The Snow Queen's Shadow

dark juice ran down her chin. She blotted it on her sleeve. “It’s a matter of opinion though, isn’t it? A farm boy looks at his first love and proclaims her the most beautiful woman in the world. An educated city man looks at her and sees a bumpkin, plain and dirty. Was young Snow White truly the fairest in all the land? Some might say so, but what does a mirror know of beauty? Why did it choose her, unless it knew what would come of that choice?”
    Talia rested her hands on the edge of the table, which creaked from her weight. “We know about the demon.”
    Noita’s voice was distant. “I warned Rose against it, but she wanted the power. We never should have brought that damned creature into this world. It’s broken free, hasn’t it?”
    “It took Snow,” said Danielle.
    “Then Snow White is gone.” Noita’s words, spoken so matter-of-factly, burrowed into Talia’s chest.
    “You helped my mother imprison the demon,” Gerta said.
    “Yes, though the price was a blot on both our souls.” She rolled another cherry between her fingers. “I’ve no doubt it remembers what I did.” She sighed and sank back in her chair. The creak of her rocking was the only sound, until Talia thought she might have fallen asleep.
    “Noita?” Gerta asked.
    “I warned her,” Noita said. “This was no lesser creature, but a true demon, all but immortal. Her mirror was a thing of genius, but it couldn’t endure forever. I looked to the future, and I saw what would happen when that mirror failed.”
    “What did you see?” asked Talia.
    “My death.” Noita licked her lips, and her gaze flicked to the back door of the cabin. “Fire and chaos. Death and madness, spreading throughout Allesandria. Even working together, Rose and I barely had the strength to trap the demon. Now that it’s free, with Ermillina’s power added to its own, I can’t—”
    “She took my son,” Danielle interrupted. “You helped bring this creature into our world. You will help us to stop it.”
    Noita started to answer, then sighed. “You’re right. I was part of the ritual. I share the responsibility.” She rose and moved to the rear of the cabin. Wood scraped against wood as she pulled open the back door, revealing a view so different Talia thought she might be looking through a magical portal.
    A thin layer of snow crusted a grass path through a flower garden in full bloom. Delicate violets circled a stand of cherry trees. Lilies and snapdragons swayed together in the wind. Sunflowers as tall as Talia bordered the doorway like guardsmen. The smell of magic made her eyes water.
    The plants seemed unaffected by the cold. Not a single leaf or petal marred the ground. The snow crunched beneath Talia’s feet as she followed Noita into the garden. Talia paused after a few steps, remembering what Gerta had said. How many bodies had fertilized these seeds?
    “It’s too still.” Danielle was looking about. “There are no animals. No insects. It’s like a painting or a sculpture, an imitation of the real thing.”
    “Imitation? Pah.” Noita limped to the center of the garden. “Flowers wither and die at the first touch of frost. Trees shed their leaves, sleeping through winter. This is better. My magic flows through this garden, giving it the strength to survive. This garden is as well-protected as the king’s palace.”
    “They’re magical.” Gerta pressed thumb and forefinger to a sunflower’s stalk. “Each flower is enchanted, fed by the flesh and blood of the dead.”
    “All plants feed on the dead, absorbing their strength. It’s the natural course of things.” Noita leaned against an apple tree and rubbed her leg. “You’ve seen the mirror, the vines worked into the platinum frame? That was my magic, strengthening the mirror’s hold. But the spells were Rose’s. Even then, I wasn’t strong enough to imprison this demon on my own.”
    Talia’s eyes were still blurry, and her nose had begun to drip. The floral smell of magic was thick as smoke. It was as bad as being in Snow’s library when she was experimenting with new perfumes.
    “You helped Rose,” Gerta protested, covering a yawn with one hand. “You have to know the spells she used. I could work with you to—”
    “Your mother was always possessive of her secrets. You think she would share this kind of power, even with me?” Noita hobbled to a small stone bench, all but hidden by green, teacup-shaped flowers Talia didn’t recognize. “The