Snow Bites

Chapter Nine

Magic faded from the mirror. It came and went so easily these days. Heldie crossed her arms over her chest and walked calmly across the room to the plush sofa beneath the window. The scent of lavender and apples wafted from it as she sat. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her goblet to her and drank deeply from the rich red wine inside.

"How can she have hidden so long, Ansel?" Heldie asked the raven perched on the window sill. He twisted his head over his shoulder to look out at the forest surrounding the castle. Ansel had come to her a few months after Eirwen's disappearance and she'd known from the moment he arrived that he was to be her familiar. He'd become her eyes and ears after that and combed the forest daily.

Eirwen had been gone a year now. Her fifteenth birthday came and went without any word of senseless murders. Heldie was thankful for that at least. She knew the beastly child hadn't gone feral. Maybe her family really had found her first. That would certainly explain why she hadn't been able to sense her in all this time.

Outside in the courtyard, Ryker was preparing to do his daily search. The circles under his eyes were visible even from the tower Heldie locked herself away in day after day. He was still foolishly holding out hope that one day Eirwen would come home and everything would be as it was.

Heldie scoffed and threw the empty goblet to the side. It clanged against the stone floor til it rested in front of the mirror. That useless mirror. She'd poured her magic into it day after day to strengthen it. Her very soul was tied to that mirror now but it failed her time after time.

"I am surrounded by failure," Heldie muttered.

Ansel squealed indignantly and took flight. The damned featherbrain was too sensitive for his own good. Being so closely tied to her own emotions, Heldie had thought he would be less emotional.

"It would seem I have only myself to blame." She stood and checked on Ryker's progress in the courtyard. He was just out of sight and she knew now was the time.

There had been a wild idea in Hedlie's mind since Eirwen had gone missing. The list of places the insolent brat could have gone had initially been longer than she cared for. They'd spent months combing the areas until the snow forced them inside. Now that the last of the snow had fully melted, Heldie had one last place to search out the wayward princess.

When Eirwen was young, so young her father was still alive, Heldie had taken her into the town down the mountain. They had spent the day browsing the shops and meeting the townsfolk. Heldie had thought it would be a good idea to let the princess become accustomed to other people.

That had been before her father showed his true colors.

That had been before Eirwen gave into her curse.

It was the only place Heldie had yet to check as she'd heard no news of unexplained deaths. If Eirwen had learned to properly blend in though, she could have found a way to satiate her hunger unseen. Every town had its share of drifters that no one would miss. The snow would have hidden them away from prying eyes.

Heldie hurried down the corridors, her magic forming a cloud around her as she walked. By the time she reached the large entry hall her fabulous gown was gone in favor of a simple peasants dress. It reminded her of the worn down clothes Eirwen had always worn. A sharp pain pierced her heart but it was gone in seconds. She'd long since learned to push away any feelings of affection for the girl.

The floors of the grand room were covered in a layer of dust so thick Heldie could see the trail she left behind her. A decade ago there had been great balls and festivals had been held within these walls. For a moment Heldie could hear the music of Dreikönigstag surrounding her as she was brought inside from the cold air. Little Eirwen, hardly able to walk, had run to greet the stranger with a wide smile. The queen hovered at her shoulder.

Now the room was used for magic that Heldie's tower could not contain. Heldie called on that power now and watched the portal form in front of her. Nearly half a decade had passed since she'd visited the town but she still remembered its general layout. Thick trees appeared within the ring of silver light and Heldie stepped through.

Immediately the smell of dust and disuse left her and was replaced by sap and a cold spring breeze. The wind pulled at her thick scarf that hooded her head. It flapped around her ears until she managed to secure it again. Heldie stepped out with her back hunched and her hands collapsed under the front edges of her cloak.

No one paid her any mind except to call her a worthless beggar under their breath. They avoided her as if she'd curse them with her presence. Heldie had half a mind to do something so wicked to them. Instead, she found a quiet street and walked around with a noticeable limp. The crowds began to thin as people finished their early morning shopping. Finally, she saw what she'd been looking for.

Heldie called out to the three small children who'd run by her little resting space. They stopped, the tallest nearly knocking over the one in front of her. Heldie beckoned them forward with a crooked finger.

"Won't you three help a poor old lady?" she asked them, making her voice waver. When they hesitated, she reached into a deep pocket and held out three small apples. A thin layer of red sugar candy coated them and made them shine in the sun.

The oldest girl took one and nodded for the other two to do the same. "What's an ol' lady like you lookin for round here?" the girl asked.

"I'm looking for my granddaughter, have you seen her? Her hair is darker than the night, skin whiter than snow and lips red as an apple at harvest," Heldie said slowly. She watched their teeth tear into the red flash of the apples. The juice dripped off their chins and the whites of their eyes shrank to nothing.

The youngest shook her head, seemingly robbed of her voice.

The oldest swallowed down another bite and shook her head as well. "No one here like that."

"Have you noticed anyone strange at all?" Heldie had straightened up to stand at her proper height so she could see past their heads more easily. It was unlikely anyone would recognize her here in town. They hadn't seen her in nearly a decade., Parents would still be weary about the stranger with their children.

"The forest men are weird," the middle child finally mumbled. She pointed behind her at the expansive forest. "They go out there and hide in their mines. Mama says they take naughty children using their magic."

Heldie followed the girl's steadily pointing finger. Something about magic forest men was familiar to her. There'd been a rumor back home about miners to the east with eyes like gems. Was it possible they kept a barrier over the forest to block magic sight? The forest had always been the one place her mirror couldn't see.

If they had taken Eirwen she'd be invisible to Heldie, but she would know where to send Ryker now.