Blood and Snow 7: Seal of Gabriel (5 page)

The girl called Snow White leaned toward me. “I’ve heard stories about you.” She leaned back. “Your sister, Sharra, had a Hunter change me. I’m a vampire now.” Her words sounded sad, and I felt momentarily bad for her. I knew Gabriel had similar feelings.

Was this reflection sent to me by Sharra? I knew her magic was strong. Had she created this mirror as a way of luring me? A pang shot through my chest. I didn’t have a heart. Nothing but a strong desire for blood beat in my chest. But if I had a human body, like Gabriel…

We could mate, I thought, and immediately rejected it.

I was a vampire. The vampire. I would not be swayed by a pretty girl, or the lust of a human vampire.

Bringing my fist to the mirror, I shattered it.

Snow squealed. Strange, I heard it in my head, not from the mirror.

Pieces of glass fell like sharp rain to the floor. A few shards hit my skin and bounced off, my body unharmed.

I turned away, heading toward the door. I needed to find Devoran. Perhaps he was responsible.

Tinkling glass sounded behind me. I watched the last pieces of the mirror stitch itselt back together. With a growl, I pulled open the door.

“Devoran,” I shouted, surprised that I stepped out into the garden. Grass, soft like feathers, brushed against my bare feet. The unicorn, Evny, flicked her ears, and looked at me. “Have you seen Devoran?” I asked.

She nickered, and came over, her head bent low, in the sign of subjection, and respect. When she stood in front of me, I touched her head, directly above the place where her horn grew.

“Rise, dear one.” I spoke softly, remembering the cruelty’s she endured.

“Devoran left Crystal City earlier today. I’m so sorry, apologetic, remorseful.” She bowed, putting one hoofed leg behind the other. I noticed the leg she stood on trembled.

A wave of smypathy for her filled my veins. “Please, Envy. You don’t need to bow to me. Rise. I insist.”

She did as I commanded.

“When will he be back?” I asked.

“I do not know. It seems there is trouble between the trolls and the elves near Ellavera Pass. He’s gone to make peace, return their harmony, rebuild an accord.”

I knew the trolls and the elves were always at odds over one petty issue or another. “Thank you.” I scanned the gardens. “Have you seen the pixilette I arrived with? Ryden.”

She shook her head making her long, beautiful mane flip back and forth.

“Where is she,” I wondered aloud.

“I could help you look, if you’d like. The pixilette drank a lot of watermelon juice. She’s probably sleeping it off, feeling whoozy, hungover,” Envy said.

I smiled. “You’re probably right. And I would greatly appreciate your assisatnce.” We moved toward the table where I’d last seen her. As I came closer, a silver decanter appeared along with a goblet.

“You must be thirsty,” Envy said.

“I am,” I said, pouring the liquid that looked like blood into the goblet and raising it to my lips. I drank until it was gone.

We moved over to the trees. A ruby red fruit grew in abundance on the trees in this section of the garden. Even though it was a different color than the green fruit I’d smelled yesterday, I relaized the aroma was the same.

Irritated, I asked, “Why does everything in the garden smell like blood?”

Envy gave me a questioning look and I realized maybe it only smelled that way to me.

“What does the garden smell like to you?”

She sniffed, her nose moving so that I wanted to reach out and touch its softness. Resisting, I clutched my hands at my sides.

“It smells of fresh clover, alfalpha, and braeburn apples.” She flicked her tail, angling her head toward the red fruit on the tree.

“That’s what this is. An apple.” My sense of smell blinded me to what it truly was. I plucked one from the tree and placed it in the palm of my hand. And I remembered the gem—Abernathy’s soul.

I sucked in my breath, dropping the apple. Envy sniffed, and picked it up with her teeth. “Have you seen a gem? It’s amber in color and shaped like a teardrop.”

“Are you talking about
the pretty
,
the lovely
,
the gorgeous
, hanging from your neck?” Her head bobbed up and down.

I pressed a hand to my neck. It was there. “How?” I wondered aloud, but knew Envy wouldn’t know. Several huge breaths later, I unhooked the chain from my neck and looked at it. I needed to see it with my eyes. The dragon’s soul still swirled within. The outline of an elf eye was also within.

Sighing, I pressed my fist to my chest.

“As soon as I find Ryden, I need to be moving on. Can you let Devoran know I appreciate his help.” I spoke as I headed toward the room I’d stayed in. Before I left I needed to have one more look in that mirror. Something on the girl called Snow White had to be addressed.

The outside of the room I’d stayed in looked like a crystal cottage. It gleamed in the sunlight, shimmering with hundreds of rainbows.

I stepped inside and went over to the mirror. Snow White looked back at me. “Are you stuck in the mirror?” I asked getting to the point. I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but I asked anyway.

She shook her head.

“Did Sharra send you?”

“I don’t think so. I think this did.” She grasped the gem held by a chain that resembled the one around my neck. The difference was her gem was red, a deep crimson instead of yellow gold.

I glanced down at my necklace. “What is that?” I indicated her necklace.

“The Seal—” she stopped as though she couldn’t tell me.

“Are you somehow here to stop me from collecting the magic I’m trying to preserve?”

She gulped. “No,” she finally whispered. “I think I’m here to help… somehow.”

I shook my head, and I noticed hers shook like mine. “Are you inside my head?” I already knew the answer. How it happened I didn’t know.

“I am,” she said matter-a-factly.

Chapter 9

I had so many questions I wasn’t sure where to start. And I got the feeling she had more than I did.

“Silindra?” Envy stood in the doorway, her sympathetic violet eyes searching. “Can I help, assist, aid you in some way?”

“No.” Then I remembered Ryden. “Can you look for Ryden? I need to find her.”

She bowed slightly, and said, “Of course.” Backing out, she turned and bounded away. I heard her calling Ryden’s name.

I went back to the mirror. Peering closely, I watched her do the same. She wore a white dress. It was simple, elegant, beautiful even. The collar circled against her neck, accentuating the blood red of the gem. The sleeves of the dress were long and her hair was turned under at the end. A white ribbon tied in a bow on top of her head. She looked very young.

“How old are you?” I finally asked.

“I’m sixteen, but I-I think I’m having a birthday soon.” She cleared her throat, and I noticed she fought back tears.

“You think,” I asked simply.

She nodded. “I keep getting these flashes of conversations from where I’m from, from people I care about… one of them. Gabe. He said I had a birthday coming up.”

“Do you know how long you’ve been like this?” I tapped my head. “Inside here.”

A tear ran down her cheek, and as though the feelings were my own, I felt an overwhelming agony.

In my mind I saw a flash of steel. Heard the clips of conversation. Saw her in a beaufitul dress. Watched her get bitten. Saw her kiss a dark-heaired boy. Walked through a room full of magical creatures. Talk to a blond witch she called Cindy. I saw her mother. She was part elf, but this girl didn’t know it. The girl believed her mother was dead. There was a funeral. Her mother lay in a wooden box. Pixilettes I didn’t know visited her. This human girl was special, filled with magic, more than she realized. More even than her friend, the one she called Cindy. The withdrawn chayot, Oberon, fought the girl. A flash of red light…

I gasped. The visions vanished as quickly as they’d come.

“I think it’s been almost a year, according to my time,” she said, sniffling.

I took a deep breath. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“You’re trying to collect all of the Earth’s magic?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“I think I’m supposed to be with you, help you in some way.” The girl moved back, wiping her wet cheeks with the backs of her hands.

“You aren’t from this time, are you?” I whispered, wishing I could take back the question. I didn’t want to know.

“No. I’m from a much different time—in the future.” Her voice sounded as scared as I felt, though I couldn’t believe it was possible. Fear wasn’t an emotion that plagued me.

Changing the subject, since I didn’t want to understand what she meant. A different time—that made no sense. “You heard what Abernathy said?”

“Yes.” Her lips pinched into a tight line.

I nodded. “Can I only see you in this mirror?”

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice pained.

“It’s alright, Snow White,” I said, trying to bring comfort. “We’ll talk again soon. I need to find my precocious friend Ryden so we can be on our way. If that—” I pointed at her necklace, “brought you, perhaps once I complete the quest you’ll be able to go back to your time.”

A look of fear crossed her face.

“Oh, Silindra. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault you’re stuck in my head.”

She gulped. “That’s not what I meant exaclty. See, G—”

“Silindra, I’m here!” Ryden flew into the room.

I turned. “Where have you been?”

She shrugged, her teeny cream cheeks blossoming a deep shade of chartruse. “Too much watermelon juice,” she said.

“Humfph.” I lifted the mirror off the wall. “Hang in there, Snow White,” I said. The mirror vanished.

… “Happy birthday, Snow Angel. I… don’t know if you can hear me, but I love you. Daddy’s here. And when you wake, the two of us are going to catch up on daddy/daughter time. Okay, sweetheart?”…

Chapter 10

I tried to bring the mirror back, but it wouldn’t reappear. “If you can hear me, Snow White, I’ll figure out a way to bring the mirror back, but we’ve got to move on.”

I know. It’s okay.
I heard her voice inside my head.

“Ryden, let’s go. We need to find a…” I stopped and glanced at Envy. She stood a little ways off, her tail swishing behind her, her bright eyes watching.

“You need the healing power of a unicorn horn, don’t you? Am I right, correct, assured?” Envy asked slowly.

I closed the door to the cottage. “Yes, that’s right.” I glanced errantly at her stubby nub, at the spot where her horn was trying to grow. “I planned to speak with Lorenze, the leader of the unicorns.”

Envy shook her mane. “No need, you can have mine, as soon as it’s fully grown, developed, supplanted.”

I smiled. Meeting this sweet creature, seeing the way she loved so unconditionally, filled me with a joy I hadn’t experienced in a while. “Thank you, Envy, but I couldn’t ask that of you.” I moved toward the waterfall, enjoying the loud roaring, and the way the mist splashed against my skin. Ryden and I would fly to the land of the unicorns. It would be a quick trip.

Ryden fluttered near my ear. “Where are you going to put the horn, anyway?”

I didn’t respond. Ryden didn’t know the whole plan yet. She didn’t understand what I was doing. I would tell her, of course. I told her everything. But I hadn’t found an opportunity yet.

“Silindra, it’s my destiny, my fate, my calling, to do this,” Envy said, trotting so that she blocked my way.

I looked at her, searching her kind, generous eyes. “But your horn is still growing.” I reached out to touch it, but resisted. “Does it hurt very much?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s fine. My horn will be ready very shortly, soon, swiftly.” Her long black lashes batted considerately.

“Envy, I’ve lived a long time. For a couple of centuries I even dwelled in the land of the unicorns. And I know it takes years for a horn to regrow.” I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I would’ve done anything to keep her from more pain, but her horn couldn’t grow as quickly as I needed.

She whinnied, shaking her head. “If you’ll believe, I promise, when the time comes, it’ll be ready, developed, complete.”

How could I tell this amazing creature no? It was impossible. I wouldn’t. It might take longer than I’d planned, but if Envy believed it was her destiny, then I wanted to make her happy.

“Thank you so much, Envy. I’ll go to the trolls next. I need their strength. On my way back, I’ll stop here and check on you.”

Envy laughed. It was a neigh-whinny-neigh type laugh. I had to join in.

“Okay?”

“I’ll come with you. It’ll be fun to travel, to voyage, to trek,” Envy said, pushing her nose against my thigh.

“Oh, I—”

Envy interrupted. “Don’t say no. I’m supposed to go. Devoran even decided, agreed, approved.”

If I took her we’d have to walk. Or, I guess I could carry her, if she let me. “Ryden and I are going to fly.”

“Oh, to fly, to soar, to flutter!” Envy closed her eyes. Her lashes trembled against her lids and her whole body shook, like she concentrated too hard. A black cloud twisted around her legs, and over all of her body, like velvety tendrils.