The Elf Coup - Book Three of The Magi Charter

Jordan David

Description

About the series:
For over two thousand years the legend of Santa Claus has endured. His is a Mission of peace as outlined in the Magi Charter, given to the first Santa by the Child. From humble beginnings, following that First Christmas, the Santa lineage has been passed down through the ages. This epic adventure tells the story of those Santas from the founding of the North Pole and the origin of the ancient elves, to our modern times where the world's problems affect even those in the secluded complex of the North, and concluding in the distant future which finds Santa and the elves committed to their mission on a galactic scale where Christmas traditions are barely recognizable. In every era, those committed to the Mission must find a way to deliver that which is needed most to those most deserving.

The Elf Coup:
It was foreseen that this would be a difficult year for the North Pole. Multiple crises threaten the complex as well as individual elves. Santa Claus is missing somewhere in the human world as are the elves sent to find him. The creature Krampus wreaks havoc on the North Pole bringing elf work to a halt. Mistletoe Green seizes the opportunity to carry out his own diabolical plans for power. The retired elves have their own secrets that will unlock more mysteries of the North Pole, vital for certain young elves which everything depends on. Noel alone must face Mistletoe, but first he will need to master the elfin Runes and that means surviving the training of an ancient elf's teachings...

Sujets

• Fantastique
• Epic Fantasy
• Fiction
• Fantasy

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 27 juin 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456609269
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Elf Coup
 
 
Jordan David
The Magi Charter
by Jordan David
 
 
 
 

 
The Elf Brief
The Elf Archive
The Elf Coup
The Elf Accord
The Elf Legacy
The Elf Resistance
The Elf Directive
The Elf Sojourn
The Elf Revelation
 
 
 
Cover art and interior illustrations by Rob “Wyndagger” Bockholdt
Copyright 2022 Jordan David,
All rights reserved.
 
 
Formatted, Converted, and Distributed by eBookIt.com
http://www.eBookIt.com
 
 
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0926-9 (ebook)
 
 
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review
Contents
Chapter 1
Summer Storms
Chapter 2
The Summons
Chapter 3
Lending Assistance
Chapter 4
The Alpine Expedition
Chapter 5
The Diplomat and the Scholar
Chapter 6
Confrontations
Chapter 7
Chef Cider
Chapter 8
Learning Curves
Chapter 9
North Star
Chapter 10
Destinies: Part 1
Chapter 11
Los Angeles Land
Chapter 12
Coming Home
Chapter 13
Soap & Mud
Chapter 14
The Elf Czar
Chapter 15
Lessons Taught, Secrets Learned
Chapter 16
To Go Beyond
Chapter 17
Destinies: Part 2
Chapter 18
The Intervention
Chapter 19
Recollections and Expectations
Glossary
The Departments of the North Pole
 
 


Chapter 1
 

 
Summer Storms
 
The sun was hot. Not a cloud in the sky to shade the two youths that made their way along the stifling asphalt road. It was late afternoon and they had been walking for over two hours without seeing a single vehicle since leaving the small town of Amber Stone. On either side of the two-lane road were endless sunflower fields. Silos and barns in the distance were the only sign of civilization here. Rare was the tree; shrubs and bushes were scrawny things. This part of southwest Kansas had not seen a decent rainfall in weeks.
“We should have opened the portal closer,” complained the lass of twelve. She was short and more heavy-set then her companion. The heat took a particular toll on her as evidenced by the streams of sweat running down her face.
The lad grunted and turned to frown at her. “For what? We had to start in the town.” He was a tall and slender lad of fourteen, the heat no more a bother for him than the hike. It was all part of the job. Regardless, both were more accustomed to cooler climates.
There was no sense in complaining. The lass knew this. They’d spent the entire morning in the town gathering the information that sent them down this lonely road. Fields of sunflowers, huge golden flowers as far as the eye could see were the primary crop in this part of the state. Idly, the lass considered taking one of those sunflower heads, the size of a dinner plate, back as a souvenir when it came time to depart.
At last a mailbox was coming into view. A large wooden box thing shaped like a house on a metal pole. It was nice seeing something other than fields and road and sky. The driveway the mailbox sat beside led up to a plain white and green farmhouse. Just like the mailbox, the house had seen better days as evidenced by the faded paint and general worn out appearance. On the mailbox were large letters; the name of the family who owned the farm. Neither could read the local language here. However, the townsfolk had been very clear on which house they sought. The two stopped a moment taking water bottles from their backpacks. It was a welcomed break. Their real work was about to begin…
This should be the Gust residence. They started up the driveway keeping a sharp eye on the house for any signs of life. A large covered porch took up most of the front. A tall shade tree, one of the few in the region, was the dominant feature of the yard. The farmhouse was surrounded by fields. Large open areas of brown dying crops, not so much from the drought, but more like neglect. It appeared the farm had not been properly run in years. Weeds and wild plants grew rampant in the yard. The sunflowers that grew along the lush fields near the road hid well the true state of a farm that’s prime had long passed.
As they neared the house, a dog emerged from its doghouse to bark at them. A large white shaggy animal, its collar chained to the shelter beneath the shade tree. A woman came to the screen door to see what upset the dog. Seeing the children drawing near the porch she came out.
“Otto hush!” she scolded the dog. An elderly woman, she smiled at the two children and invited them to come up on the porch out of the sun. The dog stopped barking but continued to growl at the intruders.
Grateful for the shade, the pair went up the steps. From up here a storm was visible gathering on the horizon. Dark clouds unleashing lightning bolts were a stark contrast to the sunny skies overhead. Amber Stone would get its rain soon enough. They took seats on the porch, wicker furniture that must be as old as the woman as evidenced from all the creaking and moaning as they sat.
“I don’t recognize you kids; not lost, are you?” the woman asked them.
“No, no,” the boy answered. “We’re working on a project for school. I’m Herman, this is my sister Almira.”
Almira shot him a look. This was not the first time they’d used such a ruse… it was part of the job, using disguises and false identities. But where did he come up with those names? She never gave him the okay to pick her name. Aliases were her specialty, not his.
“Oh, I see… you go to Fleming Middle School then?”
“That’s right,” Almira spoke up. Not that she had the faintest idea what the local schools were named in these parts.
The dog continued to growl and whimper at the two young visitors. “Otto, you be quiet! These young-ins are alright. Sorry about that. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. Usually, he loves strangers… Well, I’m Emma Gust; was there something I can help with on your project?”
“Actually yes,” Herman replied, taking out a notepad from his pack. “We…”
“Hold that thought… Herman? I need to go check on my mother. Be right back!”
The woman hopped up and went back into the house. The lad and lass exchanged looks. Emma was by no means a young woman; her mother must be old indeed… A rolling peal of thunder was heard in the distance. The storm clouds were getting darker. Minutes passed with only the disapproving growls of Otto to break the silence. At least the porch was cooler than the road.
Finally, Emma reappeared carrying a tray of drinks. “Pink lemonade?” she offered the thirsty pair who accepted gladly. The glasses were cold and stuffed with ice. A perfect drink for a hot summer’s day. “Now then, what’s this project?”
“Mmm… We are doing research on some local missing persons,” Herman answered, choosing his words carefully. Emma’s face went from enthusiastic to concerned as soon as she heard the subject. “Do you have a sister… that’s missing?”
Emma frowned staring down into her glass. Her mood suddenly become as dark as the distant storm. The two children waited, hoping she would tell them something useful. “People still remember do they?”
“Yes…!” said Almira quickly, hoping to get Emma talking. “Amber Stone is a small town… we don’t forget when one of our own goes missing.”
Emma snorted. “That’s not true. Folks were ready to give up searching almost immediately. It was all I could do to keep Glenda’s disappearance from fading. But they did forget. I haven’t heard anyone ask about my sister in… fifteen years…”
“I’m sorry,” muttered Herman. “Are you… do you remember what happened, why she left?”
“Why do you kids want to know about all this? What kind of project is this?”
“It’s about local missing people. Glenda was the first on our list… we just want to know what you remember,” Almira explained patiently.
Emma took a long drink of pink lemonade as she considered the two young visitors. Otto was having trouble dividing his attention between the two on the porch and the gathering storm. The old woman set her glass down on the table and folded her hands while letting out a long sigh.
“Glenda did not just pick up and leave. That’s probably what you heard. But it’s not true! She was tricked! I’m certain of it. Talked about getting some fancy job up north, Glenda did. Talked about it for months she did. When we asked her about details, she was never able to give any. Our father wanted to see this mysterious person Glenda claimed she met with regularly to discuss the job. But Glenda could never produce him.”
Emma produced a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. After hushing Otto yet again, she continued. “It was not like Glenda. She had always talked about leaving home, seeing the world… but what girl doesn’t? Glenda was no girl mind; she was a woman grown near on forty when she disappeared. It was she who kept the farm going. She had a real knack for going over the books and keeping the business on track.
“I say she was tricked! Whoever she was meeting with kidnapped her. If there had been a real job, she would have wrote us, called us, something! My sister would not have abandoned her family. Our folks were getting on in years when she disappeared. They couldn’t keep up with the farm, and I had no idea about running it, that was Glenda’s specialty. Besides, I had to take care of the folks, didn’t I? Well… the police didn’t try very hard… said not much they could do about a grown woman running off. But I know she didn’t, someone stole her away from us…”
Emma blew her nose and apologized for getting upset. It had been so long since anyone even asked about Glenda. The whole town had forgotten about the case, in truth the town was forgetting about the Gust homestead more and more every year. The farm was in danger of being lost for good.
“Since Glenda… the farm has gone downhill. Our father, Henry died ten years back. Mother is not doing well these days. I just hope