Earth's Elf, page 5
“Alarm? Do you often get break-ins?”
“Not since we put in security. We had problems for a while with those thinking they could steal and resell Mindy’s hexed cupcakes on the black market.”
“So much naughty in the world,” Leif murmured softly. The door into the kitchen didn’t make a sound, and they quickly made their way into the sweets shop, where a gust of wind brought in flakes from the outside.
“There’s no one here,” Leif stated unnecessarily. Reiver would have known the moment he did.
His friend still took a cautious look around behind the counter, even glancing overhead, whereas Leif toed the empty boxes spilled on the floor. “Looks like they were after the cookies.” While he and Reiver had caught up, Mindy had been finishing up the decorations on some gingerbread people. Eight baker’s dozen on a prepaid special order due to be picked up in the morning.
Reiver knelt and sorted through the remains of the torn boxes. “Not a single crumb left behind.”
“What I don’t get is, why they didn’t they just steal the boxes? Why take the cookies out at all?”
A faint shriek drew their attention to the front of the store. They were both moving by the time they heard the breaking glass.
As they hit the road, both Leif and Reiver stumbled to a halt at the scene before them.
A woman in Christmas-tree-patterned fleece leggings, an oversized knit sweater, and socks over her calves danced in the snowy road, dodging what appeared to be a giant gingerbread monster. It held a lawn stake with a glowing snowman on the end and threatened the woman, who lacked a weapon of her own. She resorted to grabbing loose snow from the road and flinging it, to no effect.
“What is that?” Reiver exclaimed, angling to the left, knowing Leif would head for the right.
“Gingerbread man.”
Reiver cleared his throat. “Um, seriously?”
“It appears someone’s animated your wife’s baked goods.” The why didn’t matter for the moment. Stopping the gingerbread did.
The woman had realized her pathetic snowballs wouldn’t be enough. She saw him and yelled, “Watch out. The cookie attacks.”
“Stand aside. I’ve got this.” Leif pulled a pair of specially crafted candy canes from the holsters by his hips and charged them with a bit of Christmas magic. Their red-and-white length swirled, taking on a bright greenish blue glow. With them held upright, Leif confronted the monstrous-sized gingerbread man.
The good news about animated cookies? Easy to break into pieces. More annoying? When those pieces kept trying to rejoin instead of dying.
Leif spun and swung his rods, breaking off a gingerbread limb before shifting to aim for the arm. By the time he’d chopped it off, the leg had reattached. He’d never seen the like.
Reiver growled, “How do we stop it?”
“I don’t know.” Cookies usually crumbled and stayed that way.
A sharp whistle whipped Leif’s head to the side. Mindy stood in the mouth of the alley by the bakery, a green glow surrounding her, even thicker around her rounding belly. She pointed to the monster already reassembling and said, “Mungo, tell your friends it’s snack time.”
A wave of green-skinned creatures poured out of the alley, led by one wearing a bright purple sarong with a scar over its eye screaming, “Follow.”
The goblins swarmed the cookie monster, but rather than tear it apart with their claws, they chomped with their teeth. In under a minute, the locust-like scavengers had eaten every single last morsel, shattering the magic.
The threat was gone.
The woman it had attacked sat in the road, a stunned expression on her face.
Leif knelt by her side. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
She blinked at him from behind her glasses before saying, “Holy baby in a manager, you have pointed ears.”
Chapter 6
Wearing green underwear with a big red bow that said, “Unwrap Me…”
Bella wanted to slap a hand over her mouth the moment her comment about pointed ears slipped out. How rude of her to remark on it. She couldn’t excuse the fact she’d never seen an elf.
Wait, was he an elf? Her understanding of the species was that they were much shorter, and this fellow holding out his hand to her had many inches over her scant five-foot-two stature. A fact realized as he heaved Bella to her feet.
“Hi,” she said. “Sorry about what I said.”
“Why apologize? It’s true. My ears are pointed.” Rather than appear offended, Leif grinned and his eyes twinkled with mirth. His smile sparkled with goodwill. His coat might be long and somber, but those weapons he’d wielded…no mistaking their candy cane style.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Someone wondering why that cookie monster was trying to kill you.”
The reminder had her frowning and glancing to her store. “Inside, when it was a single small cookie, it asked me to give it.”
“Give it what?” he asked in a low tone.
“I haven’t the slightest clue. But it stopped asking after it turned into mega cookie. Then it just wanted to kill me.” Her nose wrinkled. “As if I needed another reason to dislike gingerbread.”
“They might not be the best cookie, but they can be tasty. Better than dry sugar cookies.”
“What?” Bella ogled him. “How are you eating them that they’re dry? They’re meant to be dipped.”
“Not practical when I’m in the field. I need cookies I can grab and eat on the go.”
“In that case, you should be carrying around fruitcake. I find a high protein one, chock full of nuts, with a bit of coconut and candied fruits, is the most satisfying.”
He stared at her oddly for a moment. “I love fruitcake.”
She beamed as she exclaimed, “So do I!” Not something that happened often. Most people treated it as if it were the naughty child in the Christmas treat mix. But she liked nothing more than a good fruitcake made with molasses, crunching with every bite.
While she craved a slice, the man with the candy cane rods sheathed them and crouched to listen to a goblin wearing a dress.
She did her best to not squeal. That scary movie she’d seen claimed goblins originated from bad elves. Possible given their pointed ears, but their size and appearance held nothing else in common.
The wave of green bodies fled the road back to the alley, leaving behind the woman with bobbed dark hair and a rounded belly, accompanied by a man armed with a sword, wearing plaid pajama bottoms and black tee. Bella recognized them both as her neighbors. Nice people. Reiver and Mindy. Her an Earth Witch and him a former CA agent. Both excellent bakers. It was a wonder they remained fit.
“…had things perfectly under control,” Reiver argued as they neared.
“Under control. Ha! I saw you hacking to no avail. It was like watching a remake of Fantasia with my cookies,” Mindy scoffed. “Speaking of which, I’ll have to call the client and give them a refund since there is no way I’ll get another massive batch baked and decorated before pickup.”
“That was your cookies? If I’d have known, I might have had a bite.” Bella laughed, as did the man who’d rejoined her.
“I thought they weren’t your favorite,” he murmured.
“Eating a cookie trying to kill me actually sounds delicious.”
That caused him to chuckle. “Any idea how they come to life?” He aimed his question at Mindy.
“They weren’t when I was icing them.”
“Could you have accidentally poured some Earth magic into them when baking?” he further queried.
“Nope.”
“Maybe you didn’t notice because of the hormones.” Reiver palmed her belly and got an elbow.
Mindy huffed. “I am perfectly in control, not to mention I specialize in edible hexes. For more than a few decades now, and I’ve never had any of my baked goods come to life.”
Bella cleared her throat before saying. “I don’t think it was you. I saw someone outside your shop just before the window broke.”
The remark had Reiver focusing on her. “What did they look like?”
“Like someone hiding under a cloak. Sorry, I know that’s not useful,” Bella apologized.
“Height? Perhaps they had wide shoulders?” the candy cane man asked.
“Again, sorry, it was really hard to discern details. They did seem to be hunched over. And they definitely stopped in front of your shop.”
“Then what did they do?”
Bella shrugged. “No idea. I looked away for a minute, and when I glanced back, the glass was broken and they were gone.”
“Someone cast a spell,” mused her candy cane rescuer. “You said they broke in as single cookies. When did they turn into the giant one?”
Despite the fact they tried to kill her, she eyed her toes as she mumbled, “It happened after I crushed them. And before you think I’m a murderer, they attacked me and my cat. I didn’t know they’d be so easy to break.”
His brows almost escaped his face, but it was Mindy who exclaimed, “My cookies attacked?”
“Yeah. Which reminds me, if you’re missing some utensils, they’re in my shop. I can get them for you.”
“Actually, if you don’t mind, may I look inside?” Reiver asked.
“Sure. Although you’ll have to go through the window.” Bella’s nose wrinkled. “I never did get a chance to unlock the door to escape.”
Reiver entered first, and Mindy waited until he opened the door before she disappeared within, leaving Bella alone with the pointed-ear man, who had more questions.
“Seems to me someone intentionally sent those cookies after you.”
“Why would anyone do that?”
He directed his gaze past Bella to her shop. “You sell Christmas items.”
“Yes. You think they were trying to rob me? Not exactly the brightest idea. I mean some of my stuff might have high price tags, but they’re very specialized items. It takes the right buyer, and that’s not always easy to find.”
“Could be they went there looking for something specific. You said one of them demanded you give them something.”
“Yeah, but they never said what. And it’s not as if I have anything a cookie would want. I don’t carry candy sprinkles, or any food for that matter.”
“Must be something else. What does your shop stock?”
“Everything?” she offered with a lift of her shoulders. “I have all kinds of items inside. Some old, some new. None of them currently related to baking.”
“Any magical items?”
“Possibly?” her lilted reply. “I don’t have magic myself, so I wouldn’t know.”
“I can help there if you’ll allow me.”
“Sure. Be my guest.” She hugged herself as the cold finally penetrated her shock.
“I’m sorry. How rude of me to keep you in the cold.” The man slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. It engulfed her in warmth and a minty scent. Mmm. “Let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”
Inside wasn’t much better given the broken window. It was Reiver who said, “Seems like the cookies had just started snooping around when they were disturbed.”
Mindy clutched the utensils they’d brandished. “I’m so sorry my cookies tried to hurt you.”
“Goodness, it’s not your fault!” Bella exclaimed.
“Think this might be related to what we were discussing earlier?” Reiver asked the man who’d loaned Bella his coat.
“Seems mighty coincidental considering the only other living cookies I’ve known originate from my village.” The man pursed his lips as he surveyed the shop.
It led to Bella asking, “Who are you?”
Reiver flung an arm around the man with the pointed ears and said, “This is Leif. An old friend of mine from Cryptid Training School. Leif, this is Bella, our newest neighbor.”
“You’re a Cryptid Authority agent?” Bella asked.
Mindy giggled. “Not exactly. He’s way more interesting than that.”
“Hey!” Reiver complained.
Mindy patted his arm. “Don’t worry. You’re all the fascination I need.” The big man appeared somewhat mollified.
Leif held out his hand. “I guess we were never properly introduced. Leif Blitzen.”
“Bella Rinkeli.” She slid her fingers into his and got a tingle that parted her lips.
His lips quirked. “Nice to meet you, Bella.”
“In town visiting for the holidays?” she asked.
“Actually, I’m here from the North Pole on a mission,” he confided.
Given her line of work, it was natural for Bella to tease. “Don’t tell me you work for Santa Claus.”
Leif winked. “In a sense I do. I’m part of the Yule Squad, and I’ve been sent here to save Christmas.”
Chapter 7
On the sixth day of Christmas, Leif put his foot in his mouth…
Leif blurted out his objective, and the woman’s eyes widened. But she didn’t laugh.
Bella did, however, cock her head and say, “Are you an elf?”
He nodded but didn’t elaborate. With the excitement of the fight over, he had a chance to finally look at Bella, the clumsy woman of earlier. She wore comfortable clothing patterned in a Christmas theme covering generous curves. Her hair hung over her shoulders in a messy wave with a hint of curl at the bottom.
She looked up at him, her eyes bright behind her glasses as she questioned him further. “Are you from the North Pole? Santa’s Village?”
“Yes.”
She chewed her full, plump lower lip. “How do I know you’re not lying?”
“Elves can’t lie. We’re banned from Santa’s Village if we’re caught fibbing.” It didn’t happen often, but even in one of the top ten happiest places on Earth—they currently ranked behind a temple that offered visitors baby goats in pajamas—discontent could happen. Sometimes greed crept in. Those elves never ended up staying. And once they broke the rules, they could never return.
“How do I know you’re not a banned elf lying to me now?”
He couldn’t help his laughter. “I’m afraid I can’t prove it. But if you ask Reiver, he’ll vouch for me.”
A dimple appeared in her cheek as she smiled. “Even if you aren’t, I appreciate your Christmas spirit.” She took a moment to eye him. “Nice buckle.” She pointed out the overly large belt adornment with its bright green tree.
He almost wished he had a book to hold in front of him as he managed to say, “Thanks.”
Thankfully, she didn’t stare for long. She pushed up her glasses as she gazed at him. “You said something about needing help. What can I do?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to poke around inside your shop. You see, living gingerbread are rare outside of Santa’s Village. And the few we get are usually accidental. So, to see them here, a gang seemingly with a task, makes me wonder what they were after and if it’s part of my mission to save Christmas.”
“You think one of my ornaments is cursed?” Her eyes widened behind her lenses.
What he thought was he might finally have caught a break on his quest. Could Krampus have been the one animating gingerbread with his magic to act as minions? “Let’s have a look and find out.”
She led the way inside, peeling off her snowy socks as she entered, showing off toes painted in alternating red and green. Inside her shop smelled like home: pinecone, holly berry, and cinnamon. All fragrances he’d grown up with. Shelves lined the walls with village displays and figurines. Tables around the shop held other Christmas items. Racks hung with sweaters and shirts. Bins with wrapping paper. Even spools with ribbon, the fabric, not plastic kind.
A few items lay on the floor, some of them broken. He pointed. “The attack began inside?”
She nodded. “I was upstairs when I heard the bell for the mail slot in my shop ring.”
“Was this before or after the cloaked figure and broken window in the bakery?”
“Right after. I thought it might be a squirrel or something that got through the mail slot, only it turned out to be a bunch of those gingerbread cookies carrying forks, spoons, and knives.”
“I still can’t believe they were armed.” While mischievous, usually the animated cookies didn’t resort to violence.
She lifted her legging enough to show red marks on her ankles. “Once they attacked, I had no choice but to defend myself. While I was upstairs fetching a dustpan to clean up the mess, the broken pieces turned into mega cookie monster.”
Again, not something he’d ever heard of. He moved around the shop touching things, feeling faint hints of magic, nothing that stood out. While he did that, the woman grabbed a pair of cozy-looking slipper socks from a rack and pulled them on her feet with a sigh.
“Is this everything you have?” he asked.
“There’s more in the back room.” She pointed.
Before he could check it out, Reiver and Mindy emerged from the back room.
Reiver jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Nothing on this floor. I can’t check the upstairs. Your giant kitty won’t let me pass.”
“Big Fluff can be territorial,” Bella explained.
“I love that name.” Mindy giggled.
“Was that horde of goblins yours?” Bella asked in return.
“Not exactly. Their leader, Mungo, is a close friend of mine. The others live in my dumpster.”
“There were so many.”
Mindy rolled her shoulders. “Yeah, apparently word got around we offer the best leftovers.”
“They’re not dangerous?”
“Only to their enemies.”
“I wonder if I should start leaving treats in mine,” Bella mused aloud.
Leif circled the room, hands outstretched, face intense with concentration. A green glow circled him.
It was Mindy who remarked, “I didn’t know elven magic was Earth based.”
Leif didn’t look back as he replied. “All Christmas magic is.” Then because even he recognized the answer as too simple, he explained. “It used to be humanity celebrated the winter solstice. Some called it Yuletide. Over time, that celebration evolved and was absorbed into religion and given an unchanging date of December 25th. Since the Earth Mother quite loved Santa and his giving, she used her magic to create us as helpers.”
