Book Eight: Chapter 26

Santa shook his head. “Christmas magic is a thing unconstrained by time or logic. All magic has a cost. It is possible that you are simply witnessing the payment after the fact.”

“A Christmas wish for children that kills the mother and the child?” Sofia’s tone was so bitter that Mike could almost taste it. “That’s not magic. That’s murder.”

“Which leads me to the alternative. I believe that the magic is still in operation.” Santa leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his belly. “You see, Tinker Radley’s Christmas wish for me was to have a child with Michael and grow their family. There exists every possibility that she will survive past giving birth.”

“But for how long?” asked Mike.

Santa shook his head. “I don’t know. Temporal magic like this seems wild and unconstrained, but there is always logic to be found in reflection and hindsight. The magic isn’t aging Tinker, it is simply peeling away the gifts she has already been given. If Tink were to