Holiday Magick (4 page)
Valentine dropped the roses at the wizard's feet and picked up the letter. He could smell Daniella's perfume all over it and eagerly tore open the seal.
My Dearest Valentine
,
I miss you terribly. I wish you were here with me this very moment so that I might see your handsome face. I hope you know how much I love you and how grateful I am that you are trying to find a cure for this wretched disease
.
Still, my father tells me that there is no cure and because of that, I ask that you please return to me at once. I miss you and would like to spend the rest of my life, however long that might be, with you
.
I received the chocolates and they were truly divine. Even from afar, you remain successful at making me smile. The Healer has asked me to tell you though, that they did not work. The virus still has a hold on my body. Please give up on your quest and return to my arms
.
Yours Forever
,
Daniella
Valentine read the letter three times before he carefully folded it along the seams and looked up at the wizard. He felt his eyes brimming with tears and did nothing to hold them back.
“I take it we were unsuccessful,” the old man said flatly. He was trimming the stems of the roses to diagonal points that looked sharper than the thorns.
“Is that our next cure, then? White roses?”
“You've recovered quickly.”
“Not recovered at all actually, but ready to try again. Ready to save her life.” It broke Valentine's heart to know that he was denying Daniella her dying wish that he return to the castle, but he consoled himself with the fact that she would not die. No matter what the old man said, Valentine would never let that happen.
“Patient
and
resilient. You are a lot stronger than I gave you credit for.” He looked up at Valentine standing over him. “Which is good, because it only gets a lot worse from here.”
Valentine lay on his back, shirtless; the wet grass soaked into his shoulders and hair. All the wizard had told him was that the next task would be difficult, and he wished he had some inkling of what was to come.
“One dozen white roses.” The old man knelt beside Valentine's chest. “Twelve white roses shall turn to red, if the lover's heart is properly bled.”
“Mind filling me in on what that
actually
means?”
“Valentine, you must listen to me closely and heed my words.” The ominous tone in the wizard's voice quickly cleared the air.
“I will now pierce your heartâ”
“Excuse me?!”
“Not enough to kill you, but enough for each rose to capture a single drop of bloodâ¦andâ¦wellâ¦hurt like bloody hell.”
“You're crazy!”
“I will pierce your heart in twelve different places with these twelve roses, and together, they will stand as a bouquet on your chest.”
“Oh my God⦔ Valentine felt his heart rate quicken and his chest tighten.
“If you do not remain calm, the roses will fall, and the spell will be broken. It takes a lot of energy for me to perform this magic and I will not do it twice. No second chances, do you understand me?”
Valentine imagined Daniella lying in her bed, just as he was lying now. Sick and frail, she was fighting to stay alive so that they might see each other once more. If she could fight through the red virus, surely he could manage to fight through this spell. In just a few moments, his breathing slowed.
“You will sweat profusely,” the wizard continued, “as all of your muscles will have to work together in order for you to remain perfectly still. Do not let anything break your concentration or all will be lost.” The wizard lifted up the first rose and quickly asked, “Are you prepared to do this for your love?”
Valentine knew the answer. “Yes.” The wizard began to lower the rose to his chest.
“Wait!” Valentine yelled.
“Sheesh! Already?”
“How long will I have to hold the bouquet for?”
“As long as it takes the roses to turn the red of your blood.” Valentine noticed the old man averting his eyes. “I've never actually done this beforeâ¦so I'm not sure how longâ”
“What?”
“Well it's not every day a young man volunteers for this!” Seeing Valentine's panic, he continued, “Oh, honestly! I know how it's doneâyou'll be fine.” Valentine stared incredulously. “Besides, you don't really have a choice, do you?”
The old man had him there.
“Okay, let's get this over with.”
The wizard slowly placed the first rose directly over Valentine's heart. As it pierced the skin, searing pain shot through his entire body and he nearly smacked the flower out of the wizard's hand. As the fire burned through his very core, he forced himself to clench his teeth and hold still.
With the placement of each subsequent rose, Valentine focused on a different mental image of Daniellaâ
Daniella, smiling by their favorite fountain in the garden
.
Daniella's lips the first time he kissed her
.
Daniella, the moment he knew he was in love with her
.
Daniella, the happiest he had ever seen herâthe day he proposed
.
Daniella on their wedding day
.
As the wizard pierced the twelfth and final rose into his heart, Valentine allowed the tears to flow freely down his cheeks. He could only imagine how attractive Daniella would look in her white gown and carryingâ¦red roses. Yes, she would be surrounded by hundreds of red roses. February 14thâwould Daniella even make it that long? He prayed to God that this would work. All of a sudden, Valentine felt a cold chill by his eyes. He opened them to find the wizard collecting his tears in a small, glass vial. Unable to speak for fear of shouting out in pain, he simply watched as the wizard sprinkled his tears over the flowers. As he did so, Valentine observed the white roses transform in color from pink to orange and finally into a deep shade of red.
“Ah ha! Yes!” the wizard exclaimed. “Roses born of blood, sweat, and tearsâan incredible site to behold!”
The wizard placed his hands around the stems of all twelve roses, clasped them tightly, and yanked them out of Valentine's chest all at once. This time, Valentine could not contain the shrill scream erupting from his mouth.
“OW!!” he screeched, clutching his chest.
“Would you rather I have done it one at a time?” the wizard asked sarcastically. “This was much quicker.”
Valentine sat up and noticed that there was no blood on himânot a scar or any sign at all that he had been pierced.
“Astonishing! How did you do that?”
“I didn't,” the wizard proclaimed as he laid the roses out on the black rock. “The roses didâ¦now let's just hope they work.” And with a few magic words, the flowers disappeared just like the chocolates. Valentine was sure this would work. He had never felt so proud of anything in his entire life as he had in that momentâknowing that
he
had found the cure for Daniella's disease.
On yet another freezing night in the wizard's cave, Valentine gazed at the moon. There would be no way he could sleep tonight even if he tried. In a few hours, the sun would rise and it would be the 10
th
of February. A full week since they had sent the roses, and still no word from the castle on Daniella's condition.
“Are you sure they arrived?”
“Yes, I'm sure.”
“Do you know if they're working?”
“I told youâit takes time.”
“Do you know anything else at all?”
“I know that if you don't stop pestering me I will turn you into a toad!” the wizard threatened. “I told you before that the King's sorcerer will wait seven days to see if the flowers have done their magicâif their essence has flowed into the princess' system. Today is the seventh dayâso be patient!”
“Ah! But this waiting is killing me! What if she is gone already? What if I left her to die alone? What ifâ”
Just then, another letter appeared on the rockâthe King's seal still wet on its fold. Valentine ran to the letter and nearly tore the paper in his haste to read it. His eyes scanned the words so fast he had to force himself to slow down. He simply could not believe what he was reading.
Sir Valentine
,
I regret to inform you that the red roses have had no effect on Daniella's disease and in fact, her condition has worsened
.
In her own words, she has requested that you “stop this foolish search and return to her at once.”
She desires the two of you to be together on the day you would have been married. She will likely pass sometime directly after. Please make haste
.
Cordially
,
The Royal Healer
“I'm sorry, Valentine.”
“This can't be!” He threw the letter to the ground and proceeded to stomp on it. “She cannot die!”
“Valentine,” the wizard said solemnly, “I suggest you return to herâgo say your proper goodbyes.” The wizard stared down at the floor.
“You said there were three spells.”
The wizard did not move a muscle.
“Return to her,” he repeated.
“You said that there were three cures we could try. The chocolates were the first, then the rosesâwhat is the third?”
“You don't want to know.”
“No, old man!” Valentine rushed over to the wizard and grabbed his shoulders. “No! Don't just sit there and tell me to give up. We had a deal! I want that third cure and I want to try it now!”
“I can't!” The wizard began to sob. “I can't tell you.”
“Why not?” Valentine persisted. “Why can't you tell me?”
Silence.
“Why not?” Valentine shoved the wizard so hard that he fell to the floor.
“Because you will have to die!” he spat.
Valentine took a step back. “What?”
“The way the red virus worksâ¦it consumes the heart. It fills the arteries with disease until no good flesh is left and the afflicted dies.”
“Yes, I know all this⦔
“The only way to cure the red virus⦔ The wizard stood up now. “The only other possible cure would be to remove the infected heart and replace it with a healthy one.” Valentine's hand instinctively rose to his chest.
“And not just any heart. It must be the heart of one's true love. Otherwise, the virus will simply attack all over again.”
“I must dieâ¦for her to live?” Valentine thought for a second. “Will it work?”
“I know that you love her,” the wizard said firmly. “I have never seen anyone go through all that you have for one personânot even the King.”
“He knew about this cure?”
“It is the only one that exists. I told him about it all those years ago, but he refused to die for the Queen. Given that, it probably would not have worked anyway.”
“We must go,” Valentine ordered.
“We?”
“Yes. You will come with me to the castle to perform the spell.”
“Valentineâ¦you're only twenty-one years old, you still have much to live for.”
“That is where you're wrong. Without her, my life would not be worth living.”
