eyes glued to the images in the mirror.
“She was begging. She begged me to take you and your brother out of the castle. It was really quite pathetic. She thought she could hide you both in that silly trunk, and you would survive the attack.”
In the mirror, young Cauchemar nodded her head in assent and reached her hand out to the boy cowering inside the trunk. He shook his head and wriggled lower into the trunk. The young queen pulled the boy out onto the floor in front of her. Wiping tears from her eyes, she kissed his cheek and pushed him gently toward the other woman. Cauchemar drew him tightly to her side. The queen reached into the trunk and pulled the baby out and up to her breast. She placed her forehead against the baby’s face; her shoulders shook with sobs. She kissed the baby’s cheek, then handed her over to Cauchemar’s outstretched arms. As Katerina watched the woman sob, she touched her own cheek, on the spot where the queen had kissed her baby.
A single tear rolled down Katerina’s cheek as she turned to look at Cauchemar in the room behind her. “She gave us to you?”
“She knew I could get you out. My powers were still young and new, so I didn’t know if I could carry her as well. We had little time.” Cauchemar shrugged and stepped forward to place her hands on Katerina’s shoulders. “So I did what I could.”
Katerina turned back to the mirror to see the room fill with burgundy smoke. The smoke surrounded Cauchemar, the boy and the baby in her arms, until it was too thick for Katerina to see them anymore. The young queen took a few steps backwards until the backs of her knees hit the trunk, making the lid slam shut. She flopped down onto the trunk lid and blew a kiss toward the billowing smoke, then dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. A bright flash enveloped the room as the smoke suddenly disappeared, taking Cauchemar and the children with it.
“She just gave us to you?”
“She saved your lives. I saved your lives.”
Katerina stared at the woman in the mirror. She could no longer see her face, because the woman had buried it in her hands. She began to yell to the woman to show her face again, but realized the image could not hear her. Katerina reached out to touch the mirror above her mother’s hair. As if reacting to the touch, the woman in the mirror suddenly jerked her head up and stared toward the door. Raising her arms defensively, she opened her mouth in what Katerina could only assume was a scream of terror. The young queen began crawling backwards over the trunk and toward the head of the bed. Katerina gasped in horror as she watched her mother scramble up the headboard. Suddenly, Cauchemar’s hand appeared on the mirror and swiped across the image. The mirror shuddered and hummed again until Katerina was staring at nothing but the reflection of her own tear- and vomit-stained face and the dilapidated room behind her.
“Trust me, child. You don’t want to see what happened next.”
“Mother.” Katerina sobbed and dropped her head to her chest.
“Come now, dear. No point in mourning a woman you hardly even knew.”
“But she gave us to you? Why?”
“Stupid woman trusted her dear, dear stepsister. Little did she realize that I was the one who let the attackers into the castle.”
“You what?”
“I served up a meal of those wonderful little sleeping-peas that the troll king had given me. It was a feast to celebrate your first birthday. The guards all slept, and Thrigor just walked right in. It was really quite beautiful in its simplicity, if a little bloodier than I had expected.”
“But she was your sister.”
“Stepsister. And the bonds of sisterhood meant nothing to her when your grandfather died. She and your father shoved my mother off the throne, and I went from being the child of a queen to being someone the family barely tolerated. My mother was sent to live in your tower in the woods, and your parents would not give me a title,
“She was begging. She begged me to take you and your brother out of the castle. It was really quite pathetic. She thought she could hide you both in that silly trunk, and you would survive the attack.”
In the mirror, young Cauchemar nodded her head in assent and reached her hand out to the boy cowering inside the trunk. He shook his head and wriggled lower into the trunk. The young queen pulled the boy out onto the floor in front of her. Wiping tears from her eyes, she kissed his cheek and pushed him gently toward the other woman. Cauchemar drew him tightly to her side. The queen reached into the trunk and pulled the baby out and up to her breast. She placed her forehead against the baby’s face; her shoulders shook with sobs. She kissed the baby’s cheek, then handed her over to Cauchemar’s outstretched arms. As Katerina watched the woman sob, she touched her own cheek, on the spot where the queen had kissed her baby.
A single tear rolled down Katerina’s cheek as she turned to look at Cauchemar in the room behind her. “She gave us to you?”
“She knew I could get you out. My powers were still young and new, so I didn’t know if I could carry her as well. We had little time.” Cauchemar shrugged and stepped forward to place her hands on Katerina’s shoulders. “So I did what I could.”
Katerina turned back to the mirror to see the room fill with burgundy smoke. The smoke surrounded Cauchemar, the boy and the baby in her arms, until it was too thick for Katerina to see them anymore. The young queen took a few steps backwards until the backs of her knees hit the trunk, making the lid slam shut. She flopped down onto the trunk lid and blew a kiss toward the billowing smoke, then dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. A bright flash enveloped the room as the smoke suddenly disappeared, taking Cauchemar and the children with it.
“She just gave us to you?”
“She saved your lives. I saved your lives.”
Katerina stared at the woman in the mirror. She could no longer see her face, because the woman had buried it in her hands. She began to yell to the woman to show her face again, but realized the image could not hear her. Katerina reached out to touch the mirror above her mother’s hair. As if reacting to the touch, the woman in the mirror suddenly jerked her head up and stared toward the door. Raising her arms defensively, she opened her mouth in what Katerina could only assume was a scream of terror. The young queen began crawling backwards over the trunk and toward the head of the bed. Katerina gasped in horror as she watched her mother scramble up the headboard. Suddenly, Cauchemar’s hand appeared on the mirror and swiped across the image. The mirror shuddered and hummed again until Katerina was staring at nothing but the reflection of her own tear- and vomit-stained face and the dilapidated room behind her.
“Trust me, child. You don’t want to see what happened next.”
“Mother.” Katerina sobbed and dropped her head to her chest.
“Come now, dear. No point in mourning a woman you hardly even knew.”
“But she gave us to you? Why?”
“Stupid woman trusted her dear, dear stepsister. Little did she realize that I was the one who let the attackers into the castle.”
“You what?”
“I served up a meal of those wonderful little sleeping-peas that the troll king had given me. It was a feast to celebrate your first birthday. The guards all slept, and Thrigor just walked right in. It was really quite beautiful in its simplicity, if a little bloodier than I had expected.”
“But she was your sister.”
“Stepsister. And the bonds of sisterhood meant nothing to her when your grandfather died. She and your father shoved my mother off the throne, and I went from being the child of a queen to being someone the family barely tolerated. My mother was sent to live in your tower in the woods, and your parents would not give me a title,
Similar Books
