“Bring him back right now!” I screamed. Ray began to stir, moaning softly.
“And why would I do that?” Uncle Christopher asked. “Your father is weak. He wasted his gift protecting that silly old man and his toys. We have this ability for a reason. And that’s to rule, to shape the world as we see fit. Which is exactly what I did. And why I came back to this dreadful time and place.”
“To destroy the first Defender?” I asked.
My uncle gasped, clutching his chest as if I’d wounded him. “Again, Carol dear. You think so poorly of me. I didn’t come back to destroy anybody. I came back to awaken him and set him on the right path.”
“I don’t understand.”
My uncle smiled. “Before I give you my final gift, I’m going to show you. So when you join your father, you can ponder how easily human beings are swayed. Santa would have misused this poor boy’s talents.” My uncle touched the captured boy’s forehead gently, unfreezing him. “Time for the show, dear.”
The boy bolted upright in his bed, his eyes flaring with fear. Uncle Christopher stepped back and held out his hands to calm him. I started to yell, “Don’t listen—” but my uncle waved his hand and froze me.
The boy looked around the room, his gaze stopping on each of us. “Who are you?” he asked my uncle. “And them?”
“The enemy, Sebwe,” Uncle Christopher whispered, his eyes wide in mock fear. He leaned in close to the boy. “They want to destroy you.” I wanted to scream at his lies, to fling a pulse at my uncle and blow him into oblivion.
The boy’s eyes narrowed. “Why would they do that?” He studied us, his curious gaze lingering on Noelle. “How do you know my name?”
“I know all about you, Sebwe,” Uncle Christopher answered. “I want to help you.”
“No white man ever wanted to help me.”
“Then I, Christopher Glover, shall be the first.” My uncle bowed grandly, not mockingly this time. He had summoned the charming and sincere version of himself, the one he used for business clients or the Brower Academy school board.
“How?”
“Your mother,” Uncle Christopher said.
The boy’s eyes went round and he stood, bristling with intensity and power. My uncle didn’t move; he had no reason to fear this child with his raw, untapped ability. “What about her?” Sebwe asked.
“You lost her, didn’t you?” Uncle Christopher said. “You escaped because of the power within you, but you were separated from her.”
Tears spilled down the boy’s cheeks. He hung his head. “Yes,” he answered.
“I’ll show you how to use that power. I have it, too, Sebwe.” The boy looked up in surprise and Uncle Christopher nodded. “We’ll find her together. And we won’t let these evil people . . .” He motioned toward us. “. . . destroy you.”
I felt like I was going to explode. Lie after lie after lie, and the boy was swallowing it all.
“How?” Sebwe asked.
“You need to help me. I need you to picture your mother. Think about her face, every detail of what she looks like. Then take my hand.” He reached out to Sebwe. “What’s her name?”
The boy hesitated. I tried to signal him with my eyes, a raised eyebrow, anything. But I was concrete. “Ruth,” Sebwe said. “I’m afraid she got recaptured.”
“We’ll find her,” Uncle Christopher said. “Concentrate on her.” The boy closed his eyes and gave Uncle Christopher his hand. My uncle closed his eyes, too. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He opened his eyes and made a circle with his hands. The air crackled. A portal formed. A woman appeared, hiding in the woods, eyes wide with terror. “Open your eyes,” Uncle Christopher said. “Take my staff. Let the energy flow through you and the portal will be revealed.”
Sebwe studied the staff, his brow wrinkled in doubt. It seemed Uncle Christopher had grown even more powerful since his escape. I’d never seen anyone use another person to make a portal to find someone. The boy took the staff. Energy coursed through him. He cried out. Then his eyes focused on the portal, the hiding woman. “Mama!” He reached out to her but my uncle gently blocked his hand.
“Not yet,” he said. “We’ll get her if you promise to help me.”
Sebwe stared longingly at his mom and I ached for him. It wasn’t fair what my uncle was doing, using his mom to manipulate the boy. “Promise what?” he asked.
“Come work for me and avoid the ordinary fate that’s in store for you. You are anything but ordinary, my child, and I will help you reach your potential.”
The boy glanced from his mother to my uncle and back to his mother again. “You don’t make sense,” he said. “But if you get me my mama, I’ll do whatever you want.”
My uncle rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You won’t regret this, Sebwe.”
Uncle Christopher pulled the boy by the arm and the two of them stepped into the portal. They vanished for a moment before reappearing in the forest.
The boy’s mother screamed but then spotted her son and raced toward him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “My baby!”
“Mama!” the boy shouted, and the two of them embraced, the boy lifting his tiny mother off her feet. I hated what my uncle was doing, but the joy of their reunion swept through me, filling me with warmth. “Where did you come from?” Ruth asked.
“This man’s gonna help us.”
Uncle Christopher bowed. “Time to go, Sebwe,” Uncle Christopher said.
“We leaving?” Ruth asked. My uncle nodded and she looked at him with suspicion. “How?” she asked.
Uncle Christopher didn’t answer. He waved his staff through the air. The portal vanished.
A new portal opened seconds later and the three of them stepped through. Sebwe’s mom screamed as they appeared instantly in our room. She looked around at us, confused. She breathed as if she’d run all the way from the forest. She turned to Uncle Christopher. “What’s happening? Who are these people?”
“People trying to hurt me,” Sebwe said. Ruth stared hard at me and I thought I saw a flash of something. Suspicion maybe. I hoped she could sense that my uncle couldn’t be trusted. But perhaps that was wishful thinking. He had just reunited her with her son.
“Yes, yes,” Uncle Christopher said impatiently. “Awful, awful people. Now that you’re back with your mother, Sebwe, it’s time for you to help me.”
The boy nodded and Uncle Christopher grinned. “Excellent,” he said. “This isn’t quite like how I changed things before, but with you here, Carol, I think it’ll be even more fun this time around. Let’s get to work.”
And with that horrible smile of his, I knew without a doubt that the world was doomed.
CHAPTER 10
The Defeat of Santa Claus
Ray and Noelle were turning purple, fighting for breath. So what choice did I have? My uncle stood over them, manipulating the air and space, squeezing and smothering, all while controlling me. He had grown so powerful since the last time I’d seen him, when I’d let him get away. I couldn’t defeat him now. I was sure of it. And I couldn’t stop what he was doing either, which is why I gave in and told him about Santa’s arrival.
“When?” he shouted. I screamed when it looked like Noelle and Ray might stop breathing entirely.
“Soon! After sunset!” I yelled.
“Where?” he asked and squeezed even tighter. They groaned in agony. Sebwe and his mother watched in silence. Ruth flinched with every flick of my uncle’s hand.
“Wherever Sebwe is. Santa senses him and goes to him. It was supposed to happen in Seneca Village. Please stop hurting them!”
Uncle Christopher smiled. “Of course, Carol dear.” He waved his hand and Noelle and Ray gasped and coughed, their color slowly returning to normal. And I hated myself. Not only had I failed to stop my uncle, but I had also betrayed Santa.
Sebwe’s mother got up and crossed the room. Uncle Christopher glanced at her in surprise. She went to a sink, pulled a bowl from the shelf, and filled it with water. Sh
e found a small rag, dropped it into the bowl, and carried it back to the three of us. She stopped next to Noelle’s bed. Sebwe watched her with alarm. “What are you doing, Mama?” he whispered.
She lightly wrung out the rag and folded it into a rectangle, dabbing Noelle’s forehead. The elf smiled up at her. “Seen enough of that sort of thing in my day,” Ruth said. “Don’t need to see more.”
Uncle Christopher’s face betrayed a hint of anger, but he summoned his most charming smile. “You are right, madam. No need for such unpleasantness. One final task and Carol and her friends will be on their way. And you and Sebwe can live free. No one will ever control you again.”
“And what are you doing?” Ruth asked. “Seems like you’re doing plenty of controlling yourself.”
“Mama!” Sebwe shouted. “He’s helping us!”
Uncle Christopher didn’t bother to hide his anger now. “Listen to your son. I can make other arrangements if you’ve had enough of my hospitality.”
Ruth glared at him. She dropped the rag back into the water and went to Ray’s bed. She dabbed his forehead and caressed his cheek. “Aren’t you a handsome boy in your fine suit?”
Uncle Christopher watched her. Sebwe’s eyes darted between him and his mama. Uncle Christopher forced another smile. “Fine, fine, you care for our guests.”
He made a portal and the shimmering elf appeared on the other side. “Come, I need you,” Uncle Christopher barked and the elf jumped as if someone had hollered “Boo!” He cast his eyes down at the sight of my uncle. He reminded me of a small wolf in one of those nature shows, cowering before the leader of the pack. “I know where your family is,” Uncle Christopher said.
The elf’s eyes came alive, the pack leader unexpectedly tossing the skinny wolf a bone. He nodded and the portal vanished. A new one appeared and the elf jumped through. Sebwe and his mother yelped at his appearance out of thin air. “Where are they?” the elf asked, moving in so close to Uncle Christopher that he shoved the elf to the ground. The elf shimmered to a child version of himself and I thought Ruth might faint. She gripped the edge of the bed.
“Patience!” Uncle Christopher snapped, looking at the elf with disgust. “I have one more task for you and then you shall be reunited with your family.”
The elf’s face fell. I wondered how long he’d been working with my uncle. Maybe he’d grown to mistrust his promises.
“It’s time to have a chat with Santa,” Uncle Christopher said. “Let’s call it a business meeting.” He laughed. “I need you to make a portal so my friends can watch our little meeting before I send them on their way.”
“That’s all?” the elf asked. “Then you’ll bring me my family?”
“I will indeed.” The elf shifted into an elderly version and my uncle’s face scrunched in disgust again. “Though I do wonder what they’ll think of you in your current state.”
“I care nothing for that,” the elf said. “I just want them safe.”
“How noble. Truly an inspiration to us all.” Uncle Christopher smirked and turned to his captives. “You three behave while we’re gone. Since I won’t be here to keep you quiet, I’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.” He opened a drawer near the sink and took out an old towel stained brown and yellow. He tore it into long pieces and gagged each of us, tying the cloth tightly behind our heads. I retched at the smell. “Come, Sebwe,” Uncle Christopher said and made a portal. I recognized the woods next to Seneca Village. He took Sebwe’s hand and strolled through.
Sebwe’s mother gasped as her son disappeared. She ran to where he’d vanished. “Sebwe? Sebwe? Where did he take my boy?”
“He’ll be fine,” the shimmering elf snapped. “Go back to your seat!” He closed his eyes in concentration, circled his hands, and a portal appeared. Uncle Christopher and Sebwe snuck along the edge of the forest near Seneca Village. They crouched behind bushes and waited.
Carol, Noelle said telepathically. Her voice made me jump and the elf glanced over. I wondered if he could “hear” us. I’d gotten pretty good at directing my telepathy to the elf I was talking to and no one else. Surely Noelle, a full-blooded elf, could speak to me without the shimmering elf knowing. We need to persuade him to help us. Her eyes motioned toward the elf.
How? I asked.
Talk with him, Noelle said. He’ll never listen to me.
He won’t listen to some girl he just met either, I argued.
You must try.
What could I possibly say to the elf? Nothing I’d done so far had worked in the slightest. If anything, my uncle was even happier now that he also had me in his clutches. But I concentrated on the shimmering elf. Uncle Christopher and Sebwe still hid behind the bushes. Sebwe looked terrified. There was no sign of Santa. Sir, I said to the elf.
He glanced at me with annoyance. Quiet!
No, I said, annoyed right back at him. He was a big jerk in a tiny package. What you’re doing is wrong and you know it.
I don’t care, he answered. I have to get my family back.
You think they’d want you helping someone take over the world just so they could be free? You’ve seen what he does. How cruel he is.
They can think what they want of me. I just want them free.
There has to be a better way. I have powers, too, you know. If you let us go, I’ll help you. I promised your future self I would.
Do you know how to get to them? How to bring them back to me?
I didn’t answer.
That’s what I thought. Your dear uncle does. So whatever he asks, I’ll do.
I’ll figure it out, I said desperately. I can do it, I swear.
I can’t take that chance. Now leave me alone. It’s showtime.
Santa had appeared at the edge of the Seneca Village woods. He set his sleigh down softly. It was a small sleigh with only four reindeer, and he had no elves with him. He wasn’t as big a deal in 1851, so maybe that’s all he needed. But Santa looked pretty much the same, and my heart ached at the sight of him. His face was a bit younger looking, and he was skinnier, though his belly still shook under his red suit. I wondered if he’d already found Mrs. Claus. She’d be hard at work fattening him up to proper Santa proportions.
Santa’s sleigh slid to a stop in an open spot near the woods. He scanned his surroundings, his eyebrows wrinkled in puzzlement. He hopped off of his sleigh and walked around to pet his reindeer, who nuzzled his furry cheek.
Uncle Christopher and Sebwe stepped from the shadows. Santa froze. Fear passed across his face like a ripple on a pond, but he collected himself quickly. “I suspected it might be you, Christopher,” Santa said.
My uncle looked surprised. “So, you know who I am? What an honor.”
“You don’t think I’ve been watching you and your rogue elf?” Santa answered. “Messing around with time. Such bad, bad boys.” He shook his head, adding a “Tsk. Tsk.”
Uncle Christopher laughed. “I suppose that means I’ve made your Naughty List.”
Santa just smiled. “And who do we have here?”
Uncle Christopher stepped between Sebwe and Santa. “That’s none of your concern.”
Santa peered around my uncle and said, “Oh, hello, Sebwe.”
The boy jolted like he’d heard a gunshot. “How do you know me?”
“I know every boy and girl,” Santa said warmly. He took a step toward Sebwe. “I know you’ve been through terrible things and that you’re angry at the world. And I don’t blame you for that.” Sebwe’s eyes filled with tears. “I know you want to protect your mother,” Santa continued. “And you would do anything for her.”
“Enough!” Uncle Christopher shouted. “Sebwe’s with me now and he’s going to be treated with the respect a boy of his talents deserves. Isn’t that right, Sebwe?” Santa gave the boy the kindest of smiles. Santa knew (he always knows) what was in Sebwe’s heart, how confused he was, how hard it was to know what to do. I held my breath, hoping Sebwe would rebel against my uncle, hoping he would choose S
anta. But Sebwe nodded and Uncle Christopher snorted triumphantly.
Santa smiled again, a sad sort of smile. “Just take care of your mama, Sebwe, and know that you are loved.”
My uncle sniffed. “Love is a waste of time. Power is what matters. And you’re about to learn the full extent of my power.” Uncle Christopher waved his hand through the air and aimed his staff at Santa’s tiny sleigh. He blew it to pieces with a North Pulse, shards of wood raining down on the forest. The reindeer squealed and took off into the night sky. Santa stood alone. He remained calm, never betraying the fear I’m sure he was feeling. My uncle waved his hand again, manipulating the air so that Santa was lifted off of his feet. With his staff, Uncle Christopher created a portal, grabbed Sebwe by the arm, and pulled the two of them through. They materialized before us in the hospital. Santa landed hard, crashing shoulder first to the floor. He groaned when he looked up at the three of us strapped to our beds.
“Your rescuers,” Uncle Christopher proclaimed. “And now that they know they’ve been defeated, I’ll be sending them on their way. Then Sebwe and I will see what we can do about that elf kingdom. You can join us for that, Santa.”
Uncle Christopher took the gags from our mouths, untying mine last. “What is wrong with you?” I shouted. “Why are you so evil?”
Uncle Christopher seemed taken aback. He studied me, as if trying to figure out a puzzle. “I’m not evil, Carol dear. I’m victorious. As I’ve told you before, life is competition. Survival. The strongest come out on top. That’s how nature intended it.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” I said. “What you’re doing will cause so much pain.”
“I lost my parents because of you,” Ray said.
Uncle Christopher looked closely at Ray, his eyebrows lifting with recognition. “Ah, yes. I remember you now. The little White Stripe who slipped through our fingers.” My uncle grinned. “Your mother says hello, by the way.”
Ray’s face went pale. “What did you do to her?!”
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