“This is the dwarves’ cottage,” Natalia said, puzzled.
“Yes,” Via said. She still had hold of her hand. Natalia had the feeling that if she let go, they would be plunged back into that dark, horrible place, and she wasn’t ready to go back yet, if ever. “Only,” Via said, “it’s long ago, as it once was.”
Natalia’s eyes lifted to the surrounding trees, noticing the leafy greenery outlined in silver. The grass around the cottage was lush and emerald green, and the sky was bright blue. The colors were so vibrant it nearly hurt her eyes.
A man rode up on a white horse, riding right past them without seeing them.
“He cannot see us,” Via said when Natalia looked at her in question, “or hear anything we say. We are simply spectators.”
The man rode with practiced grace, like he naturally fit upon the back of a horse. The horse was no ordinary farm animal; its coat was polished and gleamed like pearls in the sun. The saddle and reins were made of rich leather, and a small cloth sack of burgundy silk hung from the backside of the saddle. The man’s clothes were finely sewed, with elegantly stitched patterns that suggested he came from great wealth.
“Who is he?” Natalia asked.
She might have imagined it, but Natalia swore Via’s eyes grew a bit darker. “That,” Via said, “is Grimly the Great.”
Natalia’s attention snapped to her. “As in the first king of Thesperia?”
“The very same.”
Natalia immediately turned her gaze back to the man, who had dismounted and was in the process of tying up his horse. That’s my great-great-great grandfather. Studying him, she saw where her father got his looks. Grimly shared the same deep red hair as Rose and her father. Apparently they also inherited its unruliness, because Grimly’s was a royal mess, frizzing and sticking out from the humidity, though she could tell it had been pressed and permed in an effort to control it.
With a smug smile on his face, Grimly took the silk sack and swaggered into the cottage without even knocking.
“Come,” Via said, pulling Natalia along with her.
They walked straight for the wall and Natalia pulled back. “Via, we can’t go through –” Her words were cut off as they literally passed through the wall as if it were air. It was the strangest sensation Natalia had ever experienced, and she blinked to clear the feeling of her skin becoming one with the wall, of evaporating into air and passing through a solid object.
“That was… different,” she said.
Via softly shushed her, holding a finger to her lips as Grimly walked into the dining room, where a demure, pale woman sat at the table. Natalia recognized it as the same table that now stood in the dining room. Beyond her, the meat room door was wide open, though she saw no dangling meat. Instead, rows of neatly stacked jars full of jams, fruit, and vegetables sat on the shelves, making it look more like a pantry.
“Don’t stand for me, my dear,” Grimly said in a deep bass when the woman tried to stand from the table. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes at the attempt, like it required great effort, and she sighed in relief when he said that, sitting back down as he took the seat across from her.
His clothes were far finer than her peasant’s attire, but despite her slightly unkempt, simple appearance, she was lovely, with ivory skin and deep brown hair that was almost black. “Have the peace negotiations with Elyon kept you busy these past few weeks?” she asked. Her eyes were hopeful, drinking him in like she was worried she would forget him if she didn’t stare long enough.
The king seemed unaffected by her staring, hardly paying her attention, but of course he would. Kings were used to being looked at. “Quite,” he said with a sigh. “I admit the castle has been reluctant to let go of me, but I’m never too busy for you,” he added with a wink.
Natalia frowned, a bad feeling settling into her stomach.
“I have something for you,” Grimly said with a smile that sent shivers up Natalia’s arms. He was handsome, but something about the way he looked at the woman didn’t set well with her. It was as if he saw her but he didn’t, like she was something pretty to look at, a thing to be coveted but not cherished.
He reached into his sack, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind his ear, and produced a shining circlet of twined silver, presenting it to her as she pressed her hands to her chest with an astonished gasp.
She looked at him, a question in her eyes, and he nodded, laying the circlet on the table and pushing it toward her.
Eyes wide, the woman picked up the circlet, examining it as Grimly stood and walked around the table to stand behind her. He bent over her, gently taking the circlet and placing it on her head. It settled above her brows, directly in the center of her forehead. Though her breath trembled, she looked every part a lady of the court.
“Think of it as a promise,” he whispered into her ear, wrapping his arms around her. “A symbol of something greater to come.” His hand snaked down, tracing the outline of her breasts and resting on her swollen belly.
A tear fell down her cheek, running into her open mouth as she smiled, laying her hand over his.
The image abruptly faded away in wisps of colors and sounds, replaced by another scene. They were standing on the cobblestone city street that led toward the castle. The sky was overcast, painted a deep gray that said the clouds were heavy with rain, though rebellious strands of sunshine still managed to poke through the cover. A parade of horses made its way through town, drawing a golden carriage from which white tassels and silver veils had been strung. The crowd cheered from the sides as the king and his new queen rode by, dressed in their wedding white. Natalia and Via stood at the front of the crowd, with a clear view of the newlyweds as they passed. Natalia squinted, gasping as a ray of sunshine fell across the queen’s face. “That’s not the other woman,” she said. “That’s someone else.”
“Raena,” Via said softly. “He married Raena, a princess from a neighboring kingdom, as part of a contract to seal trade with them.”
“But he promised the other woman. Was that not his child she was carrying?”
Via stared straight ahead, her throat tight.
“Traitor!”
Every head turned as a woman – the same one from the cottage – tore from the crowd and stalked toward the carriage, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, like she had been crying for a while now, and her braids were coming loose from around the circlet.
“You promised me!” she screamed, throwing an egg at the carriage.
The king shielded the queen with his back as the egg exploded, sending white and yellow goop flinging into the carriage.
Guards were on her in an instant, hooking her by the arms and dragging her away. “You lying bastard!” she screeched. “You made me a promise! What about our child?”
The crowd lifted their brows; some began to point and laugh at her. “Look at Venetia,” a woman said. “She gets crazier by the day!”
“Learn your place, witch!”
“Get out of here!”
“Go back to the forest where you belong, freak!”
The crowd began booing her as the guards led her away, her face buried in shame as the first drop of rain hit her cheek.
Dizziness overtook Natalia as that image, too, faded. Once again, they stood in the cottage’s dining room, only it was storming outside. Lightning flashed across the floor, lighting up the two figures that stood there shouting at one another. Grimly stood in the doorway, soaked through and dripping all over the floor, while Venetia stood across from him, cradling a small girl in her arms. The girl was calm despite the heated argument taking place, watching her mother scream with curious, intelligent blue eyes.
Those eyes…
Before Natalia could finish the thought, a strand of the argument commanded her attention. “You didn’t want her,” Venetia shouted. “What gave you the idea that you have the right to be a part of her life now?”
“Please, Venetia,” Grimly said, pleading
with her with his eyes. “She is my daughter. My wife, she… she cannot have children. The doctors think she’s barren.”
“Tch,” Venetia said, turning her lip up in a sneer. “As well she should be.”
Grimly stood there, stunned. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, I think you’ll be surprised at the evil I’ve wished your way. You’re a horrible man, a lying, cheating –”
“I’m sorry!” he shouted, stepping closer and grabbing her by the arms. The little girl looked down at his hand but did not react as her mother flinched at Grimly’s touch. “I know I’ve done you wrong, but I had no choice. Thesperia needed the money.”
“Money,” Venetia spat. “Of course it all comes down to money. That’s why you married her, isn’t it? Because she was wealthy and I am not.”
“That’s not true,” he said half-heartedly.
“Then prove me otherwise,” she said, pursing her lips. “Annul the marriage.”
“I can’t do that.”
“You’re the king,” she said, arching a brow and smiling at him smugly because she knew she had him. “You can do whatever you want.”
For a minute Grimly stood there, staring at her thoughtfully. “I can help you. I know your farm hasn’t been doing well since the parade. People are afraid to do business with you as rumors of your… eccentricity spreads.”
She studied him coldly, thinking it over. “And what do you get out of it?”
“I want to spend time with my daughter.”
Venetia stared at him for so long that Grimly began shifting his weight. “Fine,” she said at last, holding out her free hand. “It’s a bargain.”
Grimly smiled, though it didn’t warm his eyes. “You won’t regret it.”
Natalia and Via spun through time as the image shifted, transporting them upstairs, to the room Natalia had used while she stayed with the dwarves. A girl sat on a small bed, appearing around Natalia’s age. Her long black hair hung past her shoulders, nearly masking her face as she cautiously opened the package on her lap. The ribbon and silk wrapping fell away, revealing the red velvet dress Natalia had found in the cellar. The girl’s shock was apparent and her mouth opened in awe as she carefully pinched the shoulders of the gown and lifted it from its wrapping, holding it up and inspecting it. A note fell to the ground. She set down the gown and picked the note up, unfolding it. A frown grew on her lips as she read. Natalia walked across the room, peeking over her shoulder and catching the last part – “Love always, Grim” – before the girl wadded it up and tossed the note carelessly to the floor, flinging the dress on top of it before stomping out.
Anger radiated off the girl as she took the stairs two at a time, keeping her eyes trained on where her feet were landing until she got to the bottom and looked up. Her eyes were sky blue; her face, that of an angel.
She checked the sitting area, which was empty. Something rustled from behind and she turned, making her way to the dining room. “Mother,” she called, “I don’t understand why that man insists on giving me birthday presents when he’s never actually around to –”
She drew up short, hovering in the doorway, mouth open in shock. Grimly stood before her, but that wasn’t what surprised her. It was the knife he held at her mother’s throat that did.
“What’s the meaning of this?” the girl said, her voice warbling as she looked from her mother to Grimly.
Venetia was shaking, her hands gripping Grimly’s forearm so tightly her knuckles had turned white. “I love you,” she mouthed.
The girl’s breath caught.
“Via, run!” Venetia shouted, right before Grimly pulled the knife across her throat, slitting it. The girl screamed as her mother’s lifeless body slumped forward, hitting the ground in a splattering of blood, her dead eyes fixed on nothing.
Grimly stood there, staring down at her, while blood dripped from the soaking wet edge of the knife. His face was hard and cold. “I didn’t want to believe,” he said, still staring at Venetia, “that the rumors were true. But when you brought a man back from the dead last week –” his blue eyes, the same shade as Via’s, lifted, catching hers – “then I knew you had inherited my magic.” He stepped over the body, stalking toward the trembling girl, who backed up against the wall. “No one has that kind of power except my bloodline,” he said, predatory eyes narrowed to slits, watching her. “It’s only a matter of time before the Thesperians make the connection. But by then, you and your mother will have vanished.”
The girl – Via – crept along the wall, her wide eyes fixed on Grimly. “I never asked for your gift,” she said, voice warbling. “How can you be so cruel to punish me when I have done nothing but try to help people?”
“You naïve girl,” Grimly said. “Even I cannot bring back the dead, but my father could. It drove him mad.”
“You’re mad.”
He barked a laugh. “There is a fine line between being desperate and being mad, dear Via. And you’ve made me very desperate.”
He lunged at her, but Via ducked and he crashed into the wall. She bolted past him, swinging the door open and sprinting outside, into the forest.
“Cloak,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Instantly, she began to blend in with the scenery, her body turning shades of green, brown, and silver until she was nothing more than the forest itself.
Grimly staggered out of the door, smearing blood across his forehead as he wiped at a gash on his temple. His wild, bloodthirsty eyes scanned the trees. “You can’t hide forever!” he yelled. “Whether it’s me or someone else, you will never be safe, Via! Your powers make you desirable, a living weapon, and because of them, you will always be hunted! It is your curse to bear now!”
Via never looked back. She ran, crashing through brush and cutting her palms and knees up on rocks when she stumbled, but she didn’t stop, not even to catch her breath.
Natalia and the other Via sailed along beside her, moving through time and space without walking. They stood there, as if watching a scene play out in a dream. Natalia’s heart was racing as she watched dream-Via plunge through the forest. Natalia’s hand had begun to lose feeling from where the other Via was gripping it so tightly, but she didn’t let go.
Dream-Via looked behind her for a second, not seeing the mossy, hidden log. She hit it shin first, sending her flying over the top and toppling down a slope, where she tumbled head over rear until she was thrown partially into a river. She lay there as the waters lapped at her upper body, her cheek planted against the muddy embankment. Blood from a new gash at her temple dribbled in a stream down her face and onto the ground, staining the dead grass pink. A shadow fell over her as she coughed and sputtered, beginning to come to.
The hooded figure standing over her was a man, judging from the broad slant of his shoulders and chest. He was also tall, well over six feet, towering over the girl like a wraith. They were barely perceptible, but Natalia swore whispers of shadows coiled and twisted along his form, making him blur in and out of reality.
Via’s hand began to tremble against her own and Natalia squeezed it, hoping to reassure her. She couldn’t pry her eyes away from the unfolding scene.
Dream-Via blearily opened her eyes and looked around, blinking slowly like the world was still spinning before she finally found the bottom of the man’s robe. Her gaze trailed upward, taking him in and at last settling on his hooded face.
Her blue eyes widened, her mouth falling open to draw in a breath to scream, but the man held up his hand, silencing her.
“It is not my wish to harm you,” came a melodic, soothing voice from the hood. “I am merely curious: Why are you so bloodied, and why are you in my forest?”
“Who are you?” Via asked, her voice ragged.
“You did not answer my question,” the man said, his words soft yet carrying the weight of steel.
“I… was driven here.”
“By who?”
“My father. He tried to kill me, afte
r he murdered my mother.” Her voice broke on the last word and her eyes filled with renewed tears.
“Ah,” the man purred, “I see.” With two pale, bony hands, he reached up and lifted the hood, revealing a stunning young man with sharp, intelligent eyes and skin so clear it was almost translucent. His hair was solid white, though he looked not a day above twenty-five, and it was pulled partway back into a silver clasp. He lifted his proud chin and the light hit his eyes, flashing violet.
Natalia shivered.
“Do you know me, mortal child?” the man asked in that lilting way of his.
“No – no,” Via stammered.
The man gave an elegant bow. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qiro. The Silver Forest is both my sanctuary and my prison.”
Qiro. The name sounded familiar.
Via figured it out before her, because she gasped softly and rapidly climbed to her feet, backing away from him. “You’re the dark sorcerer,” she breathed, barely uttering the words. “The one Grimly has been fighting for so long.”
Qiro’s eyes turned cunning. “Grimly misunderstands me,” he said, striding toward her with the slow, deliberate grace of a skilled predator. “We are two sides of the same coin, each possessing similar powers yet with two very different views of the world.”
Via backed into a tree, digging her fingers into it as Qiro blocked her way. “You’re evil.”
“So is Grimly,” he said simply. “As I can sense from your aura, you know all too well that evil wears a friendly face and always carries a dagger, ready to strike when you least expect it.”
He stroked her cheek with the crook of his index finger, and she bit down on her lip to keep a sob from escaping. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Oh, but I think I do.” He paused, walking away. “Via.”
She stared at him. “How do you know my name?”
“I know quite a bit about you,” he said, strolling to a tree and resting his hand against the bark, staring at it thoughtfully. “You are much more than a peasant maiden, my sweet.” He looked at her. “And we have much more in common than you may realize.
A White So Red Page 34