Sofia raised her eyebrows but was obviously happy for them. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Holly stifled a laugh.
“If only she knew,” he whispered.
They left the clearing and trod through the deep snow, Comet scampering between them, until they reached the sleigh. The reindeer were already waiting. He’d ridden in the sleigh in the parade, but that had been different. He was going to be experiencing the real thing. Excitement and nerves rippled through his veins.
“Is this a bad time to tell you I get motion sickness?” Ash asked.
Holly’s jaw dropped until she saw the roguish grin on his face. She slapped his arm.
They climbed inside and got Comet settled between them.
“You ready?” she asked, taking the reins.
He nodded.
She raised the delicate-looking ropes, and the sleigh began to rise gently into the air. In spite of his jest, he thought his stomach might react to the motion, but it felt as natural as taking a stroll through the woods.
“This is the fun part,” Holly said. She grabbed his hand, and the sleigh took off.
Ash let out a shout of startled laughter as they whisked toward the quickly setting sun.
* * *
The sleigh landed softlyon a thick bed of snow. Ash’s eyes immediately went to the northern lights, which Holly was so fond of. They were swirling above them like dancing waves of technicolor. He sat still, watching in awe. Comet jumped out of the sleigh, excitedly sniffing the new environment.
“Hey!” Holly called.
He turned to see who she was talking to. No matter what Holly had told him on the way to the North Pole, nothing could have prepared him. A beautiful woman about five feet tall, with ears as sharp as knives and tightly braided blond hair, greeted Holly. Her golden eyes cruised over to him, rested for a moment, then slid coolly back to Holly. He sucked in a breath.Golden eyes.She must be one of the Kringle elves. Then he saw the clipboard in her hands.Clementine.
“Ash, come join us,” Holly said.
When he approached, Holly slipped an arm around him.
He stuck out his hand. “Clementine, I’m Ash.” He put on his most disarming smile, the one he used when he was really trying to impress a customer.
“I know,” Clementine said. She looked at his hand in confusion, and he dropped it. Her voice was slightly chilly, but he thought he could sense a bit of amusement underneath it. He would win her over soon enough.
Clementine brushed a jeweled ring on her finger and spoke into it. “Auryn, they’re back. Tell the elves to start loading the sleigh.” She looked at Ash one last time with those disarming golden eyes and began to walk down a path with lighted arches.
“This is Merriment Square,” Holly explained when they exited the path.
In the center of the square was a giant lamppost casting its light for what must be miles. Beneath it was an ice-skating rink and a lighted gazebo that looked much like the one at the Emerald House. Surrounding the square were a bunch of wood buildings, each elaborately carved and decorated. And standing outside those buildings were dozens of elves, all helping carefully load some globular liquid spheres into large carts.
“What are those?” He had a million things he wanted to ask her about and explore, but by the way the elves were handling those globes with such reverence, he knew they were extremely special.
Clementine’s ears rose slowly at his question, but Holly spoke.
“Oh yeah, we didn’t get a chance to talk about those. I know human folklore says that Clauses bring toys, but we actually bring Dreams.”
Ash gulped, eying the globes more closely. He thought he saw tiny, movie-like images floating around inside them. “Dreams?”
“Yep. Everyone gets a Dream, no matter their age. What they do with it is up to them, but we try to give them the best start possible. A lot of care goes into creating each Dream.” Holly’s face practically glowed as she spoke.
He suddenly remembered waking up one day as a teenager, having big plans for the future of the Emerald House.Did a Claus bring me a Dream?The thought was oddly comforting.
“All right, we’d better get ready. The elves will have the Dreams loaded up in no time. Do you need anything before we go? Some food? Something to drink?” Holly studied him closely, clearly making sure it wasn’t all too much for him.
