Chapter 17- The Star of Bethlehem

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We ran toward the stables, our jackets and coats pulled tightly around us. I guess the Star of Bethlehem kept the icy winds of the North Pole out too. We heard whispering and turned slowly, afraid. An army of elves faced us, holding snowballs in their paws.

"Hey Santa, ready for a snowball fight?" Hugg asked.

"Hugg, don't you-" Santa was cut off by Hugg throwing a snowball at him. "Elf Bane."

"Oh, dear! (Y/n), don't let them near you!" Mrs. Claus said urgently.

"What's going on?" Kate yelled over the sound of snowballs being thrown at us.

"The elves have been poisoned by Elf Bane. It drives them insane. They become reckless, dangerous maniacs!" Mrs. Claus explained.

"Belsnickel spiked the cannons!" Santa realized. He made a snowball that grew bigger with all the elves it collected. It broke apart, leaving the elves howling in pain. "Inside!"

We rushed inside, the fire still crackling in the fireplace. Mrs. Claus clapped her hands, and the lights came on.

"Can you heal her?" Santa asked Mrs. Claus.

"I'll try my best. I also have to find a cure for Elf Bane," Mrs. Claus replied.

"And I need to get to Turkey," Santa added.

"Turkey?" Kate questioned.

"I need to find Hakan and the Forest Elves. They're the only ones that can build a new star for me to reignite," Santa explained.

"But, Nick, you've never flown with only seven reindeer," Mrs. Claus protested.

"I know, I know. And you can't work on Dasher and find a cure for Elf Bane by yourself," Santa replied.

"Jack will help me," Mrs. Claus said.

"He will?" Jack questioned.

"Should we stay here too?" Kate asked.

"No, no, I need you to come with me." Santa shook his head.

"Why?" Kate questioned.

"Well, with only seven, I'm not even sure we can get the sleigh off the ground. I'm gonna need all the help I can get," Santa explained.

"Besides. What's wrong with a little adventure?" I said, a small smile on my face.

"Hurry back," Mrs. Claus said.

"Work your magic, Mrs. Claus," Santa sighed.

We took off in the sleigh. The elves dispersed as we took off into the sky. The sleigh kept bumping into trees as Santa tried to control them.

"Santa, what about all the presents you need to deliver? Christmas is only three days away," Kate asked. "Without Dasher, how are we-"

"Like I said, it's a challenge. But, you see, they're... they're improving. As long as they're Christmas Spirit stays high, we should be okay," Santa assured us.

"I'm so sorry, Santa. If I hadn't had just-"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no. This is not your fault, Katie Cat. Believe me, that tricky little elf was gonna find his way into the village one way or another," Santa cut her off.

"What's Dad going to do now?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, he's probably trying to figure out some way to beat us to Turkey," Santa guessed.

"Why?" Kate questioned.

"Well, to stop me from getting a new star. That's not gonna happen. Because he's not taking one thing into consideration," Santa explained.

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