Page 72 of Hemlock & Silver
All of which was mythologically interesting, but not terribly useful. I splashed water on my face. Maybe there was a humor associated with god making and the mirror version was deficient in it? Orwasn’tdeficient in it, and the presence of that humor meant that it couldn’t pass through? A mirror-humor, say. Anti-sanguine.
Or maybe Grayling was messing with me because I’d woken him up early.
I made my way down to the kitchen, where the staff was already awake and baking, and begged some cold meat and cheese. As I went, I looked around for mirrors. I’d overlooked the ones in the pocket garden, so what else had I overlooked?
The only ones I found seemed innocuous enough. A band of mirrored tiles no wider than my thumb ran across the top of an alcove in one of the hallways. No one could possibly fit through that. Though perhaps they could pass something through. Like a dagger, or a message.
It was in a thoughtful frame of mind that I went out into the garden to watch the desert come awake. A hummingbird zipped past, focused on the red sage flowers, and I wondered if he was the real-world version of the one I’d carried away.
I sat there for perhaps an hour, soaking in nature’s glory and putting off confronting Snow. Then I went to speak to Rinald, the horse leech, to ask about an herb I’d seen and put off confrontingSnow. Then I went to the workroom, fed the chime-adder, let the rooster wander around, and finally couldn’t invent any more ways to waste time and went to confront Snow.
Getting Snow alone to talk to her was easier than I’d expected. Nurse had planted herself alongside Snow, clearly planning to be present, but I cleared my throat and said that I had a question or two of an… ah… delicate nature, and perhaps she could make sure none of the maids were listening?
I could practically see the fire in her eyes when she thought of the way gossip spread, and she ushered us out to the balcony and went back inside, loudly ordering various girls to fetch things, clean things, and take things away.
Snow went to the railing, then looked back at me with a questioning half smile. “Yes?”
I had been hoping all morning that I’d have an idea about how to approach a twelve-year-old girl about her activities in a bizarre secondary world inside the mirror. Unfortunately nothing had come to me, so I fell back on Javier’s advice.
“I know about the mirror.”
Snow inhaled sharply. I waited to see if there was anything she wanted to say, but she turned and stared out over the desert, her face expressionless.
“I know you were watching me. And I know that it’s mirror-food that’s making you ill.”
She still didn’t look at me, but red lines bloomed around her knuckles as she gripped the railing.
“Snow,” I said, gentling my voice as much as I could, “I’m not angry you were spying on me. Well, I was upset at first, but I got over it.” I really didn’t want to lie to her. I was still grateful to the herbwife telling me the truth about poison all those years ago. “But if you keep eating mirror-food, you’ll get sicker and sicker. What you’re doing is dangerous.”
The sharp, explosive sound that came from her throat held more disdain than words ever could. She finally turned to look at me. “Do you think Iwantto eat it?”
I had to fight my instinct to take a step back. The look in her eyes was of a small, cornered thing turning to bite. “Err… well…”
“Tell me where she’s keeping my sister, and I’ll never touch an apple again.”
“Your sister?” I repeated inanely.
“Rose,” Snow said, in the talking-to-stupid-adults tone that I knew so well from my own childhood.
“But Rose is dead,” I said, because Isobel was right about my tactfulness. I started cursing myself before the last word was even completely out of my mouth. “I’m sorry—”
“You don’t understandanything,” Snow said, her voice as cold and intense as a driving rain. She turned on her heel and stalked away into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Nurse and the maids watched her go, then turned, practically in unison, to look at me. Nurse’s expression had turned hard as glass. She had trusted me, and I’d upset her charge.
“Right,” I muttered. “That went well.” The path to the door, past looks both curious and accusing, seemed to take hours. I mumbled something about coming back later and slunk out.
Well. Now what?
Tell me where she’s keeping my sister, and I’ll never touch an apple again.What did that mean? Rosewasdead. Snow had to know that. Was this some kind of delusion born of grief? And who was theshethat Snow was referring to?
I’d hoped to get more answers, and now I had even more questions. What did Rose have to do with any of this? Andkeeping her? Did she think that someone had kidnapped Rose instead of murdering her?
It wouldn’t be the first time that grief had led to someone making up elaborate fantasies about their loved ones secretly beingalive. I found an alcove with a bench and sat down with my head in my hands.I am not equipped to deal with things like this. This needs someone who understands minds. I just do poisons.
Healer Michael, I wish you were here. You could handle the emotional part.
I rubbed my temples wearily. Well. Healer Michael wasn’t here. And at least now I was sure that Snow understood she was poisoning herself but thought she was doing it for a reason.That’s progress? Maybe?
I’d talk to Javier. Maybe he’d be better with kids. Hell, maybe hehadkids. And he could help me write the letter to the king saying all this, and surely the king could afford the very best healers for broken minds… but if I tried to write anything about the mirror-world in the letter, the king was going to send healers after me, not Snow.
