Kraved by Krampus (Yule Be Mine Monster)

6. Clara

Chapter six

Clara

T he wind slices through my coat, but I force myself forward. There has to be a town nearby. People. Normal, non-magical people who don’t make my heart race or magic spark.

Something moves in the darkness between the trees. I freeze, straining to see through the curtain of snow. Please don’t be him. Please don’t be him.

A child’s cry pierces the storm.

My body moves before my brain catches up, stumbling toward the sound. Snow crunches under my boots as I weave between black tree trunks. The peaceful forest from earlier has transformed into something wild and threatening.

“Hello?” My voice is swept away by the wind. “Is someone there?”

Another cry, closer this time. Through the swirling white, I catch a glimpse of a small figure huddled against a fallen log.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll help you.” I wade through knee-deep snow, my muscles burning with cold and effort. “What are you doing out here alone?”

The child’s head snaps up. Not tears on their face—frost patterns spreading across their skin like delicate lace. Their eyes glow with an inner light that makes my chest tight with recognition.

Oh god.

“I can’t make it stop.” Their voice echoes strangely, layered with power. Snow swirls around them in tight spirals, responding to their distress. “The magic won’t listen.”

Magic around me surges in response, silver light spilling from my fingertips. No, not now. I shove it down, but the child’s eyes widen.

“You’re like Krampus!”

“I’m not—” The denial sticks in my throat as the magic reaches for me, wild and desperate for connection. The sensation is like touching a live wire.

The snow spirals faster, picking up speed. Tree branches creak and groan under the weight of supernatural ice. This isn’t just a lost child—it’s unrestrained magic about to lose control.

Just like you’re about to lose control.

“Please help.” Their small hands reach for me, trailing frost in the air. “He said there would be others, but I couldn’t wait. I had to try the spell now.”

“He?” My stomach drops. “Who said that?”

A branch snaps behind us. I spin around, heart in my throat.

Red eyes pierce the darkness between the trees. My breath catches as a massive shape emerges, all twisted horns and matted fur. Not Krampus—something else. Something wrong.

The child whimpers, pressing against my side. The magic pulses erratically, making the air crack with frost.

Run. Hide. Protect.

My body trembles with instincts I didn’t know I possessed. Power builds beneath my skin, demanding release.

The creature’s footsteps leave smoking patches in the snow. Each step closer sends waves of corrupted magic washing over us. My stomach churns at the wrongness of it.

“Stay behind me.” I push the child back, though what I plan to do against this thing, I have no idea.

Its jaw unhinges, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth. Black ichor drips from its maw, sizzling where it hits the snow. The stench of decay fills my nose.

Think. There has to be something...

My fingers brush the fountain pen in my coat pocket—my mother’s pen. It burns hot against my skin, and suddenly I know what I need to do. I feel Krampus’s magic and think I’ll be able to draw on it.

I yank the pen out, holding it like a weapon. Silver light blazes from the nib, cutting through the darkness. The creature recoils with a sound like breaking glass.

“You don’t belong here.” I recognize the monster from one of the scenes in my manuscript. The words flow from my lips in a language I’ve never spoken but somehow understand. My voice resonates with power that makes the trees shudder. “This is not your realm.”

The thing lunges. I slash the pen through the air, drawing a burning sigil. The symbol hangs suspended between us, pulsing with light.

The creature slams into an invisible barrier. Its claws screech against the magic, leaving trails of corruption that my power burns away. Each attack makes the sigil flare brighter.

“What’s happening?” The child’s voice shakes.

My arms tremble with the effort of holding the barrier. “I don’t—”

The creature rears back, gathering itself for another assault. Black energy crackles around its form, distorting the air. This time, I’m not sure my hastily crafted protection will hold.

I can’t keep this up much longer.