Isabelle Saint-Michael's Blog, page 2

Dani’s Diary – 1

Day 7

I have decided to keep a record because it has been a WEEK and I still can’t read the bloody books. I think I’m starting to repeat experiments, so it would probably be a good idea to write down everything I’ve tried so far:

Application of lemon juice and heat (to one corner of one page)
Fae-based reveal spell
Elf-based reveal spell
Dwarf-based reveal spell
Gnome-based reveal spell
Application of Fairy dust
Attempted chemical analysis of a page to detect ink, etc. (inconclusive)
Dragon-based reveal spell
Yelling at it
Yelling at it in several languages
Arranging the books in a particular order
Reading by moonlight (phases tested: waxing crescent, half, waxing gibbous)
Holy water

I have several more ideas but it will take time to either get the materials or the permissions needed. In the meantime I will be conducting a comparative analysis of the book covers with others in the library. If I can narrow it down to even a realm, never mind a time period… If only I could get my hands on Tessa!

The Librarian Sees Red (Dani POV)

“Delivery!” A Dwarven courier stepped up to the circulation desk. Everyone but me turned to him with the standard “shhhhh” noise that made it sound like a balloon factory had sprung a leak.

I offered him a warm grin instead. “Hi Russ! Whatcha got for me today?”

The dark haired Dwarf shrugged. “I don’t see what’s in them. I just deliver them, and boy is it heavy.” I chuckled as I signed his clipboard and bid him good day.

If it was heavy it was probably old leather-bound books. My mouth practically watered at the thought of new ancient texts to pour over for hours to come. I started to grab a crowbar for the crate, then stopped. With a deep breath I focused on the box before me. “Crate of wood, please open wide. I wish to see what waits inside.” The wood panels shimmered and faded away, leaving a pile of red books.

Tessa was nearby rereading the Hobbit and looked up at me with a smirk. “For all the reading you do I would think your rhymes would be better.”

I rolled my eyes and gave her a glare before turning my sights back to the pile of books in front of me. Excitedly I grabbed one from the top and carefully flipped through it. To my surprise all the pages were blank. I did the same with the next and discovered it too was blank. After a few moments of exploration I sighed heavily. “Ugh. What a waste. I guess they will make pretty journals.”

Tessa put down her book and came over to look at them with me. “What are you talking about?”

“These books, they’re all empty,” I explained.

Tessa picked up a book and flipped through it. “What are you talking about? There’s writing on every single page.”

I glanced over her shoulder and was completely confused. “What are you talking about? It’s blank!”

“No it’s not. It’s handwritten, but it is filled cover to cover.” She handed it to me and pointed to the page.

“Are you teasing me or do you really see something there?” I asked hopefully.

“There are tons of things there.”

“What does it say?”

Tessa’s brows pulled together in frustration. “I don’t know. It’s like I recognize it, but when I try to piece it together it doesn’t work. It’s a language I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Sorry.”

I growled. “A whole crate of new books and I can’t see what is written on even one page. This is torture.” Tessa began gathering up her things.”Wait, where are you going?”

“I have to meet Kat across town in an hour. I should have left an hour ago. I just lost track of time while I was reading,” she said as she zipped her backpack closed.

“Wait! You can’t leave. I need you to write what you see on the page so I can try to translate it.” I smiled at her with pleading eyes.

She shook her head. “I can’t, even if I wanted to go through seventeen massive journals. Sorry, you’re on your own for this. I’m sure there is a librarian here that can see it too. Maybe they can help you?” I huffed as she waved and walked away.

“This is not okay,” I mumbled to myself.

Squire’s Big Adventure (Squire Young)

“You mean it? We’re going to go stay in Tarell? With Alizeyah?”

Hue rolled his eyes. “Yes. Since Kat has decided she wants to be in Tarell for now, I’m going to go stay in Tarell which means you are too. I’ve already made arrangements with the OAC. I will be coaching fencing for a university there and you are going to be my assistant coach,” Hue explained.

Young’s eyes gleamed brightly. “I’ve only been there once and it was a very short – we were focused on retrieving Alizeyah. I’ve heard from you and Vallen and Dani and the Princess about all the food I should eat.”

Lord Hudraer finally laughed. “Yes, I’m sure you’ll spend the first week stuffing your face while we find a place and settle in.”

“Won’t we just be staying with the Princess?” Young asked.

Hue hesitated. “Kat’s place is small. It’s big enough for two people comfortable, but four would be a bit much. Tessa is staying there right now, so you and I are going to get a place of our own for the time being. Hopefully in the same building or nearby.”

The younger Dragon was quiet for a moment. He had noticed there was an uneasiness between the Princess and Lord Hue of late, but didn’t wish to draw any more attention to it. “Will I be able to go home and visit Heather, Morgan, and my brother?”

“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem. Kat or I can portal you home easily enough. At the very least I will still be checking in with the Nest at least once a week, so you can accompany me then.” Hue’s thoughts seemed preoccupied by something else so Young decided not to ask any further questions.

Racing to his chamber, Young began to pack what he believed he would need to take with him to Tarell while composing a mental list of everything he planned to do once he arrived.

Young’s To Do List

Gift for Heather

Gift for Morgan

Pizza

Tacos

Soda Pop

Burrito

Spaghetti

Kimchi

Burger

Barbecue

French Fries

Mo Bill Fone Thing

Funny Tarell Clothes

Fairy Princess’s Field Guide to Dragons

That’s right! The next book in my Otherworld series is in the works. Fairy Princess’s Field Guide to Dragons will be joining the growing pile of Isabelle Saint-Michael books. If I keep this up I may just start looking like a real author!

Tessa in Training

“Why am I doing this?” Tessa asked as I nudged her closer to the door of the pub.

“Because I’m going to make you a deputy as soon as the OAC approves my budget,” I explained.

“And I’m supposed to believe that?”she said in flat annoyance.

“Yes, because the OAC will agree. I’m the best at what I do and they want royals on payroll. Now get in there and hang the notice.” I gave her another little push.

“Ugh. If I have to.” She relented and climbed the stairs and I followed quietly behind her. I wasn’t going to just throw her to the lions – or more appropriately, Ogres. A band of the grumpy creatures had been terrorizing local establishments and merchants. This was one of their favorite places to gather. Our current job was to post the OAC orders, make sure they knew they would be enforced, then handle the backlash. It might mean dealing with legal actions merchants took against the Ogres, or it could mean calling in enforcers to handle the situation should it turn too rough. Bast case scenario, the Ogres would calm down and the merchants could return to life as usual.

At the top of the stair Tessa pushed the door open and walked in. The pub seemed mostly empty except for two tables in the corner where a group of people had gathered and were speaking loudly in Russian. We crossed the room to the bar and flagged down the bartender, who was polishing glasses before the evening crowd started to come in. He had dark eyes and a grin that warned of pure mischief and immediately put me on guard. “What can I do for you ladies?” he asked.

“We have a public bulletin from the OAC,” Tessa explained. “We were given orders to post it here. Can you tell us where the council board is?”

The bartender smirked and pointed to the board hanging in the corner behind the group of rowdy Russians. “Over there behind the Ogres. Good luck, ladies. Try not to get blood on the floor.”

Tessa looked at the group across the room and then back at me. “Russian Ogres?” she mouthed.  I shrugged and walked with her over to the corner. “Excuse me, I need to hang this up,” she said, pushing through the crowd. Without mishap she manged to get through and hang the announcement.

We had almost made it to the door when we heard a snarl. We both turned to find the Ogres were right on our tails. The largest of them growled at us. “What is this garbage?” he said in a shout.

Tessa looked at me and gave me a nod before turning the full force of her stare on them. “It would seem that there is a group of Ogres in the area causing a lot of trouble. Rather than just sending in the enforcers and bashing in brains, we decided we would try asking nicely and handling things quietly. So if the Ogres in question are friends of yours I would tell them to knock it off.”

The Ogres laughed. “You’re funny. We have a good thing going here and you think a piece of paper is going to stop us?” He then made the biggest mistake he could have made. He grabbed Tessa by the shoulder. What came next happened in a split second. In a single fluid motion she grabbed his arm, forced his elbow behind his back, and bashed his face into the nearby wall. He went down with a thud. All the other Ogres stood quiet in shock.

I cleared my throat. “Perhaps you need some clarification. I’m Princess Alizeyah, the local Magistrate to the OAC. This is Tessa, my newest deputy. Please understand when we ask nicely, it’s for your benefit. Not ours. Do we understand each other?” I was answered by a series of mumbles. “Excellent. I suggest you pick up your friend and clean up the blood. The bartender says there is a rule against it.” At that Tessa and I turned to leave.

At the bottom of the stairs Tessa grabbed my arm and took a moment to catch her breath. “Was that all right?” she asked.

I chuckled. “I think you’re going to be just fine.”

The Magistrate’s Date

I waited patiently outside of Marthailain’s cubical as he finished up his appointment. When the young man he had been meeting with left, I slid inside and took a seat across the desk from the Dark Elf. He rummaged through his desk looking for what appeared to be a new teabag. With a cup set to brew, he finally looked up at me with a little bit of surprise. “Princess, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

I smiled and opened up my bag. “I noticed your team was a little overwhelmed with work. Where did all the cases come from?”

He leaned back into his chair and considered me for a moment. “I didn’t realize your royal schedule allowed for time to help with the mundane proceedings of the OAC anymore.”

Pulling out a large stack of folders from my bag, I sat them down on his desk then pulled out a couple thumb drives. “Luckily for you and the OAC, I found time to help out.”

“What’s all this?” he mumbled as he started flipping through the pile.

“Twenty-five cases that are now closed and ready to be filed. You’re welcome,” I said flatly.

Marthailain blinked at the pile in front of him, and then back up at me. “How did you manage twenty-five cases in a week?”

“In fairness, I had Tessa for help. Couple that with the worlds best research Pixie, you shouldn’t be all that surprised. Another week like the last and I should have all of your case load caught up for you.” I gave him a grin.

He started to smile back then stopped, and raising a brow at me. “What do you want?”

“I like how quickly you cut through all the bullshit. I want you to give me permission to deputize not only Tessa, but a full team. If I can manage a team of about six then not only can I keep you caught up, but I can also make sure there is coverage for times when I will be away,” I explained.

He pursed his lips together for a moment. “Are you expecting to need to return to Everbloom soon?”

“It’s not just Everbloom. There I’m working to put together a royal council like they have in Vesaria so we can standardize laws and make trade easier. My parents may very well bite my head off if I don’t start getting back to the nest more often to see them. I would also like to get home to see my Human family. Oh, and there is the little bit about how I will be working at the North Pole again this year.” I let out the breath I had been holding. “I need boots on the ground that I can count on.”

“Are you gunning for my job, Alizeyah?” he asked, half teasing.

“No, but you know I’m right. I can do a lot of things because of my Princess title, but I can’t authorize OAC payroll without your permission.”

“Thank the goddess then. There is an end to your power,” he said, finally smiling.

“Will you at least take it to the council?”

Marthailain sighed. “Are you saying Seoul is home for a while?”

“I am.”

“Then I will take it to the council and let you know sometime next week. I need a budget outline before I can present it though,” he said motioning to the door.

“Already thought of that,” I answered, pulling a blue folder from my bag. “Here’s a full outline.” I handed it to him then stood to leave.

As I passed through the doorway I heard him call to me. “It’s good to have you back.”

Wedding Plans

There was a knock on the door and I practically skipped down the hall to answer it. Throwing the door wide open, I smiled at Grace. Her arms were loaded down with magazines. “Kat, hi!” We both broke into a fit of giggles ending in high-pitched squees.

“Well get in here. We have six hours to iron out a whole bunch of details, but before we get started, Joy and your mother know you are here, right? I don’t want either of them mad at me for helping, or hurt that they weren’t included.” Grace laughed, then looked at my face to realize I was being totally serious.

“Oh yes, they know. All the big stuff has been decided. My dress has been picked out, the menu and flowers are set, and the location is secured.”

“Ok, what else do you need help with?” I asked.

“We need to pick out your dress and get measurements to Maggie and I need help with the font and design for the invitations. I also need to pick out china patterns for the tables, plan a playlist beyond the already decided songs, and I need help choosing a cake topper.” Grace dropped the pile of magazines flaunting beautiful women in white dresses upon my coffee table.

“I’ll grab the tea and my laptop,” I told her, and headed into the kitchen. I returned moments later, trying not to trip over a kitten that insisted on winding his way between my legs as I moved. Carefully I set the tray down and took a seat beside Grace on the couch. “Lets start with the simple stuff. What is the official wedding day? Are you still looking at New Years?”

Grace looked flustered for a moment. “We wanted it to be New Years but we’ve been told it’s happening Christmas day.”

“Oh, a Christmas wedding? That’s my dream,” I told her.

“Yeah. So, cake toppers. The family doesn’t want us to do a standard bride and groom on top. We thought about a Santa and Mrs. Claus topper, but that makes me think of my in-laws.”

“Is Joy making the cake?” I asked.

“Ha, like she would let anyone else make it,” she laughed. We exchanged looks and laughed again.

“What about having her make bride and groom gingerbread people?” I offered.

She blinked at me and let out a slow breath. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard and it’s perfect.”

“Glad to be of service. Next, plates. What are your options?”

Grace rummaged through the piles of magazines until she found a grey folder with the word reception scrolled across it in a messy script. She handed me a paper with two dozen plate designs on it. I sighed along with her. “The colors are red and green… obviously.”

I glanced over the designs and pointed at things. “What color is your dress?” I asked finally.

“Candlelight glow,” she laughed. “It’s a warm ivory color with gold accents.” She handed me the picture. It was a stunning trumpet gown with a sweetheart neck that would look amazing on her.

“Ok, what if you did the white plate with the thick gold band and have them use sparkly red chargers under the plates with gold flatware? You could also use this plate with the thin red ribbon like edge and have them mix it with solid red pieces but that would be far more casual. What time is the wedding?” I asked, considering other options.

Grace smiled. “It’s pretty formal. It’s in the evening so that everyone can spend Christmas morning with their families.” She looked at the options and circled my red gold combination.”All right whiz kid, next, the stationary.” She pulled three invitations out of the folder and laid them on the table. “Justin and I decided on the wording and narrowed it down to these three.” She pointed at the first, which was a simple white invitation with fancy black script and a golden ribbon. The second was crisp white with a double red stripe boarder and an ornate print font that looked like it came out of a storybook. The last was white with embossed snow-covered trees down one side with small flecks of gold scattered across the tress. The font wasn’t overly ornate but was still a script.

“Well, which one do you like best?” I asked. Grace just shrugged. “I like the second two better than the first because they are a lot easier to read. That being said, picture the font and style being used on table cards, name plates, the guest book, the programs, and thank-you cards.” As I finished my list she grabbed the first and third, tossing them in the trash bin nearby. “Oh, then I guess you did have a favorite?”

“Smart ass!” she shot back.

“Hey, careful about calling me names. Santa may be watching,” I teased.

With a mischievous wink she smiled at me. “I think I’ll be fine. I’ve got a connection.”

“I’m sure you do,” I muttered.

“Your dress is next.” She flopped a heavy magazine in my lap. I resisted the urge to “ooompf” as it landed. Then she handed me a scrap of dark cherry red fabric. “Find a basic style you like and Maggie will be making it in this color.”

“You can just let Maggie make whatever you want me to wear or what she thinks will look best,” I offered, just as I started remembering the outfits from last holiday season.

Grace clapped a hand over my mouth. “Don’t ever say anything like that again,” she warned. “Do you remember what I had to wear?” 

“Yeah, wasn’t it my red carpet dress? The thing with the stupid wreath hat.” She stared blankly at me as I continued to describe it.

“She made two of us wear that thing?” Grace asked in horror.

Laughing, I nodded before looking down and flipping through the magazine. I finally decided on a red high-low dress that was cut with an A-line. Grace and I talked a little longer before we realized that we had almost finished the list and our time was up. “All you need to do is decide on music.”

“That’s going to take forever,” she complained.

“Just google holiday party playlists and find one you like, then cross off any songs you don’t want played and add any that you think you may want. Any good DJ or band will be able to work within a theme if they know what they are working with,” I offered. “Google is your friend. Stop worrying so much.”

We gathered up her belongings and I walked her to the door where we hugged on last time and I watched as she disappeared in a swirl of flakes and icy wind.

Home Sweet Cat Trap (Dani POV)

“Sheldon, I’m home!” I cried as I came through the front door.

“Well it’s about time. I’ve been wasting away here, unloved, unfed, and unappreciated,” he mewed pitifully at me.

“Unfed? Unloved? Unappreciated?! You ungrateful, ankle-biting lint ball!” Oliver growled as he came from the living room as he untied his apron. “I feed him three times a day. I’ve let him sleep on the bed every day and night. AND I have been nothing but nice and supportive when he explained to me, at length, how a gnat was wandering free in the apartment all day until he finally got fed up and killed it.”

I looked at Oliver with wide eyes. “Was he really that big a problem while I was gone?” I asked with concern as I shot Sheldon a warning glare.

Oliver’s face softened before he wrapped his arms around me tightly and picked me up to spin me around. “Not really. He’s just been bitey and whiny the last few days. The time apart from you has been hard on both of us.” He smiled before setting me down gently and pressing a kiss against my mouth.

“Well, I’m home now. I’m sorry I was gone so long. I left Vesaria two weeks before Kat and ended up being sent to Maht to help organize the library there. The building was destroyed in the attack earlier this summer,” I explained.

“I know,” Oliver said, turning to take my luggage into the living room so I could unpack. “Do you want to take a quick shower before we go to dinner?”

I paused, sniffing the air. “Go to dinner? The place smells amazing – I thought we would be doing homecooked here tonight?” I was already peeling out of my clothes and searching for a towel as I asked.

“Oh, we’re still having homecooked. I made part of dinner. It’s going with us,” he explained from the living room.

I took a quick shower and found clean jeans and a tshirt waiting for me when I got out. Sheldon was sprawled on the couch with his belly pointed towards me. Unable to resist a kitty belly I rushed to get dressed and flopped down beside him. I successfully managed three pets before a CHOMP and pain ran through my hand. “Ouch! Sheldon! What was that for?”

“That was for being gone ALL summer. You will also find special presents in all of your shoes in the closet. You’re welcome!” he snapped before rolling over and toddling away. He sat at the far end of the couch with his back to me. I watched, annoyed and amused, as his tail twitched back and forth.

“Oliver, maybe we should stay in tonight. I think Sheldon needs me,” I said.

Oliver scoffed. “Just bring him with us. I’ve got everything packed to go. Throw on your flip flops and lets get out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” was the only explanation I received. I followed him out the front door to the elevator, where we rode it two floors up and got off. My heart raced faster as we approached the apartment that had been Kat’s. Had Oliver met the new people living here?  I watched carefully as he slid off the lock cover and typed in the code. As the door opened the scent of fresh bread and other food washed over me.

“Well it’s about time. I should have known Dani would be late,” I stared agape as Kat set the table in her living room, surrounded by pillows and a sofa. The place was clean and rearranged. Kat stood grinning at me as Tessa rushed by with hot vegetables.

“What’s going on here? I thought they were renting out your apartment?” I asked, realizing I sounded absolutely lost. Sheldon wiggled out of my arms and went to inspect the table. He made it only as far as the couch when a flying white furball collided with him, knocking him across the floor. Flurry pounced playfully on him again and again despite his best efforts to escape.

“I just signed another two-year lease,” Kat said matter of factly.

“What about Everbloom?” I blurted out.

She gave me a shrug. “This is my home. I have a portal bead. I can commute.”

“Hue and Ian are all right with this?”

Her grin told me everything I needed to know. “I don’t think they really have much say. Now grab a wooden spoon the plates from beside the stove. I’m hungry.”

What I’m working on

There have been a lot of rumors floating around about my projects and I want to let you know what is true and what isn’t. I have had a bit of a wonky summer and am finally getting back into my rhythm. At this time I am actively working on two books. The first is Fairy Princess’s Field Guide to Dragons. This is the much-requested story about Geren. The second book is Snow Pixie.* It takes us back to the world of the North Pole with Justin and Grace. While they are not the primary focus of the story, they are certainly major players.

There are no official release dates for either of the books but details are coming later this fall, so stay tuned and tell your friends!

All my love,

Isabelle

*Editor’s note: You have no idea how excited I am about Snow Pixie, Isabelle’s been talking about it for almost a year now, pretty much since she finished Holiday Spirit for Hire. She’s had the cover picked out for months.

Making Amends

It was my last day in Vesaria before heading home. I just didn’t know what home was anymore. Everwood, Drakemoore, and Tarell all had reasons to claim me as their own but I wasn’t entirely sure where I belonged after all of this. I let out a slow breath and leaned forward over the top of the battlements to look at the field below. “Oh, come on! I’m over thirty. I thought this whole ‘where do I belong’ phase would have been over by now,” I whined to myself.

I heard a chuckle behind me and spun around to face Tallyn. My frustrations must have still been painted on my face, as he held up his hands to show he came unarmed. “You’re still young. You’re barely out of your adolescence among our people. You’ll have years ahead of you to figure out just who you are.”

“You do know that Lily and I are the same age, right? Only a few weeks apart. We never knew each other even though we grew up just a few towns apart. Do you tell her that she’s still just a moody kid?” I asked.

Tallyn shook his head. “I didn’t say you were a moody child, and I have told Lily when she is behaving like one. It’s part of being in a relationship. You aren’t afraid to tell each other when they are acting out of character. She tempers my moods as well.” He crossed the distance between us, coming to stand beside me. His strong hands gripped the stone wall in front of us as he looked out over the land. “Perhaps with time Lord Hudraer and Lord Ian will be able to temper you as well.”

I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Well then, maybe you can convince them you don’t need to be tempered or calmed,” he suggested. I watched him carefully as the corner of his mouth tugged upwards.

“Do you think I need a calming influence?” I finally asked.

“I think you need to decide for yourself if you need tempering or not.” He paused to look at me. “I would hate to think that someone like you would let someone else make that decision for her.”

I nodded, finally understanding what he was trying to say. “Tallyn, I’m sorry if I caused too much trouble on this visit.”

He held up a hand and waved it away. “I don’t think you caused an ounce of trouble for me. If anything you helped my kingdom and family immensely. If you ever decide that you want to get away from the Dragons for a bit you are always welcome here. Please know that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, giving him a smile in return.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. “Please do, little cousin. Not only do my mate and I hope to see more of you, but your new nephew will no doubt want to spend time with the aunt he was named after.”

I laughed. “That poor kid. I hope he forgives you both for that name.”

We exchanged a few more laughs before I returned to my chamber to make sure I was totally packed. I knew dinner would no doubt run late with my farewell party, and I was leaving in the morning.