It shouldn't have happened. The mirror's magic was supposed to have absorbed her very essence, to have dissolved every fragment until she was nothing but a sacrifice to seal Rothe's spell.
"The King will be pleased. He needs to be informed at once." Vardon nodded to a servant, and he rushed out of the room.
Anessa touched the necklace from Rothe. "What just happened?"
"The mirror must be using the Queen's form. Get me the mirror."
Rothe's voice cut off, and Anessa frowned. He hadn't sounded surprised by the Queen's appearance.
Is there something else he’s not telling me?
Chapter 9
Ten days passed, and Anessa was no closer to making progress on freeing the Queen. Not that she was really trying, but she did want to understand why she’d seen the Queen in the first place. She only had forty-six days before the equinox. Of course, it didn’t help that Vardon objected to everything Anessa wanted to try. Today was like the rest of others, time wasted arguing about how to proceed with the mirror.
"You will not use the ear trumpet from an ogre!" Vardon shouted.
"But it could help."
"Could. You don't even know if it will do anything."
"If you hadn't messed with the magic fragments of the mirror in the first place then we could proceed directly, but now we have to go about it piece by piece."
"And ear trumpets will do this?"
"She appeared as a reflection, the ear trumpets are perfect for attempting to unlock her voice."
"How?"
"The trumpet makes sound, but is also used to listen."
"This is absurd, I'll have to get permission from the King."
"Then go get it."
Vardon began to motion for the servants to pack up the mirror. Every time Vardon left, they packed it up, only to bring it back when he returned.
"Just leave it, you'll be right back, and it's not like I could carry it off myself."
Vardon nodded at the servants to continue removing the mirror.
"You still haven't earned that trust."
Anessa threw her hands up in the air and turned to leave. That's when she and Vardon both noticed the princess. Standing by her side was Theron.
She hadn’t spoken to Theron much, but they’d settled into a routine of walking together after dinner. They’d discuss her attempts and frustrations, and he’d leave her laughing with a story of his day. He was beginning to feel like the only…, she couldn’t call him friend, but acquaintance didn’t fit either.
"Your majesty," Vardon said and bowed. "What are you doing here?"
"Is it true you could get her to speak again?" Snow asked Anessa.
"Yes, Snow, I think I could."
Snow looked at Vardon. "Then get the permission from my Father while Anessa prepares the spell. The mirror stays here."
Vardon hesitated.
“Just go. I’ll stay here with her,” Theron said.
Vardon nodded his head. "Don't do anything to the mirror until my return," he said to Anessa.
Despite success ten days before, he was adamant that Anessa would not use the ear trumpet from an ogre. Anessa glared at Vardon as he left the room. Anessa glanced back at Snow White.
"Ogre trumpet ears? Must it be so gross?" Snow White asked.
"Can you think of something else that makes sound and can hear sound as well?"
"Magic trumpet flowers. And they are much more plentiful."
Anessa paused to think. "How does a flower hear?"
"How does a mirror?" Snow White replied.
Anessa paced as she thought, one hand stroking the emerald pendant at her throat. She didn't have any ogre trumpets, and it was always more difficult to gather ingredients from something that could fight back.
A flower though, it couldn't be just any trumpet flower. It would need to be one of unique essence. If the flower didn't work, they could always go back to using ogre.
"Do you know where to find the trumpet flower?"
"There is a magical meadow not far from the Palace. My mother used to take me there as a girl."
"Did you go places with your mother often?"
Snow laughed. "Hardly. I've been away at boarding school since I could walk. On the few occasions I was allowed home, she took me to the meadow. It's not a place easy to forget."
“The Queen once gave me lilies from her magic garden in the dead of winter for my Mother’s birthday. She told me her magic garden was from a childhood lover.” Theron looked at the rose encased in ice.
Feeling awkward, Anessa blurted. "I never knew my mother."
"Really?" Theron asked.
"I was trained with the other children since infancy. It's the only way to ensure the witches choose their covens without blood bias."
"What are the choices?" Snow asked.
"There are seven. One for each element, fire, water, earth, air. And then one each for healing, death, and time." Anessa walked behind the stand holding her grimoire and began flipping through pages.
"What did you pick?" Theron asked.
"All of them. I had an affinity for all seven and was trained by Queen Calandra and the council."
“If you could only pick one, which would it be?” he asked.
“I suppose healing.”
“Ah.” He smiled like the conundrums of the universe all made sense now.
“What?” Anessa asked.
“You make things better, restore them to their proper order. Isn’t that what you are doing, healing the Queen?”
Anessa looked at the mirror. She hadn’t thought of it like that. Rothe said the Queen couldn’t be freed, but what if she could be healed? And if she could, did Anessa want her to be?
"I wish I was a witch.” Snow pulled out a treat from her pocket and plopped it into her mouth. “It sounds so much better than learning how to host a ball. Ever since a Prince found his wife at a ball, it’s all the teachers discuss."
"Sounds dreadful," Anessa said. She hadn’t cared for the dancing lessons she was forced into by Imelda. Who would willingly stand that close to another person after they’ve sweated through their clothing all evening by swirling around an overcrowded ballroom all night?
"I never met him, but I hear he wasn't the brightest, picked a commoner. Granted, she seemed nice enough. I met her when she attended the academy for an expedited graduation before her wedding."
"Of course, because it's unseemly for a Prince to marry someone who hasn't learned which fork to eat with." Theron said with a grin.
Anessa let out an un-lady-like snort. He’d stopped her from using the dessert fork on her salad at dinner the night before.
Vardon chose this moment to return from speaking with the King.
"Majesties, the King has granted permission to pursue giving the Queen back her voice despite my caution."
Anessa began walking out with Snow White. "Take me to the flowers."
Vardon raised his eyebrows. "Flowers? Have you not looked outside? That freak snowfall killed them."
Snow laughed. "Not where we're going."
"What do flowers have to do with anything? I thought you were getting an Ogre?" Vardon asked Anessa.
"Snow had the wonderful idea of using a trumpet flower instead," Anessa said.
"Will that work?" Vardon stood as they walked past him.
"We'll see.” Anessa shrugged her shoulders. “If it doesn't, it won't harm the mirror any more than you did."
Anessa had peeked at the book where Vardon documented every effort of hers. Turns out the growing mirror was his attempt at separating the frame from the glass. He hadn’t counted on the silver glass stretching.
"Come, Snow. Lead the way," Theron said.
Vardon rushed in front of them. "I'll summon the carriage and guards."
"Don't bother," Snow White said, turning to Anessa. "Gather whatever you need and meet me in the grand hallway."
Chapter 10
Snow White led them outside and through the cold, windy,
dead garden. When they reached the far corner, Snow White led them to a gazebo with a gold door covered in dirt and leaves.
"No one uses this anymore," Snow White said. She pushed the door open and walked into a green light.
Vardon, Theron, and Anessa were quick to follow and found themselves transported to a warm summer day. Instead of cold wind, there was green grass and a bubbling brook. The meadow was covered with every imaginable flower and surrounded by tall trees.
"This way," Snow White said.
"Where are we?" Anessa asked.
"Somewhere in the Elven Mountains if I'm not mistaken," Theron answered.
Snow White nodded. "This is where Father and Mother made the arrangement for my Sister's betrothal to the Elf King."
"Was it the elves who enchanted the meadow, then?" Vardon asked.
"No. Elf magic has a very different feel." Anessa paused and felt the familiar tingle of magic in the air. Of course. I should have recognized Rothe's magic sooner. She basked in the warmth a moment and touched the emerald at her throat before following Snow White around a bend.
There, surrounded by delicate white snowdrop flowers, stood the trumpet tree. It was twenty feet tall and covered in blooms of every color. Dark purple grew on the lowest branches and as Anessa's looked up the tree, she saw that the colors grew lighter. At the top a large bright yellow trumpet flower grew. The words to the spell Anessa would say immediately formed in her mind.
"That one." She pointed to the yellow one.
"Do you mind if I gather some star vines and other plants I need while we're here? I saw some on the other side of the brook." Vardon asked Theron.
"Not at all," Theron said. "We'll meet you at the door."
Vardon nodded and walked away.
Since Anessa didn't want to risk tainting the flower by magic, she realized her only option was to climb. She rearranged her skirts and hung her bag across her shoulders so it rested on her back. She grabbed the lowest branch to pull herself up.
“What are you doing?” Theron asked.
“Climbing.” Anessa climbed up onto the branch.
“Let me get it.” Theron followed up after her until he was at eye level.
“It has to be harvested very carefully.” Anessa reached for the next branch.
Theron beat her to it, and Anessa was forced to follow after him.
Several scraped knuckles and two almost-falls later, Anessa reached the branch with the yellow bloom. She stopped to admire the view and catch her breath. She chuckled softly when she noticed Vardon on the far side of the meadow. He was trying to retrieve his boot from a rather large tiger lily who seemed intent on shredding it to pieces. Those flowers always were troublesome.
“I can see why the Queen loved it here so much,” Theron said.
Anessa looked at the trumpet flower. “Yes, it’s nice.” She pulled her bag up and looked inside. Where was her knife?
A flash of light caught her eye, and she looked up. Theron was redirecting a beam of light with his knife.
He smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “You can use mine if you’d like.”
Anessa nodded. “Thank you.”
She took the knife from him, and it took only a second to cut through the stem. Using two fingers Anessa pinched where she’d cut the stem. Best to keep the flower’s fluid inside for as long as possible. Now for the jar. Anessa didn’t want to crush the flower, and digging in her bag with a knife in her hand wasn’t wise.
A sigh passed her lips. “Could you pull out the blue jar for me?” she asked Theron.
“Of course.” He carefully climbed closer to her and reached into her bag. It only took him a second to find it, and he pulled the lid off.
Anessa placed the flower in the jar, then traded it for his knife.
Theron put his knife away in his boot. “That wasn’t so complicated.”
A girlish giggle from below caught Anessa's attention before she could answer. An uncomfortable feeling settled into her stomach. Looking down, she saw Snow White accepting a red flower from a masculine hand with a familiar scar. His face was blocked by a branch. Snow White let out another giggle.
When the man stepped to the side, and Anessa saw his face, she nearly fell out of the tree.
Chapter 11
After returning to the castle workshop Anessa paced in front of the mirror. She was starting to hate the thing. If it wasn’t for the Queen, she wouldn’t be here. Of course, if it wasn’t for the Queen she would never have met Rothe.
Anessa had a soft spot for those talented with magic, and Rothe was very gifted. He’d dazzled her into making a fool out of herself. Grizelda was right.
“Why won’t he see me? Why can’t he love me?” Anessa asked to no one in particular. “Am I not fair enough?”
A glint in the mirror caught her attention. It was the Queen. She was trying to say something, but Anessa didn’t know what it was.
Vardon burst into the room. "You know you aren’t allowed to be alone in here."
"What am I going to do? Put the Mirror into my bag and leave?"
"I--."
"You know it wouldn’t work if I tried. The thing reeks of magic, and even a giant would be able to tell I carried it with me."
"That doesn’t matter. You know what our arrangement is."
A servant knocked on the door. She bobbed her head and with a face full of fear looked at Anessa. "The King demands to see both of you at once."
Anessa glared, and the servant scurried away. "Shall we see what he wants?"
Vardon’s spine stiffened, and he walked out of the room.
***
Prince Garrick sat on a throne to the King’s right while Snow White sat on a throne to the left. She now wore a more formal gown of a deep red, and in her mind Anessa heard Rothe mumbling his appreciation. Anessa frowned and let go of the emerald. He’d never made such comments when she’d worn her red dress.
"You’ll never guess!" Snow started to say.
"Princess. Manners." The King commanded.
"Yes, Father." She turned back to Anessa. "There’s a prince here. Of course he’s not as handsome as the man in the meadow ---- "
"What man?" Prince Garrick asked.
Snow looked worriedly at her father.
Vardon shifted uncomfortably next to Anessa. She debated whether she should confirm that Snow had met Rothe. Of course, if Anessa got Snow out of the castle, maybe Rothe would focus on Anessa more, although she’d previously thought the same thing about the Queen being out of the way. The conversation from earlier came to mind. Perhaps she could use the mirror as leverage with him.
"Snow, what man?" The king asked more gently.
Snow looked tentatively at the King. "He was nice. He said I looked like Mother." Her voice got softer with each word she spoke.
The King looked at Vardon. "Where were you when all of this happened?"
Vardon looked at his feet sheepishly. "I was gathering other ingredients."
"And you?" The King asked Anessa.
"It's not their fault, Father. Anessa and Theron climbed the tree to get the ingredient for the spell."
"You were left unprotected. Do you know who that man was?"
Theron burst into the room carrying a canvas. He slammed it down on a table and dust billowed out.
“That’s him!” Snow White said and pointed to the portrait painted on the canvas.
"It was Rothe," Anessa said just as Theron did.
"You know this for certain?" The King asked?
"I'd recognize his magic anywhere,” Anessa said.
Theron nodded. “He was in disguise, made himself look younger, when he came to the meadow. He left as soon as he saw that Snow wasn't alone."
The King thought for a moment. "Do you know what he wanted?"
Vardon offered an explanation. "I imagine he was gathering information about the spell we are creating to free the Queen. Perhaps he intended to use the meadow to enter the castle."
"He didn't
ask anything about the mirror. He only asked me about things I like. He said he wanted to give me a present worthy of my beauty, but he only had a flower as I caught him by surprise." Snow touched the red rose in her hair gently.
Rothe had never given Anessa a red rose. He’d only given her a pink one the day he asked her to transport him to the castle so he could give the mirror to the Queen.
The King paled. "He must not have her." He turned to Snow. "You will be guarded every moment of the day. You are never to go anywhere alone.”
"Sire," Theron said. "The castle may not be the best place to keep Snow safe."
"Then what do you suggest?" The King asked.
"The Silver wood dwarves," Theron said.
"What?" Anessa asked.
The same time as the King asked "Who?"
"The Silver wood dwarves. They are immune to magic. They can deflect any spell Rothe uses, and their female warriors are known as some of the fiercest.” Theron walked toward the King. “They could protect the Princess."
"I don't want to go live with some smelly strangers in a dirty cave," Snow said.
"You won't need to." Anessa interjected. "I have a cottage at the border of the silver woods and white river. It is protected by magic and would be well defended if the dwarves are there also."
"And your meager magic is supposed to stop Rothe?" Vardon said.
"The magic protecting the cottage has been cast by every Queen of the witches since the beginning. Its magic is in a language older than Rothe's. No one can enter except the Queen and her guests."
Vardon glared at Anessa looking as if he were trying to find a reason to argue.
It was a valid point. The old magic would not be breached easily, and the castle could still be vulnerable. It was perfect. With Snow out of the castle, Rothe wouldn’t see her through the emerald anymore. And at the cottage there would be no more surprise visits.
Vardon nodded at the King.
"Done," The King looked to Theron. "You'll leave at first light. I'll arrange for the dwarves to meet you there. Anessa and Vardon, you will accompany her there. If anything happens to her, you will all be killed in the slowest and most painful way possible."
Snow White's Witch (Tales of Eventyr Book 2) Page 4
