Page 21 of The Heart of Moonlight Falls

“It would make sense if whatever happened in the clearing was a failed early experiment,” Eli said as he helped himself to coffee. “Maybe when Selma referenced Nelson taking something he could never replace, she meant taking something from the veins rather than from the family.”

James considered Eli’s words. “What can you take from a vein other than raw energy?”

“Maybe that’s what he took?” Eli gave James a pointed look. “Magical power plants take energy from veins and convert it into electricity, but safely. What if the Storm brothers took energy, but doing it wrong caused an explosive imbalance?”

“And Selma’s been trying to put the energy back with the curse ever since.” Sebastian closed his eyes briefly. “If that’s the case, it doesn’t seem like the energy can be replaced permanently. No amount seems to fill the void.”

There was a grim silence.

If this was the answer to what happened to the veins, James didn’t see how it’d helped them fix it.

“How can taking a finite amount of energy out of a system create an infinite debt?” James scowled at the idea that natural laws could be broken like that. “It’s magic, but it still needs to add up. Whatever they may have taken couldn’t result in a negative larger than the original amount.”

“I’d agree.” Eli put a hand on James’s arm, probably sensing his frustration. “But we don’t understand veins as well as we understand how other magical energy exchanges work. Maybe different laws govern magic flowing between worlds. If so, we have no idea what energy getting trapped permanently in our world would result in.”

James had never considered taking energy out of a vein as trapping it in this world. Vein energy constantly moved between worlds, whether through the whole vein as it did in shifting formations or at the end of fixed formations. Trapping energy in the human world and not letting it flow between could very well do more than deprive the vein of whatever amount of energy was taken.

Sebastian seemed to study Eli. “Even if they took energy, that doesn’t tell us how to solve it. Putting energy back clearly isn’t a permanent solution, and I don’t know if Nelson Power’s secret method of safely extracting energy is our answer either. If that were the case, why didn’t Nelson come home and fix things permanently and free his brother?”

“Maybe we’re wrong.” Eli drained his coffee and set his empty mug down on the counter. “Maybe they didn’t take energy. Remember, whatever’s happening at the intersection is causing higher energy levels than what we’re seeing in town. I’m not sure how taking energy would have that result, even if we don’t know what trapping it in this world would do.”

Defeat hung in the air as Eli left. He’d promised to spend the day researching all possibilities, looking for answers on what happened to veins when energy was taken or why vein energy levels might rise.

Sebastian abandoned his mostly untouched coffee. “What if we can’t solve this?” James sensed the beginning of panic in his words. “What if there was never an answer, and the only way was leaving Selma’s curse and the veins alone?” He gave James a hard look. “What if I ruined everything by using the veins to banish the darkness and I destroyed the precarious balance we had. What if it’s all downhill from here until it ends in disaster?”

James took Sebastian’s trembling hands. “You didn’t ruin anything when you used the veins. You saved the town. Maybe things wouldn’t have become this unstable if you hadn’t beat the darkness, but not banishing it would have been worse. People would have died. We would have died. The invasion might have spread past Moonlight Falls. And for all we know, the spell the shades cast on the veins is what fucked everything up, not you using the veins’ energy to save us.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s done now, regardless.” Sebastian gave a tired sigh. “We have to deal with the situation either way. I just can’t get rid of my guilt.”

“You have nothing to feel guilty for.”

“I know. I’m trying to remember that. It’s just hard.” Sebastian gave James a small smile. “Your reassurance always makes me feel better.”

James returned his smile. “Then it’s a good thing I’m here to remind you.”

“Yeah.” Sebastian’s attention landed on the box of old papers. “I should call my lawyer and see if I can get any useful information on Nelson Power, seeing as I own a good portion of the company, just in case Nelson held the key to stabilizing the vein after all. Who knows, Nelson might have known how to save his family and chosen not to.”

“Maybe taking energy out of the vein safely will bring everything back into balance,” James mused. It was a long shot, but it would be silly not to try and test it. They couldn’t afford to leave any possibility unexplored.

James went to Gray Electrical to meet Hazel and get started on replacing the lights in town. They loaded everything they needed into Hazel’s new van and drove the short distance to the town circle.

Hazel pulled over in front of the first broken light. “Eleanor asked if we’d have much warning before things explode, but I told her I had no idea.”

James got out of the van and helped Hazel unload the new light and a ladder. “We might not have much warning, but if things get worse, like if the energy in the fuel cell drops too much or the weird sinkhole gets much bigger, maybe we should get everyone out of here.”

Hazel nodded in agreement. “Better to be on the safe side.”

They fixed the lights on the diner side of the circle, and Parker came out periodically to ward them. Around midday, Sebastian met them for lunch in the park, and they all dug into Parker’s club sandwiches, Sebastian with a vegetarian version.

James wanted to enjoy the moment. He had his friends and the man he loved. He wanted to daydream about last night and get caught up in picturing his future and all the ways he and Sebastian’s love for each other could grow.

But he couldn’t. The uncertainty of the veins hung over everything like a dark cloud. James had never been so scared the future he wanted would be taken from him. It was the same old fear that had always plagued him, causing him to shy away and detach himself, but he wouldn’t stay that way this time. He wanted to fight. He wouldn’t let anything come between him and Sebastian. He just wished he knew how to save them.

As they finished eating, James spotted William exiting town hall. He crossed the street, heading toward them, glaring.

“Great, just what we need,” he grumbled, and Hazel grunted in agreement.

William fixed his attention on Sebastian as he reached the picnic table. “You should have stayed at your haunted house.”

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