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Saturday, December 3
“Mom, we’re going to the bookstore today, right? I gotta get there!”
Kiaya laughed a little bit at that. Gideon was standing next to their front door, his coat in his hands, with only one sock on and missing his pants. “Don’t you think you’re missing a few things, bud?” she asked him, holding out the pair of pants he’d left on his bedroom floor. “It might be a bit cold to go out without these.”
“Oh, right.” He dropped his coat and came over. “I was too excited!”
“I can tell.” She waited while he put the pants on, and then handed him his missing sock. “Don’t worry – they won’t start without you.”
“Maybe you can help us today, Mom,” Gideon said, tugging on his sock. “I wonder what the castle is going to have us do!”
“I don’t know,” Kiaya said. “And maybe I can help. I’ve got to write too. Go find your boots, please.”
He waved his hand airily as he went to where his boots stood next to the door. “You got this book, Mom. I have faith in you.”
“Thanks, bud.”
The walk to CrossWinds Books took them by The Chocolate Coffee Bean, where they got some of Katarina’s special hot chocolate to warm up from the walk, and give them the energy to get to the bookstore. Gideon didn’t really need the sugar boost, but Kiaya felt like she did. The book was giving her some fits, and the fact that she had a deadline staring her in the face was disheartening at the moment, rather than inspiring.
“You look tired,” Mick said, his gentle Scottish brogue making her smile. “Long night?”
“Deadlines,” Kiaya said. “This story isn’t cooperating.”
“Ah, I see.” He nodded. “Be right back. I have the fix for that.”
Kiaya raised one eyebrow, but waited, since Gideon was watching Katarina cut homemade marshmallows for his chocolate. Mick went into the back room and came back with a small paper bag that he pressed into her hand.
“What is this?” she asked, peering inside.
“Espresso beans,” Mick said. “Soaked in Chambord and then dipped in dark chocolate.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yes. House special.” Mick winked at her. “Guaranteed to help with stories that aren’t behaving.”
She grinned and tucked the small bag in her pocket. “Thank you. I’ll have to try it.”
“You off to the Bookstore?” he asked.
“Yes, Gideon’s helping with an Advent calendar,” Kiaya said. “And it’s a good place to write.”
“Aye, it is,” Mick said. “Can you give Molly a message for me?”
“Certainly.”
He leaned over the glass case and said very quietly, “Tell her two dozen, tuxedo. She’ll know what you mean.”
Kiaya nodded. “I feel like a spy, passing coded messages.”
She felt like even more of a spy when she told Molly, who clapped her hands together and said, “Excellent!”
“I don’t suppose you can tell me what I just delivered, can you?” Kiaya asked a little wistfully.
“No, not really, but I do appreciate it,” Molly said, a grin tugging at her lips. She looked down at Gideon. “Lily and Kaylee are upstairs with Schrodinger and Jack. Did you want to go and get them so we could do the castle?”
He ran off eagerly, and Kiaya sighed. “I wish I had a quarter of his energy.” She pulled out her computer and set it up as Molly laughed.
“I think we all do,” the kitchen witch said, and then went back into the kitchen, followed shortly by Gideon, Kaylee, Lily, Jack, and Schrodinger.
<><>
“I found it, guys! I found it!”
Gideon’s finger flashed out, and he touched a window near the middle of the castle. The window opened and widened, showing them what must be a room off the Great Hall, with shiny marble floors and large windows framed with dark green curtains. Snowflake ties held the curtains back, letting sunlight drift down over several sets of wooden risers. On the risers, clad in robes of gold and crimson and green, were people holding what looked like folders or books.
In front of them, in the middle of the room, was a tall man in a black suit, with a long wand in his hand. As they all watched, the man raised his wand, and brought it down sharply. The people on the risers burst into song.
To Schrodinger’s amazement, as the chorus sang, musical notes rose from the folders they held, and swirled around the room. One note sailed out the window, and danced around Gideon’s head for a moment before exploding into brilliant sparks.
“Does that mean we’re singing today?” Gideon asked eagerly.
“Not exactly, although you can,” Molly said, laughing a little. She handed them their aprons and hats. “But we are making cookies for tomorrow! And you know, I think musical notes would be pretty cool – what do you think?”
“Yes!” Lily said. “Do you have musical note cookie cutters?”
“I think so! Let’s look!”
Molly had a box full of different cookie cutters, and she put them down for Kaylee and Gideon to sort through, while she and Lily rolled out the cookie dough she’d made the night before. Once they had the cutters, she sent all five of them out to the tea room to take over a table and cut out cookies. Schrodinger and Jack supervised, of course, and Molly was kept busy running trays back and forth.
“This is a lot of cookies!” Gideon said.
“There will be a LOT of people here tomorrow,” Lily said, picking up a finished tray. “The carol sing is amazing. The store will be full.”
“I want Old Man Winter to come,” Kaylee said. “I miss him.”
“Me too,” Lily agreed. “And his reindeer.”
And Ember, Schrodinger added. We haven’t seen them in a while, have we?
“I wonder what they’re doing,” Lily said. She’d come back from the kitchen, but hadn’t brought another tray. “Molly says we’re done until she can bake and cool them. So we can hang out.”
They ended up on Schrodinger’s bed next to the wood stove, a pile of children, CrossCat, and dog. Lily looked at Schrodinger and said, “Is your scrying crystal still here?”
Yes, it’s in the kitchen, why?
“Because maybe we could use it to see what Ember and Old Man Winter are doing?” she said, running a finger along one of his ears. “If you wanted to, that is.”
Schrodinger considered that for a bit. We could, he agreed. Let me go get it.
He came back with the wooden box held in his teeth, and put it in Lily’s lap. She opened it and held it in her hand. “Now what?” she asked.
Watch, he said, and concentrated. As he did, he could almost hear the Librarian’s voice in his head, teaching him how to use it.
The whole key to making the scrying work is to have the person or place you are looking for pictured clearly in your mind, she’d said. No outside thoughts. Just that one thing.
Now, he pulled the image of the sapphire dragon Ember into his mind. He’d last seen her in her cave, but he just concentrated on her: her large, deep blue eyes, framed with long lashes; a slender snout; her long, curved neck and tail; the way her scales glittered like bits of captive ocean; the translucent membranes of her wings. Ember was the first dragon he’d ever met, and she was still his favorite.
The crystal in Lily’s hand clouded over, and as he continued to concentrate, it cleared, showing the dragon in mid-flight. She was over a land Schrodinger was not familiar with: wherever she was, it was autumn, as trees clad in red, orange and yellow flashed beneath her.
“Who’s that?” Gideon asked, his eyes wide.
“That’s Ember! You did it, Schrodinger!” Kaylee said, hugging the CrossCat. “But where is she?”
I don’t know, Schrodinger said, and let the image fade. He panted a little. That’s harder than it looks!
It was fall there, Jack said. I could smell it.
You could? Schrodinger looked at his friend in surprise. Through the crystal? That’s amazing!
I’m a good tracker, Jack said modestly.
“You guys know a DRAGON?” Gideon interrupted. “A real DRAGON?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Kaylee asked him.
“No,” he said, awed. “Can I meet her?”
I don’t see why not, Schrodinger said. He nosed Lily’s hand. Let’s put that away now. We’ll look for Old Man Winter later.
“Can I try?” she asked him. “Do you mind?”
Go ahead. He shrugged. Just picture whoever you want to see, and concentrate on the crystal.
Lily frowned, the tip of her tongue slipping through her lips as she stared at the ball in her hand. For a long time, it remained stubbornly clear, but then, Schrodinger saw the faintest cloudy mist begin to form.
“This is hard,” Lily said, and Schrodinger saw sweat beading on her forehead.
It is, he agreed. Perhaps you should practice visualizing first. That’s how the Librarian taught me.
She reluctantly put the crystal back into its box. “Do you think maybe I can do it another time?”
You can try as often as you want, Schrodinger said. But don’t forget that you can call her too. And talk over the computer.
“I know.” She looked as if she were going to say something else, but then bit her lip and looked away.
Molly called them back into the kitchen at that point, and Schrodinger quickly forgot about Lily’s request as they all began to frost the mountains of musical notes. But later, as they were driving home, he remembered her turning away.
Molly, is everything okay with Lily? He over at her.
“I think so, other than the fact that she’s upset that Zoey isn’t here,” Molly said. “Why? Has she said something to you?”
Not exactly, he admitted. But something’s odd about her.
Molly frowned. “I trust your instincts, Cat. Keep an eye on her?”
Always.
> Cookies! If you can’t find a musical note, make whatever kind of shapes you would like. This is Molly’s favorite sugar cookie recipe, and mine too, from Better Homes and Gardens:
Ingredients
- 2/3cup butter, softened
- 3/4cup sugar
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4teaspoon salt
- 1egg
- 1tablespoon milk
- 1teaspoon vanilla
- 2cups all-purpose flour
- 1recipe Royal Icing (optional)
- Small decorative candies (optional)
Directions
- In a large bowl beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover; chill about 30 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, half at a time, until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Using 2-1/2-inch cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are very light brown. Transfer to wire racks; cool. If desired, frost with Royal icing and/or decorate with decorative candies.
Originally published at The words of Valerie Griswold-Ford. You can comment here or there.