To read from the beginning, start here.
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A strange sort of restlessness afflicted Vasilli that night. Sleeping in camp had never bothered him before, yet tonight he tossed and turned on his bedroll. Finally, he got up. His horse, the mighty war stallion Bellani, seemed in much the same state as his master when Vasilli walked down to where the horses were tied. The stallion nickered softly at his approach, lifting his head to sniff at the air. An unnatural breeze blew through the air, causing both horse and master to tense and look toward the trees. Rustlings therein dusted snow off branches, forming an ominous cloud that made Vasilli’s hair stand on end. When he looked into the darkness, a glimmering pair of eyes stared back at him.
Smiling, he gave his head a shake, untied Bellani’s reins, then swung up onto the animal’s back.
“Come, friend,” he whispered over the stallion’s neck. “Perhaps we’ll have better luck with the hunt at night.”
Horse and rider headed into the woods blind because, although there was a full moon, a misting fog had rolled down from the mountaintop almost as soon as Vasilli had sighted the deer. At least he thought it a deer. Maybe it was a girl—a peasant girl with pale hair and shining blue eyes.
His heart jumped at the idea.
He’d tried to tell himself he hadn’t secretly been hoping the little bread thief from the fair hid and spied on him in the trees. Surely, a deer to take back to his people made more worthy quarry than some waif from a thieves’ camp. But as he and Bellani waded into the thick, shadowed fog, excitement filled his spirit that had nothing to do with food or hides.
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“Does he come?”
“Shh, yes Rayna. Now be quiet or the sorceress’s minions will hear us. She plants spies everywhere in these woods.”
The snow fairy nodded, saying no more as they went about their task. Anna, their brave little troupe’s leader, came up with the idea to find the king and lead him to their foundling. They didn’t want to see another young woman taken from the world to be transformed into a member of Sleya’s menagerie, as all of them had been. The sorceress lured young girls into the woods with her magic, stealing their memories with a spell so they couldn’t remember their real homes. She turned them fae and added them to her collection. Anna and her fairy sisters couldn’t bear the thought of that happening to the maid who’d fallen into Sleya’s lair today.
Earlier, while the girl rested, Anna snuck to the edge of the forest and caught sight of the hunters. She knew, at once, they were human, and from the Northern Kingdom. Everyone knew their land lived under a curse. The fairies had seen them before, moving around the enchanted lands, hunting and gathering supplies to save their kingdom from dying.
Quickly, Anna and her friends hatched the plan to convince the king and his men to take the maid back to the outside world, before Sleya’s magic had a chance to work and she forgot. They led her to the snow wolves’ den, then used light magic to make her sleep and left her with the canines to watch over her while they sought the king.
Their plan worked perfectly. The fairies stirred up a snow mist, then sent it into the woods to obscure their presence. Now, they worked together at leading King Vasilli of the Northern Kingdom to where the fair girl slept.
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Vasilli chided himself a fool as he continued through the obscuring fog. Surely, he must be mad. He saw glimpses of shadows move in and out of the mist and heard rustles in the bushes so he stayed intent on the chase. When a wolf’s loud howl cut through the night, though, Bellani reared.
“Whoa!” Vasilli gripped the reins tighter, his leg muscles working to keep his seat. “Whoa, boy, easy now.”
As the eerie call died, Bellani stood stock still, pointed ears pricking sporadically at the slightest sound as clouds of stirred mist swirled around him and his rider. Vasilli pulled his sword out of its sheath, sliding off the Bellani’s back to the ground. Whispers rode the fog, or maybe he imagined them. But no, they really were there, faint yet unmistakable.
“Who’s there?” He called out, holding his weapon in front of him.
He waited, straining to hear.
After many moments of silence, he heard the voices again.
“This way,” they said, soft as a breeze.
He swung around in a circle, making Bellani sidestep. Then, through the mist, he thought he saw the outline of a woman appear.
“Show yourself!” He commanded.
Wind blew through the space, clearing it somewhat. Trees and a narrow path through the thick forest suddenly materialized. As his eyes adjusted, from out of the dark, snowy background, rows of feminine bodies took shape. All at once, a contingent of ethereal young women lined either side of the path. Their pale skin glowed, illuminating the snow where they stood at attention like soldiers. They wanted him to see.
“What is all this?” Demanded Vasilli.
Everyone knew magical spirits abounded in these mountains. One had to keep their wits about them when the fae beings of legend were encountered. Before him stood a whole river of enchantresses, wary suspicion freezing in his veins even though the females smiled up at him. Their glassy eyes shone bright with curiosity, maybe even playfulness. Yes, he’d do well to turn Bellani around and make haste out of this bedeviled place.
“Great King Vasilli,” one of the fairy women said. “We know you come here from the Northern Kingdom. You and your men have journeyed through the lands outside this forest many times.” Vasilli held her stare, not sure what to make of her words or the idea that he and his men were known entities to the snow fae. She nodded, finally, a small elegant tilt of her head. “This night, we found a wayward traveler in our woods.”
She turned to the side, indicating with a glance that he look toward the end of the trail. There, a stand of trees bent low, the way pines will when met with a strong winter wind. From beneath their bows, four huge white animals walked through into the clearing.
Vasilli thrust his sword out in front of him.
What trick was this? These wicked fae spirits had led him out into the night and straight into a den of wolves! He backed up slowly, knowing better than to run, for the beasts would only give chase. Even if he managed to outrun them and find his way back to camp through the fog, he had no wish to lead wolves to his men.
The animals’ keen eyes stared at him. They sniffed at the air once or twice, then seemed to lose interest in both him and Bellani. Walking among the fairy women, they wound their way down the line before lying down to rest in the midst of the enchantresses.
“Look there, King,” the fairies leader said.
She stepped to the side, revealing a glow deep within the cave that the snow wolves had emerged from. The cavern was illuminated, though no fire burned—another trick of the Frozen Forest. Yes, now Vasilli knew exactly where he found himself. Looking into the cavern, he saw that, there, in its middle, a person slept.
Covered in animal furs, lay the maid with the pale gold hair. He looked back at the leader of the snow fairies. She gave a nod, telling him to enter. After one more wary glance at the wolves, who lounged, seemingly at perfect ease by their mistresses, he walked into the cave.
It was, indeed, the young woman from the fair. Instead of a den of thieves, however, she slept peacefully in an entirely different kind of den. If not for the cold ride and the brisk air on his face, Vasilli might have thought this all a dream. The maid looked a vision to him. The soft rise and fall of her chest moved the furs she lay under, one delicate arm placed atop the pelts. He noted her small hand with its slim, tapered fingers resting on her hip.
Her long hair spread out around her in a halo. It probably fell to her waist when she stood. It shimmered like spun silk, only a shade beyond some of the furs she lay under and looked just as soft. Vasilli reached out, grabbing a length of it to test the idea, and found his assessment proved true. He lifted his hand, letting it slip through his fingers.
The maid sighed in her sleep, her mouth turning up at the corners, tantalizing him with her full lips. They hinted at the lushness he might find elsewhere on her body.
Warmth filled the inside of the cave, despite the cold of the forest and, though the scene was a languorous one, Vasilli knew the dark magic of this place. In the Northern Kingdom, even small children heard tales of Sleya the Sorceress. Her enchanted forest was no place to linger. He’d come near here many times. It bordered his lands, after all. On each occasion, he’d always maintained a safe distance from this particular area. He had to get the girl away from here.
“She doesn’t know about the maiden,” the fairies’ leader said.
Vasilli’s eyes darted to her. It was unnerving, the way she seemed to know his thoughts. “Sorry?” he started to ask.
“The sorceress—she doesn’t know. When we first found the girl, we hid her.” She explained, her eyes on the maid. “We assumed she fell from the mountain.”
“That’s curious, mistress,” Vasilli looked at the fae askance. “I didn’t have to fall.”
The fair’ lips turned up in a small smile. She even blushed beneath her powdery cheeks.
“No, we brought you another way.” Her brow furrowed, the smile leaving her face. “Please, your highness, there isn’t much time. We obscured the way as best we could, but it’s only a matter of time before Sleya finds the maid and changes her for good.”
“Changes her?”
“Into one of us,” the fairy mistress looked at all the others.
Vasilli scowled.
“We thought she might have a home to get back to, someone who’ll miss her. We’ve heard of such things. She mentioned a grandmother.”
Vasilli's eyes pulled away from the blonde girl. The thought pierced his mind that she might have somewhere desirable to get back to… or a man, a husband maybe. He stroked his bearded chin and frowned again.
“Did she tell you her name?” He asked, finally.
“Oh, sire,” a meek voice from one of the rows of fairies chimed. Vasilli took in the petite snow fairy at a glance. She shone under the moonlight where she stood outside the cave, fairly sparkled. He could well understand the allure of these creatures. They inspired much curiosity. “She did give me a name just before she fell asleep again. She said she was known as Nika, by anyone who’d ever noticed.”
Her face took on a confused expression as she spoke those last words. Vasilli might have been charmed by it at any other time. But he didn’t like the sound of what the runaway maid had said. Without any sensible reason, he felt very protective of her.
In the next moment, two fairies came into the den. They wrapped the bed furs around Nika and stepped away. Without any prompting, Vasilli swept the whole small bundle she made up in his arms. He stalked out into the cold with her and mounted Bellani. The snow fairies outside had already dispersed, fading into the dark, along with the wolves. Seated with his charge securely in his lap, he nodded to the main fairy, then made to leave. As he turned Bellani around, he saw the trees in front of the cave move, unfurling from their bent position, their branches lengthening before his eyes. Thick fog rolled up from the forest floor to hide the secret entrance.
“We cannot go with you.” The fairy said. “But we will clear a path, and our friends will take you to the forest’s edge.” As soon as she finished speaking, two of the snow wolves appeared at Bellani’s sided. “Go quickly, King Vasilli. Steer clear of Silver Lake and this forest altogether.”
Vasilli nodded to her, then watched her fade into the mist. With the giant wolves on either side of them, he and Bellani set out through the trees. A strong wind whirled around them, growing in force the closer they got to the edge of the forest, then it started to snow. Vasilli hugged Nika tighter to him, driving the horse forward as the sudden storm worsened. It had materialized in an instant.
Sleya, Vasilli thought, the Winter Witch.
At one point, the snow blew at them so violently Vasilli couldn’t see the path. Yet the girl slept on in his arms. Despite the howling winds and shards of icy snow pelting them, she remained still. The wolves took the lead in front of Bellani. Vasilli followed in their tracks until, finally, they passed through the last stand of trees.
Once they cleared the forest, like magic, the storm stopped. Dark magic, of course, that of an angry sorceress denied her prey. Without a backward glance, the wolves vanished into the trees again. Vasilli knew his way from here. By the light of the sun’s earliest rays, he could make out the trail back to camp.
List of Chapters:
https://amandavshane.substack.com/p/snow-maiden
Chapter Two
https://amandavshane.substack.com/p/snow-maiden-d3f
Chapter Three
https://amandavshane.substack.com/p/snow-maiden-db7
Chapter Four