by Cate, Marnie
“Time is running out. You must go now,” I said. “Everyone should have been collected. I have had the guards check the cottages, the castle and the tunnels. Go now, my friends. I will see you again one day.”
As they slowly began walking towards the cave, I was overwhelmed by the love expressed. Kissing and hugging me, I could feel their gratitude. One by one, I watched them enter the cave.
“Mara,” a child's voice said.
Seeing the little girl from the castle, I smiled, “Hello, Masha,” I said, hugging her tightly. “Be sweet, child. You are on your way home.”
“I am,” she beamed, pointing at a woman and a small boy. “My mommy is here and I have a little brother.”
Laughing, I held my arms out and took baby Daniel into my arms. Touching my hair, he smiled. “Bufly,” he said. “Pretty.”
“Hello, brave boy, will you take good care of your mommy for me?” I said, as I returned him to Anna.
“Thank you,” she said. “You have saved both of my children.”
When it came time to say goodbye to my closest support, I could barely speak. “Go now,” I said. “We already said our goodbyes. Christina, take care of Malise and Dunn for me. Laura, I know you will help the women bring healthy babies into this world.”
Hugging them all again, I insisted. “Go. Go make sure they make it to their home.”
“You forgot this, Mara,” Christina said, giving me the white envelope from Hazel. “It might be helpful.”
Watching them walk away, I smiled. They would no longer be enslaved to Snowystra. They were on their way to freedom.
Chapter 60
The Vetur were free but I was not confident that Cole would ever be. A skeletal horse with a rider appeared in the distance. What will Cole do when he finds out that the Vetur have escaped? Did he alert Snowystra? Was she close by or still too weak to fight?
“How dare you drug me and then summon me,” Cole said, in frustration as he jumped off the back of the horse. “Snowystra was right about you. You lied to me.”
Glaring at me with black eyes, I could feel his hatred for me. It's too late. He is too far gone into the darkness. She has destroyed him.
Grabbing my shoulders, he said, “You will return everything you stole from her.”
Tearing the envelope open with one hand, I said, “I'm sorry. You are right. I will get them now.”
“No tricks,” he said. “Bring me to them. You have proven that you are not trustworthy. If they are gone, you will pay dearly.”
Wriggling out of his tight grip, I blew the purple powder into his face and ran. I did not look back to see if he was hurt. His screams of wrath told me that I needed to run faster.
Calling back to him, I said, “Catch me if ever want your Vetur back.”
I ran as fast as I could into the snowy forest. My body felt like ice. There was no doubt in my mind that Cole would kill me if he caught me. Quickly swallowing the last of the granules from Christina, I realized that I would not last long in the cold weather. Blaze's words about me being weak came to mind as I sucked in the ice air. My lungs felt like sandpaper had been drug over them. I wished I had more time to become physically strong. I was not weak but I was in no way prepared for this. I never anticipated that I would be forced to run and hide from my husband.
Slowing as I entered the outskirts of the forest, I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I found myself unsure where to go. I had no idea which direction would be safest. My plans to steal Cole away had seemed so simple. The only way out was the way I came in. I would have to go back to the tunnels. Weak and lost. You should have left with the Vetur. A broken heart would be better than a broken neck.
Creeping through the trees, I stood hiding behind a large one with overflowing branches. In the thickness of the needles, I searched for any signs of Cole. The forest was quiet. My heart beat so loudly, I thought he would be able to hear it.
With a look of anger, he pulled the branch exposing my hiding space. “Running away again? Are you running to find your fire elemental? You will not leave me for him.”
Do not run. The chase will only infuriate him. Think. Think. Be the evil queen.
With a disappointed tone to my voice, I said, “No, I am here. I was wondering how long it would take you to catch me.”
As he grew closer, I tried to move around him but he caught me by my waist. “No more games,” he said, as I tried to wiggle out of his arms. His voice was dark and foreboding, “I have been waiting for you for too many years, Marina, to lose you.”
Giving up the fight, I relaxed my body. “Will you at least look at the gift I brought you?” I said, pouting. “I have been saving it for you. Won't you at least let me show it to you?”
Setting me down, he watched me carefully. “You drag me out here to give me a present?”
“Yes, the Vetur are all in the tunnels waiting for you,” I said, surprised at how easy lying had become. “I had a whole evening planned. I guess I can give you the gift now if you promise to be surprised later.”
Holding his hand in mine, I said, “Cole, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion. I ask the protection of the Goddess….” His eyes narrowed at me before I quickly caught myself, “Snowystra. Mother of darkness, who has given us her blessing.”
Slipping the ring on his finger, he glared at me. “Will you stop playing games now? Does this mean that you are mine now? Only mine.”
“I only ever was yours, Cole,” I insisted.
The green stones on the snake ring began to flicker and before I knew it, the silver ring came to life, slithering around his finger.
“This was a trick,” he roared, slapping me across the face, sending me into a tree. “You will pay for this deceit.”
Before he could say another word, the snake began hissing as it grew. Soon, it was standing ten feet high, looming over us. Its silver scales glimmered as it raised up and then struck. The snake sunk its fangs into Cole's neck. Cole cried out in pain holding onto the silver serpent and trying to wriggle out of its clutch. Writhing in pain, he fell to the ground trying to fight off the attack. As he stopped struggling, the snake slowly began to shrink and fell to the snow. Slithering, it returned to Cole's hand. Wrapping itself tightly around his finger, it had changed back to the metal ring I had given him.
Falling to the snow beside him, I covered his bleeding neck with my hands. “I am sorry,” I cried. “It is the only way I knew how to save you.”
Face to face with me now, he scowled at me. “You will not win,” he said, spitting in my face. “She will have your head for this. You mean nothing to me now, Marina. You are dead to me.”
“Forgive me.” I said, before I punched him as hard as I could, knocking him out.
He will never forgive me.
Dragging him through the snow by his feet, I slowly pulled him towards the cave. Feeling unable to move anymore, I sat on the ground. There was no point in crying. My tears would just freeze. Shivering, I forced myself to think of warm things.
Think of warm things. Great Winds. Hot Chocolate. Stupid Chicken Soup. Do not use your magic. You will need all you have inside you to face her.
“Mara,” a gruff voice said from behind me. “Get up or you will freeze to death.”
“Why are you here?” I said, when I realized that Cerin was standing in front of me. “I thought you ran away?”
“Nah, I didn't run away,” he said. For the first time since I met him, I saw him smile. “I couldn't go too far. I have a wife and two children that need me. My little boy is quite taken with you. He can't stop talking about the butterfly.”
“Daniel is your son?” I said in surprise.
“He is,” he said. “Didn't you notice the resemblance?”
“Now that you mention it…no.”
Throwing back his head, his hearty laugh filled the air. “I see the Shah has had some trouble,” he said, pointing at Cole.
“His name is Cole. There is no Shah. It was all a sic
k game created by Snowystra,” I said. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything,” he said. “You have freed my family. What is it you want?”
“Take him into the portal. Take him to Livia. She will know how to help him,” I said, fighting back my tears.
“I will take you both.”
“I can't go yet. If I do, she will just follow,” I said. “I need to make sure that Snowystra is stopped for good.”
Taking his jacket off, he wrapped it around my shoulders. Slipping off his boots, he said, “Put these on too. You will not last out here for long in the cold. Please reconsider coming with me.”
“Go to your wife and child,” I insisted.
Cerin bent down to pick Cole up and I stopped him. “Wait,” I said, gently stroking Cole's hair and kissing him. “I love you, Cole. None of this was your fault.”
As Cerin slung Cole over his shoulder, I said, “No matter what happens, please make sure he knows it was never his fault.”
“I will,” he said, as he carried him away towards the cave.
Snowflakes began to fall onto me. As the wind began to blow harder, the snow around me became thick. Shivering from the cold, I wished that I had not used the last of the granules.
Chapter 61
“Marina, you have been very, very naughty,” Snowystra said, as she stepped out of the snowstorm. “You stole from me. You cannot steal what is mine. You will repair everything that you have broken.”
“You are a monster. You are not the goddess you were supposed to be. You killed Faramond. You enslaved his people. Why?”
“You do not ask me questions. I am a god…I am the God! I will repay my sisters and you for everything you have done. I will destroy you all.”
“Air of the east, I call to you,” I cried. The air became thick with dust and soon I was clouded by the darkness.
“You can hide, Marina, but I will find you!” Snowystra screamed.
A strong burst of snow blew into my face and the wind that I had called was pushed away by white flakes. “You have strong magic but you are no match for me.”
“Aren't you feeling weak?” I said, laughing. “You have not had any spiders to eat this morning.” Calling Water, I focused on growing the orb until it was larger than a beach ball and threw it at her. Splashing as it landed at her feet, the spiders broke loose and began to crawl over her.
This would only stop her momentarily. She was still strong even in her weakened state. The spiders were a brief distraction.
As she blew them all off her, she said, “I have seen that magic before and I killed the woman that held it. I see my father has blessed you with this gift. Has he been helping you the entire time?”
“Helping me do what?”
“Turn my people against me! Taking my children from me!” she screamed.
“They were never yours. They feared you. They despised you. They didn't want to live under your control.”
Her hands began to glow and spark green. “Having a sense of déjà-vu?” she said.
Changing her appearance, she took the form of my mother. “Marina, my daughter,” she said. “Come to me darling. I am so sorry for what I have done.”
Shape shifting to my grandmother's image, she said, “Mara, you let me die. Come to me.”
Returning to my mother's image, she held her arms out to me. “You wouldn't kill your own mother would you?”
Throwing back her head, she laughed. Her maniacal cackle rang through the forest. Her games had distracted me and I did not realize what she had been doing. The ground below was covered with green ooze. Electric sparks bounced off the slime licking at my skin. Before I could move, I was knocked down, my body filled with pulsing shocks.
Not again, not again, I thought, as I struggled to get up.
The words the elementals would tell me as a child began playing in my head.
“She needs to be strong now,” said Blaze.
“And use her smart mind,” said Breeze.
“And never forget her joy,” said Bay.
“And know she is resilient and most importantly loved,” said Daisy.
“Get up Mara, the voice of my grandmother said,”Don't lie there. Don't give up. Your time is not up. Be the girl I raised. Fight."
“I don't know how to stop it,” I said. The shocks continued to run through my body.
“Don't stop it,” Gram said.
Forcing my body to be still, I let the pain run through me.
Standing over me, Snowystra said, “What a difficult position you have put yourself in. Mortals have always been so fragile…so breakable. They just never seem to be able to survive my gifts.”
Straddling my chest, she pinned me down, restraining my arms with her legs. The pressure of her weight on my torso made it uncomfortable to breathe. Leaning close to me, she slowly dragged her nail down my cheek. Silencing my screams, she clamped her hand over my mouth as she continued to cut my face. As the warm, sticky blood ran down my cheeks, she grabbed me by my shoulders, pulling me to my feet. “We will see what he thinks of you when I am done with you.”
“I had planned on making your death quick,” she said. “However you have taken too much from me. I want you to feel the pain you put me through. I think that I made a mistake in letting you marry Cole. Now that he knows how you lied to him, he will want to rule at my side. Don't we make the most darling couple? I think I will take you to replace Laura. You can serve Cole and me as we begin our life together. You know it only took a few beatings before Laura realized that I am not one to be disobeyed. Cole has been more resistant lately but I have broken him over and over again. I may need more time to break you but I will enjoy every moment of it. I will break you, Marina. Do you want to pledge your loyalty to me for real this time? Or, should I just save you the trouble and kill you now?”
Slowly breathing, I felt the magic from her contact pooling inside me. “I will never serve you,” I said. “I never meant my pledge then and I wouldn't now.”
Pushing all of the magic inside me out, the ground began to shake. We were surrounded by thousands of colorful orbs. The rainbow of colors began spinning around us.
“Is that all you have to fight? You are not making it much of a challenge,” she laughed. “I almost pity you.”
In my right hand, I called a fire dagger. Jerking myself out of her arms, I lunged at her, stabbing the blade into her chest. I aimed for her heart, not sure she even had one to hit.
Screaming in pain, she fell to her knees as she struggled to pull the flaming weapon out of her chest. As I began to run away from her, she grabbed my leg, pulling me down. The orbs circled her. She no longer screamed in pain.
“You were given a choice to live,” she snarled. “Your chance is over.”
Holding her hands to the sky, she pulled down a green bolt of lightning, positioned as if she was going to throw it at me.
Forcing my magic at her, I realized I had none left inside me.
“It is too late for you now,” she cried.
“You are wrong, Snowystra,” the voice of a young girl called. The girl's light brown hair whipped in the wind as she walked towards us.
“You will not take her away from me again,” she said, throwing her hands out in front of her, sending out a stream of green vines.
“Or me,” a young boy said stepping forwarding casting a silver stream of air.
“And you will definitely not take her away from me again,” the voice of my father cried.
The trio joined hands focusing their magic on Snowystra. It whipped and tossed her as it encircled her. Crawling away from Snowystra to them, I collapsed.
The scent of ginger filled my senses and a warm hand touched my face. Heat filled my body and I felt Snowystra's magic slipping from me.
“Join them,” Essie commanded.
Taking my father's hand, I stared in amazement at my family.
The girl said, “Mara, send all of your magic. Send all of your elemental magic at her.
”
“It's all gone,” I said
“It's not! Fight,” she demanded, her green eyes burning with anger.
“Meg? Meg? Is that you?” I said, my voice breaking.
“Mara, it is me,” she said. “Now send your magic.”
“Come on, Caterpillar. Send all you have inside you,” my father pleaded. “We won't be able to restrain her much longer.”
Thinking of Cole, the Vetur, my family, I prayed to Danu for her guidance.
Air, my breath of life
Fire, my power
Water, my resilence
Earth, strength
Danu, my spirit
Fill me with your blessings.
My promise is renewed.
I will protect the magic.
The orbs swirled above me. Sending streams of silver, they began to attack Snowystra. She screamed in pain as our elemental magic drove into her. When her cries stopped, we released our power and she fell to the ground.
“Is she dead?” Miles asked.
“I don't know,” I breathed. “I don't know if you can kill a goddess.”
Snowystra's body began to convulse and she sat up throwing her arms towards the sky. “You have done this to me. You created me and now you forsake me?” she cried.
Her screams called a blizzard. Through the thick snow, I could not see Snowystra or my family. The white void enveloped me.
“Please don't let her hurt my family,” I whispered.
A soft light glowed and the snow flurry began to melt. Danu stepped out of the light, holding the hand of another woman.
“Brighid,” I murmured.
“Yes, my child,” she said, as she walked past me to Snowystra who was lying in the snow sobbing.
“No longer will you hurt anyone,” Danu said, to her sister.
“One made three, return to me,” Brighid said, holding her hand out to Snowystra.
Standing up as if she had no choice, she cried, “You can't do this to me. I am the Winter.”
“Of three, no more will be,” Brighid said, kissing Snowystra on the lips.
Snowystra began to fade as her body turned to smoke. With a deep breath, Brighid inhaled the wisps that were once her sister until she was no more.