by Cate, Marnie
Cole entered the room followed by two guards. I felt my heart skip a beat as he walked towards me. He wore a fitted black suit with a white shirt underneath and a deep red tie. His hair was cropped short with white tips still but he had a light beard. His appearance astounded me. Standing up instinctually, I gave him a warm smile.
“You wore the red dress,” he said, as he lightly ran his fingertip on my upper arm. “You look even better in it than I had imagined.”
Touching my hair, he said, “The curls are gone. Pity, I always liked your curls.”
“The curls are still here,” I said. Pulling the band out of my hair, I tousled it releasing the curls.
“Much better,” he said, pouring a glass of bubbling green liquid for each of us.
Raising his glass, he toasted. “To us.”
“To us,” I said
“We will be so happy here,” he whispered in my ear. “She has great things in store for us.”
Chapter 37
“Good, the food has arrived,” Cole said, as the door opened again.
Wearing a conservative black uniform, two women that I recognized from last night arrived each carrying a silver platter. Recognizing one of the women as Dima, I glared at her.
“Don't be shy,” Cole said to the women, ignoring my reaction to them. “Set it down.”
Dima nervously set the covered platter in front of me and then stepped back.
“Why is she still here?” I said, unable to hold back my anger. “I will not eat any food brought by her.”
Touching my hand, Cole said, “Do not worry. She did not make your food and I assure you she is very sorry for her behavior. She has had eight days to think about her disgraceful display and has promised to be on her best behavior from now on. Isn't that right, Dima?”
What was he talking about eight days? It was just yesterday. Why would he lie to me?
“Yes,” she said, bowing her head. “I will not make any more trouble for the Vizier.”
“Good,” Cole said. “See all better. Now we can eat our breakfast. Mara, what would you like to eat? Touch the platter and it will know your wishes.”
Cautiously, I placed my finger on the platter as Cole watched me. As I removed my hand, Dima moved forward and lifted the lid off the plate. Underneath was pancakes, bacon, berries and a small cup of zizzleberry syrup.
“Are you happy with the food I ordered?” Cole said with a smirk.
When the other girl removed the lid from Cole's plate, it was filled with the same food as mine but more of everything. Immediately diving into his food, he began eating as if he hadn't had a meal in weeks. I hesitantly put a small bite in my mouth. The pancakes tasted exactly like Gram's. Savoring each taste, we ate in silence. When we finished, the women took the platters away and a third woman entered the room carrying a glass of the verijuoma.
“Is there anything else you would like?” she asked, setting the cup before me.
“That will be all,” Cole said, speaking for me. “We have things to discuss and need to be left alone. No disruptions.”
“As you wish,” she said, bowing and leaving the room.
“Earlier, you said that Dima had spent eight days thinking about her behavior. What did you mean by that?” I said, as I sipped my drink.
“She was sent to the Sephorian Desert to think about her actions,” he said. “Do you think that eight days was too short a punishment? I did consider sending her to one of the dorcha's dens to see how she would fair but she is one of the prettier girls.”
Ignoring his comment about her appearance, I said, “It was last night that she attacked me. Do you mean an eight-hour punishment?”
“No, Mara,” he said, standing up. “You have been asleep for eight days. I didn't realize you didn't know this. I had thought you were going to sleep through your birthday but you awoke just in time. Do you feel older today?”
Three months ago, I was sitting at a table with Gram and Cole talking about my mother and how we were going to deal with her. Never would I have thought that between then and my wedding day, I would have lost two people I loved and gained a brother.
“Do not worry, Mar,” he said, taking my hands. “Today, we will celebrate your birthday and tomorrow we will marry. Everything is almost as we planned.”
We would not have the wedding we had planned. We would even miss out on baking and delivering the heart-shaped cookie invitation to our guests. I would not wear my grandmother's dress. My family would not be there.
Gazing into his blue eyes, I forced myself to not focus on what I didn't have. The icy frost was gone. Cole was with me in this moment.
“I have a gift for you,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket. “I hope you like it.”
Opening the black box he handed me, my eyes filled with cold tears as I pulled out a silver charm bracelet. This bracelet was nothing like any I had ever seen before. Instead of dangling charms, each were connected and laid flat.
“These represent different parts of our journey together,” he said. Pointing at the silver tire, he continued, “This is for the tire swing that I hung for you in the front yard of your home. The ice cream cone is for the first date I took you on.”
“I dropped my ice cream cone in the middle of a crowd of our classmates and you pretended that you had done it to cover for me,” I said, smiling.
Each trinket had a story of our love. Stopping at the spider trinket, I frowned.
“The symbol of our commitment to the Goddess and our new role in her domain,” he said, excitedly. “Snow is not evil like she is portrayed. She has just been misunderstood.”
Anger began to grow in me. He was protecting her. She was responsible for all of the pain in my life and ultimately the reason my grandmother died. Slowly, I took the bracelet placing it on my wrist, forcing myself to think only about this moment. Cole was here and I needed him to remain.
“It is the most beautiful gift I have ever received,” I said, sweetly trying to hide my anger at him. “Can you fasten it for me?”
When he finished twisting the hooks together, he kissed the inside of my wrist, “Are you ready to see your new home?”
“I am,” I said, forcing a smile.
Cole led me through the dining room and to a small door off to the side that I had not noticed before. When he opened the door, a cold wind blew into the room extinguishing out the candles on the chandeliers. Taking my hand, we entered the tunnels where I had first seen the Vetur. Hand in hand, we walked through the icy hallway until we reached another door. I had to cover my eyes from the bright light.
As my eyes adjusted to the light change, I saw that it was snowing outside. Fluffy white snowflakes covered us as he led me through the high snow. I did not feel cold even though I was dressed for a summer's day not a winter storm. As the visibility ahead of me became less clear, I gripped Cole's hand tightly. Further and further, we walked into the snowstorm with a strong wind whipping at us. Suddenly, I lost my grip on Cole's hand.
Blinded by the snow with no idea which way to go, I began to panic.
“Come to me,” Cole called.
Out of the veil of snow, a skeleton of a hand broke through reaching for me. I did not move fast enough. Suddenly, the bony fingers wrapped around my waist pulling me forward. Scratching and clawing at it, I screamed as it threw me into the air and into the white void.
Chapter 38
My freefall ended with me landing in a snow bank with a thump. Sitting up, I began to fix my disheveled clothing and smoothed my hair out of my face. This time the hand before me was familiar.
Cole smirked at me. “I am sorry. I should have warned you about the transition into this realm. I will need to speak to Mortorcus about how he assists people in the future,” he said, amused. “We don't have many visitors.”
Accepting his assistance, I stood up to find myself in the middle a winter wonderland. The snow-covered ground was filled with large trees heavy with the snow. A small white rabbit hopped
through the tree lines. The sky above was a deep blue with not a cloud in it. In the distance, I could see a castle. The structure was like none I had ever seen before. The high towers and walls looked as if they were made of ice.
“Is that where we are going?” I asked, unable to maintain the cold demeanor anymore.
“That is your new home, Marina,” he said, as he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.
Horses clomping sounded behind us. The skeleton of a man was sitting on the outside of a black and silver carriage being drawn by four skeleton horses. The driver wore a red and black uniform with a black top hat. His empty eye sockets glowed red. Slowing beside us to a step, a Vetur hopped off the back of the carriage and opened the door for us.
“Are we riding in this?” I asked. “Isn't he the one that threw me here?”
Taking my hand, Cole said, “Mort will not harm you. This will be more comfortable than the long walk and it will give us time to talk about tomorrow's events.”
Sensing my reluctance, he kissed me on the cheek and whispered in my ear, “Trust me. Climb in.”
The inside of the carriage was a velvety black material with a spider web design weaved through the fabric. I sat on the plush bench and Cole joined me.
Handing me a glass of verijuoma, Cole said, “A toast to our future.”
“Are you going to toast every time we drink,” I said, as I took a drink of the icy liquid that I was beginning to crave.
“I don't think every time but the past few days have been pretty special. You have joined me here. I did not think you would,” he said with a look of sincerity. “I take that back. I might just toast every time, every day of our life.”
Taking my hands into his, he said, “Now that you're with me, I can't wait until you can see our home in person. You are going to fall in love with it the minute you see it. You were meant to be a queen Mara and together we will have everything you have ever wanted.”
Treading carefully with my questions, I asked, “What were we missing in our life that we will get here?”
“We will make a difference,” he said. “We can help right the pain that Snowystra was put through by Danu. We can repair the damage that was done when her magic was bound and they forced her into isolation. Our magic was stifled there. They gave us the gift but didn't let us use it. We were children with a roomful of toys told to sit and be quiet and not play. But, that is over now. The access we have to our magic is now free with no constraints. We will be able to make a better world for the Vetur and for ourselves.”
Cole put his hands on my shoulders and continued. “They deserve a better life than the one that they have had. They have been bound because of Danu's greed for power. She took everything away from them and they have been fighting for so many years just to make a life worth living. Slowly, they have begun to rebuild.”
“What do you mean? What did Danu take away from them?” I asked.
“She stripped Snowystra of her magic and sent her away,” he said, frantically speaking as if he was a mad man. “They were sent away to the coldest part of the world. She lost so many of her children. They couldn't survive the cold without magic but she has done everything in her power to fight for her children. Every day, she struggles to keep the current ones strong and thriving. Each night, they are given a strong potion to help them regenerate their magic. It is a cold world here. Our Goddess is the goddess of darkness, winter and of death. Her role in this world is hard but necessary. She is just as important as the light from Danu. So why has she always been punished for fulfilling her responsibilities. Together, we will restore her to her full power. She will no longer be the black sheep of the family. She will no longer be the outcast. Will you help me, Marina? Will you help Snowystra? Will you help the Vetur?”
His words were making no sense to me. The plight of the Vetur was not his cause. I didn't know what happened to Snowystra but she seemed quite powerful now and her children seemed strong and healthy. If things were so horrible for the Vetur, why didn't she move them somewhere else? Why didn't she take them to this castle instead of leaving them to live in the tunnels? She had definitely brainwashed Cole and hearing him talking I was not sure if I was going to be able to bring him back? Nothing I would say would make any sense to him.
With a small smile, I said, “Cole, my love, I will stand by you and Snowystra. I want her to regain everything she's lost and get exactly what she deserves. Together we will make it happen. I promise.”
“I knew you would understand. I knew that I could trust you,” he said. “We are going to be so happy here.”
Cole kissed me gently on the cheek and I felt an electric feeling run through my body. It was as if his magic was gently stroking my skin. His cold touch was tempting. It made me want more contact with him. Leaning over, I kissed him on the lips. My kiss was hard and demanding. With each touch of our lips, I felt the ice in my body running faster through my veins.
Cole's response to my kiss was restrained but I persisted. Soon, Cole had wrapped his arms around me, knocking the glass onto the floor as he pulled me onto him. Kissing my neck, he began to run his fingers through my hair. Slowly his hand trailed down my back and he began to unzip my dress. The cold air on my back was light a slap across the face bringing me out of the moment. This was not happening now and not here.
Slipping off Cole, I said, “We can't. We have only one day left before we marry. Why rush it?”
Cole pulled me back into his arms and said, “Why wait? We have been waiting for way too long.”
Fighting the urge to sink into his arms again, I said, “This is not the right place. I want our first time to be special, not in the back of a moving carriage. There's no need to rush it and wish we had waited. Soon, we will be together forever. One more day is not going to change the way I feel for you.”
Releasing me, he moved away pouting.
Touching his hand, I said, “There is no reason for you to be angry right now. This is just a momentary pause. I didn't want to stop either but one of us has to be the sensible one. Now please, zip me back up. I do not want to meet our new family half-dressed.”
“You are right. We will have a thousand forevers and in less than twelve hours we will be married and you will be mine,” his words sent a chill throughout my body of both excitement and fear.
Riding in silence, I watched the scenery fly by. As we drove through the gates of the castle, I could see the building more clearly. The castle was not made of ice like the one I had originally thought. Instead, it was a dark navy blue brick that sparkled with a glittery frost. The carriage slowed and came to a stop at the entrance of the intimidating building.
Cole stepped out first and lifted me down. Taking my hand, he led me through the middle of Vetur dressed in black and white uniforms. Laura and Christina were at the end of the line. Laura glared at me. Christina gave me a slight nod. I did not let my eyes linger on her for too long. I did not want to draw any attention to her.
The entrance to the building had a large staircase made of the blue stone. At the end of the steps, there was a large metal door with a spider crest on it. By the time we finished the climb, the door had been opened by a large, overbearing man. His pale white skin and dark hair gave him the Vetur appearance but he did not share any other features.
Before I could step into the foyer, Cole scooped me up in his arms. “Bekan, this is your new Vizier,” Cole said to the man. “I do not want to be interrupted for any reason while I show my lovely bride-to-be her new home.”
“Put me down,” I hissed in his ear. “This is embarrassing.”
“There is no way you were taking your first step over the threshold unless it was in my arms,” he said.
“Cole, really put me down. I feel ridiculous,” I said, softly beating on his arms in protest.
Laughing, he quieted my protest with a long, sweet kiss. If circumstances were different, this moment would have been perfect. This was not really our home but I was in the arms of the
man I had always loved and tomorrow I would marry him knowing that I would be falling deeper into Snowystra's world.
Snowflakes blew into the room and circled us. “My darling, Cole, you have come home and you have even brought Marina to me.”
“Snow,” he said, as he gently set me down. “I am so glad you are here. I had been told that you would not be arriving until tomorrow.”
Going to her, he hugged her tightly and then kissed her on the lips. “I have missed you,” he said. With those words, my heart went cold. I would not be able to compete with her.
“Marina,” Snowystra said, grasping my hand. “I am so glad that you have come to your senses. Tomorrow, you will show your loyalty to Cole and to me.”
She pulled me in closer to her and stared into my eyes. “You will find my world of magic is less constraining. Are you adjusting to your new magic?”
“You have a lovely home. Cole was just going to show me around,” I said, maintaining my composure even though I wanted to scratch her eyes out. Every muscle in my body tightened. “I haven't had time to practice my new magic. I just awoke today. Cole has kept me very busy all day.”
“Silly me, of course, you haven't had time to really learn about your new gift” she said, sweetly. “There will be plenty of time for you to learn everything about your new gifts.”
Squeezing my hand tightly, she smiled. Her touch felt like thousands of threads of ice were being sent through my body. Closing my eyes, I delighted in the feeling. Loosening her grip, the magic she was sending ended. Disappointed that she had let go of my hand, I took her hand back hoping that she would send more of her magic through my body. My feelings of jealousy from his contact with her before ended. I now understood why he sought out physical contact with her. Her touch was enticing.
Whispering in her ear as if I wasn't there, Cole said, “I told you she would come around. Everything you lost will soon be returned to you.”
Sending one more stream of magic through me, Snowystra laughed. “Cole, give her the grand tour.”