Page 6 of Snow White

“See?” I whisper.

“Beautiful,” Azura says as she looks out at the water. Her soft smile warms my cold blood, and I have the overwhelming need to cool off. Me? Cooling off instead of warming up? Could this day get any better? Am I starting to settle into my powers? I take a deep breath and remove my shoes, preparing to step into the water.

Chapter Five

Azura

Darkness is swallowing me whole, the pressure rising as I sink deeper into the depths. The light was further away, more and more out of reach. My hands flail uselessly, searching for something to hold, trying to swim against the kelp that wraps around my legs. The slimy plant is tighter than ropes, yanking me down and hoping to drown me. It seeks to have me join the pebbles and color fish that skirt the bottom.

I shoot a desperate glance toward the dying light and my mother standing at the lake’s edge. Her face ripples above the waves, her mouth moving, but I can’t tell if it is a scream or a cackle. She is so beautiful that it is almost cruel. Her pale blonde hair is like mine, but her eyes are jet black, all color completely eclipsed by the dark magic that consumes her. I know her face better than I do my own. It is in my mind at every moment, even in my nightmares. Now it is the last thing I see as I am pulled into the pressing abyss.

She can save me. She will save me. I’m her daughter. Her only child. Her legacy.

Why won’t she save me?

Tears fall from my eyes, only to be swallowed by the water. Tears are useless. I know that. How many times have my tears done nothing for me? How many times has my mother looked at them unaffected? No, tears have never helped me. The kelp tightens around me, drawing me deeper beneath. It’s almost peaceful, the darkness crushing me as I descend, the pressure on my lungs and mind increasing. I could just float away. Just let it happen, open my mouth, and take in that lungful of water. It would be over.

Why won’t she save me?

Soon there will be nothing but darkness. Mother won’t miss me. I doubt she will even notice. She has told me I’m a burden, an unwelcome consequence. I open my mouth to inhale the water, but a kelpie approaches me, its pelt glowing and sparkling. The creature shimmers in the murky water, its shining hooves cutting through the depths as easily as a heated knife through butter. It tosses its head, disturbing the bubbles and slipping forward. It’s a rarity and a special gift for a colt to make itself known to a human.

She’s not going to save me.

I have to save myself.

The kelpie swims closer, dancing around, thinking I’m a new friend to play with. It’s a child, just like me. It doesn’t know that I am the predator.

Tears mix with the water as I reach my small hand out, beckoning it closer. The kelpie makes a sound, pressing itself into my hand. I wish I could be as free as this small creature, able to roam without fear. But it’s too late for me.

The kelpie doesn’t see the knife until it’s too late.

I shoot from the water onto the banks, coughing and choking. My little fingers are still clutching the knife. This time when the tears fall, they are black. Dark magic stains the body as well as the soul. The more I use it, the blacker I will become.

“We rely on no one,” my mother purrs, gliding closer, her long gown not even touching the dirt. “We burn our enemies to ash until all know our name and tremble to look upon us. Fear is the greatest weapon there is.”

I choke up more water. “What about l-l-love?”

She walks away from me as if I’m beneath her notice. “Love doesn’t exist.”

“What are you doing?” I frown at her, trying not to shift uncomfortably at being this close to the water. Even the shallow shores with almost completely clear water make the air seize in my chest. I know the farther away you get, the darker it becomes.

The more dangerous it becomes.

Snow rolls up her pant legs. “I’m going to put my feet into the water to cool off.”

I wish I could laugh with incredulity. Cool off? If there is anyone in danger of overheating, it’s me. The thoughts of Snow on her knees, her lips begging to taste me, pleading with me, are still locked in my head. It is making my body flush with need, and the images in my mind refuse to fade.

“You can’t cool yourself off with a wave of your hand?” I blink, trying to clear my thoughts. How was I this flustered just seeing her toes?

She giggles again, stepping into the water. “I prefer to feel the water on my toes. I usually come here on my own for a swim.”

I tilt my head. “And your father allows that?”

She wades deeper into the water until it hits her calves. My hands fist, my nails digging into my palms. I want to wrench her out of the water. “He does.”

I look down at my boots. Maybe I should take the moment to cool off. I sit down and slowly untie my boots before taking a step into the water. I have to stop myself from bolting. “Oh, it’s cold!”

She looks back at me, frowning. “It is?”

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