The Story of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book One

Chapter Eight

The plane landed on a lonely tarmac, scraped clean of the piles of snow that surrounded it. After the crew wheeled a boarding ramp to the doors, we walked down the stairs and onto the runway. I scanned our surroundings and couldn't find one air tower or any other signs of an airport. All around us was nothing but snow - not even trees broke up the endless white expanse of it. It was colder than a trip to a meat locker, and I shivered in my insubstantial football jersey and threadbare jeans as I wondered if we were in Antarctica.

"How in the heck did you guys even land here?"

Erick threw a warm cloak around my shoulders before he answered. "The quick answer is magic; the longer answer would hurt your head." 

Klick and Klack flew out of the plane and landed on my shoulders. I patted each of them as I gripped the cloak with a thankful nod. My gratitude quickly faded after he gave me that snarky answer.  "Oh sure, intelligence-shame the boy... err... girl that woke up today with her world on its ass."

"Well, since you want to know..." Erick began a long dissertation on the intricacies of why there was only one tarmac and no tower or airport. It started with a long-winded paragraph on the science and nature of portals and ended with the various physiologies and abilities of air faes. We'd gotten into the waiting limo when he began, and we'd been driving about a half hour when he came up for breath.

He was right. My head did hurt after his long dissertation more than it already had. My eyes had glazed halfway through. He had the gift of bore. His mother must be proud.

I stared at the back of the graying head of the limo driver as Erick droned on about the mathematics of illusion. The driver was a silent guy with hooded eyes and a beak-like nose. The moment we came up to the limo, all he did was nod and open the door. I would have loved to have had him introduce himself, anything to interrupt Erick. The limo was a Mercedes, and the seats were comfy. This was not helping me stay awake, but it cemented the fact in my mind that my uncle was rich. After Erick finished his explanation, he continued to face me in silence. That face of his, so familiar and so hated, had haunted me for four years. I hated the little starbursts in his eyes; I hated his shining hair that reminded me so much of the snow around us, and I especially hated that mouth that still looked kissable.

Realizing that I was staring, I sought something else to think about other than Erick's lips. "My friends - " 

"They are coming with Keenan and Enan in another car."

I remembered that was the real names for Tweedle Dee and Dum. Their parents had rhymed their names. How... twinsy. I wondered which one was which but wasn't interested enough to ask.

"Are those two friends of yours, or did you rent them from 1-800-Lynchmen?"

He hissed mockingly. "So unkind. They are loyal to the family. They protect your cousin, normally, but did me a favor today."

"A cousin too? Will I be meeting that person?"

"You should be. She will be coming with her mother to collect the twins."

"Oh." I wish I could have come up with something more clever to respond with, but I was too shellshocked.  I turned away from Erick and pressed my forehead against the cold glass of the window. The scenery that passed us by was breathtaking.  The snow had frosted the rocks like hot cinnamon rolls. The naked trees had their arms spread out, adorned with icicles like jewels, and stoles of more snowdrifts draped upon them like ermine. 

Luis would have loved to have romped in that snow. Dominic would hate it. He hated the cold as much as he hated reality tv. Thinking of Dom and Luis got me thinking of the strange affectionate turns in my relationships with them today and how I'd repaid it by getting them into this fix.