Page 13 of Return of the Nutcracker Prince

“Things have always run differently in the Land of the Animals.They have no natural magic, which is why the ones that gained it had to use… underhanded means.”

“That sounds terrifying.”She shrank back against his chest.

Klaus transferred the reins to one hand and wrapped an arm around Clara to comfort her.“That’s why we need you.You were the only one to weaken him, and he stayed gone for years.But he’s back and my parents don’t seem to realize…” He hesitated to tell her.

“Realize what?”

“That it was you that defeated him and not me.They didn’t believe me when I was younger about your shoe being the key thing that turned the tide.”

She watched his face, silent.“No one believed you?”

He shook his head, unwilling to explain how his parents insisted a Waking couldn’t have magic.Eventually, he’d stopped trying to convince them otherwise.

Her lashes kissed her cheekbones.“No one believed me either.”

Averting his eyes, Klaus realized the quiet of the cinnamon woods was giving way to the clanging sound of pickaxes.Ah, the perfect distraction.

He urged Pepper into a trot, guiding him towards the mines.Clara looked around, then back at him.“What is this place?”

“The chocolate mines.”

Her eyes bugged out.“Chocolate mines?”

“Yes, don’t they have that in your world?”

“In my world, chocolate doesn’t come from a mine.”

The foreman, a stout dwarf with a ginger beard, hailed him from the entrance where miners were bringing rough chunks of chocolate out on carts and wheeling it away.“Greetings, My Prince.Come for a quality check?”The elder dwarf winked.

“If you please, Mr.Berg.A taste for each of us?”Klaus had come here often in his youth and counted the foreman as a friend.

Mr.Berg broke off two pieces of the next cart to come out of the mine and handed them up.Clara’s eyes were wide.She took the smaller of the two and bit into it.“This is amazing.”

“The dwarven miners have a good eye.”Klaus popped his entire piece into his mouth and let the sweetness melt on his tongue.This one was strong, and a touch bitter, but still delicious.

“We hit a dark chocolate vein yesterday.It’s excellent quality.”The elder dwarf fidgeted, which was unlike him.

“Something on your mind?”

“Since you’re here, Your Highness.Have you any word from the Land of Flowers?”

“I have not.Hopefully, the Dew Drop Fairy can get her people to safety.I’m sure my parents would offer refuge.”

“If you hear anything, let me know.The dwarves will house refugees, as many as we can.”Horace Berg was not only the foreman, but a leader among the dwarves.They often elected him as a spokesman for the community.

“Thank you, Mr.Berg.I’ll pass the message along.”He swallowed the last of the chocolate.“We must be off.Keep up the good work!”

Klaus turned Peppermint’s head, then spoke to his companion.“What did you think?”

Clara finished her chocolate, and her dainty tongue licked the leftover from her fingers.“Delicious.I’ve only ever had chocolate in a cup.”

“We mix it into a beverage sometimes, but most prefer it in its solid form.”He guided Peppermint back onto the road.

“What are these stones?I saw something similar on the wall as well.”

“Gingerbread.It’s our most common building material.Very sturdy when done right.”

She gasped.“Won’t the mice just eat their way through?”

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