Banished: Book 1 of The Grimm Laws by Jennifer Youngblood, Sandra Poole Page B

chocolate.” She pointed to the empty cups.
    “Very good. See, you remember everything.”
    “Yes,” she said slowly. Why did she have the feeling that she was being manipulated? There was something she was supposed to remember. Something very important, but she couldn’t figure out what that was.
    “We had a nice little chat about your father. You’ll have to come again soon, but now … oh drats, a storm is brewing. A terrible storm. You’d best get home before it hits.”
    “Okay.” Elle stood. “Thanks for the chat.”
    Adele smiled. “Come back anytime.”
----
    A s Elle opened the door of The Chocolate Fountain to leave, a tiny black bug crawled out. The bug traveled down the steps and into the grass. A minute later, it transformed into a bird. It lifted its wings and flew upward. When it had gotten a safe distance away so as not to be noticed, the bird transformed into a giant condor. It stretched out its wings and began gathering the air in quick, smooth strokes. The condor was headed back to give a report to the mighty sorceress who had sent him on this errand. There was no time to waste, for it had begun.

Chapter Six

Alexander and Wisteria
    A lexander looked up at the ominous dark clouds churning overhead. A storm was coming. Hallelujah! It was about time. He was ready. His pulse quickened with a feverish intensity. Waiting for it all to unfold was maddening. How he’d wanted to find her before now. To steal a glimpse of her, if only for a moment. Knowing that she was somewhere in the world, living her life independent of him, had been excruciating, but Merek had forbidden him from making first contact. “You must wait until the first segment of the plan is put into motion,” he warned. “If you disobey me on this, Alexander, then the entire plan will be null and void. You must follow the rules with exactness. No divergence.”
    “How will I know when the first segment of the plan is put into motion?” he’d asked.
    Merek gave him that enigmatic smile that was both wise and chastising. “Your blood will run blue, and the waters of understanding will issue forth in abundance.”
    As usual, he couldn’t make sense of Merek’s cryptic riddle, but this morning, he understood. Merek allowed each of them to bring one token with them to this new realm, and he’d chosen the ring—a token of her love for him, a gift that she’d tearfully thrust in his hand all of those years ago, just before he went off to war. He’d worn it on his right finger for many years, but when things between them turned ugly, he removed the ring from his finger and wore it on a chain around his neck. Once he’d entered this world, he placed the ring on his right finger again. It was faded gold with a ruby inset in the center. “The red is a symbol of our love and strength,” she’d told him. “The fire will forever burn between us.” How right she was. The fire between them forever burned, but the trick was how to avoid getting consumed by it.
    This morning, the stone had turned blue. If he had any doubts that the turning of the stone might’ve been a coincidence, the dry creek running beside his home had mysteriously filled with gushing water. The neighbors were stupefied, as the creek had been dry for as long as any of them could remember, but Alexander knew it was a sign. He left his home this morning feeling more rejuvenated than he had in years. He would now be able to find her. What he didn’t expect was for her to find him first.
    He’d been preparing for an afternoon staff meeting with the teachers when it happened. The phone on his desk rang. “Principal Kingsley, you have a call on line one. Her name is Wisteria Porter, and she says she’s looking for a job. I told her that all of the teaching positions are filled, but she insisted that I let her speak to you,” his secretary finished in a crisp, professional tone.
    Alexander jumped and nearly spilled his mug of coffee. For a second, he was