Chapter 7

The next day, I opened Irish Moon early.

If I was sticking around, then I had better start making an effort assimilating into village life. That meant taking an interest in the business that might end up being my job for the next fifty years. Ugh, imagine that.

Sitting behind the front counter, I began sorting through the papers that had been shoved underneath the till. Old receipts, delivery slips, and handwritten notes dating back years had accumulated in the little space, so I pulled them all out and put them into an old cardboard box from the storeroom. I would have to sort through them later.

Reaching back into the shelf to make sure I hadn't missed anything, my hand settled on a small box that had worked its way right to the back. It was a black rectangle with a metallic gold design etched into it. At first, I thought it might be a set of playing cards, but the box was a little larger than standard. Sitting on the stool behind the till, I shook my treasure, listening for a rattle. Something inside moved from side to side. The box was covered in scuff marks, so I assumed it had been opened and closed quite a bit before I stumbled on it. Easing off the lid, I found a stunning set of tarot cards inside. Of course.

They had to have belonged to Aileen. It was another thing to add to the list of things I knew about her. She read tarot. I wondered if she'd been any good and if she knew all the hidden meanings.

Tipping over the box, I emptied the cards out onto the counter. Picking up the first one my fingers found, I saw they were matte black with metallic gold designs, which shimmered as I tilted it back and forth. The deck was quite pretty to look at even though I didn't know the meanings. Scattering them over on the counter so I could see better, I studied the wands, swords, cups, and pentacles. There were also other cards like The Sun, The Moon, The Fool, The Emperor, and more. I knew they all had meanings and ones that deepened still when set with other cards. Picking out a card that drew my eye, I peered at the image. It was a woman standing between two pillars, holding what looked like a multifaceted crystal in one hand and a book in the other. She was wearing a peculiar headdress—a circle with horns that almost looked Egyptian in style. The High Priestess. I wondered what she signified. The bell above the door rang, and I dropped the card and glanced up. It was Boone.

He was wearing his trademark jeans, T-shirt, and tartan shirt, though this morning, the shirt was undone. As usual, his ringleted hair was falling into his eyes, and he was in desperate need of a shave.

I eyed him skeptically, more from curiosity than burning desire. He'd never been in the shop before, and I wondered what he was up to. He hadn't come to see me, had he? "Hi," he said, smirking at me.

"Hi..." I said slowly, waiting for the punch line.

"I heard about the incident."

"Not you, too," I said with a moan. He'd come to rub it in! Typical. "I had nothing to do with that man's driving. He ended up in the creek all by himself, thank you."

Boone began to laugh. "It'll be the talk of Derrydun for months."

"Then someone had better hurry up and do something outrageous so they'll forget me."

"I had to put up with it for a whole year before you came along and took my crown, so I'm not in any hurry to help you along." He added a wink for good measure.

"What did you do?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "I don't believe it."

"Bully broke Roy's leg, and I was able to calm him enough so Sean could get Roy out of the pen."

"Bully?"

"Roy's bull."

"What's so special about that?"

"Bulls are notoriously wild creatures," Boone explained.

"They don't have much regard for us humans, so when they get a bee in their bonnet, it's best to run as fast as you can in the other direction. They're big bastards."

"Let me guess. You ran the wrong way?" I tilted my head to the side.

"I did, but it could've been much worse for Roy if I hadn't."

"That doesn't seem like that bad of a story," I declared. "It's not embarrassing at all."

Boone scratched his head, looking uncomfortable. "I'm not good at bein' the center of attention."

I snorted. "Seriously? Looking like that?" I gestured up and down at him. "Yeah, right. You love it."

"Are you callin' me handsome?" he asked, grinning.

"No! I..." There was no denying it. I was redder than red. Scarlet, crimson, carmine, maroon, cherry, ruby...

Boone's grin widened, and he leaned against the counter. Running his fingers over the cards I'd been studying, he glanced at me curiously.

"You found Aileen's tarot cards," he said.

"Yeah. I don't know anything about them, though." I scooped them up and began shuffling absently, finding a strange comfort in the action.

"Your mam loved these cards," he went on. "She would sit there and do a readin' every mornin'."

"Do you know anything about them?"

"A little. She would pull a few cards for me every now and then. Especially when I first came to Derrydun. She said they helped with guidance more than anythin'."

I sure could use a little of that right now, I thought as I continued shuffling.

"Would you like to draw one?" Boone asked. "I can see if it's one I remember."

I didn't see the harm in it, so I shuffled once more, then drew the card right at the top. Flipping it over, I saw it was an image of a tower surrounded by clouds with lightning bolts. The top of the structure was etched in flames, and I shivered with a foreboding sense of destruction.

"The Tower," I said, holding it up so Boone could see.

He frowned, his features troubled.

"What?" I prodded, setting the card on the counter. "Do you know what it means?"

He nodded. "The Tower looks nasty with the storm

clouds and lightnin' bolts, but it can be a very nice card," he said, placing his finger on top. "The Tower must fall in order to be rebuilt. Out with the old, and in with the new."

My insides twisted, and I immediately jumped to the conclusion that read Aileen was old, and now you're here in her place. The younger model. That was the problem. I didn't want to pick up where she left off and become Aileen version two. I wanted to be me. I wanted to be Skye, and no one else.

I scowled and snatched up the card. "Out with the old, you say?"

Boone's expression fell, and he straightened up. "Skye, I dinna mean..."

"I know. It's just... I don't know what to think anymore. There's some kind of conspiracy going on here."

"Conspiracy?" He tilted is head to the side.

I opened my mouth, desperately wanting to discuss my wild theories with someone, but quickly closed it again. I knew how it would sound. Sky Williams would be the talk of the town for a different reason once I started flapping my gums about omens and strange coincidences.

"Is somethin' botherin' you? You can tell me, Skye," he murmured. "I won't judge."

I almost crumbled, but I ended up shaking my head. "It's just an adjustment thing. It's the same but different here, you know?"

The door opened, interrupting us at the perfect moment, and the little bell rang furiously as Mairead strode in, her boots clomping on the floor. When she saw Boone standing by the counter, her eyes widened.

"Hi, Mairead," he said, flashing her a smile. He fished around in his pocket and held out an MP3 player toward her. "Sorry I kept it for so long."

"That's okay," she muttered, taking the little player from him. She smiled shyly, then not knowing what else to say, turned away.

As she hurried out the back, I gave Boone a pointed look.

"She loaned it to me after Aileen passed," he explained with a shrug. "It was about time I returned it."

"She made you a mixed tape," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Aye, a playlist," he said, not getting her ulterior motive. "It was quite good. I liked it."

Rolling my eyes, I scooped up the tarot card and put it back into the deck.

"What?" he asked with a frown. Men. They were so clueless.

"You really don't see it?" I asked, thoroughly annoyed. I had no idea why I was jealous of a seventeen-year-old girl. It was all a little petty.

"See what?" Boone, however, was oblivious to just about everything it seemed.

"Never mind." I waved him off. "Did you need anything? Or were you attracted by the lure of tarot cards? You know, how cats run at the sound of a can opening?"

He laughed. "No, not really. I was just stoppin' by to see how you were gettin' on."

I raised my eyebrows slightly, my chest tightening. "I'm getting there. Slowly."

"That's good."

"I suppose."

We stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, then as Mairead reappeared, he snapped to attention.

"I better be goin', then," he said, backing toward the door. "I've got some work to do for Mary. I'll see you

around."

"See ya," I replied, raising my hand in a small wave. "Bye!" Mairead said cheerily as Boone disappeared

through the door, the bell signaling his departure.

She stared after him with a dreamy expression. "He never comes into the shop," she said to me. "At least, not while I'm here."

"Have you got a crush on him?"

"Pfft, no." She rolled her eyes and pouted.

"You made him a playlist," I stated, making a face.

"So? He was alone after Aileen died. He still is." She

sighed dramatically, and I could almost read her thoughts. "Yeah, right," I muttered, walking over to the bookshelf and picking up a book about tarot cards. "Pull the other

one."

When I went back to the cottage that afternoon, the tabby cat was waiting for me on the stoop.

"Hey, Buddy," I said, bending over to pat him on the head. I had no idea what his name was, but Buddy was universal. Kinda like calling someone mate.

Over the past week and a half, we'd become good friends. He didn't visit every evening, but more often than not, he would be waiting for me. Then he would be gone in the morning, disappearing like a ghost. I'd stopped wondering how he was getting out and accepted that like the rest of Derrydun's inhabitants, he was just as special.

Unlocking the door, I let us inside, dumped my bag on the kitchen table, and went to the freezer. Taking out my snap-frozen dinner of choice, I pierced the film on top with a fork and shoved the meal into the microwave. Leaning against the counter, I flipped open the book on tarot I'd borrowed from the shop called Learning the Tarot.

Buddy began doing figure eights through my legs as I skimmed the introduction. Learning the Tarot is a complete beginner's course on learning the hidden meaning of tarot for personal guidance. These lessons teach you the fundamentals of basic readings to help you learn and practice. Fundamentals such as, how to use one card to interpret a situation, two cards in synchronicity, and how to weave multiple card spreads into a cohesive story.

The microwave beeped, and I retrieved my meal and my bag and went upstairs with Buddy on my heels. Setting myself up on Aileen's bed, I took out the tarot deck I'd found that morning, laid out the book, and began picking at the chicken with gravy, vegetables and roast potato that I'd nuked downstairs.

Buddy curled up on the end of the bed, not in the least bit interested in the rubbery food I tortured myself with. Smart guy, that one.

"Let's see..." I said, opening the box and taking out the cards. Shuffling, I stopped when I felt like it might be right and drew the card at the top. Turning it over, I raised my eyebrows. The Tower.

It was the same card I'd chosen earlier, and I wondered if it was yet another weird sign from the spirits of Derrydun. They sure knew how to shove coincidences down my throat, after all.

"All right," I muttered. "If you want to play with me, then what do you mean."

Turning to the index, I found the page reference for the Tower and then turned back to the right place in the book.

I read the passage aloud so it would sink into my brain faster. "When the Tower shows itself in a reading, consider it a blessing in disguise. Forceful change is being pushed on you, and though it may feel like it is happening against your will, you need to remember it's for your own good. Often, this card appears when a change has been in the air for some time, and you have resisted or ignored it. There may have been small problems arising because of this, and they are likely increasing and getting out of control. The Tower represents the Universe reminding you that you need this upheaval to run its course for your own spiritual growth.

"Hear that, Buddy?" I said to the cat. "That sounds exactly like my life. Forceful change."

Holding up the Tower, I studied the card. Boone had said it meant 'out with the old, and in with the new.' I thought he'd been talking about Aileen passing, but maybe it was more than that. My old life had fallen apart, much like the picture of the Tower in the book. I'd lost my job, my boyfriend, my home, but now I was in Derrydun, and a whole new way of life had presented itself in an unlikely scenario. Lucky for me, I had dual citizenship.

No doubt, the part referring to the 'small problems' could be interpreted as the trio of oddities that occurred when I had decided I wanted to sell. The door to Irish Moon became stuck, the computer froze, and the real estate agent crashed his car into the creek.

It was very specific, and I found myself wanting to believe. Guidance, huh? Maybe there was more in these tarot cards than I first thought.

A loud thud broke the still air, and I jumped, my heart doing a double backflip in my chest. Even Buddy's head flew up, his eyes wide, and his irises so black hardly any green was left showing.

"The hell..." I muttered as I saw a stack of old romance novels had fallen off the nightstand onto the floor.

Scrambling off the bed, I knelt on the edge of the rug and scooped up the tattered books. Flipping them over in my hands, I snorted at the titles. Romancing the Sheik. Desiring the Doctor. Too Hot to Handle.

"That's a trip," I said to no one in particular. "Aileen was into Mills & Boon."

Pushing to my feet, I stumbled, the floorboard underneath the rug wobbling as I moved my weight. What the—Casting the books aside, I rolled up the corner of the rug to reveal the floor underneath. Pressing my palm against each board, they were firm until I leaned heavily on the last. It shot up into the air, almost smacking me in the face. Dodging at the last moment, I grasped the plank of wood and set it aside.

Peering into the gap in the floor, I was surprised to find a book wedged in the opening. Lifting it out, I ran my fingers over the chocolate-colored cover. It was bound in leather and had been handled to the point it had softened like butter. Stroking the spine, it was silky to the touch, and it had a handmade look to it.

Curious, I opened it and began leafing through the pages. There were hand-drawn pictures, pressed flowers, scrawled handwriting, and symbols that were vaguely familiar. That one there was a pagan symbol for earth.

"Mushrooms? Wormwood, ragwort, the root of a...?" I glanced at Buddy, who was watching me from his perch on the bed. "This is weird." Turning my attention back to the book, I read incantations for protection, celebrating the waxing and waning of the moon, spells for calming and taming the weather. Even recipes for natural poultices for healing open wounds.

It was totally a spell book. The whole thing was old, crinkly, and written by hand. This wasn't any reproduction or scrapbook Aileen kept in her spare time. As I flipped through the pages, it was becoming clearer and clearer that it had been compiled by many hands over many years. The language was strange but grew clearer the further I went until the very last pages where I was certain the handwriting belonged to Aileen. Then right at the end were dozens of blank pages.

"Who were these people?" I murmured, thinking about the woman, Mary whatshername, who lived in the ruined tower house. The White Tower. Did she have something to do with Aileen? Mary Byrne. That was it! Mary Byrne.

Sliding back into bed, I set the spell book on my knee and scooped the tarot cards into a neat pile. It sounded absurd, but had Aileen been a witch? Not with magical powers or anything, but...what did they call it? Wiccan?

"Buddy, I'm so confused," I said, burying my fingers into his fur. He began kneading the quilt with his claws and purring at a million miles an hour. "Not that I care one way or the other what religion Aileen followed, but..." I sighed. "No matter what I do, she's still a world away from me. Who was she? Do you know?" Buddy just blinked at me, his purring ramping up to eleven. "Even if you did know, you couldn't tell me. You're a cat." I rolled my eyes.

Flopping back onto the bed, my head hit the pillows, and I let out a frustrated cry. The puzzle only deepened the longer I was in Derrydun. If I knew who she was, then maybe I would have a chance at knowing who I was supposed to be in the wake of her death.

Something was going on here. Something just out of my reach. There was a time where coincidence became more a tipping point and I couldn't help feeling it was coming up fast. I would tip, but which side of the fence would I land on?

Would Derrydun claim me as its own, or would it spit me out?