\u201cLucia?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n His deep voice hung on the still air, a dissonance vibrating through the silent rooms of the cottage as he pushed open a door that should have been locked and wasn\u2019t. Fear iced his heart as he stepped inside; the air in the little house was cold, as cold as outside, where snowflakes tucked another layer of white around the neatly-trimmed hedges in the dark Arctic night. It almost looked like New England, not the North Pole.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLucia?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t there; he knew that subconsciously, even as he searched the empty rooms by the glow of a single magelight, looking for any clue to where the owner of the house had vanished to. Each room lay exactly as he remembered from the last time he\u2019d been there, as if Lucia had simply walked out the door to run errands or visit a friend. But he knew she hadn\u2019t. It had been six long months since they\u2019d seen each other\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Raphael remembered the last message he\u2019d received from her, just weeks before. Her voice played in his head, excited, but with an underlying worry that left a rotten taste in his mouth, even now. \u201cI\u2019ve a lovely surprise for you. I can\u2019t wait to see your face when I share it.\u201d And now, she was gone. With no word.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Dust lay in a thin shroud over all the furniture; the water in the sink had shards of ice covering the abandoned dishes. No one had been here in days, it seemed\u2026and that boded ill for the missing Earth Lord he\u2019d come to see, even now.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Especially now.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n He half-expected to hear her low voice laugh from behind him at any moment, admonishing him for his fears. \u201cIt\u2019s Christmas, Raphael,\u201d she would say, slipping her slim arms around his waist and laying her soft cheek against his back. \u201cThe Solstice Covenant protects us all \u2013 even were they to discover you here, the Council could do nothing to you. No Elemental Lord would dare break that law.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But you\u2019re gone,<\/em> Raphael thought, standing by the frozen sink and looking out the kitchen window. And while there are no signs of a struggle, there\u2019s no note either. No reason. Just absence. And that\u2019s not right.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For ten days surrounding the Summer and Winter Solstices, the Walls thinned, and Raphael and Lucia were able to spend time together, politics forgotten as they lay entwined in each other, usually in her bed. She would never have left without telling him, not now. But where is she?<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n He walked through the cottage again, hoping he\u2019d missed something. Laying a hand on her soft flannel sheets, he shivered as the ghost of her magic whispered along his veins, the barest memory of the gentle Earth Lord held in the threads. Who would have taken her, in defiance of the Covenant? Who would want to harm her? As far as he knew, Lucia had no enemies\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And then Raphael stiffened as another thought struck him. Maybe it wasn\u2019t Lucia they were really after\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The window over her bed looked out over a frozen winter wonderland; if not for the snowflakes falling gently from a grey sky, he\u2019d be able to se the faint shimmer of the magical shield that protected the valley to the south of the little cottage. Another Earth Lord lived there, but it was his wife to whom Raphael\u2019s thoughts turned. Julietta Kringle had plenty of enemies, garnered through a long life of protecting her husband and the Spirit of the Balance they served, but to get her, they\u2019d have to lure her from the valley. And it was well-known that Lucia was friends with the Kringles\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019re overreacting, <\/em>he told himself. Maybe she\u2019s gone to visit them and forgot to tell you?<\/em> It was unlikely, but possible. Unfortunately, he couldn\u2019t just waltz into Winterfjord and ask \u2013 Julietta had the habit of shooting Chaos Lords first and asking them questions later, and Raphael wasn\u2019t about to trust the Solstice Covenant to stop her. And it would be very, very difficult to search for Lucia if I were dead\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But I do know someone who can ask them.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n He closed the front door but didn\u2019t lock it, not wanting to change anything from what he\u2019d found, then hurried down through the snow in the front yard, already reaching through the thin Walls for the Power to bring him back to his own land. I only hope Jack hasn\u2019t vanished too\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Behind him, the cottage turned empty eyes to watch his footprints stop in mid-step as he walked through the Walls and into the mist.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Distance in the World between the Walls was deceiving \u2013 it took only moments for him to walk from Lucia\u2019s cottage to the huge, glowering castle perched high on its icy ocean cliff, despite the many miles between them on Earth. Raphael wondered again why Jack needed such a large place to live when he had no servants and no mistress. Then he shook his head \u2013 the bigger question was why Jack was able to live on Earth, when he was as much a Chaos Lord as Raphael himself. Does it matter?<\/em> Raphael asked himself, stepping back through the Walls into the snow- covered courtyard without breaking stride, heading for the entrance. Jack Frost has always lived here, and most likely always will. Despite how many people he pisses off by doing so, in defiance of every law of magic known.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The door was locked, as always. Jack liked his privacy. Raphael banged on the large oak door with his fist, taking his anxiety out on the wood.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDammit, Jack, where are you?\u201d he muttered when there was no answer, and raised his fist to pound on the door again. The force of the blows rattled the door in its frame and the booms echoed in the courtyard, the only sound other than the hush of falling snow and the crash of the waves below. \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRight behind you,\u201d said a dry voice, and Raphael jumped. He scowled as he turned to see the other Chaos Lord standing in the outer doorway into the courtyard, half-lit by the golden magelight torches scattered on the walls, arms crossed over the front of his Fair Isle sweater and an inquiring frown on his handsome face. \u201cMind explaining why you\u2019re trying to break down my door, Raphael?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A dozen different replies flitted across his mind, but only one found its way to his tongue. \u201cLucia\u2019s missing,\u201d he said, and Jack\u2019s frown deepened as he stepped into the light. \u201cThere\u2019s dust in her cottage, and the front door was unlocked. And\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d Jack prompted him when he faltered.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no magic there,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cNone. As if her very essence had been sucked away.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n They stood looking at one another for a long moment, and the shadows in Jack\u2019s hazel eyes grew as he pondered Raphael\u2019s words. \u201cYou\u2019re sure she didn\u2019t just go to visit someone for a few days? Winterfjord, for instance?\u201d Jack said finally, and Raphael shook his head.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe wouldn\u2019t. You know how limited our time together is.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d Jack pushed by him to unlock the door. \u201cPositive?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot without walking into Winterfjord to check, no, but I value my skin too much to do that,\u201d Raphael retorted, following him down the hall into the castle. \u201cSolstice Covenant or no.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jack shot him a darkly-amused glance over his shoulder as they entered his study. \u201cAfraid of Julietta\u2019s prejudices?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHell yes,\u201d Raphael said, shaking his head when Jack offered him a drink from the crystal decanter on the sideboard. \u201cI know what her opinions of Chaos Lords are. Besides, I\u2019ve no reason,\u201d and he couldn\u2019t keep the bitterness from coating the word with venom, \u201cto be asking about an Earth Lord. I\u2019m a filthy Chaos Lord, remember?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jack chuckled mirthlessly and saluted him with the glass of whiskey he\u2019d poured for himself. \u201cWell, from one filthy Chaos Lord to another. What do you want me to do?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAsk Julietta and Kris if they\u2019ve seen her? If they know what happened? You\u2019re part of the ritual \u2013 they\u2019ll talk to you. And you have a valid reason to know\u2026if Lucia is gone, this close to Christmas\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen the circle is incomplete, and the ritual will fail,\u201d Jack said, setting down his now empty glass. \u201cYes, that\u2019s a valid reason. And I was actually going to go over to Lucia\u2019s later today\u2026to ask her about the ritual, idiot,\u201d he said, when Raphael\u2019s face darkened. \u201cDon\u2019t be an ass. She\u2019s like a little sister to me, and I needed to make sure she had everything together for her part, and she hadn\u2019t returned my phone call yet. So if she\u2019s gone\u2026\u201d He didn\u2019t finish the sentence, but walked over to the desk, picked up the phone and dialed a number.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Raphael waited impatiently.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHi, Paul, it\u2019s Jack. Is Kris there?\u201d Jack\u2019s voice was pleasantly innocuous, and Raphael could hear the faint bass rumble of the Kringles\u2019 butler over the line. \u201cYes, I\u2019ll hold.\u201d He picked up a pen in his other hand and shifted the phone to his shoulder as he looked for a notepad in one of the desk\u2019s drawers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The silence stretched on, an agony for Raphael, who could only watch as Jack pulled out a notepad and laid it on the top of the desk. \u201cHi, Kris? Jack. Sorry to bother you, but I\u2019m looking for Lucia, and her cottage was empty. I didn\u2019t know if she was down there, and I\u2019d rather not antagonize your lady by showing up unannounced.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Kris\u2019 reply was inaudible to Raphael, but he knew it wasn\u2019t good news by the way Jack sighed. \u201cOkay, thanks. Any idea on who else might know where she is? It\u2019s only the 16th<\/sup>, but if she\u2019s not back by Christmas Eve\u2026\u201d He paused, listening. \u201cDamn. Well, it\u2019s worth a shot. Let me know if you hear from her, okay? Thanks. See you in a few days.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n He hung up and turned to Raphael. \u201cYou\u2019re sure she wasn\u2019t just gone for a day or so?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe house was cold, Jack.\u201d Raphael\u2019s mouth thinned. \u201cThere was ice in the sink. What\u2019s more, there were dirty dishes in the sink, and we both know Lucia would NEVER leave her house like that. Someone has taken her. In violation of the Covenant.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only a violation if she\u2019s dead, and if they killed her by magic,\u201d Jack said, and Raphael\u2019s teeth clenched. \u201cAnd if she\u2019d died, we would all know by now. The Spirits do not tolerate that kind of behavior. We\u2019ll find her. And if we can\u2019t, I\u2019ll call Shanna.\u201d Jack crossed the room and clasped Raphael\u2019s arm. \u201cI promise you, Raphael. We will find her.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But will we be in time?<\/em> Raphael tried to squash that thought as soon as it entered his mind. Of course they would find her. It was Christmas, after all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And Lords weren\u2019t allowed to die around Christmas. He only hoped that whomever had taken his Lucia remembered that rule.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n **<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The phone rang just as Nikki Jeffries came in the kitchen door, her arms piled high with shopping bags. She dropped the entire mess on the island, stripped off her gloves and dug her cell phone out of her pocket, frowning at the number that flashed insistently at her. \u201cDamn, what now?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n She flipped open the phone. \u201cPlease tell me I don\u2019t have to kill someone this week for you. It\u2019s Christmas!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I don\u2019t call just to have you kill someone,\u201d came the swift retort.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t?\u201d Nikki tried to recall the last time the StarChild had called to just talk. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cReally,\u201d Shanna Greystone said firmly. \u201cBesides, it IS Christmas, and you\u2019re bound by the Solstice Covenant just as much as anyone else, Horseman.\u201d There was a subtle rebuke in her rich voice, but Nikki ignored it. \u201cI do have a job for you, though.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI knew it,\u201d Nikki said, but there was no rancor in her tone, just resignation. \u201cWho\u2019s done what now?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMissing Earth Lord,\u201d Shanna said, sighing. \u201cI need you to find her before Christmas Eve, with a minimum of bloodshed and angst, and no breaking the Covenant. If you do, even I won\u2019t be able to protect you from the consequences.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n That made Nikki pause for a moment. \u201cWhy me?\u201d she asked. \u201cIf you need someone subtle, wouldn\u2019t Justin be better suited?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou need to learn subtlety, Nikki,\u201d Shanna said. \u201cYou may be the Horseman Death, but that doesn\u2019t mean you have to ram that down everyone\u2019s throat when you deal with them. Consider this your latest homework assignment. Besides, if you can\u2019t find her by Christmas Eve, you\u2019ll be able to take her place in the ritual, and then you can keep looking for her.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGreat.\u201d Nikki couldn\u2019t argue with Shanna\u2019s logic \u2013 her ability to use all three major spheres of magic had come in handy often enough. \u201cWhere am I going now? Someplace warm maybe?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSorry.\u201d Shanna didn\u2019t sound sorry at all. \u201cBut that reminds me \u2013 you\u2019ll want to pack warmly. You\u2019re heading to the North Pole.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe North Pole,\u201d Nikki repeated, wondering if she\u2019d heard the StarChild right. \u201cSeriously?\u201d We have Earth Lords in the North Pole?<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWho am I looking for, Santa Claus?\u201d Nikki joked, running her fingers along the edge of the island. This is too bizarre,<\/em> she thought. What am I going to do at the North Pole?<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Shanna\u2019s tone, deathly serious, seemed all the more ridiculous considering her next words. \u201cNo, thank the Light. If Kris was missing, I\u2019d be sending you out with no restrictions and the Covenant be damned. Luckily, his wife keeps a good eye on him.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was kidding,\u201d Nikki said. I can\u2019t believe we\u2019re having this conversation.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t,\u201d Shanna said bluntly.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Nikki blinked. \u201cShanna, Kris Kringle is a myth. Everyone knows that.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEveryone thinks the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are myths too, and that hasn\u2019t stopped you breathing yet, has it?\u201d Shanna\u2019s voice was dry and Nikki flushed. \u201cTrust me, Kris Kringle not only exists, he\u2019s alive and well and one of the most important Elemental Lords you\u2019ll probably ever have the privilege to meet. What\u2019s more, he\u2019s going to be your first contact when you get there. He knows Lucia, and knows everyone else up there. Trust him. He and Julietta are probably the only ones I don\u2019t suspect right now.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJulietta?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Kringle,\u201d Shanna said. \u201cAny questions?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re seriously sending me to the North Pole to help Kris Kringle find a missing Earth Lord named Lucia two days before Christmas,\u201d Nikki said. It wasn\u2019t a question.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIs there a problem with that?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The slight edge in Shanna\u2019s voice reminded Nikki that she was talking to the one person who could destroy her without blinking an eye, should she so chose. Pissing off the StarChild is not a good way to start the day\u2026watch it, Jeffries. Just because she\u2019s been nice before doesn\u2019t mean you get a free ride for your mouth. She\u2019s the boss, after all.<\/em> \u201cNope,\u201d she said out loud, before the silence stretched too long. \u201cJust making sure I heard you correctly. I assume I should head out as soon as I\u2019m packed?\u201d And the groceries are put away,<\/em> she added silently, looking at the bags piled on the island behind her.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes. And Nikki?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne more bit of advice.\u201d Shanna paused, making Nikki wonder just exactly what was going on in the redhead\u2019s mind, and how much more there was that Shanna wasn\u2019t telling her. \u201cDon\u2019t believe everything everyone tells you, and remember the season.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t break the Covenant,\u201d Nikki said, wondering why Shanna felt she had to belabor the point. Her ever-helpful mind dredged up several images of buildings disintegrating and bodies falling over and she sighed. \u201cI promise.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant,\u201d Shanna said. \u201cRemember the season.\u201d And with that enigmatic statement, the StarChild hung up.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Nikki stood in the bright kitchen, looking at her cell phone and frowning. Remember the season? What was Shanna referring to? I give up,<\/em> she thought, slipping the phone into the pocket of her jeans and tackling the groceries. Once the food was put away, Nikki ran upstairs to her rooms and pulled a pair of large black leather saddlebags from her closet.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As always, the sight of the bags sent a shiver down her spine \u2013 the supple leather held the odor of horseflesh and time, an ancient incense of blood and ritual. They had shown up attached to the saddle of the great black horse Cerberus on the night she\u2019d discovered just what she really was.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A myth,<\/em> she thought slowly now, running her fingers over the worn leather. One myth, going to help another myth find an Elemental Lord named after a Catholic saint. Of course, with my luck, she IS the Catholic saint.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Creative](\"http:\/\/i.creativecommons.org\/l\/by-nc-nd\/3.0\/us\/80x15.png\")
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\nThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License<\/a>.<\/p>\n