“You had no need to prove your point to me.”
“It wasn’t you I was trying to convince.” Voss’s knife-blade smile splits his face. “Or even your little friends. They are but pawns in a greater game.”
“Sephia.” Of course, Voss is still obsessed with the enchantress. This gambit was a way to prove his theories to her.
“Yes, my dear mentor. Always she taunts me, claiming goodness will triumph, that purity will defeat my power.”
I take in a sharp breath. In Voss’s crystalline eyes there’s a hint of something human. Twisted and bitter, but human nonetheless. A flicker of hurt and loss.
Kai’s taken a weeping Gerda into his arms and sits, rocking her gently back and forth. “You have no power. Not in the end, no matter if you lay claim to all the mirror’s magic.” Kai’s dark eyes flash. “I think I wish you to have it, your immortality. You deserve to live with yourself forever.”
“Watch your tongue, boy. I’ll transform you into an insect if you’re not careful.”
“You won’t.” I step between Voss and Kai. “You need his hands, and his mind. Only four pieces remain to be placed. With Kai’s help I can manage it, otherwise”—I spread wide my hands—“you know what happens. Yes, I become a wraith, but you lose everything too. Remember what happens to the mirror if I fail.”
Kai glances up at me, puzzled. “What do you mean, Thyra? I know he has to create another Snow Queen ... ”
“And the mirror flies apart. It must be reassembled again, from the beginning. Isn’t that right, Master Voss?”
Voss levels an icy glare at me. “True, though I do not know how you discovered that fact.”
“I’m rather intelligent, or hadn’t you noticed? I put some clues together quite a while ago.” I extend my hand to Kai. “Let’s take Gerda to her room. She needs some rest.”
Kai grabs my hand and uses my leverage to lift Gerda as he rises to his feet. She clings to him, limp as a frost-blighted leaf. “Yes, she’s exhausted.”
I don’t tell Kai it’s my magic that’s sunk Gerda into a stupor. Although I’m using it to protect her—concerned that in her anger she might say something to trigger Voss—I doubt Kai would understand my motives at this moment.
“Perhaps you”—I address Voss—“should leave us alone from now on. You’ve played your little game with Gerda, now allow us to finish your precious mirror. It’s in your best interest to do so.”
Voss bends his head in a mock bow. “And yours, Snow Queen.”
“I don’t deny it.” I move to Gerda’s side, placing one of her arms around me as Kai drapes her other arm about his shoulder.
Voss observes us, the cold smile fading from his face. “I do have another journey planned, so I shall leave you for now.” He wheels about and heads into the corridor. “I expect the mirror to be complete when I return.” His words drift back, winding their way around my temples and tightening like a vise.
I motion for Kai to wait for a moment before we leave the Great Hall. I’ve no wish to encounter Voss in the corridors.
“What journey must he embark on now?” asks Kai as we make our way to Gerda’s room. “Surely he wants to be present when the mirror’s completed.”
I help him lower Gerda’s limp body onto her bed before I answer. “I suspect he’s gone to seek out Sephia, the enchantress I mentioned. I think he’s still trying to prove her wrong, after all these years.”
“But why does he care so much?” Kai drapes a bearskin throw over Gerda and sits on the edge of the bed. He keeps one hand on Gerda’s shoulder as he looks up at me.
“Because, once upon a time, I think he loved her.” I meet Kai’s searching gaze. “Love can make one do foolish things, or so I’ve been told.”
“It can indeed.” Kai extends his other hand to me.
I shake my head and back away. “Not now, Kai. We’ve no time. You must make sure Gerda’s all right, and I must return to my appointed task. Only a few days left, remember?” I break my hold on Gerda, allowing her to wake, before I turn and stride into the hall.
Kai’s voice follows me. “It isn’t over, Thyra. Not till time, or death itself, defeats us.”
Chapter Twenty-Two: Winter’s End
SHADOWS DANCE AS THE light flaring across the mirror flickers. I snap my eyes open and grip the edge of the table with both hands, forcing my buckling knees to lock.
“Thyra?” Kai rushes to my side and places his hands on my waist. “You must get some sleep. I think you were sliding to the floor.”
“I was.” I rub at my aching eyes. “But I can’t sleep. We’ve only three more pieces to place, but tomorrow ... ”
“I know. Tomorrow’s the final day before your birthday.” Kai pulls me close. “We’ll do it. We must. I can work by myself for a while if you’ll sleep.”
“And who’ll keep the lights blazing?” I shake my head. “Only I can conjure enough light for us to work.”
“I know.” He sighs deeply. “Let’s get back to it, then.”
Two shards lie upon the blank section of the mirror. Only three pieces remain to be placed. It should be so easy, but the last fragments have resisted all our efforts thus far.
His dark head bent over the shining mirror, Kai’s a picture of concentration. His lips are pressed tight and lines furrow his brow as he places two fingers on one of the shards. I stare at his profile. An observer might say he’s rather a handsome young man, but nothing extraordinary. Not the type of person to turn heads as he saunters down the street. But I know better. I know I’ll never see another face that will stop me in my tracks, or speed the beating of my heart. Only this one. Only Kai.
I step closer and lay my fingers over his. “What about this?” As we move our hands together, turning the fragment ever so slightly, it clicks into place.
Kai jumps back, still holding my hand. “Another one!” He pulls me close and kisses me firmly on the lips.
For several minutes I forget all about the mirror. Kai’s the one to pull back, planting a final kiss on my forehead before he steps away.
We stare at one another, both breathing hard. There’s a look in Kai’s eyes that delights and terrifies me at the same time.
Kai averts his eyes. “Sorry, I lost track of myself there for a bit.” He clears the hoarseness from his voice. “Now—for the final two shards.” He stares at the mirror and frowns. “Hadn’t you better retrieve Voss’s shard so we have it ready? We’ve yours, of course, but I wouldn’t want to leave his piece until the last minute.”
“Of course.” I examine the mirror. Only a tiny corner remains dark. “I wanted to wait until he was out of the palace, but I think I saw him leave this afternoon.”
“He took off after lunch.” Kai shrugs when I cast him an inquiring look. “I saw his sleigh through the windows. The black one, isn’t it?”
“Yes, pulled by a snow-white reindeer.” I slide my shard around the small space left on the backing board. “Speaking of lunch, or rather food in general, where’s Gerda? She never brought us any dinner.”
Kai stills all his movements. “No, she didn’t.” He glances at the reflective blackness of the windows before looking at me. “That isn’t like her. You don’t think ... ” His dark eyes widen.
My mind races, evaluating the possibilities. “Luki’s with her, so the wraiths won’t bother her. And they can’t harm her, at any rate. Although perhaps they terrified her enough she’s kept to her rooms?”
“Surely Luki would’ve alerted us if something else was wrong.” Kai carefully places my shard in the bin. “I’ll go check, just in case.”
“I’m coming with you.” I brush aside Kai’s protestations and follow him out of the Great Hall. We race each other down the corridors.
Kai scans Gerda’s empty room. “Her boots are gone.”
“And her cloak.” I lay my hand on Kai’s trembling arm. “She probably decided to step outside for some air.”
“In this weather?” Kai dashes out of the room.
>
I have to run to keep up with him. He’s right, of course. A quite natural, but fearful blizzard is raging. It’s already dumped several feet of snow around the palace.
When we reach the kitchens a distinctive howl rises from the pantry.
“Luki?” I stride over and toss aside the chair propped up under the knob. Claws scratch wildly at wood. I throw open the door and Luki leaps out, whimpering and panting. He places his forepaws on my breast and licks my chin before dropping to the floor.
“No, no.” Kai’s voice is as strangled as an animal in a trap.
I turn to see him slumped against the sturdy kitchen table, a piece of paper dangling from his fingers. “What is it?” I reach for Luki’s warm body and bury one hand in his fur.
“Gerda’s gone.” The pain in Kai’s face strikes my heart like a dagger.
I cross to the table, Luki at my heels. “Gone? Gone where?”
“Away,” says Kai with a harsh laugh. “Home, she says, though how she expects to get there, in this storm ... ”
Leaning in, I gently pull the note from Kai’s fingers. It’s written in a childish but very firm hand. “She does say she took Bae. That’s something. The reindeer’s much more likely to get her home safely than if she were traveling on her own.”
Kai swings out one hand, pointing toward the kitchen doors. “Out there? In the dark? Even Bae can’t fly through a blizzard.”
“I know.” I examine the note more carefully. Gerda’s words leap out at me—“since you don’t love me the way I wish to be loved ... ”
“Oh, Gerda,” I say aloud. “Why couldn’t you just wait?”
Kai casts a sharp glance at me. “What do you mean?”
“Well”—I take hold of one of his hands—“you and I know we can’t stay together. You said it yourself. In order to survive I must accept immortality as the Snow Queen. Whereas you”—I turn to face him—“must return to your own world, your real life. A life that includes the university, but also family, and friends, and love. Perhaps Gerda’s love, in time?”
“No.” He grips my shoulder with his free hand. “There’s only one girl I love. I told you that.”
I smile, knowing he’ll read the sadness in my eyes. “You did. But it’s a dream, Kai. A beautiful, impossible, dream. Now—we must put all this aside and go and find Gerda and Bae.”
“But the mirror.” Kai gives me a little shake. “You can’t leave the mirror. There’s so little time left.” He glances at the standing clock. “Only twenty-four hours. You must stay and place the last two pieces. I’ll search for Gerda and Bae.”
“In the dark?” I lay one hand on his cheek. “In a blizzard?” I release my grip on his fingers. Placing my freed hand on the other side of his face, I lean in until our foreheads are touching. “You’d freeze in hours, no closer to finding Gerda than you are now. No”—I kiss him with great deliberation before drawing back—“only I can control enough of the storm to allow us passage. We go together.”
“We should hurry, then.” Kai draws me into a tight embrace. “The mirror must be completed. For my sake as well as yours.”
I stroke my fingers along his backbone. “It will be. But for now”—I break away from his embrace—“we dress for deadly weather and venture into the storm.”
He nods. “I’ll meet you in the stables in less than half an hour.”
“I’ll be there,” I reply, watching him dash out of the kitchen. I pat Luki. “It appears we must attempt another rescue, my friend. What do you say? Will you truly follow me anywhere?”
Luki gazes up at me, golden eyes bright, tail wagging. I don’t need him to speak to know his answer.
BUFFETED BY THE DRIVING snow, it takes much of my power to maintain a sphere of calm air about our sleigh. Forced to concentrate on our protection, I’ve handed the reins to Kai, who drives the ponies like he’s been doing it all his life.
“I’m good with horses,” Kai shouts at me over the whistling of the wind.
I hang onto my hood with one hand and yell back at him. “Turn left, toward the mountains. Bae will seek out a cave, as he did before.”
Kai nods and cracks the reins across the ponies’ flanks. We spring forward, almost flying through my circle of protection. I redouble my efforts to tame the winds. The amount of magic I’m drawing makes my limbs tingle. I pull off one glove and observe my hand glowing blue against the darkness.
Yanking the glove back over my fingers, I slump into the seat of the sleigh, tuning my mind to pick up any sense of Gerda or Bae. The reindeer’s enchantment makes him the better target, and I focus my thoughts on him.
After some time a flicker of Bae’s essence crosses my mind. I straighten and direct Kai to one of the peaks rising beside a pass. It’s the most direct route to the village, but despite its convenience this passage is rarely used. A narrow path flanked by steep cliffs, it poses the same dangers as the pass my parents attempted to cross before their deaths.
I direct Kai to land the sleigh at the foot of the mountain. “They’re somewhere close,” I call to him as we drag the ponies and sleigh into a shallow indentation in the rocky cliff. Luki leaps from the sleigh and circles the area, sniffing the air.
Kai leans against me, raising his voice. “How could they survive this? Without your help we’d be dead by now.” He puts his arm about me and draws back quickly. “Good God, you’re frozen.”
I shake my head furiously, knocking back my hood. “No, no. That’s just my magic. See?” I pull off the glove and hold out my hand. My illuminated skin casts a pale azure light over the snow.
“It doesn’t hurt?” Kai’s brown eyes are wide with concern.
His reaction confirms my assessment of our situation. A slight recoil, a tinge of fear. Not something one wishes to see in the eyes of a lover.
“No, not at all.” I breathe out and shake my limbs, expelling the power from my body. Only after the glow fades do I move close to Kai and place my arm about his shoulders. “See—all gone.”
Kai tentatively touches my bare hand. “Cool, but no longer an icicle,” he says before pulling me close to his side.
As we huddle together for a moment a howl pierces through the screams of the wind.
“That’s Luki.” I spring out into the snow.
Calling forth a globe of cold light, I balance it in my palms, illuminating the area around the cave.
Luki’s crouched before me, his ears flattened and his haunches raised. His growls rumble, growing louder as the wind dies down. The blizzard’s dissipating, but as I swing the light in an arc I see our troubles haven’t disappeared.
The light catches several pairs of phosphorescent eyes. They form a semi-circle before Luki’s tense form.
“What is it?” Kai’s at my elbow, peering into the darkness. “Wolves? I’ve encountered plenty before. Loud noise will usually scare them off.”
I shake my head. “These aren’t natural creatures.”
“Then what?” Kai grabs my arm. “They’ve no real form. Just keep shifting ... ”
Kai’s right. These wolves, white as the snow and twice Luki’s size, are as amorphous as the wraiths.
“Some of Voss’s creations. Set to guard the pass, I suppose, in case anyone was foolish enough to attempt to venture here.”
The snow wolves slink closer, their paws imprinting the snow. Unlike the wraiths, their smoky forms have mass. Their quite solid claws shine like blades.
“Can they harm us?” Kai breathes into my ear.
“I’m afraid so. Those teeth look real enough.” I lean against Kai. “Hold me while I muster my strength. I’ve expended a great deal of magic this evening, but I think I can summon a bit more.”
Kai wraps his arm about me. I keep one eye on Luki as I concentrate on marshaling my power. So far my wolf has kept the others at bay but I know this stand-off can’t last forever.
A squeal spins us about. The ponies, terrified by the presence of Voss’s creatures, have broken free, splintering the tong
ue of the sleigh. They dash out of the cave and gallop into the darkness. Three of the snow wolves spin with perfect precision and disappear from view.
“No!” I shout, but there’s nothing I can do. If I break my concentration to aid them I might endanger Kai or Luki. The horrifying sound of the ponies being brought to ground fills the air. Yoked together, dragging the broken harness, they didn’t stand a chance.
Kai buries his face in my shoulder. “My God, they’re being slaughtered.”
“As we’ll be, if I can’t defeat these beasts.” I meet Kai’s gaze as he lifts his head. “Whatever happens, do not step in front of me.”
He swallows hard and nods. “What can I do?” he whispers.
“Stay quite still.” I break free from his hold and stride forward until the toe of my boot touches Luki’s tail. “Luki, get behind me.”
The wolf inches backward until his body’s parallel to mine.
“Behind me,” I say, but he simply looks up at me with eyes glowing golden as the sun. He’s shed all trace of domestication. The wild has claimed him as its own.
The two remaining snow wolves split from one another and circle, one to the left, one to the right. Luki’s head swivels as he attempts to keep both creatures in view. I hear Kai’s labored breathing behind me but don’t turn around. Dragging every shred of magic from my body I send a bolt of cold through my arms, displacing the light in my hands with a ball of icy flames. I swing one arm and send the globe of fire hurtling toward the nearest snow wolf.
My missile strikes its target, blowing the wolf back into the night. A loud yelp is followed by a thud and the howls of the other wolves. I hurl more fire balls in the direction of the howls, then send a blast of freezing wind that whips the snow drifts from the ground. The howls grow fainter as the remaining creatures flee my whirlwind of magic.
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