Rising Moon (The Rune Stone Trilogy) (33 page)

             
Mary pulled into the driveway in a white four-door sedan and when she stopped she waved at Aylin to get in.
"
I am thrilled that you’re coming with me!
"
Mary patted Aylin’s forearm.

             
"
I am happy to keep you company,
"
Aylin said tentatively. There was something off about the smell of the car. She couldn’t put her finger on it, and looked out the window hoping the scenery would distract her.

             
"
So, tell me more about you and Blake,
"
Mary said as they pulled out of Terra’s driveway. Aylin looked at Mary questionably and noticed her fingers were trembling on the wheel, and her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Mary looked nervous.

             
"
Ah, it really isn’t any more than what I said before. We had dinner, and it was nice,
"
she lied.
"
I don’t know. You said yourself you knew there wasn’t anything there,
"
she said. Mary’s nervousness was contagious and she felt her own fingers tremble slightly.

             
"
I was merely looking for a reaction. And you had one. You looked hurt when I said that. There is something there. Come on, tell me what you are feeling,
"
Mary urged her on.
"
Oh, I forgot.
"
She pointed down at the cup holders in the console between them.
"
I picked us up some hot tea for the road. It’s a special blend.
"

             
"
Thank you.
"
Aylin picked up the hot container and wrapped her hands around the cardboard wrap that was meant to keep your hands protected from the temperature. She, however, welcomed the heat of the cup. She felt very awkward at the moment; she didn’t want to divulge her feelings toward Blake to his mother, especially since she couldn’t get a clear read on her. One minute she accuses Aylin, and the next she wants her to dig deep down and unload things to her that she hadn’t even discussed with Blake.
"
My feelings toward him are just simply he’s a good friend, and a good brother to Terra. You brought up a gentleman who really looks out for his family.
"
Aylin hoped her avoidance would deter Mary’s questioning and compliment her at the same time. Maybe it would get her off her back. But when she looked over, the old woman was frowning, her lips trembling, and she looked out her side window. She took a sip of the scalding liquid, and burned her tongue bringing tears to her eyes.
"
Wow, that’s hot.
"

             
"
Do you like it?
"
Mary asked, and still didn’t look her way. There was also a new tone in her voice, and it seemed to have less interest than before. Now Aylin had really done it. Mary had been nice enough to ask her to come along with her, wanting them to get to know each other, probably for mostly Terra and Blake’s sake, and Aylin had screwed that up in the first five minutes. Wonderful.

             
"
It’s very good, although I didn’t get to taste much of it because I burned my tongue.
"
She tried laughing at herself, but Mary didn’t smile. When her mouth started cooling off she noticed her tongue felt thick, like it was swollen.
"
Oh, I really think I did burn my tongue.
"

             
"
Take another sip, I’m sure it’s cooled off now,
"
Mary said with, again, no interest. She concentrated on the road, which they were on a single lane highway following a red truck closely. That’s when Aylin realized they weren’t on the main highway that took them along the shore toward Duluth.

             
"
Where are we?
"
Aylin asked.

             
"
Taking the back way. Less traffic, everybody drives so slow on the scenic highway.
"

             
"
Oh.
"
Aylin blew into the hole in the lid of her tea. She sipped the tea again, and it had cooled off slightly. Now she could taste the tea. It was different than anything she had made. It was sweet, with a little cinnamon, and the sweetness was overpowering. It had an aftertaste of orange and-

             
"
What’s in this?
"
Aylin felt panic set in. Her heart was racing and she put the tea down as fast as she could, sloshing the liquid over her hand. The tea that touched her skin burned and welts began to form before her eyes.

             
Mary looked at her and now she had an ugly sneer on her lips.
"
I told you, it’s a special blend. I keep it for special occasions.
"

             
"
What’s in it?
"
Aylin was gripping the door handle and the dashboard. Her heart was racing and her stomach churned. Her mind became frantic in her panic.

             
"
It’s my usual spice tea with cinnamon, orange zest, lemon zest, cloves, but I did put a little capsule of iron in yours. I didn’t think that would be enough, so for safe measure I dropped a few iron ore weights in the bottom.
"
She was pulled over to the side of the road now and turned to face Aylin.

             
Aylin tried to push open her door, but Mary had locked them. She fumbled around, looking for the lock, but her vision became increasingly blurry.
"
Why?
"
Aylin slurred.

             
"
You have to understand, I didn’t have a choice here. But you must fight to survive. If you don’t he will murder my children. I didn’t know…
"
Mary continued speaking, but her words blended together. Aylin slipped into unconsciousness.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

             
"
I don’t understand. Why would Mom take Aylin out to run errands?
"
Blake asked Terra.
"
I thought she was doing that yesterday.
"
He leaned against the door of the refrigerator with his arms crossed as he watched his sister move about the kitchen.

             
Terra shrugged and dumped pasta in a large pot of boiling water.
"
Make sure you salt that water!
"
El called from the living room.

             
"
I’m making dinner!
"
Terra snapped back.
"
Which means I do it my way!
"
She then grabbed the salt and threw a few pinches in.
"
She left a note on the fridge. El found it when she came back from her run.
"
Terra pointed at the piece of paper on the door that Blake leaned against.
"
Why? Jealous someone else is giving Aylin attention?
"
She smirked at him.

             
"
Whatever.
"
He pulled open the door after glancing at the note and grabbed a bottle of beer that Terra now kept stocked for him.
"
It’s just I talked to Mom this morning and asked if she needed to go anywhere since I’m off today. She told me that she wanted to take it easy today. It just doesn’t sit right with me.
"

             
"
Maybe Aylin is better company than you,
"
El said strolling into the room.
"
I know I prefer her to you.
"
She winked at him.

             
"
We need more men around here,
"
he grumbled and left the kitchen.

             
El stuck her nose over the pot the sauce was simmering in.
"
Well, maybe you did learn something from me. Is that wine in the sauce?
"

             
"
You are the one that said that any red sauce that doesn’t have red wine in it isn’t worth anything. So, yes.
"
Terra pointed at her with a wooden spoon.
"
Aylin better be home for dinner, since it’s going to be wonderful.
"

             
"
Mary does seem to favor Aylin lately,
"
El said thoughtfully, leaning against the sink.

             
"
Yeah,
"
Terra said, her mind wandering to her previous thoughts from the day before.

             
"
What is it?
"
El frowned at her.

             
Terra shrugged.
"
I don’t know, it’s probably nothing. My mind is playing tricks on me. You two have got me so paranoid lately, I’m making things out of nothing.
"

             
"
Spit it out Terra.
"
El glared at her.

             
"
I’ve just been thinking, Mom has been acting differently lately, you know? She’s barely been at the bookstore at all this past week, which doesn’t bother me, but she usually controls how its run at all times. I had asked her if she would watch the store the day before while I took the afternoon off and she nearly bit my head off. And yesterday she asked me if she had given me anything recently. Like some old books.
"
She stirred the sauce.

             
"
Wait, she asked you like she didn’t remember?
"
El stood erect.

             
"
Yes. It took me by such surprise I told her I didn’t know what she was talking about. Then she got mad and called me a thief, yelling at me in the bookstore in front of customers. So I left her and barely ten minutes later she called me on the phone apologizing. She said she had been under a lot of pressure lately with this whole historian’s investigation.
"

             
"
I think we should keep an eye on her, Terra. Not to alarm you, but those are the kind of signs Aylin said to watch for. People asking about things they don’t remember, bursts of anger. She might be under someone else’s control.
"
El called for Blake. She warned him also to watch his mother.

             
Sounds penetrated Aylin’s unconsciousness with grunts, swearing, car doors slamming, and metal scraping stone. She roused slightly when her body was carried with little care. Her head bobbed around, and the dizzying images of the bare treetops sent her back to her fitful dreams. Mary’s face drifted around in her head, mixing with Terra and Blake’s, and El never left her thoughts.

             
"
Wakey wakey,
"
a woman spoke to her, and her foul breath clung to the inside of her nose. She woke gagging on the breath mixing with the sting of the metallic scent all around her. She was on her back, and the cold wet rock was uneven underneath her. Her body felt heavy, the iron was still in her bloodstream making her sluggish.

             
Aylin dared to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, and the woman that hovered over her was ugly. Her gray wiry hair was tied back, and the pieces that didn’t fit frizzed all around her head. Her face was large, and the doughy skin had a purple hue in the darkness. Her eyes were black holes, and the whites were blood shot. She smiled when Aylin met her gaze.
"
She’s awake!
"
the woman announced and pulled away to stand over her.

             
Trying to lick her dry cracked lips, she attempted to observe her surroundings. Surrounded in rock, the smell told her it was rich in iron ore, and the air was so close it was difficult to breathe.
"
What do you want?
"
Aylin’s voice crackled in her dry throat, causing her to cough and gag more.

             
The woman came back into her view and grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked on it until she sat up. Aylin tried not to gasp in pain, but it was impossible. The woman looked behind her, and Aylin noticed a figure standing in the shadows. Even with her blurry vision she could see a large man with a dark energy swirling around him in oily wisps of smoke. She thought she saw him nod, and the witch turned back to Aylin.

             
Pointing a finger at Aylin’s wrist, she asked,
"
Where are your friends?
"
Her voice was harsh, and she smelled bad, a mix of sulfur and onions.

             
"
I’m alone.
"
Her eyes pricked, she already knew what would come next. One flick of the witch’s finger sliced into Aylin’s wrist. Thick, sticky blood pooled in the palm of her hand.

             
"
You lie,
"
she hissed.
"
One more time. Where do they stay? In town? In the hills?
"
Aylin bit her lip and closed her eyes. She was rewarded with her other wrist being sliced open.

             
Her body began to tremble with pain. Her energy seeped onto the floor with her own blood. It would be slow and painful. Her vision blurred into a gray fuzzy cloud and her body swayed until her back hit the wall behind her. Her head dropped down and there was just enough light to see her blood mixing with the puddle of water under her.

             
Aylin didn’t make it for dinner, so Terra made her a plate and stuck it in the fridge.
"
Well, I’ve called Mom three times and it goes straight to voicemail,
"
Terra said. She looked at the clock, seeing that it was nearing eleven.
"
Where the hell are they?
"

             
"
I’ve tried calling for Aylin, and I can’t feel her,
"
El said, walking in from the kitchen. She had been out on the deck trying to get
a connection with Aylin’s mind.