Viola Grace - Nexus Chronicles 02 - A Nexus Xmas, page 1
Deciding what to get for her gnomes for their first Xmas was Abby's main concern, until the little buggers tricked her into animating the snow warriors that they had created in her yard. The new creatures rampage throughout the neighbourhood and molest the quiet homes of Sargent in an effort to strip away their holiday magic. Abby and the others must stop the snowmen while keeping the magic hidden from the average populace. When Yeti arrive to help, Abby is more than willing to accept whatever they will offer to stop the holiday horror of a giant Snow Beast created for the purpose of world domination. All this, and she still has to shop for the holidays, what is a Nexus to do?
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A Nexus Xmas
Copyright © 2009 Viola Grace ISBN: 978-1-55487-454-5
Cover art by Martine Jardin All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Devine Destinies An imprint of eXtasy Books
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www.devinedestinies.com
A Nexus Xmas
By
Viola Grace
Dedication
To my Aunty Mary who lost her battle with breast cancer this fall. Her love of life, joy, fun and family will be an example I will try to live up to for the rest of my life.
Merry Christmas, Mary.
Chapter One
bby frowned at the list in front of her and Alooke
d into her backyard at the snow castles that the gnomes had been building. The tiny drawbridges and catapults were hilarious if historically inaccurate. Xander had shown them websites that had pictures of snowmen and now they were off on a new tangent, creating a small white army.
What am I going to get the little ones for Xmas?
They had already stolen everything that they wanted. It was hard to buy something for someone who knew how to get into any shop after hours without being detected. She drummed her fingers on the table and scowled. This was hard.
She wanted to make it special for them—it was their first animated Xmas after all.
Gaia’s presents were already wrapped and hidden from all of her creatures. Baby stuff was hard to defend when the gnomes were the same size. The wanted to do little fashion shows all the time. It was hard to keep a straight face and even 1
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harder to keep re-wrapping the presents for Seesee to open on Gaia’s behalf. Those chubby little hands had no fine motor control yet. The newest Montrose was cute as a button, no amount of effort was too much to give her a good first Xmas.
“Having trouble picking something?” Laura was bouncing the little princess on one hip.
“Yeah. After animating them, I never thought they would need anything else. Xmas never even came to mind.”
“Well, if Verne hadn’t had the idea to hold Xmas, then we would all have been scrambling to attend our own gatherings and everyone else’s.
With it being Xmas, we can all enjoy a big gift exchange and a nice night together.”
Abby took little Gaia from her Aunty Laura.
“And you, little missy, will have your first Xmas with family. I have all kinds of goodies for you. I love starting new holidays.” Dancing around the room with the neighbourhood’s favourite pretty princess was fun for everyone.
All too soon, the gnomes were piling into the living room, joining in the fun and dancing along with their Nexus.
Decorating the Xmas tree was rather easy. For the first time in Abby’s life, she merely needed to sit back and let the critters have at it. The 2
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gargoyles flew laps around the tree carrying the garland with them and the gnomes waited their turn to be hoisted into position to put on the ornaments.
Since the Summit, she had been inundated with gifts arriving in the mail. In the last few weeks, they had taken a holiday turn. Her tree was covered with gargoyles, gnomes, pentacles, blessing glyphs and some items that Abby couldn’t name.
Xander was in charge of making sure that the magic that coated the gifts was not hostile. It was something that really kept him busy with the flood of presents that kept coming.
Steven Murdoch, the half-demon mailman, had taken to travelling with a small trailer attached to his delivery vehicle. Some days she could receive a pile that would have made her reel if she didn’t have her friends around her to help her deal with all of it. Fortunately, she did.
Abby sipped at the hot cider that her gnomes brought her. She hadn’t brought any new creatures to life in the last few months, but with Xander’s help, she was still putting regular pulses of new magic into the world. It was the burden of a Nexus to keep producing magic, but with all of the support of the Oak Point Guard, they took the chore part out of it and wove it into her daily life.
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Even the joy of watching her critters fight over the trimming of the tree was starting a charge of magic in her blood.
Tomorrow was Yule, the beginning of the holidays that would be celebrated in the neighbourhood. The neighbours would all gather at Seesee Montrose’s house to light a log and watch it burn through the night and into the following morning.
Gaia was a little night owl and would definitely keep her mother alert the whole night long.
Seesee’s boyfriend, Miklos, was a vampire and he would be able to keep watch on the log and the little baby. The sun would be born again with their little family on watch, their first new year together.
Abby had already cleared it with them that she would leave after midnight. If she stayed awake too long, the magic suffered and no one wanted that. The New Year would be brought in with her fast asleep and she would wake to the new, shining sun.
For tonight, she was alone with Xander and her creatures. Her own weird little family starting the magic of the season.
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Chapter Two
arbinger smirked and addressed his siblings.
H“T he warlock has given us this book and I have researched it online. Snowmen are fashionable and traditional this time of year.”
“This is true. I have seen it for myself. The people of Sargent have built them throughout the town,” Bitsy agreed.
“Then I propose that we build some for the Nexus that are really special.”
Out of his leather codpiece, he pulled a small pouch that the rest of the gnomes would recognize.
“I have kept these magically charged stones away from the Nexus. We should have enough here to make her her very own collection of snowmen.”
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Mitsy pounded her gloves together. “Why are we going to play with this cold stuff? She has us, she doesn’t need more.”
“Because it is traditional to give and receive gifts at this time of year. The Nexus has made it clear that she doesn’t want anything that we have stolen so that leaves us stuff to make.” Harby finished the pronouncement with a nod of his bearded head.
“So what do you want us to do with the magic?” Bitsy was warming to the idea.
“Rub the bead to activate it and then put it into the head of the snowman. I have obtained carrots and coal for the eyes and noses. We can start immediately.”
Skint was in charge of activating the beads due to his persistent state of undress. A naked gnome making snowmen wasn’t a comfortable thought.
Fourteen snowmen were created, a lovely collection of ice with cheerful grins. Each with a magical bead inside them.
The gnomes gathered around and watched carefully, eye to eye with their creations. Nothing happened. The snowmen didn’t move and soon, the gnomes turned in dejection.
“It didn’t work. I thought it would work.”
Harby was disappointed as they filed inside to prepare dinner for the Nexus, the mermaid and that scary little baby.
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They left their creations alone in the falling snow of the week before Xmas.
A swirl of wild magic rippled through the yard, borne on the backs of snowflakes. It danced and twirled before resting on the source of the small pulse of Nexus magic. Each snowman was encased in crystalline armour of magic and slowly sprang into motion in the darkness of the night.
As a group, they looked at each other and then the snowy world that they were born into.
“We are alive.”
“We are. Why are we alive?”
“I don’t know.”
“What shall we do?”
“Go exploring?”
“That sounds good. Where shall we go?”
“I feel a lar
Fighting their limbs free of the snow, feet appeared. Their bodies grew more streamlined. As one, they moved to the river with its thick layer of ice. The darkness was their daylight. They danced and capered in the moonlight. Their limbs 7
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elongated and bodies grew more graceful when one of them saw a glimmer in the night.
“Look. Look at that. Jewels in the night. I wonder what they are?”
When they all saw what their sibling had pointed out, they started to move rapidly through the snow.
It was beautiful. A collection of houses all covered with glowing jewels. The lights caused a warm sensation in the hearts of the snowmen and an idea began to form.
Being born of the same snow was a handy thing. They could see into each other’s minds and develop an idea more rapidly than any individual.
They needed to come up with a plan to make their idea come to fruition.
This winter wonderland was far too beautiful to let it fade in the spring. Steps would have to be taken.
Bitsy looked out the window at their snowman collection. It seemed that they were slightly out of formation from the day before, but not by much.
Perhaps they were coming to life slowly.
“When do we tell the Nexus? About her present, I mean.”
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Harby looked thoughtful. “Well, they are out there right now so perhaps today would be a good day? It isn’t like we can hide them. I just wish that they were able to move.”
“Well, Harb, I think they may be picking it up slowly. They have shifted since we came in last night.”
“Really? That’s fantastic. Let’s make her a card and give them to her.” Harby was suddenly very enthusiastic. He had been practicing spelling his full name and loved a chance to do it.
Bitsy merely shook his head in amusement.
Together, the gnomes prepared a card and signed it, one by one. They finished Abby’s breakfast preparation and put the card on her place mat. Now, they just had to wait for her to finish snuggling with the warlock and she would get her breakfast and her Xmas present.
Waking up in Xander’s arms was Abby’s favourite time of the day. She snuggled back against him and sighed happily. “Is there anything better than a snowy day?”
“Only unlimited time with you, Abby.” His breath was warm in her ear and she shivered a little.
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She heard him sniff the air and smiled. His next words were unromantic but not unexpected. “Are they making bacon?”
“Yes. But as always, I get first dibs.”
“Of course, but the bacon will keep. I have other things I would rather keep warm right now.” He kissed his way down her neck leaving her all goosepimply in reaction.
“And what would those other things be?”
She laughed as he rolled her to her back. In the long minutes that followed, he showed her those other things and a few that caught her by surprise.
“I love snowy mornings with you, but I think we should hit the shower and then grab breakfast.
The gnomes will only wait so long before setting up for lunch.”
“Then let’s not waste a moment.” Spry and chipper, Xander popped out of her bed like it was a toaster. A muttered spell and wave of his hand and they were both daisy fresh and ready for the day. Clothing and all.
“Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“Keep it up, dear Nexus. I can listen to that all day long.” He chuckled and escorted her into her dining room.
The dining room was a new addition. The house had put it on the last time she had powered it up with overflow and Abby wasn’t complaining.
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Xander tucked her chair in under her and soon, the gnomes were trouping in with the piping-hot food in their grasp. The gargoyles flew in the napkins and soon, breakfast was served.
There was a card next to Abby’s place, but as soon as she reached for it, the gnomes waved her off. They wanted her to open it after her breakfast.
Eating bacon everyday was not good for her, but the gnomes rationed it out and her latest medical tests indicated that her diet was fine.
Which was good, it was one of her favourites.
They had tried to switch her to soy bacon at Laura’s request, but Abby didn’t like it and they returned to the regular kind with only the occasional foray into turkey bacon.
The card beckoned to her as only a secret could.
She finished her food quickly and then turned to the mysterious folded paper.
Dear Nexus. We made you an army of snowmen.
They have magic in them and can be your snow gnomes. We love you lots, Bitsy, Mitsy, Harby, Skint, Splint, Ruffles.
“Aw. Isn’t that cute, Xander? They made me snowmen.”
Her boyfriend stilled and an appalled look crossed his features. “What do they mean there is magic in them?”
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Bitsy was standing nearby. He mimed putting something into the snow and then rolling it.
“You put something magical into the snowmen?” She was struggling to think what they could have put in that held magic.
Harby showed her the pouch where glass beads had been kept at the Magical Summit.
Xander cursed. “Yesterday was the eve of Yule.
The snow that fell will make it very difficult to remove the magic from those snowmen. They are functionally immortal if we don’t pull that magic out.”
“You are kidding right? I can pull any kind of magic.”
“Not holiday magic. It is not meant to be held by any one person. It starts falling at midnight on Yule and keeps coming down until New Year’s.”
Xander took her hand in his. “You have no power over that magic. It is true wild magic and you can’t manipulate it.”
“Whoa. When were you planning to tell me that I am not all powerful?” With her lips twitching, she tried to stifle a smile. “Relax, Xander. I am sure that everything will be fine. Now, let’s go look at my snowman army.”
The gnomes capered in front of her, eager to show her what they had made. The gargoyles grabbed her wrap and draped it over her before 12
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she left the house. Xander was on his own in the icy December weather.
“Oh my. They are quite something.” Abby counted slowly and watched the heads of the snowmen rotate to look at her. Their black eyes were cold. It was a cold that went beyond the coal that had been used to create them. The magic that covered them was icy. A frost coating of magic that defied her brief attempt to pull it into her.
“Fourteen? That is quite a few. They all seem very well constructed. Thank you.” She leaned down to hug all of her critters, then moved inside with a sigh of relief.
Xander hugged her close so the gnomes wouldn’t overhear. “What do you think?”
“That if they move much faster, they would be dangerous. Good thing they are so sluggish.”
“Only during the day. The night is their time to move, when the magic flows freely.”
“Should we cancel Seesee’s?”
“And miss the Yule celebration? No way. We will only be gone a few hours and be on guard against whatever the magic will come up with. In the meantime, I will put some effort into finding a solution for this problem.” He gave her a light squeeze and let her go. “I will pick you up at four.
We need to get there before the sun goes down.”
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“I’ll be ready and the gnomes are staying home.”
He looked a little surprised. “Why is that?”
“Gaia freaks them out. It is either her size or her talent, but they are always on guard around her.
