Ryden and I talked on more than one occasion about my passions for the human-looking vampire. I knew it was wrong, that I shouldn’t be seen cavorting with a watered-down vampire, especially one that served Sharra. But whenever he was near my body would melt.
Every strict word I told myself, each promise I made to Ryden was forgotten around him. The promises flitting from my head like a petulant bird. I craved his proximity. Even now, knowing we needed to complete the most important task of my long life, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him, touching him, wanting him.
“Gabriel,” I whispered.
He responded by deepening his kiss and I felt it in my knees, down to the tips of my toes.
“Shiny sheep poo, would you two break it up?”
I smiled against Gabriel’s lips. Ryden had quite the way with words.
“Fine,” I said softly, but my gaze never left Gabriel’s. “Climb on, Ryden. You don’t want to get left behind.”
She flew to my shoulder. “You’re disgusting,” she murmured into my ear, but I noted the hint of sympathy in her voice. The little pixilette understood.
“Shall we go your way or mine?” I asked Gabriel, my wings beating behind my back longing to fly, to feel the wind in my hair. There wasn’t a better experience.
“My way, if you please,” Gabriel said.
I sighed. “Oh, alright.” I knew he didn’t like to fly.
“Where to?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my middle.
“The Isle of Rhue.”
He lifted me into his arms with ease. I marveled at his strength. I wasn’t the lightest of creatures.
As he ran with vampire speed, something clicked in my brain.
… “Snow, it’s me, Cindy. I don’t have a lot of time. Your boyfriend thinks witches had something to do with what happened to you, but it isn’t true. He’s on a rampage trying to find out the truth.”
“Are you ready to complete the spell, my child?”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“Good. Then begin.”
“Don’t worry, Snow. This isn’t going to hurt. Essaya. Guinevia. Essaya cayana soyoble.” Her grandmother said the words with her. I felt something happening to my body, like the lightest touch of snow or the sprinkling of rain.
“See, my dear, the spell is working. She’s fine. We just need to help the idiot chayot keep her safe until she wakes. I have no doubt she will when she’s ready.” At Cindy’s grandmother’s confidence I relaxed.
“Thank you, Grandmother.”
Chapter 29
The Isle of Rhue, in the Mediterranean Sea, featured an inlet cloaked by enchantments. Only those who possessed magic could find it, and even then, it was difficult. The elves weren’t social creatures, and the elven leader was no exception. In fact, he was ornerier than Abernathy. A rock had more warmth and softness. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to this encounter. I’d spoken to him all of ten times in the last thousand years. Each exchange had been at the meetings the leaders of the seven magics held once a century.
We arrived quickly. Gabriel halted at the edge of Keening Forest. Known for its giant pine trees, and hostile phantoms said to be able to make you crazy or hallucinate or both. Seeing one wasn’t high on my list, but it was highly likely we would.
Gabriel released me, allowing my feet to crunch against the dried grass. “This way,” I said, wanting to get this over with before it began.
“I don’t know,” Ryden said, her high voice quivering. “Are you sure this is necessary? I mean, can’t you command Devoran?”
“I could, but he wouldn’t come. He’s arrogant like that.” I took a deep breath. “We have to do this.” I stepped over a pinecone the size of Gabriel’s head. “Stay on my shoulder,” I told Ryden lightly. If a pinecone fell on her, she’d be squished.
“Agreed. Everything is so big. I could live in one of those pinecones.” To prove her point a hairy spider as big as my fist crawled out of one. “Holy monster, I’m hiding in your hair,” she said with a shudder. I let her do as she pleased. The spider would make the pixilette into an appetizer if it caught her.
“I’ll get rid of him,” Gabriel said, shooing the spider away with the tip of his boot. There wasn’t much growing under the canopy of trees, just a lot of dirt, pine needles, pinecones, and the occasional fern. It made sense. The sun was all but blocked from view. Shadows danced within the stilted silence. In the distance I could hear the waves crashing, and something else. Moaning.
“The song of the dead,” Ryden whispered, pressing her little body against my neck.
“Let’s go,” Gabriel said, taking the lead, but he immediately stopped.
A group of six elven guards approached, swords drawn, and blocked us from going forward.
“Put those away, my friends,” I said, but heard the edge in my voice. “My name is Silindra, Queen of the Vampires. I’m here to see Devoran. Take me to him at once.”
One guard came forward. “Apologies, my lady. I didn’t recognize you.” He bowed deeply before returning to his upright position.
I regarded him deliberately. He and the others tried not to gawk. It was understandable. I was a grand creature, but I was also a vanishing breed. Most of the original vampires were gone or, like my sister, had pilfered a new body. A human body. The idea of leaving the body I had—the one that would live forever—for a paltry, limiting human body, disgusted me. I wouldn’t lower myself as the others had. Besides, humans couldn’t fly! I would die before giving up my wings.
“It’s alright.” I stepped forward.
The elves were slight creatures, their frames tall and thin like the branches on a willow tree, skin and hair the color of silver dust, and eyes as deep blue as the sea. They were dressed in tunics, two in black, two in green, and two in blue.
I never did understand the need for clothing. Clothes were binding, uncomfortable. The humans wore them, as did many others. I couldn’t be bothered. I had my fur.
A squeal resonated through my mind. I hadn’t made that sound. She’s excited, I thought, and then caught myself. Who was this “she”? Perhaps the young vampire Abernathy mentioned? Shaking my head, I cleared my throat, focusing on the elves.
“I am Veb,” one of the guards in black said. He came forward as he spoke, placing a fisted hand to his chest.
“Good to know you, Veb. Now, if you please, I’m in a hurry.” I waved my hand toward the dark forest, motioning for him to lead us in. I didn’t want to be impolite, but he seemed leery of us, especially Gabriel. I didn’t have the time for an internal debate.
Veb shuffled his feet, a frown on his effeminate face. “Silindra, I can take you and the pixilette to Crystal City, but I have strict instructions that I must never, under any circumstances, allow one of his kind in.” He bowed low, but kept his steely gaze fixed on Gabriel. “Again, apologies.”
My insides burned with anger. “Listen, Veb. I don’t care what you were told. This hunter is with me, and I am the queen—”
Gabriel placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke in my ear. “Can I have a minute?”
“Excuse us,” I said and stomped away, following Gabriel. When we were a ways off, I took his hand. “Gabriel, if you think I’m going to bow to these elves, you can think again.”
Gabriel smiled. “The thought never crossed my mind.” He discreetly kissed my cheek. “Your sister has called me to her side. I’m sorry, but I must go. We can’t let her know we are together.”
A sickness formed in my stomach. I didn’t want him to leave. Having him near brought me contentment. But I knew he was right. “Go,” I said, and turned away, determined not to let anyone see the tears in my eyes.
“It’s better this way. We don’t want word to get back to Sharra that the two of you were on the Isle of Rhue together. That would raise too many questions,” Ryden added.
I knew she was right, but I didn’t like that I would be without him. Nor did I like that the elves questioned my authority. I rolled my sh
oulders, wanting to take my sadness and anger out on them.
When I returned to the guards, they were all smiles.
“Follow us.”
Two guards walked ahead and two brought up the rear. The other two disappeared into the trees. As we walked, I wondered about the perpetual groaning, like a sigh of relief and a cry of agony combined. The noises seemed to be coming from the trees, but when I looked, I didn’t see anything.
“Are the stories about the phantoms real?” I asked, knowing they were but wanting to make conversation.
“Yes, they are,” Veb said.
I waited for him to continue, to give me a more thorough explanation, but he didn’t. If we were at the castle he would’ve been flogged for his insubordination. Or drained dry. No, definitely flogged. The idea of drinking elven blood was off-putting. Their blood tasted like moldy tree sap. Ugh.
A voice inside my head groaned as well.
I ground my teeth together in frustration. “Can the phantoms do any harm?” Again, I knew the answer, but wanted to distract myself from Gabriel’s absence.
“To the body, no. But the mind…” He let his words trail off. “They are excellent at getting inside here.” He pointed at his head. “They spin tales you can’t help but believe, until it’s too late.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “Plug your ears,” I mumbled to Ryden so the elves wouldn’t hear.
“On it.”
“Three full moons ago a couple of humans stumbled into the forest by accident. They owned a measure of magic, though they didn’t know it, but it was enough that the trees within our forest opened to them. Within moments of entering, their minds were altered. The phantoms twisted their thoughts and made them believe they were on a boat, stranded at sea. For days they rowed, until the female died.”
“Why didn’t you meet them as they entered, the way you did with us?” Had they wanted the humans to suffer? Some of the magical creatures believed humans to be less than the animals.
“They had magic, but it wasn’t enough to alert us. The magic you and the others possess is much stronger, so when we sensed you, we used our magic to keep the phantoms away.”
I huffed internally. That was good news, though I didn’t fully trust these elves. “What happened to the man? Did he escape?”
“We found the male about to expire and asked what his business was within the forest. He said he didn’t know. Asked me if I was an angel come to take him to Heaven. I told him no and he asked me why I walked on water.” Veb chuckled. “Poor thing, I asked him if that was what he saw and he said yes, that it was very deep and that sirens circled the boat, telling him to jump and join them at the bottom of the sea.” Veb glanced back at me. “The man said he couldn’t because he couldn’t leave his wife.”
“That’s horrible,” I said, glancing nervously at the trees.
“We calmed him before bringing him to our healers, but he died anyway.” Veb shrugged. “There are other stories of the phantoms if you’d like to hear them.”
“No thank you. Perhaps silence is better.” I searched the forest for any signs of a phantom. The only movement was an occasional falling pinecone.
Chapter 30
“Can’t we go any faster?” I asked, frustrated the elves couldn’t fly or move at incredible speeds the way vampires could.
“Almost there,” Veb said, stepping off the worn dirt path. He and his fellow guard wound us through ferns toward what I thought was an ancient tree. Its trunk was wider than I was tall. Veb touched the tree lightly and whispered something. I watched, curious. The bark on the tree folded in on itself, revealing an entrance.
Ryden and I inhaled simultaneously.
“Cool,” Ryden said. I had to agree.
“Right this way.” Veb presented the opening to us, his hand beckoning. I hesitated but could sense no danger. The other black-clad guard entered the tree trunk. A large orb of light seemed to swallow him, and he disappeared.
I’d heard elves travelled on light. Since I never spent any time with them, other than occasionally at a council meeting, I couldn’t be sure the whisperings were true. Now I could see it was a fact.
“Please, this passage will take us directly to Crystal City.”
Not wanting the elves to know I was nervous, I moved to the opening. “Is there anything I need to do? I’m not an elf,” I said, scowling and making myself appear confident.
“Travelling by light will not harm you, Silindra.”
I nodded, hoping they didn’t hear me gulp.
“Might as well get it over with,” Ryden whispered.
I stepped into the tree’s trunk. Several things happened at once. A whoosh sounded in my ears, as though I were travelling at an extremely rapid rate. There was a pulling. The scent of daffodils filled my nose, and a tingling sensation started at the tip of my head, ran down my back, out along my wings and through my toes and fingers. I became the light: pulsing, vibrating, throbbing. I heard the young vampire inside my head gasp.
Time and space seemed to stand still and rush by in one blinding flash. Images of a human girl with dark hair and bright blue eyes raced along my mind. She was one of the marked who’d become a vampire. I saw flashes of light and a fiery sword cut into her flesh. There was pain and then—.
I screamed or she did. I didn’t know.
The light was gone, and I was outside once again. Standing on top of a grassy hill, looking down on the most glorious sight I’d ever seen. I heaved a cleansing breath.
“Welcome to Crystal City, Silindra.”
My insides raged with worry over what was happening to me. I didn’t understand the images I’d seen or the girl in my mind, but I couldn’t focus on that. I had a job to do. Somewhere in the city below was Devoran, the king of the elves. I needed to ask him for his eternal sight and I needed to do it immediately. Sharra wasn’t slowing down. She continued with her nefarious plans. If I was going to stop her, I needed to do my part and that meant collecting the different items Abernathy spoke about. I thought for just the briefest moment about what it meant to give the gem the essence of an original vampire. How would that work without the vampire dying? Was it even possible for an original to die? I had a feeling the answer was yes, though I didn’t know what our weakness was. In a thousand years, I hadn’t found one.
“Let’s go,” I said, rushing down the hill. Those thoughts wouldn’t do me any good.
“Did you feel that? It was like I was torn apart and put back together again at the same time. Are you alright?” Ryden asked timidly.
I grunted in answer. She’d described what I’d felt exactly, but I doubted she saw a human girl in her mind.
“The city looks like the end of a rainbow,” Ryden added.
I nodded, expanding my wings, making sure they were still in one piece. When I was satisfied, I relaxed a little. “Keep your wits about you, Ryden, my friend.” I whispered.
“I will.”
Opulent grass gave way to crystal-paved streets and buildings. They ranged in color from light red to sunny yellow, sapphire blue to the palest purple. The structures correlated with the roads. Sunny yellow streets contained businesses, homes, and gardens swathed in yellow. The purple streets correlated with purple buildings, blue with blue, green with green, and so on. Elves were everywhere, busily bustling about their lives. After several minutes I realized the elves wore clothing associated with street colors. Where all of the colors appeared overwhelming at first, their meaning quickly became clear. It was a pecking order. Fascinating, I thought, but kept my mouth shut.
Elves gawked at me excitedly. Some of the young ones followed, tittering behind their hands, until we reached the end of their street. Then they would abruptly stop, as though crossing into another color would produce severe consequences.
The closer we got to the middle of the city the more exquisite the buildings, the roads, and the clothing. Everything in the center glistened like diamonds—clear and faceted. The elves’ clothing was blinding wh
ite. They adorned themselves in luxurious furs, jewels, and fancy hats. None of the elves on these streets seemed excited to see me. In fact, they looked down their long, skinny noses at me. A growl grew in my throat.
Ryden patted my neck. “Don’t mind them. Their haughtiness will be their downfall.”
I calmed myself, swallowing my desire to tear into them with my fangs so I could get their snooty blue blood all over their pretty white clothes. At the thought, I laughed.
Veb scowled, wariness pressed into his thin lips, and I closed my mouth. He held open a door, and I walked through. The decorations inside the building were scarce, like everything had been swallowed by light. Resisting the urge to raise my hand and block the blinding brightness, I followed Veb up a circular corridor.
Let me out, the voice inside my mind shouted. I bit my lip, trying to force it away. Please.
My mind drifted and I found my mind taking a back seat so the girl could be in control. We immediately were in her time.
… “Where are you off to, Gabe?”
“Several of the marked have been found dead. Holden thinks those responsible are renegade chayot working with other magical creatures, including the hunter, Christopher, and even the witches. Holden wants me to take my father’s place as leader. I’m going to destroy Christopher—make him pay for what he’s done to Snow. Besides, there’s nothing I can do here.” His voice sounded mournful. With all my might, I tried to open my eyes, to reach out to him, but Silindra wouldn’t let me go.
“Oh, son. I know it’s hard, but we’ve got to—”
“Don’t bother giving me a pep talk. I’ve got work to do.”
“What about Snow? Did you want to say good-bye?”
“I’ve already said my good-byes. Now I’ll avenge her.” At his anger, I sobbed. My poor Gabe. He believed I wasn’t coming back. I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t sure I would be back either.
Fate and Magic: Snow White Reimagined with Vampires and Werewolves (Seven Magics Academy Book 2) Page 10
