Snow Bites

Chapter Four

Birds were whistling merrily outside Eirewen's window to greet the rising sun. Hedge sparrows and bullfinches hopped from branch to branch. The soft melody wrapped around Eirwen's ears and plunged a dagger into them.

The princess lifted her head and shielded her eyes from the sun's savage rays. Everything hurt, from the top of her head to the tip of her smallest toe. Her pulse throbbed in time with the spikes of pain behind her eyes. This was the worst she'd felt after one of Grimhelde's desserts. Next year she'd say no, this was the last straw.

Eirwen pushed herself out of bed and her knees buckled. The cold stone floor bruised her knees. A whimper forced its way past her lips. Everything would settle soon enough. At least the horrid thirst hadn't returned this time. The rest of the side effects she could ignore until some fresh air had soothed them away.

A sharper whistle followed by a five note melody cut through the obnoxious birds. She smiled and raced to the side of the window. Her body was hidden from view when she peeked out from behind the heavy green velvet curtains. She could just make out Ezekial leaning over the high wall of the courtyard. Eirwen whistled back the melody, exchanging the final low note for a high one.

In a few rushed moments, she pinned back her thick black curls and threw her nightgown aside for one of the dresses Grimhelde had given her from her mother's room. The deep blue dress with the panel of white ruffles down the front of the skirts had the best fit of the lot. The long layered sleeves were the only things she'd considered altering.

Eirwen paused at the door to the courtyard. He'd only ever seen her in her everyday work clothes. Was this too much? Would he think she was trying to look better than she was? She took a step back, biting at the tip of her pinky.

A gloved hand pressed against her upper back. "Go on, princess. Don't leave him waiting too long," Ryker urged her. The huntsman had his crossbow slung across his back and a sack of fresh catches tied to his hip. They were lucky to have him. Each hunt he went on kept them one day farther from starvation.The smell of blood made her nose crinkle.

"Are you sure it's really alright for me to be speaking to him? What if he's working with the people who killed my parents?" she asked nervously.

"You would both have been children when that happened. It's best not to judge people before we truly know them," he advised. Ryker pressed against her back again and tugged the door open at the same time.

Eirwen had no choice but to stumble out into the sunlit courtyard. She squinted and raised a hand to shield her eyes. "Ezekial?" she called. Maybe she'd taken too long and had left. It was impossible to see with the light reflecting off everything in sight.

"There you are," Ezekiel shouted from her left.

The sudden shout startled her half to death. Her heart leapt into her throat like a bird taken down by a snake. It refused to settle. With the unshakeable fright came the unquenchable thirst. Just as the other effects were the worst they'd been, the thirst almost brought her to her knees. She felt arms wrap around her to support her weight.

The world went red.

"...wen! Eirwen! Stop!"Grimhelde was screaming in her ear.

Queen and princess were entangled on the floor, struggling for control of the other. Grimhelde had one arm locked around Eriwen's waist while the other was around her neck. Her grip trembled with the effort to hold the thrashing young woman in place.

Bit by bit Eirwen's senses returned and she went still. Her body sagged against Grimhelde's as the exhaustion overtook her. Across from them she could just barely make out Ryker dragging an unconscious Ezekial away. She reached out for them and her head lolled back.

Eriwen awoke back in her bed, still in her gown with a heavy blanket wrapped around her. She was alone but the hot tea at her bedside told her it hadn't been that way for long. The drapes had been closed tightly but she had no trouble seeing around the darkened room. It almost seemed clearer than before. Small noises from around beyond the door tickled the edge of her hearing. Among them was a steady heartbeat that drove her to her feet.

The hall was as empty as the room. Her bare feet made no noise on the thin rugs running down the center of the halls. The heartbeat grew louder the closer she got to her mother's rooms. It was a thunderous roar by the time she opened the door. Her hands were pressed to her ears to muffle it and then, it was gone. A soft whisper took its place, drawing her to the far wall. Her dress left a trail in the thick dust.

Along the wall she found a loose stone that pulled out easily when she tugged it. The cavity behind it was pitch black, but the whisper urged her on. "Well... how bad could it be?" she wondered aloud. Eirwen reached in with her hand. Her fingertips brushed against rough wood and she pulled a box free.

There was no lock, no latch, the top slid off without any effort. A gold comb rested on top of a small leatherbound book. Green gems made up leaves along the top of the crown with smaller white gems were interspersed among them in the shape of blossoms. Eirwen moved it aside to pull out the journal.

It was held closed by a red ribbon that had withstood the test of time well. The satin still looked new and glossy. The pages inside were just as well preserved and she marveled at the neat flowing writing that filled them. She gasped when she saw her name among the words.

Faint footsteps grew closer to the door she'd closed behind her. Eirwen held her breath, clutching the box and journal to her chest. She looked around for a way out but fear kept her rooted in place. Just when she'd decided to dive under the bed the footsteps faded away from the door. She replaced the stone and ran on tiptoes to the door and didn't stop until she was back in her own room.

It was only a matter of time before Grimhelde would be in to see to her. Eriwen predicted a stern face and harsh words followed by warm hands that would brush her hair back from her face. Hiding the book and comb would be easy enough. There were dozens of hiding places around the room. In the past, Eirwen had used them to hide wayward animals that were seeking shelter from her stepmother. Occasionally she would hide bits of food for the times she was punished for breaking a rule.

Eirwen cleared one of the spaces of a failed attempt at needlepoint. Maybe she could finish it while she was trapped inside this time. The comb went back in the box first, but she couldn't resist opening the journal again. There had been a passage that hooked into her mind and demanded answers. It was near the front in what she believed with her whole heart to be her mother's handwriting.

This was the closest she'd come to hearing her mother's voice since she could read. Her voice was a faded memory now. Seeing her name written brought it back to life, but only briefly. She prayed Grimhelde would be brief in her lecture so she could return to the ghostly memories that swam just out of her reach. Already, questions were tumbling over each other after reading a few lines.

'My dear Eirwen, it is time you knew of our true legacy, that of the nachtengel...'