Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales) by Starla Huchton Page B

tonight.”
    “If it means anything, the ashes speak of good things for you. Take heart.”
    I grimaced. “I asked you not to do that. I’ve no wish to know my future. It’s bad enough I have to hide from a giant scrying mirror now. Promise you won’t read the ashes for me again.”
    “I only wanted to make sure you were safe, dearest one.”
    “I understand, but please respect my wishes.”
    “May I ask one question first?”
    “If you must,” I grumbled.
    “You’ve not been hiding something from us, have you?”
    “What?” I said, confused. “No. Of course not.”
    “But the ashes said there’s someone—”
    “I don’t want to know about the ashes,” I interrupted. “Leave me with my illusions of free will. I make my own choices.”
    “As you wish.”
    Her remarks brought up another concern of mine, so I disregarded the ashes and pressed on through my exhaustion. “But this mirror of his, should I worry? The sheer size of it, and the power I sensed from it, could he use it to discover me?”
    The smoke wavered as she thought on it. “Hmm, I think you’ll be fine. A mirror such as that can only show what can be reflected. With Lucinda’s gift as well as your own talents, I think he’ll not be able to weed you out. If he turned to the Royal Guard with the matter, that means he wasn’t able to acquire the knowledge on his own. Be careful, however. I know you’re tired. Keep a clear head if you can, and get some rest.”
    I yawned. “Well, that’s some comfort, but I don’t think I’ll be well-rested until I’ve slept for a week.”
    “In due time, dearest one. You’ll be with us again soon. For now, sleep well.”
    “I shall try.”
    I doused the fire, succumbing to slumber in moments.

    Three nights passed before I returned to the secret room again. It took longer than my sisters thought to assemble words that might find the useful entry in the Dinnish book of the king’s. They sent a small bundle consisting of a tiny parchment and an impression crystal, which I stashed away with my bow and quiver. The parchment contained a list of ten things to search for, which I memorized and promptly burned.
    Another impediment to my progress was in having to wait for the man to leave his evil workshop. To say “evil” was not an exaggeration. What little Dinnish I was able to translate in the book chilled my blood. As such, I couldn’t risk entry if there was a chance he was inside. For three more nights I waited, dozing in the cold December darkness, and he did not emerge.
    Unable to trust my faculties from lack of sleep, I took a night for myself. Finally, the next night, I caught the king leaving and could put myself to work in earnest. It was a slow and painful search, and I was only able to read through a quarter of the tome that night.
    Two more visits over the course of the next week, and I finally hit on a possibility. The words for “bloom,” “eternity,” and “death” appeared on the same page three-quarters of the way in. Of course, I couldn’t be sure this was the thing I sought with total surety, but it was the best I had. Taking the pink-hued crystal from my pocket, I set it against the page and whispered to it.
    “Preserve what my memory will not.”
    The crystal glowed from the inside, the illumination spreading out until it covered the page. The glow flared to full brightness, and I looked away until it was finished.
    A sudden unease crept over me. In that instant, I knew I had to run. The wards were rigged to send the room’s occupants a warning in the form of fear.
    Slamming the book closed, I rushed to the stairs and out the door, sealing it as quickly as I could before bolting further into the woods. I didn’t stop until I was well clear of the ward and concealed in the underbrush.
    There, panting against the frosted ground, I realized I’d made a grave mistake.
    The scrying mirror was still covered.

    “Good morning, Highness,” I said as Prince Leopold found me