A White So Red

by Krystle Jones

  “My father acted in the same manner as yours,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back and pacing in front of her. “Proud, powerful, with a fetish for beautiful women. That’s how he met my mother. He was a rich lord; she, a chambermaid in his estate. They fell in love, or so he convinced her, only to cast her out of his service when he found out she was pregnant with his bastard son. In order to hide his transgression from his wife, he had my mother exiled to a small, unheard-of town several leagues away. I grew up there, fatherless, and working every hour of every day so my heartbroken mother could have food to eat. Suddenly, I became the caregiver and she the child. She never got out of bed. She never ate without my placing a spoon in her mouth and tilting her head back to swallow. That’s probably why she didn’t care enough to move when my father sent his assassins to burn down the village. She only started screaming when the flames bit into her flesh. I came back from hunting to find my home destroyed, the hut where I grew up no more than ash and embers.”

  He looked at dream-Via; she didn’t appear to be breathing, too transfixed by his story. “So I ran away. I was sixteen, and that’s when I discovered I could do things with my mind. The power to bend nature was at my command, and I swore I would never feel ashamed for who or what I was again.” He turned, walking back toward her, his eyes fixed on hers. “That night, I returned to the estate. I waited for the lights to go out in the upper tower before raining a plague of hellfire down upon them. The whistles blew and the bell tolled, but the guards could do nothing to stop my fury.” He stopped before Via, smiling, his eyes misty. “I can still hear my father’s screams in my head. They are the lullaby that sings me to sleep every night.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “That is life.” Qiro tilted his head, eyeing Via with hungry wonder. “I can take away all the pain. You’ll never feel unwanted or helpless again.”

  Via’s face betrayed her desire. She wanted it. Natalia could see it in her eyes, that distant, dreamy-eyed look of hoping for a better tomorrow. “How?” Via at last breathed.

  “You have power, Via, abilities you cannot even imagine,” Qiro said. “I can teach you, if you’re willing to open yourself up to me.” His voice changed timbre on the end, turning from a hypnotic tenor to a grating bass.

  Natalia’s breath caught. I know that voice.

  She studied Qiro harder but could find no trace of the great black wolf. I know he’s in there. Qiro was his Host, according to the legends.

  With all the care of a lover, Qiro pushed back the blood-crusted hair from Via’s forehead and stroked her cheek. “Give in to me,” Nefrim said, speaking through Qiro.

  “Yes,” Via breathed, closing her eyes as Qiro’s mouth drew closer to hers. “I want it. I’m so tired of fighting who I am.”

  The real Via’s hand was shaking uncontrollably now, and Natalia could feel the emotions running off of her: regret, sorrow, pain, and terror, all rolled into one heady mix.

  “I don’t want to feel alone anymore,” dream-Via whispered.

  “So you shall never be alone again,” Qiro said back, whispering the words against her lips. “I promise you will never want for anything. No one can hurt you. No one can make you feel like you don’t belong. I shall take good care of you –” his lips hovered above hers while she held her breath, closing her eyes and tilting her head toward his – “my beautiful, tragic –”

  He paused and she trembled.

  “– Octavia.”

  He sighed her nickname against her lips and closed his mouth over hers. Darkness gathered in the air around them as they embraced. Via ran her hands through his hair while he clutched her to him, pressing her up against the tree and deepening the kiss. At last, her mouth broke free and she tilted her head back to the sky, moaning in pain and ecstasy as her eyes snapped open and beams of purple light shone from them, as if she were lit up from within. Qiro collapsed to the ground, trembling, his skin dewy with sweat, as if in shock.

  When Via’s head fell back down to her chest, she just stood there, unmoving and not seeming to breathe for several long seconds before she slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes.

  They were violet.

  Chapter Thirty

  The Colors of the Soul

  Natalia let go of Via’s hand and fell to the ground, deeply shaken. Instantly, the dream vanished and they were once again surrounded by darkness.

  It felt like someone had punched her in the gut. “Via. Octavia. You’re the Queen.”

  Via reached for her and then dropped her hand only to reach for her again, like she wanted to go to her but didn’t know if she should. Her face was pained. “I tried to warn you. I knew this would happen, but I wanted you to know the truth. You deserved to.”

  Natalia’s mind was reeling. Via was the Queen, and the Queen was somehow impossibly Via. They were two completely different people, and yet she knew from the image of Via opening those strange violet eyes that it was the terrible truth.

  “Natalia?”

  Her eyes snapped up at the tiny voice. It was a struggle to breathe, and she was shaking all over. Via’s eyes – her very blue eyes – were begging Natalia to understand. She couldn’t look away because all she saw when she looked at those eyes was her friend.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” Via said.

  Natalia took a few moments to catch her breath. “I know,” she said, starting to regain control of her sensibilities.

  Via’s eyes widened slightly, then she lowered her head in shame. “You must think I’m a horrible person,” she whispered.

  Natalia felt steadier now, enough to stand. “I –” she started, stopping herself to gather her thoughts. “I wasn’t sure what to think. I don’t know how long it will take me to make sense of it.”

  Pause.

  “But I do know you’re good, down to your core,” Natalia continued. “You are not the same woman who tried to kill me.”

  Via looked up at her, tears in her eyes. “I cannot even begin to apologize for the wrong I’ve done you. Oh, Natalia, please forgive me.”

  “I do,” Natalia said, without hesitation. It was true. No matter what the Queen had done to her, she knew within her heart that Via was not responsible. She was as much a victim in this as she.

  “So, if I may ask, what are you exactly?” Natalia asked.

  “Essentially, I am the innocence and the goodness the Queen lost the day Qiro entered our lives. I am her conscience, so to speak.” Her voice grew stronger with each word. “The second Nefrim entered my body I was pushed out and sent to the Nether.”

  “But you escaped.”

  Via looked at her. “Yes,” she said thoughtfully. “I did.”

  “How?” If Via had managed to get out, then there was hope for her.

  “I don’t know,” Via said miserably. “I wish I did.”

  Natalia’s heart sank.

  “But,” Via said and Natalia straightened, listening intently, “I do remember seeing a rift in the darkness the day you turned eighteen and I heard your voice. I felt it; your anger, your fear, your desperation to escape. It was as if you were calling me, and I was able to leave and find you.”

  “A similar thing happened when I ate of the apple and Caspar’s feelings guided me out of the abyss,” Natalia murmured, more to herself than Via. “But why would you be trapped here, and all of a sudden I could break open the veil enough for you to leave?” she asked a little louder.

  “I think it has to do with the protection spell wearing off. Your powers stirred, and I was finally able to take physical shape in the living world by borrowing a bit of your magic.”

  “Could you see me from the Nether? When we first met you said you had been waiting a long time to meet me.”

  “Yes, I could see you. Sometimes I would be standing right beside you and you never knew the better because I could not reach out and actually touch you. I tried speaking to you a few times, but you never heard.”

  Natalia shivered, slightly spooked. �
��I have to get out of here.”

  “I know.”

  Natalia had the nagging feeling she was forgetting something and then it hit her. “Rose!” she gasped. “Oh stars, I need to find her. She must be so scared.”

  “At ease, Natalia,” Via said softly. “I shall take you to her.”

  Natalia’s heart fluttered with hope, and she followed after Via as she floated along through the darkness.

  They didn’t speak. Natalia stayed behind Via, for which the other girl didn’t seem to be offended, thankfully. Finding out Via was actually Octavia was something she would need a long time to process, and she felt guilty for no longer fully trusting her friend. She hadn’t lied when she said she knew it wasn’t Via’s fault; she really didn’t think the poor girl had any idea what would happen that day in the woods. But at the same time, she had to be cautious, and so kept glancing every few seconds at Via, looking for any sign of ill intent and finding none.

  They soared for what felt like a long time. It started as a whisper. Something growled at her; it sounded like it was coming from the floor or whatever was shifting below, giving off purple sparks of power.

  Natalia’s chest tightened, anxiety dancing in her belly. “Via,” she said hesitantly, afraid that if she spoke the thing would rise up and swallow her.

  “It’s the Nether,” Via said over her shoulder. “It’s a living thing, and I think souls make it uneasy because it’s so used to being alone. It shouldn’t attack us, unless we’re trying to escape.”

  Natalia gulped. That made her even more anxious.

  “We’re almost there,” Via said, picking up speed.

  Natalia’s eyes lifted and she scanned the darkness, not seeing anything. Licking her cracked lips, she chanced to whisper, “Rose? Can you hear me?”

  There were a few heartbeats of silence when a girl answered weakly, “Tali? Is that you?”

  Natalia’s breath caught at the sound of Rose’s voice; it was teasingly close. As before, crimson threads appeared out of the darkness, glowing faintly with hazy purple light. Her eyes widened as they followed the trail into the murky darkness. She drifted, never once removing her sight from those threads, which Via seemed to be following. Her eyes began watering from lack of blinking; she was too afraid to, fearing the path would disappear. The threads suddenly dipped down, and the space in front of them brightened, illuminating a circle on the floor. The threads widened into thick red bars, forming a cage. Natalia’s sister, wearing an identical copy of the red dress her body now wore, sat at the cage’s center, gripping the bars with trembling hands.

  An incredible sense of relief filled Natalia. “Rose!”

  Rose gasped, her face lighting up. “You’re alive…” Her voice warbled as she choked down her sobs. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  Natalia stopped before the cage while Via hovered in the background, politely looking away to give them some privacy. Natalia studied the cage. “Well, I won’t be alive for long, not if your body keeps choking the life out of me.”

  Rose’s mouth dropped open in mortification. “Oh my goodness – I’m not – that is – I can’t be – oh, I’m so sorry –”

  Natalia held a hand up, silencing her with soft yet firm words. “It’s all right. I know it’s not really you.” Her gaze fell over the cage, looking for any sign of weakness.

  But it’s not really a cage, is it? It’s a spell, an enchantment of sorts. That’s what those threads are. And if it’s something that’s cast-able, it can be broken. All spells have loopholes, after all.

  “Stand back, Rose,” Natalia said, rubbing her hands together.

  Rose did as she said, inching away from the front of the cage without so much as a word of protest.

  The corner of Natalia’s mouth twitched up in a small smile. Her baby sister always believed in her, never questioning her word. It was refreshing, empowering.

  She felt it, the hum of her blood as magic stirred within her veins. So magic did work in the Nether. Strength flowed through her as she reached up and wrapped her fingers around the thin bars, feeling the bite of ice-cold metal against her scraped palms. Channeling her power through the medium of the blood crystal, she imagined the bars disintegrating. Come on. Just a little more. The bars groaned as the metal bent further, making the Nether that much more agitated.

  “Careful, Natalia,” Via said, and Natalia gritted her teeth in answer, pushing harder.

  “Give me back my sister,” Natalia hissed.

  Almost instantaneously, the cage shattered in a shower of glittering red diamonds, cascading to the floor and melting into the darkness. Below, the ink growled, swirling and reaching up for them.

  “Natalia!” Via screamed. “It knows!”

  Natalia grabbed a still kneeling Rose by the wrist and flung her behind her. Via caught Rose and held her close, whispering things into her ear as she looked, terrified, at the approaching vortex of dark power.

  Natalia whirled and threw her arms out toward it, palms open. A red shield flared to life as the Nether hit, slamming into her with such force it knocked her back a few inches. She gritted her teeth, the muscles in her arms flexing as she fought to push back the Nether as the shield flickered in and out of existence.

  “Hold on!” Via shouted. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a white bow and arrow and shot it into the wall behind them. It exploded against it and a tiny doorway formed, spilling white light onto their faces.

  “Natalia!” Via said.

  “Take her!” Natalia said.

  “No!” Via gripped her shoulder. “You must take her. I will stay and hold it off.”

  “You can’t! I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me again!”

  “Natalia,” Via said firmly, gripping her tighter. “I want to.”

  Natalia searched her eyes, hesitating.

  “Please,” Via said, eyes serious.

  Natalia hesitated and at last turned around. The moment she let down her arms, the shield broke and the Nether came crashing toward them with a hiss.

  Via’s lovely face turned dangerous as she ducked in front of Natalia and Rose, holding up her arms and forming a brilliant white shield made up of thousands of interlocking threads of light. The Nether pounded it, searching for a way in or around but finding none.

  “How are you –” Natalia started.

  “Though my powers are almost gone,” Via said, “I can still perform spells and enchantments. Now go before the portal closes!”

  Sure enough, the opening was shrinking.

  Grabbing Rose by the hand, Natalia flew toward the white light, reaching for it. They flew through it. The air hissed and swirled, streaks of purple and blue whirling past until the mirror chamber at last fell back into place.

  Sensations slowly started coming back to her limbs. Natalia was sitting down, slumped against a wall with her legs sprawled in front of her. Her throat burned for air, and she gasped at the pain in those first few breaths after nearly suffocating. Coughing violently, she turned her head, catching the pale hand still stretched toward her neck, its lax fingers drained of all intention to kill. A girl was lying on the floor beside her, her head in her lap, with her face buried beneath a mess of wild red hair.

  Natalia gasped, sitting up so sharply stars burst before her eyes. “Rose?” she asked, gently lifting Rose’s body and turning her over. Rose’s head fell back, cradled against the crook of Natalia’s arm. Tendrils of fear ate at her as she noticed Rose’s ghastly complexion, so transparent she could almost see the blue outline of veins running beneath her skin. Slowly, Rose’s cheeks warmed to their usual rosy hue as color returned to her body. Her long lashes fluttered as she grunted, coming to. She looked up at Natalia, dazed and a bit confused.

  “Tali?” she rasped, reaching up as if to caress her face. “Is it over?”

  Natalia smiled at her, tears pooling in her eyes as she took her hand and kissed the back of it, clutching it tightly in her own. “Yes, Rose. You’re safe now.”

/>   Unable to stop herself, she leaned forward and hugged her baby sister fiercely to her chest, running her hands through her hair. “I’m sorry,” Natalia murmured. “I’m so terribly sorry for leaving you behind.”

  Rose squeezed her back. “Don’t be. I had feared the worst, thinking the Queen had finally gotten to you. But you’re here, safe. We’re together again.”

  “And we always will be from now on.” Natalia pulled back, stiffening. Her gaze hardened as she grasped her sister firmly by the shoulders. “It’s not over, not quite.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. “We will never be safe until the Queen is dead. You understand that, right?”

  Rose paled all over again. “But,” she stuttered, bottom lip trembling, “you can’t face her. Tali, she’s terrible.”

  “I know,” Natalia said quietly. “But I’m the only one who can stop her.”

  Rose quieted, seeming to accept this. Her expression changed from fear to determination, and Natalia knew what she was going to say before she even spoke. “I’m going with you.”

  Natalia shook her head. “No, absolutely not.”

  “Yes, I am!” Rose shouted, making Natalia blink. Never once had Rose ever raised her voice to her.

  “I’m going with you, whether you want me to or not,” Rose said, though Natalia could tell her strong voice was just a show. “Simply because you’re the only one who can defeat her doesn’t mean you have to go about it alone.”

  Natalia stared at her, a slow, grateful smile spreading across her face. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Rose smiled shyly at her. “You’ve always taken care of me. It’s time I looked out for you.”

  Natalia didn’t know what to say, stunned into silence by Rose’s bravery and sincerity. Natalia smiled back at her, admittedly feeling much better knowing Rose was going to be standing alongside her in this. Nodding, Natalia stood and offered her hand, pulling Rose to her feet. They looked around. “Now, if only we knew a way to get out of here.”