Guardian of the Moon Pendant (13 page)

“Skullsplitter,” he reminded her with a half smile.

He was donned in a jet black leotard, a rippling black cape hooked onto his tiny shoulders, a spiked silver collar leashed around his frail neck, his hair spiked up in a
mohawk
, his fingers dressed with silvery skull rings.

“I will not have any of that nonsense!” she argued, flicking her finger up and down at him. “I named you Baldtoe, and that’s what I’m going to call you!”

Baldtoe – I mean – Skullsplitter – rolled his eyes at his overly critical mother.

“Don’t roll yer eyes at me young Trow!” she hissed as she began to lose control over her child. “I told you that you are not allowed to dress up like the lead singer from one of those heavy rock bands you like.”

“I’m a warrior,” he corrected her, pursing his grey lips and swaying his head around on his head like a bubble head doll. “Not a rocker!”

Granny’s luminous apparition lingered above the couch. "Come now, Plumface. He’s just trying to be like, Blane.”

“The wee lads doing a good job,” declared Blane, laughing while Plumface pouted. “Go on, yerself!”

Skullsplitter headed to one of the ceiling beams. An evil grin crawled over his face as his tiny body shimmied up the beam, boring his fingernails into the wood, creeping up the piece of timber until he reached the top.

“Baldtoe!” shouted Plumface, watching him plant his black leather boots on the cross beam and straightening up.

“Skullsplitter!” he hollered back down to his wee mother.

“Are you listening to me?” Plumface snipped, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Nope,” snickered Skullsplitter, his arms open wide balancing himself on the ceiling beam.

Blane laughed heartily. It was the first time I saw him so carefree. “The wee lad’s turning into a mighty warrior!”

“Shut yer mouth!” squealed Plumface.

Skullsplitter began to dance along the piece of timber, ever so high, shifting his weight from toe to toe, reveling in his mother’s dismay.

“He’s flipping mad!” shrieked Plumface, her miniscule hands covering her mouth.

His feet kicked up, and burst into a full tap dance along the dark beam of wood. “Are you going to come up and get me now?” he teased, thumping his t
i
ny feet back and forth.

“Will you come down from there?” begged Plumface.

Skullsplitter threw his jazz hands up in the air, taunting her.
“As you wish!”
He pirouetted around on the back of his heels, his cape flapping in the air.

Izzy and Fergus arrived just as Skullsplitter whirled around like a dreidel. He froze instantly into stone, a horrified look of dread etched across his face, motionless, his feet teetered on the edge of the beam, and then crashed down to the floor below.

Blane dove fearlessly into the air, snatching Skullsplitter’s stone body up in time, just before he would have shattered into a million pieces.  

“What the bloody hell is that?” asked Fergus, gesturing to Skullsplitter’s stiff body.

Blane landed on his side with a loud,
oomph
, and gently lowered Skullsplitter’s statue, placing him upright onto the floor.

“And that one as well?” said Fergus, waving his finger at Plumface who had turned rock solid as well.

“Trows,” stated Granny, letting out a loud aspiration of cloudy air.

“What the bloody hell?” You’ve got ghosts, Trows and feckin’ William Wallace here.”

Blane pushed out his chest, holding his ground. I wasn’t sure if he was flattered or insulted by Fergus calling him William Wallace.

“Yup,” smirked Izzy, “welcome to the crazy MacAlpin farmhouse. Dead people and Fae are always welcome.”

“Aye, the Trows came with the house,” mentioned Granny, her phantom eyes fixed on Fergus. “Turn to stone when a human sees them, unless, of course, one has the energy of the Moon Pendant pulsing through their veins. Then they can live and breathe normally around that human. If you don’t mind, could you close your eyes so they can leave the room?”

“Fair enough,” said Fergus, eyeing Blane’s foreboding posture, stepping away from him as he closed his eyes along with Izzy.

Plumface and Skullsplitter transformed into their flesh forms and shuffled away toward a small door hollowed into the wall.

Fergus’s eye peeked open, hearing the patter of small feet, his curiosity getting the best of him. Skullsplitter’s foot was just slipping through the doorway when he snuck a look, instantly he turned to stone and he crashed down to the floor.

Fergus squeezed his eyes tightly again. “Aye, that was me. Sorry about that, lad.”

Skullsplitter returned to flesh, scampering away through his little portal, abruptly he turned, shooting out his tiny hand, displaying his middle finger proudly, giving Fergus the bird.

Blane and I chortled.

I had to admit the little Trow had chutzpah as they say in New York.

“Now back to business,” said Granny, gesturing her transparent hand toward a miniature of the MääGord standing stones, centered on a large coffee table, below it laid a map of the Isle of Moon. “Anabel, you only have four days until the final charge with the midsummer’s full moon.” Granny paused, her vaporous eyes squinting at her, and then raising a feather eyebrow, “are you willing?”

“What is it that I’m supposed to do, exactly?” I asked apprehensively, twirling my long hair around my finger.

“Yeah,” Izzy said, her hand rubbing the left side of her waist as if she was still sore from her accident, “please enlighten us Americans and non-faery folk on what
she’ll
have to do.”

Granny’s white astral body lowered down to the square table. “The Moon Pendant needs to be recharged with four elementals to have full power.”

“Aye,” continued Blane informatively. “The Moon Pendant’s full charge will have control over each elemental: air, earth, water, and fire.”

“Izzy, grab that flashlight,” requested Granny, “and place its light here.”
Her wispy finger floating between two model stones of the replica.
“For the final task, the moon will pass through the two main pillar stones on Friday night at precisely 11:11 p.m.”

Izzy steadied the beam of light between the stones, casting a ray of light on the center slab.

“That is the midsummer solstice,” continued Granny, her ectoplasm shimmering above the mini reproduction of the standing stones. “It is the only time to complete the final charge and to close the Portal.”

“With the Portal closed the ley line’s energy will return to full strength,” added Blane, pointing to dotted lines cutting through the Isle of Moon map, “preventing the Fae to cross over into the realm of man.”

Fergus cleared his throat loudly. “There’s just a wee bit of an issue we’re forgetting about.”

“Go on,” nodded Granny.

“What about the demon?” said Fergus alarmingly, throwing his arms out with his fingers splayed. “How do we prevent her from sneaking up on us and making us her latest fast food addiction?”

Granny dipped her puffy eyes down at Fergus. “Good question. Rose and I had a low iron fence installed years ago. It borders the farmhouse. It encircles the property and runs down to the main road where a strong ley line runs. It still holds up. So, you’re safe here. I’d also suggest you all wear an iron necklace to protect yourself. Plumface has a few in that drawer over there.” Granny waved an airy hand toward a wooden desk.

Izzy slid the drawer open, handing out a necklace to me.

“Umm…” Granny winced, “all can wear one, except for you, Anabel. The Moon Pendant doesn’t like iron as well. Since, it is of the Otherworld.”

Fergus slid the iron necklace on. Izzy handed another one to Blane.

“No, lass,” he said, tapping his sporran hooked around his waist, “‘Tis made of iron. I have no need of your trinkets.”

Izzy shrugged.

“I can wear it on my wrists,” I said, snatching up one of the necklaces and coiling it around my wrist.

“No!” hollered Granny.

My whole body stiffened, all my muscles tensed at once, feeling the cold iron touch against my bare skin.

“Get it off her!” ordered Granny.

Blane quickly unraveled the necklace, tossing it back to Izzy.

“No iron for you!” laughed Fergus, crossing his arms and shaking his head back and forth at me and then gazed at Granny and Blane. “What else do we need to know about the demon?”

I took in a slow deep breath and then suddenly felt normal again.

“Lainahwyn despises full on light,” added Blane, gazing down at Fergus. “‘Tis the reason she cowers away in that dark cave. She will only attack at night.”

“Which is the only time,” said Granny directing her words toward Anabel, “you can do each elemental charge for the Moon Pendant.”

A nervous energy rushed through my body, causing my eye to twitch. I was overwhelmed at all the tasks I needed to complete. I still had horrific visions of the portrait of the diabolical Nuckelavee in the castle’s library.

I took in a deep breath and gulped. “And I have to do that?”

Izzy’s face raged.
“Yeah, you moron!
Or we’re all toast!”

“I thought,” I said hesitatingly, my brain becoming sluggish, “I was going to give Izzy the Moon Pendant after the first task?”

“I know,” said
G
ranny enlighteningly, “that’s what Blane had said, but it’s not a guarantee, Anabel. The Moon Pendant is fickle. It may or may not let you go.”

My hopes and dreams of becoming a wife, mother and doctor flashed before my eyes. How could I possibly finish any of these tasks – four deadly tasks – in four days?

My throat tightened, suppressing back a waterfall of tears.

Granny’s white hazy face floated before me, her opaque eyes fixed on me. “I need to know,” she said resolutely, “that you are fully comm
itted to this to the bitter end.
”

Izzy snickered out of the side of her mouth. “Come on,” she laughed, “she’s not gonna do it. Look at her. Her royal highness is about to burst open like a fire hydrant.”

Not only was I frightened to death, but my lovely sister, Izzy was mocking me as well. A surging heat ran through my veins, making my blood begin to boil.

“You see me neck, lass?” spat Fergus, pointing his index finger to a thick green scar carved into his neck. “Do you remember what she did to me and to John? When that blood-sucking demon gets loose she’s gonna inject her venom into every feckin’ person on this planet and suck ‘em dry.”

Blane leaned in. “Aye, ‘tis true.”

I gulped, not knowing what to do.

“Lainahwyn,” Blane continued, “will also take the stronger men and make them into warriors to do her bidding.”

Granny had a frazzled look on her puffy white face. “So are you willing to do it?”

I could hear Fergus whisp
ering to Izzy behind my back, “
That’s yer sister, there, the prissy one who can’t seem to have a hair out of place? Aye, we’re all doomed.”

The images of the tasks flickered before my eyes, the Bloody Baron, the Ghillie Dhu, the Nuckelavee, and the MääGord standing stones. All of those tasks needed to be completed before Friday on the midsummer solstices by me?

My heart drummed inside my chest, sending a wave of dread through my stomach. “I don’t know,” I answered.

Granny crossed her billowy arms,
then
spoke in a stern voice. “I need to hear a yes, Anabel.”

“I saw the paintings in Dunvarghan Castle,” I blurted out with a note of hysteria.

“I’ve got an idea,” said Fergus mockingly, “when the world needs a hero let’s not stop off at the local Hello Kitty store and pick out the nearest girl with her hair dolled up in a ponytail and a lollipop in her hand!”

Izzy stepped forward, eagerly. “You know I’d do it in a heartbeat, Gran.”

I cocked my head to the side, steaming inside. I stared into Izzy’s eyes. “What are you going to do?” I said through gritted teeth. “Slit my throat and steal it?”

“Not a bad idea,” Izzy sm
irked, “if it gets the job done.
”

Blane’s hand clasped onto the hilt of his double-edge claymore,
drawing
it
out
from the sheath on his back, a disheartened look on his face, its edge catching the flickering light of th
e candles, and powerfully slamming
it down into the floorboards, shaking the whole house and all its contents. “Yer words do more harm than good,” he said mightily, his hand extended to me. “As I said before, lass, I shall accompany you on yer tasks.”

Granny seemed unalarmed by the sudden thrashing of the sword to keep the peace. She glided in front of Izzy. “Would you be a dear and help yer sister out?”

“Yeah, right,” Izzy snapped, crushing her lips to the side. “I’ll do all the work, and she’ll get all the credit.”

I rolled my eyes. Izzy was always the one for drama. I needed to end this now and to take back some control in my life.