First Frost

by Liz Delesus

  “Tell me everything you know. I want to know what I’ve missed in my time in exile.”

  Bianca told Snow White every bit of information she could think of. She started from the very beginning. Bianca loved Snow White’s reactions to everything. Her face was a palette of facial expressions.

  “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

  Snow White became pensive and then said, “Perhaps there is something you can do.”

  “What? What can I do? How can I stop Lenore? I’m just a newbie, and she’s too powerful.” Bianca covered her face and sighed. She felt a giant black cloud hovering over her head. She failed to see a way out of her situation.

  “How old do you think I was when I had to face my stepmother?” Snow White asked.

  “I don’t know…I think Mom said you were seventeen? I can’t remember…that conversation feels like it happened a million years ago.”

  “I was twelve years old when I ran away because the huntsman told me that if I ever went back home, my stepmother would kill me. But no matter how well I hid, she found me. She could always find me…no matter what I did. I was only thirteen when she tried to kill me the first time with ribbons. The second time she came back, I was fourteen and that time she used the poisoned comb, and then I was sixteen when she finally killed me with the poisoned apple. I was about your age when I finally defeated her all on my own.”

  It was one thing for her to hear her mother tell Snow White’s story, but it was an entirely different experience to hear it from Snow White’s lips.

  “Where are we?” Bianca asked.

  “A place neither here nor there. Some people call it limbo. I like to call it a reminder.”

  “Why a reminder?”

  “I’ve been trapped here for centuries, unable to move on toward wherever I’m supposed to go. Heaven? I don’t even know anymore. Wherever we are, Mirabel has made certain that I never get out.” Then she became pensive and whispered, “All I know is that I want to go to wherever he is. I can’t see him anymore. I can’t even remember what he looks like anymore.”

  Snow White looked at Bianca, then seemed to remember herself and why they were there. “No matter what happens we must continue to fight Mirabel and protect our family. I can’t allow her to extinguish our light. You can’t let her win.”

  “I don’t know how to do it. I’m not strong enough.” Bianca began to cry. The tears silently slid down her cheek and clung to her chin before falling to her feet. She kept going over what Lenore had said. She knew the witch was wrong, that there was no possible way that she would become anything like her. But yet…there was a part of her that kept wondering if she was right.

  “She said…I’m just like her.” Bianca spoke so softly that she was amazed her lips even moved. She lifted her left hand and showed the mark to Snow White.

  Her ancestor tenderly looked over the bruise and made little tsk sounds.

  “It could be worst. She could be controlling you like a marionette. If she were, you wouldn’t be here with me right now.”

  “Will it go away?” Bianca asked.

  “If we defeat Mirabel.”

  “What if my magic isn’t strong enough? What if I mess things up and just make things worse?”

  Snow White smiled, her blue eyes shimmered with infinite knowledge as she spoke these words: “Silly girl. Of course your magic is good enough. Magic isn’t about control or power. Magic is all about believing in the impossible. Magic is believing in things you can’t see or touch. The desire…the will…to make something true despite the laws that bind us all to the material world.”

  “I never really thought of that,” Bianca said.

  “Do you believe you can save your mother?”

  “I think so.”

  “Now, you know that’s not the answer I wanted to hear. Now let’s try again, do you believe you can save your mother?” Snow White asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  Snow White stood up to her full height. She looked larger than life when she did. In a commanding voice, she said, “Say it and mean it, Bianca Frost.”

  “Yes,” she replied firmly.

  “Good. Now it’s time for us to wake up.”

  “Us?”

  “I’m coming with you. I have reason to believe that you’re the way out of here.”

  “I don’t understand,” Bianca frowned.

  Snow White walked up to Bianca and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She stood beside her and held her hand. “You don’t have to understand, dear girl. Just close your eyes…and believe.”

  Despite her confusion, Bianca did as she asked. She closed her eyes and thought about everything that had led her to this moment, to this place in time. She believed that she was in fact holding Snow White’s hand. That they were going to get out of here. That they would defeat Lenore.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Bianca sat up and immediately felt better. Refreshed. Every sad and depressing feeling that she had been plagued with vanished. She felt as though her soul had been scrubbed clean. She wondered if Snow White was able to come back with her from the apple orchard Mirabel had trapped her in. She then heard a soft humming close to her ear. Bianca was going to take that as a yes.

  I don’t know what Snow White packed into that kiss, but this is a little weird. Actually, I take that back…this is A LOT weird.

  “Whoa,” she whispered. She rubbed her eyes a few times. She wanted to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.

  She saw the intricate web of spells that Lenore had carefully woven into the walls of her cell. She was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of mirrors. It was designed to boomerang any attack spells Bianca might use against Lenore should they both be inside Bianca’s prison.

  “Huh…interesting.” Bianca couldn’t help but be impressed by Lenore’s work.

  Magic is all about believing in the impossible, Snow White’s words echoed in her mind.

  “Here goes nothing,” Bianca muttered. She waved her left hand and imagined the mirrors destroyed, and to Bianca’s surprise, that’s exactly what happened. The mirrors exploded and shimmered out of existence.

  Cool.

  Now she needed to focus on opening the door. She looked through the keyhole. She could see the hallway. Her vision was limited, so she didn’t know if there was someone standing next to her cell door, but there didn’t seem to be anyone out there.

  Bianca placed her hands on the door. She thought of winter and everything it represented. Snow. Icicles. Blizzards. Ice. When she pulled her hands away, they were blue and trembling with cold. She rubbed her hands and blew warm air into them until they regained their natural color. The door was frozen solid. She could only hope that what she had planned worked; otherwise she was going to be trapped in her cell until Lenore returned. Bianca gave the door a hard and swift kick, and it crumpled to the floor into a thousand pieces.

  Awesome.

  She stepped out of her prison and looked up and down the hallway.

  All clear.

  She opened some of the doors, searching for her mother. She stopped when she came upon a door that was locked.

  “Mom?” she whispered.

  She waited with bated breath. No answer. She took a step back and was ready to walk away to check the next door when she heard a soft whimper coming from the other side of the door.

  “Who’s there?” a deep feminine voice asked.

  “My name is Bianca Frost. Who are you?” Bianca whispered.

  “Luna, but I highly doubt you know what that name means,” she replied.

  “What are you?”

  After a long pause, Luna whispered, “Wolf.”

  “I’ve met your husband.”

  “You’ve spoken to my mate, and you lived to tell the tale. Are you a powerful witch?”

  “If I can open this door, then…yeah, I guess so. Stand back,” Bianca instructed.

  Bianca froze the door and kicked it down the same way she did with her
cell door. The massive oak door shattered and fell into a messy pile on the gray-black stone floor.

  A large white wolf sat on the furthest corner of the cell and stared at Bianca with thoughtful hazel eyes. Even though her fur was matted and covered with dirt, she reminded Bianca of a wild queen.

  Queen of Wolves. That wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

  “Impressive,” Luna said as she studied the remains of the door. She lifted her gaze and openly stared at Bianca. She tilted her head from side to side as if that would somehow change what she was looking at. “You are a child,” she finally said.

  “I’m not a child,” Bianca said in a defensive tone.

  The wolf barked a sharp laugh. “Now I know that you definitely are a Human Girl.”

  Bianca stepped over the mess she’d made and asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I will be…once I tear that bitch a part limb from limb,” Luna growled.

  “You’ll have to wait in line, because I get to go first.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I’m looking for my mother.”

  “Follow me.” In two long leaps, Luna was in the hallway, ready to show Bianca the way to her mother’s cell.

  They walked quietly side by side and stopped only so Luna could sniff every door they passed by. The only sound that could be heard was the click of Luna’s long black talons. Luna stopped in front of a door and began to sniff frantically.

  “I smell…a human woman…smells like you.” Luna stood on her hind legs and scratched softly at the oak door that separated Bianca from her mother.

  Bianca pressed her ear against the door. “Mom?”

  “Bianca?”

  “Mom, it’s me,” Bianca cried.

  “Oh, thank God.” Rose sobbed.

  “Stand back, Mom.”

  “Okay.”

  “Luna, you should stand back, too.”

  The white wolf gave Bianca a single nod and did as she asked.

  Bianca froze the oak door. She had never wanted to kick a door down as badly as the one in front of her. She let out a nervous giggle when she saw the shattered remains lying before her feet. She carefully stepped over the frozen, broken door pieces and walked into her mother’s prison. This was the place Rose had been kept prisoner for the past ten days. There was dirty cot pressed against the left side of the room. A weathered wooden chair that had bloodied strips of rope hanging on the sides sat in the middle, claiming its innocence even though Bianca could clearly see it was guilty of unspeakable horrors. She didn’t have to wonder too much about whether or not the blood belonged to her mother. Bianca had a hard time believing that Rose, her mother, had been in here. The woman who had shooed the monsters out of her closet. The beautiful woman who had sung lullabies to her when she couldn’t sleep at night, who had held her every time she’d cried, who had made her laugh with quirky jokes. Rose hadn’t had anyone to shoo away the monsters for her. She had been trapped in this hell all by herself.

  “Momma?” Bianca whispered as she searched for her mother in the darkness.

  “Hi, sweetheart.” Rose stepped into the only source of light that was in her cell.

  “Oh, God.” Bianca covered her mouth to keep herself from crying out in shock.

  Rose was almost unrecognizable. Bianca took a closer look. Her mother’s left eye was swollen shut. There were vicious cuts all over her face. Bianca carefully inspected her mother and noticed the untreated cut on the palm of her hand. The skin was still open and covered with puss.

  “I’m going to kill her,” Bianca vowed.

  “Shh. Don’t talk like that,” Rose whispered.

  “I mean it, Mom.” She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair a few times.

  “Human Girl, is there anything I can do to help?” Luna asked as she poked her head inside Rose’s cell.

  Rose gasped in surprise.

  “It’s okay, Mom. She’s a friend.” Bianca gently put her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Luna, do you think you can find my backpack?”

  “What is this backpack?” Luna asked.

  “It’s a black sack. It smells like me and may even smell a little like magic because of the items inside.”

  “I will find this and bring it to you,” Luna replied, and then without making a sound, she was gone.

  “You’ve made some interesting friends while I was gone,” Rose said.

  Bianca waved a dismissive hand. “Never mind that, let me take a look at you.”

  “It’s okay. It looks worse than it really is. Let’s just get out of here.”

  “Wait.” Bianca closed her eyes. She wanted to know if she could do anything about her mother’s wounds.

  Snow White, I hope you’re close by. I can use some help here.

  She could feel the ghost of a hand above her own. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her mother. She thought of all the times her mother had healed her cuts, scrapes, and bruises. It was time to repay in kind. Bianca thought of the love she had for Rose. Her mother and friend. The one person she trusted above all others. She opened her eyes a little and noticed that her hands were glowing with a soft white light. She held her mother’s hands and healed her as best as she could.

  “What are you doing?” Rose whispered.

  “Shh.”

  “Feels warm. First time I’ve felt warmth in almost two weeks.”

  When Bianca opened her eyes, almost all of Rose’s wounds were healed. There were some bruises that were still visible, but the important thing was that Rose wasn’t in pain anymore.

  “Where did you learn that?” Rose gently prodded at her left eye.

  “Long story, let’s get out of here.”

  “Gladly,” Rose replied.

  They stepped out of Rose’s cell. Bianca couldn’t wait to go outside and leave this place behind. She held her mother’s hand and carefully walked down the hallway. Every once in a while, they looked behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed.

  They finally reached the steps.

  “Stay here. I’ll go take a peek and make sure it’s safe to go up,” Bianca whispered.

  Rose nodded.

  Very carefully Bianca went up to the steps. She looked up and down the hallway. Nothing. Empty. She let out a sigh of relief and waved at her mother to join her.

  I hope Luna found my backpack. I hope nothing bad happened to her.

  Bianca then heard a soft clicking sound. There was a rhythm to it. She concentrated on the sound, and little by little the clicking got closer until it suddenly stopped. Bianca held her breath and waited.

  “Human Girl.” A voice that sounded like silk over steel spoke.

  “Luna?” Bianca whispered.

  “Yes.” Luna finally emerged from the shadows with Bianca’s black backpack hanging from her jaws.

  Bianca was glad to have Luna on her side. She didn’t want to know what it would feel like to be caught between Luna’s sharp white teeth. She tried hard not to shiver in fear as Luna walked toward her and gave her the backpack.

  “Where was it?” Bianca asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

  “I’m not familiar with the names you humans give to each room, but there was a lot of food in this place and great big steel thing that was very hot to the touch,” Luna replied.

  “I think you were in the kitchen.”

  “What now?” Rose asked.

  Bianca squatted and opened her backpack. If what she had in mind was going to work, she needed to make sure everything inside was more or less intact. Bianca smiled. Everything was still in her backpack. How could Lenore miss seeing the magic mirror, the brick, and the red cape?

  “What are you looking for?” Rose asked.

  “Nothing, just making sure I didn’t leave anything behind. Kind of my Plan B in case we bump into her,” Bianca explained.

  They all walked pressed against wall, doing their best to make as little noise as possible. They made it as far as the dining hall when Bianca heard a sl
ow clap. Every clap caused her heart to jump and her blood race through her veins. Luna took on a defensive stance, bared her fangs, and let out a fierce snarl.

  Lenore sat at the head of the table, her eyes zeroed in on Bianca. It was as though no one else in the room existed.

  “Impressive,” Lenore said.

  “Get out of our way,” Bianca demanded.

  “More demands? I’ve never met anyone, save your mother, that tasks me as much as you.” Lenore shook her head and clicked her tongue against her cheek. “I’m afraid your attempt at a rescue ends here, little one.” She stood up from her heavy wooden chair.

  Luna snapped her jaws and did something that Bianca could only describe as a mixture between a bark and growl.

  “Silence!” Lenore shouted. She waved her hand and from cracks in the stone black vines snaked through and bound Luna’s paws and muzzled her snout shut.

  Luna whined and struggled to free herself.

  “Bianca, you’re not ready,” Rose whispered into Bianca’s ear.

  “If I were you, I’d listen to your mother.” Lenore chuckled.

  Not an ounce of confidence from her own mother. There wasn’t enough time to explain to Rose that she was more than capable to save them all. She could bring them all home. Snow White believed in her, as did Old Woman. If they had faith in her, then there was no doubt in Bianca’s mind that she could defeat Lenore.

  “Mom, I can do this,” Bianca replied. Never once did her eyes leave Lenore.

  Rose opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. Then she nodded and said, “All right.”

  “Excellent, I get to kill you both at once,” Lenore said.

  “We’ll just see about that,” Bianca replied.

  Lenore attacked first. She took the dagger she had in the sheath and made it multiply itself over and over until there were several dozen silver daggers hovering in front of Lenore. She waved her hands and they all launched themselves toward the Frost women.

  Bianca’s eyes widened in surprise as a wave of daggers headed straight toward them. Thanks to quick thinking on her part, she created a wall of fire and melted the daggers. She used the molten silver and made a shield. Mother and daughter hid behind the silver shield.