Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales) (24 page)

Hefting, the weapon in my grasp, I paused in my approach. “Actually, I have one thing I would ask you.”

“Then I shall hear you.”

I took a step forward. “Mirror…”

Another step. “Mirror…”

My smile grew as I drew closer. “On the wall…”

“Ask your question!” it demanded, panicked. “All of my resources are at your disposal!”

I stopped, two paces from the ghastly fear written in its bony features.

“Your question!”

With a last grin, I shifted my stance. “Now who’s the most powerful of them all?”

Its mouth opened to scream as I poured all of my strength into a mighty swing of the mace. The metal spikes slammed into the glass, instantly shattering the shimmering surface. A high-pitched wail pierced my eardrums and I shrunk away, cringing with the pain of it. Looking up, the shards pulled inward on the frame, sucking in first the debris, then looser, lighter items nearby. Grim realization hit me and sent me running for the stairwell as the ground beneath my feet trembled. I took the steps two at a time. Crumbling rocks dropped from above, pummeling me with larger and larger pieces as I scrambled upwards. I reached for the trigger to open the door and a chunk of stone met my forearm with brutal force. Pain lanced through it, up into my shoulder, and I stumbled, stunned by the agony for a moment. My will to live propelled me on, and I opened the door, stumbling out to tangle with my sisters.

“It’s done!” I yelled above the noise of the imploding structure behind me. “We need to get clear!”

Clarice and Delphine helped me to my feet. Gaping, I stared in disbelief at the wreckage around us. Whole trees were uprooted, deep pits the only remnant of their presence: a solid quarter mile of forest, gone.

“Would that we could, but there’s a problem!” Delphine shouted over the cacophony. I followed the direction of her finger pointing up at the sky.

Massive black wings accompanied the ear-splitting screech of King Alder’s bird form. It dove for us, and we lost some ground before Farah shifted, her shield aimed upwards above her head.

“I can’t hold him off forever!” she said, her expression strained.

The bird dove again, but was deflected by the immense power of the Shield of Ellandra.

My godmother’s gifts were the only reasons my sisters still lived.

The knife in my belt was of no use on this winged abomination. Discarding the notion, I searched for the one weapon I knew could save us. One hundred feet away, perched precariously on the precipice of a crater, was my bow.

I would only have one chance.

“Erata,” I said, hurried as the bird tried again. “My godmother’s gift to you, do you have it?”

Scrambling inside her cloak, she produced the small wooden box. “I have.”

“What wind carries him?”

“The West Wind. Why? What would you have me do?”

I took a deep breath and put all my hope on one, tiny chance. “Take the sky from him. Ground him. Clip his wings. Send him plummeting to the earth without mercy.” I shifted, readying myself to run. “I’ll see to the rest.”

Clarice gripped my arm. “You mustn’t! You’ll never make it in time!”

Mustering my most confident grin, I shrugged. “Then it’ll be a very short last adventure.”

The bird sailed into the sky, and I nodded at Erata. “When he’s at his highest, take it from him.” I crouched low, bracing for a sprint.

She opened the box. My muscles tensed.

“West Wind!” she shouted. “You are mine to still!”

The air around me all but disappeared, and I ran full-tilt, aimed for the glimmer of golden cord. The bird’s screech grew louder in my ears the closer King Alder fell. Pure will pushed my muscles beyond anything I’d asked of them before and I leapt, tumbling towards my goal. As my fingers closed around the grip of my bow, the force of the giant bird as he hit the ground knocked me from my tentative footing. The crater left behind by a tree swallowed me as I flailed for something to hold me, but I landed at the bottom with the crack of my shoulder as I struck a stubborn root left behind. A cry stuck in my throat, forced down by thoughts of the one task left to me.

Quick as I could, I got to my feet and jumped to see over the edge of the hole. A single glimpse showed the dazed creature struggling to get up again.

I would not allow it.

Ignoring the protests of my body, I wrenched my shoulder back into place, gasping at the pain. Undeterred, I nocked my arrow.

“Be swift,” I whispered as I pulled back on the cord and aimed up into the sky.

From the corner of my eye, I caught the shine of my father’s ring. I closed my eyes, letting the warmth of my family’s love flow through me, channeling it into the single shaft awaiting release.

“See us safe at last.”

I exhaled, and the arrow sailed into the sky. Holding my breath, I prayed, begged every spirit in this world or the next to see that single shot to the intended mark.

Seconds passed in total silence.

And then, a deafening cry split the night, knocking me back once more. I curled into a ball, covering my ears as the hideous noise shook every fiber of my being. It continued for agonizing minutes, until I was sure my brain was liquefied within my skull.

The sudden silence startled me.

Terrified, I hauled myself up and looked for a way out of the crater. Torn roots protruded from a small patch, and I climbed up them as quickly as I could. Desperate, I spun around, searching for signs of life. A cloud of gray smoke drifted over the ground, making a gradual progression upwards. It smelled of burnt feathers and singed flesh. Not trusting my eyes, I readied another arrow.

“If you live, show yourself!” I said into the fog.

A light cough, followed by another, gave me a tiny shred of hope. A mass stirred near where the secret chamber once stood, and I waited, bow drawn. The stirring shifted to staggering, the mass breaking apart into separate figures, all making their way towards me.

“Raelynn?” a shaky voice called.

Tears sprang to my eyes at hearing Delphine. “I’m here,” I said, choking back a sob. “Are any of you hurt?”

My sisters emerged from the fog, stumbling a bit, more than shaken, but looking to be in one piece. Overwhelmed, I flung my arms around the first to emerge, a dazed Erata, holding her tightly to me.

“Blessed spirits,” I said. “I’m so sorry I struck you, sister. I love you dearly and always will.”

She laughed and eased me back. “Silly thing. I deserved your venom, but I thank you for the apology.”

I embraced each of my sisters in turn, grateful to have them all still with me and unharmed.

“Is he finally gone?” I asked, looking around at the devastation.

Removing her spectacles from a pocket of her skirt, Clarice set them on her nose and scanned the area. “His traces remain, but none of it living energy,” she said.

Adelaide gathered me in a hug once more, this time the force of it painful with my injuries. “You’re astonishing, dearest one. Never let me hear you say otherwise.”

“Sisters,” Belinda said, her tone anxious. “The morning birds begin their songs.”

All relief I felt evaporated in that instant.

“Leo…” His name was little more than an exhale from my lungs as sick dread sunk into my soul.

Without another word, I ran.

Tired of the dark and dirty passages, I fought my way to the throne room, a dozen of the Royal Guard falling to my arrows. More soldiers from the army had arrived during our defeat of King Alder and were quickly making strides toward clearing the castle of his remaining allies. With a final shot, felling a guard outside the throne room, I bolted inside and nearly rolled down the stairs in my haste. I ran to the coffin without hesitation, and, this time, met with no resistance to my touch. But even pushing with all my strength, I couldn’t budge the lid. Frustrated, I cried out at the thing, kicking at the base, which did nothing but add to the pain I already harbored.

“Easy,” Delphine said, gently touching my arm. “All together, or none at all.”

Fighting back tears, I nodded.

My six sisters took their places beside me, our hands against the glass, ready to push. Adelaide gave a count of three, and, as one, we heaved against the weight of coffin lid. At last it opened, and we hefted it over. It shattered as it hit the floor, a spray of sparkling shards shooting off in all directions.

“The enchantment remains upon him,” Clarice whispered. She looked up to the stained glass windows above us. “And first light shows itself.”

“No!” I said, shoving my way through, taking his face in my hands. “I won’t lose to him again.” I pushed the hair from Prince Leopold’s forehead, trying to control my hysteria.

“Raelynn,” Delphine whispered, a hand on my shoulder. “There’s nothing to be done now. I can see as plainly as Clarice the permanence of this slumber. He will not wake.”

Shrugging her off, I shook my head fiercely. “No.”

Adelaide wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Dearest one, I know this is difficult for you but—”

“NO!” I screamed, shoving her away. I fell on him, clinging to his red doublet as sobs forced themselves from my lungs. They stepped back, leaving me to my grief. How could I be too late again? After everything I’d done, everything I’d fought back, how could that monster win one last time?

Warmth spread across my scalp, light from the morning sun filtering in through the eastern windows. I lifted my head, watching the golden beam dance across Leo’s face as I tried to find a way to let go.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to him. “I wasn’t the protector you needed. You deserved more than I could ever be.” I brushed my fingertips along the lines of his jaw.

Memories of his gaze, his soft words and gentle jokes, all pulled at my heart. Every time I pushed away and kept him at arm’s length tore at me. That I denied myself the opportunity for a small happiness, only to never have it again…

“It’s the greatest power that is…”

I sucked in a breath, daring to hope. In that moment, reality faded, reduced to nothing but his face before me. I called to every spirit in the world, begging for them to grant me one last chance.

“Whatever power I have, let me give it that he might live.”

My words drifted in the silence of the throne room. Slowly, I lowered my lips to his, pouring every hope, every desire, every plea within my heart into a single kiss. I would give it all— body, breath, and soul— to see his smile one last time.

A gasp. An explosion of color. A vortex of power so strong that I clung to him for fear I might be ripped away from the one I’d sworn to protect. I refused to relinquish my hold. Nothing would take him from me. Nothing.

Arms wrapped around me, pulling me tighter against him as the power engulfed us. Together, we weathered the storm and magic poured through us, binding us, sealing an unspoken promise with an unbreakable force.

Gradually, the blinding brightness ebbed to a soft glow, but I dared not open my eyes, too afraid to wake up from the possibility of such a beautiful hope.

“I love you,” I whispered against his mouth.

His embrace slowly eased, his hands drifting up to cradle my face. “How are you here?” he asked. “Is this a dream?”

A mildly hysteric laugh lodged itself in my throat. “Have you taken to sleepwalking again, Highness?”

Leo searched my face and brushed my hair to the side. “If so, I’d gladly never wake again if it meant holding this moment forever.”

I shook my head, tears of joy slipping down my cheeks. “I’d rather you not, if it’s all the same to you. You’re with us again, a miracle better to be thankful for than questioned. Alder is no more.”

He pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes closed. “Not only are you as great as your namesake, you may surpass her yet. I can’t help thinking I’ve yet to barely see the greatness you’re capable of.”

We remained that way for long moments before he spoke again, my thoughts still tangled around themselves, overwhelmed by exhaustion and relief.

“I must ask you something,” he said, “but I fear that even now you will say no.”

I waited, unable to comprehend anything beyond the next second, never mind predict his words.

“Kings have many enemies, and I may never be safe. I’ve spent the past few weeks hunted, attacked, and on the verge of death. I need someone I trust to be with me always, to guard and protect me as I will my people, to help make their lives better. There is only one way I can guarantee my safety, but I would never order another to make that sacrifice for me, to be with me for my entire life, to share in every endeavor I undertake or hardship I endure. I would never ask that of another soul… but, you, I will, Rae.”

I pulled back, confused by his question. “You wish me to be King’s Guard?”

With a chuckle he collected me once more, brushing his lips against my cheek. “No, Raelynn. I wish to have you as my queen.”

My head spun. Queen? Me? It hardly seemed plausible. What did I know about leadership or ruling or high society or politics? That was not a world I lived in.

“I love you, Raelynn,” he said. “Elegant gown or battle-worn uniform, you will have my heart forever.”

“Are you certain? I’m not—”

He kissed me again, stopping my protests with a surge of warmth and wonder inside the deepest places of my being.

“You are everything, Rae. If you tell me no, I would argue, but never force you to it. All I am is yours, and without you, I’m hollow. There is nothing you cannot do, and I want to be with you when you discover that for yourself. Will you grant me that?”

I bit my lip, tears welling in my eyes as I stared into his. I knew, beyond all logic, that he would make any disaster bearable and give me every reason to defeat my own demons. Clarice spoke true when she told me love heals all things.

With him, I could be invincible.

“You know I’ll not hold my tongue if I have words to give?” I asked.

“I would be disappointed if you did.”

“And you know I’ll insist on Master Grey’s dismissal?”

He chuckled. “Consider it already done.”

“And you’re aware my sisters will visit frequently?”

Laughing loudly, he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. “I’ll begrudge you nothing, Raelynn. I’ll have them live here if it makes you happy.”