Beyond the Forest

by Kay L. Ling

  Beyond the Forest

  Kay L. Ling

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright 2016, Kay L. Ling

  License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  To my sister, Marie Clapsaddle, my biggest fan, who provided invaluable feedback for this book and shaped the plot in subtle ways.

  Join us online to find out about the exciting sequel to Beyond the Forest!

  Shadowglade

  by Kay L. Ling

  Visit us at

  http://www.kaylling.com/newsletter.html

  for more about gemstones and a sneak peek at Lana’s upcoming adventures.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  It wouldn’t be fair to take the credit. Although Lana hated to admit it, this little, black gemstone had gotten her through a very tough day.

  Holding the gem tightly for the second time this afternoon, Lana Grayson felt the warmth radiating from it and drew the gem’s powers. New energy chased away her weariness. Stress drained from her body. Her mind felt clearer. The effects would only last a few hours, but she’d be home by then. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and opened her hand to look at the stone. Most people didn’t believe in gem lore and she couldn’t blame them. She had been a skeptic herself.

  As she put the gem back in the tray she looked at it thoughtfully. No, it didn’t look like much, but it was deceptively more than it appeared. Sometimes people were the same way. If you looked beneath the surface, you discovered they were capable of a lot more than you thought.

  Lana glanced at the round clock marked “Grayson Jewelers” over the front door. Five forty-five. Only fifteen minutes to go. Even with three salespeople, Fridays were hectic, and she had worked most of the day alone. Never again, she promised herself. Customers had come in two and three at a time even though it was a dismal rainy day, and the phone hadn’t stopped ringing. She had been tempted to call in one of the part-timers—or worse, Dad. Instead, she had turned to gems for help. In a few minutes she would clean up and call it a day. Hematite or no, she was ready—more than ready—to go home. She slid the gem tray into the showcase, yanked the glass door shut, and glanced over her shoulder at the closed office door. Arlene Dietz had come in, finally, at four o’clock, and had seen the customers waiting, but had gone straight to her office—and stayed there. What kind of manager acted that way?

  Lana sprayed glass cleaner on the jewelry counter and rubbed savagely. The damp paper towel’s shrill squeak, squeak, squeak matched her mood. In a few months, when she was manager, she wouldn’t hide in the office and let the staff do all the work. Taking over the store at twenty-two, fresh out of gemology school, would be a big responsibility, but if she didn’t assume ownership, Dad would sell the store, ending five generations of Grayson ownership. She couldn’t let that happen. Ed or Alex could have owned the business years ago if they’d wanted to. Gems and jewelry didn’t interest them. They’d rather work for someone else and get a salary, and that was just as well. She loved her older brothers dearly, but seriously, letting them run a jewelry store would be like letting the Amish run a car dealership.

  Wincing at the lingering smell of ammonia, she stashed the glass cleaner and picked up the receipt book. Not a bad day, she decided as she flipped through the receipts—no diamond sales, but a little of everything else. Dad’s specialty had been diamonds, but actually, other gems were far more interesting. Colored gems could do things—fascinating things—that no one taught in gemology school.

  The front door swung open, accompanied by jangling bells, and a petite young woman in jeans and a red jacket darted inside as if blown in by a gust of autumn wind. Fallen leaves skipped along the sidewalk outside the store’s rain-spattered windows. The woman paused, a white rectangular gift box in her hand.

  Lana sighed inwardly. Why did someone always come in at closing time? She hoped that thought didn’t show on her face because she didn’t want to seem rude, but it had been a long day. She pasted a smile on her face and willed it to look sincere. “Hi, can I help you?”

  The woman walked to the counter and set down the box. “I hope so. I’d like to have a ring made to match a bracelet I bought a while ago. I heard you do that here.”

  “Yes, we do. We have a large inventory of loose gemstones, from common to exotic.” Despite being young, the woman had dark hollows under her eyes, deep lines around her mouth, and a weary sag to her shoulders that suggested life had dealt her some unpleasant blows. Lana tried not to stare and turned her attention to the box on the counter. “Let’s start by taking a look at your bracelet,” she suggested.

  The woman opened the box, revealing a silver bracelet with eight, pale green aventurine stones. Lana glanced up and met her eyes. “It’s beautiful!” What a wonderful piece. Silver links shaped like interwoven vines connected the stones. Few people had even heard of aventurine. Most people owned the common, familiar gems like garnets, topaz, and amethyst.

  “Do you have gemstones like these?” the customer asked.

  “Sure. We don’t sell a lot aventurine, but we do carry them.”

  “Are they expensive? I didn’t spend a lot on the bracelet.”

  “No, they’re not,” Lana said, and the woman looked relieved.

  Lana checked the pricelist under the counter. A couple hours ago she’d used rhodonite gems to enhance her eyesight so she could grade diamonds without magnification. Now she could easily read the tiny print. She quoted the price per carat and said, “I’ll show you some ring settings. When you find one you like, I’ll show you gems that fit.” She placed a group of settings on the counter, and the woman reached for one that had a vine and leaf motif.

  “I can’t believe you have one with vines! It’s perfect! Look how well it matches my bracelet.”

  “It really does! If that one suits you, would you like to look at gems now?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Lana found one that was a perfect match. “How about this one?” Holding the gem in her tweezers, she tilted it under the overhead lights.

  The customer bent to study the stone, and Lana scrutinized her again. She appeared to be in her late twenties, and she was thin, but not fashionably thin—gaunt was the word that came to mind. Her mousy brown hair, salon-streaked with blonde highlights, looked brittle and unhealthy. She wore too much make-up, particularly
eye make-up, as if trying to compensate for her otherwise lackluster appearance. A troubling sadness surrounded the woman. A pale circle around the ring finger on her left hand suggested that she had recently removed an engagement or wedding ring. That might explain why she seemed so sad—and why she’d bought the bracelet. Folklore ascribed special abilities and powers to each kind of gem. Aventurine might hold something she needed.

  Lana moved the gem closer to the bracelet. “It’s a good match. The green is the same intensity.”

  “You’re right. It’s perfect. I bought the bracelet in St. Thomas on a cruise a few months ago but I’ve never worn it.” The woman took it out of the box and laid it on the counter. “I never buy jewelry spur-of-the-moment. I don’t know what got into me. I simply couldn’t pass it by.” She ran her fingers over the gems in a way that reminded Lana of someone stroking a cat. “They’re such a beautiful color.” The woman glanced at her watch. “I know it’s almost closing time. Can you finish the ring today, or should I come back on Monday?”

  “It won’t take long. I can set the stone while you wait.”

  Tucking a long strand of wavy chestnut brown hair behind her ear, Lana carried the gemstone and setting to her workbench at the back of the store. Why make the customer come back again when this was such a simple job? Dinner would have to wait a little longer. She dropped into her chair and adjusted her desk lamp. Seating the stone and tightening the prongs only took a couple minutes. When she finished, she examined the ring carefully, gave the setting a quick buff with her polishing cloth, and carried the finished ring to the customer. “Here, try it on.”

  The woman put on the ring and studied it from various angles. “Perfect! I love it! I like things to match. I didn’t have any green rings to go with the bracelet, much less anything with the same stone.”

  “Let’s see how they look together.” Lana leaned across the counter, drew the bracelet around the woman’s wrist and fastened the clasp. As she held the woman’s wrist to admire the ensemble, her fingers touched the gemstones and her eyes widened. The stones! Their energy was amazing! Her fingers tingled. The sensation was like touching a low-level electrical charge, and she hadn’t even tried to draw the gems’ power. No wonder the customer had felt drawn to the bracelet! Lana let go, trying to hide her surprise. What exceptional gems, she thought with a touch of envy. Too bad their owner couldn’t fully use or appreciate them. “Very nice. They look great together,” she said as calmly as possible.

  A voice from behind her said, “Let’s have a look at the finished ring.”

  Lana frowned. It was just like Arlene to show up when no one actually needed her.

  The plump, white-haired woman charged across the showroom floor, stepped behind the counter, and crowded Lana out of the way to get a better look at the ring. “You couldn’t have made a better choice,” Arlene announced with the air of someone who is the ultimate authority on such things. “The ring compliments your bracelet perfectly without being an exact match.”

  Lana held her tongue. Two years ago, Dad had retired and promoted Arlene to manager while Lana finished gemology school. The position had gone to the woman’s head like a glass of wine on an empty stomach, even though Dad had made it clear that the promotion was only temporary. Clearly, Arlene intended to enjoy her authority while she could. Lana often told the part-time clerks, “Just smile. Don’t argue. Stay out of her way. Never swat a hornet unless you plan to kill it.”

  “Lana probably didn’t show you our pendent selection,” Arlene said, gesturing toward the next showcase. “We have several pendants with this vine motif.”

  “No, thank you. This will be all for today.” The customer stepped back from the counter and brushed imaginary lint from her jacket, but Arlene was harder to brush off.

  “If you’re sure. A pendant would be a nice finishing touch for your ensemble. Lana would be happy to show them to you.”

  Lana was tempted to give Arlene a silencing jab in the ribs. More often than not Arlene’s aggressive sales tactics drove customers away, but you’d never convince her of that and Lana didn’t try.

  The customer edged further down the counter and said to Lana, “Tell me again, what’s the name of this stone?”

  Before Lana could open her mouth Arlene cut in, “It’s called aventurine.”

  “Aventurine is a stone from the quartz family,” Lana said. “In folklore, it served as a lucky talisman. It brings prosperity, and gives the wearer confidence, imagination, and creativity.”

  Arlene heaved a sigh. She might as well have said, “There you go again with your folklore drivel.” She had complained so many times about Lana discussing folklore with customers that Lana had pretty much given up, but a lot of customers found it fascinating.

  “Confidence? I could use a big dose of that right now. And a lucky talisman sure couldn’t hurt,” the customer added with a wan smile as she slipped the empty gift box into her purse.

  Lana shot Arlene a look that said, “You see? People like gem lore,” but Arlene just scowled and stalked away.

  Lana walked the customer to the cash register, rang up the sale and handed her the receipt. “Enjoy your new ring. Buying a piece of jewelry is always a nice pick-me-up.”

  “Thank you. It’s been a bad month. More like a bad year.” The woman stuffed the receipt in her jacket pocket and glanced at her new ring. When she looked up, tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away. “I need a little cheering up.”

  Lana groped for a soothing reply, but before she could think of anything that didn’t sound trite, the woman was walking out the door. The bells jangled cheerfully behind her, as if promising that her life would improve.

  Arlene, muttering under her breath, started rounding up the jewelry that went into the safe overnight. Lana returned to the sales counter and put away the rest of the ring settings. A mug of cold coffee sat on a stool, its murky surface reflecting the store lights. Maybe she’d had three sips all day, and that had been as close as she’d come to having lunch. She went to the restroom, dumped it down the sink, and then started carrying jewelry displays to the safe.

  “I’m leaving now,” Arlene said, brushing by her at the office door. “Lock up when you’re done.”

  “Sure. Have a good weekend.”

  Arlene kept walking. No reply, unless you counted a grunt. Typical. Lana felt sorry for Arlene’s husband. Arlene would be retiring in a few months and she was sure to load her husband down with home improvement projects, then hover over him, berating him when he didn’t finish fast enough.

  For a moment Lana stood inside the doorway of the walnut paneled office—the office that would soon be hers—trying to control her annoyance. Better days were coming, she promised herself. Sure, she’d be working longer hours but it would be worth it. She walked to the safe, slid the diamond ring displays inside, shut the heavy door and spun the combination lock. She could finally go home, ditch these heels, and treat her feet to a pair of well-worn slippers.

  As she lifted her brown, fleece-lined jacket off the coat tree and shrugged into it, she looked around the office. The scent of leather-bound books and lemon polishing oil made her think of rainy summer days here as a kid helping Dad. Dad had given her odd jobs, but more often than not “helping” meant sitting at his desk looking at loose gemstones and matching them up with pictures in his books. Happy memories surrounded her here, and unlike her brothers, she valued the store’s legacy. It was quite an accomplishment—a family business lasting five generations. She wouldn’t be the youngest owner, but she would be the first woman, and she was proud of that.

  She wouldn’t change a thing in this office. It had gorgeous walnut paneling and built-in bookcases. The desk and a few of the furnishings had belonged to first owner, Elias Grayson. Her favorite piece was the old regulator clock, with Grayson Jewelers Time for Cherished Memories in gold letters on its door.

  Lana walked behind the walnut desk, reached to the top shelf of the bookcase and took down a t
hick volume, its brown calfskin binding worn and soiled from use. The flyleaf was marked Elias Grayson, 1872, Grayson Jewelers. Newspaper clippings from the store’s early years lay between the first pages and she was glad Elias had thought to save them.

  Grayson Jewelers had gotten off to a rocky start. In the early 1880s, Elias’s wife, Helen, had died of pneumonia. Rather than remarrying to provide a mother for his young son, Elias had tried to raise the boy alone while running the store. A few years later, he had gone on one of his frequent business trips and never returned. What could have happened to him? Had he fallen sick and died alone in an unfamiliar city? Had someone robbed and killed him when he was carrying jewels? Maybe he’d had an accident and lost his memory. She hoped he hadn’t simply run away from his responsibilities.

  Lana returned the book to the shelf and frowned. No one would ever know the truth. Henry had been twelve at the time. She couldn’t imagine how frightened and lonely he must have felt. Well-meaning relatives could never take a father’s place, but an aunt and uncle had taken Henry in and run the store until he was eighteen. Putting his unhappy childhood behind him, Henry had become a successful businessman. Lana admired him for that. He hadn’t wallowed in self-pity and used his disastrous childhood as an excuse for failure.

  Nothing else had threatened the store’s survival until Dad had developed heart problems in his early sixties. Her brothers hadn’t wanted the store, and Dad had pushed himself a few more years, hoping she’d grow up to have the ambition her brothers lacked.

  Lana zipped up her jacket. In a few months she’d have loads of responsibilities and few, very few, carefree moments. Was that really what she wanted? For years she had dreamed of running the store and she still wanted to, but now that the dream was about to come true, she had a more realistic view of what it would be like. With a last look back, she shut the office door behind her.

  * * *

  Recently, Lana had found a second floor apartment in a 1930s home a couple miles from the store. Quite frankly, it wasn’t much to look at, but it was roomy and cheap. Right now, with student loans to pay off, cheap was important.