Iron & Wine (The Iron World Series) Read online

  Iron & Wine

  By Candace Osmond

  Copyright 2012 Candace Osmond

  Kindle Edition

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One – Dust Fairies

  Chapter Two – Hurricane Tess

  Chapter Three – Home away from Home

  Chapter Four – Friends and Foes

  Chapter Five – Love Hate

  Chapter Six – Competition

  Chapter Seven – A work of art

  Chapter Eight – Motion Overruled

  Chapter Nine – All Hell

  Chapter Ten – A Night for Introductions

  Chapter Eleven - Civil

  Chapter Twelve – Fairy Tales

  Chapter Thirteen – Jack

  Chapter Fourteen – It’s a Date

  Chapter Fifteen – Party Hard

  Chapter Sixteen – Revelations

  Chapter Seventeen – Acceptance

  Chapter Eighteen – Unveiling

  Chapter Nineteen – All That Glitters

  Chapter Twenty – Cryptic

  Chapter Twenty One – Iron Worlder

  Chapter Twenty Two – Answers

  Chapter Twenty Three – Matter of Opinion

  Chapter Twenty Four – Reassurance

  Chapter Twenty Five – Bonds

  Chapter Twenty Six – Halloween

  Chapter Twenty Seven – Consequences

  Chapter Twenty Eight – Max on a Milk Carton

  Chapter Twenty Nine – Suicide Mission

  Chapter Thirty – Crumble

  Chapter Thirty One – Who Are You?

  Chapter Thirty Two – Home

  Chapter Thirty Three – Hope

  Chapter Thirty Four – Open Arms

  Chapter Thirty Five – Forever

  Blood & Bone: Part Two Sneak Peak of the Iron World Series

  About the Author

  Iron & Wine

  By

  Candace Osmond

  Chapter One-Dust Fairies

  I woke to the touch of sunshine slightly warming my face and smiled in content as I looked up through the large skylight above. Through the rays of warm sunshine gleaming down, every particle of dust floating could be seen dancing in the air. They made me think of little fairies, too tiny to ever see. When I reached up to touch them, it was as if they weren’t there; weightless, yet each particle danced away from my fingertips.

  I yawned and stretched my limbs as I pulled the warm, heavy duvet up around my face. Aunt Tess's house was my favorite place on earth, not that I had been to many places to compare, nonetheless, I was certain that this was my favorite. I looked around my one-of-a -kind room, as I often did, in awe. The room was small, yet humble, housing my double bed, dresser and cluttered computer desk just fine. The unique aspect of my bedroom is the fact that it's made entirely of old stone walls and large oak beams. It gave a very warm, woodsy feel to the bedroom. Almost the entire ceiling was a skylight; Aunt Tess always said that special little girls should sleep under the stars every night. But, then again, she also believes that her garden is full of sprites and magic fireflies.

  The house itself was not really a house but a large cottage about an hour outside the city. Like my room, the rest of the home consisted of aged stone walls and dark wooden beams. Our place is what Tess calls ‘open concept’. The huge living room is the very heart and center of the house, with a stunning red stone fireplace that reaches up through the ceiling, surrounded by miss-matched furniture made of logs and wicker and are adorned in dozens of fluffy and colourful pillows, so much that you could barely see the seating underneath. Aunt Tess was always so worried that I wasn’t happy or comfortable here in the country so far from other kids my age and the convenience of the city, so she overcompensated with things like giving me the largest room or getting up early everyday just to make me pancakes. The truth was; I’m totally content being here in her fairy tale cabin. I never was one for large groups of friends or shopping or the buzz of a big city.

  On the north side of the living room is a kitchen full of antique cabinets and pieces Aunt Tess salvaged and re-finished. On the sunny southern side of the living room sits a dining room completely encased in glass panels that open into a magnificent garden. The only item in that area is a huge dining table made of an old oak tree from out back, topped with a slab of cool white marble. Hands down, it‘s the most beautiful piece in the entire house, surely a work of art. Maybe that's why it is my favorite piece, since I am an artist. Well, an art student, come Monday. I took in a nervous breath as I remembered that this was my last weekend living at home in my beautiful, quiet and comfortable paradise in the country.

  "Avery, are you up yet?" Tess asked as she knocked at my door.

  "Yeah, I’m up Aunt Tess," I replied with another yawn.

  "Don't call me that, it makes me sound old," she protested as she entered my room and skipped over to my bed. She was thirty six, but looked as if she were only in her mid-twenties. She was really more of an older sister than anything else.

  "Seriously, get up. I only have one day left with you before you leave me forever," she half joked as she ripped the duvet off the bed.

  "Tess!" I cried and scrambled towards her. "Give it back!" Standing all of only five foot two in heels and sporting the bone structure and milky skin tone of a fourteen year old, it often felt like she was the teenager instead of me. But, all it took was one glance into her emerald green eyes to see the age and wisdom she kept hidden behind them to quickly remind me that she was the parent, not me. "What are you talking about anyway? I don't leave ’til Sunday. It's only Friday."

  She grinned. "True, but today doesn't count because we're wasting it shopping!" Her big green eyes gleamed with excitement and she tossed my duvet back on the bead. While she absolutely loved to shop, I completely despised it.

  I mean, I’m not totally unreasonable, I don’t mind going to the mall, when I need things, even though I prefer to shop online. However, shopping with Tess is like participating in a marathon or going to the dentist; you really don't want to do it, and you try everything to avoid it, but for some reason you find yourself doing it anyway.

  "Come on Tess, I already have what I need for school. Everything is already at my apartment in the city. I don't need anything else," I pleaded in hopes to detour her from the idea.

  She gave me puppy dog eyes which quickly turned to a scowl. "Don't argue with me, I will spend money on you and you will love it," she ordered, trying to keep a straight face. "And what good is all of my money if I can't spend it?" Tess was one of the best, if not the very best, landscape designer in the area. People paid her big bucks to come and turn their properties into dreamlike gardens or extraordinary outdoor getaways.

  I gave her a scolding look back, but then gave in and laughed. You couldn't be serious around her. And I knew there was no way out of this.

  "Fine, get out so I can get ready," I ordered. She jumped up and skipped out of the room, pixie-like, with a victorious smile.

  "Be ready and downstairs in twenty minute
s," Tess quickly added as she closed the door behind her.

  With a sigh, I got up and walked over to my mirror. My hair is totally crazy and I never know what to do with it. I’m quite short myself, though still taller than Tess, with a dainty nose and a nice set of plump lips, if I do say so myself. With my ivory skin and long, loosely curled dark red hair, most people assume I should have freckles and green eyes too. Instead, I have wide, chocolate brown eyes that seem to fit my oval face just fine, not a freckle in sight. I played with my hair until I inevitably gave up and tossed it into a messy ponytail.

  I quickly threw on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white tank top, grabbed my purse and ran downstairs. Tess had pancakes ready, my favorite, and fresh coffee. I sat down and started digging in while she paced around and ticked items off a mental list of the things she was convinced I needed.

  "For sure you need some scarves. In five, no, ten different colors! Artsy people always wear scarves." I rolled my eyes and kept wolfing down my breakfast and ignored her.

  Chapter Two-Hurricane Tess

  Six hours and too much money later, I found myself ready to collapse as we made our way from store to store. I’d lost all feeling in my fingers from the heavy bags in my hands. I was tired and bored after the first store. I seriously hate shopping. "Tess, could we sit down or something?” I begged.

  After one look at my exhausted face, she gave in. "Sure, I need a coffee break anyway.” We headed off towards the food court, where I got a gigantic chocolate chip muffin and a large coffee. I needed the energy to keep up with her.

  We sat quietly across from one another at a small table near the edge of the food court. I stared out over the balcony looking down onto the shoppers below. So many people and this wasn’t even a city mall. It made me a little more than nervous to remind myself of how I’ll be living in the huge unfamiliar city, far away from home, in just days. I debated a thousand times this past week whether or not I was making the right decision. Obviously getting an education should be high on my list of priorities, and it really is, but I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something was wrong or perhaps I was rushing into it. I mean, it’s not uncommon to take a year off after high school. I let out a sigh and slouched down into my chair.

  “Oh, come on, is it really that bad?” Tess asked. She clearly took my exasperated sigh as a sign of my feeling towards shopping with her.

  I forced a smile. “No, sorry, I was just thinking…”

  “About what?”

  “School, the city, how soon it is…”

  Tess gave me a reassuring smile and reached across the table to hold my hand. “Avery, you are so ready for this. Trust me, if there were anyway that I could convince you to stay, without making myself feel terrible for holding you back, I totally would.” She let go of my hand and sat back with a sigh. “But, you’re a teenage girl, with a gift for art and a thirst for knowledge. I have to let you go. Please don’t feel like you have to stay for me.”

  I just forced another smile and nodded as I took a big sip of my coffee. She drank her decaf and scowled at me for having the real thing.

  "Stop looking at me like that. Let me enjoy my coffee," I told her. Tess had an ulcer and couldn’t stomach caffeine. "Besides, I don't think someone like you should have access to caffeine." I grinned and looked at her over the rim of my cup.

  "What do you mean 'someone like me'?!" she shrieked as a piece of her muffin flew towards my face.

  "Oh you know; crazy people? People who can shop this much and not even break a sweat! I'm ready for a nap!" I joked.

  "Okay, fine. We'll stop," she surrendered. "I just like buying things for you; it makes me happy to give you everything that you deserve. You’re a good kid, Avery you deserve it.” She was so good at the guilt tripping. It also doesn’t help that she looks like a little girl who had her heart broken.

  "Fine, one more stop, that's all I’m giving you," I yielded and held my hands up in defeat.

  She instantly changed her mood, jumped up and started grabbing our stuff. "Come on, if I only have one more stop then it's going to be shoes. I saw these awesome boots on sale a few stores back."

  I sighed, grabbed my coffee while juggling the rest of the bags, and headed off in the direction of Hurricane Tess.

  Now, three new pairs of boots I really didn't need later, we were finally on our way out of the mall. As we were coming up to the used book store, I gave Tess a sideways glance. She was already looking at me. She knew what I was thinking.

  "Fine,” she sighed, “Go on. I'll be waiting here," and planted herself down on a bench as our bags and boxes fanned out around her like a gown.

  I ran inside, not for the books they sell, but for the person who worked there, my best friend Julie. I’ve known her ever since I was a baby. She has lived in the next house over from us my entire life, and now she is going to be my roommate in the city. It was Jules who actually found us a great apartment within walking distance to school. I haven’t seen it yet, and she keeps making trips back and forth to get the apartment ready. She claims that it’s a surprise, but really I know that she’s just trying to make my transition from my home to the city as easy as possible. Julie is the main reason why I agreed to it in the first place. Growing up, she couldn’t wait to get out of here. She always had a strange pull towards the city, spending all of her free time there and dragging me along with her. But, I had to admit, if she were to leave I would be devastated, therefore leaving me with no choice but to go with her.

  As I approached the store, I called out to my friend. She turned from her book cart to see who was calling her name, and gave an enthusiastic smile when she saw me. Julie is by far the prettiest girl in town, except she neither noticed nor cared. Up until we were twelve, she had acne, braces, and glasses. That summer she went away to camp, the longest time we have ever been separated, when she returned home, she was no longer the pre-pubescent, awkward looking straggly girl who left. Shockingly, she had transformed into a gorgeous young woman. It took some getting used to, but Jules returned tall with a sun-kissed tan to her fair skin. Her light green eyes complimented her beautiful straight, platinum blonde hair which is now nearly as long as mine. These undeniable changes classify her as the town knockout. But even with the stereotypical looks, Julie is the most humble person I know.

  "Hey, what's with the shopping? I thought you were done everything for school?" she asked, eyeing Tess and the numerous shopping bags surrounding her, outside the store. Tess waved hello, and Julie waved back.

  "Yeah, you know Tess though, I basically had no choice. On the bright side, you have dibs on everything. I got three pairs of 'Fall Boots'." Julie laughed in response.

  "So, what time are you planning to head to the city on Sunday?" she asked as she added an old book to a growing pile on her cart. One of her last purchases with her employee discount no doubt. Julie had more books than a public library.

  "I was thinking after supper. You know, enough time to get there, unpack a little, and settle in before Monday."

  "Yeah, that sounds good. Just don't come to the apartment right away, I probably won't be finished. Call me when you get to the city and meet me in the park across the street," she instructed.

  I gave her a suspicious look. "Jules, seriously, what the hell are you doing? You've been going back and forth all summer," I asked. "Are you building the apartment? Oh no, we don’t even have an apartment, do we? I am not living in a tent in the park, you freaky flower child!" I teased as she punched me in the shoulder and attempted to put me in a head lock, without dropping her books. We chatted for another few minutes, and then we said our goodbyes and agreed to meet in the park on Sunday night.

  The drive home was a relief. I was finally done with shopping and off my feet. I took my hair down and let it blow around my face in the soft summer wind. I never got car sick in Tess's Mustang, probably due to it being a convertible I
felt as though I could breathe properly and not feel confined. Vehicles tended to always make me motion sick. As a child, I would ride thirty minutes to school on my bike because I couldn't handle sitting on the bus any longer than a few minutes. Now that I have my Vespa, I can get where I need to go without the nauseating effects.

  I took in a deep breath of fresh air. The sun was nearly down and the sky was becoming a beautiful shade of blue violet, with a fiery orange horizon.

  "Hey, are you feeling okay?" Tess asked sympathetically, "You're not getting sick, are you?"

  "Oh no, I’m good. Just enjoying one of the last summer nights," I assured her.

  "Good, I just had the seats cleaned," she teased. I laughed and rolled my eyes as we pulled up to the cottage. It took us three trips, each, to unload our purchases and bring them to my room.

  "Tess, how in the world am I going to get all this to the city?"

  "Easy. You drive the Vespa and I'll load everything else into the Mustang," she stated simply.

  I was touched. Tess did so much for me. Today alone she spent a large portion of her personal savings all because she thought the world of me and wanted to make sure I had everything I would need to live on my own. She has never said no to me, yet managed to raise me as a respectful and honest young woman. Tess is both a mother and a sister, and has been for most of my life. My father brought me here when I was a baby, after my mother left. Tess has always said that she fell in love with me instantly, and was happy that my father decided to leave me with her while he was away working. She is my best friend besides Jules, and I hers.

  Up in my room, I started sorting through my new purchases and everything that is coming and what is staying. "Brown leather boots, taking. Red satin clutch purse, staying," I said to myself. When would I ever use a clutch purse, a red satin one at that? I’ve been using the same black shoulder bag for the past six years. It may be worn and faded on one side from rubbing against my hip, but you could fit anything in it. I loved it.