Kip drew his usually happy face into tight, angry lines.
“I know one little elf who’s got an awful lot of explaining to do.”
* * * *
A few minutes later, the great hall filled to capacity with curious onlookers as Celyn stood before Santa.
“Celyn, I’m ashamed of you.” Santa’s voice boomed. He stroked his long white beard. “What’s worse is that you encouraged others to go along with your story.” He gazed out onto the crowded hall. “My shame extends to several of you today.”
Many of the little female elves bowed their heads.
Elise wagged a finger at them. “You naughty elves. You should bow your heads.”
“Elves don’t lie.” Eldan’s voice rang out. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve broken the golden rule.”
Noel looked at all of them. “You’ve caused someone we have come to love a great deal of pain.”
Kip’s anger festered inside him. He longed to put Celyn over his knee and give her a spanking she wouldn’t forget. He glanced out the window where the snow fell. It swirled through the air, falling to the ground, piling against Santa’s castle in drifts.
Almost a foot had fallen since Marni left.
Worry filled his mind...and heart.
“Celyn, you are to be punished.” Santa’s voice rang out.
“No!” She cried. Her body shook. “No, please, don’t!”
Santa nodded his head. “I always grant one elf a special holiday wish each Christmas. This year, I choose Kip.”
Kip’s eyes flew to Santa’s.
“Kip, what is it you wish this holiday? Name it and it’s yours.”
A corner of his mouth lifted, his playful nature returning. “I choose to punish Celyn.”
“Granted!” Santa sat down on his throne. “Proceed.”
Kip walked over to Celyn. He dragged her by the hand, until she stood directly in front of Aardel. “You’re going to punish her.”
Aardel’s eyes grew wide. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Good luck, Aardel.” He gave her a little push. She collided with Aardel’s wide chest. “You’re going to need it.”
Celyn’s lovely mouth formed a wide ‘O’ of shocked surprise.
So did Aardel’s.
Eldan stepped down from Santa’s throne. He bowed before him.
“Sir, you banished Marni from Christmas Town. Kip, Noel and I are asking your permission to use your sleigh so we can go find her.”
Santa nodded. “Permission granted.” He rose to his feet, his black boots and red suit standing out like a beacon in the great hall. “Bring her back to us.”
“We owe her an apology.” Pepper Minstix removed his little felt hat, holding it in his hands.
“Yes, we do.” Elise joined Santa on the steps, her checked skirt swirling around fishnet-clad legs. “And I know some naughty little elves who will be delivering that apology personally.”
* * * *
A little while Pepper Mintstix helped Marni into the sleigh.
“Santa said to take you as far as the border of Christmas Town and River’s End.” Pepper told her. He moved to the front of the sleigh, where the reindeer stood waiting for him. For one crazy minute, Rudolf turned to look at her.
His nose didn’t glow quite as bright, his eyes looked sad, too.
She hid her swollen eyes behind a pair of dark glasses. She hadn’t cried this much since Trevor died.
Damned elves! They had gotten under her skin and into her heart, now they tore it to bits.
“We’re ready, Miss Sands.”
She looked at Pepper. “I’ll bet you’re real happy to see me leave.”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe this, but I’m not.”
“Right.”
He climbed up onto the sleigh. She couldn’t take it anymore. “Don’t do me any favors.” She pushed him off the sleigh, sliding one of her legs out onto the snow-crusted ground. “I’d rather walk all the way back to River’s End.”
“That’s crazy! You’ll freeze to death. It’s colder than—”
“An elf’s nose?” She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Is that more elf lore?”
“Look, Miss Sands, Santa ordered me to take you to River’s End; I don’t question Santa’s orders.”
“Obviously.” She snorted. Marni pushed at Pepper. He slid backwards, falling into a pile of snow. “Just leave me alone...I don’t need anyone.” Her voice cracked.
Pepper rose from the snow. “But—”
“Go!” She shouted.
The reindeer lifted their heads and stomped their hooves. Before she could utter another word, she was thrown back against the seat, the reindeer tugging the sleigh until it rose high into the sky.
“Miss Sands!” She heard Pepper shout. “Come back! You should have said ‘go!’ – the reindeer thought you meant them!”
She didn’t know what to do. The reindeer were out of control, each pulling the sleigh in a different direction. She rocked from side to side, desperately trying to hold on.
In the next minute, the sleigh pitched down. Before she knew what hit her, it landed on the ground with a jarring thud.
She spilled out of it, the snow covering every inch of her.
One snowflake fell, soon followed by another...and another.
They landed on her cheeks and nose.
She rose to her feet and started walking.
It was just too bad she didn’t know where in hell she was going.
* * * *
Marni didn’t know how long she trudged through the snow, her body shaking.
Her fur jacket was no match for the wind’s icy fingers. They swirled around her head, tweaking her nose.
Her fingers felt numb. She placed them against her mouth—her lips were numb as well.
She was tired, so tired...
She drifted in and out of consciousness, wondering how she continued to walk in the bitter cold, her feet as numb as her hands and mouth.
Up ahead she saw lights. A great castle loomed before her...
She was back in Christmas Town!
Marni ran, tripping once, landing in the snow. When she looked up, several elves stood over her. One held a lantern in his hand.
“Who goes there?” He asked, shining the light on her.
“It’s Marni!” She called out.
She rose to her feet, wiping the snow from her jacket.
A tall elf stepped forward. His dark eyes met hers.
“Eldan?” She whispered.
A corner of the dark elf’s mouth lifted.
“Glint’s the name, holiday gloom is my game.”
She fainted dead away.
Chapter Ten
A little while later, one of Santa’s other sleighs rode high in the sky, flying past the moon.
Eldan’s hands guided the reindeer through the swirling snow. He glanced down to see Glint’s fortress. As they neared, a familiar blonde head came into view...
His heart lodged in his throat.
“Land this blasted thing, Eldan.” Kip shouted over the wind.
The closer they got, the more Eldan could see. Glint and his evil little band of elves had Marni in their clutches.
“We’ve got to save her, man. Before it’s too late.” Noel reached over to grab the reins from Eldan.
The sleigh careened to the side.
Noel tried to pull the sleigh to the left, but the fierce wind made it impossible.
The reindeer tugged the sleigh, bringing it closer to earth.
CRASH!
They sleigh landed in a group of holly bushes. Eldan shook his head, and rose to his feet, brushing the snow from his tunic. Noel followed suit.
“Where’s Kip?” Eldan frowned.
They heard a muffled ‘Here I am!’
Kip had landed in a snowdrift head first, his long legs sticking up in the air. He kicked them wildly, trying to dislodge his head and shoulders from the snow.
Noel pulled Kip fr
ee.
“Thanks.” He rose to his feet and shook the snow from his head and shoulders.
“Look!” Eldan pointed towards Glint’s castle.
A group of elves led Marni toward the main gate.
“Marni, lass!” Noel cried.
They ran after her, their long legs eating up the snow beneath their booted feet.
“Marni!”
She turned her head, a look of disbelief on her beautiful face, then her eyes widened. “Eldan! Kip! Noel! Help me.”
Glint turned when he heard her call out.
“Get her inside! Now!” He ordered his elf guards.
She disappeared before their eyes, the huge castle door shutting behind her.
* * * *
Eldan held a snowball against his eye, the throbbing there matching the anxiety twisting his gut.
“Here, let me see that.” Kip shook his head and sighed. “You’re gonna have quite a shiner.” He flopped down on a log next to Eldan. “Well, we certainly showed them.”
He glanced at Glint’s castle where the guards marched back and forth.
“We gave as good as we got.” Eldan grunted.
Noel chimed in. “But not good enough.”
Kip rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “How are we going to get Marni out of there?”
Eldan jumped up from the log. It tipped, dumping Kip into the snow.
“This is no time for your antics.” Noel sighed.
Kip rolled his eyes. “Like I was playing.” He brushed the snow from his legs.
“What’s goin’ on in that head of yours, man?” Noel glanced at Eldan.
“The answer’s right in front of us. In fact,” Eldan lifted one booted foot, “it’s right below our feet.”
“What’s right below our feet?” Kip scrambled to his.
“Snow.”
“Huh?” Noel scratched his head.
“We surprise them... with snow.”
Kip looked around. “If only we had a catapult—something to toss snowballs with.”
Eldan picked up a ball of snow in his hand and tossed it at Noel. It bounced off his chest. “We’re going to be the catapults. We’ll fill Santa’s sleigh with the snowballs. The guards won’t know what hit them.”
Noel grinned. “Now you’re talkin,’ man.”
* * * *
Glint shoved Marni into a chair. He pushed a box of cookies in front of her.
She read aloud, “Kleeber Elf Cookies.” She rolled her eyes. “Is that your idea of a bad joke?”
“Eat.” He nodded toward the box.
“Kiss my...cookie crumbs.” She aimed her chin at him.
Glint sat in a high-backed chair. He dangled a leg over the arm. “Maybe you’d like a drink, instead? Or a smoke?”
“You’re disgusting.” She shook her head. “How did you become such a bad elf?”
She had to keep him talking, especially now that she knew Eldan, Kip and Noel were nearby.
Hope bloomed in her heart.
“I thrive on other people’s despair, especially during the holidays.” He glanced casually at his fingernails. “I do so love to see the suicide rate go up, especially at this time of year.” He grinned sardonically. “Ah, the holidays. Such a nice, lonely time of year, isn’t it? Especially for those who are susceptible to depression.”
“Well, you’re not going to make me sad. I won’t let you.”
Just then, the door flew open. Two guards pushed a kicking, screaming elf at Glint. She fell against him, her big green eyes wide...
“Celyn!” Marni gasped. “What are you doing here?”
“Marni!” She pushed away from Glint and ran to Marni.
Marni wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m so sorry. For everything.” Celyn sniffed back tears. “I got you in so much trouble because I was jealous of all the attention Kip was giving you. Can you forgive me?”
Marni brushed some of Celyn’s red-gold curls from her eyes. “I forgive you, Celyn.” Beneath Celyn’s contrite expression, Marni noticed a loving glow lined her pixie face. She wondered how it got there.
“You really do forgive me?” Celyn asked. She lowered her voice. “Aardel and I hooked up. You were right...Kip’s not for me.” She blushed to the roots of her auburn hair.
“Oh really?”
“Really.” Celyn winced, touching her backside. “The ride here was a little...uncomfortable.”
Marni smiled. “Well, I’m glad you and Aardel worked things out. And I understand, Celyn. I was young once, too. I did some very foolish things.”
Glint rolled his eyes. “Holiday hogwash.”
Marni lifted her chin. “Your cynicism can’t hurt us. I’ve got too much holiday cheer.”
He crashed his hand down on the table. “Enough! I’m throwing you both in my dungeon.”
Celyn gasped, huddling against Marni.
“Your holidays are over.”
Glint’s evil laugh echoed through the castle.
* * * *
Eldan, Kip and Noel tossed snowball after tightly packed snowball into Santa’s sleigh. The freezing temperature turned them into hard little weapons, capable of felling even the strongest elf.
Kip sighed. “If we run out of snowballs, we’re sunk.”
“The objective is to breach Glint’s castle. You two will stay out here and bombard those elf guards with these snowballs, while I sneak inside and get Marni.”
Noel frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you goin’ in there alone, man. It’s too dangerous.”
“What else can we do? There should be enough of these...” Eldan tossed a snowball into the air and caught it deftly in his hand. “To keep the guards distracted.”
“I just wish we had reinforcements.” Kip told Eldan. “A few more good elves would help. Then you, Noel and I could breach Glint’s castle together.
“And just where are we going to get reinforcements?”
“Look!” Noel pointed at the night sky.
They all glanced up to see a sleigh driven by several reindeer head straight toward them. A few minutes later, it touched town on the icy ground.
“Aardel, Pepper...what are you doing here?”
Pepper Minstix helped a female elf down from the sleigh.
“Eldan.” She curtsied. “Hi Kip. Hi Noel.”
“Erlina...” Noel shook his head. “Why are you here?”
Her little face turned pink. She crooked her finger. Noel bent his head so he could hear what she had to say.
“Pepper didn’t want me to come, he said it was dangerous, but I snuck into Santa’s auxiliary sleigh and hid under a blanket. I felt so bad about what I, Celyn and the other female elves did to Marni.”
Noel patted her hand. “It’s good you want to help Marni, but Pepper’s right, you should have stayed in Christmas Town. Glint’s castle is no place for ya.”
“Don’t worry, Noel.” Pepper folded his arms across his chest. “She’ll get her punishment later.”
Her pink face turned crimson.
Kip leaped into the air and clicked the curled toes of his boots together. “I got my wish! Reinforcements.” He shook Aardel’s hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to Celyn and Marni.”
“Marni and Celyn? How did Celyn get inside Glint’s castle?”
Aardel folded his arms across his chest. “Celyn and I have come to an understanding.”
“Ah.” Kip held up a finger. “So the punishment went well, I take it?”
Aardel’s face fell. “Sort of. I told her that things wouldn’t be right between us unless Celyn made it right between her and Marni. Celyn took it to heart and ran off to find Marni and apologize. Now, she’s Glint’s prisoner, too.”
Kip clapped Aardel on the back. “Don’t worry, we’ll get them both out.”
Eldan smiled. His first since Marni left Christmas Town.
“Reinforcements. Well, jingle my bells. Kip, it looks like all o
f your holiday wishes are being granted this season.”
“I guess I’m just a lucky, little elf.” Kip grinned.
* * * *
“Ohhhhhhhhhh, Marni, there’s spiders down here in this dungeon.” Celyn huddled close to Marni’s side. “And I’m freezing.”
Marni tossed her fur jacket across Celyn’s shoulders, lifting the collar around her neck.
“But you’ll be cold.” Celyn’s teeth chattered.
“I’ll be fine.”
Marni glanced at the windows lining the walls. They were too small for even Celyn to crawl through. The walls were too high to climb.
Despair washed over her.
She beat it back, knowing any bad feelings would provide Glint with the edge he needed.
“There has to be a way out of here.”
She drummed her fingers against the wall, but pulled her hand away when she made contact with something slimy.
“I’ve got it!”
“What?” Celyn shivered, despite the fur jacket.
“Slimy walls...hmmmmmmm...slimy little male guard elves. They should be easy to trick, and I’ve got one heck of an idea.”
“I-I’m w-willing to try anything at this point.”
Marni walked over to the door. “Oh Guard! Mister Elf Guard.” She batted her eyes. “We need to use the facilities.”
A beady-eyed elf sentry peeked through the small opening on the door.
In the next instant, it opened.
Marni stuck out her size ‘C’ breasts, lowering the collar of her tunic.
The elf’s eyes widened.
She poked him in the eyes with two fingers.
“Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” He fell back against the wall.
“Come on Celyn!”
They took off at breakneck speed, running down the hall.
Only to collide with Glint and two other elves.
“Going somewhere?” He grasped her shoulders. “But you haven’t tried my Kleeber chocolate mint elf cookies.”
“Let me go!” She struggled in his grasp.
One of the other guards grabbed Celyn.
She screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Stop that infernal screeching!” Glint clapped his hands over his pointy ears.
She kept at it, stopping only to take a breath. Elbowing Marni in the ribs, she told her. “Join in anytime. Elves can’t stand the sound of loud noises. It hurts their ears.”
The Elves and I Page 7
