Christmas Magic Read online

  “Woah,” Alfie whispered from beside me.

  “No kidding,” I agreed. The man before us belonged on the covers of magazines not in dingy bars in lazy English towns.

  I realized I had stopped breathing for a second, and when I inhaled again, I recognized that the smell of magic was coming from the man who had entered the pub. From the scent coming off him, I could tell he was a shifter but couldn’t guess his natural form. Either way, I immediately found him less appealing. Apart from Alfie and Tomi, I hadn’t seen another magical being in a long time. Not one as powerful as the guy in front of me, at least. The sight of him quickly seemed to sober me up. Shock can have that kind of effect on a girl.

  The shifter’s gaze surveyed the pub in a calculating manner, almost as if he were looking for someone. I got a bad feeling I was the not-so-lucky girl he was after and felt a sudden urge to leave as quickly as possible.

  “Thanks for the help, Sam. I think I can take it from here,” I said. I easily darted out of his grasp and gave him a wink before I rushed out the side door of the bar.

  “See you tomorrow for your shift,” he called after me. “Don’t be late this time.”

  The door shut behind me, and I let out a breath. The air outside was crisp and, thankfully, firmly devoid of the smell of any magic.

  “You work in there?” Alfie asked, not trying very hard to disguise his shock.

  “Yep.” I turned from him and started the walk home down the darkened street. Only the odd lamppost lit the way, making the uneven cobblestones a challenge to walk on. Bramblewood was usually busy enough during the day, but as soon as night fell, the place turned into a ghost town—and with Alfie here, that was only truer tonight.

  My friend kept pace beside me, his walk more of a hover as his feet barely skimmed the ground. I was glad for his company. I never usually minded the late-night walks home, but I was rattled after seeing the shifter. I kept checking over my shoulder to see if he’d followed us from the bar. There was no sign of Mr. Muscles though.

  “Who was that?” Alfie asked.

  “Some kind of shifter.”

  “What’s a shifter doing here?”

  “Don’t know, don’t care,” I replied with a shrug. “So long as he doesn’t bother me.”

  “You’re the only magical being for miles,” Alfie said. “Do you really think he’s not here looking for you?”

  “A girl can only hope,” I said. And I really did hope. The last thing I needed right now was trouble with a shifter. I hadn’t done anything to annoy any shifters lately, so I was trusting it was just a coincidence. What could he possibly want with me?

  Alfie was shaking his head, as if he thought I was being naïve. But thankfully, he let the subject drop. “So, you work in a bar?” he asked.

  That was his change in topic?

  “Yeah, it’s called a job,” I replied in my most sarcastic voice. “People get them so they can pay rent and buy food.”

  He clearly wasn’t satisfied with my answer though. “You’re the strongest claus I’ve ever met,” he said. “You could snap your fingers and a bank vault’s worth of money would just appear in front of you—at any time of the year.”

  I didn’t miss the tone in his voice. There was a hint of irritation, and I suddenly felt guilty. Alfie would do anything to remain visible throughout the year. I’d never really asked him what happened when he wasn’t discernable, but he’d never been particularly forthcoming with the information either.

  From what I understood, ghosts kind of drifted between one Christmas season and the next. They weren’t really cognitive during that time, and it was like some kind of enforced hibernation.

  I let out a sigh. “I guess I get a little lonely,” I admitted. Alfie was right. I didn’t need the money, just like I didn’t need to go to a bar to get alcohol or a supermarket to get food. I could easily summon any of those things from the comfort of my own apartment.

  “Have you ever considered going home?” he asked.

  I shook my head. Alfie knew that I’d left the Northern Realm with my mom when I was younger. I’d never divulged what had made us leave. I guess he figured it was my mom who wanted to live in the Human Realm. Maybe he thought that now she was gone I would want to return to live with my own kind. He didn’t realize that I was the reason we had to leave. One day, I’d tell him the truth, but it certainly wasn’t going to be today.

  I glanced at Alfie only to find he was gone. I let out a sigh. He’d done well to spend so long with me this early in the season. Visiting me required him to use a lot of magic, and it was always just a matter of time before he disappeared. Thankfully, it would only be a matter of time before he reappeared again.

  I walked the last couple of blocks to my apartment alone. The place was nothing special, just a small two-bedroom apartment above an Indian restaurant. Rent was cheap though, and the landlord had been happy not to ask any questions when I’d paid the first six months up front.

  I was nearing my front door when the back of my neck tickled and an uneasy feeling swirled in my gut. I slowed my pace as I glanced around the darkened street. No glow of light emanated from any of the shop windows, and with no sign of anyone nearby, the cold night was silent.

  The empty street was nothing unusual given how late it was, but I suddenly wished I wasn’t alone and that Alfie were still here with me. I could summon him, but summoning a ghost took a whole lot of power, and after my encounter with the shifter earlier, I had an uneasy feeling that I might just need to conserve my energy.

  I drew a breath in, and my nose caught the faint smell of magic. It was coming from the alley on the other side of the street. It was different from the magic I’d smelled on the shifter earlier. This new smell was sickly sweet, like a candy cane, which was not a good sign. There must have been some kind of elf nearby. What were the chances of encountering two kinds of magical beings in the same human town? I was beginning to worry it wasn’t a coincidence after all.

  I hesitated for a moment as I considered leaving the elf alone. I wanted nothing to do with other magical beings, but I couldn’t exactly leave an elf lingering in front of my home. I needed to know what it was doing here.

  I let out a sigh and started across the street. Power rippled across my fingertips as I walked, and a dagger appeared in each of my hands. I really hoped I didn’t need to use them. My mind was still a little foggy from the bar.

  As I entered the alleyway, my eyes darted around looking for signs of movement. Light elves were peaceful things, but there was every chance it was a dark elf loitering in the shadows, so I needed to be on my guard.

  The stench of magic was far more pungent in the alley. It was like walking into a candy store and far more odorous than I would have expected this early in the season. My nose wrinkled with disgust, but I didn’t let the smell distract me as I continued deeper into the alley.

  My soft footsteps and near-silent breaths were the only sound that could be heard nearby. There was the soft ticking of some traffic lights a little farther away and the slamming of a car door but nothing near enough to give me any clue where my watcher might be.

  Shadows in my periphery shifted, and I twisted quickly to face them as a figure appeared from behind a dumpster. I was right; it was an elf. He was just like the rest of his kind: tall and inhumanly beautiful with perfect skin and golden hair. I barely had a chance to think about it though as the elf pulled an arrow from over his shoulder and strung it to his bow in a blindingly fast movement.

  I didn’t wait to see what happened next, and I dove to the ground, rolling out of his range and between two cars that were parked in the alley. I heard a distinctive thwack as the arrow landed in one of the car’s tires. I didn’t wait for a second arrow to fly as I lifted myself from the ground and flung one of my daggers at the elf.

  The knife spun through the air and landed in his shoulder, throwing him back against the alley wall. The movement felt natural, and my accuracy surprised me. I guess even afte
r a couple of years in hiding I still remembered some of my training from when I was a young claus.

  The elf didn’t hesitate as he gripped the dagger with his free hand and yanked it from his shoulder. I knew what was coming next. So, infusing my voice with magic, I began to speak.

  “Drop the weapon,” I said, my voice coming out soft and melodic and yet filled with command.

  The elf shook his head, easily shaking my persuasion off. “Your words won’t work on me, claus,” it snarled as deep blood-red magic swirled around the dagger in his grasp. I watched as his magic grew stronger and the dagger melted before my eyes. It reformed in the shape of a pistol, which the elf gripped tightly in his palm.

  I’d seen elves using their transmutation powers before. But it had always been more innocent, like turning a rock into a toy doll. Not melting battle weapons and turning them into something far more deadly.

  He lifted the gun at me, but I released my magic out toward him. My power grasped the weapon in his hand, making it vanish and then reappear in my own palm. I’d never been great at teleporting specific objects under pressure, and I grinned as I looked at the weapon in my hand. I’d surprised myself again.

  I trained the gun on him. “What do you want with me?” I demanded.

  The elf didn’t raise his hands. Nor did he look like he was going to back down. In fact, he didn’t look bothered at all that I was threatening him with a gun.

  “Don’t make me shoot you,” I growled.

  The elf simply smiled and looked down the alley behind me. I heard footsteps approaching, and I risked a brief glance over my shoulder. There were three other elves all bearing down on me, each one of them holding a bow and arrow that was pointed in my direction.

  One of them paused to let an arrow fly, and I quickly dived back between the two cars, using them for protection.

  “Crap,” I swore before letting out a whole round of curses. My mother would roll in her grave if she heard half the words that came out of my mouth. But I couldn’t really think about that, not when I was about to join her in the ground.

  My eyes were wide as I tried to recall all my combat lessons from when I was younger. All clauses were taught to be fierce warriors, but I’d spent the last couple of years since my mother died trying to pretend my powers didn’t exist, not honing them for the kill.

  The footsteps were drawing closer. I had mere seconds to come up with a plan if I wanted to live. I knew I was up against dark elves since they were immune to my persuasion and their magic ran deep red in color. They were in their element at night, and I was at a serious disadvantage. I had one trick that might distract them briefly though. There was no guarantee it would work, but I couldn’t come up with an alternative.

  Drawing on my power once more, I directed it to the air above the cars and let it loose. In a ripple of magic, a dazzling ball of sunlight appeared in the air. I briefly found myself blinded by it, but I was prepared and shielded my eyes as I dashed out from behind the cars.

  All four elves had their arms raised to protect their eyes and were cowering away from the light. Dark beings were creatures of the night and couldn’t see well in sunlight. But, even so, I knew they had other senses they could rely on, so I didn’t have long. Making for the end of the alley, I raced past the solitary elf. I couldn’t take all four of them on, so my only hope was to escape.

  I ran so hard my breath started coming in shallow gasps. I could hear the commotion behind me as the elves began to regroup, but the main road was only a few meters away now. I was almost free.

  As I reached the end of the alley, I came skidding to a halt. A huge shadowy figure appeared in front of me, blocking the entrance to the alley.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I gasped, stumbling back a step. Through the darkness, I could see a large animal stalking toward me. The stomp of its hooves echoed off the walls of the alley, and an impressive set of antlers protruded majestically from its head. They branched out in long pointed stems that were bigger than any I’d ever seen before.

  Without warning, the reindeer charged forward. I threw myself out of the way, and it thundered past me down the cobbled stones of the alley. My body slammed against the wall, and I squinted as pain burst through me. I really wasn’t used to all this running, jumping, and fighting.

  The reindeer kept on charging once it was past me. Its head was lowered as it neared the searing ball of light I’d created, and I heard a scream as it met the first of the elves. I couldn’t see much of what was going on with the bright light blinding me, but I could just make out the reindeer tossing the first elf aside with its antlers and hurling it into the nearest car.

  I glanced back at the end of the alleyway. With the elves distracted, this was my chance to get away. I’d only taken two steps toward my escape when a mournful roar echoed behind me. The reindeer had clearly taken a hit. I chewed on my lower lip, wavering for the briefest of moments, before I turned and started back toward the bright light I’d created and the evil elves who were trying to kill me. Damn conscience.

  As I neared the light, I began to see what had happened more clearly. One elf lay flat on the cobbled stones, and another was draped motionless over the hood of a battered car. Blood was splattered across the ground a little farther down the alley, and the other two elves surrounded the reindeer. One of them was clutching a wound at his belly, which was dripping blood onto the stones below, while the other had his bow aimed at the reindeer’s flank, an arrow ready to let fly.

  I lifted the gun I still held onto and started shooting at the elves. Bullets flew past them, narrowly missing their heads, which seemed to get their attention. Their eyes flicked toward me as they instinctively ducked down to avoid getting hit. I wasn’t a great shot and I didn’t particularly want to kill them, but I did want them to take the hint and disappear.

  The elf who had pointed his bow at the reindeer yelled out in pain and staggered back as one of the bullets struck him in the arm. He glanced at the other elf as he gripped his wound, and, in unspoken agreement, the two of them turned and stumbled away. I continued to fire at them as they fled the alley, but they soon vanished in the darkness.

  I let out a breath and lowered my gun. They were gone. I just hoped they weren’t off to find backup.

  “Damn Christmas elves,” I grumbled as I flicked my hand toward the bright light that was still shining above my head, allowing my magic to disperse so darkness returned to the alley. The last thing I needed were humans coming to investigate and finding me standing over two dead elves. Yeah, that would go down real well.

  I considered the two bodies, not quite certain what to do with them. I could hardly leave them out in the open, but I didn’t have too many options. There was a large dumpster nearby though, so I walked over and lifted the lid of it. My nose scrunched as I caught a strong whiff of rubbish, but I tried to ignore the stench and focused on sending out my summoning magic toward each elf. One by one, the elves appeared in the bin in a swirl of my golden magic. I slumped down once I lowered the lid on them, feeling drained from using so much power. A feeling of nausea hit me, and I wasn’t sure if it was from exhaustion, the stench of the dumpster, or the fact I had just hidden two dead bodies.

  An animalistic moan echoed between the narrow walls of the alley, jerking me upright once more. I spun in the direction of the sound. It was dark in the lane, but I could see the outline of the reindeer toward the far end of it. It let out another moan as it shifted back into a man before collapsing on the ground.

  I didn’t hesitate as I raced toward him. I had no idea who the shifter could be, but I owed the guy my life.

  I fell to my knees at the man’s side. He was completely naked, but I barely gave it a second thought as I looked over his body for the source of his injury. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was the arrow lodged in his belly.

  “Crap,” I cursed. Magic swirled around my hand as I focused on the arrow. “Please work, please work,” I muttered. Magic flowed fro
m my hand and enveloped the arrow, making it disappear for a brief second before it reappeared in my hand.

  I let out a breath as I looked at the arrow I gripped. It was covered in blood, and I screwed up my nose, dropping it quickly. So gross. My magic swirled again as I produced a thick bandage and pressed down on the injury, which was now bleeding profusely.

  The man hissed in a breath, and I glanced up at his face, surprise making my eyes widen as I recognized him. It was the guy from the bar. His eyes were scrunched up with pain, and I couldn’t tell how lucid he was.

  “Hey,” I murmured. “Are you awake?”

  All I got was a groan in response. It wasn’t really the reply I was after, but at least I knew the shifter was still with me.

  I didn’t have time to figure out what he was doing here. I just knew that I needed to get him off the street before the dark elves came back to finish the job they started. The man was huge though, so I had no idea how I was going to move him. That was if I even should move him. I wasn’t sure how bad his injury was. Reindeers were pretty tough though, and they recovered fast, so I had to hope that moving him would be okay. I couldn’t exactly call an ambulance.

  I considered going home and trying to summon him to my apartment using my magic, but I was exhausted, and it was a long distance. Knowing my luck, I’d somehow end up conjuring another reindeer there instead.

  I was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. I started slapping him gently on the face. “Reindeer dude, you need to wake up so we can get to safety.”

  He groaned again before finally wheezing out a response. “Reindeer dude?” he muttered.

  I let out a thankful laugh. “Yes, that’s you. I need you to stand so we can get out of here.”

  He didn’t open his eyes or respond, but at least the shifter started moving. He was in a total daze, and his eyes were squinted with pain. But, with a little help from him, I just about managed to get him into a sitting position before we raised him to his feet.

  I slung his arm over my shoulders and wrapped an arm around his waist for support. “What the hell do they feed you reindeers?” I grunted under his weight. The guy was seriously all muscle, but somehow, we were standing.