Autumn of Elves

by Joanne Vruno

  Autumn of Elves

  Book 2 in the Seasons of Elves series

  Joanne Vruno

  North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.

  St. Cloud, Minnesota

  Copyright © 2015 Joanne Vruno

  All rights reserved.

  Print ISBN: 978-0-87839-797-6

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-87839-594-1

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First edition: May 2015

  Published by:

  North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.

  P.O. Box 451

  St. Cloud, MN 56302

  www.northstarpress.com

  Dedication

  A true sisterhood of love is something to cherish. For years I have enjoyed seeing a bond of love and dedication toward each other in the form of my granddaughters, Aly and Emily. Though they are not the true characters in the story, I tried to emulate their relationship. Not all sisters are blessed to have such a relationship, and that is why I am proud to dedicate this story to my granddaughters, Aly and Emily.

  Contents

  Dedication

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  To our loyal elves,

  We are saddened to say our castle may not be secure at this moment because of King Helgar’s rock elf spies. We have found several more rock elves who have infiltrated our castle’s walls. They are desperate to know the location of the colony of elves that left our castle before the war started. So far, they do not know nine colonies left at that time. To ensure they do not find any colony, we are stopping all communication between the castle and the colonies. If any colony is in dire danger, have your guardian use their amulet to signal us and a creature loyal to the kingdom of Ijus will appear shortly at your location. We will contact you when all is safe within our walls again.

  Stay alert at all times. Be very wary of any elves you do not know. Let your colonies know they are being hunted. Inform your guardians, gnomes, tomtes, and animals surrounding and protecting your villages of the dangers. Let no outside creature know of your existence. This is crucial for your safety.

  Your Royal Majesties,

  King Klas and Queen Astrid

  One

  The vacation had ended too soon and so had summer. School was to start on Tuesday, and today was Saturday. Our last big adventure was the great Minnesota get-together: The Minnesota State Fair. We picked Grandma up at eight o’clock in the morning for a day of walking, eating, people-watching, music, and rides. Our state fair is one of the largest in the country and is located near the capital city of St. Paul, in its northern suburb of Falcon Heights. People come in from all over the state for the annual twelve-day celebration. Every year we visit our favorite exhibits and buildings and make a list of all the new places we want to check out. A flyer was included in all of the state’s newspapers informing everyone of the new food items, band performances, and daily events at the fair.

  After parking in one of the many fair parking lots, we walked to the closest gate, which was at Machinery Hill. Being a city kid, I was always amazed at the size of some of the farm machinery. It reminded me of the wide variety of lifestyles in our state. That was also very apparent in the exhibits. On one end of the fair were all the barns for judging livestock and the coliseum for rodeo skills, and in other areas were booths with the latest technology, video arcades, and the model building made with green products.

  As we traveled down Machinery Hill, we stopped to view the newest models of Fords, Chevrolets, Hondas, and Toyotas on display. The RVs and campers were next in line for us to see.

  Dad picked up this year’s state fair map at an information booth, and we all sat down at a picnic table to map out our route. I wanted to see the DNR Forestry Building, Grandma the Horticulture Building, and Dad and Emily the Midway area. They loved trying to beat the carnies at the games. Mom wanted to go to the International Bazaar. We all enjoyed checking out the House of the Future and the shopping area under the Grandstand. We decided our lunch should be at the new Mancini’s restaurant, so we could try out their steak sandwiches. We had loved their steakhouse for years, and this was their first year at the fair. Emily also wanted to make sure we got our usual bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies before we left the fair.

  After all our choices were voiced, we decided to head for the large Midway first. It was too crowded in the afternoon to get up close to all the carnival games. In the mornings, we had the place pretty much to ourselves.

  Emily and Dad were in their glory trying to figure out the key to each game. They tried the ones where they knew they had a shot at winning, like the water pistols and throwing darts at balloons. I challenged Dad to the basketball throw and won a miniature basketball as a prize. Emily, being so petite, won a stuffed fish at a booth where they guessed people’s ages within a year. The guy figured she was eight, which angered her some, since she was now ten.

  We all went on the tilt-a-whirl ride, and Dad, Emily, and I tested our balancing skills at the Magic Maze Fun House. Mom and Grandma stood and watched, laughing at our wobbly legs making their way across the moving walkways.

  Our next stop was the Forestry Building, where we all took a fish identification test. Dad outscored all of us. We moved inside to look at all the wild animals on display. I felt sorry for their lives spent in confinement after having viewed their real habitat in the wild last week.

  We quickly moved on to the Horticulture Building to see all the winning vegetables and flowers and purchased some honey sticks. Grandma and Mom picked up some canning recipes for jams before Dad swept us along to the Dairy Building, where we each got a milkshake in a different flavor. We wondered how long it had taken for the artist to carve the Princess Kay of the Milky Way’s bust in butter. Every year there was a pageant to choose a new princess, and one of her most memorable moments was having someone carve her face in a giant block of butter, on view in a glass-enclosed refrigerated room during the whole fair.

  We decided to stop for lunch and were very impressed with the fair’s version of the Mancini Char House. Everyone ordered a steak sandwich and of course we got an order of their famous garlic bread. We found seats close to the stage area and listened to music as we ate. We treated ourselves to gelato. When the meal was finished, we unanimously voted this was definitely our new favorite meal place at the fair and planned to return next year.

  The International Bazaar was our next stop. A Mexican mariachi band greeted us as we entered the adobe walls. We took our time looking at all the booths from around the world. They were selling purses, jewelry, wooden carvings, clothes, hats, unique musical instruments, blankets, and foods I had never heard of before. Strolling through the c
rowds were minstrels ­playing tunes from their homelands. Mom purchased small purses for us, and Dad bought some cinnamon-coated almonds.

  After we exited the International Bazaar, we stopped and listened to the music at two different bandstands, then headed toward the Grandstand. Emily noticed two television stations on the way, so we stopped and entered our names for their free giveaways.

  Finally we made it to the fountain courtyard near the entrance to the Grandstand. Children were enjoying being sprayed as they stood underneath the fountains of water shooting up in the air. The area was packed with people, and it was very hard to maneuver through the crowds, so we stopped to buy glasses of fresh-squeezed lemonade that we drank sitting on a bench, watching the crowds. From there we moved to the big Sweet Martha’s Cookies stand. Sweet Martha was known throughout the state for making the most scrumptious chocolate chip cookies. They had been at the state fair all my twelve years, and probably more. The cookies were sold in various containers, from small buckets to large ones. Mom and Dad went up to the booth to purchase the largest bucket available while Grandma, Emily, and I rested at a picnic table under a shade tree.

  As we watched the crowds go by, Emily suddenly announced in an angry voice, “I can’t believe that girl! She just stole some cookies from those people at that table! How rude can one person be! That’s just so, wrong!”

  Grandma and I turned to look in the direction Emily was pointing. To our shock, there stood a troll. Grandma’s eyes met mine and we both thought the same thing: Could Emily have seen that troll take cookies? Or was she implying it was someone else?

  “Emily, who are you talking about?” I asked.

  “That funny-looking girl with the blue hat. She just walked up to that table and grabbed a handful of cookies out of those ­people’s bucket. Look, there she goes to another table. Hey, watch it! She’s stealing your cookies!” yelled Emily.

  Panic hit both Grandma and me at the same time. Emily had noticed a troll! Trolls always moved in pairs so there had to be another one nearby, but where? It most likely heard Emily yelling. This wasn’t good. We had to get out of there, and fast! Only a few humans had the ability to see trolls. They were invisible to most and whatever a troll touched also became invisible, like the cookies. Emily’s statement, if heard by the trolls, had just set off an alarm for them.

  “Emily, stop screaming accusations at that girl. She may be with those people. Many people come to the fair in large groups. It wouldn’t be uncommon for a child to go around to different tables of family members.” said Grandma in a stern but quiet voice.

  I pretended to yawn as I scanned the surroundings. My eyes locked for less than a second with the glare of the other troll watching my expression intensely. I kept my head moving, trying not to indicate I noticed it, but I definitely did. The troll was over by the Grandstand. Out of the corner my eye, I could see it start moving toward us. This was not good. I telepathically spoke to Grandma: “We need to get Emily out of here. Both trolls are moving closer towards Emily. I’m glad you got her to be quiet, but I think it may be too late. Check out the first troll—she’s stealing more and more cookies and glaring at Emily. The trolls aren’t giving up. They want to trap her and make her show them she sees them. Listen to that one singing now as she goes from table to table.”

  Grandma telepathically responded, “As soon as your parents return, we’ll leave. The trolls won’t do anything in a crowd. As long as Emily is with us, we can keep her safe. If she stops at any booth or needs to use a restroom you need to stay next to her and guard her. You know how to get rid of a troll, just make sure you get rid of both of them if need be. If one loses its partner they won’t hold back making one of us pay. Emily’s seeing a troll has created a major safety concern for all of us right now.”

  I let out a sigh as my parents arrived. Two tables away, the troll was moving toward us as she kept her eyes on Emily. She was trying to see if Emily spotted her so she kept taunting Emily by grabbing cookies from anyone walking by. It wasn’t a good scene. So far Emily was staying calm, but for how much longer, we didn’t know.

  When my parents were in earshot, Grandma announced, “I’m feeling a bit lightheaded and overheated. I think I need to get home. I don’t want to be a burden, but do you think we could leave?”

  “Of course, Mom,” said my dad, putting his arm around his mother’s shoulder. “If you’re all right walking, let’s head back up to Machinery Hill.”

  “I think I’ll be fine.” replied Grandma with a sigh, “I just need to get home and relax.”

  Luckily, Emily was up front by Grandma and my mom as we walked away from the trolls. I strategically took a spot behind all the them to keep guard if need be. I also insisted on holding the Sweet Martha’s bucket of cookies. The closest troll, the one Emily shouted at, came up from behind me and grabbed a cookie from the top and noisily ate it by my ear.

  I really disliked trolls. The grunting noises made me cringe, but I kept calm and took even steps as though nothing was there. I could see its face as it would try to glare right up at me. It wasn’t the one I saw this summer. This troll seemed older. It was really testing me, and at one point it even tried blocking my path, but I walked right into it, receiving a nasty comment in response. Luckily, Grandma kept Emily in conversation so she didn’t notice what was happening behind her. Without getting a reaction from me, the troll must have decided we weren’t a threat and turned toward another family and started enjoying their cookies. Telepathically, I spoke to Grandma, “The troll has given up on us. I think we’re clear now. I hate when they get right in your face. I have to admit this time I didn’t mind walking right into the creature. I might have done it with a little more force than normal, but it was after my little sister. Also, in one more block I’m tossing out the top layer of cookies that the troll might have touched. Eew!” Grandma turned to me and smiled.

  As we got in the car my mind began racing. How were we going to keep Emily quiet about mythical creatures, especially about the two tomtes that lived with us? Grandma was listening to my thoughts and said into my head, “Keep calm. Remember, we always need to stay calm.” We sat in complete silence. trying to figure out how we were going to approach Emily with all of this.

  After about five minutes of silence Grandma spoke to me in my head, “Aly, as soon as you arrive at your house, rush to your room and call out to Enar and Elsa. Explain to them what we just witnessed. Have them tell Alf and Aina we need them to stay hidden right now. Emily isn’t ready to enter this world yet, and who knows how she’ll react to tomtes in the house and gnomes in the yard?”

  “Got it.” I replied quietly back. “I remember the first time I saw a tomte. It wasn’t good. I’m still creeped out by trolls. I’m also hoping I never see another dwarf after this summer! Grandma, how do we keep Emily safe? Trolls are showing up everywhere in public places! There are creatures all over the place!”

  “I know, I know . . .” sighed Grandma. “We need to enlist the thoughts of Silver and Dolph on this. Being the light elves we’re guarding, hopefully they’ll have some ideas on what we should do. If we could know for sure Emily will acquire guardianship powers, it would make this decision to start her training easier. All we know is she can see trolls, which I assume means she can see all the creatures of mythology. Right now, we need to keep her isolated from any possible meetings with any creature. I’ll send a message through your tomtes tonight after meeting with Silver and Dolph. I hope we’ll have a plan formed by then.”

  Any new conversation was interrupted by my mom as she turned around in her seat and looked toward Grandma. She asked, “Do you feel up to getting something to eat, or would you just like to be dropped off?”

  “I think I’d just like to go home and rest. Thank you so much for taking me to the fair today. I’m sorry for cutting it short,” replied Grandma.

  “No problem, we were happy to take you.
I think all that walking wore all of us down some. I personally could go for a nap,” said Mom.

  “Did someone say, nap?” questioned Dad.

  “James, I can tell you’ll never change,” chuckled Grandma. She turned towards Emily and me, “Your dad always took naps after football practices in high school. He could sleep anywhere at any time.” Everyone in the car laughed at that comment.

  Grandma looked towards me as the car turned onto her street, “Stay calm Aly. This will all work out,” she telepathically spoke to me before she climbed out of the backseat.

  “I hope you’re right!” I replied silently to her.

  Two

  As soon as Dad parked the car in the garage, I asked for the house keys and made a mad dash into the house. “Enar, Elsa, go to my room now!” I turned quickly, then went to the fridge and poured myself a glass of milk.

  Mom looked relieved as she entered the kitchen. “Aly, I thought for sure you were getting sick by the way you bolted into the house. I’m glad it was just thirst that made you rush in here.”

  “Sorry, Mom. I just needed something after all those cookies I ate. All I could think about after we dropped Grandma off was a tall glass of milk. Do you want one?”

  “Sounds good. Why don’t you pour some for all of us? We can enjoy some more cookies in the air-conditioned kitchen. I always feel overheated from the fair. I don’t know if it’s the crowds or just being outside without very much shade for a few hours. Maybe it’s the combination.”

  Dad and Emily joined us at the table. We were soon reliving the day by naming our favorite part of the fair. Emily chose the Midway, Mom the International Bazaar, Dad and I both agreed on the DNR building with the animals.

  All I wanted was to go to my room. I knew the twin tomtes were waiting, wondering about the reason for my order. I tried to follow the family conversation, but my mind was on the trolls and Emily. I needed to find out what was going on at Grandma’s house right now. Trying to hide the guardian side of my life was difficult at times, like I was living in two worlds. I knew my family could never know all that had changed in me this summer, and I had to be constantly conscious of what I said or how I acted so I’d never slip and reveal any of that other part of my life, the guardianship. But now with Emily having the power to see a troll, I did not know what the future held. I had to find a reason to escape to my room. I needed to talk to our tomtes. Elsa and Enar were my friends and confidants when anything from the mythical world came into my life. Some days I think I would’ve lived in terror without the comfort they gave me. Grandma was right—having a tomte in your home was a blessing. I was fortunate to have two.