I glanced over my shoulder at Dash. He was frowning as his eyes focused on the archway, and he pursed his lips as he turned his focus on me.
“I suppose we need to go through there,” he said, nodding his head toward the arch.
“Looks that way,” I agreed, but it wasn’t a comforting thought. In my brief experiences with golden archways, they never led anywhere good.
Pushing all worry aside, we started into the room. I moved slowly, taking cautious steps as I tried to avoid the clutter that coated the floor. It was almost impossible to find free space to place my feet though, and I gave up being careful almost immediately.
“What do you think this place is?” I asked Dash, waving a hand at the disarray that surrounded us.
He shrugged as his gaze skimmed over the objects on the wall closest to him. “It’s like some kind of hoarder’s paradise,” he said.
“If you think this is bad, you should see the rest of the house,” someone said behind us. I jumped and turned to face the stranger, my hand out before me as magic crackled in my palm.
An ancient man stood before us. His hair was white, and his long beard covered his chest and reached down to his portly belly. His skin was pale and wrinkled with age, and he was wearing what looked like a big red bathrobe. He crossed his arms over his chest, lifting one eyebrow when he saw the magic flaring in my hands.
“Now, there’s no need for that,” he said, nodding at my magic. “I’m not going to hurt you. In fact, I quite enjoy visitors, and it has been a long while since I’ve had any.”
I glanced at Dash, who nodded for me to lower my hands. I did as he wanted, but my magic still swirled softly in my palm. I wouldn’t extinguish it until I knew we were safe. I still had no idea who the man was or what his intentions were. Looking at him though, I had to admit that he had kind blue eyes and a calm expression.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I have many names,” the man replied. “Some call me Nicholas, others Father Christmas. In recent times, I’ve heard the name Santa thrown about a lot…”
“You’re Santa?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as I looked at the claus. The tales I’d been told about him said he was a thief, but I was finding that really hard to believe when the man was watching us with such gentle and wise eyes. He looked so innocent, but I knew all too well how deceiving looks could be in our world.
He nodded. “I prefer to go by Nicholas.”
I continued staring at him, trying to reconcile what I knew of Nicholas with the claus that stood before me. I think he guessed as much because he finally let out a sigh and his expression fell. “I see you’ve heard the rumors about me. I can promise you they’re false.”
“So you don’t go around stealing children’s toys?” Dash asked.
He shook his head. “I’d hoped those vicious rumors would have died out by now,” he said. “I used to go from village to village summoning gifts for human children. I was trying to use my magic for good, but the clauses in power at the time didn’t like my interactions with humans, so they started spreading lies about me and made me into an outcast.”
He sounded genuinely upset, and something about the sadness in his eyes made me think that perhaps he was telling the truth and there was more to his story than the bedtime tales I’d heard as a child. If anything, he sounded more like the Santa the human tales spoke of.
“But, the past no longer matters,” he continued. “The more important question is, who are the two of you and why have you come here?”
“I’m Dash and this is Clio,” Dash replied before he abruptly paused. He clearly didn’t feel comfortable telling Nicholas why we’d come, but from the knowledgeable way the old man looked at us, I felt like he already knew.
“Well, I know you’re not here to see me,” Nicholas said when Dash didn’t explain why we’d broken into his house. “And though my treasures are important to me, I highly doubt you’re here for them either”
I looked around the room at what he had referred to as his treasures. I wasn’t sure I’d classify a hoard of toys as treasure, but they way Nicholas admired all the clutter as he scanned the room, it was clear the stuff was important to him.
“There’s only one reason I ever get visitors, and it is every bit to do with that portal,” Nicholas said as he nodded toward the golden archway. “I do wish my visitors would knock though. I really don’t like greeting people in my dressing gown.”
I shot Dash a scowl. I’d totally been planning to knock, and he’d made fun of me for it.
“What’s through the portal?” I asked. Nicholas had brought it up after all, so we may as well try to get as much information from him as possible.
“It’s not my place to say,” he replied solemnly. “But I will give you one warning. Only a few beings have managed to go through it, and none of them have come back …”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because getting through the portal is the easy part,” he replied.
I glanced back at the archway, finally allowing my magic to extinguish. I didn’t think Nicholas was going to attack us, and I was now more concerned by how we were going to get through the portal and what lay beyond it.
“Why do you live out here?” I asked as I faced Nicholas once more. “Why do you have the portal in your home?”
“I lived for many years out in the human world,” Nicholas replied. “And I was there when the battle of the gods came to pass. I saw so many lives lost and witnessed the terror of the destruction one god could wreak, so I vowed to do all within my power to make sure it would never come to pass again. I guard the portal to make sure those days do not return.”
“You’re not much of a guard if you let anyone through the portal,” Dash said.
Nicholas just shook his head softly and smiled. “The portal has its own means of protection,” he replied. “You will see.”
Dash glanced at me, and I could see the concern in his eyes. We both knew how dangerous the other golden archways had been, and I didn’t doubt for one second that the one we now stood in front of would be just as bad.
“It’ll be fine,” I said to Dash, without much conviction. “We’ve survived every other obstacle in our way and this will be no different.”
The wooden floorboards near the door creaked, and we all turned to see Jack appear in the doorway behind Nicholas.
“Making friends, are we?” Jack asked as he entered the room. “You two aren’t very good at breaking and entering undetected.”
Nicholas turned to look at Jack, and he frowned when his eyes fell on the frost. He took a step backward, distrust crossing his expression. “Who are you?” he asked. “And why do you smell so strongly of pine?”
I took a breath in and realized Nicholas was right. I too could smell the same unique scent of pine coming from Jack. He hadn’t smelled like that earlier, and suspicion swirled through me as I eyed him.
“I’m Jack, and unlike these idiots, I hoped to enter here undetected,” he replied.
I let out a breath and shook my head at him. “Well, these idiots are going to enter the portal now,” I said to Jack. “If that’s okay with you, of course,” I added, glancing at Nicholas.
The ancient being was still frowning at Jack, and I wasn’t sure if he’d heard my comment.
“Nicholas?” I prompted, causing him to suddenly blink and turn back to look in my direction.
His eyes were still filled with uncertainty, and he seemed to struggle to draw his gaze away from Jack. When he finally focused on me again, he waved a hand to dismiss my comment. “You’re welcome to try,” he said. “But even if you get through, I highly doubt I’ll see you again.”
He wasn’t making me feel very confident, but I knew we had to try. “Well, hopefully, we prove you wrong. You coming?” I asked Jack.
He nodded, and the three of us made our way over the clutter to the far side of the room where the portal stood. As we approached the golden archway, magic glittered across the top of
it and words appeared, inscribed on the metal.
“Only those both young and old may enter, but only those with pure intentions may leave.”
I wrapped my arms across my body as I read the words. “Well, I guess we know why no one came back,” I replied. “But how do we know who can enter? Both young and old, what does that even mean?”
Dash shrugged while Jack was still staring intently up at the words. “I think that’s just you, Clio,” the frost eventually said, as he tore his gaze from the arch to look at me.
“What do you mean?”
“You are of both young and old heritage,” he replied. “With one parent a claus and one a god, you are one of only a handful of beings that can enter this place.”
“We still don’t know that’s true,” I murmured. The thought of entering the portal on my own freaked me out, and I really hoped Jack was wrong. There was certainty in the frost’s eyes though, and I got the feeling he was annoyed by my hesitation.
“Well, this will prove it to you.” Jack said. “I just hope you’ve got pure intentions.”
I wasn’t sure I knew what that really meant, but I looked deep inside myself as I tried to decide how pure my intentions for the Christmas star were. I didn’t want it for myself, and I didn’t want it destroyed. I simply wanted to protect it from Belsnickel, and I had to hope that would satisfy the criteria.
I looked to Dash, who was glaring at the archway. “I think Jack’s right,” he said, facing me. “I think you’re the only one who has a chance of getting through, but I still think we all need to try.”
He didn’t hesitate as he stepped closer to the gate and only slowed when he was standing right before it. He slowly reached a hand out toward the liquid, but when he touched it his hands didn’t go through like I expected. Instead, the liquid seemed to solidify under his touch. The rippling gold turned hard beneath his hand, effectively barring his entry.
Dash sighed as his hand dropped to his side. The moment his skin was no longer in contact with the portal, it returned to its normal liquid form. “I guess I can’t pass.” He sounded disappointed. “You try, Jack,” he added, looking at the frost.
Jack’s arms were folded over his chest, and he looked darkly toward the gate. “If it won’t let you go through, I doubt it will allow me,” he said.
“Just give it a go,” Dash said, walking back to stand beside me. The two of us stood there, waiting expectantly until Jack finally let out an exasperated sigh.
“Fine,” he said.
He stormed over to the gateway and held his hand out toward it, much like Dash had. Only the moment his skin brushed against the golden liquid, magic sparked violently at his fingertips, and his body was hurled backward by some invisible force. He flew through the air before landing in a heap on top of a pile of Nicholas’s junk.
Dash and I raced over to him. “What the hell was that?” Dash asked, giving Jack a hand and helping him to his feet. He was lucky he hadn’t broken anything, but it looked like he’d gotten quite a shock.
“I told you it wouldn’t work for me,” Jack growled. His voice was low and angry, and I took a step backward as I stared at him. I’d never seen him react so heatedly before.
“Calm down,” I replied. “There was no way any of us could have known that would happen.” I turned back to the gateway, confusion clouding my eyes. “Why do you think it reacted differently to Dash though?”
“Probably because he’s a shifter,” Jack grumbled.
I slowly nodded. I supposed that it could respond differently to different kinds of beings. It did make me worry how the portal would react when I tried to walk through it though. A part of me hoped I’d get the same result as Dash. Being successful would only help prove Jack’s theory that I was the daughter of a god, and I still wasn’t ready to accept that was true. I couldn’t truly wish for failure though as I knew it would be disastrous if I didn’t get to the star.
“You should try, Clio,” Dash prompted, giving me an encouraging nod.
“Okay, well, I’ll give it my best shot,” I said, looking dubiously at the archway. Even if I could get through it, I wasn’t all that certain I’d satisfy the pure intentions it required to return. I didn’t really want to spend the rest of my life in whatever place the portal led to.
“I’ll see you soon,” Dash said, giving me a confident smile. He had every faith in me and I hoped I wasn’t about to let him down.
“Yeah, I’ll see you soon,” I replied.
I gave Dash a tight smile before I turned and focused on the archway once more. I took a deep breath and held it in as I stepped into the rippling golden liquid.
Chapter Thirteen
Power rushed over me and buzzed through my body as the liquid molded around me. The magic burned hot against my skin, and I gritted my teeth to stop myself from yelling out in pain. I felt like I was on fire as my body was tugged and pulled through the portal to the other side.
I squinted as the magic liquid continued to coat my body until it suddenly receded and silence surrounded me. I let out a sob in relief as I panted for air and cradled myself tightly. Thankfully, the pain had been short, but I’d never endured anything like it before.
Slowly, I began to notice my surrounds. A light wind ruffled my hair, and the sweet scent of flowers greeted me as I breathed in. The world felt calm now that I was no longer in the portal, but I was almost too afraid to open my eyes to see where I’d arrived after what I’d been through to get there.
“Stop being so pathetic, Clio,” I muttered to myself, before I slowly blinked my eyes open.
My feelings of fear were immediately replaced by confusion. I was standing in the middle of a cobbled stone street, looking at the same shops and townhouses I walked past every day. I spun around slowly, taking in my surrounds.
I was in a town that looked identical to Bramblewood. Just a few doors down stood The Rusty Gate, and across the road, I was greeted by the same overgrown garden that everyone in town had been complaining about for weeks. Even the laundromat that stood opposite the pub had the same faded blue paint on the door and familiar flyers displayed on the window.
At a glance, it appeared I had returned to the small English town I called home, but something didn’t feel right. Magic crackled through the air all around me, and at the edges of my vision, the world seemed to blur. The colors of the world around me were too bright, and the scent of flowers in the air was far too fragrant and intense.
It was supposed to be winter, but the sky overhead was a bright blue color, and the air was warm as though it was a summer’s day. There were no cars on the streets and no humans walking around even though it was the middle of the day and the sun was high overhead. Something was definitely up.
I felt like I’d been transported to a ghost town, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I’d been preparing myself to arrive somewhere strange and alien like Incarceror or like the cavern of jewels I’d encountered in the Dead Lands. I hadn’t expected something so familiar, and it threw me more than if I’d arrived in the pits of hell.
I closed my eyes as I tried to sense the Christmas star, to see if I could tell which way I needed to go. But strong magic seemed to surround me in every direction, and there was no distinctive pull yanking me toward the star.
I huffed out a breath, feeling defeated as I opened my eyes once more. But as soon as I looked onto the road ahead, I felt the blood rush from my skin. Standing in the middle of the street was my mother. Her long dark hair was tied up, and her green eyes were stormy as she set her gaze on me. Her body wasn’t transparent, as it was the last time I’d encountered her ghostly figure. Instead, she looked as real as me.
“Clio?” she said when she spotted me. “Clio!” Her face lit up as she closed the distance between us.
I stood completely still, shock rendering me frozen to the spot. My heart was galloping like it might burst from my chest, and a rush of love rose up within me. I slowly started to smile, tears welling in my eyes.
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br /> “Mom?” I whispered.
The words were barely out of my mouth when all of my hope and excitement came to a shattering halt, and I remembered that the woman before me couldn’t be real. My mother was dead, and as much as I wanted her to be alive, I knew beyond doubt she was gone. I’d seen her ghost, and there was no way she could be here. This had to be some kind of trick, a vision that wasn’t real, and it was pure torture to see her rushing toward me as if she were just as alive as I was.
I stopped breathing as she reached me, the tears welling in my eyes now falling down my cheeks. Seeing her was both pure pain and ecstasy—a torment to endure—but something I never wanted to end.
She paused before me and tilted her head as she looked at me, confusion clouding the smile on her face. She looked so alive, and I desperately wished I could simply pretend for a moment that she was.
“Clio, it’s me,” my mom said.
I shook my head though. “You can’t be here, you’re dead.”
She reached out a hand and softly touched one of the long strands of my hair, just like she always used to when we spoke. “My sweet girl, I may have died, but I’m not gone.”
It was then that I caught the sweet smell of her magic, and I realized I could feel her touch as she lightly ran her fingers down my hair. I slowly reached up to touch her hand, and I gasped when we made contact and I felt her warm skin beneath my fingers. She was real.
“Mom?” I asked in disbelief.
She started nodding, and before I knew it, I was enveloped in her arms. She hugged me exactly how she’d always hugged me—tightly and like she might never let me go. Everything about her felt real, and as she hugged me tighter, I knew she was no vision.
I never wanted this hug to end, but I had so many questions. I was completely confused by her presence, and as much as I wanted to stay in her arms forever, I knew I couldn’t.
“How are you here with me?” I asked as I pulled back from the hug. My voice shook with emotion, and my heart was beating so quickly it was like a small bird taking flight as it tried to escape its cage. “Am I dead?”
Christmas Curse (Christmas Magic Book 3) Page 12