Page 87 of North Bound

Nick laughs to himself, desperately trying to get his body to cooperate, but holding himself upright is hard enough work, without trying to fight back. ‘So that’s it. Fucking clichéd isn’t it?’

‘What is?’

‘Bad guy wanting all the power. You couldn’t have come up with something more original? I’m insulted.’

Reve slaps Nick, jerking his head to the side.

‘And then you bitch slap me? C’mon, Reve! Make this exciting. You’re boring me right now.’

‘You honestly don’t comprehend what’s going on.’

Nick tests the chains, but he’s locked good and tight. ‘I’m not an idiot, Reve. I comprehend exactly what’s going on. You don’t think being the Sandman is good enough for you. Compared to everyone else, you what? Give people dreams? I’m guessing you believe I’m the most powerful of the legends, which I probably am for one fucking day a year. So you’re going to kill me and drain my power. Then what? You want to be Santa and the Sandman? Bit greedy Reve.’

Reve jams the tip of the sword against Nick’s neck, forcing his chin up. ‘You have no idea what I can do. Who do you think messed with your head the day of the crash?’

Nick swallows as the metal digs into this neck. ‘You? You can mess with memories?’

Reve nods. ‘Yes, Nick. I rigged the sleigh so it would crash. I was following your tracker so I reached you seconds after the impact. The plan was that you would die in the crash, your power would be up for grabs, and I’d take it. But, not only were you not dead, you were beginning to come around. You saw me.’

‘I did?’

‘Oh yeah. I won’t repeat what you said to me, but needless to say, you put two and two together. So I made sure you wouldn’t remember anything. Meddled around in your memories, which knocked you out. I might have pushed a little too hard but I’m still getting to grips with what I can really do.

‘I removed your tracker so you wouldn’t be found for a while. Sent the rest of the team into panic mode when you went missing. I had planned on killing you, but one of your filthy reindeer attacked me. By the time I slit her throat and moved her into the woods, that bitch Scarlett had saved your ass. I was going to kill her and take you, but someone else was watching. I could feel Krampus nearby. There’s no way I could have taken him down, so I had no choice but to leave you.’

Nick groans as Reve shoves his own sword into his side, driving the blade through his flesh, pinning him to the tree. ‘This won’t kill you...yet. Once your magic is drained, then you’ll die, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.’

Nick looks down, watching the blood ooze from his body, pooling on the ground. ‘Where’s Scarlett?’

Reve crouches down in front of Nick, running his fingers through the blood surrounding the sword. ‘That’s the funny part. I have no idea.’

‘What?’

‘I tried to take her, but Krampus got to her first. I wasn’t lying about that. The brute appeared out of nowhere and saved her. Bad timing as usual. No matter.’ He straightens and grips the sword, tearing it from Nick’s body. ‘I’d imagine he’s eaten her by now, or whatever he does. I couldn’t really give a damn. She was a means to an end. Your end.’

Reve examines the blood trickling down Nicks leg. His frown grows. He holds the sword out in front of him, examining the blade.

‘You honestly don’t comprehend what’s going on,’ Nick says, repeating the exact phrase Reve threw at him.

‘What did you do?’

‘Like I said, I’m not an idiot. I knew it had to be someone from the team who tried to kill me. Then when you woke me after the run, you released some of the memories you hid from me. Your face was still hidden from me, but you were familiar. It just confirmed one of my team wanted me out of the way.’

‘What did you do?’ Reve asks again.

‘That’s not my sword.’

Reve looks down at the sword in his hand. ‘How did you know?’

‘Eve did some research while I was briefing you on the plan to come here. She found out about my sword, and hid the real sword. That’s a replica.’

Reve looks at him then screams and rushes him. Nick grips the chains and lifts his legs off the ground, kicking the sword aside before he’s stuck with it again.

‘Kane!’

Reve pauses when Nick calls out, then makes a run for it, disappearing into the trees. Nick waits, depending on the chains to support him more than he’d like to admit. The wound on his side hurts like a motherfucker, but at least his magic is still intact. In the distance, he can hear the battle with his team and the Púca still raging.

‘Kane!’ It’s only been a few seconds since he called out last, but waiting has never been one of his qualities. Kane stalks out of the forest, dragging an unconscious Reve behind him. ‘What the fuck took you so long?’

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