Chapter 5

L ong wispy tendrils wrapped around her throat, squeezing the breath out of her. She gasped as she clawed at the spectral fingers. Again, she heard that voice in her head.

I am coming for you .

Her eyes started to water. She tried to suck in a breath but it was useless. Whatever held her was not letting go until it crushed the life out of her.

Light glinted off a blade as it slashed downward through the black mist. A hissing sound and then it released and retreated back into the shadows, disappearing. The buzzing stopped. Snow crumpled to the ground in heap. She sucked in long breaths, forcing air back into her lungs. A pair of shiny black boots stood next to her. She tilted her head back and looked up to see Ardan standing next to her, his sharp gaze on the trees around them.

"Snow!"

It was Yirrie who crouched next to her. "Are you all right? What happened?"

She tried to answer but it was Ardan who spoke.

"There was a black mist."

As Yirrie helped her to her feet, Snow saw Arden held a sharp dagger in his hand. A dagger that had likely saved her life. A dagger with the most unusual shimmering blade. Tasnia moved into their circle of light, concern pinching her aged face.

"You saw this black mist?" she asked.

"I did." Ardan turned to Snow then. "It was trying to kill her."

Yirrie gasped and then whimpered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her tight. Elator made his way over to them, then.

"Where did it go?" he asked.

"Back into the shadows," Snow said, her voice weak and rough.

"What was it?" Yirrie wanted to know.

"Magic," Snow whispered. "Dark magic."

"Where would dark magic come from?" Elator asked. His gaze was firmly on Tasnia.

The first thought that came to her was that it was Seraphina. As far as Snow knew, though, she didn't know she was still alive and living in the Wyldwood Forest.

Or did she?

How could she have discovered this truth?

And did she use Snow's friend, Annilen, as bait to flush her out of the elven village and find her?

Annilen? she asked, sending the thought toward the forest sprite.

There was no answer.

Tasnia's eyes glinted hard as she looked at Snow. "There hasn't been dark magic in these woods in a very long time. These woods are safe."

"Well, they are no longer and the dark magic is back," Elator snapped. "We must do something to protect ourselves."

"To protect Snow," Ardan corrected. "The black mist came for Snow."

She cut him a glance. He had a firm look on his face as though he was certain he knew what he saw. But how did he when all the others were frozen in time?

"Then Snow White must leave this place," Tasnia said.

Snow stiffened, sucking in a sharp breath as she peered at the woman she had known most of her life. Tasnia's hard gaze was on hers and there was something about her stance that told Snow she was not willing to budge. How repulsive it was to see the woman was so willing to throw her out of the village.

"No!" Yirrie said, her voice hard and firm. She squeezed Snow tighter. "I will not allow it."

"She is—" Tasnia began.

"She is part of this village and my daughter," Yirrie insisted.

"And mine," Elator added. "We will not allow you to send her away."

Snow flushed hot at the vehement words from her adoptive parents who were determined to keep her alive and safe within the confines of their village. She knew, as Tasnia did, that she did not belong. She was, after all, human. The pendant with the rose and crown was a stark reminder of that and her true identity.

Tasnia's eyes flickered from Yirrie to Elator, then back to Snow. It was clear the Elder was not enamored with Snow. If it was up to her, Snow would have never been allowed to stay in the village in the first place.

"We, the Elders, will use our magic to protect the village. But only if Snow White promises to remain within its borders. It is the only way to safeguard her and our people."

"She promises," Yirrie said, her tone taut.

A hot flush went over her as Snow shifted from one foot to the other and Yirrie squeezed her tight. There was no way she would make such a promise. The forest called to her. It made her whole again to return night after night and be a part of nature and with all the nocturnal animals that inhabited it.

There was still that hard, unforgiving glint in Tasnia's eyes. Finally, she gave a stiff nod.

"Very well. I will gather the rest of the Elders. We will do what we can to protect our village from more of this…dark magic. For now, I think it best we end the night and return to our homes."

There were grumbles from the other guests, but most of them already slipped away and returned to their homes. Yirrie held tight to Snow as Elator came to her other side. He eyed Ardan who still held the dagger in his hand.

"You can put that away now," Elator said, his voice soft.

Ardan, as if realizing he still held it, sheathed the weapon into its holder attached to his belt, which was concealed by his tunic. Snow met his gaze and gave him a nod of gratitude. He reciprocated her silent appreciation with a small but genuine smile. It made her stomach flutter.

"You saved her?" Elator asked.

"I did," he said.

"How?" Snow demanded. "All the others were frozen in time."

"I was, too, for a moment. But I focused on your vines." He reached a hand out. The tip of his finger brushed down the delicate petals of one of the flowers on her shoulder. "The flowers were shriveling. I realized something was terribly wrong."

She glanced down at the flowers that were, indeed, shriveled all along the vines she had conjured. Their petals were puckered into nothing more than dried up wrinkles.

"How did you break free?" Snow wanted to know.

He shook his head. "I don't know. Only that I was compelled to reach for my dagger. I did the only thing I knew to do. I slashed through the black mist. That's when it released you and disappeared."

Yirrie released Snow long enough to wrap Ardan in a fierce, tight hug. "Thank you, Ardan."

When she released him and stepped back, he gave Snow a weak smile, as though he was not sure what to make of Yirrie's sudden affection.

Valda made an appearance then, taking her brother by the hand. "We're going, Ardan."

As she tugged him away, she flashed Snow a look of displeasure, as though she were unhappy he was speaking to her now. Snow ignored her, though, and kept her attention on Ardan whose focus never left hers as he walked away. A delightful fluttering danced within her chest as her heart skipped a beat.

She immediately squelched that feeling. While Ardan's attention was lovely, she knew the Elders would never allow their courtship.

"I think we should be going, too," Elator said. "The Elders are using their power to protect the village."

Yirrie nodded. She returned to Snow's side, putting an arm around her shoulders as they walked back to their home. She glanced down and noticed the tear in her skirt.

"Oh, Snow. Your gown…"

"It can be repaired, my wife," Elator said, sounding weary.

Snow glanced at him as he rubbed a hand down his face and sighed. She almost laughed. So Elator found his wife just as exhausting as Snow did on some occasions.

"Yes, of course. I'll have Zaliya repair it."

And that was the last they spoke on the short walk back home.

That night, Snow laid in her bed curled on her side peering through the window. Moonlight slashed through the trees, sending blue-white beams to the ground. There was something mystical about it. Something that seemed to call to her.

Unable to sleep, she pushed off the bed covers and rose, placing her bare feet on the plush rug. She perched on the edge of her bed, plotting. She should not be thinking about slipping out into the night, especially after what happened that evening at the festival.

And yet, she could not stop thinking about Annilen. The forest sprite had not responded to any of her calls. She needed to know her friend was all right.

She slipped out of bed and, rather than dressing, pulled on a dressing gown over her nightdress. At the window, she pushed it open and paused, taking in the verdant scents of the evening as they wafted to her. Inhaling, she closed her eyes. As the wind fluttered by, she smelled the nightingale flower blooming somewhere nearby, damp leaves from a recent rain, and the woodsy scent of trees.

Perching on the window ledge, she swung her legs out and, after taking one more deep breath, she hopped out of her window. Her feet landed on the cool grass and then she headed around the end of the house toward the edge of the forest. She needed to find Annilen.

She took her time as she made her way along the path, her feet silent as she placed slow, methodical steps. The path she had come to know as well as anything.

In the clearing, she saw the unicorn again grazing in a pool of moonlight. It lifted its head, the spiral horn luminous in the shimmer of pale light and its white coat gleaming. It peered at her for a long moment and then, deciding she was no threat, went back to grazing.

Snow watched it for another moment, smiling as she watched the peaceful sight of the animal. Then she was off again, heading deeper into the forest. Her senses were open to her surroundings, but she was unable to locate the sprite.

Finally, she came to the foot of Faradill. She placed her hand on the massive trunk, closed her eyes, and said a brief blessing.

Hello, my friend , he said in her mind.

Faradill, where is Annilen? she asked without preamble.

His reply was cryptic. She was here. And then she wasn't.

What did that mean? And where had Annilen gone?

Snow sank to the ground, crossing her legs in front of her. She placed her hands on her knees and waited, leaving her senses open to all that surrounded her. Something nearby rustled the underbrush. It was nothing but a tiny red fox that popped out. Its dark eyes met hers.

Have you seen Annilen? she asked the fox.

Its nose twitched. No, my lady. And then it was off.

Snow closed her eyes, concentrating on the location of her friend. At last, she sensed the fluttering of wings near her face. A smile crossed her lips as she opened her eyes, relieved to see Annilen dancing on the wind. She held up her palm to allow the sprite to land. When she did, she sank down, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. Her wings stopped fluttering and dropped behind her.

"You're all right," Snow said. "I was worried."

"Snow, something dreadful happened," the sprite said.

"Tell me. What is it?"

"A darkness crept into the forest," she said. "Unlike anything I have ever seen before. It was…it was looking for you."

Snow knew this already, of course, because the dark mist found her. "I saw it."

"I shouldn't have called to you," she said. "It's what it wanted."

"What was it?" she asked.

But it was Faradill who spoke in her mind. A Shadow.

Snow turned her head to glance upward at the massive tree. "A Shadow?"

"Yes," Annilen said on a rough whisper. She quickly got to her feet and glanced around as if worried something or someone heard her.

A creature of the dark , Faradill explained.

"Where did it come from?" Snow asked of both Annilen and Faradill.

Annilen shook her head. "All I know is that it appeared suddenly. It used whatever power it had to convince me to call to you." She hung her head. "I'm sorry, Snow."

It was as she thought. The Shadow used Annilen as bait to flush Snow out from the village and into the forest. Leaving the safety of the elves' magic and the security of the village was a risk, but one she had to take to make sure her friend was safe.

"It didn't hurt you?" she asked.

The sprite shook her head. "No, my lady." Then her gaze snapped up to Snow's. "Did it hurt you?"

"No," she said. There was no reason to alarm the little sprite about the attack on her. She didn't want the girl to feel guilty for falling under the Shadow's dark magic.

The darkness has crept back into the forest, Faradill said. It will return.

Chills skittered up her spine. Gooseflesh bloomed along her arms and legs. Though the ancient tree did not say it, she understood he meant the darkness would be back for her.

"I should return home," Snow said. "Before I'm missed."

Annilen took flight, her wings moving so fast they were nothing but a colorful blur. Snow climbed to her feet, placed her hand on Faradill's trunk and said her blessing.

Stay safe, my lady , the tree said.

Annilen flitted back and forth around her head with a sort of nervous energy. "Can I come with you?"

"You want to return home with me?" Snow asked.

She nodded her tiny head. Snow sensed her nervousness and underlying fear. She was afraid to be in the forest tonight. She understood.

"All right," she said. "But just for tonight."

"Just tonight, my lady," she said with a nod.

Together, they headed back through the forest and into the village. Snow climbed back through the window, allowing the forest sprite to enter behind her before closing it with a snap. Then she settled back into her bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin.

Annilen curled on her side on the pillow next to her, her tiny wings curved around her back and her knees drawn up to her chest. Moments later, she was fast asleep. Smiling, Snow settled under the coverlet, allowing her eyes to drift closed.