The guards opened the gate and let us through when they saw it was Vixen driving the truck. Vixen and Dash’s father was the leader of all reindeer herds, so they were both well known in the castle. They were no longer a part of their father’s herd, but that didn’t seem to lessen the influence they had in the magical world.
We drove up the long driveway toward the imposing stone castle that stood in the middle of the grounds. The open fields of snow that surrounded the castle were usually empty, but that wasn’t the case today. Hundreds of tents had been pitched and extended across the open landscape between the wall and the castle. Small fires were dotted across the camp, and sparks of magic could be seen twirling through the air. All manner of light beings, both young and old, were gathered outside the castle, and it took me a moment to realize the significance of what I was seeing.
“This is where everyone from the North Pole is?” I whispered as I scanned the scene.
“Yes,” Melody replied. “They evacuated the city the moment the barriers began to disintegrate. Some people chose to hide in the Human Realm, but many came to the safety of the castle. Though how long they will remain safe here is another question.”
I nodded, looking around in awe. There must have been thousands of beings packed within the walls of the castle. Many of them were children though, and I worried about what would happen to them if the castle was attacked. They were too exposed in the open area in front of the castle, and once the walls were breached, there would be nothing to stop the dark beings.
“Don’t worry, Clio, the dark beings won’t get past the walls,” Dash said, as if he could read my mind.
I glanced over at him, and he gave me a reassuring smile. He seemed so certain, and I wanted to believe him. Clauses trained to fight from a young age and were ruthless in battle. I had no idea what kind of training the beings in the Southern Realm received though. Did the krampuses even train for war? I’d always thought them to be a reckless and indulgent race, but maybe there was more to them than what I had been taught. It wasn’t like I had encountered that many krampuses in my life. I hoped Dash was right about the walls being able to protect the creatures of the Northern Realm, but I didn’t feel it with the same certainty he did.
Vixen slowed the truck when she reached the castle. Other vehicles lined the driveway, so we had to park a short walk from the front entrance. As soon as she stopped, we all piled off the back of the truck. Even Tomi decided he was coming with us as he hopped onto Melody’s shoulder. Jack took his time though. He was so preoccupied as he admired the castle I wasn’t sure if he’d realized we’d stopped.
“Are you coming, Jack?” Dash asked.
Jack gave him a cheeky smile and nodded. “There’s no way I’d miss this.” He jumped from the truck and started walking toward the large staircase at the front of the castle. The frost was acting like he already knew exactly where he was going, and I was beginning to wonder why Jack was so intent on helping us with everything. I had no idea what his intentions were, and I didn’t fully trust him. Sure, he’d helped us escape Incarceror after the Christmas star had exploded. But, aside from that, I really didn’t know what to make of the frost.
“What do you think the royals will do when they see we’ve brought an escaped prisoner here?” I asked Dash, nodding at Jack. The frost had been locked away in Incarceror for covering the Northern Realm in ice, so I was pretty certain the royals wouldn’t be happy to see him.
“I’m not sure,” Dash replied. “But Jack seems to be the only one who has any idea what’s going on. He knew about the Christmas stars and these yule gods that none of our history books mention. With Belsnickel loose and the barriers down, I don’t feel like we have much choice. We need his help.”
“I guess.” I might have agreed with Dash, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
“You guys seriously owe me one,” Vixen said, as she got out of the truck, slamming the door shut behind her.
“Well, you could have told us to use a different sleigh point,” Dash replied.
Vixen shrugged. “This one was closer, and there’s trouble at the others too. I didn’t have time to go scout out a sleigh point that wasn’t in the middle of a battle zone.”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy that, Vix,” Blitz said as he joined us. Vixen was known for her reckless driving, and her latest adventure behind the wheel seemed to leave her skin glowing and her adrenaline pumping.
“It was fun, wasn’t it?” she said with a smile.
“We should probably head into the castle unless we want the frost doing all the talking,” Coop said, nodding at Jack who was still making his way to the entrance. Luckily, he hadn’t gone too far. He was taking his time as he took in the world around him.
“Probably best he doesn’t roll in there alone,” Blitz agreed. “He’s one of the Northern Realm’s worst enemies.”
“But right now, he might just be our best ally,” I replied.
We started after Jack, catching up with him as we reached the bottom of the extravagant staircase that led up to the castle. Jack grinned when he saw a water fountain in the middle of the route and sent out a little of his light-blue magic in the direction of impressive statue. The water that flowed from it immediately turned to ice, and I shook my head in frustration at the frost. “I’m not sure the royals will appreciate you messing with their fountain,” I told him.
He shrugged and grinned at me. “What? I made it better!”
I thought about arguing with him but decided against it. Making things better was probably what prompted Jack to cover our realm in ice in the first place.
“Maybe you should let the royals decide when they want to make home improvements,” Dash suggested.
“Maybe,” Jack replied with a sly smile before he continued up the stairs.
I took one last look at the frozen fountain before following after him. I was almost certain that the royals weren’t going to appreciate Jack’s arrival.
At the top of the stairs, two claus guards stood in front of the main door to the castle. The last time we’d visited, a pair of elves manned the entrance, so the royals must have decided to increase security. The guards watched Jack closely, and their eyes were filled with suspicion as they looked him up and down.
“No civilians in the castle,” one of the clauses said as Jack approached.
“I’m hardly a civilian,” Jack scoffed.
Dash quickened his pace to step between Jack and the castle entrance, catching the attention of the guards. “He’s with me,” Dash said. “They all are. We’re here to see the king and queen.”
The guards both exchanged a nervous look. “You’re not approved for access, Dasher, and the others certainly aren’t permitted,” one of them replied. “We can’t let you in.”
Dash let out a long breath and rubbed his face tiredly. “We need to see the royals urgently. Can’t you make an exception?”
“Not today,” the other guard said. “We’re under strict instructions not to let anyone into the castle unless they’re preapproved.”
“Seriously?” Jack asked. He tutted at the guards, shaking his head, before his hands shot forward, and he hurled his magic at the two clauses. The sparkling blue magic appeared so quickly that it hit the guards before they had a chance to react. Their bodies became entirely encased in ice in the blink of an eye, leaving their surprised expressions frozen on their faces. Jack had done the exact same thing to the dark beings back in the square. The frost’s speed, accuracy, and power were both impressive and terrifying.
“Jack!” I exclaimed.
“You can’t freeze castle guards!” Dash yelled.
Jack frowned as he looked between the two of us before glancing at the rest of the group who were all watching him in shock. “Well, clearly, I can,” he replied.
“You think the royals will listen to you after you’ve attacked their guards?” I asked.
Jack simply shrugged. “Their guards will be fine once they thaw out
. And they’ll listen to me because they have to. You all worry far too much.”
The frost turned and walked past the frozen guards to the entrance behind them. He pushed open the doors and strode into the castle. He did it casually, like he’d just arrived home. The rest of us stood there staring after him. I was starting to worry that Jack might hinder us more than he helped.
“Come on,” Dash muttered as he hurried after the frost. He might not have approved of Jack’s method of getting past the guards, but apparently, he was still happy to take advantage of it.
We each trailed into the castle one after the other. Dash was quick to take the lead as he guided us toward the royal audience room, and he kept shooting worried glances at Jack, who was walking next to me. There was nothing we could do to control the frost, and I think that was what concerned Dash the most. It would be particularly risky when we were meeting with the royals. What if Jack did something to them? What if he wasn’t really on our side?
It felt too late to do anything about my concerns. We were already within the castle walls, and I had no doubt that Jack’s powers exceeded all of ours combined.
When we reached the audience room at the end of the corridor, we found four claus protectors barring our way. Their hands lit up with different shades of magic as we approached, and the blues, pinks, and yellows all reflected brightly off their golden armor. They all seemed to recognize Dash, but it didn’t stop them from summoning their magic and having it at the ready.
“Stop where you are!” one guard shouted.
We all halted immediately in compliance.
“Should I freeze them?” Jack asked, as he tilted his head and considered the guards.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” I replied quickly. At least he had asked this time instead of acting straightaway.
Dash stepped out in front of the group. “We need to speak with the king and queen.”
“You shouldn’t even be here, Dasher,” another guard said. “The castle is on lockdown, and the king and queen aren’t seeing anyone.”
“What, so the realm goes into complete meltdown and they’re both hiding?” Vixen asked, stepping forward to stand at Dash’s side.
“They’re not hiding,” the guard replied. “We are under strict orders not to disturb them.”
“Yes, well, hiding or not, they will want to see us,” Jack said, taking a step forward himself. “There’s only one way to fix the problems they are facing right now, and I know what it is.”
The guard who had been speaking frowned as he watched Jack. He was probably noticing the fact that Jack was unlike any other Christmas being in our realm. His skin was completely drained of color, and his eyes were the iciest shade of blue. His breaths came out in pockets of vapor, and the shock of spiky white hair on his head made him totally unique.
“Who are you?” the guard asked.
Jack answered in a swirl of magic. A cloud appeared over his hand, and small flurries of snow began to fall onto his palm. A shiver ran down my back at the sight. It was only a glimpse of his true power, but it left no doubt as to what kind of creature he was.
“Frost!” the guard growled. All four of them summoned weapons and immediately pointed them in Jack’s direction.
“Now this is more like the reception I was hoping for,” Jack said with an appreciative grin. “Can I freeze them now?” he added, glancing over his shoulder at me.
“No!” I shouted back.
But the guards were already moving to defend against the threat that had appeared in their hallway. Two of them had bows in their hands, with arrows ready to fire in Jack’s direction, while the other two had armed themselves with swords and were advancing toward him.
None of them got a chance to attack though, as Jack turned his magic on the guards. He hurled it at all four of them at once, and the light-blue power surged across the corridor toward them. The power separated into four individual threads of magic that wrapped around each of the guards’ weapons. The swords and arrows turned to ice before shattering into a million pieces, leaving the clauses defenseless.
Magic started swirling in each of the guards’ hands again, but Dash darted between the Jack and the clauses before either could summon their next means of attack.
“Stop!” Dash shouted, stepping forward and raising his hands between the guards and Jack, who was looking a little too excited by the prospect of a fight. “Everyone put down your weapons. We didn’t come here to fight!”
“You brought a frost here,” one of the guards snarled. “That’s an act of war.”
“If you hadn’t noticed, we’re already at war,” Dash said. “And you’re more than welcome to continue fighting him, if you want, but I can already tell you how that fight ends. He will do to you what he just did to your weapons, and none of us want to see that.”
The guards exchanged nervous glances as they realized the truth of what Dash said.
“Just go and tell the royals that I’m here,” Dash continued. “Let them decide for themselves if they wish to see us.”
One of the guards finally nodded. “I’ll go,” he said. He didn’t wait for the others to agree or disagree before he disappeared into the room behind him. The others remained in front of the door, uneasily eyeing Jack from across the space that separated us. They no longer had magic swirling around their fists, but they looked tense and ready to summon their weapons at a second’s notice.
Jack had relaxed, and his blue magic had disappeared.
“You didn’t have to attack them,” I murmured to him.
“I’m pretty sure they were the ones to summon their weapons first,” he replied.
“Yeah, because you provoked them,” Vixen hissed.
“I did no such thing,” Jack argued though he was smiling as if he knew exactly what he’d done.
“Let’s just hope the royals don’t feel like they’re under attack,” I said. According to Jack, we needed them. He hadn’t said more than that, and I still wondered how the royals would be able to help us find the final Christmas star.
“So, are you going to tell us why we’re here now?” I asked Jack.
Before he could answer, the large doors in front of us opened, and the claus guard walked back into the corridor. He ran his tense gaze over us all one last time before he waved us into the royal audience room.
“You’re about to find out,” Jack replied.
Chapter Three
The king and queen were not alone in the audience room, and I was actually surprised as I entered by just how many beings were packed into the chamber. The two monarchs sat upon their thrones at the far end of the room, but creatures of all kinds were huddled against the walls and sprawled across the floor. There were fairies flitting about on the ceiling, and snowmen and tomten watched us from near the door as we walked into the room. More powerful creatures, such as elves and shifters, stood closer to the thrones.
There seemed to be representatives from every species of light being in the audience room, and as I cast my eyes over the crowd, I could see the creatures were all high ranking among their kinds. Some of the beings wore sashes across their chests or elaborate pins that marked them as leaders while others wore circlets upon their heads. The snowmen’s circlets were made of ice while the fairies wore wreaths of winterberries like crowns.
The two shifters that stood closest to the royals had no adornment indicating their rank or position. But as I looked at them, my focus narrowed. They looked remarkably familiar though I knew I’d never seen them before. One was far older than the other, with gray touching the sides of his hair, while the younger one looked to be about my age. Neither was as big as Dash or Blitz, but they both radiated power that I could sense from across the room. Dash stiffened as he laid eyes on the two shifters, and Vixen reached out a hand to softly touch his arm.
“That’s Dash and Vixen’s father and brother,” Blitz whispered in my ear.
“It is?” I glanced at Blitz, who nodded as he watched
the reindeer shifters with concern. I knew that Dash’s father was the leader of the reindeer herds and that Dash rarely spoke with him or the rest of his family. From the hard look his father was giving him, it didn’t take a genius to see why.
There was so much disappointment and derision in his father’s eyes. Dash pushed back his shoulders though and held his head high. I felt a twinge of pride within me that Dash wasn’t backing down and he didn’t cower under his father’s condemning gaze. Dash seemed every bit the leader his father was, and a flicker of doubt entered the older shifter’s eyes as his son turned his attention on the two royals.
“Where have you been, Dasher?” the king demanded. “You’re late, and we have no use for you now. Leave, and take this riffraff with you.”
The king’s attitude made me bristle. He’d had no problem demanding that I visit the nameless one in Incarceror when it had suited him. Now, I was simply riffraff.
“I came to tell you that I spoke to the nameless one and we have the information you asked for,” Dash replied.
“Information we required a week ago,” the king said, his hands gripping the arms of his throne tightly. “My advisors tell me the damage to the barrier is now beyond repair. Whatever information you have is now useless. Leave us immediately so we can continue our light leader summit.”
There was dismissal in his voice, and he waved his hand at the door, but not one of us moved to leave.
“You’re right, there is nothing you can do to fix the barrier now,” Dash replied. “But the barrier is the least of our worries.”
“I am well aware of the war mounting on my doorstep,” the king replied. “Now, leave.”
“The war is only part of the problem,” Jack said, stepping forward.
Christmas Curse (Christmas Magic Book 3) Page 2