Hunter's Moon by B. Scott Hoadley

Author:B. Scott Hoadley [Hoadley, B. Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Weaver Island Press
Published: 2023-08-13T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The skies were a mottled teal and pink with streaks of purple. Two moons hung lazily in the sky. They stood at the water’s edge as it lapped against the shoreline, rolling effortlessly across bare feet and then off again. They looked young, but he still recognized them—his grandparents. And, judging by the lake, the harbor, and the palace on the distant hill, they were together on the fae world.

“She won’t allow it. She’s stubborn. She says it would dilute the bloodline.”

“You know my thoughts on that. I believe crossing bloodlines only strengthens our kind over time. Surely she’ll listen to me.”

“She won’t listen to you. She won’t even listen to me.”

“There has to be a way.”

His grandmother looked wistfully out over Lake Celestia as though seeking the distant shoreline.

“Either we concede to her will, or…”

“Or what?”

“We leave.”

They gazed at one another, a mixture of love and pain evident in their expressions.

“If we do that, you may never be allowed to return.”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take. The alternative is unthinkable.”

The sound of waves lapping the shoreline cut through the otherwise still evening. In the distance a sailboat made its way out of the harbor towards the far side of the lake. They watched it grow smaller for a long while until it disappeared completely.

“I don’t know if it’s a chance I’d be willing to take. If you leave and are prevented from returning you will grow old with me, you’ll live a normal human life.”

“I’d rather grow old with you than remain young here without you. Listen to me, Hedlund. It’s my choice to make. I can’t live under my sister’s thumb for the rest of my life. I want to live a life of my own. A life with you.”

His grandfather frowned, turning away for a moment.

“She’ll never let us leave together.”

“There’s more than one way out of here. And I’m not a prisoner. I’m free to go where and do as I wish.”

“And if she tries to stop you?”

“She won’t. She won’t be happy. But she won’t try to stop me.”

They stood for a while more as the skies began to grow darker and the twin moons rose high into the night sky. The tide was coming in. Alexandra and Hedlund watched the encroaching waters, took one another’s hand, and walked back towards the path that led back to the portal to the palace. Plans were afoot and they would soon make their way through another portal to Earth. Alexandra would never return. But Hedlund, as a future member of the Conclave, would make the journey many times.

Nathan sensed his grandfather’s pain with each crossing, knowing what they had had to sacrifice for their love.

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