“I was with her when she died,” the queen said. “This is ridiculous. My mother is not alive.”
“Well, she has to be,” Jack said. “The tattoo with the coordinates we need can only be passed down to a daughter upon her mother’s death. If you don’t have the tattoo, your mother has to be alive.”
The king cleared his throat, drawing the room’s attention. “I may know something about this.”
“What are you talking about, Devin?” the queen asked.
He slowly turned to his wife, like he was wary of facing her. Even once he was looking in her direction, he didn’t meet her eyes. “I think I know why you don’t have the tattoo.”
Ciana’s lips formed a hard line as she listened. “Are you suggesting these beings are telling the truth? That I’m mistaken and my mother is alive?”
The king immediately shook his head. “No, you’re right. Your mother is dead. I’m saying that she never received the tattoo because your grandmother never died…”
“What are you talking about?” the queen asked. “Grandmother Lilli died when I was a child.”
“No, she didn’t.”
The queen fell silent, and her hands clenched into tight fists at her side. I could almost feel the tension between the two royals as Ciana’s eyes turned from confusion to anger. “Tell me everything,” she finally said, her voice almost becoming a low growl.
The king cowered under her glare but was quick to nod his compliance. “I only recently found out that she was still alive,” he said. His words were rushed, like he couldn’t get them out of his mouth quickly enough.
“She came to the palace with some of the refugees and sought an audience with me,” he explained. “At first, I didn’t recognize her, but the similarities between the two of you were too hard to ignore. Your grandmother is very much alive.”
The queen was shaking her head, clearly finding it hard to believe. “And you didn’t think to tell me that my grandmother had miraculously returned from the dead?”
The king visibly swallowed and looked nervously away from his wife. “It’s complicated,” he mumbled.
Ciana scoffed and shook her head once more. “Well, please, elucidate for me…”
I glanced at Dash and Jack, and the two of them looked as awkward as I felt as we listened to the royals’ conversation. It felt like we were stuck in the middle of some lovers’ quarrel and there was no escape. Even if we could leave, there was no way I wanted to miss what Devin was saying. If Ciana’s grandmother was alive, it meant we still had some hope of getting the coordinates.
“Lilli came to the palace because she realized what was happening here,” he said. “She told me she feared for her life and needed my help protecting her.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me this because…”
“Because she told me not to,” he replied. “She came to me because anyone who knew she still lived was in danger, and she didn’t want to risk you being hurt.” His cheeks were growing hot as though he was embarrassed about keeping such a huge secret from his wife, and the scathing look the queen was giving him probably wasn’t helping.
“Where is Lilli now?” Jack asked, interrupting the two of them. He said her name almost as if he was familiar with the woman, and I recalled that Ciana had said her grandmother spoke highly of Jack. How close they had been though, I wasn’t sure.
The king and queen both jumped at the question, like they had forgotten we were also in the room.
The king didn’t respond right away, and if anything his cheeks grew redder.
“Devin, where is she?” the queen demanded.
“You’re not going to like it,” he responded. “But I wanted to make sure she was hidden and safe, and there was only one place I felt certain she would be.”
“Where?” the queen demanded.
“The castle prison cells,” he replied.
A moment of silence rang through the air before the queen screamed. “What?”
We all winced as her voice pierced our ears, and even the king looked like he wanted to scamper away and hide from his wife.
“You imprisoned my grandmother in a cell?”
“She’s fine, Ciana, I promise. I’ve been visiting her daily, and she seems comfortable.”
“She’s comfortable in a cell?” Ciana’s voice was filled with derision. I too doubted that anyone could be happy trapped in prison. Ciana lifted a hand to stop her husband before he tried to answer her. “You will take me to her now.”
The king meekly nodded before he stepped down from the dais. “I’ll take you right away.”
The queen barely gave us as a second look as she hurried past, though the king hovered back. “You three better come with us,” he said. “You’ll need to see if she has that tattoo, after all.”
We nodded and went to follow though I wondered how much the king cared about us being there to see the tattoo. I was convinced he only invited us so he didn’t have to be left alone with his furious wife. I’d be livid too if I were in her shoes.
The queen didn’t seem to be the only one who was annoyed. Jack was also shaking his head and muttering darkly under his breath as we moved from the audience room.
The guards waiting outside the door all gave us curious looks as we exited the room with the royals. None of them dared to voice the questions that were clearly concerning them though as we walked past and followed the king and queen deeper into the castle.
I kept expecting the king to lead us down to the lower floors of the building. I assumed the prison cells would be somewhere in the deepest depths of the castle where not even the light could get in. But, instead, he surprised me by leading us up a set of stairs. The stone steps spiraled as they ascended, and the only sound I could hear as we walked was the slapping of our feet against the ground. We didn’t meet a single soul as we continued higher, and only occasionally did we pass a closed door leading from the stairwell.
“They keep prisoners up here?” I murmured to Dash when it seemed clear that we definitely weren’t about to descend down into the bowels of the castle.
Dash nodded. “This tower is only for noble prisoners though. They are cuffed in iron and have an open window, leaving them a choice. Life in a cell or freedom in death. The commoners aren’t often given such a luxury.”
“Lovely,” I murmured. When I was a child, I’d often admired the castle towers from a distance. I’d never known that they were used for holding prisoners, and I wasn’t sure how much I liked the royal prison philosophy.
When we finally reached the top of the stairs, the king retrieved a box from his pocket. As he opened the lid and pulled out a key, I could smell the scent of iron. The key was ornate and old looking; nothing like the kind of keys I’d used in the Human Realm. I wondered if anyone but the king knew that Lilli was up here. Given that there were no guards standing on duty, it felt like it was King Devin’s dirty little secret.
The queen tensed as the king placed the key in the door and opened it. The door pushed wide, and sunlight spilled into the darkened stairwell. The cell was spacious but sparse with only a small bed furnishing the room.
“Is that you again, Devin?” a woman called. She was standing with her back to the door, staring out through the large gaping hole in the wall that looked over the castle grounds. She sounded so much like the queen, only there was a husky quality to her voice that Ciana didn’t have.
“Grandmother?” Ciana asked, walking into the room.
The rest of us hung back, not wanting to intrude on the queen’s reunion with her grandmother. Jack didn’t seem to get the memo though, because he eagerly walked into the center of the room with the queen.
Lilli spun around at the sound of Ciana’s voice and froze when she saw her granddaughter standing there with Jack at her side. Lilli’s skin was wrinkled with age, and her white hair was so long it reached past her waist. The dress she was wearing was simple and well-worn. It was nothing like the elaborate clothes her granddaughter was wear
ing. Her eyes narrowed as she stared her intruders down.
“You told her?” Lilli crossed her arms over her chest as she looked past Ciana to scowl at Devin. “I should have known you couldn’t keep my presence here to yourself.”
“Yes, well, he shouldn’t have even been trying to keep it a secret,” Ciana said, shooting an angry look at the king that was almost identical to her grandmother’s menacing glare.
“I should leave you both to your reunion,” Devin said before quickly making an exit.
“Yes, you better run,” Lilli called after him. “Why can’t anyone keep a secret around here?” The old woman was a total spitfire and clearly not afraid to say what she thought. As soon as Devin had left from the room, she seemed to relax.
“It’s good to see you, dear,” she said, facing her granddaughter once more. “You look just like your mother did at your age. You have the same willful determination in your eyes, and I’m glad to see that husband of yours isn’t running all over you.”
Ciana also calmed at her grandmother’s words. “He tries,” she murmured.
“Oh, I’m sure he does,” Lilli replied. “And Jack, it has been a long time, hasn’t it?”
Jack nodded, his eyes falling to look at the ground, almost like he was bowing. He seemed somewhat more reserved than normal in the older queen’s presence. Was he nervous? I wondered if his strange behavior had anything to do with Lilli’s request that he freeze the Northern Realm hundreds of years ago.
Lilli then turned to look at Dash and me, suspicion filling her eyes as she focused on us. We were both still standing by the doorway, but our presence hadn’t been missed by the observant old claus. “Who are these beings, Ciana?”
“Friends, grandmother,” the queen replied. “They are here with Jack to help us.”
I smiled nervously at the old queen, but she continued to look at me as though she was unsure if we could be trusted.
“We thought you were dead,” Ciana said, gaining her grandmother’s attention once more.
Lilli lifted her head a little higher and pushed her shoulders back as she focused on Ciana. “I’m sorry that you had to believe that,” she explained. “But I was doing what I thought was best.”
“Because…” Ciana prompted.
Lilli didn’t respond. Instead her eyes flicked over to look at Dash and me once again.
“They can be trusted, grandmother,” Ciana said.
“She’s right, you can speak freely in front of them,” Jack added.
“If you say so.” Lilli was focused on Jack rather than her granddaughter. She slowly drew her gaze back to Ciana though before she continued speaking.
“For a long time, dark beings have been trying to get into our realm, and there was a group of them who finally managed it,” Lilli explained. “When they succeeded in using the North Pole sleigh point, we had Jack cover our realm in snow; changing the geography so drastically they couldn’t access our realm using the sleigh points again.”
Her eyes were sad as she spoke, and I could see from the way she looked at Jack that she regretted what had happened to him as a result of what she’d asked him to do. He’d nearly died from using too much magic, and it was because of her request.
She took a deep breath in before she continued. “That worked for a while, but this group were persistent, and they found another way. They managed to get through the barrier using fairy dust, and as soon as they did, they came after me.”
“Why would they do that?” Ciana asked.
“Because I held a piece of knowledge they would do anything to obtain: Information that could lead to a Christmas star’s location. I couldn’t let them find it though, so I went into hiding to protect the secret. I figured that if they believed I was dead, they wouldn’t come after me, and the star’s location would remain a secret.”
“You could have told us,” Ciana said, her voice filled with hurt.
Lilli gave her a sad smile. “There were ears even in the castle. I couldn’t risk anyone finding out that I wasn’t truly gone. I’d never told your mother or you about the secret our family has always guarded, so I hoped by leaving I would keep the star safe.”
“But you’ve returned,” Ciana said. “Why come back now?”
“I left because I feared the Christmas star’s location might get into the wrong hands, and I’ve returned because now I am certain it will.”
“Why?” Ciana asked.
“Because of Belsnickel,” I said, stepping forward.
“Yes,” Lilli agreed. “Because of Belsnickel. Now that he has escaped, he will want to find the star’s location. I wasn’t safe enough hiding out in the woods anymore. I need the castle’s protection, and I fear even that won’t be enough.”
Jack was shaking his head at Lilli though. “Belsnickel’s magic is returning, and once his powers have fully restored, he won’t need any coordinates to find the star. We need to get to it before him.”
“And what will you do with the star?” Lilli asked.
“Protect it,” Jack replied. “Whatever defenses safeguarded the other stars weren’t enough to stop them from being uncovered and destroyed. We need to bring the final star back here and do whatever it takes to stop Belsnickel from obtaining it. Even if that means putting an army between him and the star, we can’t let him get hold of it.”
“It will be dangerous bringing the star here,” Lilli said.
“It will be more dangerous leaving it wherever it is for him to find,” Jack replied.
The room fell quiet as Jack spoke. It was a hard truth to listen to, but a truth all the same. The air was thick with tension, and I could see how much Ciana and Lilli were reeling as they tried to come to terms with the reality of what we faced.
“We need to see your tattoo, Lilli,” Jack eventually said. His voice was surprisingly gentle, and Lilli’s gaze softened as she nodded in response. The looks they were exchanging were far more familiar than I would have expected. And I began to suspect there was a little more to their past friendship than either one of them had suggested.
“I think you do,” she agreed. She slowly rolled back the sleeve covering her arm. Her skin was marked with a tattoo almost identical to the one that branded the dark queen; only this one read: 26°20'25.6"E.
I pulled the pen I’d summoned earlier from my jeans pocket and wrote the number down on the back of my hand, underneath the first number.
“68°25'38.6"N, 26°20'25.6"E,” I said, reading the two numbers aloud.
“Definitely coordinates,” Dash said, as he came to my side and looked at the numbers on my hand.
“But to where?” I asked.
Queen Ciana summoned a map and walked over to the bed. She placed the map down on the mattress and pressed it flat as she started to pour over it, tracing her finger along the page.
“It looks like it’s somewhere in the north of Finland,” she said once her finger had come to a stop.
“So, I guess we’re going to Finland then,” I said, turning to face Dash. “Any chance you know a sleigh point in Finland?”
“No, but maybe you could help us out with that,” he suggested.
I immediately shook my head. He was trying to hint that I could create one for us, but I instinctively knew that wouldn’t work. I’d had to picture the Northern Realm castle in explicit detail when I’d created the last one. I didn’t believe it would be possible when I’d never actually been to the destination.
“Or, I’m sure the royals know someone who might be able to assist us,” Dash quickly added when he saw my reaction.
Queen Ciana nodded. “Yes, I believe we do.” A moment later, a tomten popped into existence at her side. The tiny figure was wearing a bright red hat and an orange vest that was elaborately embroidered. Tomi’s clothes were usually a little dirty and worn, his beard was pretty much always unkempt, and he lived with a perpetually sour expression on his face. This tomten couldn’t have been more different in his smart clothing with his neatly trimmed bear
d. He actually looked pleased to be appearing at the queen’s side, and Ciana’s face lit up as she looked at him.
“Robit, please fetch Desmond for me? I need him to help us with a sleigh point,” she told the tomten. “Tell him to come to the castle as quickly as possible.”
Robit nodded before popping out of existence once more. I was somewhat in awe of the interaction between the two of them. It definitely proved how dysfunctional the relationship I had with Tomi was. If I asked him to go find someone for me, he’d probably tell me to go find them myself. I wondered if perhaps the two of us needed therapy once all of this was over.
“Who’s Desmond?” Jack asked.
“A sleigh point expert we often use,” Ciana replied. “He’s a scientist who has dedicated his life to the study of sleigh points. If there’s a sleigh point close to these coordinates, he’s the one who will know it. He lives outside the North Pole though, so he could be a while. The three of you should get some rest while you can. You have a long journey ahead of you.”
We went to leave the room, but Lilli stopped us as we made our way out. “I hope the three of you realize the importance of these coordinates,” she said. “If Ciana trusts you, then I do too. But remember, there are eyes and ears beyond this room that would do anything to obtain such powerful information.”
She kept glancing at the tattoo on her arm and then back to us. She’d spent such a long time hiding the tattoo from the world, and I knew it must have been hard to trust anyone else with such a monumental secret.
“None of us will speak a word about you or this secret,” Jack replied.
“I certainly hope not,” Lilli said. She waved us away, and the three of us trailed out of the room.
As I descended the spiraling staircase, I hoped that Lilli had placed her trust in the right people. I didn’t want to let her down. We only had one chance at finding the Christmas star, and I didn’t want to think about what would happen if we were unsuccessful. It wouldn’t just be the old queen we were failing if Belsnickel got to the final Christmas star first. It would be everyone.
Chapter Ten
Christmas Curse (Christmas Magic Book 3) Page 9
