by A. L. Knorr
I called my Aunt Faith to thank her and to say goodbye. I didn't tell her any of what happened, either. For now, it’s a secret between Jasher and me. I didn't know what Brendan thought, but I decided to let Jasher handle that. We've spoken a couple of times. He is going to help his father rebuild his home, he says the O’Brien property is already full of plantlife. He’s also planning a trip around the world. He doesn’t waste time. We tossed around the idea of me joining him next summer, after graduation. I get a little overexcited when I think about it.
After I said goodbye to Faith, I passed the phone over to my mom.
That was an hour ago. They're still talking.
Chapter 38
I saved my work, closed my laptop and went through the house to the kitchen. I made myself some tea and took it with me through the patio doors and into the back yard. The moon was full and her soft light dusted everything, illuminating Saltford with her cool magic.
I closed the screen door behind me and walked down our garden path in my flip flops to the fire pit. I sat in one of our hand-made Adirondack chairs and listened to the crickets chirp. Only two months ago I was sitting in this exact place, only I was moaning about leaving my friends and having to go to Ireland for the summer. I was complaining about Liz and her ignorance about me and my life, the ravine between us. I looked out over the ocean, the sparkling lights along the harbor. They didn't call our neighborhood Bella Vista for nothing.
I kicked off my flip flops and curled my toes in the cool grass. Immediately, the life force of the vegetation and soil around me glowed with colored light. It was soft, and every species pulsed gently with its own rhythm. I knew them all by name now, just like I knew the fae.
My eye was drawn by a brighter, harder light coming from the harbor. I stood and walked to the crest of the hill at the end of our yard.
A line of bright, almost harsh light made its way under houses and roads and down to the harbor. The illuminated line went into the water, glowed blue as it lit up the ocean, and continued on toward the horizon. It grew dimmer and dimmer as it descended into the depths of the Atlantic, until it finally disappeared from sight.
My heart sped up as my eyes followed the same line of light in the other direction. I turned, my gaze following it underneath Saltford and straight west. My breath hitched when I saw another thick glowing line intersect with the first one. They crossed, making a perfect intersection with ninety degree angles at each corner. The light at the intersection appeared so bright that it swallowed up whole buildings. Every tree, shrub, and blade of grass growing in the path of this line was shining like a supernova. The second line ran south and north as far as my eyes could see. Third and fourth lines, these ones not quite as bright as the other two, intersected and passed through the point where the other brightest two crossed. The slightly dimmer ones ran north-east and south-west, and north-west and south-east.
"Ley lines," I whispered. Goosebumps rose on my arms and neck as the night breeze stirred my hair. Saltford had been built on four ley lines, and they intersected right under my high school. The large brick building was so swallowed by light that I could barely make out its shape. How many times had I looked down from the crest of this very hill, at that very building, and never seen the ley lines? Did anyone else know they were there?
What was it Faith had said about them? Her words came back to me in broken echoes.
An undetectable matrix of energy lines criss-crossing the earth...
Linking sites of supernatural significance...
Rich with electromagnetic power...they attract supernatural activity...
My eyes followed the brightest ley line again, out into the Atlantic, down into the water. Its light turned blue as it submerged and then faded away into the horizon, heading due East. Where did it go? All the way around the earth? What else had been built on top of this same ley line? What did it connect Saltford to?
I looked back at my high school, barely visible against the bright light. I toed my way back into my flip-flops, putting a barrier between the soles my feet and the earth. Immediately, the ley line disappeared.
What did it mean for a school full of teenagers to be spending most of their days in a building that had been erected right on top of intersecting ley lines? What did it mean for Saltford?
Epilogue
Targa: How’s things with the cuzball?
Me: I’ll keep him. But I’m pretty sure we’ll never think of one another as cousins.
Saxony: Holy change of tone. What happened?
Me: We got close.
Targa: How close, exactly?
Me: A story best told in person.
Saxony: That’s mean!
Me: Well neither of you two have coughed up any gory details!
Saxony: Good point.
Me: I’m home now. I’m waiting for you with bated breath.
Targa: So early? How come?
Me: My mom hasn’t been well. She’ll be okay though.
Saxony: You have a mom? I thought you just lived with a roommate named Liz?
Me: Turns out we’re related. Either of you two know what’s going on with Akiko?
Saxony: I think she’s gone underground for some Japanese crime syndicate. We may never hear from her again.
Targa: As long as she puts the crime on hold long enough to be at our sleepover…
Akiko: I’ll be there.
<<<<>>>>
Afterword & Acknowledgments
Still with me? Sweet! So you’ve read all that, and now you’re reading this, too! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed Born of Earth, it was a special challenge for me. When I was 18, I took a year off to travel and Ireland is where I set my sights. I learned to dance there (Irish style, of course) and consequently performed with an Irish troupe in Canada for ten years after that. Ireland holds a special place in my heart, not just because I have ancestry there, but because I find the culture beautiful and fascinating. I spent many summers enjoying the Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario, and for much of my teens and twenties, life didn’t seem complete without Celtic music and dance. I’ve since visited many other countries, and haven’t been back to Ireland in almost twenty years, but its mythology and history have never let me go. As I pen this little blurb at the end of the journey Born of Earth took me on, I find myself itching to visit the Emerald Isle once again.
Thank you to my family, my tirelessly supportive parents, Gene & Victoria, to my brothers and their families; Ben & Nim, and Nathan & Joanna, your support does wonders for me. To my Beta Readers whose eagle-eyes don’t let me get away with anything, and whose feedback never ceases to make my stories better. To my Editor, Teresa Hull, who has been such a joy to work with and who has somehow made time for me in her busy schedule, even sometimes on short notice - thank you! Most importantly to my readers, whose kind words and supportive feedback give me the juice I need to keep writing.
I learn so much every time I write a book, and I know that I’ll only continue to get better and better at my chosen craft. If you enjoyed Born of Earth, please consider writing a review (Kindle will prompt you for one, if they haven’t already). You have no idea how much good honest and fair reviews do for authors like me. Really! No bones about it!
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Thank you to Lora, Virginio, Patch and Alex, for being my family in Italy, and nurturing me in my creative endeavours. Thank you to my cheering group of friends; Rosario, Andrea, Brian, Steph, Joel, Jane, Stephen, Karina, Cam, Ruby, Laura, Leslie, Jules, Pam, Gaylene, Brittany, Ryan, and Donna.
On to the Born of Water excerpt. If you haven’t read Born of Water yet, I have a feeling you’re gonna love it! I’m off to work on Born of Æther. If you’d like to be notified whenever I release a story (which I try to do once a month, whether its a short story, novella, full novel, or anthology) please sign up for my newsletter or join me on Facebook. Catchya later!