BreadCrumb Trail (The Yellow Hoods, #2): Steampunk meets Fairy Tale by Adam Dreece Read Free Book Online

still several gifts in people’s hands. “Does that mean we actually have too many, for the first time ever?”
    Bakon chuckled. “I thought that one year, but no. This is only the first wave. You guys weren’t old enough before to help with the second wave—if you’d even realized there was one. Some people are so poor or embarrassed about something that they don’t come out until everyone else is gone. They eventually do come out, hoping that Monsieur Klaus and the sleigh are still here. That’s why we have the other sleigh full of gifts.”
    “What other sleigh?” asked Elly and Richy.
    “The one that William and Jennifer brought,” said Squeals. “You didn’t know there was another sleigh, did you?” He and Bore chuckled.
    “Yeah, Mister Nik is sneaky. Your mom and dad sneaky too,” said Bore, in his dim-witted, deep voice. He was tapping his head and acting goofy.
    “Grandpapa, why all the secrecy?” asked Tee as he approached, having caught wind of the conversation.
    Nikolas removed the knit winter cap from his bald head and put it in his coat pocket. “That is because greed is a sad thing, and it does many things to the way people think. The second sleigh is smaller—don’t think it is this size; it is not. It only has about two hundred more toys, maybe, but hopefully it is enough.
    “And will they come? Every year they have, and so that is why we will sit here until dawn. Well, that is, except for right now,” he said, looking at his pocket watch and picking up a lantern he had in the sleigh. “I have an appointment I must get to. Squeals, tell Jennifer and William to bring the other sleigh in now, yes?”
    Squeals nodded and smiled. “No problem.”
    As Nikolas walked off, Squeals turned to the Yellow Hoods. “Go enjoy the town. You guys deserve it with all the good you’ve been doing lately.”
    Elly, Tee, and Richy exchanged uncertain looks. They loved the idea, but they each had a deep sense of duty.
    “Are you sure, Squeals? I mean, we can wait with you guys,” said Elly.
    Bakon chimed in. “After these guys get back from bringing the other sleigh,” he said, pointing to his brothers, “we’re sending them off to enjoy the night, too. Egelina-Marie and I are sitting with… Nikolas… until morning, and then I’m having breakfast with her family.”
    “Did you just say Nikolas ?” asked Tee. “It looked like it was painful to say.”
    “Almost as painful as saying you’re having breakfast with her family,” added Richy.
    Bakon shifted uncomfortably and smiled awkwardly. Part of him wanted to lash out, but that was the old him, impulsive and raw. Grudgingly he said, “He asked that Egelina-Marie and I call him that now. It’s like trying to get a rock out of my mouth, every time. I guess it’s… I don’t know… it’s weird.”
    “You’ll get used to it. You can do anything,” said Richy. He admired something about Bakon. Maybe it was that his reputation as a thug had been a disguise for work he was secretly doing for Captain Archambault back in Minette, or maybe it was because Richy couldn’t imagine anyone being tougher.
    Bakon gave Richy a wink. He then clapped his mitted hands. “Okay, enough. It’s Solstice! Get out of here before I have to create a crisis for you Yellow Hoods!”
    “Yeah, go have fun!” boomed Bore.
    “Okay, okay,” said Elly on behalf of the trio as they started to wander off.
    Elly turned to Tee. “Isn’t permitting someone to call him by his first name a big deal for your grandfather?”
    Tee nodded as she thought about it. “It’s a biggie. He’s formal about things like that. I don’t know if everyone from the eastern kingdoms are so formal, but he is, at least. I remember a story about how Grandpapa tortured my dad. Every time my dad wanted to talk him about proposing to my mom, Grandpapa just changed the subject.”
    “That’s it? Just change the subject back. How hard can it be?” asked Richy.
    “It took my dad months,