Page 48 of Kraved By Krampus

I burst onto the snowy sidewalk, gulping in the crisp winter air. My heart pounds against my ribs as I speed-walk away from the café, not daring to look back. The sound of my boots crunching through fresh snow grounds me in reality.

What just happened in there?My thoughts whirl like snowflakes in a storm. The way Victoria appeared, her perfectly crafted words, that unnatural gleam in her jewelry... None of it adds up.

A gust of wind whips around me, carrying snowflakes that seem to dance with purpose. They swirl in front of my face, forming patterns that remind me of the protective symbols I’ve seen in Krampus’s books.

Krampus.My chest aches at the thought of him.I pushed him away, and now...

My pace quickens as I head toward the library. If anyone can help me make sense of this, it’s Mrs. Redmond. Something tells me she knows exactly what Victoria really is—and why she’s here.

Chapter twenty-three

Clara

Something’s not right with Victoria.

The thought nags at me as I hurry through the snowy streets toward the library. My boots crunch against fresh powder, leaving a trail of determined footprints behind me.

Mrs. Redmond looks up from her desk as I burst through the doors, her silver-rimmed glasses catching the warm lamplight. “Child, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Worse. Victoria.” I lean against her desk, catching my breath. “She’s here in Winterhaven, but that shouldn’t be possible, right? And the way she talked about Krampus and the children...” My hands flutter as I try to organize my thoughts. “She kept pushing this idea that he’s evil, that he’s hurting them. But I’ve seen him with those kids. That’s not—”

Mrs. Redmond’s expression sharpens. She sets down her pen with deliberate care. “Tell me exactly what she said.”

I relay our conversation at the café, pacing between the towering shelves as the words pour out. The books around us seem to lean in, listening.

“And there’s something else.” I stop, turning back to face her. “When she saw Krampus at the cabin, she wasn’t nearly scared enough. Everyone else who’s seen his true form...”Including me, at first.

“Indeed.” Mrs. Redmond rises from her desk, her cardigan buttons gleaming with an inner light I had noticed before. “I believe we need to pay Theo a visit.”

“Theo? At the antique shop?”

“That man’s collection isn’t just old trinkets. He has ways of... identifying certain things.” She retrieves her coat from the rack, which obligingly bends down to meet her hand. “If your publisher isn’t what she seems, he’ll know.”

My stomach twists with equal parts dread and anticipation. “You think she might be something else entirely?”

“In my experience, when things don’t add up, it’s usually because someone’s changing the equation.” She pauses at the door, fixing me with that librarian stare that seems to read straight through to my soul. “The question is: why would someone want to drive a wedge between you and Krampus?”

The memory of his hurt expression when I denied him floods back, making my chest ache.I have to fix this. But first, I need to understand what we’re really dealing with.

“Let’s go see Theo.”

The bell above Frost’s Holiday Antiques chimes as we enter, but it’s not the cheerful tinkle I expected. Instead, it resonates deep in my chest, like the toll of an ancient church bell. The sound makes me shiver, though the shop is surprisingly warm.

How does anyone find anything in here?Every surface is crowded with curiosities. Delicate music boxes share shelf space with tarnished silver candlesticks. Porcelain dolls with unnervingly knowing expressions watch from behind glass cases. The air smells of old books, furniture polish, and something else—something that reminds me of Krampus’s magic.

“Ah, Mrs. Redmond.” Theo emerges from behind a towering grandfather clock that seems to be ticking backward. He’s exactly what I’d expect from an antique shop owner, down to his tweed suit and actual monocle. But there’s something about that monocle—the way it catches the light differently as he looks around the shop.

I fidget with my sleeve while Mrs. Redmond explains our concerns about Victoria. My fingers brush against an ornate silver letter opener, and it feels warm to the touch.Strange.

“Most concerning.” Theo adjusts his monocle, studying me with an intensity that makes me want to check if I have ink on my face.

His monocle glints as he leans forward. “Victoria’s presence in Winterhaven is troubling. The wards should have—”

A crash outside cuts through our conversation, followed by screaming. I rush to the window, pressing my hands against the frosted glass. Through the swirling patterns, I spot a crowd gathering near the town square.

“Oh, dear.” Mrs. Redmond’s reflection appears beside mine, her usually perfect French twist coming slightly undone.

“Stay here.” Theo moves toward the door, but his antiques seem to have other ideas. Display cases slide across the floor,blocking his path. The backward-ticking grandfather clock chimes out of sequence.

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