by Anne Haley
"Careful Blake," Aylin said behind him, making him jump off the couch. Scotch poured down the front of his shirt and onto the couch.
"Jesus!"
She stepped out of the shadows in the doorway to the kitchen. "You were breaking your glass." She pointed to his hand. He looked down and there were hairline cracks in the glass around his hand. "I meant to save you from a mess, when I might have made it worse."
"Thanks," he grumbled and went into the bathroom in the hall and grabbed a towel. He sopped up the couch as best as he could and tossed his shirt into the laundry basket. By the time he came back into the living room she was sitting in his recliner. "How did you get in here without me hearing?" He put his hands on his hips.
She shrugged. "A benefit of being a faerie, we can move silently." She smiled at the shock on his face. "Are you actually surprised?"
He shut his hanging jaw and sat down on the opposite side of the couch. "I shouldn’t be. But I have no idea what you’re capable of, or if you even have limits."
She leaned back and crossed her legs. "Oh, everyone has their limits. Even you."
He put his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. "Tell me."
She shook her head. "Some other time, maybe. Anyway, if you read that you will probably know more than me." She pointed to the ancient book with the worn leather cover and yellowed crinkled pages that sat on the table. The Seanchai was thicker than any book he had seen. "Are you afraid of it?"
He frowned at her, and didn’t want to answer. "What are you doing here?" Changing the subject was always best for him.
"You seemed unsettled when you left tonight. And I was walking in the woods-"
"By yourself? Aylin, that’s not safe," he scolded.
She let herself laugh. "I am more at home outside in the woods than I ever am in a house. Anyway, I was walking when I saw your light on. I thought I’d see if you needed to talk."
"Do you sleep?"
"Of course I do."
"Most people are in bed at this time." He looked at the clock, which was nearing one.
"You aren’t." She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, well I have a lot on my mind."
"Tell me," she urged.
He sighed and looked up at the photo of his father. He could lie to her and get rid of her quickly. But he didn’t want to. Actually, he felt like he could talk openly with her, that it would be okay. She might understand what he was feeling. "I was thinking of him." He nodded at the pictures.
She made a small noise of recognition and nodded. "You all look so happy together."
"We were. But I was thinking if he had let on that there was something like this in our future, some things could have been avoided. No offense, but it’s easier to believe family than strangers." He couldn’t take his eyes off his father’s photograph. He shared his father’s eyes, same color and same shape. He had always thought it had been the only similarity between them, but now he was realizing they had more to share with each other.
"I am curious as to why he never told you. Though, I have a theory that maybe he thought he still had plenty of time to tell you too." She watched him. There was a pain in his eyes that she knew. It was the pain of losing someone you loved long before you should. Having that person ripped violently from your life. "Maybe he wanted you to experience a normal life before all of this."
"But Terra and I weren’t prepared. Neither of us ever thought any of this even existed." He shook his head sadly. "I guess I’ll never know."
She let him have a few quiet moments before she changed the subject. "Have you read anything in the Seanchai yet?" she asked softly.
He looked at her, then his eyes dropped to the Seanchai. "No."
"I know this might not be what you had in mind when you were hoping to help us. But it is really important. History has a tendency to repeat itself, and there is so much we could learn from that. Not only will it tell you of our history, but we might be able to learn more about the witches from it." She moved to sit on the coffee table in front of him and placed the Seanchai in her lap. She traced the gold tree with her fingers.
The sudden closeness of her had him holding his breath. He wanted to breathe in her scent, but he knew that would make him want to draw her closer to him. That might be a little inappropriate since they were still new friends. But, he liked this much better than fighting with her. Her sapphire eyes looked up into his and her cheeks were flushed. He hesitantly reached his hand out to cover hers on the book’s smooth cover. Her skin felt soft and smooth under his rough skin, and it was very warm. Her eyes widened and she pulled her hand back. "I’m sorry." He snapped his hand back into his own, and the Seanchai slipped from Aylin’s hands and shot into his lap, hitting him in the stomach.
"I should go." She stood as soon as the book flew from her grasp and strode toward the kitchen. She hadn’t meant to throw it at him, but the Seanchai had a mind of it’s own. "Goodnight Blake," she said over her shoulder.
He waited to hear the backdoor slam shut, but the sound never came. He stood and walked into the kitchen, and she was definitely gone, he just didn’t know how. She was still a mystery to him, and it was tugging at his thoughts. He couldn’t gather why she retreated so quickly when he would touch her. The way her hand had jerked away gave him the impression that his touch physically hurt her. When his hand touched hers at dinner he didn’t feel any sort of pain. It was more like a quick glimpse of her. When they touched he just barely was allowed into her thoughts. Since it was ripped away from him so quickly every time it only made him want it more. It was going to be a new quest for him to find out why she shied away from him, and he wasn’t going to stop until she solved that mystery for him.
He liked the way she looked tonight, the way she seemed to intensify in the darkness. He had been right from the start, she did glow and it hadn’t been his imagination. It was faint to him, but in his dim living room it had been easy to see. Her silver light had reflected on the walls like flickering silver candlelight.
It was hard to ignore how much he liked seeing her in his home too. The way she had settled into the chair like she belonged there. It shouldn’t have felt so right to have her there, to talk to her about things that he liked to hide deep inside.
Raking a hand through his thick hair he stalked back to the couch and sat down. The Seanchai was open to a page in the beginning. He leaned over the coffee table and began reading.
You have been chosen as the Storyteller.
Blake gripped the couch as he reread the line again. He hesitantly reached out and flipped to the next page, which was blank. He quickly flipped through the entire book, and every page but the first one was blank. Just a few hours ago the pages were full of previous entries.
He flipped back to the first page and continued reading.
This book has been passed down through centuries, starting with the first Storyteller. This book holds secrets of many keepers and their fae. Do not take this responsibility lightly, it is your duty to write down events, but also this book is a fountain of the knowledge of your predecessors. If left to search on your own, you will spend the rest of your life reading previous entries, which is why the book is charmed. The Seanchai will always give you what you need, if the information was once entered in. If you are in need of a blank page you will always find one.
There are still secrets that have not been discovered, and you may not find what you need in this book.
It is also your responsibility to protect this book. Hidden in the pages of this book is one of the keys to opening The Rune. It has been kept safe for centuries and must never be found, except by the next Storyteller. If the key is found, hell will reach deep into it’s dark caverns and produce the ancient monsters and beasts that have been imprisoned. Do not let this happen.
Blake fell back against the couch and let his eyes rest on the ceiling. "Well shit," he grumbled.
Aylin slipped in through the patio door in Terra’s basement. She locked the glass
door behind her and turned toward the stairs and gasped. El sat on the bottom step, watching her. "God, El! You scared me." Aylin took a deep breath and walked toward her.
"Out for a stroll?" El didn’t move out of the way when Aylin came to the base of the stairs. Instead she leaned back, placing her elbows behind her.
"Of course." Aylin frowned. "The moon is out."
"Does the moon shine in Blake’s living room?"
Aylin froze. "You followed me?"
El shrugged. "You were projecting, so I didn’t follow you intentionally. But you might want to close your mind when you’re around him from now on. Especially if it gets anymore steamy." El stood up. "I don’t think Terra would appreciate it. Lucky for you I realized what was happening and put up my own block on her, just so you didn’t traumatize her with your romance with her brother."
Aylin pursed her lips. "I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about that."
"Obviously. Why don’t the two of you do it and get it over with?" El turned and walked up the stairs.
Aylin caught up with her in the dining room and stepped in front of her. "We are not going to do it." She jutted her chin out, "Got it?"
El smiled at her. "It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You are super attracted to him, and from what I saw he seems to be as attracted to you, and as scared as you. God, when he touched you in here after dinner I thought I was going to jump out of my seat! And don’t tell me you weren’t enjoying looking at him without his shirt on because I know I didn't mind getting a look at those abs." El wiggled her finger in Aylin’s face. "Let me be the one to tell you that the longer you two ignore it, the worse it’s going to get."
"You want to know why he scares me?" Aylin stepped forward. "He was the man in my dream. My nightmare."
El’s jaw dropped. "He’s your handsome knight in shining armor?" She thought it over and nodded. "I think that’s perfect!" she squealed.
"It’s not perfect. It’s horrible! That means he’s so involved…" Aylin dropped into the chair.
El softened and knelt in front of her. "Aylin, you know Blake was involved the moment Terra was born behind the veil. His father knew it. I know you want to protect everyone and everything, but you can’t."
"He might have been right," Aylin muttered.
"What?" El frowned.
"Finn."
"Who is Finn?" When Aylin clamped her mouth shut El grasped her hands quickly and Aylin barely had a moment to react before El traveled into her memories. She searched until the tall man with silvery flowing hair came to the front. The conversation played again in her head, and then El was no longer in her head. "Ow El." Aylin’s fingers went to her temples, which were throbbing. "Since when can you do that?"
"Not really sure. It was more like an instinct." El stood in front of her and crossed her arms. It had unnerved her that her body acted on it’s own, grabbing Aylin’s hands and delving into her thoughts and memories. She tried to hide it from Aylin by glaring at her. "When were you going to bring him up?"
"Honestly, I was going to, but there has been so much going on, the time was never right. He’s powerful El." Aylin continued turning her fingertips in circles on her temples.
"I don’t know. Something is fishy about him, but he’s right, Blake’s a part of this. I just wish those other nosey fae could have kept away, so he could’ve told you what he meant by what’s at stake here."
"I know, I know." Aylin stood. "Should we go looking for him?"
El shook her head. "My impression is you don’t go looking for him. He comes to you, when it’s convenient for him. How has he managed to live so long and remain hidden?"
"I don’t know. He is a mystery. But we need to focus on the problem at hand. What to do with Blake and now his role as the Storyteller."
"And the fact that you have the hots for him." El winked.
"One track mind." Aylin rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Row after row of buttery pastries were laid out before El. Each one of them called to her to sink her teeth into them. The sugary aroma was almost more than she could handle. "Would you like one to go with your coffee?" the girl behind the counter asked, motioning to the glass case.
El licked her lips, and nodded. "I’ll take a chocolate croissant," she pointed to the crescent shaped pastry that had chocolate oozing out of.
"Good choice. They are my favorite." The girl grabbed one with a piece of wax paper and set it on a plate. El paid for her coffee and croissant, and then found a table near the window. She had taken her first bite when she saw a man sitting at the next table, watching her.
"Hi," El said, her mouth full.
He flushed and gave his head a little shake. "Sorry. You seemed to be enjoying that so much, I was just thinking I should get one." He had brown hair that was a little too long, and fell into his eyes when he looked down. His wool sweater looked to be about ten years old, and he was wearing corduroy pants with faded worn knees to boot. She had him pegged as a nerd within five seconds.
She smiled. "You should. Really good." She took a sip of the scalding hot coffee. The man didn’t appear to be much older than her, and he was attractive enough. His table was stacked full of books and notes. "Are you a teacher?" She motioned to his mess.
"What?" He looked down at his table. "Oh, no. I’m doing some research of the town. I’m a writer slash historian."
"Oh." She raised her eyebrows and returned to her croissant. Bells rang in her head, but she gave no reaction. This is the man that Terra had spoken about.
"I’m Corey." He held his hand out to her.
She wiped her hand with the napkin and put her hand in his. "Eliana." She kept her focus on keeping her palms cool.
"Are you from around here?" He turned in his seat toward her.
"No." Normally she loved attention from the opposite sex, but he made her nervous. She had wanted a quiet morning in the café before she tried to talk to Aylin again. She didn’t want to push Aylin on Blake, but the attraction was so strong that she wanted to bust it wide open for them.
On the other hand, she could try to get a read on this guy to find out if he was just innocent or not. He didn’t look to be any kind of witch that she had seen. They normally had a pendant or ring announcing what coven they were loyal to, or had a symbol of their own if they flew solo. He bore no symbol, and if he were a witch and knew who she was, he wouldn’t have shaken her hand. Although, if he was an enemy she could take him out with a slight flick of her finger, she thought after assessing his thin build. He would be no match for her.
"That’s too bad. I’m interviewing people that have grown up here, and have family history here. You know, there is a lot more to this town than what meets the eye." Oh yes, he definitely knew something. She needed to talk to Aylin about this. Maybe Aylin could seek him out and get a read on him to find out how much he really did know.
"That’s great." She started pulling on her jacket. "Nice meeting you, Corey."
"Wait, I’m sorry," he held his hands out in defense. "I get over enthusiastic when I’m in the stage of gathering information. You probably came in for some alone time and I’m intruding. I’ll leave you alone." He turned to face away from her.
"Thanks." She pulled her arm back out of the jacket and returned to her coffee. She finished it off after awhile and stood to carry her dirty dishes to the counter. When she returned to her table he faced her again.
"If it wouldn’t be too much trouble for you, sometime I would like to interview you." He held out a business card that had a bent corner.
"I told you, I’m not from here," she sighed.
"Yes, but I bet you have a story to tell." He smiled.
She finally took the card from him. Corey Gregor Historian of the Unexplained. "Fine, I’ll see if I can fit you in." She shoved the card in her coat pocket and left.
Blake had spent the entire night reading up on the three faeries he was now deemed to write about. His eyes felt like grave
l, and he lay down in bed near five a.m. His eyes drooped, but his mind was spinning in circles. Each time the Moon, Sun, and Earth fae come together the ending had been the same each time. He had to find a way to change that ending.
He finally fell into unconsciousness, and went into a deep sleep.
He walked down the shore of the lake, climbing over rocks that were slick with moisture. In the distance Split Rock Lighthouse stood erect on its tall cliff. No longer a beacon for ships it was a beautiful landmark and his favorite lighthouse. His eyes drifted down the steep cliff below the lighthouse to the end of the beach. He started when he noticed someone watching him.
Aylin stood on the beach, her eyes on him. Her hair whipped around her head with the wind, and the dress she wore had been pulled tight against her body from the wind. It left nothing for his imagination on her curves sending a wave of heat through him. He smiled and waved but she didn’t seem to see him. He stepped toward her and realized she hadn’t been looking at him; instead she looked through him. A shadow darkened her eyes, and a crease formed between her thin brows. Her expression was hard and cold, an expression he hadn’t seen before. Blake turned around to look behind him, to see what she focused on.
Three women were crawling on the rocks toward him. They were older, and their skin sagged off their faces in thin folds. They dressed in black, and were snickering with a wickedness that sent a chill up his spine. He knew immediately that they were there to harm Aylin and he could feel the shield they had produced around themselves. It was an ice cold barrier that blocked out any sound around them, even the waves crashing against the shore. It was hard to breathe in the shield, and his breath came out in puffs of steam. As they passed through him, he heard their wicked thoughts. One even thought of dissection.
They had ropes of dried vines hanging around their necks, but he couldn’t see what kind they were. A protection from fae, he assumed. Blake rushed through them, moving like a ghost, screaming to Aylin, "Get out of here!" He stumbled and slid on the rocks. He was barely ahead of the witches and could feel their shield skimming his back. "Aylin! Run!" His heart beat wildly. He couldn’t touch the witches, couldn’t throw them into the lake. If only he could grab them. He would crush anyone that came near her. He had to protect her. He had to save her.