17
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‘Hold tight, Nicko! We’re coming!’
Toby hit the platform and rolled as Stella soared overhead on Prancer. The crowd gasped at the flying reindeer, showers of glittering dust raining down on them. Punching a gust of air underneath Nicko to stop him from falling through the trap door, Toby rushed to supported the old man’s weight. He hooked his hands under his armpits, his face reddening with the strain.
‘He’s too heavy!’ he yelled, and suddenly Zachary was at his side.
The large elf severed the rope above Nicko’s head with a sharp bolt of heat. Together, Toby and Zachary then hauled Nicko to one side and laid him on the boards, still bound. The rope around his neck was slack.
‘Step back!’ Zachary shouted as the hangman tried to intervene.
A warning crackle of electricity
