by Foley, E. G.
As a result, his escape route was plain.
Of course, there was no telling how far ahead of them the little miscreant had already traveled. Fast as he was, Humbug might be a mile or more ahead by now.
But at least this gave them a chance of finding him.
“Right!” Archie declared in as cheerful a tone as he could muster under the circumstances. He clapped his gloved hands together and rubbed them back and forth to keep them warm. “Well, then, let’s get on with it.”
Isabelle sighed and shook her head. None of them were eager for this trek. “It’ll be slow going in this deep snow.”
“Too bad we don’t have any snowshoes,” Dani said.
“Hey, maybe I can make some,” Archie said all of a sudden. “Quick, help me find my tool-bag. It was in the sleigh.”
“You brought your tool-bag?” Dani asked.
“Don’t you know by now he doesn’t leave the house without it?” Jake jested, then he clapped his cousin on the back. “Good man! You always come through, Arch.”
“Always be prepared,” he answered with a modest grin.
Then they all started searched through the wreckage of the sleigh strewn about the area, until, at last, shivering, teeth chattering, they found Archie’s tool-bag sinking in the snow.
The ever-resourceful boy genius got to work immediately fashioning snowshoes for them. He bent thin, flexible pine boughs into a tennis-racket shape, then strung them with long, tough hairs off the dead yeti.
Their luck further improved when Jake discovered a box of matches in the bottom of Archie’s tool-bag. The sleigh was unusable for transportation, but they could always burn it for firewood.
Jake started tearing it apart and piling up the wood.
“Do you want some light?” Dani suddenly asked Archie. He was squinting to thread the snowshoes by nothing but moonlight. “We could get the carriage lanterns burning.”
“A fine idea, Miss O’Dell,” Jake interjected, tossing aside an armload of broken carriage planks. “They should still have oil in them. C’mon, carrot. Give me a hand.”
While Archie hurried to finish his makeshift snowshoes, Isabelle trudged off to check on Red. Jake and Dani salvaged the carriage lanterns off the ruined sleigh. They lit one with a match and cheered as the feeble circle of light spread around them and began to glow, warding off the darkness of the arctic night. They agreed to save the second lamp for later, knowing the first would eventually run out of oil.
Perhaps we’ll all be dead by then, Jake mused. Then he scolded himself for allowing such thoughts. Despair was an emotion unbefitting a future Lightrider.
Before long, they all had on their snowshoes and were ready to go. Jake gave the lantern to Isabelle and made torches for everyone else, lighting pieces of wood from the broken sleigh. Red seemed a bit better after a short rest. Now all that remained was to follow Humbug’s tunnel trail until they caught up with the elf.
“Before we set out, uh, there’s just one quick thing I wanted to say,” Jake said.
They were standing around in a circle, making their final checks. Everyone glanced at him. The flickering torchlight revealed the uncertainty on all their faces, but so far, their courage held.
“What is it, Jake?” Isabelle prompted, although as an empath, no doubt, she already knew what he was feeling.
He looked around at them with a guilty pang, then lowered his head. “I’m just…really sorry I got you into this. I just wanted to have, you know, a Christmassy adventure. I never intended for anything like this to happen. I didn’t even know yetis exist!” He shook his head in awkward frustration. “I-I just wanted to say that I’ll do all in my power to make sure we get back safe. And, er, alive.”
They gazed fondly at him, then laughed a bit and shook their heads, glancing around at one another.
“What?” he asked, a trifle defensively.
“No worries, old chap.” Now it was Archie’s turn to give him a jovial slap on the back. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we expected nothing less.”
The girls nodded, chuckling as they walked away.
“We all know you love nearly getting us killed,” Dani shot back over her shoulder, laughing.
Jake scowled after them, then followed.
#
Humbug’s little tunnel seemed to stretch out ahead of them forever into the vast, white, arctic unknown.
Jake began to wonder if Archie’s estimate of three hours before hypothermia set in had been overly optimistic.
They encouraged each other for as long as they could, but eventually, even words took too much effort as their faces went numb. The cold was as cruel and ruthless as a Dark Druid’s obsidian blade. The snow kept coming, and as it blew in the wind, it threatened to hide the bump of Humbug’s tunnel leading them on.
They gave up trying to hurry, as every step took more effort. It was awkward enough to walk in the makeshift snowshoes. Jake didn’t care to wonder how much slower their progress would have been without them.
They kept their heads down, each silently praying for a miracle, while the frigid gusts snuffed out their torches one by one, until only the lantern burned.
Strangely enough, the weaker they got, the stronger Red seemed to become—though perhaps it was nothing more than fear that renewed his energy.
He was worried about the children, seeing them inch across the snow without talking at all, shuffling like half-frozen sleepwalkers. Their hair was coated in ice; snow caked their coats and clung to their eyebrows. Tiny ice crystals formed on their lashes, and he feared that at any moment now, Dani O’Dell in particular, the littlest of them, was going to fall down into the snow, unconscious.
How much farther?
They didn’t have much time. The blowing winds sculpted the snow in shifting dunes. If it covered Humbug’s tunnel, disguising the bump in the snow, then soon, they’d have nothing left to follow. They’d be well and truly lost.
Thinking ahead (for he was an unusually clever beast), the Gryphon gave a low caw to let his charges know he was flying aloft. To be honest, his wings were going numb. He did not know how much longer they would work in this cold.
He flapped up into the sky to see where the path led, how much farther the elf’s tunnel went. The wind tossed him about, but he fought to stay on course, circling to see if he could spy any possible shelter for his children. If he had to, he would put them on his back one by one and fly them to safety—if any safe place could be found.
But then, he saw it in the distance—a light! A structure of some kind. Santa’s compound? He couldn’t be sure, but the elf’s tunnel led straight to it.
With a loud, eager caw, Red flew back down and nudged Isabelle awake from where she had paused, just standing there with her eyes closed. Wake up!
“Becaw!”
“Huh?” She blinked herself back to awareness. “Oh…I must have drifted off. That’s not good…” Then she noticed the others had done the same.
Jake was on his feet, though motionless, his eyes closed, in much the same state as she had been a moment ago. But, glancing around, she gasped in dread to find Dani and her little brother curled up on the ground, sleeping. Already the snow was blowing over them, starting to cover them forever. She rushed to get them on their feet. “Wake up! Jake, help me!”
She reached out and shook him by his shoulder, then pointed at the younger pair when he turned around with a groggy look of question.
He, too, gasped with horror when he saw them and instantly dropped to his knees to help her wake them up. “Hey!”
Jake slapped their faces lightly, bringing them back to awareness. “Come on, get up, you two! Dani! Archie! On your feet!” he yelled at them. “If we fall asleep out here, we’ll die!”
“Caw, caw, becaw!”
“What is it, Red?” Isabelle turned and looked intently at the Gryphon, using her telepathic powers to read his thoughts. She drew in her breath at his news. “Really? How far?”
“Caw
!” He bobbed his head toward the distant ridge.
“What is it?” Jake asked as he pulled Archie to his feet.
Archie blinked, trying to shake off sleep.
“Give me a hand,” Jake muttered. Then both boys hauled the still-sleeping Dani upright.
“Red says there’s a building ahead!” Isabelle reported. “He says we’re almost there!”
“Santa’s c-c-compound?” Archie chattered.
“He’s not sure. Probably so. It’s just beyond that ridge!” she answered, pointing to the north.
Red breathed on Dani to try to warm her up, and spread his wings to shelter them all from the wind for a moment until they were ready to continue.
Dani rubbed her eyes. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I can’t believe I fell asleep. I’m soooo tired.”
“We all are,” Isabelle said, giving her a worried hug.
“Take hold of whatever strength you’ve got left,” Jake encouraged them. “It’s not much farther. Red says we’re almost there.”
“Really?” Dani asked wistfully.
“Let’s all hold on to each other so no one falls asleep again,” Isabelle suggested. “We don’t want to lose anyone.”
They linked arms, even though it made the slow going even slower. At least now there was no possibility of anyone falling behind.
Red walked a few steps ahead of them, leading the way, and keeping his wings spread to try to shield them from the wind.
“Maybe we should think of a game or something to help us keep going,” Archie said slowly.
Dani groaned. “I don’t feel like playing any game. My face is so cold I can hardly talk.”
“Why don’t we sing?” Isabelle said.
“No, thank you,” Jake muttered.
“Count, then,” Archie said. “Just count off numbers, one by one. That’ll help us stay awake. Come on, you can count, can’t you? Simple. Count the steps. One!” he sounded off.
“Two,” said Isabelle.
“Three,” Dani forced out.
“Four,” Jake said.
“Caw!” Red chimed in.
“Six…”
Anyone who was too slow to say their number got an elbow from the person beside him or her.
“I can’t wait until we get there. I wonder what Santa will be like. And Mrs. Claus. And the reindeer.”
“I hope he gives us hot chocolate.”
“Of course he will.”
“I hope he has a blazing fire in the hearth.”
“And a place to lie down.”
“Do you think he’ll help us get home?”
“He has to! We might have to wait until after Christmas, though. This is his busiest time of year,” Archie pointed out.
“Mother and Father will be very cross if we’re not home for Christmas,” Isabelle said wearily.
“Aunt Ramona will be furious if we miss the Nativity pageant,” Archie said. “She’ll probably turn us all into newts.”
“Nonsense. They’ll all just be glad that we’re alive.” Jake’s legs burned with every step as they climbed the frigid slope before them.
But when, at last, they arrived at the crest of the ridge and saw the building below, the hurrahs died on their lips.
It was not what they had expected.
Indeed, Jake felt his hopes shatter like brittle ice at the sight of the dark, foreboding castle.
A single, pale blue light shone in the tower like a cold, watchful eye.
Dani sent him a fearful glance, looking for reassurance, but he had none to give.
It looked deserted.
Isabelle shook her head in dismay. “I don’t think that’s Santa’s compound.”
“It certainly doesn’t look very jolly,” Dani agreed.
“But look! Humbug came this way. There’s his trail.” Archie pointed down the hill.
Sure enough, barely visible anymore in the shifting winds, the little bump-up in the snow led right up to the ominous castle gates.
The gates stood open, as though someone was expecting them, Jake thought uneasily. But no. They were probably just frozen into place like that.
He scanned the area, but saw no obvious signs of danger—nor any real signs of life. Maybe the castle was deserted except for the grumpy elf, who had apparently made a beeline for this place. Jake shook his head in grim uncertainty, but what else could they do?
“Come on, then,” he said. “It’s the only shelter available. Let’s go.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about this, Jake,” Isabelle murmured.
“Me neither. But if we stay out here, we’re doomed.”
They started down the slope. Catching each other when they stumbled in the deep snow, they followed Humbug’s tunnel to the gates.
Jake noticed large boot prints on the ground. Hmm. Those looked recently made, and the feet that made those imprints were much too big for any Christmas elf.
Above them, the frozen pair of watchtowers that overlooked the gates were deserted. No soldiers on duty. Where the devil are we? Whose castle is this? he wondered, but he hid his growing fears as he led his companions up to the castle’s icy front door.
He was tempted to just go in, but on second thought, that could be bad for their health.
Instead, he reached up and grasped the huge metal knocker, rapping the rusty ring loudly against the thick wooden door.
They waited, huddled together and chattering.
“There’s nobody here,” Dani said, sounding on the verge of crying.
“Can you sense anyone in there?” Archie asked his sister.
Isabelle shook her head. “Hard to say. It seems to be protected by magic.”
“Caw!” Red urged him.
Jake nodded and took a step back. “I’ll get us in there.” He lifted his hands, praying he had enough strength left to use his telekinesis to blast the door open.
But before he could summon up his powers, suddenly, whether by magic or by some unseen mechanism, the massive door swung open slowly with a loud, ominous creak.
Swirls of frost whirled around them, but when the door had banged open wide, nobody was there.
Ahead stood a vast, dark hall, full of drafts and echoes.
They exchanged nervous glances.
“Maybe Humbug opened the door for us,” Dani whispered.
Jake shook his head. I don’t think so. “Stay on your guard, everyone,” he warned. Then he led the way, stepping over the threshold with the others right behind him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Fortress of Frost
They had crept only a few stealthy steps into the castle when the door slammed shut behind them. Everyone jumped. Holding on to each other, they ventured on with Red right behind them.
There were no signs of life indoors, either, just echoes in the silence, and the howling of the wintry wind outside.
Pillars flanked the long, dark corridor before them.
“Is it just me, or do you feel like we’re being watched?” Archie murmured.
Jake nodded.
“It looks like someone’s waiting for us up ahead,” Isabelle whispered, pointing.
A pale blue light like the one they had seen glowing in the tower flickered at the end of the stone corridor.
Dani gulped. “Maybe we should just stay here.”
Jake knitted his brow with determination. “It’s probably just that stupid elf. C’mon.”
But the moment they stepped out of the narrow corridor into the wider space beyond, bright lights suddenly flashed all around them, blinding them after hours in the dark.
Worse, a terrible roar from nearby made everybody scream.
While the lights continued flashing, the roar was joined by a pair of bloodcurdling howls on either side of them. Clumped together in panicked confusion, the kids kept on screaming—all the more so when their eyes adjusted and showed them the enormous polar bear rearing up on its hind legs just a few feet in front of them.
A polar bear dressed in a blue sa
tin waistcoat.
Huh? Jake thought, momentarily startled out of his terror. He glanced to the side. Likewise, the howls came from two large silver wolves standing guard at the end of the corridor.
The wolves wore plumed helmets on their heads.
And though all three animals bared their vicious fangs, none of them actually attacked.
“Silence!” a female voice commanded. “That will do.”
At once, the bear and the wolves stopped making all the noise.
Still squinting against the bright light, Jake saw that they were standing in the great hall of an ice palace.
Ice flowers. Ice furniture. Even a mock fireplace with ice sculpted into flames instead of a real fire.
Above the ice-block mantel hung an oval portrait of a hideous old woman with blue skin, wild gray hair, and a wart on the end of her crooked nose.
But that was not who sat on the ice throne in the center of the room.
As the polar bear dropped back onto all fours and withdrew with the wolves to stand obediently by the wall, Jake stared at the beautiful but strange figure of the ice queen seated on her crystalline throne.
She wore a crown of spiky silver icicles, but what made her appearance especially unnerving was that her face was covered by an eerie white Venetian carnival mask.
The long sweep of her white gown sparkled like the snow. It had a high standing collar of frozen lace that wrapped around the back of her neck in a regal fashion.
“So! Here are our spies, as expected. It seems you were telling the truth after all, Humbug.”
“I told you, Your Highness.”
Jake hadn’t even noticed the elf’s presence until now.
He looked over and saw Humbug caught in the clutches of a giant nutcracker in the shape of a toy soldier. The thing must have been seven feet tall. It loomed in silence beside the queen’s throne, its wooden face unchanging, its painted eyes just staring.
Similar giant toy soldiers painted with royal blue uniforms stood at attention here and there around the ice hall. The nutcracker must have been the captain of the palace guard, however, Jake thought. He was painted the most ornately, with a gold sash across his chest and a saber by his side.