Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D So tomorrow is the last day of school, so today, we had a huge assembly hosted by the student council. We just hung out and played a game quizzing on particular people and events in the school year (my group didn't get the link, sadly, so we just solved brain teasers together ='D) Afterward, we had an awards ceremony. I won the award of integrity, and honor award for 9th grade ELA and Algebra 1, and most likely to become US president and graduate school early. XD The first three awards were teacher nominated while the last two were student nominations. =D
Honestly, I don't think I'd make a good president. I do not like politics whatsoever, so unless the presidential role required a lot of sleeping, reading, writing, binge-watching tv, and eating, I don't I'd be fit for the role. XD
Anyway, down below is the next chapter for the "The Winter Child," so I hope you all enjoy it! =D
~ LXXXII ~
To the Capitol and Back, Part Five
They had played right into his hands
Perfectly played in his plan
They had a village to save
To Santoff Claussen, they swiftly made their way
...
For once, Jack had to admit that Pitch was actually quite smart. He waited until he and the Guardians would be absent from Santoff Claussen, the only ones who could fairly stand up to him in a fight. Then, he attacked the village with everything he had. The villagers wouldn't have suspected a thing with him being absent for so long.
Though the villagers of Santoff Claussen had magic and gadgets on their side, they could only go so far in a battle. The only reason why they were able to hold out for so long during Pitch's last attack was thanks to the Guardians, who had orchestrated the battle plan in the first place.
But now they were hours away from the village, and the people were being attacked by Pitch and his army. Jack balled his fists in silent fury.
The Nightmare King had really done it this time.
"We need to go back and help them!" Tooth proclaimed, her wings beating furiously. The Guardians were just as upset as Jack that Pitch was attacking the village. Their home. If Pitch wanted to hurt any of their friends, he'd have to go through there first.
"But how? The sleigh's too slow," said Jack. "Unless we want to give Pitch four hours to do whatever damage to Santoff Claussen."
"There's a faster way," North said. He looked at Aster, who nodded tersely.
"We'll take the tunnels," he said. "But we'll have to go outside."
Jack was confused. "Tunnels? What tunnels?"
"Explanations later!" Tooth said. "We can return for the sleigh once we're done dealing with Pitch."
"Sounds like a plan," Sandy agreed through his dreamsand. The five turned to the Tsar, who was watching them
"Ah, we're really sorry Your Majesty, but we've got a Boogeyman to whoop," said Jack. "We can continue this meeting another time, right?"
Tsar Lunar smiled. "Discussions can be carried out anytime. Right now, what's important is that you arrive at Santoff Claussen as swiftly as possible, though it seems you already have that planned out. And I appreciate the urgency and quick thinking."
"It's kind of our thing," Jack quipped. He turned to the Guardians. "To Santoff Claussen?"
"Right speedily," North said firmly.
…
The Guardians raced out of the palace just as quickly as they had gone in. Jack had left his hat, so his ears were exposed for all to see. Thankfully, he wasn't stopped by anyone who was nearby. In fact, the entire palace seemed aware of the urgency, and people made way for the Guardians as they dashed through the halls and out the door.
Aster needed open space in order for him to make a proper tunnel leading to Santoff Claussen, so the Guardians hurried all the way to the gates of Lunslruna Capitol, knowing that the forest was as wide of a space as they'd find in these circumstances.
What they weren't expecting, however, was to find Katherine there waiting for them. She was dressed in travel wear and her hair was tied back in a high ponytail. Jack skidded to a stop.
"Katherine? What are you doing here?" he breathed.
"I have a few connections at the palace," she said, walking up to the Guardians. Her face was serious. "Santoff Claussen's being attacked, and I'm coming with you to defend it."
Her expression gave no room for argument. And besides, Katherine was just as stubborn as Jack. The snow sprite nodded, and he turned to the others.
"To be frank, we don't really look at all ready for a fight against Pitch," Jack said.
"Looks don't matter. We still have the skill," said Aster. He slammed his foot against the ground and a tunnel opened up. "Everybody in. We don't have much time."
Katherine was the first to race into the hole. Tooth and Sandy hovered down. North and Aster leaped into the open circle, and Jack was the last to fly in, pulling his staff behind him as the tunnel closed shut behind them.
…
The village was in complete and total chaos. Jack almost wished he had stayed inside the tunnel.
Buildings were burning and Big Rot was battling against the numerous Fearlings and Nightmares trying to break into the tree. The air was thick with smoke and ash. Children and adults were trying to escape the black creatures that pursued them. The Bear, the Spirit of the Forest, and the other beings of the forest were nowhere to be seen. But the most unsettling absence was that of Ombric—the old wizard would be in the midst of the battle, trying to defend his home, but where was he?
Jack coughed into his arm as he inhaled some smoke. The heat felt especially weighted on him since he was a snow sprite. Katherine held him up as his coughs became more forceful. North told Katherine to take him to the edge of the village, where the air was cooler and less thick.
Jack shook his head feverishly. "No…I'm staying. I…I have to help—!"
"It's too dangerous for you, Jack. You'll melt," North said.
Jack was about to argue when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jamie running away from two Nightmares. The boy didn't notice that they were heading toward him; he quickly found himself backed into a corner. Jamie trembled with fear, tears streaming down his cheeks as the Nightmares raised their hooves to crush him. Jack commanded the Wind to send him over to Jamie, yanking him out of the way just as the Nightmare smashed its hooves against the Earth.
The two rolled in the dirt for a few moments before stopping against the remains of a wooden cart. Jamie looked up at saw Jack, his suit covered in dirt and face smeared with ash. The boy trembled.
"J-Jack…?" he whispered. Jack was about to speak, but Jamie threw his arms around him. The boy started crying, and Jack gripped him tightly.
"J-Jamie…Jamie, hey, it's okay. You're going to be okay," Jack soothed. Jamie shook with sobs. "Where's your mother? Where's Sophie?"
"We were a-at Big Root w-with Ombric," Jamie hiccuped. "We were l-looking for s-stories to r-read with the o-other kids…They're still in there!"
Katherine and the Guardians ran up from behind. Katherine kneeled beside them and rubbed Jamie's back.
"Jamie, where's Ombric?" Katherine asked. "Is he still at Big Root?"
Jamie pulled away from Jack's shoulder, his face streaked with tears and snot dribbling down his nose. His breathing hitched. "Ombric's gone!"
Tooth's wings skipped a beat. Aster and North's expressions grew grave. Sandy's glow went out.
Katherine forced herself to stay calm, but her eyes betrayed her. "Gone…?" she repeated quietly.
"P-Pitch took control of the bear, and it broke into Big Root. Ombric stood up to it, b-but th-then he ate him!"
Jack's grip on Jamie tightened as the boy cried harder. His mother, sister, and some children and adults were trapped in Big Root, which was currently being attacked. The rest of the village was in pandemonium, where people were running around panicked, just as Jamie had, hiding in whatever buildings were still standing.
And Ombric…Jack felt a lump form in his throat. He couldn't really be gone, could he? He was a wizard! Ombric had to have cast a spell that protected him, right?
But as Jamie sobbed in his arms and the winds of destruction swirled around him, Jack doubted that he was lying.
Jamie was a terrible liar after all.
"We need to get everyone out of here," said Aster, looking around. Jack slowly stood up, Jamie clutched in his arms. "I can open a tunnel leading to my Warren. It'll be safe there."
"Sandy and I will take care of the people out here," said Tooth. Sandy nodded. "You three can take care of those at Big Root."
Jack gave Jamie to Aster, who the boy clung to immediately. The Pooka rubbed his back.
"I'll be okay mate. Your family's gonna be fine," he reassured.
Jamie only sniffed in response.
"Big Roots surrounded by Nightmares and Fearlings. We can make it inside through the backdoor…hopefully, none are near that entrance," Katherine said, pulling out her dagger.
Jack gripped his staff and he nodded. He expected for North to send him back with Aster and Jamie, but the ex-Cossack only agreed with Katherine's statement.
"Let's get everyone evacuated," North said. His expression grew grave. "Then we can take care of Pitch."
…
Tooth, Sandy, and Aster worked within the village, rounding up as many peoples as they could and leading them to the tunnels he had prepared. They managed to round up many of the villagers, who were eager to run into the Pooka's safe haven. Aster hoped that the Nightmares wouldn't find a way inside, but he knew that the only way in and out of his Warren was through a trapdoor in his house, or through his tunnels.
Meanwhile, Katherine, Jack, and North worked their way through the waves of Fearling and Nightmares surrounding Big Root. Jack could tell that the fear inside was extravagant. He had never seen Pitch's creations this ravenous and bloodthirsty. The snow sprite's brow was beaded with sweat, and he repeatedly forced the temperature around him to grow colder. Frost had collected at the collar of his vest, and the bottom of his pants had frost crawling above it.
The dress shoes had grown uncomfortable, so Jack had left them behind at the bashed cart that they had left. The ground was rough, but he had walked harder terrain. North, Katherine, and Jack fought through the Nightmare horses and Fearligns, then made their way around the tree, where a second entrance was waiting. No one had stepped in or out. Katherine ran up and peeked inside. It was absolutely silent.
"No one's inside," she whispered, bemused. The three slipped in and looked around. Books were scattered on the floor. Papers were shredded and poor, squashed bugs and insects were fallen on the ground. Katherine's eyes teared up at the sight of them. Jack's breath caught in his throat. North trudged on, but solemness rested on his face.
"Where is everyone?" Jack asked quietly. "Jamie said they would be here."
"Maybe they found a way to escape?" Katherine guessed.
Suddenly, from behind them, a hiss came. The three turned around, hearts palpitating, only to see the door to the library creaked open. A girl was standing there. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Light freckles scattered across her nose."
It was Sascha.
"Sascha? Moon above, what happened?" Jack asked, rushing up to her. The girl's eyes were wide with fear, and she trembled.
"P-Pitch happened," she said quietly. From behind her, Jack could see the other children and adults."J-Jack, you need to get out of here, it's not safe."
"What do you mean? There's no one here," said Jack.
Sascha's face paled, shivering even harder. "Yes there is," she whispered. Then she quickly closed the door again.
Jack stepped back confused, he turned to Katherine and North, who wore equally bemused expressions. But something had shifted in the air. And that something made Jack pull out his staff. Something wasn't right. An uncomfortable feeling that Jack had only felt a few times before rose within his chest. The snow sprite's staff crackled blue.
"Jack…? Katherine asked. She pulled out her dagger. "What's wrong? What did Sascha—"
Jack held a finger to his lips. Katherine stopped talking. North watched his son as he slowly walked away from the library doors, and stepped into Big Root's center. The snow sprite paused here. Then, ever so slowly, he lifted a finger up to the ceiling.
Katherine and North slowly looked up. Katherine had to stifle a scream.
Hiding in the shadows of Big Roots branches was the bear. Mouth foaming, teeth glinting, and eyes hungry.
Author's Note: ...Oof. That's all I've got. XD
I really enjoyed writing this chapter...I honestly can't explain why though. XD I just really like how it flowed, especially the scene in which the Guardians arrive at the burning village. Call me sadistic, but I personally really love writing dark/devestating scenes...It's a challenge to capture grief in shock with just words, so I like to experiment with that aspect a lot. =D
Anyway, enough of my rambling...I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you in the next one! =D
Until the next chapter!
~BeyondTheMoon1203
