Birch & Bone

The smell of woodsmoke and damp stone flooded my senses when we stepped off the train onto the platform. We had finally arrived in Halstatt, Austria for Krampusnacht. The cold mountain wind bit through my jacket and I shivered as I pulled it tighter around me. “We should check into the hotel first,” Silas pointed out. “Drop off our bags so we’re not lugging them around during the parade.” I nodded as Thea slid her arms around her boyfriend’s waist. She and Silas had been together since her birthday this past October, and were still in that lovey-dovey, can’t keep our hands off each other phase. “Agreed,” Eden was using her phone’s front-facing camera to check her makeup. “I’ll give us a chance to freshen up from the train.” As we walked the short distance to the hotel, I couldn’t help noting the town’s atmosphere. It wasn’t the picture perfect Hallmark Christmas movie setting you’d find on a postcard. It was iron gates, gothic spires, and gargoyles. Sure, it had its share of modernization, but it was impossible to shake the feeling of ancient consequences that took place in the streets at one point in time. The hotel was modern and simple. Nothing overly fancy, but still nice enough to brag about. We had a two-bedroom suite split between the four of us. Silas and Thea were in the “master” bedroom with the single queen-sized bed, while Eden and I took the room with the two full-sized beds. Both rooms had attached bathrooms, there was a shared area that was essentially a living room, and a small, yet fully equipped, kitchen. Not that we planned on doing any cooking. “Your uncle really spoiled us, Si,” Eden said as we dropped our bags in the living room. “This is like…a condo basically.” Silas nodded. His uncle worked for Wyndham, and had gotten our reservation for an absurdly cheap discount. “The place was a condo, then the management company sold the building and it was turned into a timeshare,” he explained. “Tell your uncle we said ‘thanks,’” I grinned as I pushed the curtains open to look outside. “Will do,” he nodded again. “Are y’all ready?” Thea asked, looking at her phone. “If we don’t get out there soon, we’re not going to have a good spot for the parade.” “Final fit check,” Eden said, her slender fingers wrapping around my upper arm. She pulled me to the center of the room, and I gave a small turn. She adjusted my beanie so it covered my ears then nodded approvingly. “My turn.” “Perfect,” I grinned. “Thea.” She turned in a circle, her cheeks reddening under Silas’ watchful gaze. “Beautiful!” Eden purred. “What about me?” Silas teased as we started towards the door. Eden and I wore matching expressions that screamed please don’t ask us that as we eyed his bright North Face jacket. He stuck out like a sore thumb against our darker aesthetics. “Hot as ever,” Thea grinned, her hands finding his and saving him from our criticisms. By the time we made it to the village square, the sun was setting. A cold chill ran through me that caused me to shudder, but no one else around me seemed to notice. I decided not to say anything about it, brushing it off as having a low tolerance for the cold. The smell of sulfur began to permeate the air as flares and torches were lit. The sound of cowbells ringing became almost deafening, blurring out the chatter of the parade attendees. Eden and I pushed to the front of the ropes while Thea and Silas stayed back. Thea was tucked under Silas’s arm as if he could protect her from the costumed Krampuses. Eden and I cheered and smiled as the Krampuses ran by, enjoying every second of the parade. We smiled and batted our lashes as they lunged at us. One particularly tall Krampus rattled his chains at me, and I leaned in close, whispering, “You’ll have to try harder than that.” I winked at him before he walked away. Eden and I giggled, clutching each other’s hands. Then one massive Krampus stopped right in front of me. His horns looked dangerously real. He didn’t growl or jump like the others. He just stood there, silent. Staring. His eyes were a piercing, unnatural amber behind the mask. My breath caught in my throat and my lips parted as he reached out with one clawed glove to trace the line of my jaw. A jolt of heat ran through me that had nothing to do with the torches. Then just as quickly, he was gone, making his way down the line. I stared after him, barely hearing Eden beside me, “Oh my God, that was so hot. Girl, I would’ve asked for his number.” I didn’t say anything. I just stared, watching as he became lost in the crowd under the cover of night. “Hello, earth to Sloane,” Eden finally snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked a few times, shaking my head slightly and giving her a weak smile. By the time the parade was over, we were all freezing. Eden and I worked our way through the crowd back to Silas and Thea. We found a tavern to eat at that advertised itself as an “authentic Gasthof” and tucked ourselves into a corner booth. Thea was relaxing with a glass of Cabernet while Silas quietly teased her about being a scaredy cat during the parade. Eden scrolled through the pictures on her phone that she’d taken during the parade, deciding which ones she should post on her i********:. I was unexplainable tense though. I felt a prickle on the back of my neck. I was certain I was being watched. I could barely focus on Eden talking about the performer that had touched me. “I wish I had taken a picture,” she was saying. “It was so hot. All the t****k girls would go wild.” “It was probably some creep, taking advantage of the costume,” Silas scoffed. “I don’t know,” Eden frowned. “Maybe.” I disagreed though. Something about him had been different. I just couldn’t put my finger on it though. The conversation was interrupted when the heavy wooden door of the tavern swung open. Everyone in the room seemed to quiet, attention turning to the man who had just walked in. He seemed impossibly tall and broad-shouldered, barely fitting through the door. He wore a dark, heavy shearling coat and black boots. There was a ruggedness to his face. Like a man that worked laboriously outdoors. Dark stubble covered his sharp jaw. Black hair fell down his back in an intricate braid. And his eyes…they were the same amber eyes I’d seen behind the mask. He didn’t go to the bar nor did he find a table of his own. Instead, his gaze locked with mine and he walked straight to our table. My breath caught again as he leaned down, casting us in shadows. The air suddenly felt heavy and thick with a dark tension. Silas started to say something, but the guy ignored him. It was as if he was only aware of my presence. “I saw you at the ropes,” he started, his voice like gravel over velvet. “Most people hide their sins when I pass. You practically invited me to see yours.”