Book Two, Chapter Five

Chapter Five

“What to bring? What to bring?” Justin chanted to himself as he trotted from one end of his room to the other. He wore his saddle, and above that his rucksack was slung across his back. Every few seconds he would toss something else into it. A few changes of clothes—don’t forget clean underwear!—his toothbrush, antler file, hoof clipper, fur comb, and a pocket knife. He had only ever used that knife to scrape tasty mosses off the trees out in Val Luminara’s forest, and he hoped that was all he ever had to use it for, but considering what they were setting out to do it was better safe than sorry.

You want to pack some graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate while you’re at it? the annoyingly logical voice in his head pointed out. You’re hunting a deadly monster, not going on a camping trip!

Justin paused, looking around his room. What else did he own that might be able to help them on a mission like this? His job was to fly around and bring presents to children’s houses. While he would never say it to her face, Vixen had pulled the rug clean out from under his hooves with this. If she had told him a week ago that they would be doing this, then perhaps he would have been able to think of more suitable things to bring. As it was, though, she expected him to meet her in Aurora Square and be ready to leave in…he checked his clock…ten minutes. How on Val Luminara did she expect him to—

Knock knock knock!

Justin turned to see Lucas outside his window, despite being on the Aviary’s eighteenth floor. The dark furred buck tapped his wrist, even though he wasn’t wearing a watch, and jerked his thumb toward the center of Laetitia. Walking over, Justin pushed the window open.

“Come on, we need to get going!” Lucas told him, practically buzzing with excitement. He had sounded genuinely frightened back in the Elder Stables, but it looked like he’d gotten over that well enough in the past hour.

Justin gave his room one more look, wracking his brain for anything else he could bring, but couldn’t think of anything.

“Yeah, okay,” he said reluctantly, then vaulted over the windowsill and out into the open air. He fell a few inches before his magic kicked in, leaving him hovering in midair more than two hundred feet above the ground. He had never quite gotten used to that initial drop. Every time it happened, his heart would lurch up into his throat, and he would feel his old phobia do its best to dig its icy fingers into his sanity again. Unlike when he’d first arrived, though, the feeling passed almost immediately, leaving him with nothing but a vague sense of belonging in the back of his mind. Laetitia might be where he lived, but home would always be up here in the skies. The only place where a deer could truly be free.

Turning in midair, he closed and latched his window. “I couldn’t think of much to pack that would actually help us. What did you bring?”

Lucas grinned. “I snuck into the kitchens and got some graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate.”

Justin gave him a flat stare, then took off in the direction of Aurora Square.

“So, this is weird, right?” Lucas asked as they flew. “Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this is weird.”

“You’ve been here longer than I have,” Justin replied. “What are you asking me for?”

“I mean, the whole hunting down an ancient and primordial evil thing is kinda weird, sure,” Lucas went on as if he hadn’t heard Justin. “But what’s really weird is that they’re sending Vixen to do it.”

Justin shot him a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lucas raised a finger. “First of all, you don’t tell her I said any of this, got it? Not a word! Secondly, doesn’t it strike you as at least a little strange that there are eight Elders on the council, but they decided to send the only one who can’t walk to do this?”

“Vixen isn’t an invalid!” Justin shot back, an unexpected flash of anger surging through him.

“I’m not saying she is!” Lucas shot back, every bit as defensively. “But considering what’s at stake, don’t you think that’s a weird risk for them to be taking?”

Justin couldn’t think of a response to that. Even so, Lucas’ comments about their flight leader rubbed him the wrong way, and the two of them flew the rest of the way to Aurora Square in silence.

They descended a few minutes later, their hooves clacking down onto the cobblestone courtyard just beneath Celebration Hall. Lena was already there, as well as two other elves. One of them was Tanraak He-Sang-Before-He-Spoke, Lucas’ Rider, and the other was Moryta She-Dances-Like-Fire, who was Willow’s. Both they and Lena wore the standard Rider equipment, a sort of full-body green leotard that hardened into armor over their vulnerable areas. Vixen sat nearby, now sporting a bright chrome wheelchair that looked strangely modern compared to the fairytale aesthetic of the city around her. A fountain in the center of the square shot a jet of water into the air from a statue of Santa with his finger pointing triumphantly up at the portal. Willow was sitting on the fountain’s edge, looking up at the sky with an adventurous gleam in her eyes—those beautiful brown eyes, so deep they couldn’t possibly have a bottom, yet somehow filled to the brim with laughter, wit, and compassion.

“If you stare any harder, your eyes are going to pop out of your head,” Lucas muttered, elbowing him. Justin slugged him on the arm, but averted his gaze anyway.

“Are you two prepared to leave?” Vixen asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Lucas said, patting his rucksack. He flashed her a grin. “I packed a book of ghost stories we can tell around the campfire tonight!”

Justin rolled his eyes, but on the inside he felt relieved. At least he wasn’t the only one who hadn’t known exactly what he was supposed to do here.

Vixen gave him a severe look. “What we’re going to face is more frightening than any story you have ever read. I suggest you begin taking this mission a bit more seriously!”

Lucas paused, the smile falling from his face, and he nodded. The sound of clicking hooves caught Justin’s attention, and his eyes widened when he saw Willow making her way over.

“Hey,” she said with a smile. “Hard to believe we’re leaving Val Luminara without Santa, isn’t it?”

Justin’s mouth immediately went dry and his mind went blank. “I, uh, have a ra—”

“We’re the first ones to do it in hundreds of years,” Tanraak interrupted him. “Well, except for Justin and—”

Vixen turned to glare at the back of the elf’s head. He must have felt it, too, because he abruptly stopped talking before he could say her great-great-great-whatever grandson’s name.

Tornado. Even a whole year later, Justin couldn’t quite understand his feelings for him. They had barely known each other for a month, and Tornado had spent every minute of that time making Justin’s life miserable. Things had finally come to a head when he had tried to murder Justin during the Reindeer Games, only to be forced through the portal when Justin fought back. Justin had followed him, and ended up saving his life from the Yule Cat on the other side. Tornado had repaid the favor by giving his life to save Justin from Krampus on Christmas Eve.

“Is everyone prepared?” Vixen asked, pulling Justin from his gloomy thoughts. “If so, then we need to—”

“Please, wait!”

Justin had never heard that voice in his life, yet when it rang through the air—as crystal clear as a Christmas bell—there wasn’t a single doubt in his mind as to who it belonged to. He turned, and was both surprised and unsurprised to see a woman making her way across Aurora Square toward them. She didn’t look a day over twenty, but at the same time Justin could see the unfathomable wisdom of countless centuries behind her eyes. She wore a rich scarlet dress trimmed with white fur, and her snow-white hair spilled down her back like a majestic avalanche. In her arms, he carried seven small gift wrapped boxes.

“Mrs. Claus!” Vixen exclaimed, no less surprised than Justin. She bowed as best she could, confined to her chair as she was, and the others did as well. Justin hurried to do the same, his mind suddenly buzzing. Everyone in Val Luminara knew the Clauses by sight, but to see one of them on the streets, not even in December, was a rarity. It could only mean that something extremely important was about to happen.

“Be at peace, Elder One,” Mrs. Claus said with a smile that banished all trace of anxiety from Justin’s heart. “My husband bid me come and meet you before you left. He has prepared gifts that will assist you greatly on your quest.”

She began to hand the boxes to each of the elves and deer. They were small enough to fit in the palm of Justin’s hand, and were wrapped in bright, shimmering red paper with a green ribbon. It was one of the most beautiful things Justin had ever seen, and looking at it made his heart race with excitement.

“Can we—” he began, but stopped when he saw the others already opening theirs.

As delicately as he could, he untied the ribbon and peeled back the paper. It seemed a shame to waste such magnificent decorations. Slowly, the box beneath was revealed. It was made of simple cardboard, but even that seemed to be a richer shade of brown than any box Justin had ever seen. He pulled the lid off to reveal…

“A badge?” Lucas asked, pulling his out of the box. It was solid silver and shaped like a Christmas tree, with jewels sparkling within its branches as the ornaments.

“They are filled with my husband’s power,” Mrs. Claus explained. “They will keep you warm and allow you to fly through the portal to Earth.”

Justin’s ears shot up. How had he not thought about that before now? Going through the portal without Santa’s protection was deadly. The sudden change in temperature and atmosphere could freeze the very blood in your veins. And he had been about to fly straight through it without a second thought!

“They are also enchanted with an illusion spell,” Mrs. Claus went on. “Tap on it, and a disguise will appear so that you can blend into the human world.”

“That is…extremely helpful, your honor,” Vixen said, clutching her badge as if it were her most valued possession. “Thank you. We will make use of these at every given opportunity.”

Mrs. Claus smiled at them. “Then safe travels, and may the spirit of Christmas go with all of you!”

Vixen turned to her fliers. “Riders, mount up!”

Lena leaped skillfully up into her saddle on Justin’s back and wrapped her now-familiar grip around his antlers. Justin hurried to pin his badge to the front of his shirt. Immediately, a comforting warmth flowed through him, like his veins had been filled with hot cocoa, and he instinctively knew that he didn’t need to worry about going through the portal now. Trotting over to Vixen, he took hold of a bar that jutted from the side of the chair. Willow took up position on her other side

“The Yule Cat will be waiting for us on the other side of the portal,” Vixen warned them, fastening a seat belt to keep her in her chair. “Prepare to take evasive action, and don’t slow down until we are well clear of its territory! Understand?”

“Yes!” everyone chorused together.

“Then fly fast, fight hard, and let us share our light with the world!”

Bolstered by his flight leader’s words, Justin bent his knees…

And launched himself up into the sky!