“I guess I dozed off,” I mumbled.
“Why don’t you get up to bed? It’s late.”
I nodded and retreated to my room, relieved I was no longer alone. I didn’t bother turning on the light as I pulled off my boots. My feet were killing me. I slipped out of my clothes and changed into pajamas. I pulled back my covers and crawled in, willing sleep to find me once again. I snuggled deep and tried to get comfortable but I couldn’t. I sat up, punched my pillow into place and sank back down. Before I closed my eyes I noticed it, the small, almost imperceptible glow emanating from my drawer.
The stone. I bolted upright and stared at my dresser. Relief washed over me. No one had stolen into my room while I was gone. I hadn’t worried too much when I’d left for the evening. After all, I was going out with two of the three people who actually knew of its existence; or, at the very least, who knew I had it. But just then, in that moment of remembering, I realized that someone could have sneaked in while I lay sleeping downstairs. Noel had said he didn’t think Leo would come back tonight. But now I understood how badly he wanted it.
“It’s safe,” a quiet voice whispered from the depths of my darkened room.
I stifled a scream.
Noel emerged from the shadows and sat down on my bed, his hand finding and covering my mouth.
“Shh,” he cautioned.
“What are you doing here?” I mouthed against his hand. “How did you get into my house?”
“Protecting you,” he said grimly, answering my first question. “And the stone.” He scanned the room. “Leo left the house—our house—about an hour ago. I wasn’t sure where he was headed…I thought it might be here. To you.”
I shivered at his words.
“But he’s not here.” He moved his hand away from my mouth. “You’re fine. Safe.”
“Oh.” I swallowed. “Why did you think he’d come back? Does he want to…hurt me?” My voice was choked with fear.
Noel shook his head. “No, it’s not like that.” He clasped his hands together and studied them, his thumbs sliding over his fingers, playing with them as he contemplated. “It’s…complicated.”
“What is?” I asked. I willed myself to calm down, to focus. “You’re always speaking in riddles to me…and when you think I’m not listening. I want you to tell me. Will you?”
He nodded. “Leo’s not really leaving me much choice.”
I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest. I rocked back and forth and waited.
“I can’t tell you everything,” he said. “But I think I can tell you enough so that you can make a decision. An informed decision.”
“About what?” I asked. “You’re being all cryptic again.”
“I know.” He sighed and looked at me, a regretful smile playing across his lips. “Would you believe me if I told you this isn’t easy for me?”
“What isn’t easy for you?” Exasperation was replacing my fear.
“Telling you isn’t easy,” he explained. “I don’t want you to know, about me and Leo, about the stone…because I know that what I tell you might taint how you feel about me, might forever alter the course of whatever might have been…if you hadn’t known. If you hadn’t found it…and if we’d met under different circumstances.
“You see,” he continued. “It’s not just something I tell you and you respond with, ’Oh, OK, now I understand.’ The ramifications of this—and the decisions you make once you know everything—could affect the rest of your life.”
I had no idea what he was talking about or how one tiny stone could wield so much power. My hands began to shake and my knees started to tremble as the panic bubbled up.
“So you’re ready?” Noel waited. My eyes had adjusted to the darkened room and I could see him, his eyes watching me.
I swallowed. “Yes. I want you to tell me.”
He took a deep breath and then slowly expelled it. His voice was soft, hushed, as if he was telling me the greatest of secrets. “The stone you have is not ordinary, as you already know,” he began. “It’s of this earth but it’s…not. It was created years ago, an eternity ago in how you measure time, and it has been missing for years. There are seekers—some magicians and wizards, as you mentioned, who think it exists—who would want it if they knew you had it. But there are others, too. Others more powerful than any Druid. Leo is one of those.”
My head began to spin. Were we really talking about magic and seekers and Druids? An image popped into my head of a wizened, ancient man enrobed in royal-blue velvet, a long white beard hanging to his knees. Had I just dropped into the world of Harry Potter?
“So Leo is one of these ’Others’?” I paused, not certain I wanted to ask my next question. “Are…are you?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “I’m one, too. But not like Leo.”
“I don’t understand…” My voice trailed off. That was an understatement. I didn’t understand any of it.
“How can I tell you? Explain things to you?” Noel thought for a moment. “Leo wants the stone because it will make him stronger, more powerful than he already is. The things you’ve witnessed, the way he can make you feel and respond…these things are nothing compared to what he would be able to do if he had the stone in his possession.”
I shuddered at the thought. “Well, then why doesn’t he just take it from me? Why didn’t he come here tonight and steal it?”
Noel shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. He can’t just take it…it has to be given to him, freely, by whomever has it. In this case, it’s you.”
“But I shouldn’t give it to him.” I’d meant it as a statement but it came out sounding more like a question.
Noel chose his words carefully. “That would be entirely up to you. The choice is yours.”
“But I didn’t ask for this choice!” I cried. “I don’t want it…any of it.”
“I know,” Noel said. “Part of me wishes it hadn’t been you. But then…” He didn’t finish.
“Why did I find it? Why did I have to go digging through those leaves?”
Noel answered and I realized I’d just voiced my thoughts aloud. “You didn’t find it, Valerie. It found you.”
It was true. I had not gone looking for anything that day. I remembered it vividly: navigating back down the trail, the bird’s cry that sent me sailing off the path, the glowing stone beckoning to me like a lighthouse beacon signals to a fog-enshrouded ship. I had not asked for this—for any of this—but, for whatever reason, it had been given to me. I didn’t know if it was a gift or a curse.
“What would happen if I kept it?” I asked. “Or…if I gave it to you?”
His eyes were guarded. “You could keep it…and Leo and I would continue our quest. Try to wear you down, to convince you to give it to one of us.”
I stopped him. “Wait. You just said you’d wear me down…but you don’t. You said you would keep me safe. You don’t want it, too…do you?”
“I don’t yet,” he said. “But I will. Soon. I’ll be just like Leo.” He looked at me then, his eyes haunted, his voice fierce. “I don’t want that to happen, Valerie.”
I didn’t either. I didn’t want to be afraid of Noel, to be hypnotized by a touch or a look from him. I didn’t want to succumb to any magic he conjured up because I knew, deep down, that he would be far more intoxicating to me than Leo could ever be.
“But why aren’t you like Leo?” He still hadn’t answered my question. “Why is he more…determined?”
Noel smiled, a little sadly, I thought. “Because, right now anyway, I care more about you than I do the stone. But it won’t always be that way.”
“Why not?”
“The reasons aren’t important. It’s just the way it is.”
I focused on the other part of his answer, the part that had caused my heart to hammer wildly. “Why?” I whispered, nearly afraid to ask. “Why do you care about me?”
“There are things I know about you,” he murmured, almost to himself.
I shivered. “What things?”
“Everything.” His voice was a whisper. Louder, he said, “You need me. You need my help.”
“Oh. So you’re here to rescue me, be my knight in shining armor?” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
His hands still held me. “Sort of. A knight in shining armor rescuing the beautiful princess. I like that.”
“Beautiful?” I rolled my eyes. “Have you had your vision checked recently?
“Maybe you’re the one who can’t see clearly.” Noel leaned closer to me, his mouth inches from mine. I froze, captivated. “I’ll tell you what I see…and my vision is excellent. I see thick hair the color of ancient oaks and rich soil, created by the Goddess herself.”
He touched my hair then, wrapping a strand loosely around his finger. “I see eyes that remind me of end-of-season leaves, golds and browns, kissed by the waning sun. I see lips…” He trailed a fingertip gently along my lower lip. “…lips like burgundy, as sweet and heady as a drink of winter wine.” His mouth was close, painfully close, but he lingered where he was, watching me, waiting.
“But Emily…Ashley…” Those were the beautiful girls.
He pulled back, frowning. “You’re not serious, are you? Those vapid girls couldn’t hold a candle to you.”
I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation. “Noel, they’re gorgeous. Surely you’ve noticed…”
It was his turn to roll his eyes. “They’re a dime a dozen, Valerie. Empty vessels—beautiful to look at, but empty. I’ve had enough of those to last my eternity.”
“What are you?” I finally managed to ask. “You said you were one of the Others. You and Leo both.”
He shook his head. “I can’t tell you that…at least not yet. Part of me hopes I never have to.”
“Is it really that bad?” I couldn’t begin to imagine what secret he and his brother were hiding.
“No, it’s not bad…at least I don’t think so. Can we leave it at that…for now, anyway?”
I nodded, too tired and overwhelmed to argue.
Slowly, he lay me back down, hovering over me and for a moment I wondered what he might do. He was too comfortable with me, much too intimate but, for whatever reason, this didn’t bother me. I felt cared for when I was with him. Protected. For one brief moment, I wondered if he would kiss me or stay with me through the night. But he did nothing except pull my sheet up to my chest and brush his lips across my forehead.
“You need to sleep,” he informed me. “It’s almost two o’clock.”
“But Leo? The stone?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you tonight,” he promised. “I’ll stay here. All night.”
“Here? Next to me?” I knew I’d spend more time fantasizing than sleeping.
He chuckled and for one horrified moment I thought I’d either voiced my thoughts out loud or he could read my mind. “I don’t think even I have that much self-control,” he said. “You tempt me…too much.”
He stood. “I’ll be outside. Watching.”
Chapter 26
I dreamed that night. A sea of glowing stones called out to me in a language that was foreign but that I somehow understood. Then Leo was in front of me holding a stone—my stone—a look of triumph on his face as he absorbed the full force of its power. Noel appeared, alone in a winter-white forest, wandering, searching. I tried to run to him from the place where I stood—a bright, warm area of nothingness—but I couldn’t. I looked down, trying to force my feet to move, to go to him, to find him, and the earth disappeared beneath me. I hovered above him, floating, calling to him. A blinding light seized my middle, tightening around me and the light became Leo and he laughed that enchanting laugh that shook my senses. But this time it echoed forever. Tears stung my eyes as I struggled, agonizing tears because I knew this was the end.
I woke with a start, my throat tight. The crying had been real. I could still hear the stones calling to me but I could no longer make sense of the ancient words reverberating in my mind. The warmth I’d felt had been real, the way I’d always felt when I was close to Leo, and the pull in the dream was frighteningly similar to the hold he did have over me. But where was he taking me in the dream? And where was Noel? Why couldn’t I reach him…and why did that make me so hauntingly sad?
I tried to push the dream aside. The stone. Noel said Leo wanted it, that he would continue his quest until it was in his possession…and that Noel would soon join him. When I’d asked Noel if I should give the stone to him, he’d said nothing. And he didn’t tell me not to give it to Leo, either. But the look on his face as he described what would happen if I did was a pretty good indicator that he thought it was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
I decided to talk to the only person I could.
“’Lo?” Geoff’s voice was soft, sleepy.
“It’s Valerie.”
“Mmm…what time is it?”
I glanced at the clock. “Eight-thirty.”
“It’s early.” It probably was early for him. His life wasn’t dictated by a school schedule.
“Look, something else happened last night.” I filled him in on Noel’s late-night visit.
He was wide awake. “I’ll call Fanchon now. When can you be ready?”
“Ten minutes.” I’d skip my shower.
“Alright. I’m gonna grab a shower and then I’ll be by.”
I got dressed and ventured downstairs for breakfast. Mom and Dad lounged on the patio, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I poked my head out the door.
Dad motioned to the table in front of them. “I picked up some scones from the bakery. Come join us.”
I poured a glass of orange juice before joining them. I sat down in one of the wicker chairs and the sun washed over me, pushing away the darkness that lingered from my dream. I picked up a blueberry scone and took a bite.
“How was your night?” Dad asked.
There was silence.
“Val?”
“Oh.” I blushed. It hadn’t occurred to me that he was asking about my evening. I struggled to find something to say. “It was…interesting. The food was good.”
He waited so I provided a few more non-details, doing my best to satisfy his—and Mom’s, who watched surreptitiously from behind the paper—curiosity. I changed the subject after a few minutes, asking about their separate evenings out.
Geoff appeared at the patio door.
Dad stood up and shook his hand. “Congratulations on the license. How does it feel?”
He smiled at my dad. “Awesome.”
“What car are you driving?” Mom asked.
“My mom’s Audi,” he said. “She and Dad are going out to look at new cars this weekend.”
“So what are you up to today?” Dad settled back in with his newspaper. “Going somewhere with Valerie?”
I could hear the curiosity in his voice and I knew what he was thinking. The idea of us dating was so ludicrous that I almost laughed out loud.
“Research, Dad,” I said, before Geoff had a chance to respond. “I’m working on some extra credit stuff at school and Geoff knows someone I can talk to. We’re going to see her this morning.”
Dad glanced up from the paper. “Research?”
I couldn’t tell if the look on his face reflected relief that these days spent with Geoff weren’t the beginning of some sort of relationship…or disappointment. And, at the moment, I didn’t really care.
“You ready?” I asked Geoff.
He motioned to his clothes and held up the keys. “As ready as I’m going to be.”
I ignored his comment and pushed past him, back into the house and out toward his waiting car.
Chapter 27
I settled into the passenger seat next to him. “Must be nice, being able to come and go as you please. I can’t wait.”
“It is.” He was a careful driver, I noticed, following the speed limit, meticulous about using his blinkers, braking well before stop signs. The rad
io was on but played softly, so as not to be a distraction.
“So they know we’re coming, right?”
Geoff didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Yeah.”
Fanchon and her mom lived twenty minutes away, where the edge of Alexandria flirted with Springfield. Aging brick ramblers replaced the stately Colonial homes of my neighborhood, all in varying states of disrepair. Geoff made a couple of turns and we drove deeper into middle-class suburbia. He parked in front of a tidy brick home, its windows flanked by red exterior shutters. The front door was red, too, freshly painted, and red and white tulips bloomed in the flower beds bordering the front steps. We got out of the car and walked along the sidewalk, avoiding the thick, jagged cracks and expanses of chipped and pitted concrete.
“How do you know Fanchon?” From the looks of her house, she was not someone whose mother would be visiting the country club with his folks.
“She’s a homeschooler,” he said. “We hang out at different events.”
“Events?” My mind drew a blank.
Geoff pushed the doorbell button. “More like outings. Skating, bowling, plays, concerts, trips into DC…stuff like that. We usually do something—have some kind of planned get-together—every week. Even if it’s just a bunch of us hanging out at the mall.”
It sounded like one big party to me. “Wow. Cool.” And I meant it.
The door opened then and Fanchon greeted us, motioning us inside. She looked different today. Her hair was brushed back, less spiky, and her face, free of make-up, glowed.
“How was the rest of your night?” she asked me. “Did you end up going somewhere after dinner?”
“Nope. Just home.”
She nodded. “I don’t think I’d want to be alone with those two, either. No matter how gorgeous they are…”
My curiosity peaked. “Why do you say that?”
Fanchon shrugged. “I don’t know.” She paused for a minute. “I just sort of picked up on their…vibes, I guess is what you’d call them.”
“And they had bad vibes?” I wondered what else she’d picked up on.
“No, not bad.” She shook her head. “More like powerful vibes. It’s hard to describe.” She smiled, an impish grin that made her appearance even more elfin. “My mom’s better at these things than me. I’m definitely still learning.”
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