Page 34 of Holly and Ivar
After a long sip of latte, he said, “Maybe we should’ve gone somewhere I could get something stronger.”
“I wouldn’t blame you.”His hand had trembled slightly when he lifted the cup, so she tightened her grip on the one she still held as her way of saying,I’m here.
He replied with a small nod.“I’ll be okay.Please continue.”
“Um, well, we live in hidden villages all over the world.We employ regular people, not elves.Some stay for generations; others leave for the outside world.It’s a choice.And on Christmas Eve, the Santas deliver the toys.”
“How?”
“Santa magic.”
He raised a brow.“You say that like it’s scientific fact.”
“It is.But it’s fairly limited stuff.Here’s the Cliff Notes version: we can make sleighs fly, deliver toys, decorate rooms, craft magical toys, disguise ourselves as the iconic Santa, and pull off a few small tricks.”She nodded at his latte.“Case in point.”
He glanced down.The leaf Emma had drawn in the foam had reshaped itself into a perfect Santa face.
He stared.“How—”
“Santa magic.”
He leaned back, exhaling.“So your entire family are Santas?”
“Yes and no.All Santas are Kringles, but not all Kringles are Santas.My brother Henry and my cousin Jack have a different sort of magic.I’m assuming you’ve heard of Jack Frost.”
He held up a hand.“Okay.Stop there.My brain’s already at capacity.Just tell me about the tree.What does it mean?Why were you looking for it?”
“I wasn’t, not exactly,” she said, tracing a circle on the table’s surface.“I was looking for the power it gives off.There are veins of magical power under the earth.We call them Yule veins.They sustain our towns, our work.But the Yule Tree?It was thought to be an ancient legend.And according to this legend, all Yule veins stem from that one tree.Its roots reach across the world.”
Ivar rubbed his temples.“So finding it means… what?Unlimited power?”
“I have no idea.As far as I’m aware, no one has ever seen a Yule Tree.I should be home right now, telling my father.But it hasn’t sunk in.I feel—” She searched for the word.“—humbled.Small.”
“Yeah,” he said softly, his eyes on her, studying her, and seeing her in a way that left her unguarded.She shifted in her seat, not to hide from him, but from the surprise of wanting to open herself to him.
Finally, he asked, “And me?How do I fit into all this?”
Her eyes lifted to his.“I have no idea, but it must be because you found the Yule Tree as a child.”
He nodded slowly, then looked down at their still-joined hands.“So when we touched back there, we…”
“Connected,” Holly finished.“Like we were part of each other and…”
“Part of the forest.”
A gentle silence settled between them.The noise of the cafe fell away, replaced by the soft beat of their connected pulse.They’d shared something rare and beautiful; they were connected, bound by something she couldn’t name.
After a moment, he cleared his throat, his voice rough.“One more question before my head explodes.”
She smiled.“Go ahead.”
“What’s up with the broom?”
His question brought them back to reality, back to the coffee house.“That,” she laughed, “will cost you another latte.”
18
branching out
