Page 2 of The Enchanted Frost (The Christmas Chronicles)

CHAPTER 2

Frost

S nowflakes glistened in the moonlight, a ballet against the backdrop of the velvety night, their delicate dance guided by the gentle wind in a wintry symphony that was mine to command. I summoned a handful of magic, shaping it with the ease of a master sculptor, molding it into a new snowflake with intricate, lacy patterns carved into the frost.

I took a moment to admire the delicate mosaic before releasing it with an icy breath, sending it to join the gentle snowfall. Creating these fleeting masterpieces never lost its charm, even after centuries. The mortals seldom noticed my handiwork, yet the joy of crafting each snowflake never waned.

The snowfall I’d carefully orchestrated was now unfolding in perfect harmony with my magical calculations and no longer needed my guidance, yet I lingered, content to watch the performance—only one in the infinite wintry days that had filled my immortal life .

Truly there was nothing as beautiful as winter.

As I reveled in the serene scene, an unspoken sense drifted through the snow-laden wind to tug at my awareness, shattering the hypnotic spell. I tilted my head, listening to the message carried on the brisk breeze as it rustled the bare branches before drifting away. I sighed, reluctant to confront the shadow that marred the beauty of my favorite season.

There can be no creation without destruction . Nature thrived on balance, without which all the delicate patterns that comprised the world would unravel. Yet understanding that truth did little to ease the weight of this particular responsibility.

With one last lingering look at the gentle snowfall blanketing the woods, I heeded the invisible guidance of my power. It led me from the forest to a nearby town, where the snow cast a glistening sheen across the rooftops like powdered sugar, transforming the streets below into a muddy slush.

The magic led me to a wretched sight—rags huddled in a dirty corner of an abandoned alley. My heart cinched as I took in the small, frail figure before me, fearing I’d been tasked with claiming a child. But a more thorough examination instead revealed a petite woman, her body curled in on itself in a feeble effort to shield against the cold that had claimed her.

I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. This duty was never pleasant, but at least my victim had lived long enough to experience more than a child’s short life before fatally succumbing to the elements.

A thick layer of snow had settled over her, transforming her into a somber, frozen sculpture whose features, while not extraordinary for a human woman, caught my attention for some reason I couldn’t quite discern, as though there were something I should know about her. Her breath, once visible in misty puffs, had slowed to a sporadic, shallow whisper as she hovered between life and death. Her eyes, once wide with desperation, were now closed in a tranquil but unnatural stillness, her final moments marked by a chilling quiet—a frozen pause in time as nature's cruel embrace tightened around her.

I suddenly noticed a spent match resting on the woman's tattered dress, filling the night with the faint odor of sulfur, contrasting sharply with the clean scent of fresh snow. A thin tendril of wispy smoke rose from its charred tip, a fleeting remnant of the fire that had just been extinguished. It gave me pause—something about this small detail stirred an unfamiliar sensation within me, a connection I’d never felt before that I couldn't quite place.

I stepped closer, my power simmering just beneath my fingertips, ready to assist the grave in claiming its victory. Though my footsteps made no sound she stirred with a faint moan, her eyelids fluttering open just enough to stare unseeingly in my direction. I watched her silent struggle against the encroaching unconsciousness that threatened her, as if she instinctively knew that surrendering to it would mean never waking again.

I crouched in front of her, taking in her appearance. Her ashen skin was nearly as white as the snow that had accumulated in her hair, and many of the exposed areas had already darkened to a purplish hue—the cruel marks of the final stages of frostbite…my least favorite aspect of the cold, but one that fell within my domain. Her lips, cracked and tinged with blue, barely moved, frozen in what might have been a final, silent cry for help that never came.

My fingers brushed against her icy skin before I pressed them gently to her chest to measure the slow, feeble beats of her heart. I heaved a weary sigh. Her symptoms were unmistakably hypothermia. Even after all these years, it was still hard to reconcile that the cold I found enchanting and invigorating could also be the means to end something as precious as life. The beauty of winter possessed a harshness that was cruel to vulnerable mortals, but though it was a sight I’d witnessed countless times before, it never made my duty any easier.

The magic I summoned glowed against my palm in an illumination of aqua light that cast a glistening sheen across her pallid skin. I held it aloft, prepared to use it to seize her last breath, but as the minutes drifted by as slow and steady as the gentle snowfall, her final exhale never came.

I wove my magic around one of her labored breaths…only for it to unexpectedly slip from my grasp in an uncanny show of resistance. My brow furrowed and I once more rested my hand over her weakening heartbeat. Over the centuries, I’d become an expert in recognizing the signs of death by frost, having claimed countless souls with the same icy touch. She was undeniably succumbing to the cold, yet for some inexplicable reason, I couldn’t complete my claim over her soul. Was it possible that it wasn’t her time to die? If that was the case, why had my magic guided me to her?

A flicker of relief washed over me before I could push it away. I shook my head firmly. Emotions had no place in this particular work—becoming involved with those I was destined to claim would only complicate matters. Yet despite my efforts to remain detached, the situation had already taken an unexpected turn.

I summoned my powers again, but they flickered briefly before vanishing entirely, swallowed by the still night. My magic had never disobeyed me before. I stared in disbelief at the empty space where it had dissipated, but although I could still sense its presence lingering beneath my skin, it seemed to have developed a will of its own, preventing me from claiming this enigmatic woman’s life.

This unexplainable riddle eluded me, leaving me with a sense of unease as the cold continued its relentless embrace. I stared at her, as if the answer could be found in her frozen features. She appeared entirely unremarkable—no different from the countless other souls I’d claimed—yet something about her held me captive, as mesmerized as when I watched the drifting snow.

Curiosity stirred, not the typical idle wonderings about the lives of the people whose paths I crossed, but a feeling that niggled something deep within my mind, an emotion so rare in my unchanging existence that it felt almost foreign. My breath mingled with the icy air as I knelt closer and stared at her, struggling to reconcile her presence with the unusual resistance I faced—this wasn’t mere stubborn magic, but a force beyond the simple cold I wielded.

I scanned the surroundings in search of clues, but the night remained still and silent save for the whisper of the wind rustling the bare branches. The snowfall had thickened, blanketing the world in white, while the icy breeze seemed to carry a faint whisper—a hint of something ancient and powerful.

Her ragged breaths gradually grew fainter, each one a testament to her struggle against the inevitable. Yet despite her nearing end, something hovered unspoken in the air—a subtle warmth that clashed with the frigid landscape, as if the snowflakes themselves were part of a greater design, one that held her within a cocoon of fragile protection.

A wave of understanding washed over me. In a world governed by ancient, immutable forces, the magic that resisted my claim on her soul must be equally potent, woven into the very essence of existence, rooted in a bond that transcended the mortal realm .

It was clear that something profound was at work, an ancient magic that bound this mortal to the world in a way I could not easily unravel. Such power tied to the connections between all living beings would transcend even death.

I hesitated, caught between my duty and the enigmatic force before me. My power, once unwavering, now faltered in the presence of something beyond my comprehension. The winter I controlled with ease seemed to waver, as if the forces at play were challenging the very nature of my existence.

This cold realization settled over me like the snow continuing its gentle descent, each flake a symbol of the mystery surrounding her final moments. Whatever force protected her, it was one I could not easily penetrate. I felt the weight of this ancient mystery hanging in the frigid air—a reminder that even as the harbinger of winter’s chill, I was but a small part of a much larger, more profound tapestry, with no clear path to completing my duty when the forces at play were beyond my control.

Though I was prevented from completing my usual task, my magic had led me here for a purpose; surely I wasn’t meant to merely observe her struggles. With a shuddering breath I rose to my feet, my gaze lingering on her frail form. After a moment’s hesitation, I made an instinctive decision and scooped her into my arms. I expected her to be heavy, burdened by the hardships of her life, but her malnourished frame proved light and I carried her effortlessly.

To my surprise, she didn’t flinch from my icy touch but instead nestled closer, as if drawn to warmth in any form, even from a being of frost. Her soft, shivering body pressed against me and my breath caught. I’d always existed in isolation, my magic and winter’s beauty my sole companions, but her proximity stirred something deep within me—a sensation in a dormant part of my heart that until this moment I hadn’t known existed.

Though I couldn’t fully comprehend this newfound feeling, it compelled me to hold her a little tighter. She seemed extraordinarily fragile, far more delicate than I had ever imagined humans to be. Despite my power, which was thwarted by an unseen force preventing me from claiming her soul, she remained on the precipice of death—a force against which I found myself helpless.

I moved slowly through the snow, my footsteps measured and deliberate to avoid disturbing her rest. She emitted a faint moan but did not awaken, her eyes remaining closed and her head resting against my chest in a fitful slumber. After a short distance from the village, I paused to adjust her in my arms. She groaned softly in response but quickly settled back into her position.

An unfamiliar sensation tightened around my chest. I frowned, concerned by the impact this mortal's presence was having on my immortal form, but I pushed aside my confusion in favor of focusing on the more pressing matter at hand.

The magic that had receded earlier rather than claim her frozen soul now eagerly responded to my command. I extended my hand and caressed the moisture in the air with my fingertips, gathering and freezing it to create a shimmering wall of ice. My power illuminated the frozen surface with a swirl of color and light, gradually forming an image of my destination before settling into a still, crystalline vision.

I glanced down hesitantly at the still figure in my arms. I’d never taken anyone through a portal before, much less a human teetering on the brink of death. Though I could bring her into my frozen realm, I knew I couldn’t revive her. My powers, so adept at creating winter, were helpless against the chill that was already consuming her .

With a wavering breath, I tightened my hold around her frail body and stepped into the portal. The magic curled around us, guiding us gently along an invisible path that existed on a higher plane than the mortal world we were momentarily leaving behind. One moment we were enveloped in a swirl of glistening blue light, and the next it melted away, causing our new surroundings to emerge like ripples settling in a pond to reveal a reflection.

We now stood in a vast clearing thousands of miles north from the nearest human habitation. At the crest of a snow-covered hill loomed a crystal castle, its mismatched turrets climbing to disappear into the freezing fog. The structure sparkled like a cut diamond, rising majestically as if woven from golden sunlight, a crown against the wintry landscape. Stones of varying sizes and shapes formed the structure, each a portion of the history I’d spent honing my craft. From afar, the castle appeared as a uniform sheen of white, but up close it revealed a delicate lattice of frost intricately carved into the ice.

The drawbridge lowered in welcome as I approached, my magic recognizing my return; I felt it swirling curiously around me and my unconscious guest. My footsteps echoed through the vaulted corridors as I carried my frail burden inside, heading to my chamber. I gently laid her on the frozen slab of ice that served as my bed. Though the sudden chill against her back made her shiver, she remained unconscious.

I crouched beside her, studying the first living soul ever to enter my home. Sunlight filtered through the frosted windowpanes, casting dappled patterns across her face. Even beneath the sunken cheeks and the haggard lines etched by her harsh life, she was quite pretty.

A glint of silver caught my eye and I noticed something protruding from a hole-riddled pocket in the side of her skirt. Curiously I bent closer, but as if sensing my movement, she shifted, her arm covering whatever trinket she kept close.

I stared a moment before extending an uncertain hand to wipe away the droplets of water that had formed against her cheek from the melting snow. My cold caress gradually lured her from sleep. She shifted restlessly, her brow furrowing, before finally opening her eyes.