The Snow Queen's Shadow

learn the truth. Mother left the capital and headed east, following the river. I remember Noita’s cabin being near the shore . . .”
    “Near the shore of which river?” Talia scowled at the second, smaller stream, which veered away at an angle from the first. The wolf’s senses were no help, since she didn’t know what exactly she should be tracking.
    Gerta cupped her eyes and peered at the sun. “I only saw the outside, but it was a small cabin, probably one room. The windows were colored glass, square panes of blue and red. I remember the smell of flowers, and two oak trees that grew to either side of the door. They reminded me of soldiers guarding the entrance.”
    “We could split up,” Danielle suggested. “If we each follow one fork—”
    Talia brushed the black fur of her cape. “This cape is the only thing stopping Snow from finding us. We stay together.”
    “Maybe someone else should take a turn wearing that,” Gerta suggested. “You’ve been fighting the wolf’s influence for a long time without rest.”
    “I’m fine,” Talia snapped. “Or I will be as soon as you find the damned witch.”
    Gerta smiled. “You see what I mean? That was testy, even for you.”
    Talia started to respond, but caught herself. Gerta was right. The magic of the cape gave her strength and speed, but at a cost. She wanted to hunt, to fight. “So how do we find it?”
    “I was created from magic and memories.” Gerta kicked a chunk of snow into the water. “I need to relive that memory.”
    “How?” asked Danielle.
    Gerta unfastened the clasp of her cloak and handed it to Talia. “We were cold. Snow hadn’t thought to bring extra clothes, and she was afraid to try magic, for fear that our mother would notice.”
    The back of Talia’s neck tingled, and a burning smell indicated the presence of magic as Gerta paced a wide circle. Gerta traced her footsteps a second time, then a third, until a shadow began to form in the center.
    Each pass solidified the illusion, painting a young girl with long black hair and cheeks red from cold. Talia’s chest tightened as she recognized a much younger Snow White. She wore a thick blue dress, but her hands were bare, and she clutched her arms over her chest for warmth.
    “Stay down,” hissed the young Snow. “Do you want her to see us?”
    Gerta crouched low, peering upstream at something Talia couldn’t see. “Where do you think she’s going?”
    Snow flashed a gap-toothed grin up at Gerta. “Why? Are you scared?”
    “I’m not!”
    “You’re afraid she’ll throw you into a pot and boil the flesh from your bones, aren’t you?” Snow poked Gerta’s shoulder. “Then she’ll raise you from the dead and make you dance every night, nothing but a skeleton with your bones clattering against the floor.”
    Danielle stepped closer. “She was a morbid child, wasn’t she?”
    “Look who raised her,” said Talia.
    Gerta appeared not to notice them as she huddled beside Snow, shivering. “I don’t want her to lock us away again.”
    “She can’t punish us if we don’t get caught!” Snow cupped her hands to her mouth and blew, then jammed them back beneath her armpits. “She’s probably just collecting ingredients for a potion, or something like that.”
    “Alone in the woods?” Gerta asked. “In the middle of winter?”
    “Maybe she’s discovered a fairy plot,” Snow said eagerly. “She could be disguising herself as one of them to learn their secrets.”
    “There are no fairies in Allesandria,” Gerta said primly.
    Snow stuck out her tongue. “Shows what you know. I saw a pixie in the sky just last month.”
    “Did not.”
    “I did so!” Snow punched Gerta in the arm. “Come on, before we lose her.”
    They hurried upstream, following the larger branch of the river until they reached a stone bridge. Snow raced across, stopping only to toss a rock into the water. She and Gerta laughed and shushed each other as they ran through the woods.
    The horses followed behind them, staying close to Danielle. Talia searched the trees, but the woods were quiet, save for the occasional crow.
    “Maybe she’s not even human,” Snow said. “Maybe she’s a monster who plans to eat us both!” Her laughter gave the lie to her fears, though Gerta appeared worried.
    Snow and Gerta led them to a small clearing at a bend in the stream. The air was warmer here, and the snow was little more than a thin crust over the branches. The cabin was built back