Natalia blinked. “I don’t understand. You’re saying you can somehow just give me your powers?”
“It’s risky for both parties,” Via said, “since magic is tied with the blood – and in turn, one’s soul – but it’s the only option we have.”
“So you could die?” Natalia asked, her voice warbling on the last word.
Via tried to hide her fear, but not before Natalia saw its cold depths in her eyes. “As I said, there are risks,” Via rasped, as if her throat had suddenly run dry.
“No.” Natalia shook her head. “No, I can’t let you make that kind of sacrifice for me.”
“It’s not your choice to make,” Via said softly. “And while death is a possibility, there is also the chance I’ll survive, though I’ll be significantly weakened without my magic.”
“I’m not worth risking your life over, Via!” Natalia’s eyes flashed with an idea. “Take my powers instead. You’re already stronger than I am. Perhaps you have a better chance at defeating the Queen.”
Via smiled sadly. “Very brave of you, but alas, I cannot face the Queen. It wouldn’t work.”
“Why not?”
“It just wouldn’t,” Via said quietly.
Natalia went to argue, but Via held up a finger, silencing her. “No more. Only you alone can defeat the Queen. And you need my magic more than I do at this point.”
The air was too dry, taking any moisture left in Natalia’s throat. “There has to be another way. Maybe I’m stronger than you think and I won’t need your powers.”
“You are strong,” Via said, “but I promise you this: The Queen will be stronger.”
“How do you know?”
Her eyes twinkled. “I just do.” She grabbed a knife from the table.
Numbly, Natalia watched as Via sliced open her palm. “Here,” Via said, handing her the knife, the blade of which was now scarlet with her blood. “You need to slice your palm, too, on the same hand.”
Natalia’s stomach churned at the thought, but she held her breath and drew a thin slice across her right palm, making a wound to match Via’s. Her skin flared up with a sharp pain as the knife opened it and blood pooled in the cut.
They joined hands, their palms slick with blood and sweat.
“Don’t let go,” Via said. “No matter what I do, do not let go!”
“I won’t,” Natalia said, her voice trembling. “I promise.”
Via closed her eyes and began muttering something in a language Natalia did not recognize.
A draft picked up, making the candles flicker. Natalia tried to move, but her feet were rooted to the floor by an electric intensity that crawled up her legs, taking over her body. The place where her cut kissed Via’s burned like fire, hotter and hotter until she swore her skin must be melting off her bones. Via arched her back, screaming as threads of white light formed under her skin as her veins ignited with a white glow. The light drained out of them, turning red as it poured into Natalia’s hand with a force that nearly brought her to her knees. The light seeped into her, lighting up her own network of veins as it spread up her arms and into her chest, straight to her heart. She closed her eyes, snapping her jaw shut to lock out the scream building in her throat. Her grip tightened on Via’s hand as she endured the pain, the white-hot fire encasing her heart and liquefying her bones.
She couldn’t hear Via anymore. She couldn’t hear anything except for the frantic beating of her heart, galloping faster and faster inside her chest, pounding so hard she thought it would explode. Red light enveloped her, intensifying until she was forced to close her eyes or risk being blinded.
“Vi…a,” she said, spitting out the syllables.
There was a loud boom and a shock wave went through the room, rattling the foundation of the cottage and pitching Natalia backward. Her hand slipped from Via’s, which had become limp, and she flew through the air a few feet before landing on her back and rolling a few times, banging her head against the wall in the process.
The red light died away and she lay there, feeling numb all over. Every limb tingled as if they had all lost sensation at once. When she tried to move an arm, a finger, a toe – anything – she only managed a small twitch before she couldn’t move anymore.
Light split the cracks between her eyelids, coming in blurred glimpses of the darkness around her. Nothing stirred; she didn’t even detect the gentle rise and fall of Via’s breath.
Via.
Her name was like a slap in the face, plunging Natalia back into the waking moment. She gasped, her senses coming into sharp focus. The air was electric, the smells more pronounced, all dust and staleness rolled together into one heady aroma. It filled her head, along with a trail swimming through the air that smelled faintly metallic.
Like blood.
“Via,” Natalia said, but her vocal cords stuck, refusing to vibrate.
It wasn’t easy, but she managed to roll onto her side, spreading her fingers and digging them into the floor. Her weight settled into her hands, and she used them to slowly push herself up, gritting her teeth together so hard her gums ached. As she rose, the tingling subsided, lingering under skin but nowhere near as debilitating as it once was.
The darkness was thick, but she could still make out the pale, unmoving shape on the floor a few feet away. Using her elbows and knees to push forward, Natalia crawled across the room, only subconsciously aware of a loud ruckus outside. A man was screaming, wailing and raging like a wild animal. It should have alarmed her, should have made her pause. But it didn’t matter. All she was focused on was the slumped figure before her.
Via lay still as snow.
Grasping hold of a table leg, Natalia turned the table over and hauled herself up, nearly falling over when her knees shook.
There was no sign of life from Via, not the rise and fall of her stomach, or the flare of her nostrils.
Natalia felt Via’s cheek with the back of her hand. Her skin was ice-cold and clammy. As Natalia’s heart trembled with fear, she felt Via’s forehead, pushing back the hair from her face, searching, praying for a flicker of movement and finding none. “Via,” she croaked.
She was dead.
Chapter Seventeen
A Tale of Blood and War
“No,” Natalia sobbed. “No, you can’t be dead. Please, please, wake up.”
It’s my fault. If only I hadn’t agreed to let her do this! I could’ve found a way, could’ve become stronger.
A groan; Natalia’s eyes flashed up. Via’s eyelids were fluttering.
A huge wave of relief washed over her, and she sent up a silent prayer of thanks.
Something crashed on the other side of the room, and they both turned as the front door splintered. The blade of an ax was buried in the wood. The door rattled as the ax was pulled free; what was left of the door shattered completely as the blade swung through it, sending bits of wood falling to the floor. Caspar charged into the room, dropping the ax and immediately throwing up an arm to block his eyes.
“Snow,” he said, “it’s so bright in here. Are you all right?”
Natalia looked around. The only light she could see came from the window since the candles had all been blown out in the blast. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about that light. Don’t you see it?”
“No, I don’t.”
He lowered his arm slightly, staring at her. “It’s you. It’s coming from you, Snow.”
As with the first time he told her she was shining, Natalia held up her hands and inspected them. At first, she didn’t see anything. It was so dull it was almost imperceptible, but faint threads of pearly white light flowed through her, shimmering over her skin.
Via’s power... I can feel it, like springtime and sunlight lacing my veins.
“You!”
One moment, Caspar was standing in front of her, and the next, he had Via pinned up against the wall, the blade of his rapier lying across her throat. “What did you do to her?” Caspar roar
ed.
Via grabbed at his hands. “Please… I didn’t… harm her…”
From the other side of the room, the dwarves chuckled, enjoying the potential for bloodshed. “Shut up!” Natalia snapped at them, which only made their smiles widen.
“Liar,” Caspar seethed, burying the blade deeper. “She didn’t glow that way before. What did you do?”
“Caspar, stop!” Natalia shouted, pulling at his arm. “You’re choking her!”
“I’ll release her soon as I know what she’s done,” Caspar said evenly, throwing daggers with his eyes at Via.
“She gave me a chance to defeat the Queen by transferring all her powers to me,” Natalia blurted, still struggling to free Via. “Please let her go. She was trying to help.”
Caspar shot Via one last menacing stare before releasing her. She crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.
Natalia reached down, helping her stand. “Are you all right?” Via’s skin looked paler, the gloss in her hair somehow duller.
“My magic is gone,” she croaked. “Well, most of it. I can still feel traces of it lingering. How about you?” she asked, looking at Natalia.
“I can’t describe it. It feels like I have the power of the earth, the wind and the sky within me, like all the forces of nature have converged in my blood. I feel… alive.”
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Via said, smiling sadly.
She misses it. Via dropped her gaze, but not before Natalia saw the longing there. “After I face the Queen,” Natalia said, “I want you to have it back. Your power, that is.”
Via laughed once, smiling as if she had made a joke. “There is no giving it back, Nat – er – Snow. Once a transfer is made, it is done. My gift is now yours.”
The full weight of Via’s decision settled on Natalia’s shoulders. “Thank you,” she said, gripping Via’s hands. “One of these days, I will repay you. I swear it.”
Via’s smile faltered. “I know you will.”
“Hey!”
Wormwart pointed to this door, then he jabbed an accusing finger at the prince. “I fully expect yeh to repair this!”
“Like hell I will!” Caspar snarled, whirling. “You held me captive outside while that witch did something to Snow! You knew what was going to happen!”
Natalia vaguely recalled seeing Via whispering something to Wormwart before they entered the cottage.
“I should rest,” Via said tiredly while Caspar and Wormwart argued. “And so should you. I’ll return in a few hours and start your training then.”
“Are you going to be all right?” Natalia asked, afraid to let her out of her sight.
Via smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little tired, is all. I’ll place some simple cloaking charms around the cottage before I leave to mask your presence from the Shadow Ravens.”
“You saw them earlier?”
“Yes, when they were flying back toward the castle. They are the Queen’s spies. No doubt they’ll take word to her of your escape – and your newfound abilities.”
“But I thought your powers were gone,” Natalia said. “How do you hope to create cloaking charms?”
“Charms are simple, and as I said, I still have a bit of magic left in me.” She smiled. “Might as well use it before it fades away altogether. Try to get some rest. I’ll come for you at dusk.”
Without saying another word, she turned toward the outside wall and faded from sight.
No one spoke or moved for a few seconds. Thunder rolled outside, seeming to heighten the growing tension in the room. With a growl, Caspar stalked past her. “I’m going to practice some sequences, try to calm my anger.” He didn’t look at her as he passed, and she didn’t try to stop him. It was the first time she recalled seeing him truly angry, and it frightened her.
“I’m going to rest like Via said,” Natalia mumbled, then turned and fled from the room, feeling the dwarves’ glares at her back. She kept her gaze forward, like she always had during mealtime back at the castle, and scurried upstairs without breaking a sweat.
Her room was as cluttered as before, seeming more so because it was daylight and she could actually see everything. Or maybe it was just because she had spent the night away from there and had temporarily forgotten how filthy it was.
Her hip bumped into a stack of books, sending it toppling over as she crossed the room to her “bed.” Though it pained her to do so, she ripped a piece of the dress off and used it to bandage her sliced up hand. Settling onto the blanket, she rolled onto her side, one arm tucked beneath her head.
The storm seemed to start all at once; rain pelted the roof and the side of the cottage. She glanced at the ceiling nervously, praying it would hold out.
Outside, the wind was howling as lightning blazed across the sky. Thunder shook the cottage, setting her nerves on edge. The trellis rattled against the side, scraping the window. Once, she thought she saw a black shape dart across the sky, but she couldn’t be sure because it was only for a flash.
Though she tried, sleep refused to come. Too many thoughts occupied her mind: worry about Rose, Via’s sacrifice, and the impending battle. With a sigh, she sat up, stretching her arms. Via should have stayed. It would have been just as well to start training right away, if she wasn’t going to get any sleep anyway.
The door creaked open behind her and she whirled. No one was there.
“Caspar?” she asked, scanning the darkening room.
The floorboards squeaked as someone softly padded forward.
She scrambled to her feet, grateful the dagger was still in her boot. It pulled free with a shing.
“Please, don’t be afraid,” a melodious voice said.
She still didn’t see anyone. “Who said that?”
A match struck, revealing a black face with kind, dark eyes.
“Midnight,” she said, lowering the sword with a sigh. “You scared me.”
He set the candle down. “I didn’t mean to.”
He spoke, but his mouth had not moved.
Her eyebrows rose. “Did you just…?”
“I’m sure it feels strange,” he said, approaching her slowly, “but it’s the only way I can communicate now.”
His voice was musical, light and dark at the same time. It echoed around her head, clear as crystal.
She touched her temple, awed and frightened at once. She remembered Nefrim’s voice, how it felt like an invasion of her mind.
Worry crossed his face. “If you’d rather I not talk, I can be silent?”
“No, it’s quite all right,” she said. “Just a bit unsettling, that’s all.”
He looked away, self-consciously rubbing his arms.
She made a face, feeling bad for saying anything. “It’s fine, really,” she said, gently placing a hand on his arm. “It’s actually quite remarkable.” She smiled at him and he tentatively smiled back. “Are you my bodyguard?” she asked.
He shook his head, holding up a large book. “I thought you might like to read a story to take your mind off things.”
Natalia smiled, touched. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Tucking the dagger back in her boot, she sat on the blanket and patted the spot beside her. Midnight curled up on the blanket, bumping shoulders with her. “So have you always had this ability?” she asked, speaking slowly so she could think about how to word it so as not to offend him.
“No,” he said, saddened. “Long ago, I could speak verbally, the same as you and the rest of my kin. A moment of reckless stupidity cost me my voice.”
She waited, smiling a little to encourage him.
“It was during the summer,” he said. “Night Dwarves had a legend of a terrible, sleeping beast that lurked deep within the Cave of Stars near our home village of Skyhaven. Being the smallest, I was picked on quite often. My ‘friends’ kidnapped me one evening and brought me to the cave. ‘Go in,’ they said, ‘and tell us if the creature is real.’”
“‘But I don’t want to,’ I told them.
The cave always gave me a bad vibe, despite the fact no one had ever actually seen the creature.”
“‘Are you scared?’ they sneered.”
“‘No!’ I said.”
“They started taunting me, pushing me toward the cave. As they shoved me inside, it felt like the earth was opening up its mouth to swallow me.” He paused, shivering. “That was the most frightening part. Night dwarves crave the night sky. Starlight brings us peace and energy, as does the moon.
“I had no idea I wasn’t alone until I was trapped. The cave wasn’t uninhabited, as we had thought. There was a manticore. And it was furious.”
“What’s a manticore?” she asked.
“A horrible creature. It has the body of a large cat, with a human’s face, sharp rows of teeth, and the tail of a scorpion.”
“It sounds awful.”
“Believe me, it was. It pinned me to the floor with its tail. The poison went right into my stomach, but that wasn’t the worst part. It slashed my throat with its claws. As I lay there dying, my comrades ran away shrieking and screaming.”
“That’s terrible,” she whispered.
“The thing about manticores is that they’re relatively peaceful creatures, though they’re very territorial. Once it saw I was incapable of fighting back, it slinked back into the cave, leaving me in a pool of black blood. I managed to crawl out into the mouth of the cave when I collapsed, sure death was about to take me.”
He smiled slightly.
“That’s when Wormwart found me. He was still building his pack, wandering the realm searching for dwarves who needed a home, a place to belong. I was nearly dead when he, Leaf, and Goldentongue crossed my path.” He paused, thinking. “Wormwart is clever. And deceptively kind, though he tries to hide it.”
She mustered up a strained smile.
“He fed me a few drops of unicorn tears, the only substance powerful enough to bring someone back from the dead. I came back, blinking rapidly as air returned to my lungs and my wounds closed up.” He paused, catching her eye. “There was one side effect – my voice was gone. Apparently, there had been too much damage to my vocal cords to fully repair them. I could make sounds, but I couldn’t speak, not like I used to. It was then I discovered I could communicate this way.”
A White So Red Page 18
