Mason is now fourteen years old. While he shares remarkable intuitiveness with his sister, Madeleine, he is also empowered with the ‘magic of old’, enabling him to see, and to do, what others cannot. As Madeleine accompanies Esmeralda in her search for her father’s laboratory, they encounter wild beasts, dangerous obstacles, and signs that something is amiss. It isn’t until Madeleine receives a cryptic message from Mason – via a crow – that she and Esmeralda must embark on their most dangerous mission. “Change Crystal in Clock Tower!” Mason advises, as weather and geological conditions in Christmasville deteriorate and the terrifying phenomenon of timelessness becomes a shroud enveloping all who call Christmasville home.
Meanwhile, back in Lenox, Mason discloses to his mother, Caroline, three secrets regarding the plight of Christmasville, the danger it poses for Madeleine and a revealing announcement concerning Catherine Artaban. In collusion with the shaman, John Little Crow, Mason d