Page 17 of Secrets of the Frostbound Cottage

The puppy was staring at me expectantly, as if waiting for instructions. ‘Stick,’ I said to her. ‘Fetch!’

I still didn’t know what I was dealing with but, judging by the amount of ice in this place, I guessed the last thing the creature wanted was heat and fire. Maybe we could try the old wild animal trick of waving around flaming sticks to keep it at bay. It was worth a shot – and what other option did I have?

Loud thumps sounded and the ceiling trembled as the creature made its way across the floor above us.

It wasn’t here yet, though, so I moved to free another two elves before ripping off a piece of my torn jeans off and dousing it in petrol. The pup returned with a big stick in her mouth and Iwrapped the saturated fabric around it. When I lit the makeshift torch, more heat and light sprang into the room.

That was when I saw the shadow looming in the doorway.

I turned, heart pounding, only to stop in confusion as something entered the room.

Whatever I had expected, it wasn’t this. The shadow had loomed large, which must have been a trick of the firelight for the creature in front of me was gaunt and small. His features were unnaturally sharp but part of that was because he was so scrawny.

His eyes had sunk into hollow sockets and his thin lips were curled in a snarl; he was menacing for sure, but he was also no bigger than Orla. That was something. I could definitely overpower him – but the problem would be stopping him using his magic.

‘Thief!’ he hissed as he pointed a bony finger at me. ‘You is stealing them from me!’

I gave a dry chuckle. ‘I think the term you’re looking for here is “freeing”.And yes, I am freeing them and you can’t stop me.’ Well, I hoped not, but when you haven’t got an ace up your sleeve, bravado is all that’s left – and I’d got bravado in spades.

‘No! You cannot!’ It stamped its foot. ‘I needs them. They makes me pretty flowers! I likes pretty flowers!’

A wave of loneliness and desperation hit me with such force that I had to fight to anchor myself in place. If I’d let the feelings rule me, I’d have curled into a ball and sobbed my heart out while butchering Celine Dion’s ‘All By Myself’.

I was holding on to myself with effort, but then the elves’ fear hit me too. I froze, unable to ride the maelstrom of too many forceful emotions swirling around me. For a moment I was lost, but then a little wet nose pressed against my exposed leg. Love and confidence swamped me, and suddenly I could think again.

I took some deep breaths and glanced down in wonder. ‘Thanks, pup.’

I turned my attention back to the frost-monster thing. It was speaking like a kid who’d never had a grammar lesson; either that, or it had watched too muchLord of the Ringsand was doing its best Gollum impression. ‘Are they your preciouses?’ I sassed.

‘Yes!’ it snarled at me. ‘Mines!’

‘Help me!’ Simone cried. ‘If we can free us all, then we can—’

‘No!’ The icy creature bolted towards us, but my crazy brave pup darted forward and grabbed one of the flaming sticks from the bonfire. Waving it with abandon, she thrashed her head back and forth so quickly I worried she’d singe her golden fur.

The creature stopped, giving me a chance to dive over to one of the still-frozen elves. There was no time for delicacy or to check that I wouldn’t hurt them. I grabbed the stone, yanked it from them, and then took the gasp that flew from their lungs as a sign they were okay.

‘We’ll get the rest!’ Orla’s mother cried to me. ‘Just stop him reaching us. We can do this – we can end this.’

That was when I realised her initial plea hadn’t been to me but to the other elves whom she’d already released, of which there were now four. With the one I’d just freed and her, that made six. Only two more to go.

I wasn’t sure what would happen next. Did the elves have enough power to stop the creature? And if so, why hadn’t they done that before they’d ended up like this?

I didn’t waste any more time questioning myself or the elves’ plan, just chucked the flaming torch at the beast. It skittered away but immediately crept forward again.

Luckily, now that I didn’t need to be discreet I had another idea. I pulled out the can of deodorant, used the lighter to makemy noisy flame thrower again and directed the flames towards the gaunt little thing.

They shot towards it, but they weren’t high enough to make contact. Even so, its high-pitched cry sent a prickle down my spine. It wasn’t being burned but the closeness of the heat was hurting it … which was good, right? But it didn’tfeelgood. I supposed that attempting to shish kebab anyone wouldn’t feel great, but nausea was threatening to stay my hand.

Simone raced towards me and knocked the aerosol from my hand. ‘Stop! Stop it! Don’t hurt him!’ she pleaded. ‘Let us fix this. Fixhim.’

I’d seen people who wanted to take their own revenge before, and I understood their emotions; if I could have caused my grandmother a fraction of the pain she’d caused me, I’d have done it in a heartbeat. But it wasn’t anger on the elf’s face, it was something else: compassion.

‘Step back!’ Another elf spoke, an older woman with eyes the colour of wheat and an outfit that could have won first place in a cosplay contest. The cape alone was phenomenal – I totally deserved a cape like that.

It was hard to believe that mere moments ago this force of nature had been one of the near-lifeless bodies lying colourless on the ground. Now she vibrated with strength and energy as if she’d necked a double espresso when I wasn’t looking.

As she stole my attention, I was aware that the psychotic ice-fairy – if that’s what it was – could easily reach out and grab me. I needed to keep my wits about me but I couldn’t draw my eyes away from the elf with the cape. She didn’t need fire to melt the ice, she was doing it her own way, with magic.

---