The Snow Queen's shadow

CHAPTER 23

Daniellefelt the moment the magic on Snow’s sword failed. The ice blade grew heavy, and the hilt began to melt in her grip. She tossed it away, and it broke apart when it struck the ground.

She didn’t fool herself into believing she stood a chance against Snow’s beasts. Not that it would stop her from doing her best to slay them all if they came too close. But they didn’t attack. They stumbled about as though drunk, snarling and swiping at one another if they collided, but mostly keeping to themselves.

“I’m cold, Mama.”

Danielle stepped sideways, moving toward Jakob. He ran up and grabbed her jacket, pressing against her like an animal burrowing for warmth. His hands were bloody, the fingertips an unhealthy blue tinge, and he had lost so much weight. His cheeks were sunken, and there were shadows beneath his eyes. But he was alive.

“I’ve got you.” She crouched to pick him up with one arm. He wrapped his arms and legs around her body, clinging with all his strength.

Talia and Snow lay on the ice at the base of the throne. Toward the door, Gerta had managed to stand. She was unsteady, and held one hand to her side, but there was no blood.

“Gerta?” Danielle kept her sword ready. Talia had never released the chain. The demon shouldn’t have had anywhere to go. Yet how could Gerta live, with Snow- Danielle forced back tears. It was like swallowing a stone.

“It’s gone.” Gerta’s head was tilted, allowing her red hair to fall over the ruin of her eye.

“How?” Danielle glanced at Snow. “You said the two of you were bound. I thought-”

“I should be dead. Back in Noita’s garden…”Tears fell from Gerta’s good eye. She sounded dazed, though whether the shock came from the loss of her eye or the fact that she was still alive, Danielle couldn’t have said. “This is the death I saw. I was part of her, our fates bound.”

“Was?”

“She saved me,” said Gerta. “She and the demon were both dying, but Snow was able to cast one final spell. She severed that bond between us.”

With Danielle’s help, Gerta made her way toward the dais. Talia’s body was taut. The chain had fallen away. Pinched, bloody skin showed where it had dug into Snow’s neck.

The sight brought new tears, and Danielle hugged her son tighter.

“Is he all right?” Gerta asked.

“He’s cold.” Danielle remembered the fear in his face when she asked him to hold out his hand. But he had obeyed, knowing what was needed. He had cried when she cut him-they both had-but he never flinched away. She unbuttoned her jacket, wrapping it around him. “What of you? Your eye, your side-”

“Hurt like hell, both of them,” Gerta admitted. “But I’m not bleeding.” She pointed to the weapon in Danielle’s hand. “You shouldn’t need that. With the demon gone, the mirror shards have no hold over them anymore. They’re free, all of them.”

Even Armand. Danielle sheathed her sword and sat, her muscles gone weak as though her limbs were melting. The creatures stumbled about, confused and frightened, but no longer hostile. Jakob climbed into her lap, and she held him with one arm. With her other, she gently reached over to touch Talia’s back. Talia’s muscles were like stone.

Years ago, Talia had awakened from a fairy curse to find her entire family dead. She had fled to Lorindar, where Beatrice and Snow found her and took her in. Now Bea and Snow were both gone.

“Snow chose this,” Gerta said. “The moment our mother’s mirror cracked and she sensed what hid within. She trusted her friends to help her destroy that evil.”

“I know.” Talia didn’t move. Her hair hid her face. “This is Allesandria, home of magic. There must have been something more we could have-”

“There wasn’t.” The certainty in Gerta’s voice was absolute. “You saw how many nobles fell to the demon, not to mention the king of Allesandria. Snow spent her life studying magic. She was gifted enough to rule, stronger even than our mother, though she never believed it. She knew there was but one way to undo what Rose Curtana had set in motion. She wouldn’t want you to grieve. She’d want you to celebrate her victory.”

A cracking sound echoed through the throne room. A thin curtain of snow drifted from the ceiling. Danielle rose. “What happens to this place now that the demon is gone?”

“Nothing good.”

An animal like a dog with vestigial wings of edged ice charged toward them. Its snarls sounded more panicked then angry. Danielle tried to stand and draw her sword, but Gerta was faster, slapping a palm to the surface of the frozen lake. The dog yelped and limped away, favoring its front left leg. Blood dripped from its paw.

“We can’t stay here,” said Danielle.

Talia took a deep, shuddering breath. She rolled Snow’s body to face her, then leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips.

Danielle held her breath. Once before, deep within Fairytown, Talia had awakened Snow from a curse with just such a kiss… but Snow was gone. Talia seemed to shrink into herself.

“Talia, we have to go.” Danielle wasn’t letting go of her son, and Gerta was too badly hurt to physically drag Talia from the palace, assuming Talia didn’t knock her unconscious for trying.

“You promised her,” Gerta said.

Talia didn’t move. “You heard that?”

Gerta tugged Talia’s shoulder. “Do you have the faintest idea what her spirit will do to yours if you stay here and let yourself die? It won’t be pretty.”

Slowly, Talia nodded. She lifted Snow’s body, cradling her to her chest, and stepped away from the throne. “What about the traps?”

“I should be able to take care of them now,” Gerta said.

Danielle did her best to call out to Snow’s creatures, warning them to flee. She didn’t know whether they could understand her, or if they simply sensed the danger as the magic holding the palace together began to unravel. By the time they reached the doorway, the throne room was empty.

Outside, a light snow was falling, but it couldn’t hide the carnage of battle. Tears spilled down Danielle’s cheeks at the sight of animals and monsters scattered over the ice, their blood staining the snow crimson. Trails of blood showed where the wounded had dragged themselves away into the woods. “I’m so sorry,” Danielle whispered. “Thank you.”

With the darkling dead, they had no way of traveling, yet Danielle couldn’t bring herself to call upon the animals again. Not when they had given so much. “We’ll need shelter.”

“No, we won’t.” Once they reached the edge of the lake, Gerta dropped to her knees and cleared a patch on the ice. Unlike the floor within the palace, the ice here was rippled and flawed, but Danielle could see Gerta’s reflection in the surface. “Frozen lake beneath my hand, show the ruler of this land.”

Nothing happened at first. Danielle looked to the woods. “Should we-”

“He heard me,” Gerta said firmly. “I imagine things are rather chaotic right now. Give him time.”

It wasn’t long before Laurence appeared in the ice. His features were blurred, making it difficult to discern his expression. Or perhaps he obscured himself deliberately. “Gerta? You found Ermillina?”

“The demon is gone, Cousin.” Her words were edged, particularly the last.

Danielle stepped to Gerta’s side. “Snow gave her life to destroy it.”

“Princess Danielle. I’m glad to see you well.” Something in Laurence’s manner broke, making him sound not like a king but a man, exhausted and lost. “What of your son?”

“Jakob is safe,” Danielle assured him.

“I will send my people to escort you to the docks. Allesandria is in chaos, and I would not have you hurt as we work to bring things under control.”

“No,” said Danielle. “Tell your people to bring us to Kanustius.”

Laurence stared. “Your Highness, Kanustius is in ruins. Half the palace is destroyed.”

“Snow was Princess of Allesandria. She deserves to be remembered alongside her father.”

Talia pursed her lips. “I think she’d like that.”

“Princess Whiteshore, Snow White attacked this nation. The lords of eleven provinces are dead or missing. She slaughtered-”

“She accepted this fate in order to destroy the demon her mother summoned.” All of Danielle’s grief, her fury at Snow’s death, threatened to pour forth. She tightened her grip on her son. “Rose Curtana was a monster. Snow destroyed that monster, an act which gave you your throne, and you banished her for it. Today, she protected you from Rose Curtana’s power a second time. She gave her life to protect you. You will not turn your back on her again.”

“I helped my cousin to escape before,” Laurence said. “But the law-”

“Damn your law.” Danielle glanced at the others. Gerta’s lips were tight with her own anger. Talia simply nodded. “You will pardon Snow White and give her the honor she deserves. Lorindar gave you your throne, Your Majesty. You will give this to Snow.”

Laurence didn’t respond. A distant voice in the back of her mind warned she had pushed too far, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She took a breath to calm herself, then added, “Also, I would reclaim my sword from your keeping, along with our other belongings, which you took while we were imprisoned in your dungeon.”

Even through the distortions in the ice, she saw him wince. “Very well, Princess Whiteshore. I will send one of my Stormcrows to retrieve you.”

“Send as many as you can spare,” said Danielle, looking back to the crumbling palace. “There are many victims here in need of their magic.”

Aside from Danielle and her friends, only the king and one of his Stormcrows attended Snow’s funeral. Her body had been cremated, her ashes mixed into the stone that formed her obelisk.

That obelisk was in place by the time Danielle arrived in the memorial garden. The garden had been better protected than much of the palace, and the walls had survived relatively unscathed, but the smell of smoke lingered in the air. Danielle identified Snow’s memorial at once by the fresh-turned earth surrounding its base. Made of white stone, speckled with polished silver, her monument stood beside the obelisk of Snow’s father.

Talia stepped forward, touching the letters carved into the side. The Stormcrow frowned at the breach in etiquette, and Laurence started to speak, but a glare from Danielle silenced him. She and Gerta joined Talia. Gerta wore a white bandage over her ruined eye. No healing magic could restore what the darkling had destroyed.

“What is it, Mama?” Jakob asked from Danielle’s arms. He had refused to be separated from her, and Danielle was more than willing to keep him close.

“It says there lived a woman called Ermillina Curtana,” said Gerta. “She was Princess of Allesandria, and she died protecting her nation.”

The Stormcrow began to speak. A slight hunch stole his height, and his bald scalp was spotted by age, but his voice carried clearly through the garden.

“An old blessing,” Gerta whispered. “It means ‘Be at peace.’”

Laurence stepped forward next. He used his scepter to cut his palm, and paced a slow circle around the obelisk, dripping blood into the earth. Gerta translated his words as he vowed to protect both Snow’s remains and her memory.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Danielle said softly. She prayed he would keep his word.

There were no songs. No prayers. Nothing but cold stone to mark Snow’s resting place. There had been no official proclamation, nor had Snow’s body been presented to the people as would be done with most nobles, but she was here among her family. She was home.

Laurence stared at the monument, his expression impossible to read. “Tell me, Danielle. Was she happy?”

“Almost always.” Danielle hesitated, tempted to leave it at that, to forget her other obligations and simply grieve for her friend. Instead, she turned to face him. “She searched for joy in everything she did, and if she couldn’t find it, she created it. Yet… there was pain. Loss. She kept it locked away, but it was there. She missed Allesandria. Her family. It was that buried pain that helped the demon turn her against you.”

Laurence’s lips pursed. “You blame me.”

“Blame changes nothing that has happened. But this was her home.” She watched him closely, searching his face. “As it was home to the fairies.”

“I see.” Laurence was no fool. “You’ve not said how you were able to locate Snow’s palace, nor how you reached her without succumbing to her wasps.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“You believe fairykind will rebel against us, as my cousin did?”

Danielle sighed, thinking of Bellum and Veleris. “I believe some of them are content to hide, while others bridle against the loss of their homes. I believe they are dangerous enemies, but they can be valuable allies as well.”

And what of those who are both? She stepped away, leaving him to his thoughts. Talia had warned her, years ago. Never bargain with fairies. They always got the better of the deal. The Duchess had risked nothing but a darkling servant, and in return, she won Danielle’s son.

“You’re welcome to remain here as long as you need,” said Laurence, “but I would recommend you let my people escort you to the harbor. The palace is broken, with only the crudest protections. With so many dead, my Stormcrows are spread thin.”

They had at least taken the time to restore the monsters from Snow’s palace. The survivors of the Phillipa had already been returned to the ship, to repair the damage done in the demon’s attack and prepare for the voyage back to Lorindar.

“Thank you,” said Danielle. “We will leave today.” She watched Gerta closely, uncertain whether she would want to remain in Allesandria. According to King Laurence, the law would not recognize a magical construct as a person, but if it was what Gerta wanted, Danielle intended to tell him exactly where he could put his laws. But Gerta simply nodded, keeping close to Talia.

“One more thing, please.” The king spoke briefly to the Stormcrow, who bowed and left the garden. Danielle glanced at Gerta, who shrugged. Laurence waited until the door closed. “Ermillina came to Allesandria seeking vengeance. She murdered those who stood with her mother.”

Danielle said nothing, uncertain where he was going.

“As king, it is my duty to appoint new members of the Nobles’ Circle. Traditionally, those seats would go to the heirs, but that is tradition only, not law.” He gave her a tight smile. “Every crisis is an opportunity, and I believe I can gain enough support in the Circle to appoint those more worthy of the word ‘noble.’ ”

Meaning some good would come of Snow’s actions. “Thank you, Laurence.”

“If there’s anything else you need, you have only to ask it.”

Danielle looked at Talia, who hadn’t moved. She stood like a statue, staring at Snow’s memorial. “Nothing you can provide,” she said sadly. She squeezed Jakob tight. “Only transportation to the harbor. It’s time for us to return home.”