Twisting the Pole

by Viola Grace

  Comet is content to relive the past, but meeting Salk gives her a glimpse into the future, and she might just let go of regrets.

  Comet is five hundred years old by human standards of linear time, but in her mind, she is the same young woman taken out of the Middle Ages by Santa.

  Being pulled out of her time to become one of the Christmas reindeer had been harsh but better than being stoned or hung as a witch.

  Her foray away from the workshop takes her to a modern past, a Ren Faire. The clothing and traditions are familiar, and she spends time grieving for a family lost many Christmases ago.

  Salk is a coal elf of the naughty-or-nice department. His job has been to find those who are definitely naughty and punish them. He never imagined that he would find a reindeer who needs his nice side more than anything else.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Twisting the Pole

  Copyright © 2015 by Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-987969-06-1

  ©Cover art by Carmen Waters

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com, amazon, kobo, B&N and other eBook sellers.

  Twisting the Pole

  Operation Reindeer Retrieval Book 5

  By

  Viola Grace

  Prologue

  Comet looked around the archive and twisted her lips. “I don’t want to go.”

  Ru hugged her. “I know, but you don’t have to worry about the modern age. The snowflake will tell you what you need to know.”

  Comet fidgeted. “So, it is all right that I am not looking forward to the human world?”

  “It is fine. Santa pulled you from your time when you were nearly an adult. You had every expectation of living your life as a human and milking cows, having babies and plowing fields. This was not a life you could have imagined.”

  Comet ran a hand through her hair. “How can the snowflake give me what I want when I don’t know what I want?”

  “Trust the magic. It will keep you safe and put you where you can be happy.”

  Comet stepped back and held out her hand, extending the envelope to Ru. “Here it is.”

  “Thank you. Here is the snowflake. Put it on you and think of what you want, what you really want. When it is time to return, remove it.”

  “Do I really have to go?”

  “It is the only way to make our point. Come on. A few weeks is a nice change of pace. When you come home, you won’t have to leave again unless you want to. I promise.” Ru stroked her hair.

  Comet nodded. “Right. I can do this. The humans aren’t really that scary.”

  “You may even come to enjoy their company.”

  Comet opened the small box and lifted her tunic to press the snowflake below her navel.

  She closed her eyes and concentrated on what she wanted. She wanted her familiar world back and a man to call her own.

  When she opened her eyes, her surprise was genuine. She was home again.

  Twisting the Pole

  Cora Metzger worked in the front of the silver shop, melting and pouring metal with a skill that her father had possessed.

  Her skirt brushed against her legs as she moved around the shop, and she smiled at the familiar feel. It had taken her less than five minutes to put the information in her mind together to realize that she was inside a renaissance festival, but she was content to be in familiar surroundings, even if it was fake.

  For this one moment in time, she was back where she knew how to do things, knew what techniques and materials were needed and all communication was done face to face.

  She had a shop girl named Vivienne with a pierced nose and anachronistic hairstyle, but she was a whiz at answering the questions from the public while deftly parting them from their money.

  Cora was left with her work and her metal.

  She listened as Viv sold another of her stylized reindeer pendants. Next to the snowflakes, it was the bestseller in her booth and had already paid for the rental of space and materials for a year.

  She finished pouring another casting, and the faces around the open workshop window were fascinated as she set the cast to one side and she poured another.

  The wood of the carved mould smoked as the liquid metal touched the surface. The leather straps buckled the two-part mould tightly together.

  It wasn’t the best mould she had ever carved, but the folks here seemed to enjoy it. Growing up in her father’s workshop, she had carved moulds out of any material she could find. Stone was always good, but for speed, wood was definitely easier. Cuttlefish bone was fine, but they were trying to stay within the confines of a historical period that no one could define, so she stuck with wood. For those making the purchase, it meant that only twenty or less of the pendants would ever be made.

  So, she was going through the different reindeer and snowflakes that were definitely different from those sold in other shops at the faire.

  With her metal hardening, she took her seat at the workbench and started carving her next design.

  After about an hour, Viv came up to her, “Well, we have sold out today’s castings and gotten a hold on the two you just poured. What are you putting in those things?”

  Cora chuckled and kept working with picks and files. “Holiday magic.”

  Viv snorted. “You know I don’t believe in religious holidays.”

  Cora smiled. “Did you know that in the old days, the solstice celebrations were essential to survival? The food that was brought forth gave a much needed calorie boost to get through the coldest days of winter, it was completely consumed. Lords gave their servants a set of clothing and gifts of preserved food. Everyone focused on survival and getting to the next year, but they shared what they had so that they would survive as a community. Now, this wasn’t the case everywhere, but in some places, it took on heady significance. It meant crossing the line between life and death and moving into the future. If that isn’t magical, I don’t know what is.”

  Viv stared at her with wide eyes. “Wow. That was... intense.”

  Cora grinned. “The holidays usually are. All this gift giving is a serious matter. Folks forget that it used to be about survival.”

  “I never thought of it that way. What are you working on?”

  “Oh, the baron asked for some charms to give to the new knights entering the barony. Each one is slightly different.”

  Viv chuckled. “Freaky snowflakes.”

  “You betcha.”

  More patrons came to the shop, and Viv showed them their wares. Cora’s ears perked up when the woman wanted to see the elven coronet.

  This was either going to be a sale or an attempted theft. Sadly, Cora didn’t know which one she was pulling for.

  She finished her mould and blew the shavings out of the design before using a fine brush to remove all small bits of wood from the design.

  When Viv’s voice called out a panicked, “Cora!” Cora was on her feet and over the workbench in a flash.

  She sprinted after the thief with her skirts kicking up around her legs. She didn’t shout, she simply drew close until she was next to the thief. Without saying a word, she plucked the coronet from the woman’s grip and the startled thief fell.

  The coronet buckled between them, and Cora sighed. “I will have to fix that, you know.”

  The woman
in jeans and a t-shirt looked up at her. “How did you catch me in that?”

  Security was running in, and they were prepared to take her into their care.

  Cora smiled. “It is a matter of practice. If I ever see you near my booth again, you will be on your ass so fast you won’t even have a chance to look around.”

  The security officer handed her a form, so she slipped the coronet over one arm as she filled it out. A minute later, she handed it back with a smile. “Thanks, Antoine the Stunning.”

  He grinned at her with his two gold teeth gleaming in his tanned face. “A pleasure as always, Mistress Metzger.”

  She held up the coronet for him to take a photo and then slipped it back on her arm as she returned to her booth. Several bystanders applauded her as she walked back with a swing in her hips.

  Viv was tearful as Cora sauntered up. “Did you...”

  Cora held up the coronet. “Got it. Will have it fixed by morning.”

  “How did she bend it?”

  “She was holding it when I caught up to her. She went down and tried to take it with her. My grip was stronger, but we pulled it out of shape.”

  The torches were being lit, and it was nearly time to close shop. Cora returned to her workbench, and she held the coronet in her hands. She glanced at Viv.

  Viv suddenly got enthusiastic. “Are you going to do the thing?”

  Cora looked around, turned her back to the walkway where patrons were moving in the distance and she held the coronet up to her lips. With a low, slow breath, she exhaled magic on the metal, and it formed back into its proper shape of woven strands of metal wire in intricate patterns.

  Viv shook her head. “How do you do that?”

  “Practice.” Cora quirked her lips. It was a safe piece of magic to use. Viv was interested in the magic of the natural world, so when Cora hired her, she showed her minor magic, and Viv took to it like a duck to water. She couldn’t properly use it herself, but she respected Cora’s mastery of it.

  By the time Cora and Viv parted ways, the human would know how to bend metal, just a little. It would be Cora’s gift to her for the friendship that she extended.

  She handed the coronet to Viv. “Back on the display.”

  Viv took it and juggled it. “It is still hot.”

  “Bending metal gets it hot.” Cora lit some candles on her worktable and finished the carving on the last of the medallions.

  “I don’t know how you can do that by candlelight.” Viv watched her work.

  How could Cora explain that she had learned how to carve at her father’s knee? She had been going to marry a nice silversmith from the next village and work with her husband. That had been her plan until she turned thirteen and she shifted for the first time. She was lucky that it had just been her and her parents who witnessed the transformation, but her fate had changed in that moment.

  Two days later, a very handsome man with very pale hair and a young woman with a ruby necklace had come to the village. They had knocked on her father’s door, and the man had spoken with her parents. While they talked, the young woman had walked outside with Cora, and they had spoken about life, silver smithing and the future. Cora had outlined her hopes and dreams, and the woman had smiled sadly, asking, “What if your future isn’t yours to choose?”

  “I suppose I will do what my father tells me to.” Her faith in her father had been absolute.

  To her horror, her father gave her to the pretty man, and the young woman turned into her mentor and friend. Her parents got security and health for the rest of their lives, and they would die together knowing that their daughter was alive, healthy and safe. She could be what she was and not die for it. It was—by their estimation—a better life.

  They didn’t understand. Life without them hadn’t meant a thing.

  Cora shook her head and continued her work. Modern candles were way better than anything they had had while she was growing up.

  She worked until the design was complete, and she set the mould aside. She would pour in the morning.

  Cora stretched and smiled. “Time to call it a night.”

  Viv went about locking up the displays in the anachronistic safe and locking down the front of the shop. Cora touched the hidden light switch, and as the shop was sealed up, the light came on.

  She helped pack away all of the stock, and when everything was clean and tidy, they opened the rear door of the shop, turned off the lights and locked up.

  They walked together to where the music was ringing and the drums were pounding.

  Viv was dancing before they arrived in the pool of light.

  Cora laughed and bid her friend farewell for the night.

  She stood and watched the dancers for a while. She swayed in place, and it was that small bit of movement that must have caught someone’s attention.

  A man with a new tunic in rich burgundy with silver piping came over to her, and he bowed low. “Mistress, may I have this dance?”

  He stood and extended his hand to her.

  “Well, sir knight, I think we might be able to share it.”

  She gathered her skirts with one hand and placed the other hand in his. He led her into the whirl of dancers, and they skipped, turned and jumped to the music.

  For one moment, Cora forgot when she was and imagined that her parents were watching her dance. It was impossible, of course. They died in a plague ten years after she left them.

  She shook off the memory and focused on the smiling faces until the music ceased.

  She curtsied to her partner and smiled. “Thank you, sir knight.”

  He grinned. “It was an honour to escort you through the dance, Mistress. You are quite skilled.”

  He offered her his hand, and they left the dancing area.

  “You are one of the new knights?”

  He nodded. “Sir Salk Arthwait.”

  She smiled. “Artisan Cora Metzger.”

  “Pleased to meet you, lady. Are you staying for the festivities?”

  She shook her head. “No. I am not a member of the local barony. It is for them and their people only.”

  He scowled. “We are allowed to invite guests.”

  Cora smiled. “I have made other plans already. It was pleasant to meet you, Sir Arthwait.”

  He nodded. “You as well, Lady Cora.”

  She left him and kept herself from looking back. She really wanted to, but it wasn’t a good idea to start something when her trip home was just a few days away.

  * * * *

  Clever. So, that was how the reindeer had hidden. They obeyed the laws of Christmas magic and kept it honest. The ladies were using names that were composed of their actual designations as reindeer.

  Salk shook his head as he watched her go, her skirts swaying slightly as she made her way through the crowd. She moved with the grace of someone who grew up in clothing similar to what she was wearing now. She didn’t check her feet or tug at the skirt.

  So, Comet had come to rest at a holiday Ren Faire. He smiled and moved away from the dancers and into the shadows.

  He darkened his skin and moved away from the festivities. His were not the only eyes following Cora Metzger.

  Salk slipped through the shadows, watching the man who was following Cora.

  The man who was stalking the reindeer was wearing standard street clothing.

  They walked out of the fenced-in area and past security. Cora waved cheerfully, and the man acted casual as he passed the on-duty guards a few moments later.

  Salk slipped past them without them noticing him. Cora walked toward the campers that were lined up, and her stalker followed.

  Salk watched and moved closer to the man who appeared to be up to no good.

  When the youth pulled a blade, Salk grabbed him and held him by the throat. With his voice low in the shadows, he whispered every evil deed that the youth had committed, how punishment was meted out in the karmic universe and w
hat he would face when the wheel of life ceased spinning.

  The youth’s face was streaked with tears when Salk let him go. He crawled away from Salk and got to his feet to run back toward the parking lot.

  Cora disappeared into a tiny house on wheels, and Salk listened for the latch, nodding when it clicked into place. With Cora safe inside, he walked back to the party and the welcoming feast for the new arrivals.

  * * * *

  Cora settled into her loft for the night. Her money was safely tucked away, and she was nearly done with the eBook that she had purchased the night before. After learning that the hero and heroine lived happily ever after on a space station, she turned off the glowing screen and snuggled in for a good night’s sleep.

  She had casting to do in the morning.

  Cora sat at her workbench and worked on the medallions for the knight ceremony. The barony had gotten several new knights in for the holiday faire. Many of the regulars wanted their time with family or weren’t able to get out of their regular work duties. Apparently, day jobs were the bane of the faires.

  Today was Friday. Tonight, there would be a huge ceremony for the knights who were pitching in, and the baron and baroness would acknowledge their efforts to the barony.

  The casting had been the work of an hour. Now, she was polishing and scraping manually, using an agate burnisher to bring out the glittering details.

  It took her hours of Viv answering questions about the work, but eventually, she was able to look up from the final finished medallion.

  She threaded it onto a chain before settling it onto a small velvet pillow in a hand-carved wooden box.

  Cora stood and stretched, flexing her fingers as well as twisting her back.

  Viv finished with a customer and smiled. “Did you want to go for a walk?”

  Cora nodded. “Sure. I will take the medallions and deliver them to the baron.”