by A E M
“Serves you right.” Charlotte said softly. “It’s not like you to be dishonest, Beau.”
“No,” he agreed. “I’m sorry for it all.”
She nudged him. “People do stupid stuff sometimes. Just make sure you don’t do it again.”
“Speaking of stupid,” he looked at her and crossed his arms in front of him. “I’m sorry I thumped you earlier, but really? How could you think that something would mess up our friendship like that?”
“I could think that because I’m realistic enough to realize that relationships can be damaged, Beau.”
“But you should know me well enough to know that I would at least try to fix it.” He insisted.
“True.” Charlotte leaned into his side and whispered, “Since we are friends again, why don’t we sneak a little search and rescue for Raven and Ebby?”
Beau laughed. “We were always friends, but yes, let’s find them.” He frowned. “But how will we get out?”
Her face lit up. “That’s not a problem at all. I know exactly which hobs to ask.”
5
The Cuff Links
The closet door slammed behind them.
She pulled his shirt off and kissed him hard.
He was adorable and a bad boy in his own right.
And he was a weaver.
Perhaps she could force her magic to activate.
She smiled and crooked her finger at him.
He pressed her up against the door.
The hallways were filled with a mixture of sounds: snoring, the cry of a new baby, Sebastian’s weary voice asking the last of his patients questions, and the occasional sigh from a guest missing the comforts of their own room. Charlotte slipped her cold hand into Beau’s warmer hand. They walked slowly through the hallways, waiting. Beau wrapped his right wing around her and squeezed her hand, but he offered her no words. Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the scent of his feathers: airy and earthy all at the same time. They ruffled and she let a giggle slip from her lips as the soft caresses tickled her back. Beau kept his silence, but he smiled as he bent his head down and away from her. Charlotte turned her head to face the other direction and breathed slowly, pushing the rising blush down.
Matches popped up in front of them. One of his shirtsleeves was missing, and a large cut ran up and down his arm. It was healing quickly. He flexed that arm and smiled. “Almost good as new.”
“I’m glad.” Charlotte said. She reached out and stroked the wound. “I’m so sorry.”
“Charlotte, you are as bad as your father; you spoil us so.”
“You spoil us.” Charlotte countered.
Matches dropped a pair of cuff links into Charlotte’s hands. They were gold and silver and the faces had tiny working gears. Charlotte held one of the cuff links to her ear and heard the tiny whisper of the gears as they turned.
“They are your father’s.” Matches explained. His ears reddened and he looked around nervously.
“This is at my request.” Charlotte fixed him a steady stare, but still the hob fidgeted. She kneeled down in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder. It was one thing for him to cause minor trouble around the castle, but theft from a hob’s benefactor was a major infraction. She kissed his head and said the necessary words. “I take responsibility for this, hob.”
The muscles in his shoulders relaxed a bit. “When you blow on them, they will glow and you must quickly think of exactly where you want to go.”
“Okay.”
“You can take one person with you at a time.” He added. “You will need to be touching.”
“Thank you, Matches.” Charlotte stood and shifted the cuff links slightly in the palm of her hand.
He grinned mischievously. “We troublemakers need to stick together.”
Charlotte blinked and glanced down. “I’m not a—”
“Do you remember when she asked Chime to take her up to the roof of one of the towers so they could watch for my family?” Beau laughed and nudged Matches. “It was a good thing my people have sharp eyesight.”
“I was young.” Charlotte argued. She gripped the cuff links in her hand and held tight.
“Do you remember when she was learning how to drive?” Matches asked. “We had to keep setting up a new track farther and farther away from the castle.”
Charlotte placed her hands on her hips. “Okay, that’s—”
“Do you remember her making out in closets with a student of her father’s because she thought she might catch magic?”
Charlotte flushed. Her eyes and tone narrowed. “That’s nothing more than a rumor.”
Beau snorted. “I remember you getting in a lot of trouble for a rumor.”
“You!” Charlotte stepped forward, and then stepped back. “I!” She paced back and forth once across the hallway.
Beau raised his eyebrows. “Who was he, Lottie? It’s one of the castle’s well guarded secrets.”
“Ahem.” The proud, commanding voice interrupted their recollections. “I see my assumptions about you are correct.”
Matches popped out of sight.
“Hmph.” Lodestar said to the empty air he left behind. “I will not hold your little rescue mission up long, but I would like you to do something for me since you will be out and about.” She pulled one of her long hairs out of her head and ran it along her horn. The strand of hair began to shine and turn a pearly color. She held her left hand out. “The cuff links.”
“Why would you think that I would hand over something of my father’s merely because you rudely asked for it?” Charlotte demanded.
Lodestar stared her down. “I am not accustomed to being challenged.”
“That’s obvious.” Beau said. He shrugged Lodestar’s glare away.
“I’m not used to having things that are mine or my family’s demanded from me by a stranger.”
“Fine.” She lifted her chin. “What is the dane code of conduct here? May I borrow your father’s cuff links, please? I will assure their safety while in my hands and return them promptly.”
“I suppose that will be fine for a moment.” Charlotte handed them over.
“You know, the rest of the magical world shows a certain level of respect for a unitaur.”
Charlotte looked Lodestar in the eyes. “It is the dane way to want a person to earn respect instead of demand it. What do you want from them?”
Lodestar opened a hidden compartment behind the face of one of the cufflinks. “It’s a dragon scale; I would have thought it to be a griffin nail.” She looked down at Charlotte and held the open cuff link for her to look inside. “What do you know about this?”
Charlotte glanced at the shiny blue scale. “I didn’t even know there was a secret compartment.”
“Well of course there is.” Lodestar snapped her hand back up and sniffed as if the very air in front of her was offensive. She traced the cuff links with her pinky finger. “I will have my own sleuthing to do it seems.” Lodestar took out a pair of scissors from a bag around her human waist and snipped her hair into two pieces. Each piece went into a cuff link and then she shut them both carefully.
Charlotte tapped her foot against the floor. “Dragons were a rare guest here. Typically, if we even had one stop by, they would come during the beginning of the New Year. Father would stay up talking with them each time. He loved to hear of their stories and adventures. Sometimes he would even use a spell to stay up later.”
“Maybe that’s what we should do.” Beau yawned.
“Are you capable of being serious, boy?” Lodestar snipped.
He shrugged. “Capable, sure. Willing, that’s another matter.”
Lodestar turned back to Charlotte. “I am surprised. Dragons do not give a scale away very easily. Your father is an impressive man.”
“While my father is an impressive man, it was likely given to my mother, or because of her. She has a way with absolutely everyone.”
“I see.” Lodestar handed the cuff link
s back to Charlotte. “You should have no problem getting past this building’s protection spell now.”
“Thank you.” The cuff links were warm in Charlotte’s hands. “What is it that you need while we are out?”
Lodestar placed her scissors back in her bag and brought out a small piece of paper. “I require books from your father’s library. We will consider this the beginning of a library loan agreement between our two libraries. Someday you may borrow from my library.”
Charlotte smiled before she could stop herself. She wasn’t too fond of the unitaur, but she could put up with her in order to use her library. “It’s a deal.”
“I trust that your father still has his backpack?”
Charlotte blinked. This unitaur knew much more than she let on. “It’s in the library. I’ll use it to bring back the books.”
“Good. Now go quickly. I will watch the end of the hallway until you leave.”
Beau tilted his head and walked a few steps away from Lodestar. Charlotte followed. She didn’t want the nosy, loud unitaur to overhear them, either. “First let’s go to your father’s library. It won’t take you long to find the books. Once we find Raven or Ebby and return them here we will be found out and may not be able to get to the library.”
“It’s a plan.”
“Okay, let’s get out of here.” Beau looked down both ends of the hallway.
“You are going to have to hold onto my hand.” Charlotte warned him.
Beau sighed dramatically. “It’s such a rough life to have to be asked by a beautiful lady to hold her hand.”
Charlotte raised her eyebrows. “I’m filthy, exhausted, and getting a little cranky.”
“It becomes you right now, but we better finish the errand before you turn into scary psycho beautiful lady.” His eyes softened. “Thanks for doing this.” His slipped his hand into hers.
“That’s what friends are for.” Charlotte blew on the cuff links, which began to glow a mixture of blue and green. She thought of the main double doors in the library and with a flash and a tug they transported.
The library was dark and still. Moonlight shone though the windows. Enchanted candles lit up as they passed the bookshelves. Charlotte handed the list to Beau and headed for the cabinets behind her father’s desk. She pulled out his backpack and ran her hand over the soft, worn leather. Made by Josef many years ago, it could hold an infinite amount of books and items and it could shift into any kind of bag the owner wanted. She hugged it to her chest and then joined Beau to help him find the last of the books. At last, they stood before the glass doors that led to the side lawns.
“Where do we even start looking for Raven and Ebby, Beau?” She coughed in an attempt to control her feelings. “Do you think we might find my mother out there, too? Maybe she got away and is hiding?”
Beau reached out and squeezed her hand. “I suppose there is that possibility, but I think your father would not be in the shape he is now if she were on the property. Some of the others are confident that he is straining to get through the shield to keep connected with her.”
Charlotte managed to nod. She blinked the tears out of her eyes before following Beau, who was headed to a closet his family had in the library. The Winguards had closets in many places in the castle in order to organize their collection of windboards. The one in the library was actually hidden behind a bookshelf. Beau put his hand on a specific spot on the inside of the bookshelf, which read his handprint and opened the door into the small room that was packed with boxes and bags and boards.
Beau pulled out a larger than usual board from the back of the closet. “I thought flying would help us find them quickest.”
“How will we see in the dark?” Charlotte asked.
Beau winked. “With my eagle eyes. Honestly, Lottie, I swear you forget that I am who I am.”
Charlotte shrugged. “Maybe I do forget the wings and abilities, but I do know who you are.”
Beau stared at her for a moment.
Charlotte looked at the board in his arms. “Is this one new?”
“Yes. Your father made it for my family to use to let Basil or anybody else surf the wind with us. I don’t know exactly what else it does, but I figured that this was an emergency.” He turned her around and they both stepped on the board. The board stretched and grew shoe like attachments around both of their feet.
“Okay, cuff links again to get us right outside the doors.” Charlotte said.
“Here goes!” Beau lifted off as soon as they were outside.
Flying on the board felt safer. Beau wrapped his arms around her waist. Charlotte laid her arms over his. They flew slowly over the lawns, Beau scanning the ground carefully. Charlotte kept her eyes open for anything, but she knew her eyesight was laughable compared to his. It was quiet and still. There were no flashes of light this time. She worried that they would be spotted by whatever enemy lurked on the grounds, but she was more hopeful that they would find those who were missing.
“This would be fun if not for the circumstances,” Charlotte whispered. “Why haven’t we done this before?”
“There was that puking incident.” Beau laughed quietly in her ear.
“You forget that that’s strictly between you and me.”
“And here we are: you and me. I can talk about it.”
“Just don’t forget how you felt riding on Zorach.”
“And yet I kept it in.” He laughed again.
Charlotte was working on her next comment when Beau swerved quickly towards the outdoor stage. “I think I see a body.” They landed and detached from the board. It was Raven. She was covered with scorch marks all over body. Her dress was in shreds. Charlotte laid a hand on her chest.
“Her breathing is so slow and soft. We have got to get her back to the hobs now.” Charlotte put the cuff links in Beau’s hands. “Take these and get her to Sebastian. I’ll wait here for you.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
“Two enchanted cuff links. Two passengers.” Charlotte sat back on her heels. Beau didn’t budge. She nudged him. “Beau, you have to get her to Sebastian before it’s too late. It’s too dark to see her injuries, and there might not be much time left to intervene if she’s badly hurt. Besides, you can be back quickly with the cuff links.”
“Charlotte, if there is somebody bad nearby, then you don’t have a way to protect yourself.”
“Then we are giving him or her more time to get to me by arguing! Go!”
“Fine, but I will be back as quickly as possible. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Beau scooped Raven up in his arms while Charlotte blew on the cuff links. “Think of the room we came from.” She dropped the cuff links in his hands and with a flash he and Raven were gone.
Charlotte looked around at the trimmed front lawns and the immense circle drive. She was on the right side of the lawns where the outdoor stage and stone benches provided a place for outdoor plays and concerts for the guests. On the left side of the lawns were a small stream and a bridge and path that led to a gazebo. Sculpted trees ands statues and lampposts were scattered about both lawns. She walked across the driveway and headed to the bridge, the windboard tucked under her arm. She used to love playing around the bridge as a child.
Charlotte stumbled to a halt. Small bits of tutu were scattered in the grass. She broke into a run when she spotted a larger pile of tutu and a pale leg under the bridge. A scream burned in her throat, ready to emerge, but she swallowed it down. Relief and fear raced through her veins at the same time. She fell to her knees and placed her hand on Ebby’s face. Her skin was cold. Charlotte wasn’t sure if Ebby was breathing or not. She was so distracted that she didn’t even notice Beau until he had picked up Ebby in his arms.
“I’ll be right back, Lottie. Stay put.” She stared blankly back at him. She felt so hollow inside. Beau gently placed Ebby on the ground and pushed Charlotte under the bridge. “I saw some people near the border on the right trying to get out.” He whi
spered in her ear. “Listen to me Charlotte; this is important. Stay put. Stay quiet. I will be back soon.”
He picked Ebby back up after blowing on the cuff links and was gone in another flash. Charlotte hugged her legs under the bridge, shivering in the cold darkness. She wondered if this was what it felt like to be in shock. To be trapped in your own mind unable to move. But she didn’t want to stay trapped, so she forced her mind to stop paralyzing her body with fear. She grabbed the windboard and crawled back further under the bridge.
“I thought I heard somebody over here.” A low voice growled. “Maybe those females are making a ruckus again. I thought they would have surely taken each other out by now.”
Charlotte shivered from both cold and fear. Beau popped up right in front of her and she immediately put her finger over her lips. He nodded.
Another male spoke then, a whiney voice this time. “Nah, it’s the lack of sleep making noises in your ears. I was here earlier. Both were dead or almost there. Too bad that Raven girl didn’t last. We need some more pretty looking girls on the wrong side of the law.”
“Too bad we couldn’t capture the little one she fought against. She would have made a pretty addition to the master’s collection.”
A series of loud pops erupted in the air. Charlotte and Beau threw their hands over their ears. Charlotte started forward at the sound of familiar galloping, but Beau pushed her back against the bridge and held on to her. They heard a familiar voice, but it was not Zorach. “The barrier is broken. Come now, dimwits! Feel fortunate that I was sent to retrieve you and that I bothered to obey.”
Beau pulled Charlotte into his arms and blew on the cuff links. The flash and tug transported them to the back room of the hobs’ wing. Sebastian was barking orders at a few other hobs who were helping him tend to Raven and Ebby. Zorach and Lodestar were arguing in a corner of the room. Wilder stood near the door, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes locked with Beau’s eyes.
“Father, they’ve broken the barrier! They are escaping right now!”
Wilder nodded and left the room.