Holly noticed that the North Post had dimmed. Whatever supercharged Cheer she had brought there before, it was quickly fizzling out.
The warm white lights that normally lit the arches over the path to Merriment Square were dark. She looked at her watch, and the Cheer level was still at zero.This is unprecedented.She sealed her lips together, trying to stay composed in front of her elves.
There was no reason to worry them yet. Holly had to block out the signs of disarray around her, including all the melted snow, and focus on what she needed to do.
She hurried down the path. Maybe she could still touch the North Post and transfer Cheer. The zero level on her watch had to be a false reading.
“I’ve got this,” Holly whispered, gliding through the sea of elves toward the center of Merriment Square.
The elves murmured excitedly as they followed her. Holly approached the North Post and paused for just a moment before she placed her hand on it.
She reached out, touching the snowflake as she had hundreds of times before.
Nothing happened.
She pressed harder, willing her watch to transfer Cheer, but there was no familiar warm feeling on her wrist. The light of the North Post continued to dim. Holly suppressed a cry of frustration.
She hurried to her front porch, just barely avoiding running, Clementine at her heels. “Clementine, are there any reindeer that are able to fly?”
Clementine tapped her clipboard a little too quickly then pressed the jewel on her ring. “We have some emergency stashes of magic lichen, and we should be able to feed it to them. What are you thinking?”
Holly pressed her lips in a tight line, her mind racing. She’d been collecting Cheer without issue for years. She could do it again. An image of Ash’s crestfallen face popped into her mind, and she heard him calling her name as she ran away. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pushed the thoughts aside and tried to ignore the knots that twisted in her stomach.
“I’m going to collect some Cheer.”
ChapterForty-Six
Holly spent less than ten minutes at the North Pole, quickly devouring a mug of hot cider as if it were a magic potion and checking on the defunct operations while four new reindeer and her sleigh were prepared for a late-night trip. Her mind was whirring.Where can I go for the highest yields of Cheer tonight?
She thought of a number of places where people would be celebrating the winter season, skiing, sledding, and baking. Festive holiday parties were probably happening right that moment. But all those reminded her of Emerald Hollow, ofAsh, and she put them firmly out of her mind.
Australia,she thought. It was summer there. She would go soak up some Cheer in the sun. Her Cheer meter had crashed in Emerald Hollow, and Australian beaches were the farthest thing from Emerald Hollow she could imagine.
With her mind made up, she followed the path back to the stables, where Rudy, Sprig, Butter, and Peppermint were ready to take her wherever she desired. Clementine stood nearby, her hands tucked firmly into the pockets of her stylish white coat.
“I’m ready.” Holly climbed into the sleigh for the second time that night, and for a moment, she was terrified it wouldn’t rise into the air. She pictured Comet’s sweet face and his whining as she left, but she focused on the reindeer in front of her, willing the image away, and prayed that the magic lichen the reindeer had been fed still held its power.
Holly’s thoughts morphed from fear to determination. “I’ll make a quick round, soak up as much Cheer as possible, then come straight back to feed it to the North Post. I can make multiple trips tonight if needed, as long as we can get operations going again.” She could do it. She had never failed the North Pole, and she wasn’t about to start.
Clementine nodded at her reassuringly, but Holly couldn’t help but notice the tightening around her eyes.This is fine,Holly thought.I’m back in my element. I’m an excellent Cheer collector. This is what I do. She gave a little tap of the reins and only focused on what was in front of her as the North Pole disappeared below.
* * *
Holly toucheddown in Australia on one of her favorite beaches. She knew of a fairly secluded spot to land, and as soon as the sleigh hit the sand, she ran toward a more populated area. It didn’t take her long to find people of all walks of life—couples lounging on towels or splashing each other in the water, families building sandcastles, and friends throwing a ball back and forth.
She glanced at her watch, eager to see the Cheer level start ticking up, but the dial was firmly stuck at zero.
Her heart sank.
She ran farther down the beach, flying by people who were laughing and smiling. They would have easily bumped up her Cheer levels before. Her pulse raced, and she tapped on her watch face in frustration.Could it be broken? Is that even possible?
After fifteen minutes of futility, Holly returned to her sleigh and the reindeer. Her legs were unsteady as she climbed inside. For a moment, she simply sat there, hardly able to process that she couldn’t collect any Cheer.
Rudy turned his head to look at her, his eyes wide. She thought of all the elves at the North Pole who were waiting for her to return with a watch full of the Cheer that sustained them all. They would be waiting for her to save them—to save Christmas.
She straightened her back and pulled a little too hard on the reins. There had to be another way. She must be missing something. As the reindeer flew back toward the North Pole, Holly prepared her questions for Lumi.
But she couldn’t keep her thoughts off Ash. She’d created a mess at the North Pole and left behind one in Emerald Hollow. Tears formed in her eyes and were carried away by the cold night air before they could ever fall.
