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“No, he’s a polar bear,” she said. “One of the Guardians.”
“Wow, how exciting! Can you two come to see us? Is he on the phone?”
“I’m listening,” Winter said. “My name is Winter McAdams.”
“Nice to meet you,” her mom said. Her dad chimed in, “Yes, thanks for saving our daughter.”
“I’m glad I was there,” Winter said. “And I’m sorry, but we can’t leave Northernmost until Christmas Day. Santa has locked the area down except for emergencies. Frost has really picked up the pace with his plans to take over, and Santa won’t do anything to put his people at risk.”
“Well, that stinks, but it’s better to be safe than sorry for sure,” her mom said. “I suppose you’ll stay up there? I wish our Parliament was welcoming of other kinds of shifters, but we’re owl-only.”
“I told him,” True said. “And we haven’t figured things out yet, but it’s really beautiful up here, Mom.”
“I’m sure it is. I’d love to see it, but only when it’s safe.”
“We’ll figure out what the future holds for us in time, but for now we’re up here,” True said. “Tell the cousins I lost the new figurines in the snow, but I’ll make more and ship them.”
“They’ll be glad to hear it.”
True opened her mouth and then frowned. She rose to her feet and turned. “Do you hear that?”
Winter immediately went on alert. “Hear what?”
“Someone’s in trouble. Out there.”
“Honey, are you okay?” her mom asked.
“We’re safe, Mom. But I think someone is outside the perimeter. I’ll text you later. Love you.”
“Stay safe, love you too.”
Winter stood and looked where True was looking but didn’t see anything except blowing snow. And then he heard a faint scream. And saw a pale purple flash.
Magic!
He grabbed his phone and called the security office. “This is Winter. I see a possible abandoned magical person outside the perimeter, due west. We heard a scream, and I saw a flash of purple.”
“We’ll send a team,” Griffin said. “Thanks, Winter.”
He ended the call, moved to the ledge, and watched through the dome as a small security team gathered at the edge of the perimeter, then moved out into the storm. True joined him, linking their hands. “That’s awful that Frost dropped another person out in this weather.”
“Yeah.”
They surveyed the snowy landscape until they saw the team come back through, carrying a male. His phone rang and he answered.
“It’s a warlock and he’s alive,” Griffin said. “Good catch, Winter. If you hadn’t seen it, no one would have known he was there since the patrols were in other places.”
“It was my mate, True, who heard the first scream,” he said.
“Well, thank her from all of us.”
“Will do.”
True leaned against him and shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“No. It’s so depressing what Frost is doing to people in his quest to take over the Well. He has to be the most unhinged person in the world.”
