by Liz Delesus
Lenore screamed in frustration and continued to throw daggers at them.
Bianca used the daggers that struck the shield and made it even stronger.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you learned some tricks,” Rose said.
Bianca smiled and nodded. She could tell her mother was impressed with her new skills with magic.
“What next?” Rose asked.
“I’m thinking…mirrors,” she said.
“Mirrors?” Rose echoed. “What for?”
“Just…keep her busy. I’ll let you know when I’m ready,” Bianca replied.
“Okay,” Rose said with a nod.
Rose threw an ice spell at the ceiling, creating stalactites that covered the entire top part of the room. She clapped her hands and watched as huge chunks of ice fell on Lenore. The witch spent the majority of her time dodging them, which gave Bianca the time she needed to prepare.
Bianca pulled Mirabel’s little hand mirror out of her backpack. She took a deep breath and held the mirror in her hands. Then…she grabbed the frame and pulled it apart.
At first Rose was confused. Her green eyes widened in surprise when she noticed that Bianca was making the mirror bigger. By the time Bianca was finished with the mirror, it was half her size. She then created ten replicas of the mirror. Bianca handed the original mirror to Rose. The other nine she tossed in Lenore’s direction until they had scattered all around the evil witch.
“What game are you playing at here, brat?” Lenore spat. “Do you think you know mirror magic just because you had my mistress’ spell book for a week? You know nothing!”
Lenore slammed her fist into the two mirrors in front of her. Tiny fractions of glass rained down on her feet. A thousand miniature reflections looked back at her from the floor. She growled and stomped on the mirrors.
“See ya later.” Bianca jumped into the mirror her mother held in her hands.
“Bianca!” Rose cried out in surprise.
She found herself in a hallway with seven mirrors showing Lenore in different angles. Bianca’s arm shot out and grasped Lenore’s filthy dress. Lenore gasped as she was pulled inside the mirror.
There was a scuffle inside the hallway as Lenore wrestled the young witch, trying to escape. But Bianca would have none of that; she kicked Lenore on the face. She heard the crunch of bones being broken. When she stepped back, she saw a spray of blood all over Lenore’s face.
A flash of horror crossed the evil witch’s features when she realized what Bianca’s intentions were.
“You can’t leave me here,” she said.
“Yes, I can,” Bianca replied.
“No. No!” the witch shouted.
With little remorse, Bianca jumped out and made the other seven mirrors vanish with a loud pop, leaving only the original mirror that Rose continued to hold in her hands.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll take that now,” Bianca said.
Rose handed the three foot tall mirror back to her daughter. Bianca took the looking glass and pushed it down until it shrunk back to its original size. Bianca realized she did it just in time since she could hear Lenore screams from within the mirror.
“Not so powerful now, huh?” Bianca said.
“She’s trapped in there?” Rose asked.
“Yep. Wanna see?”
Rose nodded and took the little hand mirror from Bianca. She looked into mirror and instead of her reflection she saw Lenore’s angry face. She could hear her screams and feel her fists pounding on the cold, hard glass.
“Good riddance,” Bianca muttered as she placed the little hand mirror in her backpack.
“We’re going to have a serious talk about this when we get home,” Rose said.
“You don’t think she deserved this?” Bianca asked.
“I think there was a better way of taking care of her.”
“Like she was going to do with us, you mean? You think she wasn’t going to do everything in her power to make sure she tortured us to death before finally killing us? Do you honestly think she would’ve shown us any type of mercy? Because if you think she would’ve, then please tell me now and I’ll set her free.” Bianca frowned, unable to understand why her mother was arguing with her.
“All right,” Rose whispered, finally conceding to Bianca and the decision she’d made.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Stay still,” Bianca said gently to Luna.
They had to use a mixture of knives and magic in order to set Luna free from the impromptu prison that Lenore made.
“Finally,” Rose sighed as they cut the final vine off of Luna.
The female wolf got up and stretched. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Bianca replied.
“Quiet…I hear something.” Luna’s ears twitched and moved as they followed the sound.
Bianca listened and heard a faint familiar voice.
“Who’s that?” Rose asked.
“Terrance?” Bianca called back.
“I’m confused.” Rose frowned.
“Shh, I can’t hear him,” Bianca whispered.
“Bianca!” Terrance cried as he finally came into view at the end of the hallway along with Prince Ferdinand.
Bianca smiled and ran toward Terrance.
Rose and Luna quickly followed suit and trailed behind.
All of a sudden, Bianca felt herself being hoisted up in the air by her neck. Her vision swam as the ground beneath her got farther and farther away from her.
“Bianca!” Rose cried.
“You stupid little brat! You just had to keep interfering,” a cold feminine voice hissed into Bianca’s ear.
Luna growled in response.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Prince Ferdinand demanded as he flicked his sword nervously from side to side.
“Show yourself, you coward!” Terrance shouted.
The voice laughed in response to their demands. Bianca helplessly dangled in the air as though she were being held by an invisible noose. She fought frantically to free herself, but nothing worked. She kicked and tried to wriggle herself free all to no avail. Out of the corners of her eyes she could see a series of black ribbons. She knew they were similar to the ones Mirabel had used on Snow White.
“Mom.” Bianca choked the word out as she struggled to breathe.
“Silence!” the voice said.
“Mirabel?” Rose wondered aloud.
“That’s Queen Mirabel to you,” she spat.
Then slowly they were all able to see what they were up against. Hovering in the air was Mirabel’s ghost. Her once-beautiful face was contorted with hatred and anger as she looked down at everyone. Her feet were bright red and covered with blisters. Her blond hair was knotted and frayed at the ends.
“Don’t worry, little one. Soon you won’t feel a thing,” Mirabel said with a fake saccharine tone of voice.
For the first time in her life, Bianca was frozen with fear. She was too high up. No one would be able to reach her. At least not in time to save her.
“I’m coming, sweetheart,” Rose said.
Bianca could hear her mother, but she had no idea what she was doing or how she planned on saving her from this horrible situation. Bianca struggled to breathe. Her vision slowly darkened. She could feel her limbs beginning to go numb.
“Enough!” a different feminine voice bellowed.
“At last,” Mirabel whispered.
Bianca then fell to the floor as the black ribbons around her neck vanished like a fog. Terrance caught her moments before she could crash onto the cold, hard floor. Bianca gasped for air.
Rose quickly climbed down the cabinet she’d been trying to climb in order to reach her daughter. She ran to Bianca and gently touched her forehead, the way she used to when she was a baby. She kissed her cheek, her forehead and the very top of her head.
Rose then examined Bianca’s hand. The apple shaped bruise on the palm of her hand was the size of a half-dollar coin, and it had tiny red veins that sprou
ted out of it as though trying to latch onto Bianca’s fingers.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” Rose wondered aloud.
Bianca, unable to speak, only shook her head.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Rose said.
Terrance stood up, with Bianca safely in his arms. They all made their way toward the exit. Just as they reached the way out, Rose touched the massive wooden door and cast a fire spell. The door burst into flames as though it had been doused with gasoline.
“Bianca?” Terrance whispered her name as he lay her down on her ground. They were at a safe distance from the castle. The grass was burned and the color of ashes, a sharp contrast to Bianca’s milky white skin.
Bianca opened her eyes and gazed at Terrance. She’d been afraid she would never see him again. He smiled as he smoothed her jet black hair and tucked it neatly behind her ears.
“Hurts,” she whimpered.
Terrance studied the bruises on her neck. Prince Ferdinand joined them and sat down next to Bianca. Luna sniffed Terrance and then reluctantly sat several feet away from the odd group.
“I can’t believe a ghost can cause so much harm to a single human being. I’m amazed your neck isn’t broken,” Prince Ferdinand whispered.
Bianca tried to sit up, but grimaced in pain and slowly lay back down.
“Shh, don’t worry. You’re safe now,” he said.
“Mom?” she croaked, searching for her mother.
“She’s on her way here. She’s setting the castle on fire…at least that’s what it looks like from where I’m sitting,” he explained.
Bianca smiled. Good riddance.
Rose finally returned to the group and sat down beside her daughter. She frowned and after several minutes of silently studying Bianca’s wounded neck, she finally said, “I hope this works.”
She cast a spell and healed most of Bianca’s neck wound. It still hurt to turn her head from side to side. But she could speak without sounding like a toad.
She looked around and frowned. Where was her father? “Terrance?”
“Yes?”
“Where’s my dad?” she asked.
“The last I saw of him he was taking care of some of the guards at the main entrance of the castle,” Terrance said.
“You found your father?” Rose’s voice cracked as she asked the question.
They called out to David until he finally appeared. He took slow steps, and it seemed as though he was literally dragging his feet beneath him.
Rose fell down on her knees when she saw the great black bear. He gingerly took steps closer to Rose. She couldn’t stop staring at him. She opened her mouth to speak but all that escaped her lips was a series of sobs that threatened to shake the earth to its core. Tears poured out of her eyes, as though she were a river. The greedy soil welcomed her gift of tears. She reached out and caressed his face. After ten years of searching, she finally found him.
“David,” she whispered. A word. A name so charged with love that it was electrifying. Out of a land that was barren. Their love was able to create life…or at least the promise of it. The sky was brighter, flowers bloomed, butterflies fluttered around them, curious and wanting to be a part of the love that surrounded David and Rose. At that moment, anything was possible.
Rose smiled as she gazed into David’s ice blue eyes. There was no denying that he was in there somewhere. David licked Rose’s lips and face.
“Not exactly the type of kiss I was looking for, but it’s better than nothing,” she said with a smile.
The first genuine smile Bianca had seen since her father’s disappearance. Everyone remained silent. They were witnesses to true love in its rarest form. None of them had ever seen anything like it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Human Girl.”
“Yes, Luna?” Bianca replied.
“I must leave you now.”
Bianca smiled and told her that she understood.
“I will be eternally grateful for what you have done.”
“I’m just glad I was able to help.”
“Anyone else in your position would demand as many favors from me as possible. You are a strange human.”
“Yeah…I get that a lot.”
“Should you ever need me, just call my name to the North Wind. I will hear you. Goodbye, Human Girl.” Luna gave her a short bow.
“Goodbye, Luna.”
The great white wolf walked up to Terrance and studied him for a moment with inquisitive hazel eyes. “Why do you smell familiar to me, Human Boy?” She sniffed the air that surrounded him and gave him a quizzical look.
“We share the same blood, you and I,” Terrance explained.
“Do we now?” Luna asked.
“My father is your son…William.”
“I see,” she whispered.
Terrance let out a gasp when Luna surprised him by licking his face and hair.
“Tell my son that his mother misses him,” Luna said.
“I will.” Terrance nodded.
“Farewell…Grandchild.” And having spoken those words, Luna finally left.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bianca sat up and gazed at Lenore’s castle. Half of the building was engulfed in flames.
“Mom? Am I finally going crazy or do you see what I’m seeing?” Bianca asked as she squinted.
Rose sighed and searched in Bianca’s backpack until she found her glasses.
“Here.” Rose handed the wire framed glasses to her daughter.
Bianca groaned but put the glasses on. It felt good to have her mother back. She was relieved to have someone take care of her for a change. She was able to see much better and was happy to see that she was correct: there was a figure emerging from the flames.
“Look.” Bianca pointed to the entrance of the castle. Rose and Bianca got as close as they could. They were precariously close to the fiery building, but Bianca wanted to get a closer look.
Amid the flames, they could see two ghosts, Snow White and Mirabel, standing before each other.
“I’m weary of all this nonsense, Mirabel. Aren’t you tired of fighting?” Snow White asked.
“You ruined my life, you little whelp. The moment I set foot into your father’s castle, I not only had to compete with you for your father’s affections, but I also had to compete with your mother’s bloody ghost! Everywhere I looked there was a portrait of her or some memento your father refused to get rid of no matter how hard I begged.”
“That was not my fault,” Snow White replied.
“You ruined my life. Now I’m going to destroy everything and everyone you hold dear.”
“You know very well that what you plan to do is impossible. They are strong.” Snow White looked at Rose and Bianca and smiled.
Mirabel contorted her face in anger and screamed with rage. She then threw an emerald green energy ball at Snow White. She deflected Mirabel’s sickly energy by barely lifting her hand.
“I am not a terrified little girl anymore, Mirabel. While you have been hiding in the shadows, feeding off of everyone’s nightmares, I was living my life and learning and practicing my craft. I know things that would astonish you…if such a thing were even possible.”
Mirabel launched herself into the air like a panther. Snow White grabbed Mirabel by the throat in midair. Bianca gasped when she saw the look of fierce determination on Snow White’s perfect face.
“You will plague my family no more,” Snow White said.
A flash of white light burst up toward the sky. Bianca covered her eyes as the light became brighter and brighter. When she uncovered her eyes, the castle was burnt to the ground and the flames that had engulfed the building had been extinguished. All that remained were ashes and puffs of smoke that curled into careless tendrils that caressed the sky.
“Where did they go?” Bianca whispered.
“I don’t know,” Rose replied.
“Well…they were dead before. But I think Snow White finall
y killed her spirit,” Bianca guessed.
“You are correct,” Snow White’s said as she emerged from the ashes like an ivory phoenix. Snow White walked toward her kin. “You fought well, Bianca. Rose, you should be very proud of your daughter. She was very brave.”
“Oh, I am.” Rose put an arm around Bianca and kissed her on the cheek.
“Bianca,” Snow White said.
“Yes?”
“I need you to give me the little hand mirror.”
“Um…Lenore is in there.”
“I know. I’ll take care of it.”
Bianca looked through her backpack until she found the mirror. She handed it to Snow White. How she was able to hold onto something material when she herself was a ghost, Bianca would never know. All she knew was that she felt an immense sense of relief as she passed on the responsibility to someone else.
“Don’t feel guilty. You did what you had to do in order to protect yourself and your loved ones,” Snow White said, almost as if she had read her mind.
“I know…it’s just…I can’t help but feel bad,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.
Snow White nodded. She remained silent. There were no words of comfort she could give her. It was something Bianca had to deal with on her own.
“I must go now,” Snow White said.
“Wait. Where are you going?” Bianca asked.
Snow White let out a happy sigh. “I finally get to rest. I can finally go home now.”
A massive, regal white door appeared several feet away from them.
“Will we ever see you again?” Bianca asked.
“When it comes to our family? Never say never, but I have a feeling that you will be just fine without me,” she replied.
“Thank you for all your help,” Bianca said.
“You’re very welcome.”
“Goodbye.”
Rose echoed the same words and waved goodbye to the most famous woman who ever lived.
“Farewell,” Snow White said with a bright smile on her face.
The white door then swung open and waiting on the other side was a man dressed in princely finery. He had light brown hair and kind green eyes. Snow White ran to the man and embraced him. Snow White rested her head on his broad shoulders and allowed herself that moment with him. She lifted her gaze toward him and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.