Back? # **Chapter Seven: Blue Christmas** *The Magispace, 8:30 AM* Mirina hung up, slipping her phone into her jacket pocket. While the future remained uncertain, her family’s reassurances had steadied her nerves and bolstered her confidence. Returning behind the snowbank to check on Burgundy, she noticed that a crowd was beginning to gather, curious what all the fuss was about. Jinx and Diaz, close family friends of Mirina’s, pushed ahead of the pack. Jinx -- a frail, pale man who looked more like an awkward teenager than a centuries-old, world-renowned alchemist -- knelt next to Burgundy, parking his leather doctor’s bag beside him. He guided Burgundy through the motions and questions of a checkup before getting to his feet and tapping, poking, and prodding at Fileran’s frozen form. All the while, Diaz warded off the curious flock through a series of authoritative hand gestures and brief commands. Her stern steel-blue eyes were set in an angular tawny face, topped off by a buzz-cut lilac scalp. Although she hadn’t been the Captain of Elacanta’s royal guard for many years, her presence could still command a crowd, especially if it was to give her best friend time and space to work. Once Jinx had completed his inspection, he approached Mirina. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” He asked nervously, running a hand through his head of pastel-pink spikes.” Mirina hemmed and hawed. “Let’s…start with the bad news and get that out of the way,” she decided. “The bad news is that I have no clue how to help Fileran. The magic that did this to him is extremely rare, and he wasn’t responding to anything I tried. I thought it might have been as simple as a standard glacification cure I’d use for a lesser ice demon, but their Lord is an entirely different beast.” He sighed. “I can’t even take him to my lab to run any complex tests- he’s frozen to the ground and won’t be budging any time soon. I’ll spend the day reviewing my notes to see if I can find anything useful, but all we can do for now is wait and see if his condition changes. Sorry.” Mirina smiled sympathetically. “It’s alright, Jinx. I appreciate the help. Now, you said there was good news?” “Yes, thank the gods. The good news is Burgundy is fine -- well, relatively. A bit sore and shaken up, but nothing a bit of rest and a broad-scale elixir won’t fix.” “Speaking of which…” He handed Mirina a vial of ruby-red liquid and a small pouch of clear cellophane-wrapped candies. “Take these. Elixir for Burgundy and some warming drops. If you’ll be spending any more time out in this weather, take one -- it’ll help ward off frostbite.” Turning to Diaz, he took another warming drop from his pocket and pressed it into her hand. “And one for you, too, if you’re going to be out here keeping an eye on Fileran.” Mirina glanced at Diaz. “Are you sure you’re good to watch over him? I can stay…” Diaz shook her head. “Let me handle it, Your Highness. You’ve got more important things to worry about -- I’ll take care of this. Nothing will happen to him, not on my watch.” She popped Jinx’s potion-laced candy in her mouth, wincing as it hit her tongue. “You put way too much sweetener in these things,” she muttered to her companion. As Jinx teased Diaz, Mirina felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around to see who it was. Behind her were a handful of her coworkers, the remainder of the group of mages known as the Peacekeepers -- a skilled team in charge of the Magispace’s safety and operations. Their leader, Cerys, was the one who had gotten Mirina’s attention. “Oh, thank the gods, you’re okay! Sorry we didn’t get here sooner -- we weren’t expecting OLYMPUS to…” “Do whatever the hell that was,” Azalea finished through a mouthful of sugar cookie crumbs. “Yes, what she said,” Melanie, Cerys’ younger sister, agreed. “Thankfully -- as Azalea so elegantly demonstrated,” she added, rolling her eyes, “ -- I’ve already started the food prep for tonight, and everything’s going well in the kitchen. Not perfect, since most of our volunteers aren’t here yet, but good.” “Phew,” Mirina sighed, relieved. “I think that’s the best news I’ve heard today.” “Yeah, yeah, enough about the good news!” Denali, the mastermind behind the festival, cried bombastically. “Sugar, a buncha food’s no good if we don’t have a Festival to serve it at! Or guests to serve it to, for that matter.” She approached Mirina, taking her hands. “Oh, Mirina, darlin’, I’m so sorry for what that monster did to all your hard work! I saw the finished grounds last night -- they were gorgeous, sugar.” Yvonne, the grumpiest member of the group, scowled at Denali. “Cool your boots, drama queen. Day’s not over yet,” she groused in her thick Irish accent. She faced Mirina, and her expression softened. “She was right about it being pretty, though. You did a good job. And we’ll help you get it back any way we can.” “Right!” Cerys interjected suddenly as if Yvonne’s words had jolted her awake. “Right -- that’s why we came over. What can we do for you, Mirina?” “First and foremost -- we need to get the portals fixed. Yvonne, think you can handle that? Seeing as you’re an artificer and all.” Yvonne nodded. “Aye. Might be a bit tough, but I’ll try.” “I’ll come too!” Lin chirped, wrapping an arm around Yvonne. “I’m sure I could figure out how to put a dent in that ice somehow.” Yvonne nodded. “And, if nothing else, you can help treat my inevitable frostbite,” she joked, dotting her girlfriend’s cheek with a kiss. “Perfect! I have no doubt you’ll be able to figure something out,” Mirina grinned. “Cerys, Azalea, Denali, Isonde -- I’ll put you four on decoration duty. Use whatever’s not destroyed, and I think we have some extras in the storage shed. If you can recruit some other volunteers, all the better.” Isonde, the group’s newest member, nodded eagerly. “Of course! This is my first Feast with you all, so I want to make it count! Can’t guarantee I’ll be the most help, but…” Mirina patted her on the back. “Iso, you’re gonna do great -- every little bit helps. Now, Melanie, I’ll get you to continue doing what you’re doing in the kitchen. You said things were going decently well, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” “No problem. Speaking of which, I should get back. Who knows what could have gone wrong while I was gone…” Melanie muttered, giving a quick nod before jogging away towards the Magispace’s Grand Hall. “Circe, I’m assigning you to look through the archives to see if you can find anything about how to defeat the Lord of Frost. We need all the help we can get.” “Sounds good to me. Oh, and Mirina? I confirmed that we still have at least one act for tonight. Medea and Morgana told me they’d be here, hell or high water.” Mirina sighed, relieved. Circe’s teenage sisters were already a relatively popular musical duo despite their youth, and it was good to know that the Festival still had a headliner in case the other acts couldn’t make it. “Now, before you assign me a job,” Annika, the youngest Junen sister, interrupted Mirina as the latter turned towards her, “I have an idea for my own task. Since I can see ghosts and demons and stuff, I’d be able to keep watch for the Lord in case he strikes again, even if he’s invisible to mortals. If I see him, I immediately warn you and the others. And then pelt him with snowballs to keep him busy. Please?” She pressed her palms together pleadingly, with hopeful eyes. Mirina laughed at the prospect of the regal demon being the victim of Annika’s snowy assault. “You go right ahead, Annika.” “Yes!” Annika exclaimed, pumping her fist. Cerys rolled her eyes, grinning. “You just don’t want to do actual work. I’m onto you, Annie.” Annika crossed her arms. “Shush -- I’m the official Demon-Keeper-Awayer. Let me perform my duties in peace.” Mirina took a mental tally of her teammates and finished with a satisfied nod. “I think that’s everyone. Thank you so much for agreeing to help, guys. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.” “No problem at all, sugar,” Denali smiled. “Thank you for helping me pull this off -- and the rest of the team, of course. We’re gonna fix the Festival, and that frosty fiend won’t know what hit him!”