Christmas Magic Read online

  “This place is about as safe as you can get,” he replied. “It’s one of the properties Coop’s family own and has pines planted the whole way around the perimeter. Unless we were followed, it’s unlikely we’ll be found.”

  He started toward the house, and I fell into step beside him. “And do you think we were followed?” I asked.

  Blitz shook his head. “We were careful. I think we managed to lose them. But Coop, Vix, and I will probably head back to the bar today to make certain.”

  He paused when he reached the front door of the farmhouse. “Why did you risk yourself to save those prisoners? They were all dark beings.”

  I paused as I considered his question. “You weren’t down there,” I eventually replied, only just louder than a whisper. “You didn’t see the way they were being treated. They may be dark beings, but that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. I mean, most of the prisoners were children…”

  He nodded as if he accepted my explanation. “I get it,” he said before opening the door and ushering me inside.

  The interior of the farmhouse was dark and poky with narrow corridors and low ceilings. There was a feeling of warmth to the place though, and I could smell the fragrant scent of logs burning as soon as I entered the house. Blitz led me down the main corridor to a living room, and I started sneezing as I walked through the door.

  I looked at the fireplace the shifters were all seated around. “You’re burning pine?” I asked, sneezing once more. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  Dash swore under his breath and proceeded to dowse the firewood with ash until the flames went out. “Sorry, Clio, it’s habit,” he replied. “We should have burnt enough by now.”

  Coop nodded and stood up to open a window. “We burn it at all our safe houses. It helps disguise our scent.”

  “If it’s for protection, you guys keep burning it. I’ll just go to another room.” My eyes were watering like crazy, and my nose still tingled with the promise of another sneeze. Of all the things in the world I could be allergic to, why did it have to be pine?

  “It’s just an added precaution,” Coop said. “And it should be fine now.”

  “How are you feeling?” Dash asked, closing the short distance between the fireplace and the doorway where I stood.

  “A little drained, but I’ll survive.”

  “Clio, what you did last night wasn’t normal,” he replied, folding his arms over his chest and watching me closely. “And don’t try to tell me it was adrenaline again. Adrenaline alone couldn’t heighten any being’s powers that much.”

  My eyes flickered to the rest of the group who were all watching me just as intently as Dash. So much for having time to come up with a different excuse. I felt like I was about to face a full interrogation. I didn’t want to lie to Dash, not when his suspicions about me were already roused, but there was no way I could tell him the whole truth either.

  “I guess I’m quite powerful for a claus,” I replied, trying to downplay it. “My strength is quite rare, yes, but not unheard of. And you can see that my powers still have limits. Using that much magic was far too much for me.”

  His lips tightened as he considered my explanation. “Why didn’t you tell us you were this powerful sooner?”

  “It’s not that big a deal.” I shrugged. “I rarely use my powers in the Human Realm, so sometimes I forget.” Now I was outright lying.

  “I asked you if you had any idea why the elves were after you. Didn’t you think that maybe this was why?” Dash pressed.

  “I figured I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It didn’t seem relevant.” Another lie. I could barely look Dash in the eyes as I spoke, and I hated trying to deceive him.

  “Well, it was relevant,” he replied. “You told me the tree nymph was powerful enough to journey far from her tree. The reindeer the elves killed before you was also known for his unusually strong powers. He could fly earlier in the season than any other reindeer I’ve met. The fact you all shared such strong powers is a connection that indicates you were targeted.” Dash’s fists clenched at his sides, as if he was attempting to contain his anger. “A fact that might have helped us uncover Thistle as the elves’ next target if you’d told me the truth when I first asked you.”

  I took a step backward, hating how upset I’d made Dash. I highly doubted that we could have stopped Thistle’s murder, but his words caused a feeling of guilt to spring up within me. And I couldn’t stop wondering if he was right.

  “I’m sorry, Dash,” I whispered. I wanted to protect myself but never at the expense of someone else. And I still hadn’t told him the whole truth. Was that going to result in another death?

  I felt so torn and unsure of myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to explain to him the full extent of my powers. All I could hope was that knowing I was powerful would be enough information to help Dash and his herd stop the elves.

  Dash’s expression softened as he looked at me. “Don’t be sorry, Clio. No one is at fault here but those elves.”

  I nodded, but his words weren’t enough to relieve me of my guilt.

  Dash turned his focus back on the rest of his herd. “I want you three to split up. Coop, I need you to go back to the North Pole and visit Sage. See if she knows of a way we can track powerful beings in the Human Realm. If we can find them, then maybe we can find the elves’ next target.”

  Coop nodded, his eyes serious as he accepted his mission.

  “Who’s Sage?” I whispered to Coop.

  “The tree nymph who lives in the ancient tree in the center of the North Pole,” he replied. “She rarely comes out of her tree, but she knows just about everything there is to know about Christmas magic. If there’s a way to search for powerful beings, she’ll know it.”

  I nodded but anxiety flooded through me. I’d heard of the ancient nymph before, and the fact Coop was seeking her out had me worried. Would Sage be able to discover the truth about my powers?

  “Blitz and Vixen, I want you to go back to the krampus bar tonight and keep watch,” Dash continued. “I want to know what’s happening there in the aftermath. But you are not to enter that place under any circumstances. You got that?”

  The two of them nodded their agreement though I got the feeling neither of them was too happy about having to return to the krampus bar. I’d completely derailed their mission last night. If Dash had gone without me, he might have found the elves. Instead, we were playing host to a bunch of escaped prisoners and still had no clue who the elves would target next.

  The thought of the prisoners made me look around the room. I hadn’t seen one of them since I’d arrived. “Where are all the prisoners?”

  “Sleeping upstairs,” Coop replied. “They had a rough night and don’t like the daylight much.”

  “Right.”

  “We’d better set off if we want to reach the bar by sunset,” Blitz said, turning to Vixen.

  Her gaze flickered toward him, and she gave Blitz a curt nod before walking past us and out of the room without a word of goodbye.

  “I’ll call if there’s anything urgent,” Blitz said, pausing at Dash’s side as he went to leave.

  “Just make sure Vixen doesn’t do anything stupid,” Dash replied. “She’s in a mood today, and we don’t need any more trouble after last night.”

  I swallowed at his words, another surge of guilt rising inside me. I knew Dash wasn’t trying to blame me, but I still felt like I’d let the team down.

  “I’ll look after her,” Blitz agreed before following Vixen from the room.

  “I better get going too,” Coop said as he went to go after them. “I hopefully shouldn’t be too long.”

  Dash nodded and gave Coop an encouraging slap on the back as he departed.

  Once he was gone, it was just Dash and I left in the room. Silence stretched between us. I felt unusually tense at being alone with him now he knew that there was more to my powers than I’d initially let on. My mom had always told me that my powers
would scare other beings. That I would be seen as dangerous and would become an outcast if anyone should ever find out I could cast magic outside the season. While Dash didn’t know the whole truth, I was still nervous about his feelings toward my magic, and I didn’t quite know how to act around him.

  “You should get some more rest,” he said. “Like you said, you expended a lot of energy last night.” This time, when he spoke about my powers, it didn’t feel like an accusation or an interrogation. He seemed genuinely concerned, and I let out a breath, relieved that he wasn’t holding it against me.

  “I did,” I agreed. “I don’t think I could sleep right now though. Where are the prisoners? I wouldn’t mind checking on them.”

  “Upstairs in the bedrooms,” he replied. “I’m not sure we had enough beds for them, but they were all just happy to have some place safe to rest.”

  A pang of sadness shot through me at his words. Those poor beings had been through so much, but I felt a sense of confidence that I’d done the right thing in rescuing them last night.

  I gave Dash a nod and went to find the stairs. I was halfway up them when a girl’s head appeared over the banister at the top. It was the krampus I’d noticed in the group last night.

  Her hair was a deep red color, almost brown, and her eyes were a light shade of blue. She looked to be the same age as me, but she appeared frail from the imprisonment she’d endured. Her face lit up with recognition when she saw me, and she started down the stairs in a rush.

  “You’re the one who rescued us,” she said.

  “Yes, I—” the words were barely out of my mouth when she pulled me into a hug.

  “Thank you,” she whispered into my hair. The two words were filled with emotion and conveyed clearly how grateful she was.

  When I pulled back from the hug, she had tears in her eyes.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Melody,” she replied. “And you’re Clio; that’s what Tully said.”

  “Yes. How are he and the others?”

  “Sleeping right now.” She shook her head. “I struggle to sleep during the day though.”

  “Why don’t we go downstairs and find something to eat then?”

  Her eyes grew bright at the suggestion, and she nodded enthusiastically. “We couldn’t use our powers when we were chained up, so the only time we ate was when one of the kitchen staff took pity on us.”

  My heart stuttered at the frankness in her voice, at the fact she had been subjected to such a reality.

  “How long where you there?” I whispered.

  “I can’t say for sure,” she replied. “It’s been years though.”

  I nodded and had to turn away from her so she couldn’t see the heartbreak in my eyes. “Let’s go find the kitchen,” I said, walking back down the stairs.

  It took us a couple of tries to find the kitchen. First, I entered a linen closet, a bathroom, and a high-tech games room. There were several pinball machines, a foosball table, and a massive TV set up with a PlayStation. It took me a moment to close the door. The gadgets were completely out of place with the rest of the rustic home that was filled with old wooden tables and antique chairs. I guessed reindeers liked their games.

  Eventually, I found the kitchen right at the back of the house. It was a small space with wooden countertops and an old wood fire oven. Cast iron pots and pans hung along one of the walls, and a large window over the sink looked out onto a vegetable garden behind the house.

  Melody took a seat at the kitchen table while I rummaged around the pantry for something to eat. It was mostly filled with cans of vegetables and cartons of long-life milk, so I tried the fridge and was glad to find it stocked with jams and cheeses. I rummaged through the cupboards that lined one of the walls until I found some crackers to go with them.

  I placed them all on the table in front of Melody. “I’m sorry there’s not more. I’d summon us something else, but I’m not sure if I could handle using my magic right now.”

  “This is more than fine,” she replied, opening the packet of crackers and grabbing a handful.

  I cut myself a piece of cheese and took a seat across from Melody. I stared at the food in my hand listlessly. I should have been ravenous after all the magic I’d used, but I felt too tired to even eat. It was as much emotional exhaustion as it was physical.

  I zoned out completely until Dash walked into the room. My gaze flicked up to meet his as he hovered by the doorway, like he was afraid to interrupt.

  “You want some cheese?” I asked, inviting him to join us.

  “Sure.” He relaxed a little and smiled at me, entering the room.

  “This is Melody,” I said, as Dash sat on one of the chairs and leaned forward to help himself to some food.

  “I’m Dash,” he responded, turning his attention to the girl. “How are you feeling after last night?”

  “Relieved to be out of there,” Melody said, giving Dash a warm smile. “It still doesn’t seem real that I’m not chained up anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you guys for rescuing me and the others.”

  Her words struck a chord in my heart. “You don’t owe us anything,” I reassured her. “Seeing you all free is repayment enough.”

  Melody turned her grateful smile on me, and I knew beyond doubt we’d done the right thing. We’d figure out another way to find the dark elves, I felt certain of it.

  “How did you end up in Crow’s fighting ring, Melody?” Dash asked as he leaned back in his chair and made himself more comfortable.

  I was wondering the exact same thing. She looked so kind and innocent and nothing like the type of being you’d expect to find in such a place.

  “I’ve lived in the Human Realm with my dad my entire life,” she replied. “He never liked other clauses though, so we rarely spent any time with our own kind.”

  “Wait,” I said, interrupting her. “You’re a claus?”

  “Yes,” she replied, focusing on her hand as a small, and somewhat pathetic, wisp of magic curled around her fingers. It wasn’t a soft gold color, like mine was, but the palest shade of pink. She closed her fist and the magic disappeared.

  I looked at her with fresh eyes, trying to figure out how I’d missed it. It was impossible to know whether a Christmas being was light or dark until they performed magic. Clauses and krampuses smelled the same, but when they performed magic, the color revealed their true nature. Our magic always glittered with lighter shades, while a dark being’s magic was always tinted by deeper tones.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” I murmured. I felt like I should have known, and I was angry with myself for assuming she was a krampus.

  “So how did you end up with Crow?” Dash asked, encouraging her to continue.

  “My father had a lot of dealings with dark beings, and he got caught up in one of Crow’s schemes. Crow was searching for a special magical object, but he needed a light being to acquire it. He was promising a lot of favors for anyone who could obtain the object for him, and my father was greedy.”

  She took a deep breath in before she continued. “Dad had special skills in procuring objects that couldn’t be summoned, but for some reason, he was unable to obtain the object Crow was after. I guess Crow didn’t take his failure well because he came to our house with his goons in the middle of the night. He beat my father within an inch of his life. He was going to kill him, but I begged Crow not to do it. I told him I’d do anything to save his life.”

  Her voice had grown quiet by now, and her eyes looked haunted by the memories she was recalling. “He told me he’d stop but only if I gave him a favor.”

  I became still, already guessing where her story was leading.

  “It was only one favor,” she continued. “It almost seemed too good to be true, but I agreed. He called in the favor almost immediately. All he wanted was for me to fight in one boxing match. I wasn’t much of a fighter, but I didn’t have a choice. So, I went through with it. My opponent was quick to beat m
e, but at least I’d completed my end of the favor. Only, Crow didn’t release me after the fight…”

  “And that’s how you became a prisoner,” Dash finished for her.

  Melody nodded, slumping down in her seat like retelling the story had exhausted her. “The others all have similar stories,” she continued. “The two elves you first released, Tully and Tabby, they were imprisoned as a repayment for their father’s gambling debt. The old woman, Pearl, took the place of her husband who was also in debt to Crow. Some were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Crow is evil and very powerful. He has a lot of sway over dark beings.”

  “Yeah, I am beginning to get the feeling that Crow makes Satan look like a saint,” I said. “What was the object your father was after?”

  Melody shook her head. “He never told me,” she replied. “But I know it had something to do with a dark fairy. He brought one home the night before he left, but I have no idea what he needed it for.”

  Her explanation made me frown. I wasn’t certain what he would have been doing with a dark fairy either. Fairies were pretty useless creatures, and I couldn’t imagine why anyone would need one. The fact the fairy was dark was only more intriguing, and it would have been interesting to find out what he’d needed with it.

  “What are you going to do now?” Dash asked. “You’re all welcome to stay here, but you must have lives to return to. You probably want to find your father.”

  “No,” Melody replied. “He left me with Crow for all this time. Never once did he try to help me. I won’t be going back to him. I guess I’ll start over somewhere.”

  “You could go to the North Pole,” Dash suggested.

  But Melody shook her head. “I’ve lived my whole life here. I wouldn’t know what to do in the Northern Realm.”

  “You could come live with me.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized I’d even been thinking them.

  “What?” Melody gasped.

  “She can?”

  “Well, yeah, of course, you can,” I said, focusing on the girl. “It’s just my tomten, Tomi, and me, and we live in a pretty average two-bedroom apartment. It kind of smells like curry most nights, but while you’re getting back on your feet, I’ve definitely got somewhere you can stay.”