Christmas Day
- On Christmas morning, Will opens a present from his brother Stephen. It's a weird looking carnival head made out of paper mache.
- He's not sure what the gift means, but when Will touches it, he gets a weird sensation, almost like it's from an Old One. Is Stephen an Old One?
- The guy's not there to ask, so luckily there's a note. Will reads about how a weird old man gave Stephen the gift and told him to give it to his brother because he'd know what to do with it.
- Okay, okay, so Stephen isn't an Old One, but he spoke to someone who is.
- Will's family is a little shocked by the gift; the bright colors and horns on the head startle them.
- At first they want him to put it on, but Will knows it's not time so he suggests Mary open a present, and she does.
- Just then, Will's dad's friend, Mr. Mitothin shows up. As he's introducing himself to everyone, Will realizes that he recognizes the guy as the Rider. Uh-oh…
- He freezes his family before Mr. Mitothin can hear his name.
- Will yells at the Rider for showing up at his own home, on Christmas no less. The Rider tells him that he was invited so Will can't do anything about it. Plus, if he uses magic now, his whole family will be thrown out of time. Wouldn't that be a shame?
- Will is angry, but he knows the guy is right. The Rider unfreezes the family and introduces himself to Will so he can get his name.
- Mr. Mitothin just came by to drop off a present that Will's dad got for Will's mom. It's a surprise, though, so shh…
- He tells Mary she has lovely hair and politely removes a stray strand from her sleeve for her.
- Meanwhile, Will remembers what Merriman said about the Dark reading minds, so he tries to think of random things like breakfast so the Rider can't hurt him.
- Mr. Mitothin leaves, and Will can tell the guy didn't get any more info from his mind. Phew.
- His mom opens her Christmas gift—it's a bracelet to match her prized ring, with rubies and diamonds. Mr. Mitothin is a dealer and helped Will's dad get the stones.
- Will knows there must be more to the story—the Rider didn't just pop by to wish them a Merry Christmas. He must have planted something in the bracelet, plus his letter from Stephen is missing.
- Later at church, Will notices that something is wrong. He can sense the Dark all around them, and when he looks to Farmer Dawson for confirmation, he knows there is trouble brewing. The guy tells him that they have to protect the other Old Ones; Will is special and can handle the powers of the Dark, but others can't.
- Will realizes that he's never heard that he had powers the other Old Ones don't before—it must be because he's the Sign-Seeker.
- They create an invisible wall so the Dark can't get in.
- Dawson says he's never seen it this bad before; Will notices that the Signs are all glowing.
- Just then, Will notices a light beam shining on one of the stones in the church's wall. Dawson says it's the Sign of the Stone and Will better take it—stat.
- He does and when everyone wakes up from being frozen in time, Will and Dawson try to convince them nothing happened.
- As they are coming out of the church, Will hears a rook croak at him. Birds don't use words, of course, but they can communicate emotion to Old Ones and Will can tell that something is definitely not right.
- Instinctively, he follows the bird to a man hunched over in the snow. He and his brother help the guy up and Paul suggests they take him home to get him out of the cold. It's then that Will realizes it's the Walker.
- At home, all of Will's brothers and sisters are talking about the weird guy they brought back. He's homeless and in need of a bath, plus he's speaking a bizarre language.
- As the storm continues outside, the family listens to the radio and hears the warnings about the weather.
- Will is confused as to why the Walker would be here in the first place. What does he want? Why doesn't Will know anything else about him?
- Merriman shows up and tells Will that something big will go down at the hunting of the wren—hopefully there are more this year.
- Then he takes Will to a place where the Lady is lying on a bed. Will thinks she's dead, but he's told she'll return… one day.
- He's more worried than ever as he heads back to his house in the storm.