North Pole City Tales 03 - Vixen's Valor by Charlie Cochet Read Free Book Online Page A

you.” Rudy brought him in for another embrace, though Vixen couldn’t fathom what for. It wasn’t as though he was declaring himself in love or some such nonsense.
    To his relief, Rudy excused himself and ran off to join Jack, who’d cast Vixen one of his charming glares. With Vale nowhere in sight, Vixen decided it wouldn’t hurt if he took a look around. He wouldn’t go far, just down the hall. That way if Vale called for him, he would be able to run back, and no one would be the wiser. He’d say he was going to the little elf’s room.
    He slipped out of the ballroom, finding the anteroom clear, and outside of that, the corridor was empty as well. Who was going to miss one elf among all these guests? He turned and wondered which way he should go. Left. With one last glance to make certain no one was watching him, he hurried down the expansive, elaborately decorated hall. It was just as exquisite as the ballroom. Beautiful paintings of wintry landscapes and members of the Frost family lined the walls. Every few feet between closed gilded doors were marble tables containing stunning bouquets of white roses with frosted leaves and berries painstakingly arranged. The doors stretched from floor to ceiling, all double with spotless golden handles. As he walked down the corridor, he wondered what lay behind all the doors. The farther he got from the ballroom, the quieter it became.
    Did the king ever get lonely living in this big palace all by himself with only the staff? Jack lived in his own smaller palace, as did Chancellor Malachi Frost and the Frost twins. Could that be why the king was so grumpy all the time? As much as Vixen loved the thought of living in a grand palace, he didn’t think he’d like to live in it all by himself. Peeking through one of the open doors, he found a gorgeous library with wall-to-wall books and plenty of comfy-looking spots to read. Did the king retire to this room often? There were stacks of books on a great, big mahogany desk as well as in small stacks on the carpet around it. Not wanting to linger, especially if the king spent a good deal of time in this library, Vixen headed to the end of the hall and turned right.
    Hm. He hadn’t expected to get lost so quickly. From the outside, it all looked so easy to navigate, but inside it was a maze. Most of the corridors looked the same. Then there were wide twisting staircases at each end of the floor leading to other floors and countless rooms. How did anyone find their way around here? He walked down another hall and made a left. Sneaking a peek into another room had him groaning. Either the palace had five libraries, or he’d been this way already. He stopped and worried his bottom lip. Had he turned left at the end of the hall the last time or had he made a right? Turning, he was momentarily distracted by a stunning painting of the Queen of Frost. She sat on a throne next to the king, both looking so happy. Standing beside her was a fledgling Jack Frost in a royal blue frockcoat and breeches, a mischievous smile on his face. The queen had been so young and beautiful when the Frost War broke out. Her loss still saddened him. He’d been at the Rein Dear academy when the news had reached them. It was the first time Jack had lost his heart to the ice.
    A door creaked somewhere toward the end of the hall, and Vixen panicked. He backed up against the painting only to go falling through it. What the holly? Flailing, he landed on his backside. With a groan he stood and rubbed his bottom. What happened? Where was he? He looked around and gasped. It was some sort of secret room behind the painting. It was dimly lit and contained nothing but a glass case in its center. He knew he should find a way out, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly approached the glass case.
    Inside was the most beautiful scepter he had ever seen. It was silver and gold with gilded roses and vines, tiny diamonds inside each rose. The end of the scepter