Chapter Twelve
Kiana awoke the next morning to the sound of giggles. She opened one eye and found a tiny pixie face staring down at her.
"You look silly in the morning." Gabi touched a lock of Kiana's hair.
"I do? What's so silly about how I look?"
"You hair is really messy. It's all over the place."
Kiana laughed. "Uh huh. Well, maybe you can teach me how to make those cool braids you have. You look like an expert."
The girl's face fell. Kiana propped herself up on one elbow.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"Wiebe yanks my braids," Gabi whispered. "It hurts."
Kiana took a deep breath to control her anger. She gently ran her hand over Gabi's silky braid. "Wiebe will never hurt you again, Gabi. Oskar and I won't let that happen." She swallowed and pulled the girl close for a hug. "How about we snuggle up in bed and read some Dr. Seuss books, okay? And then I'll fix you some breakfast."
Gabi grinned. "Thanks, Kiana. I'm used to reading by myself. Wiebe doesn't like me to make any noise." She jumped from the bed and dashed to the living room.
Kiana leaned back against the pillows and sighed. Gabi definitely showed symptoms of abuse, but she still had a joyful heart. Thank God.
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Early morning sunshine slanted into the guest bedroom.
Curious, Kiana slipped from the bed to examine the view from the huge picture windows. What a magical sight. Oskar's entire cottage was surrounded by a forest of towering pines, all capped with snow, glistening in the sunshine. Icicles dripped from the eaves and sternschnuppen flitted about the property, flashing and singing.
She had never celebrated a real Christmas as a child, but Glasdorf was everything she imagined it would be. Enchanted, sparkling, filled with adventure. She'd accepted this was real...a place where a children's legend made dreams come true. How wonderful that the Klaus brothers were part of such an awe-inspiring undertaking every year.
Surprisingly, Kiana felt a sense of purpose here, also. Gabi needed an advocate. There was simply no way Kiana would leave until the child's safety was guaranteed. Somehow the mischievous elfin girl had wormed her way into Kiana's heart.
It would be difficult to leave her.
And Oskar as well.
Whether or not she was willing to admit it, her unwelcome crush on Oskar Klaus was growing into something more.
"I got them!"
Kiana turned just as Gabi raced back into the room with a basket of books. She jumped into the air and soared to the bed, bouncing several times on the thick mattress. Funny, for a moment it looked as though Gabi actually flew through the air, suspended just a bit longer than normal before she landed. Kiana blinked and decided it was just her imagination.
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"So, what's first on the agenda?" She returned to the bed and lifted the covers for Gabi to burrow under.
Gabi plopped a copy of The Sneetches and Other Stories on top of the blanket. "How about this one? I love Too Many Daves. The names are funny."
"Oh, good choice, Gabi. I like this book, too."
A light rapping on the door caught their attention. Oskar leaned against the door frame and lifted a bakery bag in his hand. Kiana froze for a moment.
God, he looks gorgeous.
Her heart skipped a beat. He'd dressed in layered T-shirts, low rider jeans, and a Red Sox baseball cap over his messy hair. A silver snowflake medallion hung around his neck on a black leather cord. His emerald eyes sparkled as he greeted them from the doorway.
"Did I ever tell you that Mrs. McCave had twenty three sons and she named them all Dave?" Oskar winked at Gabi.
"Good morning, sleepy heads. I've already been to Klaus Kuche to pick up donuts. Anyone hungry?"
"Oskar!" Gabi squealed with delight and flung herself from the bed into his outstretched arms. Kiana watched in shock as the girl's body spiraled in the air before she landed in Oskar's grip.
"Whoa! You can really get airborne, Honigbienchen. How'd you do that?" He glanced at Kiana who shook her head in confusion.
Gabi was already rummaging through the bakery bag. "Uh, I don't know. It's easy."
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"Well, okay then. I'll bet you'd be killer on the slopes. Ever try snowboarding?"
Gabi munched on a chocolate donut. "No, Wiebe doesn't let me do stuff like that. Only..."
Oskar set the elfin girl on the floor. "Only what, Gabi?"
Gabi suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Nothing." She shook her head. "Nothing." She peered up at him. "Could you teach me how to snowboard, Oskar? It looks like fun."
"I think that's a great idea. Boris just called. He's investigating some leads right now and will meet us back here in a couple of hours for a pow wow. I picked up clothes and supplies for both of you lovely ladies in town. They're in boxes in the foyer. Including snow pants and goggles. And..."
He stepped back into the hallway and emerged with two snowboards in his hands. "...One rockin' miniature snowboard for the Honigbienchen..." He handed the adorable mini board to Gabi who squeaked with happiness. Her name was etched onto the board with rainbow glitter.
"And, one excellent board for the visiting librarian...." He carried another snowboard from the hallway and offered it to Kiana with a flourish. She bounced out of the bed and grabbed it, laughing with excitement. The board was custom painted with stacks of books and her name in neon aquamarine.
"Oh, Oskar. I love it! Thank you!" She threw her arms around him and he took the opportunity to pull her tightly against him. Instantly the attraction flared up between them.
She gazed into his face and licked her lips.
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"Thank you for the board. That was really sweet," she said breathlessly, staring at Oskar's mouth.
Oh, Kiana, you are in big trouble now...
"Uh huh." Oskar leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. "Did you sleep well, Moon Goddess? Was everything okay last night?" His eyes searched her face intently.
"Of course. Gabi slept like a baby."
He swept her tousled hair from her face and nodded. "All right. I just want to make sure."
Kiana frowned at his concerned expression. "You look thoughtful this morning. What's wrong? Is something going on with the investigation?"
Oskar shook his head. "No. I actually did some nosing around this morning, talked with elves all over Glasdorf. But no one has any idea who would be dabbling in Dark Magik."
He toyed with a strand of her hair. "Just wanna make sure you feel safe and secure here."
Kiana smiled. "I do. This place is so beautiful. I love your cottage, and I love the woods around your house. I can't wait to go snowboarding!"
Oskar grinned back. "Me, too. I just know you're going to be a natural."
She glanced out the window at the bright sunshine. "Isn't there supposed to be total darkness at the North Pole until the March Equinox?"
Oskar laughed. "Yeah, you're right Miss Librarian. Then six months of light until the September Equinox. Except, you're forgetting one thing."
"Don't tell me. It has something to do with elfin magik."
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He tipped back his head and roared with laughter. "You're getting it now, sista. The elves want the environment here to be as normal as possible, so they've created regular cycles of day and night all year long. Otherwise, we would all go nuts.
Seriously."
Kiana quirked a brow. "I'm not entirely convinced you aren't. Or myself for that matter." She glanced at Gabi, who was stuffing chocolate donuts in her mouth and twirling around the room with her snowboard.
Oskar whistled. "Hey, Honigbienchen, how about we unpack our boxes and get dressed. I'm ready for our lesson.
How about you?"
"Yes!" Gabi yelled enthusiastically. She bounced up and down and raced out of the room.
He offered a donut to Kiana. "Gotta try these. Fresh and hot from my brother's bakery. They're delicious."
Kiana accepted the treat. "Thanks. What exactly does Honigbienchen mean anyway? It sounds like a German word."
Oskar picked up the boards and headed toward the foyer.
"It is. It means little honeybee. It's a term of endearment."
"I just started my German lessons at the library, so I'm not too good yet. Do you speak fluent German like Sven?"
Kiana asked.
Oskar rolled his eyes and adopted a mock falsetto. "Oh, Sven, could you please teach me German?" He batted his eyelashes. "You're soooo smart!" He raised an eyebrow at Kiana. "Sound like anyone you know?"
Kiana laughed. "I did not sound like that! He was nice enough to offer to tutor me if I needed help."
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"Yeah, well I speak fluent German, too. If anyone is giving you private tutoring lessons, it will be me. Verstehen Sie?"
Kiana followed Oskar into the hallway. " Ja. No problem. I didn't mean to ignore your linguistic capabilities," she said, surprised by his obvious jealousy.
"You wrote me off because of my hair and tats. Admit it."
He waited for her answer.
Kiana shook her head in denial, growing instantly serious.
"That's not true. You just threw me for a loop, that's all." She swallowed nervously. "I was attracted to you right away and was scared you were a player. You're not, right?"
"There's only one woman I'm interested in 'playing' with, Kiana, and that's you. No one else, just you." Oskar's intense gaze pinned her in place.
He set the boards down on the floor, propping them against the wall, then turned to her and pulled her slowly into his arms.
"I want to play with you in the morning..." He kissed her forehead gently.
"In the afternoon...." His lips traced her cheekbone.
"All through the evening..." She loved the way he tugged her top lip with his teeth, then swirled his tongue along the flesh. She was panting now, and so was he.
"All night long." His hands cupped her face and she melted into the hottest, sexiest kiss of her life. Both of them were trembling, tasting, moaning with pleasure. Her body was completely plastered against his hard frame, head to toe.
A short giggle broke her out of her daze.
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"I thought you needed mistletoe for that," Gabi said, peeking at them from the foyer.
Oskar released a long suffering sigh and rested his forehead against Kiana's. "That was really impeccable timing,"
he whispered hoarsely.
Kiana nodded. "Uh huh." She touched the scruff of Oskar's beard with her fingertips. "Thanks for the good morning kiss."
"There's plenty more where that came from," he answered. Clearing his throat, he turned to Gabi. "Kiana and I are just pretending there's mistletoe, honeybee. You ready for your lesson?"
"Yay!" She twirled in place, modeling her new snow suit.
"I'm ready!"
Kiana laughed. "Me, too. I want to see you in action."
Oskar coughed. "Your wish is my command, Moon Goddess." He raised a brow, causing Kiana to blush.
"Behave, Bad Boy." She reluctantly left him to search through the boxes for her own snow gear.
The truth was, she really didn't want Oskar to behave at all.
Ingo returned to the Bibliothek the next morning, at sunrise. He was determined to find the damned reversal spell first thing, and let poor Oskar Klaus off the hook. The guilt burned his stomach like a shot of whiskey. The youngest Klaus son had his hands full investigating the explosion, and the last thing he needed was a broken heart. Ingo wanted to help with the investigation, too. Perhaps it would assuage his guilty conscience.
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The books that Master Ralf left out for him were stacked neatly on one side of the table, snoring quietly. Ingo took several volumes that looked promising and laid them open.
The spells sighed, yawned and opened their eyes, peering at him from the pages. Taunting him, as if to say "You're back, old man, but we will never reveal our secrets to you!"
It took about an hour and finally he found what he was looking for. Written in an ancient language, a mixture of Old German and Elfin symbols, he found the spell to reverse Zottig Herz. First, he had to read a long dramatic scolding about how the spell was a selfish indulgence, and any elf who used it should be ashamed. He sighed. Why the hell did the masters create it in the first place? Then, he had to tease the spell from the pages, weaving a basket from strands of magik.
The reversal spell was ornery for sure. With each sticky strand that caught a few words, the spell would cuss, snap and spark at him, clearly irritated with his machinations.
When half the spell was trapped, it got really incensed, and smoke began to pour from the pages. Ingo worried that the library would burn to the ground before he got the bugger under control, but a few more sneaky strands trapped it for good. The spell unraveled before his eyes, and a clear passage appeared in the text.
Elated, Ingo copied the words into his notebook, then stuffed it into his satchel. He waved his hand at the scattered volumes, and they danced back to the shelves.
He sighed and tugged on his beard. He had to wait until midnight to cast the reversal spell. In the meantime, he 173
wanted to take a look around the Plaza and see if he could find any clues about the explosion.
Without warning, a low murmur of discontent rumbled through the Bibliothek. The walls bulged ominously, hissing and creaking. Ingo could hear the Bandigers locked within the frames in the foyer squawking at the top of their lungs. A curl of darkness slunk by in the hallway, slithering along the marble floor. What the hell is that? Ingo jumped to his feet and followed the shadow down the hall, lagging back a bit.
The coil stopped in front of a padlocked door. The tip of one end raised up like a cobra head and spit a forked tongue at Ingo. Then the shadow slid under a crack in the door, leaving nothing but smudges on the floor. Gurgling, bubbling noises erupted from the walls of the library, sounding as though the building was suffering from indigestion. The padlocked door jiggled in the frame, rattling and creaking and moaning in despair.
Ingo sensed Dark Magik, powerful and unwelcome, behind the door. The library was working itself up for an expulsion, Ingo knew. It wouldn't be able to stomach the presence of such evil for long. Suddenly, the door flung open and Wiebe emerged with a book tucked beneath one arm. His face was gray and pasty. A horrific stench poured from his body, and his black hair floated about his head with shots of static on the tips. "What the hell are you looking at, Hertz?" he inquired through cracked lips. His voice sounded gravelly and parched.
"Good God, man, what are you up to? You look like hell and there's Dark Magik threatening to erupt any second. Have 174
you lost your bloomin' mind?" Ingo reached out to grab Wiebe's arm, but a smoky swirl popped from the book and slammed back his hand.
"Ahhhh!" Ingo fell to the floor clutching his hand. He stared at it in disbelief. A gnarled claw had replaced his hand, scaly and scorched. He peered up Wiebe who raised an eyebrow and chuckled cruelly.
"Look-ee here. Mr. Magik Bandiger has finally met his match, eh?" Wiebe stepped forward and slammed a foot onto Ingo's transformed hand. Ingo tried to catch his breath as stars danced before his eyes.
He moaned and shook his head at Wiebe. "You are playing with fire, Wiebe. Dark Magik will turn on you. Believe me. It lures you into thinking you're the one in charge, but you're not. It's just toying with you."
"I knew you would be jealous. Can't stand for someone else to get a taste of the power, eh? You are pathetic, Ingo.
You're a Bandiger who works in the damned wood-working shop, instead of harnessing the power around you. What an idiot." Wiebe spit out the words, not bothering to hide his disdain. The dark snake slithered around Ingo's body, stinging him all over until his skin turned red and swollen. Wiebe laughed and kicked him in the side.
Ingo closed his eyes. He pulled on the Light Magik inside of him, hidden for so long. He felt it awaken from hibernation, shocked at the immediate threat, gathering momentum.
"I'll tell you one thing, Mr. Hertz. I'll be god-damned if I ever stand before the Council or one of the Klauses again and 175
grovel, begging for forgiveness. They can kiss my elfin ass!
From now on, I'll be calling the shots."
Ingo opened his eyes, and Wiebe jumped back, startled.
"What the hell is happening to you? Your eyes are glowing!"
Ingo crawled to his knees, then pushed himself off the floor. The Light Magik raced through his body, building into a bright white inferno. Wiebe's eyes narrowed with suspicion as Ingo reached out to him again. The claw disappeared, replaced with a new-born hand, curled into a ball, palm up.
This time, as the dark snake darted toward him, hissing and stinging, his hand opened and a plume of white smoke streaked from his palm. It dipped and dove like a chickadee in flight, crisscrossing around the black snake, braiding itself around the shadows. An ear-piercing screech erupted from the dark plume.
Wiebe staggered back and flattened himself against the wall.
The black snake whipped its head in fury, lashing out at the white smoke. The coil banged against the stone floor as the darkness tried to free itself. But the white swirl was starting to squeeze tight, crushing the black snake.
Ingo glanced up at Wiebe and realized he was chanting under his breath. What now? Ingo wondered fleetingly, just before long patches of black ink began to drip down from the ceiling behind Ingo. The liquid oozed through the cracks, reaching toward him. One single strand of the white snake split off and splattered on the stone. It coated all of the cracks and absorbed the shadows. Steam rose from the wall and a foul odor filled the corridor.
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Wiebe shook his head and darted toward the exit at the end of the hallway. He flung the door open wide, still clutching onto the ancient book in his arms. The plume of darkness followed him, slipping outside.
Ingo raced after them, chanting under his breath. A few stars broke from the light plume and spun toward Wiebe, sticking to him like darts, and then melted away. The twisting, turning snakes continued with their battle, but suddenly the shadowed plume shrunk with a hiss, and Ingo's lit braid fell with a thump to the ground.
Wiebe continued to run from the Bibliothek, racing toward the woods. He glanced over his shoulder and laughed as the shrunken black snake morphed into a rope and lunged for Ingo's throat.
The rope tightened around his neck, choking the life from him. He could feel his airway closing, his neck swelling from the pressure. Stars dotted his vision. His fingers clawed at the rope, to no avail.
The plume of Light Magik attacked the dark snake, cutting at the coil with razor sharp knives. Each slice released some of the pressure around Ingo's neck. Finally, the rope loosened and flew from his body, chasing Wiebe into the woods.
Ingo lay on the ground coughing. The white plume blanketed his body, exhausted, exhilarated, temporarily victorious, and then gently disintegrated. He could feel the Magik return to its hibernating state. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to catch his breath. This is much worse than I thought. Wiebe has a book of Dark Magik spells and doesn't 177
have the slightest clue what he's gotten himself into. I've got to talk to Boris and Oskar.
He pushed himself up onto one elbow but he was still too weak to stand.
"Ingo!"
His head snapped up as he heard Lys' sweet voice.
"Oh, Ingo! What has happened? You're hurt....my God!"
Lys knelt next to him on the ground. She brushed the hair from his forehead and shook her head. "What happened? You look like you've been attacked by a wild animal or something."
"Lys, I am so glad you're here." Ingo coughed as he tried to speak, his throat still swollen. "I'm not feeling too well, to tell you the truth."
Lys gently took hold of his arms and helped to pull him to his feet. He draped an arm around her shoulders, thankful for the support.
"My cottage is just around the corner. I'm taking you home. Should I call the healer?"
"No, no. Call Boris. I need to talk to him," Ingo rasped.
Lys nodded and her beautiful silver eyes filled with worry.
"Are you sure, Ingo?"
He reached out with one hand and brushed his fingers down her cheek. "Honestly, I feel better already. You must be good medicine." She shot him a tremulous smile and wrapped her arm around his waist.
He tightened his hold on her and they slowly began to shuffle toward her cottage.
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