“What happened next?” Blitz asked.
“The gods wiped all awareness of his presence and theirs from this world so that Belsnickel might never gain a foothold on it again. But now, thanks to you lot, two of the stars have already been destroyed. If Belsnickel gets the final star, there will be another war on our hands, and I’m not sure we’ll be able to stop him again.”
I wanted Jack’s story to be a lie—I much preferred the mythological tales of the nine yule gods I’d grown up with—but his whole demeanor was grave, and I could see the depth of how disturbed he was. I glanced at the others, confusion churning in my eyes. They looked just as worried and overwhelmed as I felt. It was a lot to take in, and the gravity of what we’d just done was starting to sink in. We’d failed to stop the first Christmas star from being destroyed and handed over the second to an evil god. We’d unleashed a monster, and I had no idea how he could be stopped.
“You said we gave him his powers back, but he already had powers in the prison,” I said. “He used them to destroy the star.”
Jack shook his head. “Those powers were mere remnants of the magic he once yielded. He’s been rotting in that cell for hundreds of years and the small trickle of magic he’s retained has been building up over time. You’ve only seen a fraction of his strength.”
My skin paled at the thought. I’d thought him to be formidable in the prison, what would he become now?
“So, the first star broke down the barriers between realms. The second star unleashed Belsnickel’s powers. What will the last star do if it’s destroyed?” Dash asked. His voice was quiet, like he was almost afraid to learn the answer. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know either. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
“It will bring the Christmas curse to an end,” Jack replied.
“What’s the Christmas curse?” I asked, my voice filled with uncertainty. I’d never heard of such a thing before.
“The Christmas curse is what ties the magic of all Christmas beings to the season,” Jack replied. “Keeping Christmas beings powerless for half the year was the one way the yule gods could stop Belsnickel from amassing an army that could take over the world.”
“And if he destroys the final star…” I started.
“Then he will have his army back, and there will be no stopping him,” Jack said.
Blood was pulsing quickly in my veins, and I felt a combination of curiosity and terror flowing through me after everything Jack had told us. The frost was clearly far more than just a prisoner of Incarceror. He usually sounded like he was keeping something for us or tricking us in some way, but the look on his face convinced me he was telling the truth.
I didn’t need to look at Dash and Blitz to know they were just as terrified as I was at what we were about to face, but I knew it was up to us to stop Belsnickel. “We need to do something.”
“Yes, we do,” Jack agreed. “We’ll have to find the final Christmas star before he can get hold of it.”
“And how do we do that?” Dash asked.
“I’m not entirely certain,” Jack replied. “But from the whispers I’ve heard, our best chance at finding it lies with the Northern Realm royals.”
I had no idea how seeking out the royals would help or how we would find the final star. I certainly had no idea how we were supposed to go up against a god, but I did know that we had to try.
I gave Jack a firm nod. “Right, then let’s go find that final star and save the Christmas curse…”
To be continued in Christmas Curse
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Also by Alexandra Moody
Christmas Magic Series
Christmas Magic
Christmas Chaos
Christmas Curse
The Liftsal Guardians Series
The Liftsal Guardians
The Brakys’ Lair
The Oblivion Stone
The Rift War
The ARC series
Tainted
Talented
Fractured
Destined
Stand-alone books
The Wrong Bachelor
About the Author
ALEXANDRA MOODY is an Australian author. She studied Law and Commerce in her hometown, Adelaide, before going on to spend several years living abroad in Canada and the UK. She is a serious dog-lover, avid snowboarder and has a love/hate relationship with the gym.
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For more information:
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Christmas Chaos (Christmas Magic Book 2) Page 22