Monday, December 22<\/p>\n
Molly paused outside the back door to the book store and took a deep breath. The cold, salty air felt wonderful against her flushed cheeks – she\u2019d been cooking bread for the week, and the kitchen was very, very warm. She tossed the bag of trash into the dumpster and leaned back against the door, enjoying a moment alone. Pavel and Jack hadn\u2019t let up their guard, but she really felt at this point that it was unnecessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all,\u201d she said out loud, looking around. \u201cLook at this place. It\u2019s cold. There\u2019s snow forecast for Christmas Eve. Caliban is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what you were meant to think,\u201d a voice sneered in her ear, and Molly barely had time to process the sentence before someone grabbed her and shoved a sweet-smelling rag over her mouth and nose. As her consciousness dimmed, she struggled, but whoever it was had an iron grasp.<\/p>\n
Schrodinger!<\/em> her mind screamed. Schrodinger, help me!<\/em><\/p>\n And then there was blackness.<\/p>\n <><><\/p>\n Schrodinger\u2019s head jerked up. He\u2019d been snoozing next to the pot-bellied iron stove in the tea room, listening to Goldie read The Christmas Carol, the smell of freshly-baked bread tickling his nose. Then something had rocketed through his head, a voice filled with fear, and jolted him awake.<\/p>\n \u201cSchrodinger? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d Goldie said, looking up from the book in concern.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t\u2014<\/em> His head rang, and another scream raced through his head. Molly!<\/em><\/p>\n He jumped up and ran through the kitchen, the pirate hot on his heels. Molly needs help!<\/em> he shouted, as he shouldered open the back door and burst into the alley. She was here!<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not here now,\u201d Goldie said, looking around. \u201cBut something\u2019s not right here.\u201d<\/p>\n Schrodinger lifted his head and sniffed. There was an odd sweet smell, not a food, but something else, that drifted on the cold air, fading along with the scent of Molly\u2019s perfume. Molly was out here, and she called for me,<\/em> he said. And now she\u2019s not here.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNo, she\u2019s not.\u201d Goldie continued to look around, and there was an odd tone in his voice. \u201cCome on, let\u2019s go look inside.\u201d<\/p>\n She would have had to go past us to go anywhere but the kitchen, and the kitchen was empty,<\/em> Schrodinger told him.<\/p>\n \u201cI know. Humor me.\u201d Goldie led him back out into the tea room, and then upstairs. No Molly. They went over the entire building, but the kitchen witch was no where to be found. By now, Schrodinger was frantic.<\/p>\n She\u2019s been kidnapped, Goldie! We have to find her!<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe will,\u201d the pirate soothed him, pulling out a cell phone and dialing. \u201cWe definitely will.\u201d<\/p>\n By the time Pavel and Jack got there, Drew had arrived and was trying to keep Schrodinger from going off on his own. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Pavel demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Caliban took Molly,\u201d Goldie admitted. \u201cSchrodinger heard her call out to him, but we couldn\u2019t find her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe caught an unauthorized Gate opening about the same time that Molly went missing,\u201d Drew said, his voice almost unnaturally calm. His hands on Schrodinger were gentle, soothing the CrossCat, but his jaw was tight. \u201cWhich means they had a portable Gate transmitter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich sounds like Caliban,\u201d Jack said bitterly. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t come himself, but he\u2019d send his lackeys with illegal technology to do his dirty work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut why?\u201d Drew said. \u201cWhy take Molly?\u201d His voice broke on the last word, and he buried his face in Schrodinger\u2019s fur. The CrossCat leaned up against him, sharing his misery.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he knows Jade will do anything to get her back,\u201d Jack said. \u201cIf it\u2019s one thing Caliban is good at, it\u2019s reading other people\u2019s weaknesses.\u201d He looked over at Pavel. \u201cHe\u2019ll send a message. You know he will.\u201d<\/p>\n The pirate nodded. \u201cDo you think he will come here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProbably. He can\u2019t go to the castle, and he knows we\u2019ll all come here.\u201d Jack looked over at Drew and Schrodinger, pain and resolve on his pale face. \u201cWe\u2019ll wait until he does. Send someone to the castle to ask Jade to come here, please.\u201d<\/p>\n <><><\/p>\n The darkness faded into dim light, and Molly raised her head from a soft pillow, her thoughts fuzzy. There was a horrible taste in her mouth, and a dull, pounding pain in her temples. As she sat up slowly, she realized that she was in a soft bed, with dark curtains drawn closed. She looked around the bed, but the light was too subdued to see much: just pillows, blankets and the curtains. Steeling herself, Molly reached out and pushed aside the curtain nearest to her.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, she wakes.\u201d The voice was calm, cool, slightly sardonic, and altogether too familiar. Molly groaned and turned to look at Caliban, who was seated in a large armchair before a dark fireplace. The room was in shadow, but over his shoulder, she could see blue sky, just darkening into twilight. She\u2019d been asleep for a while.<\/p>\n No, not asleep. She tasted the cotton wool on her tongue again and realized she\u2019d been drugged. Anger raced through her, burning away the fuzziness. \u201cYou kidnapped me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTechnically, yes. I did.\u201d There was no apology in his voice. \u201cI apologize for the inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInconvenience?\u201d Molly tried to get up and the room swirled around her, so she sat back down.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t try to get up yet,\u201d Caliban said. \u201cI\u2019m told the drug used on you takes a while to remove itself from your system. You might just want to lie back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what, think of England?\u201d Molly snapped, but she didn\u2019t try and get up again. \u201cWhere am I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re my guest. At least for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuest. You mean prisoner,\u201d Molly said, lying back against the pillows, refusing to look at him. \u201cSince most people don\u2019t drug and kidnap their guests. Or do spirits have poorer manners than us normal folk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should have thought of that before you became involved in things that were none of your business, Miss Barrett,\u201d Caliban said, completely unruffled. \u201cYou chose to be a part of this, and now it\u2019s time to play your part.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had no choice,\u201d she protested, staring up at the canopied ceiling of the bed. \u201cI couldn\u2019t let Jade die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou could have helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n Molly laughed bitterly. \u201cWhich would be letting her die. No thank you.\u201d She rolled over slowly and waited for the room to stop spinning before she glared at him again. \u201cYou are a pathetic excuse of a man, and I will never help you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, but you will, Miss Barrett.\u201d Caliban laughed quietly. \u201cIn fact, you already have.\u201d<\/p>\n <><><\/p>\n Aunt Margie had closed the bookstore early, and now she, Drew, Schrodinger, Jack, Pavel and Jade waited in the empty tea room. The early evening shadows crept across the front of the store, but no one wanted to go home. They were waiting.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sure he\u2019ll send someone?\u201d Aunt Margie asked, chewing on her lower lip worriedly. \u201cHe won\u2019t just keep her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not her he wants,\u201d Jade said soothingly, putting a hand on the older woman\u2019s where it lay on the table. \u201cIt\u2019s me.\u201d She looked over at Jack. \u201cHe\u2019ll send a message.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded. \u201cHe will. Caliban is nothing if not predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n A sharp tapping on the front door drew their attention. Outside stood the servant boy, holding a message. Aunt Margie got up and unlocked the door, letting him in.<\/p>\n \u201cI come with a message for the Snow Queen,\u201d the boy said, but there was no fear in his voice this time, despite the fact that Schrodinger was standing up, growling, showing all his teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak your message, boy,\u201d Jade said, sitting up straighter. She was wearing a plain dress, but there were snowflakes splashed across it, and a small tiara glinted in her hair. \u201cI\u2019m waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n The servant bowed. \u201cMy master, Prince Caliban, requests that you lift your banishment of him and accept his suit, becoming his consort. If you do not, he will keep the kitchen witch. Forever.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike hell!\u201d Drew said, standing up so quickly that his chair fell backwards. \u201cYou tell that sonofa\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Aunt Margie caught his arm and Jade raised her hand, cutting him off.<\/p>\n \u201cI will lift the banishment.\u201d She bit off the words, spitting them at the servant. \u201cBut he will have to come and make his case in person before I will make a choice as to who will become MY consort. And he must return Molly. Immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will carry your message, Your Majesty.\u201d The servant bowed again and turned to go.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy.\u201d Jack\u2019s voice stopped him in his tracks, and he turned back. \u201cTell your master that he has crossed a line today, and it is a line that he can never come back from. He will regret what he has done today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Monday, December 22 Molly paused outside the back door to the book store and took a deep breath. The cold, salty air felt wonderful against her flushed cheeks – she\u2019d been cooking bread for the week, and the kitchen was very, very warm. She tossed the bag of trash into the dumpster and leaned back …<\/p>\n