Christmas Curse
Christmas Magic Book Three
Alexandra Moody
Copyright © 2018 by Alexandra Moody
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Covers by Christian
Developmental editing by Pete Thompson
Proofreading & copy-editing by Kelly Hartigan (XterraWeb)
editing.xterraweb.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Stay Connected
Also by Alexandra Moody
About the Author
Chapter One
“The barriers are down again!”
The bellowing shout of a protector was the first thing I heard as I arrived at the sleigh point in the central square of the North Pole. The peppermint-scented magic swirled around me as I materialized, but I wasn’t the only being to appear. Two creatures I didn’t recognize arrived at the same time as me, and I watched on in horror as arrows flew and struck them both in the chest.
I didn’t have a chance to react or see where the arrows came from as I was immediately thrown to the ground. I landed hard against the ice and let out a grunt as a large body fell on top of me. I didn’t need to look over my shoulder to know it was Dash who had hurled me out of the way. I could smell his magic wafting around me. The scent of cinnamon and snow was so strong that I could tell he was close to shifting.
He kept me trapped beneath his body, protecting me as chaos reined around us. The square was mayhem with magical beings fighting everywhere I looked. Sparks of light and dark magic arced through the air, and the metal clash of weapons echoed all around us. All kinds of Christmas beings were involved in the battle, and it made me feel sick to my stomach to see war descending on the place I once called home.
I flinched as a polar bear shifter rolled across the square right in front of us, and we narrowly avoided being crushed beneath its large body. It leaped back to its feet as it came to a stop and thundered across the snow toward two panthers. The huge white beast swiped its paws at each creature, letting out a loud roar as it sent them both flying. It was just one of many clashes I could see taking place.
It was almost impossible to tell which group was winning in the chaos. Beyond the polar bear, there was a large group of snowmen and clauses banded together around the giant Christmas tree in the center of the square. They were fending off an onslaught of dark elves, who looked to be targeting the tree. There were dark fairies battling light fairies in the branches high above them while reindeers were fighting krampuses only meters from where we lay. I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes from the war raging around me, and I didn’t know where I could even begin to help.
Dash rolled us away from the sleigh point as its light-green magic shone again and several dark beings appeared. Their hands lit up as deep-toned dark magic swirled in their palms, but they were shot down with arrows before they had a chance to summon weapons.
I looked up to see claus protectors perched on the rooftops that surrounded the square with their bows at the ready. They seemed to be targeting anyone and everyone who entered the North Pole through the sleigh point. It was a miracle we’d managed to avoid getting hit. We still weren’t out of the woods yet though.
The sleigh point’s magic lit up once more as Blitz and Jack appeared in the square.
“Get down!” Dash yelled.
Blitz threw himself to the ground as arrows hurtled toward them, but Jack remained standing, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips as his icy-blue magic brightened his hands. He cast the magic forward, and a wall of ice formed in front of him. It materialized just in time to shield him, and the arrows plunged into the ice, their sharp heads embedding themselves so deeply they could be seen from the other side of the frozen barrier.
“Care to join me?” Jack shouted down to where Dash still lay on top of me on the cold hard ground of the square.
Arrows continued to strike the barrier, and I could see cracks were starting to form in the ice. It wouldn’t be long before it shattered, but it was a much safer place to be than where I was right now.
Blitz leaped to his feet and dived behind Jack’s barrier, and Dash and I scrambled to our feet to follow him. I’d only taken one step toward Jack though when I paused. A ghostly figure stood across the square from me. Her deep brown hair and green eyes were almost as familiar as my own. She disappeared before I could call out to her though, and I stayed completely still as I tried to catch sight of the figure again. I swore I’d just seen the ghost of my mother.
A hand grabbed hold of my arm and yanked me safely behind the icy shield. Dash was frowning down at me, but I looked back over my shoulder to where I thought I’d seen my mom. She was nowhere to be found though.
“What the hell is going on?” Blitz blustered, pulling my attention back to the others. I couldn’t be searching for ghosts when we’d just landed in the midst of a battle. I wasn’t even sure it had been her I’d seen out there. What would my mom’s ghost be doing here?
“Looks like the dark beings are all out attacking now,” Dash replied.
“I think this is what we call utter chaos,” I added. “Remind me again why we came here?”
“Because we need to stop Belsnickel from destroying the final Christmas star, and Jack said the Northern Realm royals could help us find it. This is the quickest way to get to them,” Dash replied.
I shook my head at him. “I was joking, Dash. I know why we’re here, I’m just not that happy about it right now.”
“I never know with you,” he grumbled.
I jumped as another arrow pierced Jack’s barrier right next to me. This one had burrowed through the ice far deeper than the others, and the sharp point had struck a little too close to my head for my liking. We really needed to get to safety. The claus protectors weren’t letting up, and Jack’s barrier would only hold out so long.
“It sure is good to be home,” Jack said. He was smiling brightly as he took in the mayhem surrounding us. He looked like he’d just arrived at Disneyland rather than in the middle of battle.
“You’ve clearly spent too long in prison,” I muttered.
Jack’s signature mischievous grin only brightened further.
“How are we going to get out of here?” I asked.
I didn’t get my answer though because two more dark krampuses appeared in the sleigh point beside us. With Jack’s barrier protecting them, they had time to let their dark magic pool in their hands as they summoned weapons. The frost didn’t hesitate though as magic burst from his hands in the direction of the new arrivals. The krampuses tried to dodge out of the way, but Jack’s light-blue power hit them both square in their chests, and they immediately froze, turning to icy statues just as they were about to attack.
Jack’s grin appeared even wider as he turned back to us. “This really is fun, isn’t it?”
I stared at him, lost for words. Jack’s cheer in
the face of battle was more terrifying than the arrows that continued to batter the barrier we sheltered behind. I’d thought the frost was a little strange when I first met him, but now I was beginning to think he was absolutely mad.
Blitz was generally known for joking around at inappropriate times, but even he was eying Jack like the frost was all too much. “Remind me never to get on your bad side,” the shifter said.
Jack nodded. “Will do.”
“So, are we getting out of here or what?” I said, trying to focus back on the real problem at hand.
Dash looked around the square, like the answer to our problems could be held somewhere in the battle.
“We could take the sleigh line to another sleigh point,” Blitz suggested.
“Which could be equally as dangerous,” I replied, waving a hand toward the battle in the square. “Besides, we need to get to the castle.” I wasn’t even sure where in the Northern Realm the next closest sleigh point was, but I was guessing it was farther away from the castle than this one, and we didn’t have the luxury of time on our hands.
“Vixen is already in the North Pole and told me she’d meet us here,” Dash said, like that was going to help.
“Dash, I hate to break it to you, but I’m not sure there’s much your sister alone can do to help us right now.” The words were barely out of my mouth when a deep rumble echoed at the far side of the square. A moment later, a large blue truck came flying through the battling crowd of magical beings as it accelerated directly into the chaos. The roaring engine reverberated through the ground, and creatures were forced to abandon their fights as they dove out of the truck’s path.
Dash’s lips lifted in a smirk as he watched his battered old truck career toward us. “You were saying, Clio?”
Vixen was in the driver’s seat of the speeding vehicle with Coop sitting beside her. I could practically see the whites of Coop’s eyes from across the square, but Vixen was grinning like she was having the time of her life.
“I was saying that clearly Vixen is obviously the best,” I replied, with a relieved smile. I really wasn’t keen on trying to battle my way through creatures in the square. It was hard to even know who was fighting who half the time. I could usually recognize a dark being by the deeper colors of their magic, but there was such a vast amount of power flickering through the air that it was difficult to see which creature each shade of magic belonged to and to separate friend from foe.
Vixen continued to accelerate toward us before she slammed on the brakes and came skidding to a halt barely an inch away from the icy shield Jack had created. Jack clapped with delight at the spectacle, but the rest of us were too busy running for the back of the truck.
I almost stopped in my tracks when I saw Melody already sitting in the cargo bed. She’d been lying down to protect herself, but she sat up as we approached the truck and started frantically waving us over. She was supposed to be safely back in Bramblewood, not hitching a ride through a war zone.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I shouted, as I raced toward her. She reached out an arm and helped pull me into the back of the truck, while Dash and Blitz both launched themselves into it with practiced ease.
“I’m getting you guys out of here!” Melody replied. “Is this everyone?”
I looked out at the square from the back of the truck. Jack was a little way behind us and had paused near the vehicle to look up at the ancient tree that all the action in the square seemed to center around. He bowed deeply at the tree, seemingly no longer bothered by the magical beings fighting furiously around him, before he turned and climbed into the truck himself. It still concerned me how at ease the frost was despite everything going on in the square.
“That’s it, let’s go,” I called to Melody, once Jack was finally with us. Melody turned and banged on the cab window.
“They’re all here, Vixen, drive!” she shouted.
Vixen slammed her foot on the gas, and we were all thrown to the floor as the truck lurched forward. I grabbed the side of the truck bed and gripped on tightly. Vixen was swerving, accelerating and braking like she was trying to hurl us off the back, but I knew she was just trying to get us away unscathed.
Creatures turned their weapons on the truck as it barreled through the square, and I ducked down as arrows, bullets, and fireballs rained down on us. None of them seemed to get close to the truck though, and as I glanced upward, I saw a semi-invisible barrier had formed around the vehicle. It glinted and throbbed like a bubble, but despite its flimsy appearance, the projectiles that came our way just rebounded off it.
“Are you guys seeing this?” I asked, turning to face the others. As my gaze lowered to Melody, I realized she hadn’t been alone in the back of the truck. “Tomi?” I gasped, when I saw my tomten sitting in the corner. His little red hat was askew, and he looked thoroughly annoyed that he’d been dragged away from the comfort of our apartment. I didn’t blame him for feeling that way. I missed my bed as much as he did.
“Melly said you were in trouble,” Tomi told me gruffly.
“Melly?” I shook my head. I was surprised Melody had managed to earn a nickname from my notoriously unfriendly tomten. I certainly didn’t have one, other than the insults he often threw at me, of course. “Tomi, are you creating the barrier?” I asked.
He glanced upward and shrugged. “You’re in danger” was all he said.
The others in the group slowly sat up as they realized they were no longer at risk of being shot.
“That’s impressive magic for a tomten,” Jack said, studying the barrier that surrounded the truck with a look of appreciation in his eyes.
“You should see what he can do with houses,” I grumbled. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen such impressive magic from Tomi. Only recently, despite my protests, he had barricaded me in Dash’s cabin to keep me safe. I didn’t usually approve when my tomten used his magic, but I wasn’t complaining this time.
Vixen drove the truck beyond the edge of the square and tore down one of the side lanes as she accelerated away from danger. We all exhaled with relief as the battle disappeared behind us, but I only truly started to breathe easily once Tomi’s magical protective bubble also faded from sight. I liked to think that meant we were safe, but who really knew when the city had been invaded.
Vixen’s driving slowed a little now we were out of the battle zone. But as I took in the empty streets around us, I couldn’t help but feel unnerved. It was far too quiet, and I didn’t see a single being as we passed through the city. I worried about what had happened to them. Had everyone abandoned the North Pole? Or were they simply hiding and too scared to leave their homes?
The quiet wasn’t so eerie when we finally left the city and started up the winding road to the North Pole castle. The silence of the trees was far more natural, and I felt somewhat at ease—even if the pines were making my nose tingle with allergies.
“What are you doing in the North Pole, Melody?” I asked, finally breaking the silence. “You were supposed to stay in Bramblewood.”
She shook her head. “Alfie told me what you and Dash were doing in the Southern Realm. When I didn’t hear from you for days, I began to worry.” Her words were coming out in a rush as she frantically explained. “Alfie couldn’t find you, and I had to know you were okay. So Tomi and I came here. When we found you hadn’t returned yet, we decided to stay and help. This place is a disaster zone right now.”
“You shouldn’t have come,” I said.
Again Melody shook her head. “I may not have grown up here, but this is my homeland too. I can’t stand by and watch dark beings destroy it.”
I let out a sigh, knowing there was no point in arguing over it now. At least Melody was okay. “It’s a lot worse here than Blitz let on,” I replied.
Blitz held up his hands in protest. “I left the North Pole days ago,” he said. “How was I supposed to know it had gotten this bad?”
“I just don’t understand why so many dark beings ar
e attacking,” Melody said. “I know there’s always been a rivalry between our people, but many of the dark beings I’ve met are harmless. They wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone attack anyone.”
“It’s because dark beings are the creations of Belsnickel,” Jack replied. The frost had been staring off into the distance, but he suddenly turned to look at us as he spoke, his nose scrunched up with distaste. “Just as the light beings were the creation of his brother Bethalial. Both gods have powers over their own creations, and now that Belsnickel has his powers back, they will be growing stronger. Right now, only dark beings that are loyal to him will be attacking; just wait until he starts using his powers of persuasion over those who aren’t. This is a mere preview of the chaos Belsnickel will reign down upon our worlds once his full strength returns.”
“So, you’re saying things are going to get worse?” Melody asked.
“Yes,” Jack replied. “Unless we stop Belsnickel, this is only the beginning.”
Chapter Two
The Northern Realm castle normally intimidated the hell out of me. It had always represented danger for me and epitomized everything I’d been hiding from these last few years. Plus, it probably didn’t help that the last time I’d been there the royals had tried to put Melody in a dungeon.
For some reason though, I didn’t feel nervous as we approached the castle on this occasion. The bleak future Jack had painted for us on the car ride up had really put things in perspective for me.
We drove up to the large gates that led under the sky-high metal walls surrounding the castle. A whole squad of guards was waiting by the entrance, and I could see even more protectors were perched up on the castle walls. They were taking the threat of the dark beings seriously, but I was still surprised to see so many claus fighters at the castle when they were needed elsewhere. What was the point in protecting the castle when so many of the Northern Realm’s citizens were in danger down in the city?
Christmas Curse (Christmas Magic Book 3) Page 1