She put her backpack away and got out her eReader. She read a couple of pages but was having trouble concentrating. She felt restless for some reason. She put her jacket back on and went downstairs. She headed for the kitchen. She found the cookies, grabbed a couple, and went out the back door. She headed straight to the cabin.
As soon as she walked in the door, she knew this was the right place for her to be at the moment. It was cold, so she magically lit a fire in the fireplace. It didn’t take long for the small room to heat up. When it was nice and cozy, she took her jacket off and sat down at the table. She ate her cookies and just relaxed. So, when the cabin door opened, she just about jumped out of her skin. Without thinking she had an energy ball ready to throw.
When she saw that it was Ben, she felt a little silly. She quickly reabsorbed the energy and the ball vanished.
“That was pretty impressive,” Ben said joining her at the table.
“Thanks, I guess,” she said. “And again, I’m asking you, why are you always sneaking up on me? I think I might have to put a bell on you. How did you know I was out here anyway?”
“Once again, not sneaking, I guess I just have natural stealthy abilities. I was looking out my window and I saw smoke coming out of the chimney. Plus, the Protector in me always knows where you are when you’re close remember.”
“Tell me more about that, please.”
“About how I know where you are?” Ben asked.
Alix nodded.
“It’s hard to explain. The closer you are to me the stronger I feel it. I guess it’s kind of like a comfort thing. The closer I am to you the more comfortable I am. The farther away the more uneasy I feel. Your presence calms me. I’m not explaining this right, but it’s really difficult to tell you what it feels like.”
“That’s okay. So, I have another question. When I’m searching for someone, I fling my magic out like a fishing net. When the magic finds something, I feel a tug and the closer I get the stronger the tug. Is that kind of what it’s like when you know where I am?” Alix asked.
“I guess it’s kind of like that. It’s funny how hard it is to try and explain the magical part of us but it so natural to use,” Ben said.
“You’re right. Doing it and explaining it are two very different things.”
“So, what are you doing out here anyway?” Ben asked her.
“I got really restless in my room and started walking. This just felt like the right place to be,” Alix said. “Have you spent much time out here?” she asked him.
“Not really. In fact, I think the only time I’ve been in here was when we brought you here the day you turned seventeen.”
“Huh. I find it pretty peaceful out here, especially with the fire going.”
They sat there in silence for a while just listening to the crackling of the fire and feeling the warmth radiate throughout the cabin.
After a while, Alix asked Ben, “What are you thinking about?”
“You. And me,” he said.
“What about you and me?”
“Sitting here made me think about the day you got your tattoo. I remember seeing your brightly colored flower and realizing that you were the Chosen One. My first thought was that I couldn’t believe I was going to be the Protector of the Chosen One and not in a good way. It was a completely selfish thought and so minor compared to what you were going through. After I thought about it for a while, I felt bad.”
“Don’t worry about it, Ben. We are all entitled to our own thoughts and feelings. I was suddenly faced with being a magical being and you were suddenly the Protector of the most important Nykara in history. Your feelings are no less important than mine.”
“The longer I know you the more I understand why you were meant to be the Chosen One. You’re already more mature than a lot of adults, you have a good head on your shoulders, and are great in emergencies. All of that and you’re still learning what you’re capable of. I’m glad I get to witness this first hand and I get to be your Protector.”
“Um … I don’t really know what to say. I don’t see myself that way. For the most part, I still feel like regular old Alix.”
“I understand that,” Ben said. “So, are you ready to go back to the house or is there still a reason you need to be here?”
Alix thought about that for a minute. “I think there’s still a reason for me to be here but I’m not sure what it is. Maybe I just need to concentrate.”
“I can be quiet or leave if you need me too.”
“No, you can stay, I don’t think it’ll make a difference,” she told him.
Ben stayed at the table while Alix went and sat on the floor in front of the fire. She crossed her legs, put her hands on her lap, and let the warmth of the fire relax her. She eventually closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling that led her to the cabin. She sent her magic out to fill the room to see if there was anything she could find. She felt something, and it seemed to be right in front of her. She opened her eyes and all she could see was the fire. She used her magic to put out the fire and move the wood aside. When she did, she saw a small square that was darker than the rest of the stone. It was just a couple of inches big. The stone was still warm, so she waited until it started to cool and noticed that as it cooled the darker square lightened until it became the same color as the rest. When that happened Alix moved closer and pressed her tattoo to the area where the square was. The square opened to reveal a small object inside. Alix took it out and held it in her hand. It was a white cloth bag that was smaller than her palm. It had a silver drawstring that could be tied to close it. She looked inside of it, but it was empty. She held her tattoo over the little door to close it and put the wood back in the fireplace to conceal where the door was. She took the bag and went back to the table where Ben was waiting.
Alix held out the small bag for Ben to see.
“What is it?” he asked her.
“I don’t really know. It just looks like one of those bags you sometimes get jewelry in but there’s nothing in it. The cloth just feels silky. The most unusual thing about it is the string that closes it. It looks like real silver but feels like an ordinary string. Just another mystery, I guess. I think we can go back now,” Alix said with a shiver.
It hadn’t taken long for the chill to come back once the fire went out, so they quickly put on their jackets and headed back to the house. It was Alix’s turn to make dinner since her dad was still at the dental office and her mom was working tonight. She didn’t mind as it was something to occupy her thoughts. Ben decided to help her. After cooking together for a few weeks in Culinary Arts they were fairly comfortable in the kitchen and worked well as a unit. It was mostly Alix telling Ben what to do but he was getting better.
Later that night Alix was lying in bed thinking about the small bag she found. She’d put it with the box from Stonehenge. She planned on taking everything with her to Ireland. She couldn’t figure out what the little bag could possibly be for. They had looked at it closer and even tried to examine it with magic, but it just appeared to be a small cloth bag. She eventually drifted off thinking about what it might be used for.
Chapter 9
The rest of the week was pretty much just school, homework, studying, and sleeping. By the time Friday afternoon came, Alix was ready for the week to be over. She was fed up with talk of finals and studying.
They dropped Shay off at her house on the way home. She’d wanted to spend the night, but her mom had insisted that she be home as they had some family coming over for dinner.
Alix had been so busy with school that she’d all but forgotten about the situation in Paris. She felt bad when she realized it. She also thought it was really strange that no one had contacted her to keep her updated.
After she put her school stuff away, she went and knocked on Ben’s door.
“Hey Alix, what’s up?” he asked when he opened the door.
“Have you heard from James or Gordon or anyone this week?”
“No, now that you mention it I haven’t.”
“Neither have I and it’s kind of weird. I was expecting an update on the situation with the Nykara in Paris and I haven’t heard anything.”
“Do you think we should call James?” he asked.
“It couldn’t hurt,” Alix said and dialed his number. It rang and went to voicemail. She left a message and hung up.
“Maybe he’s still at work?” Ben said.
“Maybe. I guess it could be that everyone is busy with the Nykara that were given the Grynn magic. Why don’t we go to the Map room and see if we can learn anything about the missing Nykara ourselves,” Alix said.
“Okay.”
They went down to the room of rooms and entered the Map room. They zoomed in on northern France and looked for the purple dots. Whereas last time she was able to find them quickly she didn’t see them in the same area as last time.
“This isn’t good. They were right here last time and if we’ve rescued them, they should be at the Paris safe house,” Alix said pointing at the map. “I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s keep searching.”
They kept looking on the map until Ben finally found a purple dot.
“Here’s one,” he said. “But it’s not even close to where it was before, but it’s still in France.”
They searched some more and still didn’t find the other purple dots. They decided to zoom in on the one that they did find. They were shocked by what they found. When they got as close as they could they could see that all four missing Nykara were in the same place, but so close together that they appeared to be one dot. There were also several blue dots close to them.
“Why do the Grynn still have the missing Nykara?” Alix said rather irritated. “We’ve known about this for more than a week. I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
“I’m with you on that,” Ben said. “The Council was supposed to get them right away so there was less of a chance for anything to happen. Can we take a picture of this?”
“I’m not sure, let’s try.” Alix got her phone out and took a picture. It seemed to work so they took another one from farther away with Ben pointing to the area of France they were in. She sent the pictures to the entire Council along with the words Why don’t we have them yet???
Alix and Ben made their way back up the spiral stone staircase. They ran into Rick on the way to the main floor and told him that the captured Nykara were still with the Grynn and that they hadn’t heard from the Council. He told them he’d make a few calls to see what he could come up with.
When they got to the kitchen Alix decided that she was in the mood for brownies. She’d found a new recipe online that she wanted to try. It was a dense brownie with salted caramel chips in it and a caramel glaze. She doubled the recipe since everyone in the house was a huge brownie fan. Ben sat at the breakfast bar and watched her. It didn’t take her long and soon they were in the oven.
It was also her family’s turn to cook dinner, but Alix didn’t really feel like cooking tonight. She sent a quick text to Ben, Natalie, Rick, and her parents.
Alix: Chow’s for dinner???
Ben’s phone dinged, and he looked at Alix. “I’m sitting right here, did you really have to text me?” he laughed.
“Yep, that way you didn’t feel left out of the group text.”
“Don’t feel like cooking tonight?” he asked her.
“Not really. Baking relaxes me but I’m tired and cooking a big meal for everyone just didn’t sound too appealing tonight.”
Ben: Sounds good to me.
Alix laughed when her phone vibrated. She knew it was Ben’s text and played along.
Alix: Okay
It was going to be a while before the brownies were ready, so they went to watch TV. Alix had the timer set on her phone, so they wouldn’t burn. Ben turned on the early news to see if there was anything interesting. Alix perked up when she heard what the news anchor had to say.
“It has been determined that the bombing of GRN Headquarters in Paris last month that killed twenty-two people was the work of a rival company. The CEO François Moreau has issued the following statement.”
The screen changed to a video of François. Alix couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“The person or persons responsible for this terrible tragedy will not get away with this. We have every resource available to us searching for the responsible party. Our initial investigation has determined that this was the work of our greatest competition and they will be brought to justice.” Then Victor joined François. “My son and I are tremendously saddened by the loss of our friends and colleagues and our deepest sympathies go out to their families. We want you to know that this will not be forgotten. We are working on rebuilding and plan to come back even stronger and more united than before. Thank you.”
The announcer went on to talk about some violence that was taking place in the rest of Europe. Alix sat there stunned for a moment. She hoped that she’d never see François again. Ben figured out right away what was going on.
“Are you okay Alix?”
“Uh … I’m not sure. I was hoping to never see his smug face again. I guess he escaped after all. And I know that whole thing was about me. I knew that if he survived that he’d be going after me, but knowing it and seeing it on TV are two different things.”
“Don’t worry Alix, you’re strong and have the support of the entire Nykara nation behind you. We will find a way to bring this to an end.”
Alix was quiet and lost in her thoughts. Seeing François brought it all back. Being scared for her family and friends, the feeling of being helpless when she woke up in the cell and how terrified she felt as she tried to escape. She thought she’d gotten over most of it, but maybe she hadn’t. The only bright spot in all of that was hoping that François didn’t make it out but now she knew that wasn’t the case.
Her phone chimed. It was a text from her mom that said they’d be going to Chow’s for dinner as soon as she got home. Alix knew that Ben was waiting for her to say something, but she just didn’t know what to say, out loud anyway. It was time for another journal entry. She went to her room and got her journal. She started to write in it but remembered her brownies. So, she took it to the kitchen and sat at the table to write. She was aware of Ben in the kitchen but still didn’t know what to say to him yet.
Dec 16
One of these days I’m going to sit down and write that everything is perfect, no one is in trouble, and the Grynn are gone for good, but today is not that day. I realized earlier today that no one from the Council has updated me on the status of the missing Nykara that were captured and infected with Grynn magic. We knew who they were and where they were, so I assumed it was just a matter of hours until we had them back. But I guess I was wrong. I don’t understand why the Grynn still have them and why no one is telling me what’s happening. I’m kind of the unofficial leader of the Council and I thought I’d made it pretty clear that I needed to know what was going on at all times with the Grynn. And why is no one calling or texting me back??? Something is up, I just don’t know what it is.
And then I see François on TV vowing revenge on the ‘responsible party.’ I guess that’s me. They’re saying that a rival company bombed their headquarters. I guess we’re rivals. The news guy called it GRN. I’m assuming that’s short for Grynn but does that mean they have/had a legal business? I guess I need to research that. The news guy also said that 22 people died. I think I should feel bad for that, but I just can’t. And I think I’m feeling bad about not feeling bad. They were all Grynn and all of them were evil and trying to kill me. I don’t promote the death of others but when it comes to the safety of me and those I care about, all bets are off. I’m more worried about François and Victor going after my friends and family than me. That’s what happened before and now he knows it’s my weakness. I wonder if there’s a way to protect them. The rings mom, dad and Shay have are supposed to protect them from harm. But the G
rynn were able to use the Sleep of Death on mom and dad. I guess they weren’t exactly hurt so maybe it does work. I think I’ll ask one of them if I can take a closer look at one of their rings. Who knows what I might find.
The timer went off on Alix’s phone. She put her journal down. It was time to check the brownies, they certainly smelled ready. Alix took a toothpick and tested the center. They were done. She took them out and put them aside. She went back to her recipe and made the caramel glaze and put it on top of the brownies. She couldn’t wait to taste them. Waiting was going to be the hard part. She’d been so lost in finishing the brownies that she’d almost forgotten that Ben was still in the kitchen.
“Hey,” she said. “So sorry for all of that. I sometimes just get lost in my thoughts. I know most people talk about things but most of the time it’s easier for me to write it down.”
“You do whatever you need to do, Alix. I’m here if you ever need to talk or anything, okay?”
Alix nodded. “Okay.”
She put her journal away and met Ben in the den. They were waiting for everyone to get home before they went for Chinese food. Ben had put a Christmas movie on and Alix knew he did it to cheer her up.
Within the hour everyone was home, changed, and ready to go eat. On the way there, Ben filled everyone in on what they’d seen on the news and about what they’d found in the Map room. Rick said he’d left a few messages and was waiting to get calls back. They all agreed it was strange that the Nykara were still with the Grynn and that no one had updated them on the situation.
When they got to the restaurant, they left all thoughts of missing Nykara and Grynn at the door and decided to just enjoy their dinner out. Alix got her usual, ginger beef, chow mein, fried rice, and spring rolls. After everyone ordered they talked about normal things, the weather, school, Christmas, and vacation time. They all must have been hungry when the food came because the table got really quiet. Even though Chow’s was the only Chinese restaurant in town the food was still really good. Alix decided that while she was on Christmas break, she was going to try to learn how to make some Chinese food.
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