I’d never been to Santa’s office before, but it was everything I would have guessed. Glistening built-in bookcases, crimson curtains, a thick rug, and a brightly crackling fireplace all combined to give the room a look of supreme coziness and security.

Santa looked neither cozy nor secure. He sat at a polished desk with his spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose and had the posture of someone about to singlehandedly storm a castle.

Noelle stood opposite him, her clipboard wrapped against her chest and an equally intense look on her face. She narrowed her eyes as I came in.

What was her problem? And what was with the clipboard? It wasn’t like we wouldn’t all take her perfectly seriously without it.

I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me. Suspicion was beginning to gnaw at me every time I saw Noelle. She had as much authority as anyone in the North Pole apart from the Clauses, so far as I could figure, and she had none of the cheery optimism of the rest of them. If anyone was going to let Frost into the North Pole—but no, I couldn’t think like that.

Santa trusted her. I had to trust her, too.

“Have a seat,” Santa said to me. He turned to Noelle. “Thank you for the suggestions,” he said. “I’ll leave it in your hands.”

We both watched as she nodded sharply and walked out.

I sank into a red armchair. Santa tapped a candy cane rapidly against his desk, thinking, and then pulled something out of a drawer.

“You’ve never used magic, right?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Unless you count the mirror from last night.”

He nodded, more to himself than to me, and held up a small gold chain with something dangling on the end. I leaned closer and squinted my eyes. It was a Christmas ornament, a tiny blue bulb pendant that caught the firelight.

“That’s magic?”

I hadn’t said goodbye to the reindeer, I realized abruptly. What if I didn’t get another chance?

I swallowed and focused on the pendant.

“It’s a charm,” Santa said. “You’ll wear it when you go to meet Frost. It will protect you a little from his power, or at least that’s our hope.”

“Your hope.”

“Frost is powerful now that he has the pole,” Santa said. “This is the best we can do.”

It was more than I would have on my own. I nodded.

“It will let you freeze him, too, if you have to,” Santa said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Might be better to have something that will let me melt him.”

He stood up with a soft groan and walked out from behind the desk. “He’d sense anything like that a mile off if it came from my magic. This is like his magic.”

“It’s like his magic?”

“It’s like music. He’d notice a wrong note. He’s not likely to notice this.”

He handed me the amulet. The gold chain felt like almost nothing against my skin, but the bulb was cool and heavy for its size. Santa nodded to me, and I put the necklace on.

“If you need to freeze him, you’ll squeeze the bulb in your palm and focus the energy at him.”

I held the pendant up. It looked ordinary, like Christmas jewelry I might find at the mall.

“How do I focus energy at someone?”

“You’ll understand instinctively if it comes to that,” Santa said. “It’s no different than focusing attention. I made it foolproof.”

“Glad you think I’m a fool,”

Santa reddened a little and opened his mouth before he realized I’d been teasing. He hooked his thumbs under his suspenders and scowled a little at me.

“Just trying to lighten the mood,” I said. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. And I’ll keep him distracted long enough for you to get in and do—whatever you’re going to do.”

I wasn’t clear on that part. All I knew was that my job was to lead Santa to Frost and maybe keep Frost talking.

Then, Santa had said, I was supposed to get out of the way.

He walked to the window and looked out. I knew he’d put all sorts of protective magic all over the North Pole to shield us, but I couldn’t help feeling like every window was a threat—an opportunity for Frost to look in.

“Frost will try to freeze you solid if he catches you helping me,” Santa said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I already said I’d help.”

What I hadn’t said was that I had nothing to do but help, that my life was not so full of loved ones and meaning that I’d be missed if I didn’t walk out of this. I hadn’t said that I might as well spend my time helping him, because I wasn’t doing anything else that mattered with the time. I hadn’t said that I would rather risk my life than one of the elves’ lives, because they all had someone to live for and a job that meant protecting the world and, what the heck, bringing happiness to the children of the world.

I was just Holly. No one had ever expected much of me, and they wouldn’t miss me if I was gone.

If I walked away from Frost in one piece, though, maybe I could make a fresh start. The city under the dome wasn’t enormous, but maybe it was big enough to fit just one more person, even if she was a Humdrum with no particular talents.

I tucked the pendant under my sweater. The bulb stayed cool, but it warmed me anyway. I might be going in alone, but it felt nice to think I wouldn’t be defenseless.

Santa sighed deeply, and my stomach began to churn.

“Are you ready?” he said.

“Of course not,” I said.

I stood and wrapped my arms around myself.

Someone knocked rapidly on the door. Santa waved a hand, and the door, across the room, clicked open.

Felix burst in with a bundle of red fabric in his arms. He scanned the room and his antsy face relaxed when he saw me.

“I thought I’d missed you,” he said. “Mary sent you a coat. She filled it with phoenix down. Coziest there is. It’s going to be cold out there.”

I took the coat from him. Even balled up like this, it was as warm in my arms as one of the reindeer.

“Thank you.”

“There’s an enchanted lighter in the pocket,” Felix said. “Same kind we all use to start our fires without kindling. Just in case it’s too cold for you.”

I laughed. I wasn’t ignorant enough to think an enchanted lighter would do anything against Frost, but it was a nice thought, and a nice way to show he cared.

“Good idea,” I lied, and Felix pretended to smile.

He didn’t have high hopes, I realized, and neither did Santa.

I balled my hands into fists. It didn’t matter.

We only had one path forward.

“What was Noelle here for?” I said.

“She had some ideas on tightening security around the Workshop,” Santa said. “Just in case Frost uses your departure as a way to get back in.”

“You think he’s going to want back in now that he has the pole?” Felix said.

Santa shrugged but didn’t answer.

I slipped the red coat on and zipped it up. The heat was instant and went clear to my bones.

The grandfather clock in the corner of Santa’s office read a quarter to eleven.

“I’d better go.”

Santa held out a hand. I shook it. His palm was warm and his grip was as steady as my knees were weak.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said. “The mechanics tell me they’ve got the sleigh up and running. This will be a good test run.”

I walked with Felix out of Santa’s office and down to the westernmost end of the Workshop.

Frost had chosen this spot well. This corridor was almost deserted at this hour, and there was an emergency exit at the end of the hallway that led outside.

I stopped far from it and took a deep breath. I was glad I hadn’t eaten much besides the cookie Joy had brought me. My stomach felt like it was about to turn itself inside out.

“Don’t be scared,” Felix said. “Santa will be right behind you. You just need to keep Frost distracted for a few minutes so he won’t notice Santa coming after him.”

“What if Santa tries to take the pole while I’m still on the ice floe?” I said. “I don’t know where Frost’s going to take me. I don’t even know if he’s going to take me anywhere. For all I know, his entire plan is to shove me off the floe and let me freeze and drown.”

Felix nudged my arm.

“That’s what the coat’s for,” he said. “It’ll keep you warm even in the water. I mean, your toes might fall off, but the essentials will be all right.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said.

He held up a fist, and I bumped it with mine.

“You’re going to be okay, Holly,” he said.

I wished I felt as sure. Nothing about this felt safe or wise.

What it did feel was unavoidable.

I squared my shoulders.

Felix slipped away down the hallway, and I strode toward the door and out into the dark Arctic night.