After telling my friend we only had an hour left, I tried to find a moment to tell her about what I saw, but the number of customers increased until we sold out of every cookie, cake, and bear claw. Even though Vale and I were left alone after she locked the front door, we still had to clean up everything and get things ready for the next day. We got so busy that I forgot about my question until we both entered the kitchen to finish up.

  Wren placed cellophane-wrapped goodies she’d been working on in a lined basket. “There. Now, I can hand these out to remind the townsfolk of our duty to win the Seasonal Spirit Awards.”

  Vale shot me a sideways glance, and I stifled a smile. “I think it’s Holiday Haven’s year,” my friend chirped.

  “It better be,” the bakery owner barked. “I don’t want to win just the baking category. I want the whole thing. I can’t wait to see Blanche Caulfield’s face when I win it all.”

  “You mean, when the town wins,” I corrected.

  Wren realized her mistake and sniffed in dismissal. “Of course, that’s what I meant.” She picked up the basket. “Lock up when you leave. Be here all the earlier tomorrow.”

  Townsfolk of all ages lined the street all the way down to the main square. Vale and I scarfed down some ho-ho-hot dogs and split a fa-la-la-lafel from a pop-up vendor at the edge of the market. After we satisfied our empty stomachs, we wound our way through the crowd to find the best view possible of where the sleigh would end up in front of the ginormous Christmas tree.

  The chaos of excitement and noise put me on edge. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to be in the thick of things.”

  My friend glanced up at me. “Why?”

  A part of me wanted to tell her the truth about my messed-up magic. But I chose to keep the broken part of me a secret for now. “I don’t like big crowds. They make me nervous.”

  “No problem. I’ve got just the place for us.” Vale took me by the hand and pulled me off to the sidewalk. We slid behind people until she ducked into a doorway, dragging me behind her.

  The darkened atmosphere in the room countered the bright and cheerful day outside. It took a second for my eyes to adjust. Tables and chairs were placed about the room. Dark wooden beams ran across the ceiling. Stools were stacked on top of each other in front of an elaborately carved wooden bar where a tall man that looked like he was in his late forties or early fifties stood, wiping down glasses. Orchestral music floated down from speakers in the ceiling, and I recognized the classic tune of Good King Wenceslas.

  “Now, what would you two fine-looking lasses be doing in here instead of participating in all the festivities?” he asked in a British accent.

  “Afternoon, Clarence. My friend here doesn’t do so well with big crowds,” Vale explained. “I was wondering if we could use the little balcony on your second floor to watch?”

  It dawned on me that we must have entered the Whet Your Wassail pub, and that the man behind the bar must be the vampire proprietor. A little thrill ran through my body at my first meeting with one of his kind.

  As if sensing my mix of fear and excitement, he grinned, flashing his fangs at me. “I’m not one for big gatherings, either. If you don’t mind me accompanying you, I would be happy to host you. It’s upstairs and to your right.”

  Vale led the way, and we climbed out of a window to stand on a narrow metal balcony. From this height, I could see the whole layout of the town square with all of the people milling about in excited anticipation. Not being in the middle of things calmed my nerves, and I didn’t fear any of my usual magical misfirings.

  Clarence climbed out of the window to join us, bringing with him a tray. “I didn’t know what your preferred libation might be, so I brought a little of everything. There’s a cider I have imported from England, a yummy gin and tonic from my own secret stash, and a pint of my home-brewed ale.”

  After Vale took the cider, I chose the pint in order to taste the drink that the elves at Yuletide Yummies seemed to like so much. It took a simple sip to know just how good it was.

  “That’s amazing,” I declared, lifting the glass in the air to toast its maker.

  He grinned in appreciation. “I think so.”

  Vale nudged me with her elbow. “Tell him the name you came up with for it.”

  “You tell him,” I muttered low to her, trying to ignore her insistent pokes.

  My friend huffed. “But you came up with it. Tell him,” she pleaded.

  Clarence finished a sip of his gin and tonic. “Well, now I’m positively intrigued. What name would you bestow on my brew?”

  With it being two against one, I gave in. “Fine, but you’ll probably think it’s silly. I called it Holid-ale.”

  The vampire threw his head back and chortled heartily. “By Jove, that’s not half bad. I think that’s a fine name that the customers will enjoy.”

  “It’s all yours,” I offered.

  A loud cheer from further up the street caught our attention, and we leaned out over the railing to see the source. At the very top of the main street, I spotted a large red object being escorted down the middle of the snowy road. Elves in red-and-green fitted tunics with a giant white SS displayed on the front flanked each side. A giant white and furry being followed close behind.

  “Is that…an abominable snowman?” I asked in absolute awe.

  Vale buzzed with eagerness beside me. “Santa’s sleigh is coming down the street, and all you care about is one security detail Yeti?”

  When I’d agreed to my one year of probation in the North Pole, I had no idea what spectacles and variety of supernatural lives I would be exposed to. And if there were this many wonders here to explore, then maybe the year would go by faster than I thought.

  The noise of the throng rose to such an extreme decibel that I cringed even from my high vantage point. The closer the sleigh came, the more I could detect the details on it. Its wooden frame had a fresh coat of bright red paint. It had gold and green filigree intricate decorations accenting the sides. The black rails of the sleigh slid across the snow, leaving clean tracks behind it.

  “I thought it required reindeer to move,” I shouted at Vale.

  She squealed and waved as the sleigh neared us. “They help guide it in the air and on the landings. But it’s fueled by Christmas spirit, which is why it gets taken to all the different towns that make up the whole North Pole district right before the SSAs. It’s when we’re all at the top of our game.”

  As the revered vehicle got closer, a strange sensation fell over me. Maybe my resentment of my lack of holiday celebrations in the past didn’t matter. Perhaps I could find the joy and happiness of the season right here and now. But that didn’t make sense because I never liked Christmas. What was happening to me?

  I shook my head, trying to clear away the fuzzy fog filling it. Clarence placed a cold hand on the back of my neck, and the world focused into clear view again.

  “It’s the effect of the sleigh. It’ll pass in just a second,” he explained.

  “Thanks,” I uttered, taking a few gulps of the ale to help steady myself.

  The security elves parted the crowd in the town square to give way for the sleigh to reach its final destination in front of the huge tree. The yeti stood right beside the precious object while the elves created a perimeter to keep anyone from getting too close.

  “There will be a few speeches made by the judges of the awards and then they’ll let people get closer. Wanna go down and see it?” Vale asked, leaning over the edge of the railing to see as much as she could.

  “I will need to stay here to man my bar as I hope several of the onlookers will stop in for dinner and drinks tonight,” Clarence said, draining the last of his gin and tonic and finishing with a satisfied sigh.

  “Rory?” my friend glanced up at me, the silent plea in her eyes hitting me right in the feels.

  Against my better judgment, I agreed. We helped bring the empty glasses back downstairs and thanked Clarence for his generosity. For such a short girl, Vale proved her fierceness as she plowed through the chaos of onlookers to get us closer to the front. I feared experiencing the strange effects of the sleigh again, but I didn’t want to disappoint the half elf after everything she’d done for me in such a short amount of time.

  While we stood in a makeshift line to see the sleigh, I heard a familiar voice raised in anger near us. Nudging Vale, I pointed out Wren arguing with another woman.

  “Why don’t you go back to Garland Gale where you belong, Blanche,” the bakery owner sneered, her face turning redder by the second. “We don’t need your negativity here in Holiday Haven.”

  Vale grabbed my arm. “That’s Blanche Caulfield. She’s the head of Garland Gale’s SSA committee. They won for the second time in a row last year. Ms. Wren despises her.”

  Blanche stayed calm despite the verbal attack. She picked up one of the wrapped bags from the basket our boss carried. “Oh, Wren. Do you really think you could bribe the judges with some of your less-than-stellar cookies?” She pulled the end of one of the ribbons and took a long sniff of the opened pack. “And…do I detect a scent of some unusual mixture of herbs? Perhaps something that isn’t in the original recipe?”

  Wren pursed her lips in annoyance. “What I put in my baked goods is my business,” she insisted.

  Vale and I let a few people in front of us so we could continue listening to the conversation.

  “Not if it’s something that might unduly influence the consumer of said goods,” Blanche declared, retrieving a cookie and holding it between her perfectly manicured fingers. Instead of eating it, she crushed it in the palm of her hand and smelled the crumbs. “Just as I suspected. You’ve been shopping at Christmas Thyme for your special ingredients, haven’t you?”

  Our boss knocked the crumbs out of the other woman’s hand. “I don’t need you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. The next time I see you, it’ll be when you’re giving up the overall award for best town to me.” Wren turned on her heels and marched away.

  “I saw her sprinkling something in the batter,” I uttered to Vale as we moved with the line again. “But I didn’t know what it might be.”

  My friend furrowed her brow. “Hmm, maybe I should tell Mama about that. I’m sure the coven wouldn’t take too kindly to Ms. Wren adding anything she shouldn’t into her baked goods.”

  The line moved fast enough to keep me from getting too overwhelmed with all the noise and bustling around us. As we got closer, I noticed the slight pulse of good energy and the unnatural shift to my feelings about the upcoming holiday.

  “I don’t know how long I can endure this,” I said, gritting my teeth.

  Vale wrapped her arm around my waist. “If you’ll take a quick picture with me and the sleigh, then I promise to take you somewhere I’ll bet you’ll enjoy.”

  I raised one eyebrow at her. “Where?”

  “Mm-mm,” she denied me. “Not until you guarantee that you’ll be in the pic.”

  I considered turning her down and making a quick run for it, but I just couldn’t disappoint her. “Fine,” I grunted.

  “Yay!” she squealed. “I’m gonna get a selfie with my new best friend and Santa’s sleigh!”

  Her sheer joy was better than any magical spirit the sleigh could give off. “Don’t you mean you’re gonna get an elfie?” I joked.

  “Now you’re getting in the spirit of things,” Vale complimented. “And that has definitely earned you a break!”

  Chapter Four

  Instead of walking down the length of the street with all of the people still milling about, Vale took us around the back of the stores, telling me what each one was as we passed by their back doors. She turned down an alleyway until we got to a nondescript metal door with no doorknob or handle.

  “Now, the front of this building is Pine & Dandy’s, which is a wood arts store. But the owner, Amos, went through some things a few years ago and hasn’t been as regular about keeping the store open,” she explained. “So, those of us who want to go here have learned to use the side entrance.”

  I didn’t understand why my friend thought I’d enjoy shopping for things made out of wood, but I stayed quiet so as not to ruin her fun.

  “There are two ways to get in. One is to figure out the secret password. Once spoken, the door will open. Let’s try this one.” She cleared her throat and spoke a little louder. “Hocus-pocus.”

  With anticipation, I waited for the door to unlatch or swing open. Nothing happened. “I guess that one’s expired. How do you figure out the correct password?”

  My friend stood back and tapped her mouth while thinking. “It’s usually something that gets passed along to regulars. I haven’t been here in a long while, so I’m not sure what they changed it to.”

  “Then what’s the other way to get in?” I asked.

  Vale ran her hand over the metal until she found the right spot. “Reveal,” she said in a low voice. The metal surface shimmered, and a keyhole presented itself. “See?”

  It seemed like a trick straight out of the movies about young witches and wizards I’d snuck into when I was growing up. “That’s cool. Then all we need is the key to get in.”

  My friend winced. “Yeah, the problem is since I wasn’t planning on coming here, I didn’t bring it with me. I guess we’ll have to wait for another time.”

  I wiggled my fingers at her. “Ah, maybe not. Finally, something I’m actually good at.”

  Placing my hand over the keyhole, I concentrated the little magic I could control. I visualized in my head the ice growing from my palm and extending into the slot. Based on the little training I received from a not-so-reputable witch who figured out I could be useful to him, I waited for the ice to form into the correct notches, ridges, and teeth to fit the mechanism.

  “There, I think that should do it.” I lifted my hand away to reveal the head of my ice device.

  Vale leaned closer. “Whoa. Did you just make a key out of ice? That’s a nifty little trick.”

  Shrugging my shoulders, I figured she didn’t need reminding of exactly what other more nefarious uses my particular magic could do. Or why I was here in Holiday Haven in the first place.

  “Let’s see if it works.” Trying to play it cool, I ignored my beating heart as I gripped the created key. I blew out a breath to calm myself and placed pressure on it to turn.

  The lock turned without resistance until it clicked once, and the door jarred open. A little thrill over my success buzzed through me.

  “That’s so cool,” Vale exclaimed as she pushed her way inside. Remind me to call you if I ever forget my keys.”

  I took the key out of the hole and held it in my right hand. After we entered and shut the door behind us, low lights flickered on in the darkened hallway. We walked down the short corridor towards the brighter light and noise coming from a much larger room.

  I didn’t know what to expect, so when I entered the large space, I stood in awe as I looked around. Not one red or green decoration in sight. Nary a string of lights or the glitter of tinsel winked at me. The minimal warehouse-feel of the room felt both foreign and familiar at the same time.

  “Okay, what is this place?” I asked my friend.

  Vale smiled up at me. “Welcome to The Break Room. Holiday Haven’s secret sanctuary for those who aren’t feeling in such a jolly mood.”

  “Hey, I resemble that remark,” Wyatt growled as he approached us from behind the bar. “I’m glad you took me up on my invitation to come see us, Vale. I figured you’d be out partying with all the rest.” He turned his attention to me. “And I’m glad you brought your friend with you. Hey, Rory.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “I told you, only my friends call me that. And I don’t have that many in the first place.”

  “Well then, welcome, Aurora,” he corrected himself with a sly twinkle in his gaze. “That’s a beautiful name anyway. It kind of fits.”

  I grimaced. “Do all the girls fall at your feet when you use corny lines like that?”

  The hot guy grinned. “I never say what isn’t true. And I meant that your name fits with you living here in the area of the North Pole. Where we have the Aurora Borealis?” He pointed at the ceiling.

  I looked up at the industrial-like ceiling with pipes running across it and metal lamps hanging down. “I don’t get it.”

  “The Northern Lights,” Vale explained. “You know, the cool colored lights that appear in the night sky?”

  A little embarrassed, I shook my head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen them.”

  “Now, that’s something we’re going to have to rectify soon,” Wyatt exclaimed. “You can’t live here and not experience their wonder. Plus, all of the area is fueled by the energy of the auroras. They’re a clean source of power.”

  My short friend punched the big guy in the arm. “You just like to burn it all up in your converted snowmobile.”

  Wyatt ruffled her hair. “What can I say? I like the wind ruffling through my hair at high speed.” He tilted his head at me. “Any chance you’d like to go for a ride with me sometime?”

  The word “Yes” wanted to leap out of my mouth, but I swallowed it down. “Maybe,” I said, offering a sliver of hope. “I’ll consider it if you ever earn the right to call me Rory.”

  He grabbed my hand and held it in his. “I like a challenge.” His brow wrinkled. “What’s in your palm?”

  “Oh.” I’d forgotten the key. “It’s how we got in.” With a flourish, I revealed the remnants of my magic.

  He tried to take the key from me, but I snatched it away from him and switched it into my other hand. Risking a little fire magic into my palm, the instrument of ice melted into a small puddle and then evaporated into a puff of steam. With a smug smile, I waved the empty hand at him.

  “Impressive.” Wyatt nodded, his green eyes flashing with admiration. “There was a time in my life where I would have found that talent very useful.”

  “But not now?” I pressed.

 

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