enough that I was able to earn my way out of the factories and away from the North. I don’t bear Kringle any ill will. He has done much good, It is only that our ways are foreign to you, and your understanding of him.” said Carnot.
“And no one ever talks about all the good things Hitler did. Whatever,” said Alexander, finishing his drink and pouring another. He had the constitution of a sofa bed.
“Please, you must understand. He is most certainly the least of the evils in this cold land. Kringle is a being of extremes. He can go from gregarious to rage in an instant. He is not a man, so do not compare him to one,” added Holly.
“Enough bandying around the point. Why do you need me?” asked Alexander.
“One of the young men in my clan failed in his assigned duties and missed a major deadline. Kringle has those that fail in such extreme circumstances executed and their clans enslaved. My father, the clan leader, prostrated himself before Kringle to spare the boy and the clan. Requests such as these are settled in trial by combat before the entire assembled court as part of the Christmas Eve festivities. Law allows for a Champion to fight for the clan.” said Holly.
“Hmm,” said Alexander, taking it all in. He had spent Christmas Eve in worse situations.
“My clan has little by way of material wealth, but we have much knowledge that we could offer you in payment. You are a maker and tinkerer yourself, are you not?” asked Holly.
“Yeah, you could say that,” said Alexander.
“With the accumulated knowledge of my clan, we could advance your knowledge of the ferromantic arts far beyond what they are now,” said Holly.
“So, to summarize. I fight for Santa’s amusement at the Annual Christmas Gladiator fight, and you teach me Christmas elf technomancy. Is that about right?” asked Alexander.
“Yes, that is it.” said Holly.
“So what about the dwarf assassin, who works for Santa’s army? The guy who busted up my office? If you can have a Champion, what the hell was that about?” asked Alexander.
Holly blushed, her face turning beet red.
“That was a personal matter. I am sorry I did not say so. That was Grimold. He and his brother Gromold wish to purchase my sisters and I, if we are enslaved. They are part of Kringle’s mercenary guard. It was in his personal interest that my clan fails in the trial.” said Holly.
“Anything else I need to know?” asked Alexander.
“Nothing more. My father and clansmen will wish to meet you as soon as possible,” said Holly.
“Not tonight,” said Carnot. “Rest safe behind a hearth tonight. Trolls will be about celebrating Yule, and that is something you will wish to avoid,” he finished.
“I don’t sleep often,” said Alexander, “I catch a few hours every couple of days, and It’s a bit cramped for me to stretch out in here,” he said.
“I would like to sleep before we travel,” said Holly.
“Please, take my bed and rest, child. I will visit with your Champion. I rarely sleep myself. It’s part of being old,” he chuckled.
While Holly slept Alexander and Carnot drank and talked through the night. They moved from schnapps to stronger liquor as the night went on. The howl of merrymaking trolls echoed outside. Occasional muffled screams and wet snaps were also heard. More logs were put on the fire, and the two men continued to talk.
Morning came. It was dark and the stars still shone, but it lacked the cruel edge that true night held in these lands. Neither man was worse for wear after the long dark night. Holly awoke early and prepared to travel. They all ate a hearty breakfast of sausages and eggs, with some sort of odd berry juice that Alexander was unfamiliar with.
After breakfast, Carnot went deep into the attic of his shop for a while. He returned with two small ornate mechanical rams in the palm of each hand.
“These will bare you to the North as swift as can be,” Carnot said. “Some of my best work. Please, be safe. Holly, give my love to our people. Alexander, I wish you good luck. I hope to meet you again,” he said.
“Same here. I’m older than I look, and it’s great to be crotchety in good company,” Alexander said as they shook hands.
Holly and Alexander departed. They walked to the northern edge of town. There was a great wooden gate set into a stone wall. Two of the town watch were manning the gate, and stopped the pair as they approached.
“Given how you’re dressed, I take it you’re heading North,” said the first guard.
“We can’t dissuade you? You’d be better off staying here for Christmas and going afterwards. Things only get worse the further you go north of the wall this close to Christmas,” said the second guard. He was sincere in his suggestion. It was clear he was afraid of the North and its denizens.
“I’m afraid not,” said Alexander. “I’ve got business to take care of, and I can’t be late.” he said.
“Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” said the first guard.
“We’ll light a couple of candles for you two,” said the second as he pulled the lever to crack the door.
Unseen machinery opened the heavy doors enough for Holly and Alexander to pass through. After they passed the door shut behind them with a snap, leaving them alone outside the walls.
Holly took the two mechanical rams from her pocket and set them on the ground. She took a small key and wound each one up, chimes ringing as the key turned.
“Step back,” said Holly.
The rams sprung to life. They began to jump and play, butting heads and generally acting like rams. The movements were lifelike. Alexander wasn’t impressed with magic that often, but the two clockwork toys were something to see.
Without warning, the rams leapt into the deep snow outside the gate and disappeared. Alexander watched the snow bank. Nothing happened for a minute. He began to doubt that the rams were going to do anything when they sprung from the bank, large and robust. The details were even more ornate when viewed up close. Layers upon layers of complexity were built into the clockwork creatures.
Holly climbed on top of the nearest ram. Alexander followed suit and mounted the other. He grasped the reins and the two creatures shot off into the depths of the winter forest. The rams were sure footed and swift. They knew the way to the North allowing Alexander to take in the sight.
The forest was lit from within. The snow sparkled with its own light. The trees were adorned with frost that twinkled like a department store Christmas tree. It felt like he was riding through a greeting card. Small winter animals were visible, and birds flew as they passed like a mechanical wind.
Things started to feel off after several hours of riding. Wildlife grew scarce. Trees went from whimsical to menacing. Shadows moved and vanished. Alexander was certain they were being watched. He called to Holly to halt, and they stopped their tireless mounts in a clearing. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small glass sphere. Inside was a tiny mechanical device rotating in a strange chemical soup. Alexander shook it up and tossed it straight up into the air.
The sphere went up about ten feet and stopped. It began to glow, bathing the clearing in a electric green light. Alexander reached up to the rim of his goggles and adjusted a small dial. He kept adjusting and looking through the clearing. He stopped and in a blur of inhuman speed he pulled his ray gun and fired. Where there was an empty spot in the clearing was now a smoking goblin corpse. The twisted features were hideous. It reminded Alexander of the nursery rhyme about the Crooked Man.
The clearing exploded into activity before Alexander could further investigate the corpse. Twisted horribly, heavily armed goblins leapt out from every direction. Whatever invisibility they were keeping up was gone. They swarmed over the ground like angry black ants toward Alexander and Holly.
Time slowed down for Alexander. Other than his more obvious physical gifts he possessed what Gretchen called “Tactical Prescience”. He could see the future in a directed short term way and react on it with instinctual speed. The conscious mind could catch up after he sur
vived. Combined with his other knowledge and abilities, it made him a very scary man.
He flew into action. Snow filled the air, kicked up from the speed that both Alexander and the Goblins were moving. Trees groaned as goblin bodies were thrown against them with enough force to crack the trunks. Alexander snatched crossbow bolts out of the air and return-fired them at the bowmen. The goblins were brutal and skilled, but lacked discipline. Those factors made it all the easier to predict and direct the battle. After several violent seconds, the remaining goblins retreated as quick as they appeared. The clearing was black with goblin blood and fallen pine needles. Trees were cracked. Weapons lay broken and scattered on the ground. In the center of it all Alexander crouched, bleeding and bruised from all sides. His breath was labored and his eyes were distant. Bursts like that detached him from reality to a dangerous degree.
Holly moved to Alexander to help him up. His hands were bleeding from hitting the goblins, who were almost as durable as the stone-skinned dwarves.
“I think I may have broken a couple of ribs and fingers,” said Alexander as he began resetting his more obvious broken extremities before they began to heal.
“I have seen few move as fast as you did. You are a great wizard after all,” said Holly, impressed.
“Nope. Just a freak,” said Alexander with a casual tone. “But it keeps me employed.”
Holly did her best to clean Alexander up and help him set his bones. Her nimble fingers flew over his body, subtle magic guiding her hands in repairing his broken bones.
“Once the bones are set, I’ll be good in a few hours. I don’t think they messed up anything big, so with a bit of rest I will be OK,” said Alexander as he mounted his ram.
Before Holly was able to mount up, a deep basso tone rang out from the forest.
“Kringle’s mercenaries,” she said, “they must have been tracking the goblins,” she finished.
“Same guys that tore up my office?” asked Alexander, preparing for another fight.
“Unlikely, but it is best that I speak to them. Be still and silent, and we should be alright.
A dwarf clad in a red hunting cloak and bearing a huge axe stepped into the clearing. The small company of dwarves waited behind him. They were difficult to see in the dense forest. Alexander also suspected a bit of concealment magic was involved as well.
He called out to Holly in the same language that she had spoken with Carnot. His was guttural and accented, a far cry to the flowing conversation of the native speakers. She knelt and replied. Whatever she said must have been funny, because he bellowed out in laughter. He called back to his men, in another language, and they burst out in laughter as well.
“You,” called the dwarves captain in English, “you bear our colors but are not our kind. Why do you travel alone with this servant in the domain of the Yule King,” he finished. He seemed to be amused by something. Alexander didn’t think this was funny at all.
“You may call me Crimson Overcoat,” replied Alexander. He startled himself at using his old superhero moniker. It felt right, so he went with it.
“The elf says that you defeated these creatures,” he said gesturing to the goblins. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe what you like, dwarf. If you have business with us, then state it. If not, we have business to attend to,” said Alexander.
“What business is that?” asked the dwarf.
“Ours,” said Alexander. “Now blow.”
Holly grimaced and mouthed at Alexander to stop, but it was too late. The dwarves marched into the clearing and surrounded them.
“Let me tell you what I think,” said the dwarf captain. “I think that you were working with the goblins. That you were the loan survivor of this battle where my soldiers and I routed you. And your colors were intended to