Rising Moon (The Rune Stone Trilogy)

CHAPTER ONE

             
Aylin sat straight up in bed gasping for air. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for him. But all she could find were the empty corners of her bedroom. As she gulped air she fell back down to her pillow and her eyes rested on the ceiling.
The ceiling
swam in swirling circles and twists above her head. The early hour of the morning kept the room in darkness, but Aylin had been awake long enough for her eyes
to see clearly in the dim light
. The only audible sound was her labored breathing, gasping for the cool clean air that traveled swiftly through her window that she’d left open a crack. She h
ad woken with her lungs burning with
a strong feeling of suffocation, and the salty air soothed them.

             
Aylin
dared not to move because
her body still trembled from the nightmare that had racked her into full alert. Her
cotton
nightshirt clung to her body and her covers were in tangles around her legs. Shivers traveled down her spine under the damp layer of sweat that covered her. Calm down, she commanded herself
to
no avail. Her heart continued to race in her chest, a drum beating a fast paced rhythm.

             
A slight turn of her head toward her nightstand allowed her to barely see her alarm clock, telling her it was only three a.m. Her quivering lips parted and she forced out a sigh. She inhaled deeply and felt her heart finally begin to slow. The sound of her blood rushing in her ears was replaced by the sounds of the ocean outside
the
window. Even on the calmest of days the ocean still had an audible static sound to fill the air.

             
Aylin sat up, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, gripping the edge of the mattress hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Her head drooped down as she closed her eyes. It had been a terrifying dream
of being attacked
that left her feeling helpless, much like the dreams of being unable to scream or not being able to run away from an assailant. These types of dreams rattled her to the core.

             
With one more deep, relaxing inhale and exhale she pushed off the bed and made her way i
nto the bathroom, her legs still quivering and weak
. Even though it had been in the middle of the night, she knew falling back asleep would be out of the question.
After she flipped on the light she grabbed hold of the counter and waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. When she could see, she turned on the shower and then turned to the mirror. Her pale skin had flushed, burning her cheeks, and her brilliant blue eyes were bright. Her midnight black hair fell in tangles down her back and her brow was wet, plastering her long bangs to her skin. She looked as dreadful as she felt.

             
Steam from the shower filled the bathroom
and she shuddered at the similarity to her dream. Thick clouds of
choking
fog had surr
ounded her, leaving her gasping for air
. With haste Aylin scrubbed and seared away the memories of her dream with soap and scalding hot water. She was awake and in the safety of her home, she reminded herself. No harm could reach her here, and deep in her heart she was sure of that.

             
Dawn crept up with its telltale signs of rosy pink and orange hues painting the gray sky over the Puget Sound. The colors danced on the water, cutting the darkness like a knife. The sun remained behind the mountainous horizon, but just above it the sky was lit like fire. The islands farthest away from her shore were washed in the dusty pinks, where the closer islands that were thick with trees and rocky shores stayed dark against the lightness. A fishing boat could be seen making its way through the calm water toward the smaller islands, disturbing the smooth watercolor.

             
Aylin had dressed in an old pair of jeans and t-shirt and set herself to the task of tending to her gardens. Without hesitation she grabbed a hoe and began hacking at the invasive weeds. She felt a sense of urgency to destroy the weeds that continued to threaten to choke the life out of her beautiful serene gardens.

             
When the hoe struck close to one of her flowers she dropped the tool on the ground and flexed her hands. She'd been gripping the handle to the point of cramping her muscles. Before her hands relaxed Aylin dropped to her knees and gripped the corruptive weed and ripped it out of the soil. The roots snapped under her grip, and she threw the leafy weed to the side and dug her fingers into the dirt until she found the thick roots, lying in wait. With a hard yank the roots exploded out of the earth with enough force she was rocked backwards.

             
She sat on the side of the garden still holding the root, breathing hard. Her eyes lifted to the sky to see the bright sun that had risen above the mountains. With a sigh Aylin stood and tossed the root to the side and began watering the thirsty plants.

             
The dream, now dulled to a memory, remained in the forefront of her concentration. It bothered her that putting her to work in the gardens, a job that she believed should be done with a sense of calm and nurture, hadn't shaken the slight panic that lodged in her throat.

             
Aylin carefully wound the garden h
ose back onto it
s wheel attached to the back of the house and turned to look over her garden once more before heading inside. She crossed her arms over her chest and let the sun warm her skin. Her gardens took over half the yard, separated into three sections. The first section was closest to the back of the house, pressing against the wall of trees that lined the side of the yard that didn’t look over the shore. This garden held plants that did well in shade, which meant it was mostly greenery
with
ferns, cal
la
lilies, and hostas, with a small spattering of colorful small flowers hidden on the edges. A stone path separated this garden from the one that was directly in front of the patio she now stood on. This kidney shaped garden held her most colorful flowers of bluebells, foxg
loves, lilies, black-eyed Susan
s, roses, and pansies. The stone path wound around the second garden, and led to her third garden at the far corner of her yard, just before the grass disappeared down a small hill to meet the sandy beach.

             
The third garden held smaller brightly colored flowers that guarded the base of her brilliant peonies. Hidden under the cover of the peonie’s large leaves was her one statue that her roommate had given her, a faerie
frozen in time
with exaggerated pointed ears and wearing a dres
s made of leaves. The statue kept a watchful eye on the gardens from under the shadows of the large plants surrounding it
. Her roommate didn’t share her love for gardening, but she had a small patch on the side of the house for her dozens of herbs. Aylin always left that garden alone. She almost never saw her roommate working in the garden, but the plants thrived, nonetheless, without the threat of weeds, and the dirt remained moist.

             
With one last look at the ocean and Aylin retreated into the house to wash up and change before she headed into town to begin her day.

CHAPTER TWO

             
It was late May, and on Willoughby Island that meant soon the island would be bustling with vacationers and tourists. The weather turned warm, still cool in the mornings, and blooming plants filled the air with their earthy scents. Aylin thought of it as the calm before the storm on the island. The residents hurried to prepare for the summer traffic that would fill the island to the brim.
Once Memorial Day arrived
children
would
fi
ll
the beaches and ice cream shops, groups of teenagers
would huddle
on the sidewalks and music stores, and the adults
would then be
scurrying after all of them. Aylin loved every moment of summer on Willoughby Island.

             
Situated in the heart of the town, The Lilac Tree was Willoughby Island’s sole floral design shop. Located off of Main Street, in the only strip mall that the island held, sat an older building made out of aged red brick with large windows lining the front of each of the stores. This had been Aylin’s home away from home since she had been a child.

             
The Lilac Tree, Aylin’s floral shop, had been her mother’s and when she passed away Aylin continued to run the business just as her mother had. The shop had the distinct smell of greenery, plant food, and water. It had taken her awhile to realize water did have a distinct
earthy
smell. The sho
p was small and simple, with it
s wall of coolers full of ready-made arrangements in glass vases, and black buckets holding loose cut flowers for bouquets. There were a few antique tables and bookshelves arranged in the front of the store to hold the house plants with their dangling vines and spiky leaves. The colors of the shop were kept pale and subdued, allowing for the colors of the flowers to stand out and sell themselves.

             
Behind the cash register counter was a swinging door with a window at eye level that led to the florist work area, where Aylin spent most of her time. A stainless steel walk-in cooler took up a quarter of the room. Two large wooden worktables
that
filled the middle of
the room
were now crowded with large carton boxes from the supply truck that unloaded early in the morning. Water hoses dangled from the ceiling within easy reach for her over the tables.
The
door at the very back of the room led out into the alley
had been
propped open to let in fresh air. Aylin
busied herself by
walking between the tables and the supply closet, unloading and organizing her supplies. She stopped at the sound of the bell above the front door that chimed when the door open
ed
.

             
Aylin walked out of the workroom and stopped when she came around the cash register. A young woman
, only a year or two younger than Aylin,
leaned
over
the counter with her elbows
resting
on the counter. Her deep bronze skin had a natural shimmer to it, her golden blond hair had been pulled up in a clip, and her yellow filmy sundress seemed to have been specifically made to compliment her skin. Her high cheekbones and pouty lips made her look like model material.

             
The woman’s face
portrayed
a bored look with a touch of annoyance because no one had paid her any attention. The sight of her sent a note of irritation through Aylin. This tropical creature also happened to be her roommate
,
Eliana. “El, what are you doing here? Don’t you have a date or something?” Aylin asked.

             
The bored, annoyed
expression
vanished from her face when she looked at Aylin, replacing it with excitement. “Aylin, you have to have lunch with me.” She turned slightly to face Aylin, and the movement made her hemline dangerously short. It never ceased to amaze Aylin at how Eliana always dressed so scantily.

             
"
El, we had lunch two days ago. Plus, I just got a huge shipment in. Today is not a good time for that,
"
Aylin sighed. She set a box of note cards on the counter next to Eliana and put a hand on her hip. Eliana was naturally pushy when it came to getting her way, but Aylin had learned to hold her ground with her when she needed to. Today seemed to be a day to be firm since she had only a week be
fore the holiday weekend. S
ometimes Eliana just needed a little tough love.

             
"
Yes, but I have something really important to tell you. And no, it can’t wait.
"
Eliana was close to stomping her feet with a tantrum. She had pushed herself off the counter and her hands in fists on her hips.

             
"
Go ahead Aylin,
"
Jordan said, coming out of the stockroom. Jordan, a short spitfire nearing her mid forties, had carrot red hair that was cut short with natural curls spiraling out in different directions, matching her personality perfectly. The curls always made Aylin think that Jordan’s energy was too much for straight hair to keep straight. She had more energy than most women younger than her and she didn’t mind having Aylin as a boss. Aylin ran a tight ship, and most of the time she worked herself too hard and too long. Jordan also had a soft spot for Eliana, since she brought her baked goods every Friday to bring home to her husband.
"
Business is slow today. I can handle it, and those boxes aren’t going anywhere.
"

             
Aylin shot her a glare, but Jordan ignored her and continued smiling at El. She sighed with defeat.
"
All right,
"
she threw her hands up,
"
but a short lunch.
"

             
Eliana squealed with delight, her sourness disappeared.
"
Yes, it can be short. We’ll go to the café across the street. Thanks Jordan!
"
She winked at Jordan and wrapped her arm around Aylin’s elbow and the closeness of El brought a warm citrus smell along. Aylin barely grabbed her purse out of Jordan’s hand when El guided her out the front door.

             
When El pulled her outside Aylin took a deep breath. The air felt warm and smelled sweet with fresh blooms and cut grass. The sun was high and warmed the cement under their feet. She felt some of the stress that had been building in the store clear away. She would never admit it to El, but it felt good to step outside even if it would be a short stint.

             
Since her shop was off of Main Street she couldn’t see the other shop owners hustling to build their display windows and unload their merchandise from the trucks that bounced along the uneven roads. She was glad they were out of the way. She shared the strip mall with the drug sto
re and the bookstore, both of which
would be much busier than
her
floral shop
on any given day.

             
"
El, what is so important that it couldn’t wait a few hours?
"
Aylin asked once they were walking on the sidewalk. She prepared herself to hear how all her clothes were too out of date, or a new high-end hair salon in Seattle had opened and Eliana had to visit it.

             
"
Have you noticed anything different in the last week?
"
Eliana asked, slowly guiding her along the sidewalk.

             
Aylin paused and looked Eliana over. She would have noticed already if Elian
a had been dressing differently or wearing her hair in a new style
. Her mind wandered to the idea of yet another love, but El wouldn’t have pulled her out of work for that.

             
However, the thing was that she had noticed something different, and her mind had been fixed on it for days. It had nothing to do with El’s appearance, though.
"
Well, yes,
"
she said slowly and carefully.
"
The air is different. It’s almost electrical, like when a storm is coming. But it’s too early in the season for such a storm-
"

             
"
Aylin!
"
Eliana laughed.
"
You’re out of your element in weather forecasting. But you’re right. The air is different than it should be. I feel it too. I think I found the reason why.
"
She pointed to the door in front of them. They had only made it to the store next to The Lilac Tree.

             
Aylin frowned at the large blue wooden door.
"
The bookstore?
"

             
"
Yes!
"

             
"
El, did you overheat your brain?
"

             
El groaned and rolled her emerald eyes.
"
Just go in and look around a minute. I’ll get us a table at the café. Seriously, go in.
"
She pushed Aylin towards the door.

             
"
Fine. Order me an iced tea.
"
Aylin turned and pulled open the heavy door. Instantly she felt the electrical currents pulling at her. She gasped and a few heads turned curiously to her. She tried to laugh it off casually.
"
That air conditioning can be quite a shock on such a warm day,
"
she said quickly. She felt the thrumming pulling her towards the back of the store. Her fingers tingled and she resisted holding them out in front of her to lead the way.

             
The bookstore wasn’t large but
it
overflowed with books. The front of the store was lined with windows, shedding light on the rich dark wood of the bookshelves. Bookshelves and posters of Shakespeare, Faulkner, Tolstoy, and other historic authors had hid every inch of wall space. The few chairs scattered throughout the store always
seemed to remain
occupied
no matter what time of the day it was
. As soon as someone stood, another patron claimed the chair in a blink of an eye. Her favorite part of the store was the smell of a mix of cedar and leather.

             
Aylin tried to walk calmly down the aisle; she even stopped and pretended to be interested in a display of new novels released in time for summer. Once she felt she had lingered there long enough to appear casual
,
she stepped away. She took another steady breath and followed the
trembling
waves around the corner. The pull was strong enough that she could just barely see the radiating waves. The air simmered like heat coming off pavement on a sun-scorched day, and it hovered in the middle of the room. She stopped short of running over a young woman who sat on the floor with her feet tucked under her, stocking the shelf.
"
Oh!
"
Aylin jumped back. The air around her was pulsating.
"
Sorry,
"
she mumbled taking another step back. The air around the young woman smelled deeply earthy of oak, cedar, and a hint of rosemary.

             
The woman looked younger than Aylin and had brown hair that fell just below her chin. It was chunky with layers that spiked out in different directions, and she wore a plain gray polo and khakis, the uniform of the bookstore employees. Aylin had an urge to put her hand on the woman’s shoulder and welcome her, or pull her to her feet and hug her. But something inside her made her think twice about it. The instinct told her that her touch wouldn’t be welcome with this young woman, not yet. It was a nervous energy that pulsated around her, a mirror image of what the woman was feeling inside.

             
"
No problem,
"
she responded without looking up. Her voice was light and airy, but somewhat subdued.