The Grotto Under the Tree

by John A. Theo, Jr.

  Capri approached a section of the wall near the sleeping polar bear and waved his hand. A block of ice slid up with a sound like scissors cutting through paper to reveal a passage with stairs leading up. He stepped over the threshold and turned to face them with a smile. "I have cherished our time together." He started to say something else but instead raised his hand in a farewell gesture. A moment later, the door slid down and Capri was gone from sight.

  ****

  Hours passed. Sara sat off to the side and stared at the working gnomes while Sebastian carefully watched over her. Father Christmas brought them food and tea. Sebastian tried to get Sara to eat something but she refused, so he chose not to eat either.

  The gnomes looked at each other, then removed their hats and knelt down on the ice. They lowered their heads and began to chant in their whispering language.

  "They have Capri in their prayers," Father Christmas said.

  "That's not going to help Capri," Sara barked, "because he doesn't have a prayer. He's up there alone. We should be doing something."

  Father Christmas said, " Child, I have faith and believe our prayers will be answered. Help may yet reveal itself."

  "I'm sorry I don't have your faith, Father Christmas," Sara said, walking off to the side.

  There was a long, awkward silence in the room, which Sebastian tried to break by changing the subject. He pointed to the gnome's worktables. "So, uh you want me to believe that the small pile of presents stacked over there is all that is to be delivered?"

  "Clever of you to notice," Father Christmas said. "We have several more storage rooms in this palace filled with presents, but still that would not amount to even a portion of the people I care for. Over the last century I have given out fewer and fewer physical presents."

  "Because there are more naughty kids in the world than nice?" Sebastian cut in.

  "No, my son. The materialism of the world has grown so great over the past century that the joy and meaning these presents used to bring is now all but forgotten. People consume and discard on par with Lord Capri's Kylo. Only a handful of people in the world receive actual physical presents today."

  "You've said 'physical presents' a couple of times now," Sebastian said. "What do you mean?"

  "Every person under my care receives something, but most people — especially the ones in your country — receive what I refer to as a nonentity."

  "A what?"

  "A nonentity is an intangible gift." He finally turned to Sara. "Do you know what that is, Sara?"

  "Like good cheer?" she mumbled half-heartedly.

  "You are close. No man can actually give a person good cheer, but the inspiration for good cheer is another thing. Gifts like a phone call from a long-lost relative or even a light snowfall during a full moon are sometimes exactly what people need. Mankind needs these presents much more than any material gift. Especially today."

  "So do you honestly ride around in a sleigh and deliver the presents to each house? What's your secret?"

  Father Christmas winked. "It's a secret."

  The gnomes finished their prayer and one by one walked over to Father Christmas and bowed before marching out of the room. The wolves nodded their heads each time. Afterward, Father Christmas turned to the wolf on his right. "Rune, I think our guests should stay in here tonight. Near us."

  The wolf nodded and moved past the children and out of the hall. He returned a few moments later, dragging a large blanket in his mouth. He placed it in front of Father Christmas, then he bowed and resumed his position next to the throne. A few gnomes came out and left biscuits and tea for the children while Father Christmas straightened the blanket out on the floor. It was as thick as a mattress and filled with feathers, which smelled of lavender.

  Sara and Sebastian sat down on opposite sides of the blanket. The two wolves positioned themselves in between while Father Christmas gathered a few pillows and a couple of blankets to cover them. "Are you comfortable?"

  "Yes." Sebastian said.

  Sara rolled over, turning her back to Sebastian and Father Christmas. The wolf closest to Sara licked her hand as if to say goodnight.

  Father Christmas sat down over them in his throne. He waved his hand over the resting children and whispered, "Please give them a brief respite from their hardship. I fear tomorrow may bring renewed danger."

  With that, the children shut their eyes and fell asleep.

  ****

  Sara woke early the next morning, before Sebastian. Father Christmas sat over her with open eyes and a smile across his face. "Father Christmas, were you awake all night?"

  "When you reach my age, you do not need much sleep. How were your dreams?"

  "Amazing," Sebastian answered with a yawn. "I've never felt this rested before."

  Both of the wolves' ears perked up. A moment later, blue lights flashed through the clear ice dome above. The beams reflected off the crystallized walls, creating beautiful prism-like shapes. The two wolves immediately stood to attention.

  "Easy, my friends," Father Christmas said calmly to the wolves. "This will pass."

  Sara knew the blue lights were Capri's arrows, and the memory of last night came rushing back to her. She looked over at Sebastian, who sat next to a wolf, stroking its neck nervously.

  "There's nothing we can do," Sebastian said without looking at her.

  Sara tightened her cloak and ran over to the secret door that Capri had opened the day before. She waved her hand and the ice block slid up to reveal the hidden passage.

  "Sara, what are you doing?" Sebastian yelled.

  "We have to do something." She pulled her boomerang out of the hidden pocket in her cloak. "We can't leave Capri alone." She turned and ran up the stairs and out of sight.

  ****

  Sebastian looked at Father Christmas. "I can't let her go alone. I'm sorry."

  Father Christmas stood up, "Child, wait—"

  But it was too late. Sebastian ran up the stairs to join his best friend.

  Chapter Eleven

  Battle of the Northern Lights

  Sara's pace quickened, and a smile creased her face when she heard Sebastian's footsteps behind her. She turned and waited for him to catch up, and with a nod from Sebastian, they continued to climb the stairs together.

  The stairs went around in circles, and by the time they reached the top, they were both tired and dizzy. "It's a lot harder to get out of this place than to get in." Sebastian exhaled. Another solid wall of ice faced them. "How do we get outside?"

  "I'm guessing the wave of my hand again." Sara moved her hand in front of the wall, and the ice block slid to the side. A gust of frigid wind knocked them back down a few steps.

  The breeze subsided as the sound of battle reached them. In the distance, blue arrows flew into the dark sky from a lone figure standing upon an outcropping of ice. Capri. He shot three arrows straight up into the sky, which exploded in small clouds of light, revealing murky shapes of Kylo everywhere. Scores of Kylo flew at Capri as the sapphire flares slowly started their floating descent.

  Sara and Sebastian crawled on their stomachs and hid behind small pillars of ice, slowly making their way toward the elf. Sebastian ducked his head in his hands as a Kylo exploded directly above them. Sara grabbed his hand. "We have to keep going."

  Sebastian nodded and continued to follow. Sara looked up momentarily to see Capri's hood thrown back, and his face was covered in dark blue paint. Four dark Kylo of varying shapes and sizes were attacking. He shot one arrow through two of the creatures, dissipating them in a fiery explosion. A third drew back its clawed hand and slashed at Capri's back, ripping through his cloak.

  The elf momentarily fell to his knees and dropped his bow. This allowed the fourth Kylo to dive past him and into the ice. The attack sent Capri floating adrift on a small ice floe, separated from his weapon. Waves crashed over the sides, threatening to drive the elf off the edge and into a frigid watery tomb.

  "He's trapped on the ice!" Sara yelled.r />
  Another Kylo slashed at the wounds on Capri's back. He fell on his stomach but did not cry out in pain or make any noise. He simply floated on the small iceberg.

  Sara tried to move toward him, but Sebastian pulled her back down. "We have to think before we act, Sara."

  The boomerang. Capri's words came rushing back to her. You must be both athletic and agile to wield this. She took a deep breath, cocked her wrist, and threw.

  The boomerang whistled through the air like a bird released from its cage, and missed a Kylo. The creature saw the weapon pass by and laughed with a croaking voice. It turned its gaze back to Capri and swiped at him with its razor-sharp black talons. The boomerang flashed as it grazed the side of the glacier before returning tenderly to Sara's hand.

  The boomerang pulsed in her grasp. She threw the device a second time toward the Kylo. The creature saw the boomerang again and easily moved out of the way. It sailed past the Kylo and hit the cliffside. An explosion of ice came crashing down on top of the Kylo, tumbling it into the water. The new pack of ice connected Capri's floating island back to the glacier. The makeshift bridge gave the elf access to the shore to retrieve his bow.

  The boomerang returned to Sara's hand, but unfortunately it was a beacon to three Kylo who had moved in to finish Capri. The creatures veered at the last moment and turned toward the children.

  ****

  Sebastian remembered his shield and reached into the folds of his cloak. He knew Capri would not be there to save him if he fumbled with the shield again. He withdrew the small disk and slid the rope handles over his left arm. He flicked his wrist as the creatures closed in. The black disk grew into a round, three-foot shield. He grabbed Sara and pulled her behind him. He could almost hear his heartbeat thumping on the Arctic wind, with the three heartbeats of the Kylo joining in rhythm. He knew they could now see him as clearly as they could Capri.

  Seconds before the Kylo reached them, the shield hummed to life. A dark radiance emanated from the shield to encircle them. The first two Kylo attacked with claws. Both bounced off the glowing shield and plunged into the frigid water about twenty yards away.

  The third creature saw the other's failure and flew above them, then dove into the ice right behind the shield's circle of protection. The impact opened a crack in the glacier. Sara slipped and reached out for Sebastian's free hand.

  He grabbed her by the wrist just before she slid into the chasm. "Hold on, Sara." But her weight slowly pulled him toward the abyss as well.

  The Kylo hovered below them, just above the frigid water. The creature's mouth was open, waiting for them to fall. Sebastian had one chance. He maneuvered his shield arm over the small chasm just before he was dragged in. The shield, which was slightly larger than the opening in the ice, scraped and finally held them in place. He gripped the handle so tight he lost the feeling in his arm.

  The Kylo screamed in frustration when the two children stopped falling. It flew back up the long, narrow crevice toward them. Black saliva dripped off its teeth. It latched onto Sara's leg with both its arms and mouth.

  "Get off me!" she screamed.

  Sebastian could see her face whiten and her grip loosen. The creature was draining her strength.

  She screamed for Sebastian to help, and all as he could do was hold on. A moment later her screaming stopped, and her face had a calm expression as if she had made some inner decision to die. Below her the creature seemed to be growing in size. Beyond the Kylo was the deadly sea waiting like a patient spectator. She wanted to scream for Sebastian to save her but knew that like her dream she would consign him to death as well. She needed him to escape and started to let go of his hand.

  Sebastian refused to let her wrist go but felt her hand sliding out from his. "Sara, hold on. I need you!"

  "You have to let me go, Sebastian," Sara said. The next instant the color left her face, and her head slumped.

  "Sara!"

  The creature pulled harder at Sara's leg. It grinned at Sebastian, the fire in its eyes growing brighter. It spoke in a raspy voice. "You will be next."

  The spot on his neck flared with pain, which shot down his spine. His arm started to shake. "Sara, I'm not leaving you," he whispered. He closed his eyes and started to slip his arm out of the shield, but his sleeve caught on the armband.

  He felt something wrench his shield from above. Another Kylo trying to get at him, he thought. He managed to hold onto Sara as they were lifted up and placed on the ice. He looked up and saw Father Christmas standing over them. Behind the ancient man were the two white wolves.

  Father Christmas looked down at the boy with a smile, which gave Sebastian both strength and hope. Then he turned his gaze to the Kylo still attached to Sara's leg. "Be gone. You hold no authority over these children."

  The wolves' barks echoed throughout the ice canyons like a command from Heaven. The Kylo let go of Sara's leg. It tried in vain to reattach itself but kept slipping off. She was protected by something other than Sebastian's shield now, something greater. The Kylo howled in pain and crawled back down the crevice.

  Sebastian looked around at the rest of the Kylo. The creatures either ignored them or for some reason did not see them. Father Christmas turned to Sebastian. "I apologize for taking so long. I would like to see how fast you climb all the ice steps when you are seventeen-hundred years old. Now, let's see about Sara." He took her lifeless hand in his and closed his eyes in silent prayer.

  "Will she be okay?" Sebastian pleaded. "If there's anything I can do to—"

  "I do not know, child. Let us bring her inside and away from this battle." Father Christmas effortlessly picked Sara up in his arms, looking less an old man and more like a majestic warrior.

  "What about Capri?" Sebastian asked, crawling to his feet.

  They both turned across the water toward the other side of the glacier. Capri fought from his knees. His cloak had been torn away, which left him exposed to the cold. His white tunic was soaked with blood from the claw marks on his back. He continued to fire his bow into the dark sky.

  "Father Christmas, we can't leave him there. Isn't there something you can do?"

  "We must have faith."

  "But, sir!" Sebastian said. "Capri is outnumbered and prayers aren't going to do anything!"

  "That is the essence of faith, child. When things seem at their worst that is when you must believe more than ever." Father Christmas carried Sara in his arms as he walked back down the secret staircase. The wolves turned to Sebastian and nodded as if he should follow.

  Sebastian paused and looked toward Capri one final time. The sounds of battle seemed to fade away, and Capri turned to face Sebastian. They seemed to be the only two living beings in the world at that brief moment. The elf waved the boy onward, as if to tell Sebastian that it was okay to follow the wolves and Father Christmas to safety.

  At that moment, dozens of Kylo broke off from the murky cloud and flew down to finish off Capri. His best friend in the world was probably dead, and within moments Capri would be as well. He'd failed to save Sara, and now he would have to watch Capri be destroyed. The Kylo raced toward Capri as one unit, and the elf lowered his bow in defeat.

  Suddenly, a large white mass sprang from the cold depths in front of the elf. Time slowed down for Sebastian as water cascaded off the shiny surface, revealing a white whale. The dark mass of Kylo struck the white whale like a rocket and began to devour the creature. The whale groaned with pain as it instantly turned charcoal-black like the Kylo.

  Capri screamed. Sebastian understood the elf's pain when the whale fell limply back into the water, revealing a damaged tailfin. The last image Sebastian had of Burber was of a dark body descending into the pits of the ocean.

  Capri dropped his bow and collapsed to his knees, looking to the sky for answers. Sebastian knew that Capri had given up. He lacked the strength to fight alone.

  But he was not alone.

  In the distance, a dozen flying galleons crested the peak of the glacie
r. Their white sails were full, and dozens of elves adorned the decks. The group was led by a figure dressed in pure, glowing white at the bow of a white ship. The beautiful elf maiden had long brown hair that fell to her waist. She held a flaming spear up in the air and then lowered it. At her signal, glowing arrows of every color launched from the decks of the enormous boats.

  Chapter Twelve

  Last Stand

  Arrows struck, and blotches of darkness disappeared from the horizon to reveal beams of starlight. For the next few moments, the sky lit up as if with a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. Some Kylo backed off, while others attacked the new enemies. The flagship broke through the lines of attacking Kylo and set down in the water next to Capri. The elf maiden jumped down and rushed over to cradle Capri in her arms.

  "Capri," she said, "I should never have let you stay behind on that horrific day. I will never leave your side again." The injured elf did not respond with words, but instead held onto her like an infant grasping its mother for the first time.

  Sebastian followed Father Christmas down the stairwell into the hall, but the hope the elves' arrival had brought him withered instantly when he saw Sara. She was laid out on a blanket in the middle of the room. She was motionless, and her skin was blue.

  Gnomes rushed around, trying to repair leaking cracks in the ice walls. Above them, multicolored flashes reflected through the glasslike ceiling and floor. The ice palace shook as the ships landed above them. Father Christmas paid little attention to the chaos around him and kneeled down next to Sara. He put his hand on her forehead and closed his eyes. He began to chant in another language, perhaps an ancient language, and then looked up into the sky. Sebastian knew he wasn't gazing at the battle, which raged a few hundred of feet above. He was looking beyond that, an immeasurable distance away, and yet no distance.