MoonRunner II: Gathering Darkness

MoonRunner II

GATHERING DARKNESS

By

Jane Toombs

© Copyright by Jane Toombs, February 1999

© Cover Art by Jenny Dixon, December 2012

ISBN 978-1-60394-772-5

New Concepts Publishing

Lake Park, GA 31636

www.newconceptspublishing.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

After making certain the door to her tower room was still barred, Liisi lifted her sable pouch from a wooden chest. She crossed to the round blue silk rug positioned in the exact center of the room and sat cross-legged on it.

The old tapestry behind her stirred as Liisi readied the stones for casting, a movement she felt rather than saw. The scene on the tapestry was an old Finnish folk tale, one of those chanted by rune singers--the maiden Aino fleeing from the shaman Vainamoinen, about to cast herself in the lake to avoid becoming his bride.

Aino didn't drown, she became a magic fish--a salmon--and thus escaped. No one died in the old songs, they merely changed. In the past, Liisi had sometimes regretted not having Aino's ability to avoid her fate. From the first moment she'd seen him in that fearful summer of 1850, she'd known Sergei Volek was dangerous. She'd also known they were so irrevocably linked that only death could break the bond. In these thirty years since they'd met, they'd been apart more often than together but the link still held.

Caressing the soft sable fur, she sighed, remembering those early days when Liisi Waisenen had come very close to dying instead of becoming Liisi Volek. Since then Sergei had brushed against death too many times here in the United States and in Russia.

Yet they'd both survived. She'd built her castle in this beautiful California valley and Sergei had made it into a fortress to shelter them and those of their blood. Volek blood was tainted by darkness--but a darkness that could be controlled, as she'd proven.

Sergei had sworn that, for the safety of the clan, no outsiders would ever live in Volek house. Why would he violate his own vow within a week of making it? Never mind that Guy Kellogg was an old and valued friend. As soon as she'd met the three Kellogg's--husband, wife and daughter-- Liisi had felt in her bones that along with the Kellogg's Sergei admitted danger and death.

She hoped the stones would show her the way to rid Volek house of them once and for all.

Removing the quail-egg sized stones from the pouch, Liisi slid the ruby ring onto her left forefinger, then breathed on the other eight stones: Granite, for eliminating errant energy; crystal to focus the summoned energy; agate to stabilize; amethyst to promote foreseeing; coral for wisdom; obsidian for strength of purpose; turquoise to protect; and malachite for strength of will.

She dropped all but the ring into her lap, closed her eyes and chanted each stone's origin. As she finished the last words, the stones flew from her skirt onto the blue carpet. Opening her eyes, she bent over to determine how they'd fallen. Despite the dimness of the round room, illuminated only by the pale light from four high and narrow slits of windows, the ominous pattern was clear.

Malachite lay atop both turquoise and granite. "A strong will overcomes protection," she murmured. Whose will? One of the Kellogg's, she feared. Also the ability of the granite to keep out unwanted energy was blocked--a warning that her own noita spells might be bypassed by another. Amethyst, coral and agate circled crystal, as though in protection but as she passed the ruby over the stones, crystal and amethyst grew opaque, unreadable. Definite outside interference. She was being prevented from seeing ahead.

Liisi stroked the ruby absently. It must be the presence of the Kellogg's.

Guy had tracked down Sergei in desperation, claiming that finding him was his last hope for his wife Annette. Though she had little hope of solving Mrs. Kellogg's problem, Liisi knew she must try. Otherwise Sergei would insist on his friend remaining at Volek House.

She muttered under her breath as she gathered the stones back into the pouch. Sergei's devotion to his friends had led him into danger all too often. He was the first to insist the family came first--why couldn't he hold to that? More troubled than she'd been since the time of the night howling,

Liisi put the pouch away. It had been years since she'd ventured on that dreadful journey between the worlds. The Maiden knew she'd hoped never to go again. Reluctantly she removed the deerskin drum from the chest and set it reverently on the floor. She stripped to the skin. Bells tinkled and iron charms jangled as she donned the shaman's long deerhide shirt.

As she began to dance in a circle in time to the beat of the drum, she banished the thought that this time she might never return from Tuonela's deadly realm.

Wolf Volek stood on the tower balcony staring into the cold gray tule fog shrouding the valley. A similar miasma had clouded the interior of Volek House for over two weeks-- from the moment his grandfather had unlocked the gates to three night travelers and invited them in as guests.

Guy Kellogg, Grandfather claimed, was an old friend from New Orleans by way of France. The other two guests were women--Guy's wife Annette and his daughter Cecelia. Grandmother Liisi hadn't welcomed the guests. Death, she insisted forbiddingly, stalked Annette. A death that would doom them all.

Once he saw Cecelia, Wolf hadn't paid much attention to the elder Kellogg's. Cecelia was so pretty that the sight of her stole his breath from his chest. Mima had scolded him about how his eyes followed every move Cecelia made but he didn't feel guilty. The bond between him and Mima wasn't in the least weakened by the excitement that thrummed through him on those all-too-few occasions when Cecelia's green eyes chanced to meet his.

A sound warned him the door to the tower was opening and for an instant his heart leaped in hope. Could it possibly be Cecelia?