Rose cocked her head to the side, eyeing her blankly. “You really don’t see it?”
Natalia looked back at her. “See what?”
“That.”
Her gaze followed to where Rose was pointing; a lingering red string of magic appeared to be floating straight through a mirror.
Natalia could have smacked herself. How could I forget?
It was another Magic Mirror, in the very literal sense. They could take any form they chose, so long as the surface would reflect its subject.
Casting a sly sidelong glance at Rose, she said, “You know, sometimes I forget that being so quiet all the time means you’re much more observant than I am.”
Rose shrugged, a mischievous glint to her eyes. “I figured I would leave the ‘charging in headlong part’ to you.”
Natalia made a face at her for that comment, but she honestly couldn’t argue. Rose was absolutely right.
Taking a deep breath, Natalia turned around and walked toward the Mirror, raising a hand to the glass and letting it hover there. Her heart was beating so furiously that her fingers shook.
“Ready?” she asked Rose, without ever looking away from her reflection.
She felt Rose take her hand and squeeze it. “Ready,” Rose said.
Mimicking Natalia’s position, Rose placed her hand to the Mirror. As Natalia took a step forward and pushed against the glass, Rose did the same. They both melted into the Mirror, stepping through time and space until they came out on the other side in an eerily familiar room.
It was dismal, with dark draperies shutting out all glimpses of natural light. At the far end of the room sat a great, Gothic throne on the center of a dais. A plush red rug cut a path straight to the throne, clear down the middle of the floor. The black marble tiles were so polished Natalia could clearly see her reflection in them. Long folds of black and purple silk hung from the ceiling, completely covering the walls and pooling onto the floor.
The shadows were so thick that Natalia almost didn’t notice the tall woman standing on the opposite side of the room until she stepped away from the throne, elegantly clasping her hands in front of her.
The Queen smiled.
“Welcome home, my little Snow White.”
Chapter Thirty-One
All Her Wicked Glory
The Queen watched Natalia with her hungry gaze, and she was again reminded of how truly beautiful she was.
Octavia didn’t appear a day over twenty-five, wearing a flowing gown of shimmering black fabric that made it look like the night sky was wrapped around her body. Glittering black and red jewels hung in fat drops around her throat, catching the torchlight. The big black crown, encrusted with blood crystals, rested on her head, and her long black hair tumbled in dark waves down her back. A cape of raven feathers was draped across her shoulders, billowing behind her by a breeze Natalia could not feel.
They locked eyes; hatred and rage burned behind Natalia’s dark slits. “I’m not sure ‘home’ is the appropriate term for this place. ‘Dungeon’ would be better suited, I think.”
The Queen’s black-lipped smile stretched further, giving her face a slightly crazy, desperate look. “Well, I suppose it’s hard to feel welcome where you’re not wanted.”
For some reason, that stung. Though Natalia hated the Queen more than anything, and she knew in her heart she was twisted and evil, the younger version of her she kept locked away still yearned for a family. The Queen and Rose were the only constants in her life, up until the day she ran into the Silver Forest. For reasons not quite known to her, she still somewhat thought of the Queen as family.
But she’s not, Natalia. No one who wants to carve out your heart and eat it can possibly care anything about you.
The feathers in her cloak stirred as the Queen shifted her weight, stepping aside to reveal several onyx statues. They ranged from humans to dryads, their expressions all carved into silent screams.
Natalia’s eyes caught on a dwarf, his ax still raised high over his head as he prepared to land a blow.
“Wormwart,” she whispered.
Quickly, she scanned the rest, sure she had missed something. She was right; her heart cracked as she saw Goldentongue and Leaf. Finally, she recognized the faces of the party that had entered the castle with her. One was missing.
“Where’s Caspar?” she demanded, turning her angry gaze upon the Queen, who laughed as if delighted to know a great secret.
“Oh, don’t shoot daggers at me with your eyes, sweetheart,” the Queen said. “Prince Charming is right here.” She lifted a corner of her cape and lowered it a few seconds later, revealing the statuesque form of a young man who hadn’t been standing there before. His handsome features were pale, standing out sharply against the dark background.
The floor threatened to drop out from under her. “Caspar!”
Natalia reached out, starting forward, but Rose promptly seized her by the wrist. “Don’t,” Rose pleaded. “It’s a trap, it has to be!”
The Queen’s dainty laughter danced toward them. “Oh, no, I can assure you he’s quite real. And so delicious,” she purred, raking a long fingernail across his jawline. Caspar never blinked; he stood stock still, his blank eyes devoid of any emotion.
Natalia squeezed her hands into fists, grinding her teeth together and wanting to shout, “Get your hands off him!”
The Queen’s eyes flashed as she cast a cat-like smile over her shoulder in Natalia’s direction. “He’s very handsome, wouldn’t you agree, Natalia? Or is it ‘Snow’ or ‘Snow White’? I have trouble keeping up with your vigilante identities.”
When Natalia made no reply, the Queen tutted. “Oh, don’t be angry, my dear. I always thought you would have been prettier – well, as pretty as your face could manage – if you weren’t scowling all the time.” The Queen looked back at Caspar with a different sort of hunger in her eyes that made Natalia sick at her stomach. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken a lover. But in this delectable boy’s case, I think I’ll make an exception.”
“Like hell you will,” Natalia snarled, jerking free of Rose and lunging forward. Rose’s cry was lost to the sound of her magic sword taking form as she ran, raising the blade high over her head and aiming the tip for the Queen’s heart, if she had one at all.
A few feet from the dais, something slammed into her, or more like she ran straight into something incredibly hard. Slamming her head against it, she was knocked backward off her feet. She landed on her back, managing to keep hold of the sword as her vision swam. Her forehead throbbed where she had hit it on the invisible barrier.
Natalia groaned, sitting up as the Queen smirked and slinked forward, seeming to glide along the shadowy hem of her dress. “You always were reckless, the spitting image of a petulant, quick-tempered child.” She laughed bitterly. “You and your father are so much alike. I wonder if your hearts even taste the same.”
Natalia froze. “What do you mean?”
The Queen stopped in front of her, the tiers of her crown throwing claw-like shadows over Natalia’s face. “Poor child. It was easier to allow you to think your father had died of a sudden illness.”
“What did you do to him?” Natalia said, feeling dread’s icy prickling along her arms.
“Oh, what kind of a mother would I be if I had told you the truth? You would have been scarred for life. I suppose you’re old enough to know now.” She glanced at Rose. “Both of you.” The Queen knelt in front of Natalia, her eyes glittering. “I poisoned the king and cut out his heart while he slept.”
Natalia furtively shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “No. No, it can’t be true.”
“I’m afraid it is. And his heart, so powerful and rich with magic, was every bit as tasty as I thought it would be, like swallowing the sun. It was much more satisfying than that pathetic human heart of your mother’s.”
Natalia gasped, snapping her eyes back toward her. “You… you killed my mother? And ate her heart, too?”
; The Queen shrugged. “At first, I thought she was the heir to Grimly’s magical bloodline, not your father. But it was only after I consumed her heart that I found out your father contained the true source of magic. Though your mother was Charmed, she only had a dusting, which suited me either way. She needed to be removed from the picture, so it was just as well that she died.”
Natalia’s breaths were coming so fast now she thought she may black out. Every inch of her trembled from the flames of her rising fury. Behind her, Rose was crying.
“You see,” the Queen went on, blind to their suffering, “everyone thinks power like that can’t be acquired, but it can if you consume the heart, which I found out the day I killed that wretched Grimly.” Her smile grew. “Vengeance never tasted so sweet.”
There was something about her smile – pure arrogance – that made Natalia’s rage boil over. Even if Grimly had deserved to die, he hadn’t deserved to have his heart cut out. Her parents certainly hadn’t, either.
She flew to her feet, aiming the flaming red blade for the Queen’s heart.
Out of nowhere, the Queen produced a glowing sword of violet light, knocking away Natalia’s attack. The Queen lifted her arm and a ball of purple magic roared out of her open palm, hurtling into Natalia and sending her flying backward. The sword in her hand vanished as she crashed into a candelabrum and hit the floor with a smack, crying out as hot wax dribbled onto her cheek.
The Queen yawned. “Your fervor to kill me is admirable, but I’m growing tired of this.” She snapped her fingers and Caspar’s head jerked up.
The Queen smiled. “Kill her.”
Instantly, Caspar’s eyes flared violet. Baring his teeth at Natalia like a snarling animal, he drew his rapier and stalked toward her.
Natalia hastily formed a sword of red light, yelling for Rose to stay back as he approached. In a blur of shadows, he was upon her, his blade swinging for her head. She raised her arm, blocking the blow in a shower of red sparks as the rapier bit into the magic sword.
“Caspar!” she shouted, knocking a gouge away. “Don’t do this! You have to fight it!”
“He can’t hear you,” the Queen said in a singsong voice. “So you might as well stop wasting your breath.”
Something hissed at her; airy, unintelligible words scraped the air, so strangled she at first wasn’t sure she had heard them. Then she saw Caspar’s lips move, as if he were wrenching them open, and was able to make out the words.
“Kill me.”
Natalia faltered for a split second and the rapier sliced downward, cutting her deeply across the thigh. Crying out, she grabbed at the wound and started to go down but caught herself and stumbled backward, away from the approaching prince.
“Kill… me.”
For a moment, his violet eyes flickered back to normal. Even without any facial expression to take clues from, she could see the pain and suffering gathered in his pupils, and she felt a terrible aching sensation in her chest. He charged her, becoming a blur of shadows and curling black smoke as he slammed into her. There was the sensation of flying through the air before she landed hard on the marble floor, right on her shoulder. She cried out in pain, grabbing it as she lost control of the sword in the blur of pain and it faded away. A silhouette loomed over her, looking down on her with glowing violet eyes.
Rose was screaming her name, but her voice faded away into silence as Natalia saw Caspar lift his arm and angle the blade for her neck, preparing to sever her head. The rapier came down in slow motion, and her eyes widened as her breath hitched. Without pause, she forced herself upright, rising to meet the blade head-on as a glowing red knife formed in her hand.
Time nearly stood still. For as long as she lived, she never forgot the next few seconds.
Every memory they had together, from their first meeting by the moonlit pond to them fighting side by side as they battled the Queen’s monsters, rushed through her head.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a choked whisper, right before plunging her knife straight into his heart. The rapier came to a sudden, jerky stop only a few inches from her neck as he pitched backward, staggering as blood bubbled up his throat and spilled over his lips.
The horror of what she had done hit her, knocking the breath from her, and she let go of the dagger. It vanished instantly, though the hole in his chest remained. Crimson drops stained his shirt as he coughed up more blood. The purple glow left his eyes and Caspar blinked once, looking up at her with those clear green orbs she had grown to love so much. He gave her a ghost of a smile, then started falling over.
She dove, catching him in her arms before he could hit the floor.
It didn’t feel real. There was a horrible ringing in her ears as she screamed his name, though she could hear no sound. He was trembling. A sheen of sweat had broken out over his pale brow, though the purple hue which had made his veins stand out was slowly going away. In a flicker of movement, his eyes found hers and he reached up, cupping her cheek as the first of her tears spilled onto his face.
“I… love…”
He never got to say the last word. As his last breath left his lips, she felt something rip inside her. Suddenly, she was filled with emptiness, missing a part of her she didn’t even know she had. For the second time within a week, she held someone she loved in her arms as they passed away, watching helplessly as the light left his eyes. Caspar stared straight ahead, his eyes losing focus as his hand slipped from her face and fell against the floor at his side, lifeless.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Witch Hunt
A sob raked her body and she shuddered, buckling over and cradling him against her. It hurt so much. There it was again: that horrible, soul-crushing pain she had felt when her parents died. The world was a blur of black and gray because she was crying so much. With the softest of movements, she placed a chaste kiss upon his cold forehead and gently laid him back down on the marble.
“I love you too,” she whispered. With a trembling hand, she reached over and closed his eyes so it would look like he was sleeping. There was an ugly red slice in his chest that was oozing blood, pooling on the floor around him.
She blinked a few times as her tears died away. From her peripheral vision, she saw the dreary drapes of the throne room and the silent, dark figure of the Queen.
What was left of her heart nearly stopped beating.
Rose was in the Queen’s arms.
Something was terribly wrong with the Queen. Her fingers were much too long and they ended in long dark claws. Her face was somewhere between beast and human, and the dress was stretched taut over her now misshapen form.
“Let her go,” Natalia said, her voice raw and tight because her throat hurt so badly.
The Queen grinned, revealing a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
“Maybe you are not as weak as I thought you were,” the Queen mused. Though her lips moved, it was Nefrim who spoke. “You spilled your friend’s blood easily. Let’s see how long it takes you to kill your own flesh and blood.”
The silence that followed seemed to stretch on for a small eternity. Natalia stared at the floor, her lips parted slightly as a strange sense of peace came over her.
She dragged her eyes off the floor onto the Queen, no longer uncertain and devoid of fear. “You demand a life?” she said, standing and opening her arms, as if welcoming an embrace. “Then take mine.”
“No!” Rose screamed.
The Queen’s eyes broadened. “Yes!” she/Nefrim roared, leaning forward. “I want your power. I can feel it, pulsing and growing. I want all of it for myself!”
Natalia flashed him a wicked smile. “Then come and take it.”
The Queen didn’t reply. She pitched Rose to the side as her body lifted high in the air, claws pointed toward Natalia. The Queen’s feet didn’t seem to touch the floor as she glided forward, her eyes completely consumed by that raw purple light. Her shadow – in the shape of a wolf – fell over Natalia. The feathered cape had parted, becoming two lar
ge black wings, enclosing Natalia inside their cocoon. Calling upon an inhuman speed fueled by her growing power, Natalia brought up both hands, clasping them in front of the Queen’s chest, right where her heart should be. Energy drained into her palms, pulling strands of red magic from the air until she felt the hilt take shape in her hands. She knew the blade had taken form when the Queen gasped and her perfect mouth dropped open in surprise.
They both froze, their bodies only inches apart, staring each other in the eyes. The Queen twitched, a whine building in her throat as black blood began staining her gown where the knife was embedded in her chest. She gasped again and coughed, sputtering droplets of black against her dark lips. The light faded from her eyes, and she looked up, pinning Natalia with an intense gaze of great emotion.
Her eyes were no longer purple. They were blue. Bright, vivid blue.
“You did it,” the Queen – Via – rasped. Her knees gave out and she fell to her knees, her head tilted up at Natalia with widening eyes before she collapsed onto her side. The knife in her chest faded and the crown fell off her head. It rolled along the floor, clattering as it settled upright a few feet away.
Natalia knelt beside her, wanting to comfort her friend but finding herself unable to touch her because it was still the Queen’s body.
Suddenly, the Queen’s back arched and shadows poured from her eyes and mouth. Nefrim rose in the air, writhing and moaning as a hole appeared in his inky skin, mimicking the Queen’s wound. It spread quickly, absorbing the beast until only its purple eyes remained, staring at them in anger and disbelief.
“But I cannot die!” his disembodied voice cried out. “I am darkness. I am immortal.”
Natalia stared at those sharp purple eyes without pity. “Not here you’re not.”
He chuckled, an icy, eerie rasping sound. “You cannot win. There will be… another Host… Darkness always finds a way into the hearts of men.”
A White So Red Page 36