The Gazing Globe (12 page)

"Look, if you don't want to come, then don't. It was a gesture of friendship. If you want to assign some ulterior motive to it, I'm sorry. It wasn't meant that way."

"Ulterior motive is just what it is, you little mongrel! I had plans for the property your father practically stole from that boozer husband of mine." She smirked and moved to within inches of him. "I'll be at your party. That bastard father of yours thought he could outmaneuver me, but he didn't know who he was dealing with. Neither do you."

Blain shook his head. His hands clenched, and for the first time in his life, he desperately wanted to hit a woman. "I don't have to stand here and take this, you old...do what you want!" He threw his hands into the air, then he jerked open his truck door and left. He was so furious it wasn't safe for him to keep driving. He had to pull over just outside of town.

He didn't care what anyone said about him, but his father had actually done the deceased Jediah Biddies a huge favor. According to what his father had told him, Biddle's drinking had led to some bad business deals. Apparently Biddies needed money to pay off debts. Added to the entire situation was the fact that old Jediah had been illegally dumping trash near the stream for years. After purchasing the land from him, the McTavish's had cleaned up the mess without reporting it.

Blain hit the steering wheel with his fist. The day was going right down the tubes. If things didn't get better this evening, he was afraid he'd end up in a confrontation with gentle, crazy Afton. And that was the very last thing he wanted. He closed his eyes, took several deep breaths and started the engine again.

What else can go wrong!

Remembering his promise to stay away from Shayla and Hugh, he drove to a fast food diner and ordered a hamburger. He really didn't feel like eating, but it was something to pass the time until tonight.

Afton would get her chance to prove this mystical Order existed. He didn't want to think about what would happen when she couldn't.

He toyed with the idea of going to see Rhiannon. Though he could never care for her as he didAfton, he could apologize for his past behavior and tell her about all the craziness. When Rhi understood what was going on, maybe she would forgive him for the way he'd treated her. And she might make some silly joke out of the whole thing, and they'd laugh about it.

But he decided against that idea. After tonight, there wasn't going to be anything to laugh about. Afton would go home, and he'd never see her again. That would be too painful to bear. Dammit, he'd even miss Shayla. It wasn't as if pathological people could help themselves. He knew nothing about psychology, but he found it odd that one woman's strange beliefs could effect so many others. In particular,Afton. She seemed so intelligent. Why would she fall victim to Shayla's bizarre stories? And how could Hugh believe everything the old woman said?

Close to midnight, Blain drove his truck to a service road near the far pasture. He grabbed a flashlight, walked into the woods and sat on an old oak log. There was a stream nearby which ended at a small grotto. A tiny waterfall trickled down the grotto's edge and pooled among green plants. Ferns and moss, which covered the rocks, grew there. He'd found the place some time ago when his father and he had cleaned up the damage done by old Jediah. It had become very special to him, and he was averse to having a farce played out here. But Afton had chosen this spot. He waited and hoped she wouldn't be badly hurt when whatever gimmick she planned failed.

Within minutes, he heard the rustling of underbrush "Afton?" he called out.

"Yes, it's me."

"What m hell are you doing, roaming around out here without any kind of light? Are you crazy?"

"I thought the jury was already in on that one," she sarcastically responded.

"Touche!" He couldn't help smiling at her ready comeback.

"For your information, I don't need light to roam about the woods at night. From childhood, we learn not to use such devices. If we're too near the edge of a forest, lights can attract too much attention. Only the best Druids can mask the presence of light or fire. So most of us use our senses as best we can."

Blain shook his head. Her response told him she was really into the whole farce. His heart felt like lead.

"You spend a lot of your time in the woods at night, do you?"

"Yes, I do. Some of the herbs I use have to be gathered by the light of the moon and stars for their powers to be potent. We need them for curatives."

He aimed the flashlight at her and was surprised to see her wearing some kind of long, dark green robe with a hood. "I see you came dressed for the part, but Halloween isn't until October, honey."

"Don't be patronizing. One of these days, you're going to apologize to me, and I'm going to take extreme pleasure in making you feel foolish! Now turn off that flashlight before someone sees us."

He flipped off the light. "All right. Do what you came to do so we can go home and get some sleep.

Hugh and Shayla will wonder where we are," he said, knowing that no matter what happened, there would be no sleep for him tonight.

"Before I start, I want you to promise me something."

"I'm not promising anything."

"That's not fair. For a bargain to be struck between two people, they both have to compromise. I agreed to take Shayla and leave if I can't convince you about the Order and that magic exists. Now you must agree that if you come away tonight believing what Shayla and I've said is true, you'll listen to Shayla and do exactly as she tells you. Is it a bargain?"

"Fine. Whatever. Just get on with this." He stood up and put his hands on his hips in frustration.

Afton had thought long and hard about what she'd do. If this didn't work, she didn't want to think about the consequences. For once in her life, she had to concentrate and focus. Blain's future was at stake.

Possibly hers, too.

She closed her eyes and listened to the night sounds. She felt the earth beneath her feet and summoned the power to relax. In her mind, she visualized the element of fire. Her hands lifted, palms turned up to the sky. They began to tingle and grow warm. Soon they began to glow. She opened her eyes and watched as a small flame appeared and hovered above each palm. One flame was a brilliant blue. The other was dark green. She moved her hands together, and the flames interlocked and wove into one another. They slowly expanded and formed a circle, like a Celtic knot, around her forearms. She spread her arms apart and the circle enlarged. It eventually encompassed her entire body Green and blue sparks shot from the entwined flames.

Blain watched, and his heart stood still. It had to be some kind of magician's trick, but Afton's hands never touched the flames. They hovered above her palms. Unless she'd been to the little clearing earlier, she couldn't have rigged some kind of pyrotechnic device. And there were no chemical agents or machinery on the farm that could create the illusion he was seeing.

Aftonstood within the blue-green glow of the circular flame. It moved from her and toward him. He wanted to back away, but his feet were rooted to the ground No matter how hard he tried to move, he couldn't. It was as though the earth itself held him. Afton appeared to be in some kind of trance. He watched as her eyes began to glow. They turned an electric blue, like something in a horror movie.

For the first time in his life, Blain wanted to run away. The fiery circle came closer and closer until it formed around him the same way it had formed aroundAfton. He couldn't move or speak. All he could do was watch her.

Aftonraised her hands again, and Blain's vision was blinded by the extreme light. Though it was all around him, he felt no heat. Then he saw a vision materialize m front of him. It was a forest, but not the one m which they stood. It was another place far away, and he sensed it was in the present. He saw creatures—ethereal beings of all shapes and sizes—within a great clearing They moved as if they weren't aware of his presence. And there was a castle in the distance. Human-looking men, women and children walked with and among the creatures as though they had no fear.

Some of the beings looked normal, except they had wings like those of butterflies or dragonflies. They were the most beautiful people Blain had ever seen, and he felt strongly drawn to them. In a dream-like state, he was suddenly walking with them, but they still didn't seem to be aware of his presence.

It was as if he was in the middle of some medieval tapestry. Men and women laughed and danced, and happy children flitted and played under the loving scrutiny of adults. There were men and women situated on the highest branches of old oaks, their keen eyes watching the surrounding countryside. Guarding, he knew instinctively.

Many of the people practiced with ancient weaponry such as swords, bows and axes, though they appeared to be at peace with one another. Preparations were being made for some kind of great feast.

Tables were set with pitchers and mugs. Flowers scented the air. Lovers walked in the forest and disappeared within its depths.

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled away and he desperately wanted to stay. Some kind of tournament or competition was about to be held, and he wanted to see more. But the vision grew dim, and he felt the ground back beneath his feet. The brilliance of the blue-green fire diminished, andAfton stood before him. As the last of the circle faded away, he sawAftonput her hands to her face and drop to the ground. It took a second longer for him to be able to move, but he rushed to her as soon as he was able.

"Afton! Are you all right?" He gently lifted her small form into his embrace and cradled her against his body. She was shaking.

"Blain, I've never...never tried anything so...big. I wanted you to see. I...wanted you to see what you've missed. Please tell me...you believe."

Aftongasped for air. She'd never felt so weak, but the enchantment had been very draining for someone unused to summoning such power. Only a few times in their entire life could a Druid perform such a ritual, andAftonwas so beside herself with pride for having summoned a vision circle on the first try that words almost failed her.

"I saw it,Afton. I saw it all. I don't know what it means, but we have to get you back to the farm. We'll talk about it there "

"No!" She pushed away from him and lay upon the ground. Her strength would renew itself from the earth. "You have to tell me you believe what you saw. That...that you believe in magic. It was no trick, Blain I couldn't make you see something you didn't want to see "

Blain pushed the hood of her robe back and pulled her head onto his lap. He stared around the dark woods. Everything was back to normal. Everything but him. He'd seen fairies and other creatures he couldn't put a name to. There was nothing thatAftoncould have rigged to have produced what he'd seen with his own two eyes. Something in him felt as though it was ripping free. At first, it was as if a piece of his soul was opening up to accept something...something new. Then the sensation in his chest quickly changed to physical pain. His back felt as if it was being literally ripped in half. He tore his shirt off and scooted away fromAfton.

"Afton! Help me! Ohhhh I can't...can't…pain," he cried out in agony.

Still recovering from conjuring the vision circle,Aftonheard him cry out. She frowned, confused.

Nothing she'd done was supposed to have hurt him, though she'd realized any success would dram her considerably.

"Blain, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked as she tried to move to him.

"Afton...I.. Noooooo," Blain shrieked as blinding pain tore into him over and over. He pulled at his clothing to get it off. Every scrap of it seemed to bring torture where it touched his flesh. He was able to crawl and drag himself to the nearby grotto. He had to stop the burning pain, and the cool water seemed the only way to do so.

Aftonpushed herself to her feet. She still felt unsteady, but she was strong enough to get to him. For some reason he was hurting, and it had to be because of what she'd done. If anything happened to him, it would be her fault. His welfare was all she could think about as she tried to make her way to him.

As Blain's hands touched the water, something ripped away from his back. With one last wave of horrifying pain, he screamed and fell into unconsciousness.

Tears streamed fromAfton's eyes causing her to stumble and fall more than once. "Blain, I'll help you.

I'll help you," she repeated over and over.

Because the flames she'd conjured were supposed to be muted,Aftonknew no one from the farmhouse could have seen them. No one knew they were in the woods, so there was no one to help him but her.

She was physically too small to lift or drag Blain's hulking form to the truck, and she wasn't about to leave him alone. Something had gone terribly wrong, but she just didn't know what.

She was a few feet from him when she saw the wings in the moonlight. They glittered like sparkling veils. Surely her vision was still clouded. She must be so upset she was imagining things. But she reached toward him, and her hand felt the silken veins connecting his wings together. They were real.

Blain was on his stomach and his clothing was gone. Even with limited light, the butterfly-like wings were the largest she'd ever seen on a fairy. Even larger than the wings of the fairy leader, Lore.

Suddenly, Blain moaned and tried to push himself from the ground.Aftonwas by his side in an instant.

"Don't try to move. Stay still," she pleaded.

For several moments he did as she asked. The pain was gone, but he'd never felt so strange in his life.

It was as though someone had lifted some kind of horrible weight from him and tossed it aside. When he was able to raise his head, he could see every leaf, every blade of grass. He could hear frogs, crickets and insects so small that they blended together and sounded like a forest symphony. Finally, as his strength not only returned but flooded through him, he pushed himself up. He had never felt so physically strong. It was as though the pain never existed. And the earth felt like a life-giving force, an actual entity that fed him with power.