Torrik sat next to Santa in the sleigh as eight reindeer pulled them at top speed through the cold air over the ocean. As the evening approached, the sun descended, yet the sky was already filled with stars. On the other side of the horizon rose a blood colored moon, the light of the sun no longer reflecting a milky white on the lunar surface.
“This is an interesting way to travel.” Torrik felt the side of the exquisite sleigh.
Santa said, “Perks of being a seasonal figure.”
“Magic animals pulling it?”
Santa snapped the reins, and they moved a little faster. “Magical, yes. But, they are not animals. They are constructed out of magic.”
“They certainly can move.”
Santa pulled slightly, and they shifted their approach to the south pole. “Trust me, they can move faster than this. But I don’t want to hurt you.”
Torrik looked over the side. “I think you might want to risk it.”
Santa looked over the side and saw that shadowy mist crawling across the ocean’s surface. In the distance, moving through the clouds, were the giant figures of Fenrir, Charybdis, and the Hydra. He reached down and pulled a lever and then yelled, “YA!” He snapped the reins and the sleigh blasted off much quicker, approaching the sound barrier.
Torrik, holding on for dear life, yelled, “Wow! This is better than wind riding!” An invisible barrier that encapsulated the sleigh parted the surrounding clouds.
Santa yelled, “What is that shadow? I have felt nothing like it before.”
Torrik said, “As I said before, it is the essence of the darkest magic ever concocted. It spawns creatures of darkness that only want to kill.”
They reached the edge of Antarctica, the dome of New Meta City in the distance. Without warning, Santa yanked hard on the reins and the sleigh diverted quickly while it slowed down.
“What are you doing?” Torrik asked.
Santa pointed out as the edge of the sleigh slid across a magical field that surrounded the ice continent. “That barrier is too strong. I can’t get through.”
Torrik cocked his head. “No barrier is perfect. We can. . . wait, what is that?” He pointed at flashes of light in the distance.
Santa reached behind him, into his gift sack, and produced a pair of military grade binoculars. He looked through them and let out a heavy sigh. “Look for yourself.”
Torrik spent a moment figuring out how to use the strange technology, but then saw for himself the battle between Nova and Lady Echidna. Nova kept her away from the barrier, but she was relentlessly trying to kill him in return.
“We have to get in there. Help him stop her.”
Santa reached back and pulled out a large BADGE laser cannon. “Then help me take down this damn barrier.” He used the weapon to fire an endless stream of power at the surface of the barrier.
Torrik concentrated on his hands, his horns both glowed and he pushed both hands forward. A steady stream of lightning blasted out and met the barrier in the same place as Santa’s weapon.
***
EB hopped over and shook his head. “Not anywhere in cold storage or the food lockers.”
Gar asked, “If this was so important, wouldn’t he put it in a really safe place? Like the secure vault on Earth.”
Chase walked down the corridor as she answered that. “I won’t ignore the possibility. However, logic tells me he wouldn’t keep it anywhere on Earth. Lady Echidna would have a much harder time finding it up here. He would want to keep it away from her.”
Gar asked, “EB, you know how Nova thinks. Where would he have put it?”
EB laughed, “I never figured that guy out. He’s an enigma wrapped in a mystery, smothered in chocolate with a nice nougat filling… anyone else want some candy now? WAIT! THAT’S IT!”
Chase said, “I seriously doubt candy will help right now.”
“No, no, no. Don’tcha see. Clues! Nova loved clues. Come on!” EB ran ahead.
“Wait, we can’t run… and he’s gone.” Chase jogged along with Gar.
Gar yelled, “EB, COME BACK!”
EB zipped back to them. “Sorry. Got excited. Come on, it’s in Nova’s office. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.”
“Think of what?” Chase asked.
“Don’t spoil the surprise. This is really great. Like, something so intricate.”
They ran back through the station, up to the top level, and into Nova’s old office. Justin was there with them, as he saw all three enter the Operations and run up the stairs.
“What are you doing here? Did you find the Eye?” he asked.
EB said, “Gimme a sec and I’ll have it for you.”
Everyone waited while EB hopped over to a couch beside a wall that had a glassed case containing artifacts as decor. EB punched in a simple security code and the glass opened up. There was an ornate egg with gold gilding in the middle of the objects.
“Here it is!”
Chase said, “Uh, EB, we scanned this office close to a hundred times. Nothing showed up.”
EB set the egg, with its golden holder, on the desk. “Do you remember when we found the Eye of the Hydra?”
“Yes.” Justin said, “I ordered it concealed in an egg like that and sent down to be protected. It didn’t work. Lady Echidna found it right away.”
“But, you see, that was Nova’s plan all along.”
Gar said, “But Nova was already gone. That was Justin’s plan.”
“Nope. We’re underestimating Nova’s calculating mind. He’s like a grand master chess player, only better. He figured Justin would do that. You see, he asked me to make him this egg a while back, and I did, because we are BFFs. And I thought nothing of it. Never really understood why he wanted to have an impervious egg made. But, he's my friend. When Justin came to me and asked for an egg that would be impervious to any kind of scan or detection, I just made another like this. I never realized it was part of a master plan.”
Chase said, “But your powerful magic on the outside would have shown up on the arcane sensors.”
“Nope. Justin sent the second egg to Neo Utopia to be locked in a time pocket so that it was outside of time. Don’tcha know? Nova has time powers as well. He locked this one in a time pocket too. So, it is protected. And, he left this clue, this egg protects what’s inside and cannot be detected by most things. He knew when the time came, only I, HIS BESTEST BEST FRIEND FOREVER, would realize it.”
Chase muttered, “Still bothered by Nova’s statement on Midgard?”
“Shut up.” EB sneered.
“Can you open the egg?” Justin asked.
EB put his paws together and cracked his knuckles. “Yup. Nova showed me a thing or two about time powers. Well, some things... and he didn’t really show me, I just watched him use them.... and he really didn’t like it... but I figured out this much.” He put his paws on the egg and concentrated. After a moment, the surface became blurry and then cracked and what appeared like thin glass shattered and dissipated, leaving the egg unchanged. EB tapped the top, and the egg made a satisfying clicking sound of gilded gears as the top spread apart like a flower blooming. Inside was a tiny cushion with the ruby sitting in the middle. “And viola, Nova’s missing eye.”
Chase said, “That? Are you sure? It looks like any large ruby.”
Gar slowly reached out, “I feel something from it. The magic inside this is… strange. I know it. I have felt this before.”
EB slowly turned and looked at the eye. “I feel it too. This is a Vexillian spell, or one very much like it.”
Justin asked, “What are you talking about?”
EB quietly said, “This is a talisman. Just as Jinn’s bottle was half of his soul. Nova literally split his soul in half and stored half of it here. My God! He was only half of himself and hasn’t even been near his talisman all these years, and he was so very, very powerful. What will this make him?”
Chase asked, “What do we do with this? Just bring it to him?”
EB reached out for it, “Yup. The closer it is to him, the more... Gah!” He held his heart.
Gar lurched as well. “No, what has happened?”
Chase caught EB before he fell off the desk. She asked, “What is happening?”
EB had tears in his eyes as he said, “Nova‘s… dead.”
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