North Pole City Tales 02 - The Heart of Frost (7 page)

Jack’s whole body ached; his skin burned, and his muscles protested every movement, but he pulled on what strength remained to once again summon his powers. The wind swept away the many layers of snow until Rudy’s plane gently leveled out, looking as if it had never taken off, but Jack knew better. He painfully marched through the snow, his hand clutching at his chest while the ache settled in his heart, refusing to let him be. Stumbling, he ran into Rudy’s door with his shoulder, and he stifled a growl. He grabbed the handle and gave it a yank, relieved when the door opened.

“Rudy?” His voice was hoarse but he didn’t care. Rudy was in his seat, his harness firmly securing him there, his head lolled to one side and his eyes closed. “Sweetheart, please wake up.” He unlatched Rudy’s harness and carefully pulled him out, unaware until his legs gave way under him what little strength he had left after calling on his powers so recently. He fell into the snow, Rudy cradled in his arms. “Please be okay,” he whispered, holding him close. In the distance, bells jingled. Help was coming.

Relief swept over him, and he fell back into the snow with Rudy held tightly against him. As he closed his eyes, he used what was left of his strength to draw the cold away from Rudy and keep him warm. As soon as he heard the concerned voices of those who had come to their aid, Jack surrendered to the darkness.

Chapter Seven

“J
ACK
?”

Jack’s gaze remained fixed on the red-and-orange flames dancing in the hearth while a dark storm brewed inside him, one he itched to unleash. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get his mind off the events of today, the fear and heartache in Rudy’s pale-blue eyes as he sat trapped inside the plummeting aircraft. Jack had enemies, plenty of them insolent enough to perform such a cowardly act, but none wielded such magic; not to mention, any enemy who would strike him in such a fashion was declaring war against him. When he found whoever was responsible for this, he would crush them into an icy pulp.

“Jack?”

“What?” he snapped, making the small elf give a start.

“You’re making the room awfully cold,” Tim said through chattering teeth. He had his arms wrapped tightly around himself in an effort to keep warm.

“So what?” He was the Prince of Frost—obviously cold factored into his existence. Why was everyone so surprised to find themselves surrounded by such elements when he was present? What did they expect from him? Sunshine?

“You’re making Rudy cold.”

Jack straightened, having for a moment forgotten where he was, and the reason he was here. Quickly, he went to Rudy’s bedside to take his lover’s icy hand in his, absorbing the cold until Rudy was left comfortably warm again. After a gentle kiss to Rudy’s hand, Jack turned to Tim, who had positioned himself beside Rudy on his bed, his slender arms wrapped around his drawn-up knees, and his worried gaze on Jack. Blast it. Jack had allowed himself to get carried away in unpleasant thoughts, only to snap at his dear friend. Tim didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of his foul temper. The young elf had been nothing but admirable in his loyalty, remaining by Rudy’s side, tending to him when all Jack had managed was brooding.

“I’m so sorry I snapped at you, Tim.”

“I understand,” Tim said quietly, his gaze going to Rudy, who had fallen into a deep sleep shortly after arriving at their home. According to the doctors, Rudy would survive, but he had an extensive amount of healing to do. Of course their biggest concern had been the Big Flight. Without Rudy, the other Rein Dears wouldn’t be able to fly. It was the way Kringle’s magic worked. Nine Rein Dears or none at all. Frankly, Jack couldn’t give two berries about the Big Flight, not when Rudy was looking so pale and fragile, even his fiery red hair taking on an ashen hue.

Some loose strands of hair fell over Rudy’s brow, and Tim gently brushed them away. “What about you, Jack? Are you all right? You had quite the fall.”

“I’m fine.” Jack paced the bedroom, missing Rudy already, his smile, his rich laughter, the feel of his arms around Jack. Even the sweet scent of cinnamon had abandoned him. “I should have been there.”

“You couldn’t have known.”

“Blast it!” Jack slammed his fist down against the fireplace mantle. If only he hadn’t gone to that blasted pub, he would have been there on the tarmac. He might have been able to stop Rudy from getting into the plane. If not, he surely would have known something was wrong right away and had more time to do something, anything, that wouldn’t have resulted in Rudy lying here like this.

“Jack, please. Blaming yourself isn’t going to help him heal any quicker.”

Jack was about to argue the fact when Noel entered the room, his gaze going from Tim to Rudy and back.

“Well?” Jack asked impatiently.

“Kringle’s on his way.” Noel went over to Tim’s side and pulled him into his arms, his sharp gaze on Jack, who couldn’t keep himself from pacing.

“Good.” He knew Kringle couldn’t drop everything and rush over, but one would think he’d make haste, considering his top Rein Dear was out of commission. Was that all anyone around here cared about? Their precious Christmas? What about Rudy? What about what he meant to Jack? What if Kringle couldn’t heal Rudy? What then? No, that was impossible. Rudy’s magic was linked to Kringle. If anyone could set things right, it was the Spirit of Christmas.

Who would want to hurt Rudy? The more he thought about it, the angrier he could feel himself growing.

“Jack, the cold,” Tim reminded him softly.

“For the love of Holly!” Jack stormed out of the room, cursing under his breath. If it wasn’t bad enough he hadn’t been there to help Rudy, now he couldn’t even keep it together long enough to be in the same room as his lover without hurting him. He thundered through the palace, ignoring the concerned gazes of all the servants, and burst through the doors leading out into the gardens where he would have plenty of room to let off some steam without hurting anyone. What good was all his power if he couldn’t help Rudy? If all he brought him was harm?

The moment he saw the beautiful red roses, he regretted coming out here. Around the meticulously carved ice sculptures of swans and forest animals, of sea creatures and dragons, were clusters of red roses which Jack had planted for Rudy, the crimson a stark contrast to the sea of white snow, symbolizing their own differences but highlighting how well they fit together. Frost covered the branches of the surrounding pine trees, whose white lights twinkled bright enough to rival the stars in the evening sky above him. The garden had once been unkempt and empty, overrun with thorny vines and weeds until Rudy had come into his life, bringing his radiance with him, showing Jack what it was like to have love in his once-cold heart.

Jack stood, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Did they know who they were trifling with? Someone had tried to take that love away from him. Who would be so arrogant, so foolish as to attempt such a deed? Surely they knew he would hunt them down, would go to the furthest ends of the earth until he had his hands on the culprit, and then….

The snow swirled around him in a flurry of white, thunder exploded high in the night sky, and dark clouds gathered to smother the stars. The pine trees trembled, snow falling from their quivering branches. Had the North Pole not learned the first time what happened when someone he loved was ripped away from him? Is that what they wanted? Did everyone want the same as his father? Did they want a monster instead of a prince? He could become that monster.

“Jack, I’m speaking to you!”

Jack spun around, the snow surging outward toward the figure, whose reaction was as swift as the impaling ice, throwing a hand up and putting a stop to the impulsive assault. The snow dropped to the ground at his father’s feet, the thunder faded, and the skies cleared. There was something in those eyes as black as Jack’s that gave him pause. Concern? Confusion? Whatever it was, Jack had no time for it.

“What did you do?” his father asked, approaching him. At least he had left that ridiculous robe of his behind, and was now dressed modestly in his royal-blue jacket with gold braiding and cords, his breeches and boots black.

“I did what I had to do to save Rudy.”

“You called upon my power.” It was less an accusation and more a statement, much to Jack’s surprise. He swallowed hard, refusing to think on how he had been too weak to save Rudy on his own.

“I needed it. It was black magic meant to keep me out.”

His father’s low gasp didn’t go unnoticed. “So you decided to fight it on your own? What were you thinking?”

“The love of my life was plummeting to his death. Forgive me if I didn’t have the time to ask for your permission.”

“Don’t you—”

“No,” Jack growled, his hard gaze meeting his father’s. “Don’t
you
bother with your preposterous reprimands! I told you I love him, and I will do anything for him.”

With a resigned sigh, his father took a step toward him, his expression softening. “And what good will it do him if you lose yourself? The Jack he loves will be gone.”

“I had it under control.” Since when did his father care about anything other than their family’s reputation? Especially since his favorite pastime as of late was to tell Jack how unworthy Rudy was.

Looking at his father now, when he wasn’t blustering hot air about something, Jack could see the similarities so many often spoke of. Jack was very much a younger version of the elegant and imposing King of Frost. Despite having been around since the beginning, when the earth had been covered in nothing but snow and ice, his father’s appearance was youthful, making him resemble more an older brother than a father. His hair was pitch-black, his physique not all dissimilar to Jack’s. The only difference lay in their skin; where Jack had inherited his mother’s pale skin, his father’s was a rich tan. The thought made him frown deeply. The last thing he needed was a reminder of how similar he was to his father.

The Frost King came to stand before him, and Jack eyed him warily. “Son….” The term startled Jack, enough to allow his father to put a white-gloved hand to Jack’s shoulder. The King of Frost was never so informal, not even with his own son. “Please, let the toy soldiers handle it.”

“Someone tried to kill Rudy, dared to use black magic against me, and you want me to stand back and do nothing?” Was he serious? How could he even suggest such a thing?

“Don’t put words in my mouth. I simply wish for you to exercise caution. We don’t know what forces are at work here.”

“Since when do you care?” Jack snapped, removing his father’s hand from his person. “You suggested it would have been better if he had let me be. Isn’t that what you said?” His father’s lips pursed but he said nothing, fueling Jack’s anger. “Isn’t that what you said?”

“I didn’t mean it.”

Jack put his arms out to his sides, his vision going white as he summoned his element. “Is this what you want?”

“Don’t presume to know what I want,” his father argued calmly. He snapped his fingers, and to Jack’s chagrin, his blustering came to a screeching halt. Frustrated, he started to march off, but his father put a hand to his chest to stop him, his expression one of genuine concern. “If you lose yourself, all will be for naught. Don’t lose focus.”

Struck speechless by the gentle words, Jack felt his anger melting away. It was always far easier to be furious with his father than to agree. He hated when the elf was right. “I need to go,” he murmured, and without another glance in his father’s direction, took off.

Under normal circumstances, he would have had the sleigh brought around, but he didn’t want anyone disturbing him. He had work to do, and he wouldn’t rest until he had his hands on whoever was responsible. With the winds to carry him, he was at the causeway within minutes.

The whole place had been shut down by the toy soldiers, who were now stationed around the many hangars belonging to the Rein Dears. Inspections were being carried out on all the other aircraft in case Rudy hadn’t been the only target, though Jack was rather certain nothing would come of those investigations. He headed straight for Rudy’s hangar, saluting the toy soldiers who were keeping guard. Inside he found Ginger, Rudy’s mechanic.

“What happened?” he growled, startling the Sugarplum fairy. There was a streak of dirt on her rosy cheek, her white hair was an unruly mess, and her red overalls were covered in smudges of motor oil. Rudy’s plane was in pieces, all of which were neatly laid out on towels in tidy little rows.

“I don’t know,” Ginger replied, motioning toward the plane. “Everything was fine, I checked—”

“Did you follow procedure?”

She turned her bright-green eyes to him, her pink lips frowning. “Of course I did.”

“Did you run all the appropriate preflight checks? The landing gear? The engine? Check the fuel?”

“I always do.” She crossed her slender arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed at him. What an impertinent little pixie.

“How do you know—” He didn’t get the rest out before she was thrusting a finger at him.

“Now see here, your Highness. I may be a Sugarplum fairy but Rudy hired me himself, and not as window dressing either. I know my biplanes, and his was in perfect condition from tail to nose, so don’t you dare try and pin this on me. I get enough bunk around here from the other elves and that blasted Fig.”

Now there was a name he had been hoping not to hear any time soon. “Fig? He was here?”

“Yes, he came for an interview with Blitzen. His mechanic is leaving in a couple of months. Not that Blitzen is about to hire that lump of coal. Frankly, I can’t believe Fig has the gall to even apply after everything.” She swatted at the loose strands that fell over her brow. Despite her delicate features, the tiny Sugarplum fairy didn’t appear to be the least bit intimidated by him.

Someone had to have gotten close to the plane. Could it have been Fig? Had the incident at the pub prompted him to take things to the next level? But Fig no longer had clearance to enter the Clause Causeway, though if he had been called for an interview, it would have given him temporary approval. Perhaps it was time for Jack to pay Fig a visit, seeing as how his first encounter with the horrid little elf hadn’t left much of an impression.