by Lynn Crain
“Again, easy. Either she had some sort of ward shielding her from the magic until it was the correct time, or you didn’t want to think she could be more than a cousin. She’s arrogant and brash in a lot of ways. It seemed as if she could never keep her mouth shut. She was everything your family abhorred.”
“I’m not so sure I’d go that far,” Aingeal stated.
“I would.” Ronan leveled a look at them. “Let’s face it, we all were less than pleasant with her most of the time. We didn’t even try to look for the good in her. All we ever wanted to see was the bad. And she preformed beautifully every time we thought she would screw up.”
“It doesn’t say much about us then, does it?” Aingeal stood over her cousin, staring down at her. “Do you think it was a spell of some sort? I mean I’d hate to think we were horrible to her because we wanted to be.”
“The negativity ward is looking more and more possible.” Merlin patted Aingeal’s arm. “Your mother would have a better handle on this than any of us. It did start with her.”
“And that was where she always wanted to keep it.” All were surprised to see Bevan and Janice Locklin standing in the great hall with them.
Ronan took in the sudden appearance of Giselle’s relatives. “Why am I not surprised?” He moved his head from side to side. “Now will you please tell us what the hell is going on?”
Chapter 9
Janice Locklin stood in front of the small group, wringing her hands together. “I’m not sure if I can put it into words. But Merlin has been correct in saying we don’t know everything.”
Ronan gave a heavy sigh. “Can you please clue us in to what you do know?”
Bevan rubbed his forehead. “I’m not sure what we know will help the situation at hand.”
“I see your point, but it is all moot until the elders decide to release her back into our care.” Sorcha stated as the rest of the council came to stand by the table. “What are you and Janice doing here, Bevan?”
He took a deep breath. “Good question. Janice started to act strange and told me she needed to come here immediately.”
Ronan looked up startled. “The North Pole has been left unprotected?”
Bevan shook his head. “No. There’s Santa, Jedrick, Ardan, Lacey and then of course, the rest of the elves.”
Giselle sat straight up, a wild look in her eye as she scanned the room side to side. “We’ve got to go and we’ve got to go now.”
Ronan gave her a baffled glance. “What are you talking about?”
Giselle swung her legs over the side of the table. “And I mean now.” She lifted her hands and clapped them once and they were instantly at Santa’s loinnir. She smiled at all the stunned faces of the elven council, her cousin, Aingeal, and her husband, Fearghus, her Aunt Janice and Uncle Bevin. Then there was Ronan, dear sweet Ronan, the key, which unlocked what she was by loving her. “Sorry, I couldn’t wait.” She grabbed Ronan’s hand and moved toward the main room inside the toy factory. “Come on, everyone, and you all better pray we aren’t too late.”
She went with a strong, confident stride and Ronan had to walk fast to keep up with her. He grabbed her hand to try and slow her down. She gave him a brilliant smile, but never broke stride. “You have no idea the things I’ve learned. I can’t wait to explain it all to you.”
He returned her smile. “You had me scared there for a while. I mean right before you went unconscious, you weren’t yourself.”
She frowned. “So I hear. But believe me, this time I’ll all me. There’s no one inside this body, but myself. I’m sure Alma will be happy her Nana is back where she belongs.” They arrived at the door to the main meeting room and she hesitated, turning to the man at her side. Giselle took his face in her hands. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you.” He didn’t hesitate to tell her and returned her intense gaze.
She leaned in and kissed him. “Good. Don’t forget it when we’re in there. The situation may get a little ugly if the man decides to take a stand here.” She turned to those with her and took a second to glance at each of their faces. “This is going to be the most intense spell casting any of you ever attended, I guarantee it. You are all safeguarded by a power much higher than any on this earth. I will be using your power, please open yourself and let it flow through you. Don’t try to cast a spell or even move, which will break my concentration. I need to focus on our enemy. It’s those inside I’m afraid for because I am not sure we got to them in time. I’m hoping they haven’t gotten this far.”
She reached for the door handle and the lightning shown on her body like a little net. “Crap.” She sighed. “They’re already here. Everyone, please stay calm.”
“Who, child?” Merlin whispered.
“You’ll know him at once. The others are minions forced to do his bidding. When I open the door, I need each of you to stand around the perimeter. And when I tell you to do something, do it without hesitation because it could mean the very lives of those inside.”
Janice grabbed her arm. “I am so sorry,” she whispered. “I never thought.”
Giselle patted her hand. “You didn’t know and neither did I. It was all part of what is needed to save this whole family. We will make it, every last one of us. Of this I am confident.”
She wrenched open the door and slid inside. The sunlight shone through the floor to ceiling windows and she had to squint to keep the glare away. Once inside, she saw Santa and the entire staff at the North Pole toy factory had been herded into the center of the room. There were no obvious impediments, but they weren’t moving at all.
“Giselle, what are you doing here?” Lacey asked in a strained voice.
“I might ask you the same question. Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?” She scanned the room without ever moving her eyes from those locked at the center.
“You know me, always hanging around where I shouldn’t be. Ah!” The flash of pain on her face was too much for Cuinn who stood next to her and started to struggle a little himself.
“Don’t, Cuinn, you’ll make it worse.” She went to stand in front of them, gazing at whatever held them in their odd stances, first one way, then another. “Very intricate design. I must say, I am impressed.” She lifted her head from her inspection. “You might as well come out on your own accord. It will be much worse for you if I must find you.”
The clapping echoed throughout the room and the other occupants turned their heads, trying to figure out where the sound came from and the intruder would appear. “Excellent. Finally, a worthy opponent.”
A section close to the room’s center shimmered and a man emerged. Others streamed in from every door except the one they had used. The tall man had a scar angled across his face from top to bottom. His arrogant stance told her he didn’t think she was much of a threat. She would be happy to prove him wrong. “Hello, Guthrie Sinclair, I bet you thought everyone had forgotten about you.”
“Do you expect me to give you a pat on the back, lass?” He peered at her through ice blue eyes. Eyes, very similar to her own.
She glanced around to make sure everyone was in place. This would not be easy to do even with their help. “No, sir, I don’t, but then again there aren’t many who would let a dark elf touch them on purpose now, are there?”
His short bark of laughter didn’t frighten her in the least, but she heard those around her take a sharp breath. There were those among them who had forgotten those in the dark realm a breath away all from all which was good and pure. “I am amazed they let such a little girl stand in front of me. You haven’t learned your lessons well, child. Now maybe you’ll never have the chance.”
“Oh, I’ve learned my lessons well enough. And in record time, too. But then again, maybe it’s been years since you’ve had a sangreal in your midst.” This time the gasps couldn’t be contained. “Never thought to see one now, did you? For all you know, they are still shrouded in myth and legend.” He stood there and eyed her cautiously, as if i
n that moment understanding her true worth. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Even if you are a sangreal, you can never know the ancient incantations. That died with the last one ever considered for the position.”
Giselle gave a wry smile and tapped her chin with one finger. “I seem to have forgotten my lessons. Oops. I lied.” She turned full circle, eyes locking with each of those present who were not encumbered by the man’s spell before she turned to face the man who was for the moment the bane of her existence.
“Wind blows.” The windows shook from the fierceness of the wind as it battered the outside walls of the building. A windstorm like this was unusual since it was the height of the North’s summer, which was quite mild wind wise.
Guthrie looked around at the walls shielding them from the outside elements. “If you manage to break this spell, I’m not sure you can save them.”
She let her gaze wander to his. She was not going to show him any fear, any possibility of defeat in her posture. Giselle let the power shine in her eyes. “Fire burns.” The flames leapt from her hands and surrounded those within the sphere of the dark spell. The heat came close to the dark elf who had taken a step back as if he comprehended it would burn him to his soul.
“No one has ever been able to remove the spell I’ve cast in this room. I’ve no doubt it will hold until I release it. You’ll not be the first who has tried and failed.” He swallowed hard.
Giselle smiled as she had witnessed the man’s first true doubt, the first beginnings of understanding who she was and what she could do. There are those who believed and those who must experience an event for him to know. This man would be the latter. “Earth moves.” The ground beneath them swayed and moved. The threads holding the spell in place shimmered, taking on a life of their own as some would wink out to come back more brilliant than before. The spell power was fluctuating as she continued to grind away at it.
“There is no elf alive who can command all the elements. No one has the required discipline.”
His look of disbelief spurred her on. She gave him a big grin. “Who said I was an elf?”
He realized his mistake then and gasped. “A true sangreal, one who can command all earthly elements, the council has been waiting for you for a thousand years. Only someone like you can pull the elves together and use their power along with their own.”
“But not you. Your power will fade away in the wake of what I can do. I will give you this one chance to surrender.” Giselle watched him with a sad look.
“And do what,” he sneered. “Be put away in an elven prison, never to touch the sun again.”
She shook her head. “Then you will lose this power. You know once a sangreal has broken a spell you can never cast it again.”
“How dare you.”
“I dare more than you ever know.” Ronan’s hands were on her shoulders, giving her strength. “Oceans move.” The true rain came down in torrents, such as was never seen in this part of the human world. “Your spell breaks.”
The shimmering net of the immobility spell was gone and some of those within its grips fell to their knees. Lacey, being close to Guthrie, stood her ground with fire blazing in her palms ready to use at a moment’s notice. Giselle put out a hand to warn her and shook her head. “Guthrie, it’s two against one and you know if we find the other three, you and yours will not survive this time. You need to make sure this is what you want to do.”
“Arghhhhh! You bitch. The next time will not be as easy. I will be better prepared than you’ll ever imagine. Remember this as you look for the young one you call Merna.” He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving all in his wake, including his hunter minions, most who were humans recruited to do his bidding. Without Guthrie’s influence, they all seemed to be at a loss as to what would happen next or even where they were.
Giselle allowed herself to relax against her lover. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Somehow I don’t think that is true.” Ronan leaned in and kissed her neck. “But I want some alone time here soon.”
“Would someone mind explaining what happened here?” Santa’s gaze went from one to another as he waivered a little on his feet.
“I would love to do so, sir, but first we must strengthen the loinnir’s barrier.” Giselle pulled her gaze from Ronan’s handsome face.
Santa nodded once. “Is that what happened? The loinnir got weak?”
She touched his arm. “That’s only half of what is happening, sir. We need to perform this task before another bad occurrence can happen. You and the entire loinnir within this barrier must be kept safe at all costs.”
“I never took you to be a sangreal. I’m sorry. If I had known, your task would be easier, child.” The sad look on Santa’s face was too much to bear.
“I think that’s the point, Santa. You were never meant to know as Guthrie had it all planned out. You all would forget who I was while the dark elves worked their magic and recruited their hunters. If it hadn’t been for Ronan, the spell would not have broken in time for me to gain power and prevent this from happening. Now all of us must work together to make up for lost time.”
“Ronan? What did he have to do with this?” Santa looked confused.
She smiled. “Love me. All he did was love me.”
Chapter 10
It took them a better part of an hour to find and seal all the holes in the current North Pole loinnir barrier. The council was shocked to see in what a neglected state the impediment had been. What was worse was the fact Santa did not know his magic had lost some of its power over the years. He had done little for the upkeep of the one safeguard keeping them all safe. He was devastated he had allowed everyone to be in so much danger.
“Don’t blame yourself, sir,” Giselle told him for what seemed the millionth time as she gave Ronan a quick glance. “You couldn’t know as the spell drained your power over time. You would never have known until you were too weak to defend yourself and all those within.”
“I can’t thank you enough. Can you forgive this jolly old man?” He stood there sadly shaking his head.
“There’s nothing to forgive, sir. I still believe you are not responsible for your actions if you were ensnared with a spell.” She smiled at him and rubbed his arm.
“You’re sure this is what happened here?” Merlin was still trying to figure out how this all came together without any of them knowing.
She eyed Merlin with a cautious glance. “I’m pretty sure magic was rampant here, Merlin. And no elf could feel it because you all possess magic within you. A large part of each of you is magic, which means unless the magic is so dark, dark enough to make you ill, you will never know it exists. And it totally explains me and Lacey or at least part of what happened with us.”
Lacey came up and nudged Ronan before going to Giselle’s other side, her arm circling Giselle’s waist. “How does it explain us?”
She smiled down at her best friend. “Well, we don’t contain the same magic in us the elves do. Elves are born with it. By us being up here, it started to unlock our part in this puzzle. And it is a puzzle.”
“Maybe I should make it one less piece.” Janice Locklin walked up, concern etched on her beautiful features.
“What do you mean by that, Mother?” Jedrick gave her a confused expression before continuing. “I’m so glad Tessa decided not to bring the kids in for lunch today. Those inside the building were caught by this spell. You checked all the outlying buildings, correct?”
Giselle nodded once. “Yes, we’ve sent someone to check on every home in the area. We seem good to go. The person I haven’t seen today is Eggther.”
“He’s off somewhere with Edana. It’s their first anniversary and he wanted to make it special.”
“Do you think the children will be affected by any of this?” This came from Ardan. Angie had been at home, but he was still concerned.
Giselle cocked
her head. “Let’s finish with your mother first. Aunt Janice, what did you mean one less piece?”
Janice pursed her lips. “While Bevan’s and my meeting can be deemed accidental for the most part, I think I am one of your missing elementals.”
Giselle looked at her and frowned. “Which one do you think?”
“Oh, I know.” Bevan came up and stood by her. “Ever wonder why you get places faster when your mother is in the plane? Or why a wind kicks up when you were out swimming in the pond and she didn’t want you to be there?”
While these questions were for her cousins, she couldn’t help but remember instances when it seemed things were instantaneous with her Aunt. Giselle couldn’t help but chuckle and tried her best to keep it to herself. “I am so sorry.”
Aunt Janice narrowed her eyes. “It isn’t funny, young lady. Remember I’m still your elder here.”
She nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I will never forget it for a moment.”
“Mind letting us in on the joke?” Aingeal leveled a look at Giselle.
“I’m sorry. It’s one of the reasons the spell was so strong. If we’d had the other two, we could strip Guthrie of his power. With three of us, we gave him a good hit he won’t forget for a while.”
Aingeal closed her eyes, but Lacey squeezed her a little tighter. “Look, Giselle, the suspense is killing me. What do you know about my mother?”
“She knows I’m the air elemental.” She waved her hand to dismiss any concern flowing from her children. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t something I knew or understood myself. I understood once it was determined Lacey was the fire elemental. I started to change. It might have happened the moment Santa brought Tessa home. I don’t know. I know when all you human girls started showing up, I began to change. And I still am I think. I don’t know what to expect. This is all new territory for me. Any insight Giselle can offer would be helpful.”
Everyone looked to her for guidance. “Everyone, I’m not sure if I can give you the answers you all need. I know what the Elder Council told me and had me learn in the wink of an eye. I do know Guthrie Sinclair is a disturbed man and won’t stop at this one attempt. Did you hear him make the reference to Merna? We need to find her and soon. Did you get her a message or not?”
