Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) Read Free Page A

Adept at her craft, Arianna was well aware of
the dangers of hot glass from her furnace.
    Waiting until she’d finished, I
absorbed the heat of the room while enjoying her artistic creativity. Cupcakes
were my masterpiece, while glassworks were hers. Ari’s works lasted longer than
mine did, but both were art forms in their own right. I smiled at the thought,
while at the same time I dreaded having to tell her of the loss. I would gladly
compensate her for the pieces stolen, but the theft was still a disaster for
both of us.
    She settled the tool next to
the furnace, turned to me, and removed her goggles. A thick, long, braided
ponytail lay tucked inside her shirt, and hung down her back, where it peeked
from the bottom of her shirttail. Ari wore it this in an effort to save her
hair from being toasted by flames should any wayward strand of her hair flop
into the furnace or come in contact with the blistering heated glass.
    She tossed her fireproof gloves
onto a nearby table. “What brings you over so early?”
    “I have something to tell you.
I didn’t want to call, so I just popped through the woods.”
    She stared at me in silence,
her expression one of surprise.
    “There was a theft at the
Junction last night. Your new inventory was stolen. I discovered the
merchandise was gone when I came downstairs. I’m sorry, Ari. I know how much
effort you put into your work,” I said. I dropped my gaze and glanced around. A
sense of not being alone skittered over me. Shadows branched outward from the
corners of the studio. The low-slung roof of the small barn that housed Ari’s
furnace and glass supplies made the place spooky.
    “Are we alone?” I whispered.
    Ari hesitated. Her glance
flicked toward a dark corner before she ushered me outside. Once we were in the
sunshine, she pointed to the back door of her kitchen in silence. My
imagination took off at incredible speed and I even wondered if my intruder now
hid in her studio. Alarm pulsed through my bloodstream.
    We entered her kitchen by way
of the back door. Ari peeked out the window before she took a seat at the
table. In a chair opposite hers, I waited for her to explain.
    “There’ve been some problems
with the faerie glass lately. The mysticism isn’t working right. Now that some
of the newest pieces have been stolen, I’m wondering if there might be a bad
faerie among the group.”
    Dumbfounded, I gawked at her,
trying with all my might to take in her words. What mysticism? A bad faerie?
Had Ari lost her mind? Had I lost mine? What the heck was going on? Unable to
process the information, I asked, “Would you clarify that for me?”
    Arianna gave me a sudden smile.
“I know you’re in touch with the faeries, Luna, you needn’t hide it from me.
I’m also their friend, and have been all my life. As a matter of fact, I was
born under a faerie sign and have some faerie blood. That’s why I know trouble
is brewing.” She rose and put on the kettle to boil.
    Watching her sure movements, I wondered
if I’d lost my mind instead. I was troubled by her words. Faerie signs? What faerie signs? I was unaware there were such things. And faerie blood? Ouch …
I shivered.
    Over tea, Ari explained her
reluctance to speak further when we’d been in the workshop. The aura, she said,
wasn’t right at the moment, which she explained meant mysticism was out of
whack. It sounded fantastical to me and I realized there was much I didn’t know
about the faerie realm. Worse, I was left to wonder where I should go from
here. If the thief was a rotten fairie, the police would never believe stories
about mysticism, auras, or things of that nature. I’d be crazy again…
    With a slight headshake, I
considered how I’d make sense of it to officers of the law who dealt in facts,
not all of this .
    With a glance at my watch, I
knew I had to leave. The Junction was open, and fall leaf-peepers, those who
ride the countryside to see the colorful autumn leaves, would be swamping