It might be the only way to get her magic back.
Sebastian and Emberlin walked through the underground network of hallways until they reached the offices where the elves who worked directly for Santa, and Santa himself, spent much of their time.
He knocked on the door to Santa’s office and heard the familiar, “Come in.”
Opening the door, they found him behind his massive desk with one of the lists.Judging by how long it was, he suspected it was the Nice List, which was considerably longer.
He took off his glasses and set them on the desk, then rubbed his eyes.“I don’t think I’ve blinked for the last hour.Welcome, have a seat.”
“Thanks,” he said, sitting next to Emberlin.
“So,” Santa said, leaning back in his chair, “I’m certain that as a shifter, you’re not interested in your truemate being in danger, but she is a powerful and rare phoenix witch.I spoke to Mother Nature a little while ago, and we discussed what you could do in Northernmost.”
“I’m happy to help out in whatever way is needed.”
Sebastian definitely didn’t want her in danger, but he also wanted her by his side so he could keep her safe.Talk about a conundrum.
“We were thinking that you could hold a dual role,” he said.“If needed at the infirmary, the healer elves could reach out to you for your healing magic assistance.”
“Of course.”
“But in general, you would be on the same shift as Sebastian and part of the security team.You would create what are essentially wards that the security team would wear during their shifts, and you as well, that would alert them to Frost and his evil followers.It would be an extra layer of protection for our people.It’s a huge undertaking with our security staff, and eventually, I’d like all our people in Northernmost to have protection wards to wear.”
Emberlin hummed in surprise.“So something that could be worn like a ring or a bracelet?”
“Exactly.”
“Oh, wow.I hadn’t thought about that.”
He smiled.“Mother Nature suggested it, and I think it’s a great idea.The reason the wards would work well, Sebastian, since you may not know this, is that Emberlin’s magic is based in fire and Frost’s is based in ice.So a ward that’s created by a fire witch to detect ice magic would offer good protection.”
“What do the wards do?”he asked.
“They won’t stop someone from being harmed,” she said, “but they would give a wearer an idea of something sinister.For example, it would begin to heat if there was dangerous ice magic nearby and would be an early warning system of sorts.”
“That’s cool as hell,” he said.
She beamed at him.
“You can patrol with Sebastian,” Santa said.“Your magic will give you insight into the magical perimeter, and if you ever see that the perimeter is weakening or feel that something evil is afoot, you would be a great first line of defense.You can work on the wards whenever you’re able to and replenish any used magic as needed.”
“I’d love to do both of those things,” she said.
“I’ll leave you to orientation with your mate,” he said.“And thank you, Emberlin, for helping to keep our people safe.”
“Thanks for trusting me with it.”
They left his office and first went to the supply building, where she spoke to several elves about creating protection wards.They agreed to locate the supplies she needed and deliver them to their apartment as soon as they were able to gather them.Then they walked to the security office, where Sebastian introduced her to the staff, and she was entered into the system as part of the security team.
“We’ll have to get you a uniform,” Hunter said.“In the meantime, grab a walkie and bundle up.It’s cold as you know what out there.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Anything on the docket for tonight?”Sebastian asked.
“Just one witch coming through in the next half hour to replenish her magic.”
“We’ll be there to escort her,” Sebastian said.“We’ll patrol near the Portal to kick off the night and then I’ll take Emberlin around the magical perimeter to show her where we patrol.”
