by Claire Fogel
Leaning against the porch railing, I began to sing.
“Soaring above clouds,
Across sky so wide,
Almost touching the sun,
Here no reason to hide. . .”
As I sang, I could feel the dragon’s magic descending, wrapping itself around us. My father stopped pacing, finally sitting down.
I heard the sound of huge wings coming closer as she flew down, settling herself in the backyard.
“Good evening, Rowenna.”
In my head, her rusty voice was alarmed. More trouble tonight, Cara? There is so much tension, so much anger, in the air around your home. And flashing lights in other parts of town. Did I hear the sound of guns tonight?
“You know the sound of guns, Rowenna?”
Yes. When there were many dragons long ago, people on the ground sometimes tried to bring us down with their guns. But we flew too high for guns to harm us. Foolish people.
“The evil man we’ve talked about keeps hiring men to come here and try to kill me, my mother, and our friends. The man shot at me tonight, but Adam protected me and was shot instead. Kathleen, the Elves’ healer, is here. She removed the bullet from Adam’s arm. He’s resting now. He’ll be fine.”
Her rough voice sounded angry. Where is man who shot at you?
“The police caught him. He’s in jail.”
If I caught him, he would be ash now.
“I’m almost sorry you didn’t catch him. But you may get your chance. I’m sure the evil man causing the trouble will try again.”
I fly over your town every night, Cara. Call me if you need my help.
“Thank you, Rowenna.” I hummed her song again as she rose slowly from our yard and disappeared into the night sky. Her magic swirled around us for a few minutes and then was gone.
Adam slept all night without stirring and spent the next day at our house. Mom had to open the bookstore and I had to go to school, so my father volunteered to stay home and keep Adam company. I’d shown him where sandwich ingredients were kept in the fridge, and he was busy making coffee when I left for school. Nobody would go hungry today.
I found Ryan waiting on the porch, all red-eyed. “You’ve been up all night, haven’t you?” I asked. He nodded.
“I won’t be goin’ to school with you today. Your father came out earlier and said he’d send someone else. Your principal has already been called, so there won’t be a problem. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”
I heard footsteps on the porch stairs and turned to see my cousin Jason, who gave me a tight hug when he reached me.
“I heard what happened last night. How is Adam?”
“Kathleen took the bullet out last night. I think he’ll be fine. He’s asleep now.”
He couldn’t help beaming. “Well, as bad as I feel for your bodyguards, I now get a day in high school with you!”
“Well, let’s go. We have to pick up Kevin and Patrick around the corner. Ryan, get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He nodded.
As soon as we pulled up in front of Kevin’s house, he and Patrick jumped into the back seat. Patrick had obviously filled Kevin in on last night’s shooting.
“How are you, short stuff?”
“I’m fine, Kev. Adam took the bullet for me. He’s resting at my house.”
“At least the police caught the shooter. Have you heard anything from the Chief yet?”
“No. He said the shooter was getting his head patched up at the hospital. The Chief will be questioning him this morning.”
“What happened to his head?”
“I think it was more like who happened to his head, Kev. I don’t think the cops who caught him were too gentle.”
Patrick asked, “Did Kathleen get the bullet out?”
“Yes. Adam will be fine once his arm heals.”
Patrick reached up and gave Jason a gentle punch. “So you’re getting your wish today, right?”
Grinning, Jason nodded. “I’m sorry Adam and Ryan are out of commission today, but I’m really looking forward to filling in for them. You and Gabriel talk so much about all the pretty girls in school, I’m hoping I can meet some of them.”
I had to smile. “I have a feeling those girls will be all over you today.”
“Really?”
“Yep. You may have to beat them off.”
Patrick and Kevin both laughed, but they knew I wasn’t kidding. Girls had a tendency to melt when they caught sight of my cousin. Tall and thin, with the face of an angel and a sweet personality, it was easy to fall in love with Jason. But I had to wonder what kind of a bodyguard he’d make. I might have to guard him.
I found a good parking space not far from the school’s entrance, and we jogged into the main entrance where Amy, Sean, Neal and Gabe waited for us. Everyone had heard about the shooting.
As soon as I’d handed over my knives to Mr. Weiss and introduced Jason, Sean and Amy started talking at once. It seemed they had both tried to call me last night, but I’d had my phone turned off.
“Sorry, but I had to turn off my phone while Kathleen was performing surgery on Adam’s arm. I was helping her, and the last thing I needed was my phone ringing.”
Sean looked relieved but he wasn’t smiling. “We knew there had been a shooting, but we didn’t know whether you’d been shot. It was a long night for us. My dad finally got in touch with the Chief late last night, and he told us Adam had been the only one who got hurt.”
Amy hugged me. “Please don’t scare us like that again. Sean and I were wrecks for hours last night.”
She hesitated. “Will there still be a wedding on Saturday?”
That stopped me. “Uh, we haven’t discussed that. I’ll talk to my parents when I get home today and I’ll call you as soon as I know. But I hope they won’t decide to postpone.”
Amy nodded. “Yeah, I’ve already put in a lot of time organizing everything. I don’t even want to think about all the phone calls I’ll have to make if we’re postponing.”
The bell rang and we all had to leave for our classes. Sean welcomed Jason to Thornewood High. He’d only met my cousin once before, right after my kidnapping. I looked over at Jason and had to smile at his wide-eyed expression as we walked through the halls to our first class. Almost every girl we passed did a double take when they spotted Jason. Sean and Gabe noticed too and couldn’t help grinning.
That was how our day went. At lunch our table was busy as crowds of girls stopped by to ask about the shooting and, of course, to be introduced to Jason. I don’t think Jason stopped smiling all day.
When I stopped to think about the bodyguard angle, I finally asked Jason if he was armed. He whispered in my ear, “Of course, cousin. I can throw a knife as well as you can.”
That was good news.
When we got home after school, Adam and my father were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. Jason came in with me to say hello and see how Adam was feeling. I made him a sandwich and he went out on the front porch, taking Ryan’s normal spot.
My father dropped a kiss on my head and told me that Kathleen would be coming back to check on Adam, whose injured arm was in a sling.
“How’s the arm feeling?” I asked him.
He gave me that smile that always turned my heart to mush. “It feels better than it did last night, but I’m hoping it heals fast. By the way, thanks for the shirt and the blanket.”
“You look a hundred percent better than you did last night. Have you eaten today?”
My father nodded. “I made sandwiches as your mother suggested. I’m afraid we ate all the ham and turkey, but your mother said she’d be stopping at the store on her way home.” He grinned. “I’m trying to talk her into pizza for dinner tonight.”
I had to smile. Who knew Elves would go crazy for pizza?
When Mom got home, Conor was with her. He stayed and enjoyed the pizza with us. Despite the fact that last night’s shooting was the main topic of conversation, dinner was enjoyable. We were still at t
he table when Kathleen arrived to check on Adam.
They went into the living room while I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up. When they returned to the kitchen, Kathleen told us that Adam’s bullet wound was healing nicely. She took me aside and handed me a bag of special tea for Adam.
“He won’t complain, but I know his arm pains him. Use this tea just for Adam. He won’t tell you if he’s in pain, Cara. You’ll have to ask.”
“I will.” Kathleen gave me a quick hug.
Mom got up from the table. “Kathleen, please stay and have tea before you return to camp.”
Kathleen sat down next to Conor while Mom boiled water for tea. The conversation returned to last night’s shooting. My father was wondering if the Chief had learned anything from the shooter. And that was when the phone rang. Mom answered it, said “Okay,” and hung up. “Tommy is on his way over here. He has news for us.”
When the Chief arrived, Mom poured him a cup of coffee and he sat down with us. He looked startled when he spotted Kathleen. “Alicia, I didn’t know you had a sister.”
Mom said, “This is Kathleen, the healer from Elvenwood. She’s here to treat Adam’s wound.” She chuckled. “We’re not related.”
He shook his head. “You could have fooled me. Well, I moved the shooter from the hospital to the jail this morning. He was more talkative than I had expected.”
My father asked, “Has he told you where Gaynes is hiding?”
“No, other than saying he thought Gaynes was out of the country. This man wasn’t hired by some middle man. Gaynes contacted him through a site on the dark web and they spoke over the phone. Gaynes was complaining that he didn’t think it was such a tough job, but that everyone he’d sent here had ultimately failed to do what he’d been hired for. This shooter, Lawrence Hoffman, has a long history; assault, attempted murder, murder for hire, and so on. He’s only been out of prison for a few months. He knows he’ll be going back to prison for the rest of his life, and he’s blaming Gaynes for not telling him that Thornewood was heavily policed, or that his target was well guarded. He said no one will work for Gaynes now.”
Taking a deep breath, Mom said, “That might mean that Gaynes will be coming here himself. He’s so insane and bent on revenge, I don’t see him giving up, do you?”
The Chief shook his head. “That would be too much to hope for. But we’ll be ready. The police presence in Thornewood will be even more obvious now.”
He looked at Dad. “This may be the right time for your men to become more visible. Can you make that work?”
“I think we can handle that. Conor, pick the men who are most comfortable in the human world and we’ll meet with them. Chief, we’ll need you to go over the city map with us. We’ll want to place my men wherever the police coverage is lightest.”
They agreed to meet at my father’s camp early the next morning.
Adam asked, “What can I do? There must be something you can use a one-armed man for.”
My father, Conor, and the Chief looked at each other. I think they all realized that Adam needed more time to recover. My father said, “If the Chief agrees, we can make this house our command post for the Elves. Adam, you’re a telepath. That will make communication easier. You can come to camp with me in the morning, but don’t forget, you do need more time to recover.”
I could see the relief on Adam’s face. When he looked at me, I could also see that he still intended to do whatever was possible to keep me protected. More relaxed now, he winked at me.
This seemed like the perfect time to ask my parents the most important question.
“Are we still having the wedding on Saturday?”
From the look on their faces, that hadn’t even occurred to them. They looked at each other. Dad took Mom’s hand. “Would you rather delay until that lunatic is behind bars?” he asked softly.
Showing the temperament redheads were famous for, she said, “Absolutely not. I think we’ve already waited too long. Don’t you?”
“You’re getting married on Saturday?” The Chief asked.
With a satisfied smile, my father said, “Yes. I hope you’ll be there, Tom. There will be a party in the backyard Saturday afternoon. If the police force can spare you for a few hours, I’d like to see you there.”
Smiling, the Chief looked at Mom. “It’s about time, Alicia. I’ll be there.”
Mom’s cheeks were pink, but she was smiling.
After the Chief, Conor, and Kathleen left, I went up to my room to call Amy and let her know the wedding was still on. I could hear the relief in her voice.
“I’m so glad. Not only because of all the arrangements we’ve already made, but the window for outdoor weddings will be closing soon. Your parents would have to wait until spring.”
“Actually, when my dad asked Mom if she wanted to wait until Gaynes is in jail, her hair seemed to get a little redder! What she said was, ‘Haven’t we waited long enough?’”
Laughing, Amy said, “Yeah, that sounds like your mom. Tomorrow I’ll need you to go to the caterer’s with me to make all the final decisions on the food. How’s right after school?”
“Sure. You’ve got everything else under control, right?”
“Yes. I’ve ordered some tables, a lot of chairs, the china, wine glasses, silverware, and flowers. You did say your mom loves chrysanthemums, and this is the perfect time of year for them. Oh, and one more thing I thought of, but it’ll be a surprise. I’ve already enlisted Sean’s help in pulling it off.”
“You’re not even going to tell me?”
“Nope. But I’ll give you one clue. Your yard will look like a fairy tale when I’m through!”
I had to laugh. “Well, that’s appropriate.”
“Cara, there’s one more thing I think I should mention. I think Sean is feeling neglected. Maybe you could give him a call before you go to bed.”
I sighed. “I’ve had too many other things on my mind. I still have to see how Adam’s feeling tonight. I have some special tea for him that I think contains something to kill pain. I should make it for him before he turns in for the night.”
“What? He’s staying at your house?”
“Yep. He’s crashing on the living room couch. I don’t know how long he’ll be staying, but I’m in no rush for him to leave.”
“You poor thing, what a burden it must be to have that gorgeous blue-eyed Elf under the same roof.” She chuckled.
“Yeah, well, we all have our crosses to bear. Seriously, keeping him down while all this Gaynes stuff is going on won’t be easy. I can tell he hates seeing me leave the house without him.”
I told her what the Chief had learned from the shooter.
“So you all think Gaynes will be coming here himself?”
“Probably. The Chief is putting more men on duty, and more of my father’s men will be out and about in town from now on.”
I could hear her smile. “More gorgeous guys for Thornewood’s females to swoon over? What a hardship that will be for us.”
“I guess that’s our temporary silver lining. Right now, I’m just hoping he stays away until after the wedding. I don’t want anything spoiling that day for my parents.”
I described Mom’s wedding dress and my own. Amy did all the oohing and ahhing, as expected. She hadn’t decided what she’d be wearing yet, but wanted to make sure she’d be coordinated with Mom and me. Of course she did.
I finally said I had to get back downstairs and make that tea for Adam.
When I got downstairs, Adam was still sitting at the kitchen table with my parents. He looked tired, and when he moved his arm, he grimaced. I put the hot water kettle on the stove and turned the gas on. When the water boiled, I poured it over the special, pain-killing tea Kathleen had given me and handed the cup to Adam.
“Kathleen gave me this tea earlier. It’ll help with the pain.”
He looked up at me, surprised, and then smiled. “You’re too good to me, Cara.”
I looked into thos
e dark blue eyes and said, “No. I’m really not.”
Tearing myself away from those eyes, I told Mom that I’d be going out with Amy after school the next day to place the final order for the food we’d be serving at the wedding party.
Smiling, she said, “I’m not even going to ask what you two have chosen. I’m sure it will all be wonderful. But be sure to take your bodyguards with you.”
“Of course. We’ll at least have Ryan, Neal, and maybe Jason with us.
“I’ve got some homework to do and another phone call to make, so I’ll say good night. And Adam, if you need more of that tea, the bag is on the counter. I know you know how to boil water on the stove. No sense being in pain if you don’t have to.”
He nodded, his eyes letting me know he appreciated my concern.
I hugged Mom and Dad, winked at Adam, and went up to my room.
Homework could wait. I owed Sean a call.
When he picked up the phone, I heard a relieved-sounding “Hi, Beautiful. I hope you have time to talk. I feel like we haven’t really talked in weeks.”
“I know. With the wedding and the shooting, there’s been too much going on. Sorry.”
“Any news from the police?”
“Yeah, the Chief interviewed the shooter and learned a few things.” I explained what the Chief had told us and that Thornewood would be covered even more thoroughly now.
“More Elves in town? That should be interesting.” He chuckled.
“By the way, I hope I’m invited to your parents’ wedding on Saturday. I’ll be helping Amy set up your backyard before the party. She’s really going all out, you know.”
“I know, I know. I think she has a promising future as a wedding planner. I could never have done all of this without her help. I didn’t have a clue.
“Actually, you’re invited to both weddings, if you’d like to be there. The first wedding will be at City Hall Saturday at Noon. It’ll just be our closest friends. In the afternoon the Elven wedding ceremony will take place in our backyard, witnessed by all the Elves who are willing to leave Elvenwood for a few hours. The party will follow.”
“You bet I’d like to be there. I think my parents would like to attend both weddings as well. They’re always up for a party.”