How Lovely Are Thy Branches: A Young Wizards Christmas Read Free Page A

she grabbed him and hugged him to her and thumped his dorsal carapace. “Sker’!”
    “Our saviors return,” Sker’ret laughed in her ear. “It’s been forever.”
    “It’s been last week,” Nita said. “Getting amnesic from overwork?”
    “No, I mean when the two of you were last here together.”
    “Two weeks then. Maybe three.”
    “Pedant,” Sker’ret said affectionately, gave her a squeeze and let her go.
    “And what about me?” Carmela demanded. “You’re late for my daily dose of alien snuggles!”
    “And whose fault is that? Anyway, you’re the alien.”
    “No surprise at this sudden appearance then, my cousin?” Filif said.
    “Excuse me?” Sker’ret said as he headed for Carmela. “I am the Master of this facility, coz. Of course I knew she was here: she’s got a facility-independent wizardly tracker routine associated with her. How else can I find her in a hurry if more invaders arrive and we need saving?”
    “My favorite stalker,” Carmela said, and hugged Sker’ret as if hugging giant purple metallic centipedes was the most normal thing in the world. Which, for her, it naturally was.
    “And why does her tracker work better than the Knowledge-based routines you’ve got hooked up to me?” Filif said, bending over in a sort of half-bow to Sker’ret so that they could brush their upper limbs together.
    “Because she can do a lot more damage in a much shorter time than you routinely would,” Sker’ret said.
    Carmela burst out laughing. “Oh, Sker’, you say that like it was a bad thing!”
    “So tell us,” Filif said. “What damage are you contemplating now?”
    “We’re having a Christmas party. And both of you are invited.”
    All Filif’s berries on the side facing Sker’ret, and all Sker’ret’s stalked eyes, exchanged a bemused glance.
    “And Christmas would be what?” Sker’ret said. “Is it a holiday of some sort?”
    “Don’t you remember? Remember how excited Filif got about this?”
    “Um…” Sker’ret was making a kind of thoughtful null sound that even in a Rirhait perfectly communicated a sense of I don’t want you to feel hurt but due to being really busy I have no idea what you’re talking about at the moment.
    “Fil,” Carmela said. “Explain it to him. Remember that time of year we told you about, the last time you came visiting? The time of year when we bring trees into the house and decorate them?”
    Filif looked astounded. “Wait. This is that time? Then what are you doing here? Mostly your folk are with family at such times, I thought!”
    “No no no, it’s not right this minute!” Carmela said. “Fifty days or so yet. Hold still.” She reached into her shoulderbag and came out with a small sleek tablet. “How’s your schedule around JD 2455550.52 …?”
    “Well, let me check…”
    “I’m free,” said Sker’ret immediately. “One or another of my relief people can take those shifts for me. Powers forbid I should miss a party of yours!”
    Nita wanted to start shouting practical, sensible things like No, wait, this is all going way too fast, are you nuts…? But she took a deep breath, stood there hating Thanksgiving enough to be willing to think about anything else, especially when it involved going straight on past it, and peered over Carmela’s shoulder at the tablet. “That’s really gorgeous. Where’d you get that?”
    “It’s part of her detached staff package,” Sker’ret said. “Didn’t you get yours, Nita? I’ll see that it comes to you.”
    “Okay, Sker’, thanks,” she said. “What day is that?” Nita said to Carmela.
    “December 20th,” Carmela said. “And hey, the next day is the Winter Solstice. Very symbolic!” she said to Filif, elbowing him somewhere among his fronds and needles. “We’re having a sleepover on Almost The Longest Night! We can stay up all night and watch movies and eat popcorn and all kinds of things.”
    “Mela,” Nita said. “Your mama and pop… you haven’t