Page 46 of Song of the Dawn
An idea struck me as the cool breeze floated in. Originally, I’d wanted to find the person who played, and had believed the music came from the island, one of the fabled gods, because there was something sacred and magical about the land. And the shadow creatures had reminded me there were creepier things, horrors I could not fully explain even though I’d seen them with my own eyes. If I found the player of such music, I would ask for a gift, an impartation that I, too, could play from the heart.
With that thought, I dashed to the wardrobe and flung on my dress, but just as I reached for my shoes, the music drifted away. Gone. I waited, but a blanket of silence coated the air. Sitting heavily on the bed, I sighed. I was too late, and streaks of the sunrise were already gracing the inn with light. Next time, I’d have to wake earlier to discover the secret of the music. Since I was already up and dressed, I decided to go to the barn to visit Giselle.
As soon as I walked outside, my eyes were drawn to the tower glimmering in the pale light. My gaze was pulled beyond it, and my feet moved of their own accord, reminded of something Ezra had told me long ago. The island wasn’t an island at all but a bay, connected to the mainland by a path. I’d never attempted to access it, for there hadn’t been a reason, but today I glanced over my shoulder and started up the path to Ezra’s tower.
Rune stones glowed like beacons as I neared the tower, but the stones continued beyond it, like a guide for lost travelers. Heart racing, I continued, hoping that Ezra wasn’t home, watching me explore. Beyond the tower, the path slowly descended, leading back to the lake. I followed it downhill, all the while aware of the tower rising high above me, an ever-present guardian, watching, waiting. I wasn’t trespassing, but my body heated and I quickened my pace, not wanting anyone to spy my curiosity.
The teal waters of the lake shimmered gold in the morning glory, and although the narrow trail beside the lake was muddy, the rune stones clearly marked it. Why hadn’t I seen them before? The path zigzagged like a worm alongside the bank before turning inward into a clump of thickly wooded aspen trees. Green leaves surrounded the wood like a halo of fog, hiding the secrets of the island from intruding eyes like mine. Goose bumps pebbled on my arms, and my mouth went dry. Rune stones stood like guards on either side of the path into the wood. Had Endia run here to discover the secrets of the island? What had she known that had led to her death?
Wind stirred, blowing through the shades of green, creating a low roar of music as I stood on the path, indecision twisting through me. Was the island hostile or friendly? A clear path led into the gloom. If I stayed on it, it would be impossible to become lost. But there was no music, no reason to enter those shaded boughs.
A blur of blackness weaved between the trees, reminding me of the creature I’d seen in the cellar, and my heart skipped. My fingers tightened into fists, and I stepped back, my bravery gone. It was nothing. Just a bird or a beast, for wild animals lived on the island, and I’d almost trespassed into their territory. Still unsettled, I hurried uphill, back to safety.
I discovered Giselle in the barn, humming as she worked. It was warm inside, smelling of animal musk and sweet hay, scents that made my nose itch with sneezes. “Mila, what brings you here this morning?”
Shrugging, I sat on a bale of hay while she weaved a basket together. Giselle’s fingers were always busy. “I heard a violin playing, and since I was already awake, I came here.”
Giselle raised an eyebrow. “A violin?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Does anyone else play around here?”
She dropped her gaze back to her work. “Perhaps it was a musician who spent the night after the harvest festival.”
I doubted it. “I’ve heard it before and then silence for weeks, but now I’ve heard it again. I don’t know where, or why.”
“Strange things happen in these parts,” Giselle said, studying me. “If, though, you’re so curious, maybe you can find out who plays.”
“That is what I intend to do when I hear it again. Have you heard it?”
“No, but the supernatural does not reach out to all of us the same way.”
I chewed my lower lip, wondering if she was thinking of Endia, whom Ezra suspected was dead. But there wasn’t a body to prove it, so she could be far away and happy. “Have you been to the island?” I asked.
Giselle cocked her head. “Of course.”
“No, I mean not using a boat but the path along the bank that leads into the forest?”
“Oh, that side of the island.” Giselle shook her head. “I have no desire to be lost in the forest. I hear the path only takes one so far before it plays tricks on the mind. Besides, the wild animals still live there, and Ezra asked that they not be disturbed.”
I tucked that knowledge away, aware that Ezra warned people away from the island.
“What about the rune stones? What can you tell me about them?”
Giselle smiled. “There’s a tale concerning those too. The stones were carved with runes to protect the villagers from evil spirits and unsavory types that lived on the island. When the gods of music came to change the seasons and the people did not welcome them, they plagued them with grief. Darkness appeared. Some claimed the dead came back to life and spirits made of shadow and bone crept out from the island and haunted them.”
Even though it was full daylight, I shivered at the story.
“To protect themselves, the people took stones and went to someone who could carve runes to protect them from evil. They were placed around the island, creating a path to prevent the spirits from escaping, and they are still here today.”
“So if one stays on the path, or near the rune stones, they are protected?”
“That is the idea,” Giselle said.
I thought of the red eyes and the shadow. “What if the runes don’t work?”
Giselle snorted. “Some things only work if you believe in them. Now, it’s only an old tale leftover from tradition. In my years here, I’ve seen nothing I could not explain.”
Nothing? I’d only been here for three months, and even I’d seen things I couldn’t explain. Another thought struck me even though I couldn’t explain why. “Giselle, have you ever lived in the inn?”
