told your Nan that you and Jane, since she’s your one true love, are now the keepers of the stones and advisors to the witches for the next five thousand years.”

  Galen’s lips thinned as he pressed them tightly together and then he got it. “Oh, okay, you’re here for a psych evaluation.” Galen stood up. “Let me get some paperwork.”

  Slade lifted his hand and with the slight movement of one finger Galen was floating in the air until he was very carefully seated back on his stool.

  “Maybe I need a psych eval because that’s not possible.”

  “I’m a witch. Heck, most of the people in town are witches since the council moved here after Zoey ended Alexander’s evil reign. Now, sit there and listen to a story of a man and woman who fell in love with each other almost five thousand years ago.”

  Galen stared at the tablet Slade handed him after telling him the most far-fetched story of his grandparents, witches, and a war that had just ended. However, as he stared at the journal entry in his Nan’s handwriting, dated over four hundred years before, he didn’t quite know what to think.

  “You’re telling me the man my Nan warned Jane’s father about, four hundred and some years ago, is the Ian from Jane’s nightmares and he was Alexander’s second-in-command and is now after Jane to enforce this marriage contract so he can gain enough power to take control of the Claritase and Tenebris?”