Free Yuletide (Matilda Kavanagh Novels Book 3) by Shauna Granger Page B

concept of one god. They might call him by different names and different languages, but it’s one god because they can handle that. The idea of many gods with children of their own is a bit much.”
    “Maybe if Hindus had a stronger global presence, it would’ve been an easier concept to accept,” Ronnie added, making Joey snicker.
    “Anyway,” I said, “my point is that Krampus is, technically, a demigod.”
    At that, Joey gasped, blinking slowly.
    “Yeah, he’s the son of Hel, who is the daughter of Loki, the Norse Trickster God. It’s said that Odin charged Hel with ruling the underworld, Helheim, or as humans call it, Hell. She’s trapped there—everyone who goes there, god or mortal, becomes trapped if they cross the river into her realm. The Nordic people believed that only those who die valiantly in battle get to go to Valhalla, or heaven, if you like. Everyone else, good or bad, goes to Hel in Helheim. Humans don’t like that idea.”
    “Well, duh,” Joey said.
    “Right, so things like that got swept under the rug. But here’s the thing about gods and magic—once you stop believing in them, they lose power.”
    “What? Like, they die?” Joey asked in a whisper.
    “They can,” I said with a nod. “They thrive on belief. What are they if no one gives them power? So after years of keeping his story a secret, people forgot about Krampus, and he became weaker and weaker until he wasn’t much more powerful than any other supernatural creature. They say that a group of hunters scaled the mountain where he dwells, that leads to the entrance to Helheim, and found him. He was a shadow of his former self, and they bound him and sealed his cave to keep him trapped forever or until he died. If he can die.”
    “But…” Joey’s eyes slid from mine to Ronnie’s and back again.
    I watched her swallow hard as the realization that I’d been thinking about for days dawned on her.
    “The Krampus festival. People believe again. And this is the second year, so people have been thinking about him for a while now. Those guys who make the Krampus costumes and the people who put on the festival—I mean, they’re planning all year long. People have been thinking about him for two years now!” Joey’s voice became higher the faster she spoke. Silver glitter pooled around her, spilling onto the floor.
    “Right,” I said. “People believe again. A lot of people like the idea of a Christmas Devil. They think it’s fun and funny and silly. And now they might have woken the devil.” I glanced at Ronnie and saw my concern reflected in her dark eyes. “And after so many years, he’s probably very, very hungry.”

Chapter 6
    I put thoughts of hungry holiday devils and missing children out of my head the next night. It was time for the city tree lighting, and I wanted to enjoy it. Though this was the first year I could afford the luxury of decorating my home and buying presents for all my friends, every other year I’d been able to enjoy a little bit of the holiday at the city tree lighting. It was free to everyone, and it had a much better turnout than the Samhain festival because it was something humans could understand and enjoy.
    The tree lighting always made me feel as though I was a part of a huge, happy family. Vendors set up along the sidewalks, and at the crossroads, where the barricades stopped traffic, food trucks had set up shop, filling the air with their glorious, mouthwatering scents.
    The massive evergreen could be seen from far away, the top of it reaching high above the surrounding buildings. But once I got to the town square, where the roads split away and I could see the whole majestic tree, its grandeur really hit me. Enchanted snow fluttered down from the domed ward, but the snow didn’t touch the tree, not before the decorating and lighting.
    I walked with the crowd, Joey at my side and Ronnie and Spencer behind us, hand-in-hand. No one shoved or pushed, and no one yelled or grumbled. It