I flew into the kitchen and held the door open.

After finishing off one of Salohcin's new subjects, Desette flew in, and I quickly shut the door behind him. But it didn't stop more minions from pushing against the barrier.

"Faraah, move!"

I stepped back, just in time for Desette to push one of the metallic cabinets behind the door.

My gaze flitted around, hoping to find something to help with the barricade. But instead, I found a yellow-eyed minion heading straight for me with a sword.

I quickly grabbed a nearby frying pan, ready to defend myself, until an arrow from behind, lodged itself in the corrupted angel's midsection. With a howl, it fell to the ground, revealing Nej who stood with a bow and arrow, poised for a second shot.

"Nej!" Dropping the frying pan, I flew over, wrapping him in a hug. "Thank goodness you're ok."

"Same here." He returned the hug. "Where's Ho?"

"She umm..." My arms dropped down, the horrid memory flashing in my eyes. "Salohcin...got her."

Nej's eyes widened. "What?"

"Ok, I've successfully barricaded us in," Desette announced with a sigh of relief. "We should be safe for now."

"No." Nej shook his head. "No, we need to get back out there."

He moved towards the door, but Desette quickly grabbed his arm. "Wha-Are you crazy?"

"We can't leave Ho!" Nej yelled. "We have to help her!"

"How?" Desette yelled back, equally frustrated. "Salohcin turned all the saints into stone, remember?"

My head jerked up, recalling something. "No, not all the saints."

"Huh?" Both their heads shifted to me and I stepped closer.

"The academy has twelve saints, but only eleven of them were statues."

"Are you sure?" Nej pulled himself out of Desette's hold.

"Yes, I counted them. There were only eleven. The others were all archangels and demons. The only saint that wasn't there was..." I pulled up the memory in my mind's eye, scanning all the faces. "Saint Nicholas."

Both of them shared a look.

"Ok..." Desette began. "So that means there's still hope. We need to find Saint Nicholas before Salohcin does. Any ideas on where to find him?"

"Yeah." Nej nodded. "Let's start with his office."

❄️

We turned into a corridor with a huge set of doors at the end.

"We're here," I announced.

Ignoring the hole in his wing, Desette flew to the end, reaching for the door handle, but instead smacked himself against a light sheen of blue that only became visible from the impact, then it disappeared again.

"What the—" Desette stood up, and hit it again.

The blue sheen rippled from the section he punched until it faded off.

"Oh no," I mumbled, touching down next to Desette, who, out of frustration, hit the invisible wall a third and fourth time.

"What the heck is this?" he exclaimed.

Nej approached the wall, his eyebrows pulled deep in thought. "It's the Saveth."

"The what?"

"The Saveth," I repeated. "It's a supernatural barrier that secures the most important parts of the academy in case it's under attack. It must've activated itself the moment Salohcin showed up."

"Ok..." Desette took a step back. "How do we take it down?"

Nej tapped the barrier. "We can't."

Desette frowned. "What?"

"Only a saint or a senior archangel can take it down, and since we're neither of them..." I bit my lip.

"Wait, hang on..." Nej opened up his right hand and then pulled it into a fist. He closed his eyes, concentrating for a few minutes. When he opened his eyes and hand again, an angel wing panel glowed in his palm.

"A plaque?" My eyes widened in amazement. "How'd you get that?"

"Perks of being a supervisor." He shrugged. "Archangel Gabriel gave it to me when I was first appointed, but I've never really used it before."

"What is it, anyway?" Desette quizzed.

"It's like a pass given to special archangels-in-training," I explained. "It can be used to access restricted areas in the academy."

"Let's hope this is one of them." Nej stepped forward and pressed the plaque into the barrier. The angel wings imprint glowed, pulling out the blue sheen we saw earlier. But this time, it came with a thin line in the middle that opened up.

Desette pushed one arm in first, then walked in fully. "Ok, I think it worked. You can come in, Far."

Sucking in a breath, I walked through, and Nej followed. Once we all passed, the wall closed up like it wasn't even there to begin with.

"C'mon." Desette grabbed the ornate door handle and pushed it open.

I gasped at the sight before us.

Saint Nicholas' office was beyond trashed. All the shelves and furniture were now on the floor with several papers and books scattered everywhere.

"What in heaven's name happened here?" Nej asked the question that plagued our minds as we flew over the mess.

It only meant one thing: Salohcin had probably gotten his hands on the last person who could save Christmas. But it didn't make any sense. The Saveth was still up when we arrived. There was absolutely no way he could have broken through...or could he?

"Hey, can you help me with this?"

My attention shifted to the boys. Desette flew to Nej's aid, and together, they set the fallen desk upright. Close to it was a leather-bound journal that the boys hadn't noticed, so I dove down to pick it up.

Opening it, I recognized the penmanship immediately.

Saint Nicholas. This was his journal. I thought of putting it back...you know, invasion of privacy and all...but then a familiar name caught my eye. I continued to flip through. Almost every entry held his name: Salohcin.

"What's that?" Desette drew closer.

"Saint Nicholas' journal," I responded. "This was his last entry: '23rd December, 2024. Salohcin isn't giving up. He almost came out at noon today, but Gabriel used Snowbell to keep him at bay. I'm trying my best to hold him in, but with my new responsibilities at the blessing ceremony, I fear my efforts may not be enough."

Desette's face paled as I turned to him, the realization hitting us both like a rock. "Do you know what this means?"

"Yeah." I nodded gravely. "Salohcin is Saint Nicholas."