A Touch of Frost (16 page)

Chapter 27

Lacey waited impatiently in the center of town. She tugged on the long sleeves of her jacket and pushed back her hair. Her eyes followed Topper as her Aunt did one last fly-by.

This was it. Everything that she had been waiting for was in place. Her family’s ancient crystal ball was placed in the center of the turning circle. The towns people, young and old, were crowded around seven people deep, forming a continuous circle around her, her parents, sisters, Simon, Tory, and Jonah. The last person they were waiting for was Topper, who would give them the all-clear signal to begin.

“Are you okay?” Joanna asked quietly. “You didn’t get much sleep last night or any rest today.”

“I’m fine,” Lacey replied with a smile filled with anxiety. “What’s taking Topper so long?”

“She is just making sure everyone is in place,” Sam said, coming to stand on her other side. “There is going to be some mega-magical charged energy and she wanted to make sure we didn’t blow up the state of New Mexico by mistake.”

“Oh, great,” Lacey murmured, her hand going to her stomach as it rolled. “Mom didn’t mention that part.”

“I didn’t mention what, sweetheart?” Evanna said, smoothing her hat. “Do you think I should keep the minks or leave them behind?”

“Keep,” Brice stated firmly, grabbing Evanna’s hand before one of the small furry creatures could bite her. “They will keep you warmer.”

“Okay, we’re good to go,” Topper said, landing her broom and stepping up beside them. “Lacey, it’s your turn now, darling.”

Lacey nodded and smiled at her family. Simon and Tory were holding each other’s hands tightly. Jonah stood slightly in front of them holding Joseph’s black top hat. Larry was poking his head out of the hat, a small knitted cap and matching sweater covering his green body.

“Good luck, Aunt Lacey,” Jonah said quietly.

Lacey smiled again and turned back to the crystal ball that was sitting on the pedestal in the center of town. Raising her hands, she began weaving the spell that would open the portal between Earth and Glacier. As she spoke, others began joining in. They linked hands, harnessing and channeling the magical energy into the crystal ball.

A bright glow started out from the center of the crystal ball before it slowly expanded outward. Lacey’s heart accelerated as the faint outline of Frost began to show. She kept her eyes glued to his familiar form as she continued weaving the powerful spell that her family and other members of the community had written.

“Joseph,” Jonah suddenly cried out as the image of his twin came into sight. “I see him! Joseph!”

Lacey resisted calling out to Frost. She knew that if she broke the spell, it would be weeks before they could try again. Her voice rose with the rhythm of swirling power. Hope blossomed and she felt the connection inside her reach out greedily for the man she loved.

Suddenly, the swirling colors merged together to form a large colorful doorway. Lacey trembled as she lowered her hands and her voice faded on the last notes of the spell. She felt her sisters grasp each of her hands and pull her forward toward the doorway.

“Let’s go get your man,” Sam said quietly.

*.*.*

Frost nodded to the guards at the entrance to the Directors’ main chamber. He squeezed Joseph’s hand reassuringly when it tightened around his. They had arrived five minutes earlier. His mother had greeted them out in front of the large municipal building in the downtown area of their capital city of Icela.

The large building was like all the others, made of ice. The crystals froze together in one solid piece, making the structure extremely strong and durable. The inside was surprisingly warm as natural vents in the planet warmed the interior. The outside temperatures kept the building from melting.

“Your father is already inside waiting for us,” Sella said, lifting her skirt. “He wanted to go over the details of Joseph’s world, his family structure, and how he came to be on the transport.”

Frost refrained from telling his parents about Joseph’s true abilities. Idan, Coal, and him were the only one’s who knew that Joseph wasn’t all he appeared to be. As far as he knew, neither had mentioned or documented the one episode where Joseph had shown his true self.

He didn’t see how Joseph being a Werevamp would make much of a difference to the outcome of the Directors’ decision. The fact remained that Earth was still classified as a primitive planet, making it off-limits for visitation or interaction. Until the planet reached the status of intergalactic communication and trade, it could not be approached.

“Are they going to let you take me home?” Joseph asked.

“I hope so,” Frost replied.

“What if they don’t?” Joseph asked with a worried frown, gazing around in awe as they walked by several glittering pillars. “This is a cool place,” he said before he giggled. “You get it? Cool place… ice?”

Frost smiled down at Joseph. “Yes, I get it,” he chuckled. “That was good.”

“Yeah, I bet Jonah would’ve laughed,” Joseph said sadly.

Frost tightened his hold on Joseph’s hand. He bet Jonah would have laughed as well, even howled like he did when his brother arrived at the complex after he and Lacey had been kidnapped. Pain pierced him as he thought of Lacey. She had been so beautiful that night. He paused outside the door to the chambers and drew in a deep breath, fighting to regain his composure as one of the guards outside opened the door for them to enter.

He stepped inside and froze. The calm mask he fought to maintain disintegrated as his eyes froze on the figure standing up front near his father. Rage reddened his vision as Idan turned to stare back at him. Frost released Joseph’s hand and pushed the boy toward his mother. It had been over six months since he had last seen his older brother. The dam of pain he had been holding back cracked as he stared into the cold blue eyes staring calmly back at him.

“Frost, wait,” Sella whispered frantically. “Please.”

“What is he doing here?” Frost snarled, fisting his hands.

“Please, your father thought Idan could help,” Sella begged, grabbing his forearm. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw the blades of ice extending from his knuckles. “Please, give your father a chance.”

One of the guards stepped forward in concern when he noticed that they had stopped near the entrance. Frost ignored the man as he locked eyes with his father who was waiting patiently by the front table. The look in Polar’s eyes snapped Frost out of his rage. Cold, determination glittered brightly in them. It was clear his father did not plan to lose this battle.

“Frost,” Joseph called to him quietly. “I want to go home. Please. I miss my mom, dad and Larry, but I really, really miss Jonah.”

Frost exhaled the breath he was holding and relaxed his grip. The ice dissolved into a fine mist as he held out his hand again to Joseph. Turning his head away from Idan, he continued up to the front table to stand beside his father. Joseph and Sella took the seats directly behind them.

“Whatever happens, don’t lose your temper,” Polar warned under his breath. “The Directors can be very stubborn, but given time they will see reason.”

“Joseph wants his family,” Frost bit out. “I will do whatever is necessary to make sure he gets back to them.”

“You are not alone, Frost,” Polar said, looking at the stubborn lines of his son’s face.

“I will be if they do not agree,” Frost said, looking at his father.

Polar inhaled as he caught the meaning Frost was relaying; with or without the Directors’ permission, Joseph was going home. With the Directors’ permission, Frost would live. Without it, his son would be sentenced as a fugitive. There would be no defending him if Frost took that route.

“All rise. The Directors will now hear the case before them,” one of the guards called.

Frost closely observed each Director as they entered. There were nine in all, five women and four men. Each was chosen from a different Providence on Glacier. They moved down behind the chairs set up on the small rise.

The large curved windows of the chambers highlighted each of the distinctive colors of their robes. Red, yellow, dark blue, purple, orange, green, tan, and dark brown and black represented the colors of each Director’s Providence. Only the Black robe was different. It was reserved for the male dress in black. He was the ruling Director. A new ruling Director was chosen every six years. The swirling snow outside made the colors appear even more vivid than they were.

“Sit,” the Director in black ordered after the other Directors had taken their seats.

“Polar, you are presenting additional evidence that the primitive that was inadvertently brought back should be returned to his world,” the Director said looking at the screen in front of him. “This issue has already been presented and denied. This is your last appeal. You stated that new information has surfaced to support the need for this review.”

“Thank you, Director,” Polar said, rising. “It has come to my attention that the boy, Joseph, is not what he seems.”

The Director looked at Joseph, who smiled and waved to him. A slight chuckle from several of the Directors had Frost glancing over his shoulder. He didn’t like where this was going. He glanced at his father, but his back was to him so he couldn’t see his face. The look he gave his brother went unnoticed, almost as if Idan was trying to act like he couldn’t feel Frost’s stare.

“He looks unchanged from the previous visits,” the Director stated calmly.

“Yes, he does, but looks can be deceiving,” Polar said, stepping out from behind the table. “I have an eye witness that states the boy can change his appearance.”

“Don’t,” Frost growled, clenching his fists on the polished table. “Father, don’t.”

Polar ignored his son’s growled warning. Instead, he looked past him to Idan then to where Joseph was sitting. Fierce determination was etched around his mouth.

“Idan, stand and tell the Directors what happened,” Polar ordered.

Idan shot Frost an apologetic look before he slowly stood. “The boy appeared out of nowhere on the transport. We had already been in transit for over a month and there had been no sign of him aboard,” Idan stated.

“Shut up, Idan,” Frost growled louder.

“I must ask for you to refrain from speaking without permission, or you will be removed,” the Director stated firmly, glaring at Frost. “Surely the boy was simply hiding.”

“For a few days, possibly, but not for a month,” Idan argued.

“Idan, were you piloting this transport at the time?” The Director wearing the green robe asked quietly.

Idan reluctantly shook his head. “No, Star Ranger Coal was piloting the transport,” Idan stated.

“So, you have no firm knowledge except what Star Ranger Coal may or may not have told you?” The Director in the tan robe asked.

“That is correct,” Idan gritted out. “But...”

“Facts that can be proven or first person knowledge only, Idan,” the Director in the dark brown coolly interrupted.

“What other support do you have other than the child was not seen?” The Director in black asked.

“There was a slight... altercation aboard before the boy appeared,” Idan continued, glancing at Frost.

“What type of altercation?” The Director in red asked.

“I tried to kill him and Star Ranger Coal,” Frost stated loudly. “I would have if Joseph hadn’t been there.”

Frost ignored his mother’s horrified gasp or the frustrated glance from his father. This was a waste of time. He could tell by the look on the Directors’ faces that they were not going to change their minds. It was better to just leave now. He already had picked out a transport for the journey.

“Is this true?” The Director in black asked, looking directly at Idan.

“Yes,” Idan replied. “I.... It was necessary to eliminate one of the primitives back on the planet.”

Frost exploded out of his seat. Fury tore through him at his brother’s words. If it was the last thing he did, he would kill the bastard.

“It was not necessary!” Frost snarled.

Idan rose and faced his brother. Both of them ignored the stern voice of the Director ordering them to sit. They both ignored their father’s low, urgent voice to remain calm. They both ignored their mother’s low cry of distress as the festering wound between them burst open.

“Yes, it was. You would have returned to her,” Idan accused.

“I never planned on leaving her! She was mine, damn you,” Frost yelled. “She was mine!”

“You and she would have been hunted down,” Idan continued. “You know that you could never have remained on her world. If her people would have discovered who you were, they would have done everything in their power to discover where you came from and what knowledge you possess!”

“You murdered her!” Frost roared.

“To save you,” Idan replied in a low voice. “I did it to save you.”

Frost heard the truth in his brother’s voice. He could feel Idan’s regret and pain at having hurt him, but it didn’t change anything. Lacey was gone. His beautiful, delicate ice maiden was gone. He fought to hold onto the anger he felt at Idan, but the pain was even greater. Turning, Frost looked at Joseph, who was staring at him with a sad, far too old look in his eyes. It was as if he knew that there was no way they would ever let him go home to his family.

Tears of frustration burned Frost’s eyes as he stared at the young boy. His gaze moved to his mother. Her pale face and tear-filled eyes told him that she had never expected the gulf between her two sons to be so insurmountable.

He turned back to where his father was still standing. The look of defeat was too much. There was only one thing he could honorably do.

“I must insist that you return to your seats,” the Director in black demanded, standing. “You…”

The Director’s voice died out as a loud howl suddenly filled the air. Frost swiveled on his heel at the same time as Joseph jumped up onto his chair. The boy tilted his head back and released another long, loud howl.

“Joseph,” Frost called out, reaching for him.

“I hear him, Frost! I hear Jonah! He’s coming. They’re all coming!” Joseph said, laughing and dancing across the chairs to keep Frost from grabbing him. “Jonah! Awhooooo!”

“What is happening to the boy?” The Director demanded.

The guards in both the front and back of the room started forward before they fell back a step as a colorful oval doorway appeared. The two guards in the front raised their hands, but before they could shoot the streams of ice from their palms, a colorful band of magic wrapped around them. A matching set of pink pigs stood looking around in confusion where the guards had stood before.

“Toads,” a youthful voice was complaining behind them. “Joseph and I like toads and lizards, well, except for Dusty. He’s okay for a pig.”

“Jonah!” Joseph yelled, shifting so he could jump over the chairs. “Jonah!”

“Joseph!” Jonah pushed past the three women in the front who had just stepped through the glowing doorway.

In the back of his mind, Frost knew that the twins had tackled each other. He absently flipped up his hand to freeze one of the guards at the back of the room, but Joanna had already taken care of him. Sam was busy with the other.

Everything blurred and he dropped his hand as he walked slowly around the table. His eyes were glued to the figure in the middle. The beautiful figure who was crying and laughing at the same time.

“Lacey?” He breathed out afraid to say her name too loudly in case she disappeared. “Lacey, my beautiful ice maiden.”

He stepped over Jonah and Joseph, who were wrestling on the floor. He stepped to the side to avoid crushing the black top hat as well. All he had eyes for was the figure walking down the center aisle toward him.

“Lacey,” he whispered again, stopping as she stepped closer to him. “Idan… Idan said he killed you.”

“I’m not that easy to get rid of,” she murmured, reaching up to touch his cheek. “I missed you.”

Frost turned his face into her warm hand. A shudder ripped through him, followed by a low cry as he wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes as he picked her up and buried his face in the curve of her neck. He didn’t care that she could see and feel his tears. All he cared about was that she was alive and in his arms. He was never going to let her go again.

“I love you,” he said over and over. “I love you so much.”