As the star grew, its power seemed to become increasingly unstable. Sparks of magic hissed and crackled as they sputtered in the air around the star. A breeze had kicked up around the object, and bits of dust and paper were fluttering across the ground.
I glanced over my shoulder at the boys. They were back in their human form, and Melody must have summoned them clothes because they thankfully weren’t all naked. They had managed to overcome the last elf, who was unconscious on the ground, and all three of them were staring at the star with looks of confusion and fear.
“What do we do?” I yelled to them. My hair began flapping across my face as the gusts of air in the room intensified. The floorboards started to tremble beneath me, and the whole building seemed to creak and groan in response. Something was very wrong.
“I think we need to get out of here!” Coop shouted.
But we didn’t get a chance.
A blinding white light enveloped the entire room, and an intense and powerful wall of power slammed into my body. Searing heat and magic blazed against my skin, and a deafening roar filled my ears as I was thrown across the floor. My body slammed into the ground like a truck had just hit me. Sparks of energy and electricity rushed over me, and I groaned in pain as I felt them rub against my body.
The whole ground shook with the magical blast, and I could hear the floor creaking as it shuddered from the impact. Bits of wood and debris came crashing down around me as the star’s energy continued to painfully erupt around me.
As abruptly as the blast started though, it stopped. My ears rung in the aftermath, and the floor was still shaking and the windows rattling from the impact. My body throbbed, and I didn’t want to move, but I pressed myself to try and get up, moving one limb at a time.
I groaned as I tried to push myself to my feet. The room had gone dark without the pulsing energy from the star lighting it up, and when I looked to where the object had been, I gasped. It was gone. Not even the golden rock from the center of the star remained. It seemed to have completely vanished in the explosion.
“Is everyone okay?” I asked. Like me, the others had also been thrown to the floor by the impact of the blast.
Everyone grunted in response, and I watched as they started to push themselves back to their feet—everyone but the angel and the dark elves. I stumbled across the still quaking floor toward the angel before falling to my knees at her side. I could see her chest was still slowly rising and falling. She was still alive, and I let out a breath in relief.
“Clio, we need to get out of here,” Dash said, coming to stand over me. “This building isn’t stable.”
“Can you carry her?” I asked, looking up at him.
He nodded and crouched down, gently pulling the angel into his arms. Her luminous skin was barely glowing anymore, and her skin almost looked gray. She slowly blinked her eyes open as Dash cradled her into his chest.
“My charge,” the angel said, barely louder than a whisper. “Is she alive?”
I looked over to the human woman who was still lying on the floor. Melody staggered across the shaking ground and checked the woman’s pulse before giving a sad shake of her head.
We’d managed to rescue her from the elves, but the human had little chance of surviving the explosion of magic the star had unleashed.
“She didn’t make it,” I replied, looking back at the angel.
She bit her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes. She seemed too weak to properly cry, but her heartbreak was clear for us to see. I wished I could do something to help, but I knew there would be no way to ease such a terrible loss.
“Dash, we need to get out of here,” Blitz called as the building shuddered so strongly that I stumbled on my feet and struggled to remain upright.
“Let’s go,” Dash shouted back. “Lead the way.” Blitz started for the door and we all raced after him, traveling back through the building the way we had come. Pieces of rotted ceiling and loose bricks fell as we ran. The place was coming apart at the seams after the explosion. It wasn’t until we were outside again that I began to feel safe, but the tremors could still be felt in the asphalt road under our feet.
As we fled the building, I saw Vixen up ahead of us, and I quickened my pace. She had Crow pinned to the ground and was crouched over him, holding a dagger pushed to his throat. “Tell me exactly what you were doing in there!” she yelled at the krampus, pressing the dagger harder against his skin. He didn’t take any heed of it though. “Tell me!”
Crow almost seemed bored until he noticed us running toward him. “Did it work?” he asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
“You don’t get to ask the questions,” Vixen growled.
But Crow’s eyes were fixed on me, and I glanced uneasily at the others. The star had exploded. It had killed the human woman and destroyed the building, but was that what Crow wanted? I had saved the angel and prevented the star from draining all her magic. Aside from the power I’d felt unleashed as it detonated, I wasn’t sure what damage the star had done. The ice factory might never be the same, but that seemed to be the only thing affected.
I shook my head at Crow. “You failed,” I said. “The angel is alive and the star is gone. It exploded before it could drain all of her powers.”
The krampus started laughing in response though. His manic cackle was slightly unhinged, and I glanced uneasily at the others who seemed just as concerned.
“You didn’t stop anything,” he crooned. “Her powers are what made it explode. It’s what we wanted all along.”
“What are you talking about?” Dash asked.
The krampus simply smiled in response though. I could see in his wicked eyes that he wouldn’t be answering any of our questions, and from the pleased smile curving the corner of his lips, it was clear Crow felt like he had still succeeded.
“What didn’t we stop?” Vixen demanded, lifting the krampus up and slamming him back into the hard ground.
Crow winced at the impact but then cackled again.
“It doesn’t matter,” he grinned. “There’s nothing you can do now.”
“Just take him away,” Dash said. “The protectors will wish to speak with him. They’ll find a way to make him talk.”
Vixen lifted the dagger from Crow’s throat as Blitz reached down and yanked the krampus up by the neck of his shirt. He shoved Crow forward, and he started toward his car.
Vixen hovered back, folding her arms over her chest as she watched Blitz moving their prisoner. She gave Dash a worried look. “I thought you had all died in there,” she said. “I was about to kill that slimy piece of shit.”
She huffed out a breath, seeming to regain a little more of her usual steel and composure. “I’m glad you’re all okay.” She even glanced at me as she said it. Apparently, nearly being killed by a Christmas star had softened her dislike of me.
“How’d you stop Crow?” Melody asked, her voice soft as if she were nervous to ask the question aloud.
“Because despite his little display up there, Crow’s not a fighter. He expended all his magic, which was why he fled. All I had to do was chase him down,” she replied.
“And what will you do with him now?” Melody continued. It seemed important to her, and I didn’t blame her. Not after what Crow had put her through.
“He’ll be judged by the protectors,” Dash replied. “And then, I imagine, there’s a prison cell waiting for him.”
Melody nodded and I could see she was content with the answer.
“Well, I better go help Blitz,” Vixen said.
“I’ll see you back home,” Dash said to her.
She gave him a nod before trailing after Blitz.
“We may have got Crow, but I feel like this is far from over,” Coop said, watching as Vixen left. “The star must have done something when it exploded. I just can’t think what it could be.”
“So, you think we failed?” I asked. I hated how dejected I sounded. I was desperate to have stopped whatever Crow had p
lanned, but given Crow’s reaction, I felt like we hadn’t.
Coop shrugged, but Dash shook his head as he looked at me. “We’ve captured Crow, and the elves have been stopped. That’s not a failure in my books.”
I wanted to agree with him, I really did. But deep down, I knew that Coop was right. The star had released a whole lot of magic and energy when it exploded, and I knew it was only a matter of time before we found out whether there were going to be any aftereffects. Stopping Crow was only the beginning.
Chapter Nineteen
The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon when we took the turnoff toward Bramblewood. Soft rays of light could be seen dancing over the dewy fields that surrounded the small town, and the place felt undisturbed and peaceful. I was glad to be home and looked forward to experiencing a little of Bramblewood’s quiet tranquility after the whirlwind of events I’d just experienced.
Dash had driven through the night to drop Melody and me home. She was asleep in the back seat of the car, while I was sat in the front. Unlike Melody, I hadn’t been able to shut my eyes the whole journey back and couldn’t understand how she was able to rest so easily after everything we’d been through.
The town was still sleeping as Dash drove toward my apartment. There wasn’t a soul in sight as we made our way down the main street. It was even too early for the dog that always seemed to be barking near my place.
“You really think the angel will be fine?” I asked Dash as he pulled up outside my apartment. We’d been silent for most of the trip, but now that it was coming to an end, I didn’t want it to be over.
“Yes, Clio, the angel will be fine. Coop already told you that about a million times before he went to take her to the North Pole to recover.”
I nodded, chewing on my lower lip as I tried to think of something else to talk about. Dash drove me crazy most of the time, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him yet. Now that we’d dealt with Crow and I was no longer in any danger from the elves, I had no reason to hang around him and the rest of his herd. I was going to miss them all and had been stewing over it the whole way home.
“It feels strange to be back here,” I said, glancing out the window at the townhouses that lined my street. Bramblewood seemed so much smaller after everything I’d been through this last week. And it wasn’t just strange to be home. Rather, it felt strange to be returning to the life I’d been living for the past few years.
“It does,” Dash agreed. I looked over and found him staring out the window. His forehead was creased, and his eyes were distant. I got the feeling he wasn’t really thinking about Bramblewood right now.
It was hard to believe it had only been a few days since he’d come stampeding into my life, and now he was going to disappear out of it just as fast.
“Are you sure you don’t need help trying to figure out the Christmas star?” I asked. This wasn’t the first time I’d voiced the question during our car trip home. I wasn’t sure why I was still asking when Dash’s answer had been the same each time.
He shook his head and turned to face me. “Like I said before, my herd can take it from here, and we’ll get the answers we need out of Crow. You don’t need to worry about the star.”
If only it was that easy.
“I’m sure you’ll be glad to get back to your normal life,” Dash continued.
“Yeah, I guess,” I replied. I loved my job at the pub, but in my short time with Dash, I’d realized there was so much more I could be doing with my life. I’d actually been able to help people these last days and I’d liked the feeling.
I took a deep breath in before blowing it out once more. “Well, I should be going then,” I said.
Dash nodded though he wasn’t looking me in the eyes. I guess he wasn’t too great at goodbyes either. I looked over my shoulder to the back seat where Melody was still snoozing. I gently nudged her leg to wake her up.
“Hey, Melody, we’re home,” I said.
She slowly blinked her eyes open, looking disorientated. “Already?”
I laughed. “You’ve been asleep for hours.”
“Right,” she murmured before shaking her head. “Thanks for the lift back, Dash.” She patted him on the shoulder before hopping out of the car. It was hard for me to follow suit though when my tangled emotions were begging me to stay.
“Okay, well, see you around, Dash,” I said.
He didn’t respond though, and I frowned as I waited for his goodbye. When it didn’t come after several seconds of waiting, I got out of the car, closing the door behind me. I walked around the vehicle, a sense of loss already invading me with each step I took.
I wanted to look back at Dash, but I couldn’t. Not when he wasn’t even able to tell me goodbye. The sound of a door shutting behind me made me spin around. I lifted an eyebrow at Dash as he closed the distance between us.
“Here,” he said, holding out a card.
I snorted when I saw a drawing of a reindeer on it and a phone number. “You giving me your phone number, Dash?”
He shrugged, seeming suddenly nervous. It was pretty cute. “Just in case there’s an emergency or something,” he replied.
“Or something,” I said with a smirk.
He looked like he wanted to say more, but he hesitated and looked past me to Melody, who was waiting for me by my front door. He rubbed the back of his neck and then glanced back at the car.
“Well, I should get back home. I’ll see you around, Clio,” he said before walking away.
“Yeah, see you, Dash,” I replied.
I clutched his card tightly in my hand as I watched him get back into his car. This wasn’t exactly a goodbye, but I also had no idea when I’d see him again either. I’d have to settle for a little mystery in that respect for now.
Melody giggled behind me once Dash’s car door had firmly shut behind him. “You two could not get any more awkward if you tried.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Melody.” I passed her the house keys so she could open the front door, and then I turned to watch Dash’s car drive away.
I didn’t like seeing him go, but I had a feeling I’d be seeing him again soon. I did have his number now, after all.
“Are you coming?” Melody asked from the doorway.
I nodded and went to follow her, but I paused when I reached the threshold. A chill ran down my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I turned and looked across the street toward the alley I’d fought the dark elves in. I drew a long breath in through my nostrils. I couldn’t smell any Christmas beings from where I stood, but my skin was prickling with awareness, and I felt like I was being watched.
“Clio?” Melody prompted.
“You head on up. I’ll be there in a minute,” I said before walking across the road without looking back.
I stopped in front of the alley, wrapping my arms across my body as I took in the narrow lane. It was early morning, so the alley was still shrouded in deep shadows, and the air was so crisp and cold that the wet ground was covered in icicles. A few cars parked a little farther down and a couple of large dumpsters meant I didn’t have a clear view through to the street beyond.
I couldn’t see anyone lurking there, but my skin was still tingling, and my stomach was twisting with nerves. It was far too early in the morning to be jumping at shadows, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling that I wasn’t alone.
Taking in a deep breath, I started down the alley, knowing there was no way I’d be able to go home and get some sleep until I’d checked there was nothing evil lurking in the shadows.
I crept down the alley with slow and even paces, holding my breath with each step I took as I waited for some terrifying creature to jump out at me. When I finally reached the road at the far end of the alley without coming across anyone or anything, I felt like I could breathe again.
A strange jittery feeling still crawled under my skin, but I had to wonder if I was just tired and overreacting. I’d been through so much lately
that apparently my over active imagination was fueled to the brim. It probably didn’t help that I hadn’t slept all night.
“Either that or I’m going through caffeine withdrawal,” I muttered. It had been a day since I’d last had a coffee after all.
Turning to head back home, I tried to relax a little and attempted to ignore my nerves, which were still flaring. I had barely made it halfway back down the alley though when I shuddered to a stop.
A ghost had appeared and was hovering in the alley before me. It was barely visible and was struggling to keep a distinct form, but I immediately knew who it was. This was not just any ghost.
“Mom?” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes as I took in her faded form. She’d been dead for two years, but I’d never once seen her before. She was wearing her favorite pair of jeans, and her dark hair was slung up in her usual topknot. Everything about her was familiar but also so drastically different.
I couldn’t smell the perfume she always wore or the light scent of her magic. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and there was no laughter in her eyes like there had always been when she was alive. Instead, her gaze was filled with concern and sadness. She was here, yes, but I sensed she didn’t want to be. That this wasn’t the reunion I desperately dreamed of.
“How is this possible?” I asked as the tears started spilling down my cheeks. “Why haven’t I seen you before?” Despair, happiness, and confusion swirled within me. I wanted to be elated, but her presence here was too strange, especially after so much time had passed. I thought she had moved on. I thought she had died at peace, and the reality that she was tied to an afterlife of unrest shocked me to my core.
I wanted to reach out to her, but my arms stayed cemented to my side, unable to move. I knew my fingers would glide right through her semi-transparent form, and the knowledge that she was with me but I couldn’t touch her was devastating. She felt so distant despite the fact she was hovering right before me. I had always dreamed of seeing my mom again but not like this.
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