“But, Kat, there is one more thing. One more chance to clear myself of my obligations to my family.” He was desperate now, knowing her true feelings.
“But Barney is dead! Jeremy, we could live here on the orchard.” She quickly bowed her head, possibly ashamed by her forwardness. Her next words confirmed this. “I mean, I could live here. And you could work here. We could care for the apple trees as we’ve always done. There will be plenty for both of us, and enough to help your family.”
“But it would take years to be free of them. Totally free.” A gust of wind swept Katiyana’s hair upward; the morning sun burned bright. “Kat, I know I’ve been unfair to you. I just need to do one more thing.”
“What is it?”
Jeremy hesitated, as if deciding whether or not to tell her something. Then he revealed what I already knew. “Prince Iden is missing.”
“Prince Iden?”
“Yes. Prince Iden. He’s the son of the king and queen of Mischief.”
“How do you know? What does it even matter?”
“I learned about it just the other day. The king and queen are offering a large reward for the person who finds the prince.”
Katiyana was about to argue, but Jeremy persisted.
“It would be enough to satisfy my family. More than enough. I’d be free. Totally free.” He rested his forehead on hers.
“Free to do what? Why are you so bound to them? You’re not a slave.” It reminded me of the words Kurz had so often spoken to her. “Are you?”
“No, I’m not a slave. But I am bound by obligation just the same. I wish I could make you understand—”
Katiyana interrupted his words with a kiss, pressing her lips to his. It took me by surprise, but Jeremy accepted willingly. Did she think she could change his mind with a kiss?
Jeremy finally pulled himself away. “I want so much more for you. Please let me do this one last thing. Let me try. If I fail at this, I will come back and we can live on the orchard. But I have to try.”
“Please don’t leave me again,” Katiyana said.
“Please let me try one last time,” Jeremy said.
And they stood there, looking at each other and holding onto one another, each too stubborn to give in or reach a compromise. Finally, Jeremy pried himself away. “Just one last try,” he said quickly, before turning toward the barn.
Katiyana followed him in earnest as he untied and mounted his horse. “Please don’t go,” she pleaded, holding onto the reins and looking up at Jeremy Simkins.
“I love you,” he reminded her as he freed the rope from her hand and kicked the horse into a steadily increasing gallop. Katiyana had to cover her face to keep the dust out of her mouth and eyes.
What disappointment! He’d seen her, and she’d seen him. They’d spoken so many words. Yet, nothing had changed between them. Jeremy rode away, and Katiyana must have been thinking the same things I was, experiencing the same frustration.
But she wasn’t stuck inside a mirror. As if able to read my thoughts, she exerted her will. Rather than watch him disappear again, she readied Barney’s horse with an obstinate look on her face. I cheered her on as she went after Jeremy Simkins, the boy who found it impossible to explain himself.
^-]
How the queen fretted when she reached Mischief and couldn’t find Iden or the princess. She looked all over the market, and when that turned up nothing she entered the forest. What escaped the queen’s attention was that searching Fluttering Forest was no small feat, especially when it had to be done by foot; the forest was not a place for a grand carriage. Wearing improper shoes and bringing only a witless carriage driver ensured a minimal visit to the neighboring kingdom. She never even came close to the dwarf house. Furious and frustrated, she returned to Mayhem.
A Journey
at Last
I find it interesting how destructive a mirror like the one I lived inside can be. It constantly gives people access to the lives and business of others, when one ought just to look at oneself and see what improvements need to take place there. Isn’t that why mirrors were created in the first place? Looking in a mirror should be a deeply personal experience in an effort to see what faults are there, not for the purpose of seeing others and how they can all bend to your desires and evil whims. I cursed myself time and time again for ever holding on to the stupid thing and vowed to destroy it if I ever got out. This is what I told Queen Radiance when she got back from her failure of a journey.
“Shut up and show me the girl,” she snapped.
Katiyana came into my view, riding along the road to Mayhem.
“Where is she going?” the queen asked.
“I believe she is thirsty and wants a glass of ale from the local pub.”
“Stop lying to me!” Queen Radiance was fuming by this point. If she had had any less self-control, the mirror would have broken then and there, for she grabbed hold of several things on top of her vanity and threw them off, first a brush, followed by a bottle of perfume whose false lilac smell had choked me for years, and the mirror she used to actually look at herself. I wondered what would happen if my mirror broke while I was still inside. My father had never told me that. Would I die? Would I be free? Would I be broken into pieces along with the glass? Frankly, I did not want to find out.
“She’s going after a boy called Jeremy Simkins.”
“Then show me Jeremy Simkins.” She rubbed her forehead with her fingers, exhaustion masking the anger still barely audible in her tone.
I came upon Jeremy, still riding along the road to Mayhem, only a few short miles ahead of the princess.
“Where is he going?” she asked. I can’t believe after all our years together she still expected me to tell the truth. It’s a wonder she continued asking me questions at all.
“It’s hard to say, Queen Radiance.”
That time she only needed to glare at me before I gave her a real answer. “He’s on his way to Mayhem. He’s looking for the servant you ordered to kill your daughter.”
“And why is he looking for the beast carter from Mayhem?”
“Your beast carter is not from Mayhem.”
She continued to rub her forehead, as if doing so would help collect her thoughts. Or maybe she was just exasperated by my fickleness. “Where, may I ask, is he from?”
“He’s Prince Iden, son of the king and queen of Mischief.”
“What!” She slammed both her hands on the vanity. I’m convinced that if I hadn’t been in the mirror she would have tried to strangle me. As if I had anything to do with Mischief sending a prince to work in the royal castle of Mayhem.
“Oh, they’ll pay for this.” The queen called for a guard.
“Yes, Queen Radiance, your loveliness.” This is what she forced her servants to call her. “What can I do for you?”
“Put the army on alert. Wait until you hear from me again. I have some urgent business. But be ready for an attack on Mischief as soon as I return.” She turned back to me. “As for you, you’re coming with me.”
Finally, some sense. She stuck the mirror inside a velvet sack that she slung around her shoulder—dark and most unpleasant, but at least I was leaving the castle. I worried for Katiyana and needed a distraction. So I turned my thoughts to other things. What better time to check in on Katiyana’s little men?
^-]
Once the images in the mirror came to life, the darkness surrounding me dissipated, comforting me some as I beheld the glow coming from the glass surface.
“Well, she said she’d be back soon. I’m starting to get worried.” Kapos reasoned with Duan as they all sat around a fire. “Where did she say her uncle’s house was?”
“It’s just straight down the market road, heading south on the way to Mayhem. I’m sure she’s fine,” Duan said.
“But didn’t she once say that her uncle was mean to
her?” Kurz asked. “What if he’s keeping her there? What if he has hurt her?”
“What if Trevor Blevkey stopped her and kept her from coming back?” Corto asked.
“Maybe Jeremy Simkins was there waiting for her and is trying to convince her to stay,” Arrapato said.
“All very good explanations for why she may not be back yet,” Duan said.
“All very bad explanations,” Jalb corrected.
“So what are we going to do?” Kurz asked.
“What can we do?” asked Duan. “Besides find the orchard and ask the girl ourselves why she’s taking so long? All of you need to face the fact that you’re being impatient because you miss her.”
Five dwarves hung their heads.
“It’s just twice as bad that she’s gone because of Pokole. But she’ll come back. We need to show her some trust and give her the space she asked for.”
I loved that the little old dwarf had so much hope. But I knew none of them would be able to help our princess now. It was up to me.
^-]
The queen pulled me out. “Show me Katiyana,” she said. Evil woman! How could she even speak her daughter’s name when she planned to kill her?
I found the princess still riding on the road to Mayhem, curving around the bend in the road that leads east and straight into the heart of Queen Radiance’s territory. Her skin got lighter with every pounding step of the horse’s hooves as she came closer to the queen. Closer to me. The queen and I rode west, and if everyone stayed on the same course, our paths would surely cross.
“And the boy.”
Just as his image came into view, Jeremy veered south off the road, riding toward a rocky hill in his distance. A gentle but steady snowfall surrounded him, cast out from a gray sky.
“He’s headed toward Mayhem Caves. We’re not far from there.” She shoved me back inside the satchel now hanging from the horse. Such a bumpy ride! I thought I might get sick, but distracted myself by keeping watch over everyone.
Jeremy reached the hill and walked up a trail that led to the highest and largest of the caves. I knew the queen’s horse switched directions when I felt a powerful jolt that nearly knocked me off my chair. We were riding after Jeremy. I stood up, the suspense too great to remain seated anyway. Smoke rose up into the sky from the cave, blending in with the colorlessness of the atmosphere.
Queen Radiance pulled the horse to a stop. How uncomfortable I was, being thrown around in that satchel. “You’re coming with me,” she said as she lifted the bag and threw it over her shoulder. “I want you to see this. In person.”
“Does that mean you’re letting me out?”
I don’t know if she couldn’t hear me or if she just ignored me. But since I could hear her loud and clear, I guessed it was the latter.
We reached the top, and judging by how breathless the queen was, the climb had been difficult. She rested at the cave’s entrance before making her presence known.
Katiyana stopped at the intersection of the road to Mayhem and the road to the caves. I hoped desperately that she would continue on the road to Mayhem, but she studied the ground and the tracks in the deepening snow before turning and heading toward us. What a joyful meeting we would all have, I thought grimly.
“Is someone there?” Jeremy asked, standing up from the rock on which he’d been seated. I heard his voice both in person and from the surface of the mirror, which created a strange echoing quality as the two sounds layered on top of each other. It was nice to hear his voice for real rather than only through the mirror. It was deeper than I’d realized before and had a quality of honesty.
“It’s only me,” the queen said as she walked into the cave. The orange flames of a fire stood between us, casting light and monstrous-looking shadows on the intrusive walls of the cave.
“Are you all right? Are you lost?”
“No, I’m not lost.” The queen walked toward him, slowly, as if to avoid alarming him. She wore a black dress; how dark she must have looked to him, with her black hair and black eyes. Only her pale face and hands stood out in the dim cave.
“Would you like to share my fire? It’s cold out.”
“Yes, it is.” She continued to walk, rounding the fire, approaching Jeremy, turning sideways and bending slightly as though she intended to sit next to him. He did not look alarmed but leaned away from her slightly. She reached into the satchel and pulled me out.
Jeremy watched with interest, until his look changed to one of painful surprise when Queen Radiance whacked him in the temple with the mirror’s heavy gilt frame. Falling back, he landed behind the large rock he’d previously used as a seat. The queen dropped me to the dirt beside him.
“Queen Radiance, stop!” I yelled. “You can’t do this!” How my head ached!
She smoothed out her dress. “I should have done this long ago. I tried to do this long ago. And I’m sick of your meddling. As soon as the girl’s dead, I’ll let you free by killing you. But I want you to see this first. I want you to see her die. I want to show you what you should have really seen all those years ago.”
I began muttering spells, or at least trying to.
“You can’t create spells in there. Admit it, you’re powerless.”
A snow drift blew inside the cave, and a large one, too; the fire sputtered and nearly went out. I checked on Katiyana, climbing up to the cave. Blasted by a sudden gust of icy wind, she clung to the side of the hill, glancing fearfully at the sharp cliff below her.
“Here she is!” Queen Radiance sang as the princess finally stumbled into the protection of the cave.
Katiyana shook her head and pulled her shawl closer around her shoulders. “Jeremy?”
“I’m the only one here,” the queen said.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to disturb you, but have you seen a boy? I saw his horse below.”
“No, I’m the only one here.”
“What about me?” I called. It was a good thing she couldn’t reach me then; I couldn’t have taken any more jostling. She gritted her teeth at me but could do nothing more.
Unfortunately, the howling wind drowned out my weak voice. Queen Radiance stayed behind the fire as Katiyana was forced further into the cave by a strong gust of icy wind.
I decided waking Jeremy would be the only way to help. The queen had dropped me quite close to him. “Jeremy!” I whispered with as much force as I could muster and prevent the queen from hearing. “Jeremy!”
“Won’t you come and sit by the fire?” the queen asked.
Another snow drift blew inside the cave, forcing the princess even closer to her mother. “Well, I can’t go back out, not with the weather so fierce.” Her words barely escaped her lips with all that wind.
“Kat, get away from her!” I knew that voice. Who do you think stood at the cave entrance looking as though he was covered with frost?
“Trevor, what are you doing here?” Katiyana asked.
Prince Iden! What a shock! He must have followed her. He must have followed her all the way from Pokole’s burial. I still wasn’t fond of the boy, but I’ll admit I’d never been happier to see him; he’d be a distraction if nothing else.
“Well, if it isn’t the prince,” the queen said.
“Who told you that?” Iden asked.
“Prince? Trevor, who is this woman? What is she talking about? What are you doing here?”
Queen Radiance started to get that look in her eye—the one she got when things weren’t going exactly how she’d planned.
Iden looked nervous as well, but he approached Katiyana anyway, as if he wanted her protection as much as he sought to offer his own. Safety in numbers.
“Kat, this is Queen Radiance.”
“Queen Radiance? The queen of Mayhem?”
“Yes,” Iden confirmed.
“What is she doing here?”
“Jeremy!” I hissed. “Jeremy, wake up!” One more body to fight off the queen would be invaluable. I knew the only weapon she carried was a stout knife. The three youthful bodies could surely overpower her. Killing her would be the only way; otherwise, battling her magic would be another matter entirely.
“Kat, listen to me.” Iden hooked his arm with hers and held onto her. “Your name is more than Kat.”
“Oh, Trevor,” she said, exasperated. “How can you bring up that stupid name Snow Whyte at a time like this?” She tried pulling away from him.
Katiyana was the whitest I’d seen her yet. I looked closely at her arm where Iden hung on and she looked like ice. Literally. It looked as though you could shave layer after layer right off of her.
“Enough,” Queen Radiance commanded, soft and cool.
A storm cloud entered the cave, looking as though it had a mind and body of its own; it moved with purpose, circling, swirling, filling every crevice. What would happen to us all? “Jeremy!” I yelled it at full volume now, knowing nobody would hear me over the sound of the wind.
“Kat, she’s your mother,” Iden blurted over the howling wind.
“My mother . . .”
Katiyana’s hair blew about frantically, as if trying to escape the inevitable. It also began to lose its color so that it soon matched her skin. How strange she looked! I worried that the spell would harm her rather than protect her.
Jeremy began to stir. I wanted to kick him! “Jeremy, wake up! It’s Kat!”
“Kat?” he muttered before sitting up.
Queen Radiance leaned over, sliding her arm down the side of her body until she reached the bottom of her dress. She pulled the knife from her boot.
“She’s your mother,” Iden repeated. “You are Katiyana. The one and only princess of Mayhem.”
Queen Radiance’s boots stomped across the cave floor. Iden cowardly backed away from the queen’s forward march, leaving Katiyana wide open. Snow, ice, and wind swirled all around her.
“No!” Jeremy yelled just as Queen Radiance thrust her knife forward.
The furious swirl of storm erupted, blasting everyone to his or her knees, shooting an angry flurry of snow upward and outward. Ice shards cut through the air, causing the occupants of the cave to cover their faces in protection. Snow and wind even came into the mirror, giving me the first real chill I’d felt in almost two decades. After one last high-pitched howl, the wind died, suspending the snow in the air for another moment before it began to fall gently to the cave floor.
Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem Page 17
