Page 49 of Kraved By Krampus

What the hell?

“The objects are agitated.” Mrs. Redmond’s voice stays calm, but her hands twist her cardigan buttons. “They only do this when—”

Another crash, louder this time. The screaming intensifies.

“We need to see what’s happening.” I head for the door, but Theo catches my arm.

“Miss Goodheart, please. If Victoria is involved—”

“Then we need to know what she’s up to.” I pull free, ignoring how the silver letter opener vibrates on the counter behind me. “I’m tired of hiding from her.”

Mrs. Redmond straightens her glasses. “She’s right, Theodore. We can’t protect her by keeping her in the dark.”

The antiques shift again, creating a clear path to the door. As I reach for the handle, the bell above rings that deep, resonant tone again. This time, it feels like a warning.

I push through the gathering crowd, Mrs. Redmond close behind me. My heart stops at the sight before me.

Victoria stands in the town square, but she’s transformed. Gone is her pristine white suit and perfect silver bob. Light radiates from her skin, almost too bright to look at. Her hair floats around her head like a living halo, and her eyes shine with an unnatural golden gleam.

But it’s what she’s doing that makes my blood run cold.

A group of children—I recognize them from my walks through town—hover several feet off the ground, trapped in spheres of pure light. Their faces press against their magical prisons, eyes wide with terror. These are Krampus’s students, the ones he’s been protecting.

“You see?” Victoria’s voice rings out, melodic and terrible. “This is what your precious Krampus has been hiding. Children he’s corrupted with dark magic.”

No. No, that’s not right.I’ve seen these kids practicing their magic. They weren’t corrupted—they were learning to control their gifts.

One of the youngest girls sobs, her tiny fists beating against her glowing cage. “We didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Silence.” Victoria flicks her wrist, and the sphere constricts. The girl whimpers.

“Stop it!” I step forward, my hands shaking. “They’re just children.”

Victoria turns that golden gaze on me. “Noelle, dear. I’m doing this for you. For all of us. Dark magic must be purged before it takes root.”

“By terrorizing children?” Mrs. Redmond’s voice cuts through the square. “That’s not the way of light, Victoria. You’ve strayed far from your court’s teachings.”

Victoria laughs, the sound like breaking crystal. “These aren’t children. They’re vessels of corruption. Krampus has been gathering them, tainting them with his shadows.” She raises her hands, and the spheres pulse brighter. “I’m going to cleanse them.”

The children scream.

My chest burns with fury. This isn’t about protecting anyone. This is about control, about Victoria’s hatred of anything that doesn’t fit her narrow view of what magic should be.

I feel something stirring inside me, like ice cracking in spring. Power rises, different from what I felt with Krampus, but just as strong. It feels like moonlight on snow, like the quiet moment before dawn.

“Let them go.” My voice doesn’t shake anymore.

Victoria’s eyes narrow. “You don’t give orders here, dear. You’re just a human who got too close to the dark.”

The power builds. My fingertips tingle.

“I said,” frost creeps across the cobblestones from where I stand, “let them go.”

Magic surges through my veins like liquid starlight. The glowing frost spreads further, creating delicate patterns across the cobblestones. My hands move of their own accord, tracing symbols in the air—symbols I somehow know by heart.

Words flow through my mind, ancient and powerful.I need to write them down.The compulsion is overwhelming.

My mother’s fountain pen materializes in my hand, its silver surface gleaming with an inner light. When did I...? But there’s no time to question it. The words pour out of me onto the frost-covered ground, each letter blazing with blue fire as it forms.

---