“I’m asking you if you’d like to venture outside to find a Christmas tree?”
Rolling over to face him, I tell him I have no desire to cut down one of the trees from the Elder Woods.
“No,” he says. “Not one of mine. I mean, would you like to finish your date to the farm with me?”
I don’t know how he does it, but he just made me fall in love with him all over again.
“What made you want to ask me that?”
He smiles wide. “Because it’s Christmas Eve.”
Donning our elven winter cloaks—and I’m surprised to see that El owns pants and a shirt—we hold hands and prepare to leave our home in search of holiday cheer to make the space even more festive.
To our shock and surprise, two figures in hoods step inside the hovel, out of the cold.
I shriek, and El pulls me into his side.
When the two figures lower their hoods, the two familiar faces look back at me and smile serenely.
I think I might pass out.
“Reba? Deacon?”
I can’t believe my eyes.
“What are you two doing here?”
Reba and Deacon exchange knowing looks.
“I guess I’d better explain,” Reba starts.
Eldrin turns to me, looking sheepish.
“You know them?” I ask him.
He looks from me to Reba. “I think you should tell her.”
“What is going on?” I insist. “Somebody better start explaining!”
Reba looks at Deacon, and he glances back in both apprehension and excitement.
I take in the full vision of my best friend and her fiancé and the stunning clothes they’re wearing. Reba wears a royal blue coat covered in glittering precious stones, with a collar and cuffs of ermine. Her braids crown her head in an unearthly design I can’t even describe, and it too glitters with tiny gemstones that have the effect of freshly fallen snow. Her boots are leather and lace up the front. Deacon is similarly dressed and holds a bag in his hand.
“We came bearing gifts. It’s Christmas Eve.”
Deacon says this as if that clears everything up.
“I’ll explain everything. But first some tea, and a seat by the fire,” Reba says.
Chapter Twelve
Eldrin
Clara sits with her hands covering her cheeks as she listens. While I knew that Reba and Deacon were half-elves condemned to live as full humans for no reason other than they were not fully elves, I’m learning more now. I didn’t know they were secret underground messengers between the human and the Elven worlds. And they’ve come with shocking news.
What Reba explains is this:
After I left the North Pole five years ago, the Uncommon and Common elves united and began to revolt.