Page 41 of Run, Run Rudolph (Fairy Godmothers and Other Fiascos #2)
~ Estelle ~
G ram-Gram was pacing her office.
“Is Tamara actively trying to ruin the holiday?” she complained.
“She’s trying to help,” I said meekly. The head fairy had not been pleased when I told her about my earlier failed visit to Char. She was even less pleased now that I was unmistakably in a make-a-wish standoff with two of my clients and losing.
“Permission to explain her situation more fully to her, please. Tamara doesn’t know about magical world extraction, and how much she needs it.”
“Permission not granted.”
“Ma’am, with all due respect?—”
“Don’t start.”
“—the severity of this situation?—”
“Rules, Estelle,” she said coldly.
“But this is unprecedented, and there are severe consequences for both worlds if we continue to allow this to unravel.”
The head fairy had lowered her elbows to her desk and had propped her temples between her fingertips.
She was rubbing slow circles like she had a headache.
“There are consequences to everything we do. Christmas isn’t our domain, and with our clients refusing to make wishes, it means our hands are quite tied. ”
We were quiet for a moment, and I took a second to mentally check in on Tamara, to tune into her frequency. I sucked in a slow breath, gathering a quick picture of the current state of affairs. A lot had happened over the past several hours.
“Santa’s hurt.”
“What!” Gram-Gram crept closer, as though I was a crystal ball she could look into. “When did that happen? Haven’t you been checking in on her?”
“Yes! I mean, not all the time. I’m trying to respect her privacy. Maybe it happened when I was in Mexico. It looks like the reindeer went and got him so he could come help Rudy, and they crashed.” I added in a small voice, “Still drunk.”
The room felt frozen for a moment. Then the head fairy’s voice turned to ice as she spat out, “ They did what ?”
“I know. Please, can’t we just?—”
“Where is Mrs. Claus?” Gram-Gram was near frantic. “Can you see her?”
“No.” I’d only be able to see her if she was with one of my clients. It was a stopgap to prevent fairies from spying on other beings with our fairy vision.
“She’s not there.” My voice trembled, and I sucked in a steadying breath. “But it seems as though they’ve summoned her, ma’am.”
And that was the first time I ever heard the head fairy curse.
She began shoving me toward the door, across the pink bullpen where the trainee cubicles were laid out in a grid. Then over to Paxi’s office again, her hands insistent bites at my back as she urged me forward with a “Go, go, go!”