by Lilly Fang
The fire snapped behind her, breaking me out of the spell. I turned my gaze to the sister who was speaking—but as we had watched her sister, she was looking at us. Her good eye flitted through the crowd, taking in every face until her gaze landed on my sister. Then, for just a moment, anger flashed in her face, as quick and as clear as a lightning strike. Then it was gone.
I looked around to see who else had seen it, but everyone only seemed worried about these new strangers. Everyone but Snow and my mother.
“Who attacked you on the road?” William asked.
The youngest girl spoke, her eyes filling with tears. “Something came upon us. A monster. Claws sharp as knives. Eyes red as coals. Pointed horns. It was a horror!”
Guilt flooded me. I was suddenly sure that I could have prevented this attack if only I had given up a cry of warning when I’d returned to the village. But the monster I had seen hadn’t had any horns. I tried to recall exactly what it looked like, but fear clouded my memory. Surely it was the same monster and I had just not gotten a good look at it.
“Poor thing,” Bianca Rosewood, Latham’s mother, came up and wrapped a blanket around Imerine’s shoulders. “You’re safe now. You’ll stay with my family.”
“You have our gratitude,” Hunter said.
Imerine nodded.
Shell clasped Bianca’s hand. “Thank you for your kindness.”
I had a cold feeling wash over me then, at just that moment. Some small part of me was trying to warn of the trouble to come.
The Rosewoods took the strangers to their home, and the others stayed to gossip.
My mother took my hand and Snow’s and led us home.
“Must we go home? The others are staying. It is my birthday,” I begged.
My mother shook her head. “Didn’t you hear what the strangers said? There’s a beast about. It’s not safe. Besides, Snow and I have yet to give you your gifts.”
It was hard to stay cross about leaving when I was headed toward my birthday presents.
In our cottage, my mother led me to the hearth. At some point in the night, my mother had arranged a little gathering of objects wrapped in cloths next to three fresh, ripe strawberries.
“Happy birthday, my dear Rose,” my mother said.
I knelt before the presents. I touched a strawberry first, my mouth already watering. Then my hands went to the first wrapped gift.
“That’s from me,” Snow said.
I untied the knot that held the cloth and pulled it away to reveal a bright red ribbon.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
“It pales in comparison to you, little sister,” Snow said, turning me so she could tie it into my hair.
I touched the back of my hair to feel the ribbon’s smoothness against my skin.
Then I turned to the gift from my mother. I pulled away the cloth and a small token on a chain fell into my hand.
Very like Snow’s heart pendant, this was worked in iron with a length of chain that I could use to wear around my neck. But in place of a heart, the pendant was in the shape of a rose.
“Thank you!” I said, throwing my arms around my mother.
“Look at the back,” my mother said, patting my hair.
I flipped the token around and saw a spiral pattern cut with lines. The markings were similar to the ones around our door for protection.
“What does it mean?”
“It is the key to unlocking something within you, something that’s been waiting to come out. It means that you’re special, Rose.”
“All mothers say that.”
“This is the truth,” Snow interjected with a smile.
“The women in our family are different, darling,” my mother said, turning the token over in her hand. “We can do things that others can’t. This pendant will help you to use your full potential.”
“Like what? What do you mean?”
“I’m speaking of magic.”
I would have laughed, but for the look in their eyes. This was no jest.
“I don’t understand.”
“Magic is all around us. But we choose whether or not to see it. Snow?”
My sister looked reluctant as she stood and pulled me up to face her. “Forgive me for this.”
I began to ask why, but suddenly her hand lashed out and she struck me across the face.
I stumbled, pain blinding me for a moment. “Snow! Why—?”
She struck me again, and this time as I fell, something washed over me. It felt like a bucket of scalding water being thrown over my head, only instead of pain, I felt power. Heat rippled down my fingers, and suddenly, my hands burst into flames.
I stared, my mouth falling open. I waved my hand in front of my face. My fingers burned, but they were not consumed. The fire licked my fingertips, warmed my palms, and twisted around my wrist, but did me no harm.
“Rose! You can control fire!” Snow cried out gleefully.
My concentration snapped, and the fire went out immediately. I stretched and rubbed my fingers. They felt fine, if a little cold. I shot my sister an accusing look. “Why did you strike me?”
“I’m sorry.” Snow’s look was pure remorse. “It was the fastest way to find out what you have inside you.”
“Show her what you can do,” my mother suggested.
My sister, who I’d known all of my life, calmly picked up a ladle of water from the bucket by the hearth. Then she flung the water into the air.
She dropped the ladle and one of her hands went to her heart pendant while the other she held out above her.
I watched the droplets of water twist in the air and then, there was a crackling sound and they froze.
Snow caught the chunks of ice in her hand as calmly as if it had been a snowy day in December and icicles just happened to break off the roof.
“That’s impossible,” I whispered.
“Just wait until you see what mother can do.”
But my mother was shaking her head. “That’s enough for one night. We all need to be careful, now most of all. Rose, there’s a danger that comes with this magic. There are monsters in this world that hunt and feed on magic.”
My mother put her hand on my shoulder. “These strangers… They might have led a monster right to us.”
I shivered. It had been bad enough seeing the monster in the forest. It was worse to think that such a beast would be hunting my family. I knew it was time to tell the truth.
“About that monster,” I said, wincing.
“Yes?”
I told my mother and sister everything—leaving out the exact reason why I had left the bonfire to salvage what I could of my dignity.
When I was through, I thought my mother might slap me herself.
“Rose, you must be careful. There are forces in this world that would hurt you.”
Snow took my mother’s hands. “Rose didn’t know, mother. She didn’t understand.”
My mother nodded, listening to Snow as she always did. “Very well,” she said at last. “But please, Rose. Be cautious.”
“I will,” I said. “I promise.”
“And don’t forget. The world is full of magic,” Snow said with a little smile at me. “Shape-changers, future-seers, elementals, and spells. You just have to look for them.”
Chapter 5: The – Snow White
I spent the morning gathering roses, moving as quickly as I could, for I knew I’d need to spend at least a portion of the afternoon seeking a buyer for the cloak. A fair number of visitors only stayed for a short time, and soon all of their coin would be spent on trifles. It was a gamble, to take time away from collecting roses to attempt to sell the cloak, but if I could only find a wealthy buyer, my family wouldn’t need to worry about a single rose for the rest of the festival.
I came across a couple of travelers near the town well, but none that could pay more than a couple coppers. One man offered to take the cloak into town and pay me on his way back through next year, but even if I had truste
d him, I couldn’t wait that long for payment.
I was considering giving up and returning to the roses when Latham Rosewood and Jacob Smith crossed my path, discussing some metal work that Jacob held in his hand.
“Snow White, what are you about this morning?” Latham asked, drawing near to me.
I held up my cloak. “I’m looking for a buyer.”
“What a beautiful cloak,” Jacob said, barely glancing at it.
Latham did not even feign a look at it—his eyes stayed locked on me. “Exquisite. Just lovely. I can’t imagine you’re having trouble finding someone who wants it.”
“No buyers as of yet,” I informed him.
“What price are you asking for it?” Latham asked.
“Three silver coins.”
Jacob let out a low whistle, but Latham looked triumphant.
“Is that all? Let me buy it from you.” A slow smile spread over his face. He took part of the cloak in his hand, using it to pull me nearer to him. “You grow lovelier every year, Snow White. Your beauty is wasted in this little village.”
I tried to pull away from him, but he held tight to the cloak and I didn’t want to risk ripping it. Some part of me desperately wanted to refuse his offer, but we did need the money. It made me furious that someone like Latham Rosewood could float into our lives and make such a difference with what was barely any money to him.
“You are very kind,” I forced myself to say. “Do you really want this cloak?”
“Yes. I’ll buy it as a gift.” He fished three silver coins out of his pocket. “Here, Snow.” He took my hand in his as he pressed the coins into my palm.
Jacob made a disgusted sound, voicing what I was already feeling.
“Thank you,” I said, pulling away from him and this time leaving the cloak in his hands. “I hope whoever you intend it for will like it.”
“I think she will,” he said. “You like it, after all, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Well, of course it’s for you.”
I took a step back, shocked. “No, Latham. I could not accept that. You’ve just bought it from me.”
“To give to you as a gift. A girl so lovely should wear pretty things, don’t you think so, Jacob?” Latham asked, drawing poor Jacob into it.
Jacob didn’t answer. He only scowled, but Latham never noticed.
Latham took my arm and drew me back to him. When I was close to him, he settled the cloak around my shoulders, adjusting the hood around my neck.
“There,” he said, appraising me like I was one of the horses he owned. “You know, my parents told me this year to choose a bride. There are many girls in the city, but none as lovely as you. Isn’t it time you were married, Snow White?”
I clenched the silver in my hand. He was making a show of possessing me but I didn’t know what I could do to stop it.
I took a breath and forced a kind smile. “Thank you, so very much, Latham. You are too kind.”
“Then you must find a way to thank me for my kindness.” He said. “Come join my family for dinner this week. It is time your mother spoke with mine about our… Prospects.”
The trap was sprung around me. I had no way of refusing. Dinner would put me even more in his debt and give him the perfect opportunity to propose a match. What choice would we have? “Of course. Thank you,” I said numbly.
“Then I will see you soon,” he said, brushing his fingers against my chin.
Jacob looked away.
The two of them left me there in the street, wearing the cloak I’d just been trying to sell, with a small fortune for my family in my hand.
Chapter 6: The Missing Girl – Rose Red
The second day of gathering roses is harder than the first. I left early in the morning before either my mother or Snow woke. The dawn was just breaking, and I wanted to be well into the briars before the others in town. On the second day, the easiest, closest roses are all gone, so the day will be longer and at the end you will still have fewer roses than the day before. Your fingers may be sore. Your nose and cheeks may already be burnt from too much time in the sun. But then again, every day after will only get worse.
I took rabbit-paths through the brambles—the trails so slight that I had to get on my knees to crawl along them. I was still small enough to make my way under the bushes. My skirts were covered in dirt and leaves by the time I reached the clearing, but I was sheltered from any sight.
No one knew the maze of roses the way I did. No one could slip as silently through the boughs. And no one could find me there unless I wanted to be found.
I took my midday meal among the roses, examining the rose pendant and trying to call the flames back into my hand.
I finally began to understand fully why Snow had slapped me—on my own, without anger or pain to fuel me, the magic was much more difficult to summon.
I succeeded in getting a faint smoke to rise off of my fingertips, but then my concentration was broken by the sound of shrieking laughter.
Thinking of Hazel and her friends, I peered out from the boughs. But rather than those three, I saw a gaggle of little girls from the village chasing each other.
The memory of Hazel called up a fierce anger in me. I glanced down and realized that my hand was awash in flame. As quickly as I noticed it, the flames were gone.
An idea came to me. If I only needed to be angry, why not spy on Hazel? That would give me more than enough to fuel the fire.
It was not difficult to find the trio that I sought. I knew the briars better than anyone. Even though Snow and my mother spent as long as I did in the rose fields, I was smaller and more willing to scramble through dirt and thorns than they were.
I knew the places that were the best for getting many roses at once and also the places that were best for an idle moment. There was a place where a stream wound all around the hill, letting the thirsty roses drink up its water. On a hot day like this one, that was where three girls seeking leisure would be.
I followed the stream from the shadows until I came to where they were. Then I crouched, hidden, and waited.
The sight of them, along with the memory of what they’d said about my sister, was enough to bring an itching feeling to my palms. When I heard what they were speaking of, my fingertips burst into flame.
“It’s all Snow White’s fault,” Lavender was saying angrily. “We’re all going to become old maids while she makes the boys dance for her hand.”
“I’ve seen it for myself,” Hazel said, nodding. “My brother William is as under her spell as any of the boys. He won’t accept any marriage offer until Snow White chooses.”
I watched them kindling their resentment as I kindled the flames on my hands. It was common to have several marriage proposals after the first night of the festival, but lately fewer and fewer had been happening and many, like these girls, blamed my sister.
Which was ridiculous. Snow wasn’t doing anything on purpose. She couldn’t help it. Maybe she was right, after all, and beauty was nothing more than a curse.
“Snow White is nearly an old maid herself. If she doesn’t accept a proposal this year, it’ll be quite the scandal.”
“At least her sister won’t be much of a problem,” Hazel sneered. “Although I’m sure some poor boy will end up with the leftovers.”
Anger shot through me, and before I could stop it, the flames leapt up over my wrists, racing towards my shoulders. Smoke began to choke the air as my dress caught fire. Whatever magic protected me didn’t seem to extend to my clothing. I dropped to the ground, trying desperately to put out the fire before it spread to the rest of my dress.
“What was that?” Alice asked.
The girls all looked in my direction. Between the fire, the smoke, and the noise all my rolling around had made, I didn’t have much of a chance or remaining hidden.
The girls closed on me. I managed to get upright and wipe the smoking leaves off of me before they made it through the briars to where I stood.
“Spying on us again?” Hazel accused.
“She’s obsessed with us,” Lavender said.
“This is the second time it’s happened.”
I felt the now-familiar sensation of flames rippling across my fingers. I quickly put my hands behind my back.
“Looks like she’s been rolling around in the dirt, too.”
“Like a pig.”
I clenched my hands together. Some part of me wanted to just fling the fire at them, consequences or no. But a more sensible part of me knew that scaring them now would cause more trouble than it was worth, particularly with monsters around.
“What have you got behind your back?” Hazel demanded.
“Nothing,” I said.
Before I could move, Lavender reached behind me and grabbed my wrist. “Ouch!” She dropped my wrist and pulled back her hand, now red and raw with a deep burn. “You burned me!” she shrieked.
“You… shouldn’t have tried to grab what I was holding! It’s hot!” I stammered. Then I turned and fled.
My hands felt cold, the fire gone now that terror was the greater feeling coursing through me. But there was nothing I could do about it now. I’d just have to hope that Hazel and her friends would be too embarrassed about letting me get the upper hand to tell anyone.
At sunset, the Rosewoods held a feast to welcome the strangers to our village and to make up for cutting the festivities short the night before.
They laid out tables with roasted boar, fresh berries, and bread still warm from the ovens. The strangers were given the place of honor at the Rosewoods’ own table.
“They must have charmed the Rosewoods very much indeed,” Snow murmured as we neared the feast.
I glanced at Snow and realized something was very different. “Your cloak!” I exclaimed. “You’re wearing it! Did you give up on selling it?”
“Not exactly. I did sell it. Latham Rosewood bought it and gave it to me as a gift.”
“How… Nice of him?” I asked, her tone making me uncertain.
