Thursday, December 18<\/p>\n
Normally, Molly had Thursdays off. But this was the Thursday before the Snow Queen\u2019s Ball, and since Aunt Margie usually closed the bookstore that Saturday, Molly had come in to work. Jack was sitting at the island, a cup of tea cooling at his elbow as he watched her paint lines of shimmering silver icing on delicate snowflake cookies. Lily\u2019s teacher Miss Stanley had stopped by the day before and requested them for the last day of school on Friday, and Molly had been happy to oblige.<\/p>\n
Jack was fascinated. \u201cBut how do you do it?\u201d he asked. \u201cNot the actual icing – I can see that. But how do you know what it\u2019s supposed to look like?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just do,\u201d Molly said, laying another line down. There were nearly three dozen cookies that had already been frosted on the counters against the wall, and she only had two or three cookies on this last sheet to lay icing on. \u201cIt\u2019s not really something I can explain.\u201d She frowned at the cookie, deemed it done, and moved on to the next one.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing,\u201d he said. \u201cLike watching a nymph dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d Molly looked up at him. \u201cA nymph?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know many mortals, or I\u2019d compare you to them,\u201d Jack said. \u201cNymphs are what I know. Cut me some slack?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I suppose.\u201d Molly grinned at him, then went back to her cookies. When she\u2019d finished the last one, she set the icing bag aside and frowned at the trays. Then she went into the pantry and came back, not with the silver bullets she\u2019d planned originally, but more of the shimmery sugar that she\u2019d used in the icing. She dusted this across the snowflakes and smiled. \u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost,\u201d Jack said, leaning over. \u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n
She eyed him warily. \u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
He grinned. \u201cMake them magical. Do you trust me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Molly said, wondering if she really did. \u201cThese are for Lily and Zoey\u2019s class, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t hurt them, and I won\u2019t wreck the cookies,\u201d he promised. \u201cPlease? Let me help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d Molly said, stepping back. \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack grinned even wider and then, to her surprise, he leaned down and blew softly across the cookies. Loose sugar whirled up, sparkling in the light. No, not just sparkling, Molly realized: they were glowing.<\/p>\n
The glowing sugar swirled across all the cookies, settling down and making the cookies dance with pale light. Now they looked like captured stars, glowing with inner starlight.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, those are beautiful!\u201d Molly breathed, clapping her hands together. \u201cJack, that\u2019s wonderful!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she looked up, and saw his face was pale, paler than normal. \u201cJack? Are you okay?\u201d she asked worriedly, hurrying over to him.<\/p>\n
He waved her off. \u201cI\u2019m fine. I just didn\u2019t realize how much that would take out of me.\u201d Passing a hand in front of his face, Jack sighed. \u201cNot long ago, I could have done that in my sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly settled for laying a hand on his shoulder. \u201cIt will be over soon,\u201d she soothed. \u201cDrew said that Jade didn\u2019t seem completely opposed to lifting the banishment.\u201d She smiled. \u201cHe said she was captivated by the cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Jack looked up, hope warring with despair in his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally,\u201d she assured him.<\/p>\n
Jack picked up his tea and sipped, making a slight face, but waving her away when she went to warm it back up for him. \u201cShe only went there once, you know,\u201d he said, as she went to start packing up the glowing cookies instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh?\u201d Molly said, inviting him to continue with that one word.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust before the last battle,\u201d Jack said, his eyes going distant, looking back across the centuries. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know if we\u2019d even survive, and I convinced her that we needed one night together.\u201d He laughed softly. \u201cShe said it was charmingly rustic. I think she meant it wasn\u2019t much better than a tent. But it was a clear fall night, with a sky full of stars. We had a fire outside, and we fell asleep in each other\u2019s arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds lovely,\u201d Molly said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the last time I was truly happy,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next day, the raiders made their final attempt. I was lured off, my guard slain, and Caliban accused me of cowardice that cost his brother his life. I was banished.\u201d He laughed again, but this one was laced with bitterness. \u201cMy only consolation was that Caliban was banished too. It made things\u2026bearable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think will happen to Caliban when she chooses you, Jack?\u201d Molly asked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou speak as if it\u2019s a forgone conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d Molly\u2019s voice was firm. \u201cI know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue love conquers all?\u201d Jack smiled sadly at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d Molly shook a finger at him. \u201cDon\u2019t distract me. What will Caliban do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Jack said honestly. \u201cHe can\u2019t come to the Cove while Jade is here, but that doesn\u2019t mean his army can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis army?\u201d Molly paused, wide-eyed. \u201cHe\u2019d invade the Cove? But that\u2019s insane!\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack chuckled. \u201cLook at who you\u2019re talking about, Molly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her brain whirled. What would happen? This wasn\u2019t back when the only defense the Cove had was Captain Carter and his ragtag allies. Despite the magical nature of the Cove, it was still a part of the United States. \u201cHe might be surprised at the reaction,\u201d she said. \u201cDoes he know about modern warfare?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, but I wouldn\u2019t be surprised,\u201d Jack said. \u201cBut maybe we\u2019re borrowing trouble. Maybe he\u2019ll give up and go find someone else to bother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly looked at him steadily. \u201cYou don\u2019t believe that, do you.\u201d It wasn\u2019t a question.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Jack said. \u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that left her with all sorts of other things to worry about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thursday, December 18 Normally, Molly had Thursdays off. But this was the Thursday before the Snow Queen\u2019s Ball, and since Aunt Margie usually closed the bookstore that Saturday, Molly had come in to work. Jack was sitting at the island, a cup of tea cooling at his elbow as he watched her paint lines of …<\/p>\n