THE MISSING BOOT(
CHAPTER 3: THE SNOW THAT REMEMBERS
Snow drifted quietly across Nightfall Ridge, glowing faintly with a magical golden shimmer. Each snowflake floated like a tiny lantern, falling slowly through the cold air. Lara, Jabril, and Maya continued down the rocky path, confused by the sudden winter weather in a place that had been warm moments earlier.
But the snow did not feel like normal snow. Every flake that touched the ground released a soft whisper, as if it had a voice of its own.
Lara stopped walking. She felt something cold brush the back of her neck. It was the strange sense that someone was standing behind her, breathing softly.
She turned around.
A young boy stood only a few steps away. He looked eight years old, with pale skin and glowing eyes that flickered like candlelight. He wore a red Christmas sweater and no shoes. He did not leave footprints in the snow.
"You are late," he said. His voice was calm and sad at the same time. "The spirit of Winter is almost awake."
The boy floated instead of walking. Each movement looked soft and dreamlike.
Lara asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Eli," the boy replied. "I am one of the children taken by the valley a long time ago. Winter claimed me." He pointed at the swirling clouds above them. "Every one hundred years, the Winter Spirit awakens. And it wants the golden boot."
Jabril rubbed his forehead. "So the boot controls winter?"
"No," Eli said. "Winter controls the boot."
Maya flipped open her journal and her breath caught. "Then the boot is not cursed. It is a key."
Eli nodded slowly. "A key that the Winter King needs in order to rise fully."
The ground trembled violently and a gust of cold wind swept through the valley. Snow erupted upward like fountains.
"That means he is turning in his sleep," Eli whispered.
"And the Seeker is looking for you."
A loud and haunting horn echoed across the valley. It sounded like a dark Christmas carol that had been twisted into something terrible.
Eli grabbed Lara's wrist.
"Run quickly."
Creatures formed from the drifting snow. Their bodies looked like tall toy soldiers built from frost and black sand. Their eyes were empty holes and their steps cracked like frozen branches snapping in the wind.
Maya gasped. "Snow Golems. They only appear when the boundary between the worlds is breaking."
Jabril pulled a glowing crystal from inside his jacket. "A monk in Uganda sold this to me and said it reacts to magic."
The crystal turned bright blue.
The creatures shrieked and twisted violently.
"That is good enough for me," Jabril said as he threw the crystal forward.
A blast of blue light exploded across the valley. Several golems shattered instantly and fell apart into soft piles of snow.
More golems rose from the ground, their icy fingers reaching toward them.
Lara swung her crowbar. It glowed with a warm golden light as if responding to the boot. When she struck the nearest golem, sparks of magic burst outward and the creature shattered into glittering dust.
Maya shouted, "Your weapon is linked to the boot. It is gaining power."
But for every creature that fell, the storm grew stronger, as if the very sky was breathing with the heartbeat of a giant.
Eli floated ahead of them and pointed toward a stone archway built into the mountain.
"This way. The Christmas Gate. It leads into the Winter Realm."
Jabril stared in disbelief. "You are telling me there is an entire dimension made of snow?"
"Yes," Eli said. "It is where the Winter King sleeps."
"And we are going toward him?" Jabril shouted.
Lara grabbed his arm. "If we do not enter the Winter Realm and close the gate from the inside, the Winter King will rise. Then the world will become eternal winter forever."
Jabril opened his mouth. "Eternal winter actually sounds kind of nice."
A giant hand made of snow burst through the ground beside him.
Jabril jumped back. "I take it back. We should run."
The archway glowed with bright blue symbols as they approached. A thin sheet of living frost covered the entrance like a magical curtain.
Maya touched the frost. It burned her fingers instantly and whispered her name in a strange voice.
"This frost is made from souls," she said slowly. "Only those chosen may pass."
Eli glowed with soft light. "The boot has chosen you, Lara."
"Why me?" Lara asked. "I never asked for this."
"No one ever does," Eli replied.
When Lara placed her palm on the gate, the world flashed white. She found herself inside a huge forest covered in sparkling snow. Stars hung above like bright Christmas ornaments.
The trees were decorated with ancient wooden charms carved with unknown symbols. Snow glowed on their branches.
At the center of the forest stood an enormous statue shaped like a golden boot.
Lara felt her heart pound. "What is this place?"
A voice echoed around her.
"THE GOLDEN BOOT WAS NEVER TRULY LOST."
"IT WAS PROTECTED FROM THOSE WHO WOULD USE IT FOR EVIL."
Snow drifted upward and formed the shape of a shining spirit in the form of a white stag.
The spirit spoke.
"LARA HALL, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO CARRY THE LIGHT OF THE BOOT."
Lara stepped back. "Why me? What am I supposed to do?"
"The world is falling into eternal winter," the spirit said. "Only the bearer of the golden boot can keep the Winter King from rising."
The golden statue cracked and real golden light poured out. The boot emerged, floating gently toward her.
It pulsed like a heart.
Calling her.
In the physical world, Lara stumbled out of the gate, holding the real golden boot in her hands. Magic burst from it like a shining wave.
The Snow Golems froze.
The wind stopped blowing.
Even the Seeker paused on a distant cliff and stared directly at the glowing boot in Lara's grasp.
Jabril's eyes widened. "Lara, you are actually holding it."
Maya looked overwhelmed. "The boot has accepted you. You are its new bearer."
Suddenly, a wave of red and green light rolled across the valley. It looked like Christmas magic, but twisted and corrupted by darkness.
Eli gasped in fear.
"The Winter King has begun to wake."
A massive shadow rose behind the mountains. The clouds swirled violently as two huge blue eyes opened within the darkness.
The Winter King had awakened.
And he was watching Lara.
The sky tore open with lights that looked like giant auroras. The wind carried the sound of distant jingle bells, ringing slowly like a warning.
The voice of the Winter King boomed across the valley.
"BRING ME THE BOOT AND YOUR WORLD WILL BE SPARED."
"REFUSE AND I WILL TAKE YOUR SOULS AS MY GIFT OF THE SEASON."
Lara held the boot tightly to her chest.
"No," she said quietly. "This ends now."
Golden light rippled around her. Snow rose into the air like a storm of magic. Jabril clenched his fists, ready for battle. Maya opened her spellbook, energy growing around her hands. Eli's spirit glowed brighter than ever.
The Winter King roared and the mountains trembled.
The final battle for the world of Christmas had begun.