Page 33 of Kraved By Krampus

I wait, counting Krampus’s footsteps as they fade toward his study.

The urge to peek beyond these walls tugs at me. Those ethereal notes drift through my mind once more.

I barely register leaving my seat and moving across the room until I touch the cool metal handle, but it won’t budge. I jiggle it harder.

“Come on, Magnus.” The door remains stubbornly locked. “I know you’re trying to protect me, but I need to check something.”

The cabin creaks in protest. A warm draft pushes against my face, trying to guide me back to my chair.

Since when do I let buildings tell me what to do?

Something stirs inside me, a spark of defiance that feels both foreign and familiar. Heat radiates from my palm into the doorknob. The metal grows warm beneath my touch, and for a moment, golden symbols flash across the wood grain.

The lock clicks open.

Did I do that?

Magnus shudders under me, but the door swings outward. The winter air rushes in, carrying that haunting melody. It twines around me like silk ribbons, tugging me forward.

Just a few steps. Just to see what’s making that sound.

I slip outside, pulling my sweater tight. The porch boards should creak beneath my feet, but they remain silent. Even the wind chimes hang still despite the breeze.

The music grows stronger, more insistent. Ethereal notes dance through the trees, beckoning me into the darkness beyond the cabin’s warm light.

This is probably a terrible idea.

I take another step forward.

The melody wraps around me like a lover’s caress, each note promising answers.He’s hiding so much from you. About the children, about your writing, about everything.

Moonlight filters through bare branches, casting strange shadows across the snow. My feet move of their own accord, carrying me across the yard and towards the wood. The music grows stronger with each step, filling my head with whispered promises.

Just a little further. All the secrets will be revealed.

Magnus’s warm glow fades behind me. The rational part of my brain screams to turn back, but the song drowns out everything else. Silver mist curls around my ankles, oddly warm against my skin.

Krampus should have trusted you. Should have told you the truth.

A shadow flickers between the trees—too fluid to be natural, too dark against the snow. The melody shifts, becoming something ancient and hungry. My heart pounds, but I can’t stop moving forward.

This is wrong. I need to go back. I try to turn, but my body won’t respond. The mist thickens, rising to my waist. Something cold and solid wraps around my arms, yanking me forward. I open my mouth to scream, but no sound emerges.

Fog engulfs me. The creature’s grip is like iron, its touch burning through my clothes. I thrash against its hold, but it only tightens its grasp. The melody morphs into discordant laughter that echoes inside my skull.

My magic flares in response, golden light pulsing beneath my skin, but the fog simply swallows it.Krampus!My mind screams his name, but the creature’s power seems to muffle even my thoughts.

The forest whirls past as the creature hauls me further into the forest. I’m lifted off my feet, watching my final foggy view of the cabin vanish among the branches.

Chapter seventeen

Krampus

Asudden emptiness hits me like a physical blow. The protective web of magic I maintain around Magnus flickers, creating a disorienting sensation of disconnect. Something is wrong. Very wrong.

I drop the ancient tome I’d been consulting, not caring as it thuds against my desk. The wards... they’re still active, but distorted. As if someone with considerable power pushed through them.

Impossible. The only other person here is...

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