Chapter 13

“It must have just eaten.” Sarelle squinted her eyes and nodded. “Yes, that looks like some fresh blood in its fur.”

They wouldn’t know. While elves enjoyed superb hearing, their eyesight was not equal and they struggled to make out details more than thirty feet away.

“You mean we were terrified for nothing?” asked Keru.

Adley retorted, “I’d hardly call a polar bear ‘nothing.’”

Sarelle waved her hands in a large shooing motion. “Away with you, bear.” It complied, turning around and trundling off from whence it came. Magic was an astonishing thing to behold.

“We’ll need to repair this section of the scent barrier,” Sarelle said. “Once Santa is awake, it’ll be our first priority. If the bears can’t smell any potential prey, they’re more likely to leave us alone, but it requires two people for full strength. I’ll do what I can for now.”

Adley felt weak in the legs now that the threat was over. He sat on the ground before he fell, nearly dizzy with relief.