Page 17 of Holly and Ivar
That got a laugh out of Ivar."Holly Kringle, you are surprisingly funny.Now here, take this."He handed her a helmet.“Ready to get going?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Bluetooth’s on.You’ll hear me in your headset.”
As they mounted the snowmobile, Holly clutched her tablet protectively inside her jacket.This should be straightforward.Explore the forest systematically and make an assessment.Not that she was sure how that was supposed to happen.She had no equipment to measure Yule line power, although she was pretty sure some existed.How else would the scouts predict potential areas?
The only guidance she’d received was one of her father’s classic cryptic messages:Magic doesn’t shout, my girl.It whispers, and only to those willing to listen.
Seriously.What did that even mean?At least he’d given her a map.
“The route I’ve planned takes us to Wolf Ridge first.”Ivar’s voice came through clear in her helmet.“It gives the best overview of the property.”
“Sure.Just let me know the coordinates later, so I can check it off my map.”
“What would make it easier would be if you told me what you wanted to do with the land.That would provide me with some direction.”
Holly hesitated.“It’s hard to explain, but I’m looking for the right kind of vibe.”
“Vibe?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”It sounded utterly ridiculous.Itwasutterly ridiculous, but her father had insisted this was the tradition.A Kringle skill that needed honing once in a while.This convinced Holly that it was part of her evaluation for promotion.She had to find the Yule vein, and if that meant Ivar taking her through every inch of the forest, so be it.
***
The snowmobile ride was exhilarating.At least for the first hour.By the third, Holly’s muscles felt like overworked taffy.When they finally stopped, she climbed off stiffly, stretching until her joints popped.
“For sitting still, I feel like I’ve run a marathon,” she groaned.
“You’ll feel it tomorrow,” Ivar said.“The hot tub helps.Ask Liv about it.”
“I plan to test that theory extensively, so long as that outfitting store you mentioned sells bathing suits.”
As she finished stepping out of the snowsuit, her stomach growled loud enough for Ivar to hear from several steps away.Great.Now both Nilsen siblings had heard it.Hopefully, there weren’t more in town.
She flashed him an embarrassed smile and retrieved an energy bar from her bag.“Want one?”
He shook his head.“Get in the truck.I know a better option.”
“I’m fine.”
“Humor me.My sister will kill me if I don’t feed you.”
Ivar cranked up the heat in the truck, warmer than he normally had it, she guessed.She held her hands over a vent.“Is the forest here always that pretty?”
“Yes, but what do you mean specifically?”
She shrugged.“My lack of caffeine might be affecting my vision, but when we passed through that last clearing, the snow almost seemed suspended in midair.Like tiny crystals.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too.I figured it was the light playing tricks.The sun and the snowmobile’s headlight both reflecting off the snow.”
“Probably.”Unless the Yule vein was closer than she thought.All morning, branches had seemed to lift away as they approached, perfect clearings appearing when they needed to rest, the snow somehow less deep where they walked than it should have been.But she’d never heard of a Yule vein “doing magic.”
Kringles used the energy of the lines to power the villages.That’s all.
***
The Maple Mug Coffee House was cute and welcoming.Honey-colored floors gleamed softly beneath her boots, and garlands of pine and dried oranges hung between ceiling beams.Locals filled the tables, chatting over laptops and crossword puzzles.
