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“You said Kane, right?” Nana Pratt asked.
“Yes, who else?”
“Obviously him,” she replied, in a tone that suggested otherwise.
I turned back to the computer screen. “I’m studying up on the mage who’s trying to kill me.”
“Someone’s still trying to kill you?” Ray now hovered beside me.
“The important part is figuring out his weaknesses, which I believe I have.”
He read over my shoulder. “Hidden People.”
“Brody is half mage, half elf. His mother was one of the Hidden People, which is why he’s so good at camouflage. They were known for breaking into houses and hosting wild parties.”
“Sounds more like a teenager,” Nana Pratt said.
“They’re an Icelandic group. The Hidden People would show up in the winter around the holidays. On New Year’s Eve, the people would’ve had enough of their merriment and lit candles to show them the way out of town.”
“So you think if you light a few candles, this mage will leave you alone?” Nana Pratt asked.
“Fat chance,” I said. “He’s working for Magnarella. Besides, he’s only half huldufólk. His father was a mage. Between their two skill sets, his parents ended up producing a nature mage.”
“He’s one of a kind?” Ray asked.
“It’s possible.”
“In that case, he must be very expensive,” Nana Pratt said.
I had no doubt.
“You should be flattered,” Ray said. “That means Magnarella thinks you’re worth the cost.”
“Are you sure his name is Brody?” Nana Pratt asked. “It doesn’t sound like a very dangerous name. I’m sure I embroidered the name Brody on custom underpants for at least one baby in my lifetime.”
“I can confirm the name, but you’re more than welcome to call him the elf mage if that sounds more sinister.”
“No, if anything that makes him sound like the star of an animated Christmas movie, the kind I used to watch with Steven and Ashley where the characters looked like they were made of clay.”
“Stop-motion animation,” I said. My grandparents and I used to watch those movies, too. Rudolph was my favorite. Ashiny nose that he tried to hide. Those who didn’t understand him. A new family that consisted of an outcast elf, an adventurer, and a doe. I related to Rudolph more than I’d like.
“Should we be keeping a lookout for this Brody?” Ray asked. “If you need us to stand sentry outside, Ingrid and I can rotate schedules.”
“I don’t think he’ll come to the house.”
“Why not?” Nana Pratt asked. “It sounds like the elves were very good at breaking into houses.”
“It doesn’t seem like his style.” Brody excelled in the woods, surrounded by natural objects he could wield as weapons. It was the forest I’d have to avoid.
“It’s always something with you,” Nana Pratt muttered. “Would it kill you to try making friends instead of enemies?”
“The whole reason she got involved with Magnarella was because of her friends,” Ray pointed out.
“Then choose better friends,” the elderly lady said. “I remember when Ashley started hanging around with this particular girl in middle school. It was clear the child was a troublemaker, but nobody could tell Ashley, or it would only push them closer together.”
“I’m not in middle school,” I said.
“No, but you’re stubborn like Ashley was. If I tell you to stop hanging around with those assassins of yours, you’ll tell me I’m being ridiculous.”
