Book Six: Chapter 116

“Are...are you okay?”

“I’m not.” Mrs. Claus opened her mouth to say something, then slumped forward on the table.

“Mother!” Holly ran to Mrs. Claus while Kisa and Tink abandoned their work to come over as well. Mike moved to the other side of the table and easily picked the woman up in his arms. She was much lighter than she should have been, definitely less than a hundred pounds.

“Let’s get her to the bedroom,” he said. He carried the frail woman to her room, and Holly adjusted the pillows while Kisa pulled the blankets back. Once she was properly tucked in, Mike watched in horror as the woman briefly flickered out of existence like a faulty light.

“Whoa!” He examined her magic again, a cold chill going through his body. In the time it had taken him to carry her up, most of her magic had unraveled like a massive ball of yarn. Out of protective instinct, he summoned his magic and went to work, tucking the threads back in.

His legs went numb beneath him,