The Nutcracker Curse by Margo Ryerkerk

Author:Margo Ryerkerk [Ryerkerk, Margo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-30T22:00:00+00:00

20

Clara

When the blue archway shimmered into view, I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself to enter the second magical kingdom, then said, “Let’s hurry through before somebody decides to join us again.”

Philip chortled. “I think our last few escapades might’ve scared off some of the princes.”

“Only Simon. Felix seemed awfully persistent, and I wouldn’t put it past Julian to show up as well.” Only Leon hadn’t found me, which filled my chest with irrational disappointment. I knew I had no right to hope he showed up when a big part of me didn’t want him to, but my emotions didn’t seem to care what was right and wrong.

Biscuit tapped the entrance with her horn, and the light grew stronger. As she jumped through the archway, I braced myself for the strange feeling that came with crossing from our world into a magical kingdom.

The spinning and whirling sensation wasn’t too bad this time; however, my whole body was seized with an awful cold. I blinked snowflakes away from my eyelashes, staring in shock at my new surroundings. Since the first magic dimension had been the desert, I supposed it made sense for the second one to be the opposite. Still, it took me a minute to process that I had landed in a replica of Antarctica and that there was nothing but glaciers, snowcapped mountains, and ice as far as the eye could see.

“We better find whoever we came here to see before we freeze to death,” I said, my words coming out as steam clouds from my mouth. When Philip didn’t respond, I faced him, only to discover he wasn’t there. “Philip? Philip!” I spun around. Nothing but snow and ice surrounded me. “We need to go back.” I turned Biscuit around, making her go through the spot where the blue archway had been, but nothing happened. “Can’t you do anything?” I touched her horn, but she shook her head, pushing my hand away. Perhaps that was the challenge of this kingdom. Perhaps I had to solve its mystery on my own while Philip waited for me back in the forest.

“Do you think it’s going to be an animal again?” I shivered and wriggled my fingers and toes, hoping that would be enough to keep the circulation going. “All right. Let’s do this before we get frostbite.” I pushed Biscuit into a canter, surveying the white landscape. Would there be a cave again? Or some other landmark that hosted a magic elder? As if my thoughts had materialized it into being, a round igloo with a tunnel entrance appeared to my left. With no trees around it, I gave Biscuit a stern look after dismounting her. “Stay here. I’ll be back soon.” She neighed softly in response.

I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked toward the igloo. If I fell on ice, it would not only be much more painful than landing in a spider web but could also be deadly. Inside the igloo my breath caught at its lethal, natural beauty.

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