Today's blog post is a new short story, set at the end of Seeking Magic, the third book in the series. That book just happened to finish right around Christmas time, so adding a couple of extra scenes seemed like too good an opportunity to miss
😊
I hope you enjoy it and thank you for visiting my blog today!
“I’ve
been thinking,” said Jax, getting up from the sofa and walking to the window.
He looked out at the street, where sparkling lights were visible in nearly
every house. “This Christmas they have on Terra—it’s a pretty big deal, isn’t
it? Much bigger than our Winter Festival.”
He
looked over his shoulder at Darius, who smiled. “You just noticed? I think it’s
nice. There are no magicians here, but they still believe in magic.”
Jax
faced the window again. His green eyes flickered, reflecting the red-and-white
Santa Claus on the front lawn of the house next door. “I didn’t just notice. I had to be an elf in that primary
school play, thank you very much. I’ll be having nightmares about it for a
while yet.”
Darius
laughed. “You deserved it. And Terran technology certainly has its uses. I’ll
cherish those images forever.”
“That’s
what you think.”
“You
didn’t.” Darius reached into his pocket. “I knew I shouldn’t have given you my
phone to look after during that Combat lesson. Some friend you are.”
“I’m
a good friend,” Jax protested. “I got rid of something that would only have
caused us to argue in the future.”
“Yeah,
well, what about the argument we’re about to have right now? I’ll just ask
Shannon to resend them to me, anyway.”
Jax
turned back and gave Darius a rather smug smile.
“You
did not mess with Shannon’s phone,”
said Darius, raising his eyebrows. “She’ll be so mad. And her magic is still
way stronger than yours, or did you forget that?”
“She
deleted them herself. She asked me what I wanted as a Christmas present, and I
told her I wanted those elf photos to disappear.” He shook his head.
“Unfortunately, she also said the whole thing was engraved on her memory anyway,
and she reserved the right to laugh about it whenever she wanted… but at least no
one else can.”
“Well,
whatever deal you made with Shannon, I’m
still annoyed with you,” said Darius.
Jax
crossed the room and sat down again. “So, I wanted to ask for your help with
something.”
Darius
sighed with exasperation. “Did you not hear what I just said?”
“I’m
sorry. What can I say? I was desperate.”
“Fine,”
said Darius. “I accept your apology. But you have to be a test subject for my
Research Spell next week. Agreed?”
“I
don’t know. What exactly is in your Dream Remedy, again?”
“I’m
remaking it. I’m thinking elves. Lots of elves. With black hair and green eyes.”
He laughed at the look on Jax’s face. “What did you want my help with?” Darius
asked, when he’d managed to get his amusement under control.
“It’s
about this Christmas thing. Shannon doesn’t want a big present or anything. She
says after all the drama recently with the time travel, and Penny becoming a
magician, that she’s happy if we just spend the day together, but I think she
deserves something amazing. Only, I don’t know exactly what…”
Darius
leaned forwards. “Yes! I was thinking the same about Penny. She says being a magician is enough for
all the Christmases and birthdays she’ll ever have, but I disagree. I want to
make sure she never forgets our first Christmas,” he added, his cheeks going a
bit red.
“Right,”
said Jax, giving Darius an understanding grin.
“What
shall we do, then?” Darius looked at the time on his phone. “They’ll be back from
helping Mrs. Blackwood soon, so we’d better talk fast.”
“The
problem,” said Jax, “is that we don’t have any Terran money, and we can’t use a
spell in front of Shannon’s sister or Penny’s family.” He made a face. “Magic
isn’t exactly discreet.”
“Wow.
Jax following the rules and not showing off either. It must be love,” joked
Darius.
“Shut
up,” said Jax. It was his turn to blush. Annoyed, he filled his palms with an
Ice Spell and pressed them against his cheeks for a second. As he lowered his
hands, he gave them a thoughtful look. “Although… there might be a spell we can
use. I’ve just had an idea.”
“Tell
me,” said Darius, and Jax explained.
🎄🎄🎄
On
Christmas morning, Shannon woke up slowly to the sound of her younger sister’s
excited giggling. “He’s been, Shannon, he’s been!” she shouted. “Come
downstairs and see what Santa Claus brought you. And you won’t believe what
else has happened!”
“In
a minute, Tammy,” she called back, stifling a yawn. She turned her head into
the pillow, smiling as she remembered the evening before.
Shannon
had spent Christmas Eve on Androva with Jax, Darius, and Penny. She, Jax, and
Darius had taken turns using Manipulation Spells to create ever more extravagant
Christmas-themed food, drink, and decorations, while Penny used her brand-new
force field to draw snowflakes in the air. By the time Revus, Jax’s father,
returned home, the usually sombre Mabre House kitchen looked more like a
Santa’s Grotto in a department store.
Revus’s
face had been mixture of horror and disbelief, though he had done his best to
muster a polite smile for Shannon’s and Penny’s benefit. He’d immediately turned
around and said he had some urgent paperwork to see to in his office, and he’d
barely closed the kitchen door behind him when the four friends broke into
helpless giggling. By the time Jax and Darius took her and Penny through the
portal and back home, it had been quite late.
Jax
and Darius were coming to Terra for Christmas dinner, which Shannon’s parents
were hosting for both families later that day. Shannon knew Penny would want to
arrive early to practice using her force field some more in the privacy of
Shannon’s bedroom. Though Penny was excited about joining the Seminary of Magic
in the New Year, she was nervous about being able to keep up with the lessons.
Shannon
was just about to push back the covers when her phone chimed with a text. “Are you awake?” it said.
“Yes. Just.”
“Look outside,” came the reply.
Shannon
got out of bed and walked to the window. When she moved the curtain to one
side, she gasped. Snow! There was snow all over her garden. It was perfect,
like the white Christmas of her dreams. As she watched, a figure dressed all in
black stepped out from under the chestnut tree at the edge of the garden. Jax
looked up at her and grinned, before glancing down at his phone and typing
quickly. “Happy Christmas, Shannon. x,”
said his text.
Shannon
pointed to Jax and then the garden with an incredulous look. “You?” she typed.
He
nodded and wrote a reply. “Me and
Darius. The snow goes all the way to Penny’s house. Thank Androva she doesn’t
live far!”
“I love it. It’s the best present I’ve ever
had. xxx”
Jax’s
grin got bigger. “I’ll be back for those
kisses in person later.”
Shannon
watched him leave, her own smile wide enough to make her cheeks ache. Penny was
going to be so happy when she saw the snow. She had a feeling this was going to
be the best Christmas ever.
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