Chapter 10

N icholas threw coins on the table to pay for their meal. Then shoved his chair back. He flung his cloak around his shoulders.

“Come on.”

She got up, slipping the strap of the sack over her shoulder, then pulling on her cloak to conceal it.

“Where are we going?”

“We have to get out of here,” he said.

By then, the patrons of the tavern had spilled out into the street. Several were armed with swords. Outside, women gripped their daughters and hurried to get out of the village square, but it was too late. The queen stood near the enormous tree, her black dress fluttering behind her in the slight breeze. Ella lifted her hood, her heart in her throat. Nicholas pushed her behind him and armed himself with a small dagger.

“Stay behind me,” he said over his shoulder.

She wasn’t sure what good the dagger would do against the Queen of Darkness and Shadow, but she trusted him. More than she trusted anyone with her life.

“If I say run, then do it. Head south toward the alleyway behind the tavern.”

“What about you?” She moved closer to him. So close, she smelled a woodsy scent.

“I’ll find you.”

Before them, Malvina lifted her arms. In a poof of red smoke, several armed guards appeared by her side blocking the entrance gate to the village. Then, with another flick of her wrist, a girl appeared in front of her. She had two long braids on each side of her head and a gag around her mouth. Her eyes were glassy with fear. Her hands were tied in front of her. Malvina placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder as if to show dominance over her and as a warning to those who would try to retrieve her. One man charged. Malvina made a motion with her hand. He flew backward into the crowd, landing on the ground with a thud. The sword in his hand clattered on the cobblestones.

“If anyone else tries, you will die,” she said in her dark, mellifluous voice. “Now that I have your attention.” She emitted a deep laugh as she moved to stand behind the girl, placing both hands on her shoulders. “You are all under my command. You will leave when I allow it. Where are the slippers?”

Indeed, Ella sensed some powerful force over them, keeping them all rooted in place. She tried to take a step backward but it was no use.

The queen briefly surveyed the crowd, the intensity of her stare alighting on each and every face. Ella peered around Nicholas, her heart in her throat. When the queen looked right at her, she sucked in a sharp breath. Nicholas wrapped his arm around her giving her a nudge behind him once again.

“I sense the magic,” the queen said. “Bring them to me and I will release the girl. If you refuse…” Her hands tightened on the girl’s shoulders. She flinched, squeezing her eyes closed.

Malvina snapped her fingers. One of her guards stepped forward. She shoved the girl into his arms, then began to walk toward the crowd. Her dark, glittering eyes full of menace and disgust paused on everyone in her path.

“They are here,” she said. “Somewhere among you. A young woman, perhaps. Or a young girl. It matters not to me. Give me slippers and I will return to my mountain.”

Nicholas sheathed the dagger with a smooth motion that was hardly noticeable. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Ella stiffened behind him. She watched his hand grip it, as though he were ready to pull it from its sheath.

Malvina made her way through the crowd paralyzed by their fear. She paused every so often to glare down at one of the younger girls. Her mother wrapped her arms around her shoulders and gripped her tight.

“You think to keep me away by adding a curfew,” Malvina continued. “You think that will stop me from getting what I want?” She shook her head, moving down the line and pausing in front of Nicholas.

Ella ducked behind him, pressing her cheek against the rough material of his cloak. A shiver of fear went through her.

“ You have them,” the queen said.

“I do not,” Nicholas responded. “Why would I have a pair of slippers?”

There was a long pause. Ella peeked around his elbow. The queen’s eyes narrowed to dark slits.

“Indeed, why? I sense them, though.”

Nicholas’s hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white.

“Here with you. You’re helping her hide them, aren’t you?”

Nicholas unsheathed his sword in a blur of motion. Malvina stepped back to avoid being stuck in the gut, her hands up. Surprise flickered over her face but was quickly replaced with malice. She flung her hands out toward him, punching him with a black cloud of magic.

Ella saw it happening but was too slow to move. Nicholas was lifted over her and thrown backward into the crowd. She watched in horror as he landed on the cobblestones with a grunt. Somehow, he managed to keep a grip on his sword.

Malvina reached for her then, clutching a handful of her cloak and yanking her toward her. Their noses touched and for a long, horrible moment, Ella stared into the dark, terrifying eyes of the Queen of Darkness and Shadow.

“ You .” Her breath flickered over Ella’s face. “You have them, don’t you?”

“I-I—”

“Release her, you witch.” Nicholas stood right behind her.

Ella’s heart leapt into her throat. Malvina’s head snapped up.

“I am no witch!”

“She doesn’t have the slippers,” Nicholas said, ignoring her. “Release her. She’s not the one.”

“You lie! I sense the magic of the slippers.”

She jerked Ella closer, if that were even possible. Ella sucked in a breath, the death scent on the queen invading her mouth and nose. She forced away the gag that wanted to erupt. Malvina stepped backward, dragging Ella with her. With every forced step, the sack bumped against her hip with the tell-tale weight of the slippers.

“Since she won’t give them up, she comes with me.”

Malvina lifted her arm in a motion to release more magic. But then she jerked forward with a strangled gasp. In that one moment, her hand loosened on Ella’s cloak and she stumbled away from her. Surprise flickered through her when she saw the dagger sticking out of Malvina’s shoulder.

“Run!” Nicholas shouted.

Chaos erupted. When Nicholas’s dagger hit Malvina, it released her dark spell holding the townsfolk hostage. Men surged forward, some wielding their swords. The women and children took off toward the south entrance of the village, putting as much distance between them and Malvina as possible.

Nicholas spun to face her where she was still frozen by fear. “Get to the alley. Now!”

Malvina’s dark magic smacked into him. His face contorted in pain as he fought to stay upright. Ella didn’t waste another moment. She turned and ran with the others toward the alleyway next to the tavern. Somehow, though, she felt like a coward running away from the fight even though that was exactly what he told her to do.

When she made it to the alleyway unscathed, she pressed her back against the stone wall and then peered around the corner. Men fought Malvina’s guards but one still had hold of Agnes’s granddaughter as he dragged her away from the fray.

Meanwhile, Malvina yanked the dagger from her shoulder and threw it to the ground. She flung more magic at Nicholas, but this time he lifted his sword. The shiny surface of the blade reflected it back to her, hitting her square in the gut.

She emitted a frustrated shout as she stumbled away. She vaulted herself into the sky, her wrath evident on her face. She glowered at the group of townspeople and then turned toward the star on the top of the tree, pausing to peer at with a mischievous grin.

“I’ve had enough of your cheerful, yuletide spirit,” she spat, her voice dark and menacing. “And so, I will take away the symbol of your hope and joy.”

In a fit of fury, she spun to the giant Christmas tree behind her and flung her magic toward the top of it.

Someone gasped. Nearby someone else shouted, “No!”

Her magic hit the twinkling star on top. There was a pop as it shattered into a thousand pieces, the light inside sparking, exploding, and then winking out as shards of glass rained down around the tree.

Malvina cackled with her glee.

“Let that serve as a warning,” she said, her voice booming across the village. “Bring me the slippers or I will destroy your village and the Spirit of Christmas with it!”

And then she was gone in a cloud of red smoke. Her henchmen and Agnes’s granddaughter were also gone.

Nicholas stood a long moment gazing at the tree, his gaze fixed on the top where the star previously sat and his face drained of color. The man Ella recognized as the mayor rushed over to the base of the tree, picking up the biggest shards of what was left. He held them in his hand, looking down at them with a frown.

“The Christmas Star…” The mayor’s voice was soft as he ran a finger over the broken pieces. “It was the light of our season. The essence that makes Rovenheim what it is.”

Nicholas sheathed his sword and stared in disbelief at the top of the tree, now devoid of the shining beacon.

Ella watched it all happen from the safety of the alley. A lump formed in her throat. The queen had destroyed the star in vengeance, because she didn’t get what she wanted.

The mayor looked up at Nicholas, his face drained of color. “What are we to do now?”

Nicholas turned to him, grasped him by the arm as he looked down at the shards in his hands. “I swear to you I will find a way to mend it.”

“But how?” the mayor asked, his face drawn with grief.

He shook his head. “I don’t know yet. Save the pieces for me.”

The mayor nodded as he turned to pick up the remaining pieces, even though some were no more than tiny shards.

“Nicholas?”

Leaving behind the comforting shadows of the alley, Ella’s heart raced with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, searching for answers as she studied his face. The lines on her forehead deepened into a puzzled frown, reflecting her bewilderment at witnessing the encounter between him and the mayor.

He hurried over to her, pulling her into a fierce hug.

“Are you all right?” he breathed into her hair.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

But she had never felt so helpless as she did watching the horror of Malvina’s attack unfold.

“We need to get out of the village.” He took her by the hand and led her back into the alley. “It’s not safe for you here.”

“Where are we going? The alley is a dead end,” she said.

“Is it?”

He quirked a grin as he paused at the wall at the back of the alley. He pressed a stone near the middle. It sank into the wall and, a moment later, a small door slid open.

“Watch your head.” He released her and ducked under the doorway, disappearing on the other side.

Taking a deep breath, Ella followed. On the other side, he depressed another stone, closing the door. They stood on the edge of a forest surrounded by foliage. The stone wall of the alleyway was at their backs. Snow drifted down, coating the trees in a light dusting.

“Stay close,” he said and started down the length of the wall to the south.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Into the wild. Where it’s safe.”

“It’s safe in the wild? But it’s snowing. And it’s cold. What about shelter? And food?”

“Don’t worry,” he said, sounding reassuring. “I’ll take care of you.”

“But—”

He turned to her, placed a gloved finger over her lips. He gave her a small smile. “Trust me. Can you?”

She didn’t know why, but she did. She nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Good. We’ll be in shelter before night falls.”

He started walking again down the length of the wall. She kept close, stepping where he stepped and making sure she didn’t lose sight of him in front of her. The sun was already dipping toward the horizon, bringing on colder temperatures and a frigid night. She hoped he was right in that they would have shelter by night, because she certainly didn’t want to freeze to death in this strange land.