Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

“Surrounded by strange people named Lena? Really? How immature can you be?”

“What? It was so obvious that you wrote it! I had to personalize it a little so he would know it was from me too!”

“I put your name on it!”

“And I've forged enough signatures to know how much a name isn't worth. This way he knows I actually—”

“Excuse me, you've what?”

“Uh, nothing, ma'am—hey, I think he's waking up!”

Don't try to distract me, young buck! Whose signature have you been—”

“No! He's right! I think he's trying to say something!”

“Why, so he is! What is he saying? I can't hear him.”

“I said, will you please keep it down? I’m trying to sleep!”

Justin opened his eyes to find himself in one of the infirmary's beds, surrounded by familiar faces. Lena stood right next to him, her less-than-average size making it so she wouldn't have been able to see him if she sat down.

Lucas was leaning against the far wall, his face painstakingly molded into a carefree look, but Justin knew him well enough to see how the way his ears perked up, and his eyes widened.

Willow sat in a chair by the foot of his bed. As soon as Justin's eyes opened, she gasped and raised a hand to cover her mouth.

And then there was Vixen, standing alone in her red robe, looking older than ever with her gray fur, hunched posture, and haunted expression.

“Justin!” His attention was forced back to Lena when she grabbed his furry face and looked straight into his eyes, “how do you feel? Are you hurting? Can you feel your arms and—”

“DIVEBOMB HUG!”

A shadow fell over them both, and Justin looked up just in time to see Lucas falling from the ceiling.

“Oof!” Justin grunted as his friend landed on top of him.

Laughing, Lucas threw his arms around Justin's neck. “You thought you could get away from us that easily? Candy cane brain, you're stuck with us for life!”

“I'm ha- ha- ha- ha- happy to see you t- t- t- too,” Justin managed to say, “but will you ple- ple- please stop sh- sh- sh- sh- sh- shaking me like th- th- that?”

“I'll stop when I don't feel like wringing your neck anymore! What were you thinking flying through the portal, you idiot?”

“That's enough of that!” Willow snapped, grabbing Lucas by the antler—Justin was quickly coming to think of that as her signature move—and pulling him off the bed.

Justin rubbed his neck, but couldn't help but grin. “Well, I…I guess I can't pretend I didn't deserve that.”

“You're lucky I'm not the one strangling you!” Lena exclaimed. “Do you have any idea how badly you scared us?”

Justin hung his head, his ears drooping. “I'm sor—”

“I don't want an apology! I want an explanation!”

“We want an explanation,” Lucas chimed in.

“If you feel up to it,” said Willow, maintaining her role as the only sane person in the room. “If you're tired, we can come back later. We can call the doctor if you're feeling—”

“No,” Justin said, shaking his head. “It's fine.”

He looked at everyone in the room, his heart growing heavy. Lena was right, they deserved an explanation. But at the same time, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was make himself relive those moments.

He could still remember the cold emptiness that had opened up inside his heart. The minutes leading up to him going through the portal had been the lowest, darkest time of his life. Even when he had been fired from Willy-Mart and had been forced to contemplate his inevitable homelessness, he had at least clung to the small bit of hope that he might be able to find a new job in time to pay rent.

“How much did you all see?” he finally asked.

“Everything,” Lena answered. “Willow was able to catch me after Tornado…you know.” She paused, a shiver going down her spine. “She flew us back to the training grounds where I told Vixen what had happened.”

“I couldn't believe what I was hearing,” Vixen said, closing her eyes and shaking her head sadly. “I never thought he was capable of something like this.”

Justin looked at her. “You—”

“Yes, I knew what he was doing. I knew that, as your instructor—as his grandmother—I should have stopped him. But I didn’t, and all I can say now is…is that I’m sorry.”

She turned away in shame, facing the wall.

“Vixen gathered the Eight,” Willow went on, “and they—”

“And me!” Lucas cut in. “I was there too!”

Willow rolled her eyes. “The Eight, and Lucas, went up to intervene. But by the time they arrived, you had already beaten Tornado on your own. They saw him go through the portal. And then…”

“And then you followed him,” Lucas concluded, his voice unusually solemn.

Lena grabbed Justin’s hand, squeezing it. “Why? After everything we'd been through! Were we not good enough friends to you?”

“What?” Justin exclaimed in horror. “No, it wasn’t that at all?”

“Then tell us why!”

Justin squeezed her hand back. He opened his mouth to answer, but the words lodged themselves in his throat. It felt like his heart was being squeezed by a rock hard, ice cold hand.

They need to know, he told himself. They deserve to know.

“Tornado attacked me,” he forced himself to say, his voice suddenly hoarse. “I fought back in self-defense. But I didn’t think anyone would believe that. They would only see the lightless one assaulting one of the council’s great grandchildren.”

He paused, forcing the wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him back down.

“And then…I killed him.”

“Justin…” Willow whispered, coming to hold his other hand.

“I know he survived now, but right there in the moment I couldn’t imagine he was anything but dead. It was over. Nobody would ever accept me if they thought I’d murdered another reindeer—and they would think I had murdered another reindeer. I would be the lightless one forever. They were going to lock me up, and I’d never be allowed to fly again. And when I thought about all that…”

He stopped, looking at each of his friends in turn.

“Lena…Lucas…Willow…” he said slowly. “Right then, I really did become lightless.”

Lena and Willow gasped—but, to Justin’s surprise, they didn’t let go of his hands. Lucas took a step back, his eyes widening, but he didn’t say anything.

“Lena, I remembered what you said,” Justin went on. “About how if someone’s light went out in Val Luminara, Krampus would be able to use them as a gateway. I couldn’t let that happen, so…”

He bowed his head in shame.

“So I flew through the portal too. If I couldn’t have a good life here, then at least I could keep you all safe. All I had to do was…”

He couldn’t make himself finish that sentence, and his voice trailed off.

“I’m sorry, you guys,” he whispered a few seconds later. “You were right about me all along. My light did go out. If I hadn’t—”

“You’re wrong.”

Everyone looked at Vixen, who turned around to face them again.

“We were such fools,” she said. “I was such a fool. I have held my position as an elder for thousands of years, but on the night you first arrived, I allowed myself to be blinded by emotion. The things you said…how could I not have seen them for what they were? A confused, frightened young buck, hardly old enough to be called an adult, pleading for help. And I…”

The pain in Vixen's expression was all too real. She really did regret everything that had happened, and now the guilt was eating her alive.

Justin felt his heart go out to her. “It's oka—”

“It is not okay!” she cut him off. “Justin, you have exposed something about me—about all of Santa's reindeer. Something so horrible that I can't ignore it, no matter how badly I wish that I could.”

Turning, she walked over to the window, looking out over Laetitia, with its brilliant, cheerful lights.

“You were never lightless,” she said slowly. “Even in your darkest, lowest moments, when you thought everything was going to be taken from you, you sacrificed yourself to save all of Val Luminara.”

Justin stared at her, his mouth hanging open.

“If you need further proof,” she went on, “think about what you did down there in the North Pole.”

“That light,” Justin said, remembering what had happened. “You mean…”

“You channeled your inner light to fight the Jolakotturinn.”

“The Jo…The Jolly…What?”

“Jolakotturinn, also called the Yule Cat,” she explained. “It’s one of Krampus’ most powerful servants. He sent it to guard the gateway to Val Luminara centuries ago, making it almost impossible for anyone to enter or leave without Santa’s full power to protect them. Even all eight of us, together, only managed to temporarily banish it. It’s probably out there again, right now, waiting for its chance to devour anyone who tries to use the portal.”

“And you went toe to toe…well, hoof to paw with it,” Lucas exclaimed, grinning again, “and you survived!”

“Not because of anything I did,” Justin argued self-consciously. “If the council hadn’t gotten there when they did, it would have killed both me and…”

He paused, blinking.

“Wait a minute, where is Tornado? Is he okay?”

The four of them shared a look, and then Vixen gestured toward the other side of the room, where Tornado’s oversized form was lying in another one of the beds.

His eyes were closed, and he wasn’t moving.

“No!” Justin exclaimed, sitting up. Immediately, dizziness washed over him, and he had to lie back down. “After everything I did, he…he still died?”

“Well, I guess now we know the Yule Cat didn’t knock any sense into him.”

Justin looked at Lucas.

“They don’t bring dead bodies to the hospital, genius!” the other reindeer said, rolling his eyes.

“That is…not how I would have said it,” Vixen said slowly. “But he’s right. Because of your bravery and selflessness out there, Tornado survived.”

Justin breathed a sigh of relief. “Then he’s—”

“He’s in a coma,” Lena said, “just like I was when Alexander…”

“But he’ll wake up.” Justin looked around at everyone. “Right? Eventually he will wake up.”

Vixen hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Sooner or later, the doctor’s magic will heal him to the point where he will be able to wake up. But when he does…”

“He isn’t going to like it,” Lucas said, giving the unconscious reindeer a dirty look.

Justin’s eyes widened. “Wh- What do you mean? What’s going to happen to him?”

“Justin, he tried to murder you,” Willow said softly. “Even in a place like Laetitia, that’s not the kind of thing people can just ignore.”

“But I forgave him!” Justin exclaimed, and was surprised to find that those words felt just as true then as they had back at the North Pole. “I’m not going to press charges against him, or anything like that. I just want him to leave me alone!”

“Unfortunately, that’s not up to you,” Vixen said sadly. “The people in Laetitia are dedicated to spreading joy, hope, and light across the world. For one of us to commit such a monstrous crime…there must be consequences for his actions.”

Lena squeezed his hand. “You did the right thing saving him, Justin. Let the council do what they have to do now.”

Justin opened his mouth to protest, but he could tell by the look on Vixen’s face that it wouldn’t do any good, so he settled back in his bed with a sigh.

“So, what now?” Suddenly, his ears perked up. “Wait, what day is it? Have I missed—”

“It’s the twenty third,” Lucas said. “You didn’t miss Christmas.”

“And it’s a good thing too,” Vixen said, stepping forward. “Because we’re going to need you tomorrow night.”

She pulled something from the baggy sleeve of her robe and held it out to him. It was a golden bell, the size of his fist, with a red ribbon looped around it. On its surface, in equally shiny silver letters, was engraved, Winner of the Reindeer Games, followed by the year and all the names of all the reindeer who had helped Vixen’s unit earn their victory.

Right there, at the very top of that list, was Justin Flinchley.

“Wear that with pride,” Vixen told him. “We would never have won without your incredible efforts.”

“And this,” Lena added, reaching into her pocket. She let go of his hand and pressed something into it.

It was the locket.

Justin closed his fist around the small silver pendant, tears stinging his eyes again.

“This is what saved me,” he whispered.

“That thing?” Lucas asked, tilting his head. “How?”

“As soon as I saw this, I finally understood.” Justin closed his eyes for a moment, and then looked at them all again. “What Christmas really means.”

For just a moment, his antlers flashed with blue light.

“Then,” Vixen said, “are you finally ready to swear your oath?”

Justin’s ears perked up. The oath he had refused to swear the night he had first come here. He had completely forgotten about that. Looking up at her, he nodded.

“Justin Flinchley, do you swear to me, before the whole of…” She paused and looked around. “Well, before your closest friends and companions, that you love Christmas with all your heart?”

Justin’s heart began to race. He couldn’t help but think back to the day that had brought him here in the first place. All the greed, all the violence, all in the name of Christmas. And yet…

He looked down at the locket in his hand. If this was the Christmas he was fighting for…

“I do,” he said.

“Do you swear to me that you will strive to spread that love to willing hearts all across the world?”

“I do.”

Vixen extended a hand over him. “Then as a member of the Council of Eight, I hereby declare that you, Justin Flinchley, are now a fully-fledged part of Santa Claus’ sleigh pulling team! Fly fast, fight hard, and share your light with the world!”

Lucas, Lena, and Willow were only three people, but the cheer they raised was loud enough that it could have come from a crowd of a hundred.

Nobody noticed the single tear that leaked out of Tornado’s eye.

“Rest well tonight,” Vixen said, heading for the door. “Tomorrow you’re going to be very, very busy.”

————

An uncharacteristically cold wind blew through Laetitia as Vixen rose to the topmost bars of the Aviary's birdcage. There, perched at the very top, was another antlered figure draped in red robes.

“How is he?” Dasher asked softly.

“He is recovering well,” Vixen answered. “And in remarkably good spirits.”

Dasher sighed. “Then there is no more room for doubt. We were wrong.”

“All this time, we allowed the other reindeer to abuse him. We abused him. Lightless, we called him. And yet, when it came down to it, his light shone brighter than all of ours.”

The two of them stood in silence for a long while, looking down at their beloved city. Vixen had seen Laetitia every day and night for thousands of years, from every conceivable angle, and the lights, colors, and overall sense of magic had never once failed to take her breath away.

But tonight, she swore that a shadow must have fallen over the city. A shadow so dark and terrible that even the light from the mountainous tree couldn't dispel it.

“Perhaps we weren't as wrong as we thought,” she whispered, her voice grave. “A darkness has come to Val Luminara. But Justin didn't bring it with him, he only revealed it. It has been here for far longer than he has.”

Dasher didn't argue with her, which only frightened the old doe more.

“But how long, exactly?” he asked. “Years? Decades? How long have our hearts been festering in this pit of sin to make us turn our backs on someone who so desperately needed our kindness and acceptance?”

“To think that we have been fighting so hard to keep Krampus out of Val Luminara…and yet, his fingerprints are everywhere.”

“Perhaps not,” Dasher whispered, looking up at the moon.

Vixen looked at him, uncomprehending—but then her face contorted with horror. “You're not saying that…that we brought this darkness here? Ourselves?”

“What else is there to believe? If Krampus were able to reach into Val Luminara strongly enough to plant darkness inside our hearts, then you know he would not have stopped there.” He shook his antlered head sadly. “No, the only explanation that does not reek of dishonesty to me is that we have done this to ourselves. We have lived in the light for so long, utterly convinced that our hearts were devoid of shadows. But you know as well as I do that a light could shine as bright as a thousand suns, but all it would take is a single obstruction to cast a shadow darker than night.”

“What does this mean for us?” Vixen asked. “We have fought the Krampus for thousands of years with the assumption that our proximity to Santa made us immune to his power. If we truly have been corrupted as you say, and that corruption was born from our own hearts, then what chance do we stand?”

Dasher didn't answer for a long while. His eyes followed the moon as it arched across the night sky, inch by inch, until…

It set behind the star on top of the great tree.

“We trust in Santa,” Dasher finally said, his eyes fixed on the magnificently glowing ornament. “Just as we always have.”