It would have been easy to kill them all. She could have turned them to ash without even going near them, burned them and pretended she had nothing to do with it they had burned themselves. There are a lot of candles in the castle, and anyone who isnt careful can light their hair on fire. Especially it was Hildegard. Her long, tight black tresses, covered by a smoky veil, will burn so quickly. No one would even have time to help her. Pour a whole bucket of water on her, the fire would be unstoppable. Hildegards crisp brocade outfit would be such good food for the flames. Even better than brushwood or dry wood. Hildegard was on fire. The thought was so tempting and at the same time Rhianon held back for some reason.
Every time she wanted to take out the ministers, someone seemed to whisper to her, «Dont, something terrible will happen to them anyway.» She thought she recognized Setiuss voice.
«They are doomed doomed» those words echoed in her brain every time she glanced at Angus or Clotter, or all the councilors at once. It was as if someone had whispered it to her, but not Orpheus.
«Arent you going to visit the forbidden towers? Or would you rather have Ingot bring you the manuscripts from them itself?»
«I dont need it anymore,» Orpheus question didnt excite her at all, though she would have been worried before.
«Oh yes, you think you know everything,» he pointed to his sides.
«Yes, I do!» Rhianon took the comb herself and ran it through her hair. Maybe she thought she saw a puffy-looking dwarf curl up beside the great trellis. That could have been just a shadow reflected by the mirror. How would Fate manage to sneak into the castle? And why is it? He had already gotten his revenge on her. The pendant she held in her hands simply dissolved. Rhianon still regretted it. It wasnt even that it was magical. She loved beautiful things, and the pendant was capable of taking on various fanciful shapes. She was hurt that it was gone. And it was all Fates fault. If shed really seen him under her feet now, shed have thrown a hairbrush at him. The heavy handle, instructed by mother-of-pearl and carnelian, would have hurt him on the top of his head. Better yet, a snuff-box or casket would have been thrown at him. She could only hope he would not steal it.
But he was nowhere to be found. Rhianon looked at the carpet, then back at the mirror, but she saw that the lid of the snuffbox, strewn with emeralds, had been lifted. Before Rhianon could be startled by some inexplicable power, a leprechaun was crawling out of the empty, velvet-covered interior.
«Ah, there you are, little one,» she nodded graciously in response to his bow. It seemed to be the same leprechaun shed noticed before. She had no reason to catch him to lead her to the treasure, so he followed her himself. But a peasant boy who discovered such a tiny lord in his field would have been delighted. Everyone knows that a captured leprechaun is able to point out the place where the gold is buried. The main thing before that is not to give in to trickery and not to let the little creature out.
She had plenty of gold. What was left in Lorettas treasury was enough for a life without poverty. And Vinor is much richer. And Ferdinand was always eager to share his wealth with her. There was also a talent given by Madael. She became able to see the places where treasure is buried. The glitter of gold beneath the earth beckoned her, like the glow of Dennitsas beauty. Even in Loretta Rhianon had seen such places where ancient treasures lay buried under paving stones, in someones garden, or even in a field. They were probably cursed, but that did not worry Rhianon. All gold is cursed, if you count who it came from. Cursed and blessed all at once. And so was he.
She hastily banished her thoughts of Madael and looked at the leprechaun. He was just clutching a tiny hat with a feather to his narrow chest, waiting for something.
«I hope they didnt send you from the School of Witchcraft? Do they want to watch me?»
«I just realized that my place is with you.»
The thin voice, which to human ears would have been no louder than a mosquitos squeak, was clearly audible to Rhianon.
«Then stay,» she graciously allowed him. She already had a dragon, a harpy, a monkey, and a parrot in her tiny menagerie, so why not have the leprechaun join them. Oh, yes, shed also forgotten about the personal spirit that followed her around. Now, if this went on, shed have her own circus, and even without Loretta, she wouldnt have to worry about making a living.
Staying without Loretta? Why did the thought suddenly cross her mind? The assumption was like a knell. It hurt for a moment.
When the door to the room opened silently, Rhianon jumped frightened. It wasnt that she was afraid of danger, it was just that she wasnt used to anyone entering her room without knocking. Hildegard, however, did not seem accustomed to etiquette.
She did not even curtsy, just walked in and looked at Rhianon, long and intently. At her approach, the leprechaun immediately slipped back into the snuffbox. Orpheus was lurking somewhere behind the curtain. Perhaps he was making faces at his guest. Rhianon could not turn around and check, she was staring just as intently at Hildegard. The black and purple silhouette was like a magnet, attracting and holding her gaze captive.
«I could burn you,» she warned.
«But you wont,» Hildegard reached for her face, the black bouffant sleeve barely visible against the darkness, and the pale, narrow hand at the end of the black cuff seemed to flutter through the air like a firefly.
«Youre very pretty,» Hildegard said, not daring to touch Rhianons skin, though she clearly wanted to.
She already had the ivory-handled hairbrush in her hands. Before Rhianon could see it, the object was gone from the table. However, she was no longer surprised by such small tricks. She could make the studs fly out of the box and stab her rival, but for once it would have been unnecessary. Hildegard clearly felt terribly uncomfortable here herself.
«My hair will be styled by a maid or a chambermaid,» Rhianon almost mentioned that her tiny faeries could do a much more elaborate hairstyle in no time.
«Ill do it better,» Hildegard said smugly.
Rhianon reluctantly nodded. Her unwelcome nocturnal guest was as dark as a shadow herself. The sleeves and ruffles of a cambric shirt flickered at the neckline of the sleeves did nothing to soften that impression. Her face against the jet-black hair looked like a white mask. As soon as Rhianon had taken her place on the dressing table, Hildegard began to brush her hair, gently and carefully. She was afraid to touch the curls with her hair, only gently ran the brush through it. But the luster of the golden curls below her waist clearly delighted her.
«Youre a queen now, you must impress everyone with your clothes and your hair,» Hildegard whispered. «You are more important than our coat of arms; your attire is like the emblem of our treasury, it should show courtiers and ambassadors how rich and powerful we are. And your hair should have some ruby threads woven into it.»
«No, not rubies,» Rhianon reminded herself of her earlier aversion to the color of fire and all its reminders. Her fear of flames was now a thing of the past. She did not seek to contain the fire; rather, she stirred it up. But no gifts from Hildegard she wanted to accept.
«I have enough jewelry. Youre very kind, but Ill choose for myself.»
«I will.»
Now the brush glided through her hair in complete silence. A moment more, and Hildegards fingers touched her curls just as gently. Only fairies touched her like that. Rhianon closed her eyelids and remembered the touch of the green-eyed Phyllis. Or Flotus. Or maybe it was Chloe. Touching them was like dipping into a sea of flowers. All her fairy friends were bright or ghostly, but equally exhilarating. At the first caress she was immediately reminded of them, but there was only a dark shadow behind her.
«No, not rubies,» Rhianon reminded herself of her earlier aversion to the color of fire and all its reminders. Her fear of flames was now a thing of the past. She did not seek to contain the fire; rather, she stirred it up. But no gifts from Hildegard she wanted to accept.
«I have enough jewelry. Youre very kind, but Ill choose for myself.»
«I will.»
Now the brush glided through her hair in complete silence. A moment more, and Hildegards fingers touched her curls just as gently. Only fairies touched her like that. Rhianon closed her eyelids and remembered the touch of the green-eyed Phyllis. Or Flotus. Or maybe it was Chloe. Touching them was like dipping into a sea of flowers. All her fairy friends were bright or ghostly, but equally exhilarating. At the first caress she was immediately reminded of them, but there was only a dark shadow behind her.
Rhianon opened her eyes and saw Hildegards reflection in the mirror behind her. Her lips, lined with something purple, curved mockingly. Her headband slid down to the side, revealing stiff black curls. She might have been beautiful, or even attractive, if it hadnt been for that deep black tone that surrounded her like an aura. Rhianon thought with a chuckle that Hildegard would have made an excellent match for the dark burnt creatures that nested in the tower of Madael. She looked so much like them, and she must have been close to them in spirit. If it werent for her matte pale skin, the resemblance would probably be complete.
«You glow like a candle,» Hildegard leaned very low over her and stopped brushing her hair for a moment, and now she only stroked it with her hand. «Even in the dark you cant be unnoticed. If I were you»
Out of the corner of her eye Rhiannon noticed in the mirror how Hildegard was taking something out of her own tightly knotted hair, a tiny pin in the shape of a sprig of grapes, it seemed. She winced, remembering the deadly fairy treat, and didnt even notice the quick movement on her own neck. Something hissed right next to her ear. A dazzling, ringed ribbon sparkled. Hildegard did not notice all this. She continued to playfully run her hand through the soft golden curls, then, playing, touched her neck and recoiled. There was a look of horror on her face. Rhianon heard the snake hiss too, but didnt understand what it was until she felt someone or something still sliding down her neck. Only it was no longer Hildegards fingers. Hildegard stood at the door itself, paralyzed with fear and disbelief. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of something. Rhianon only realized what it was when she looked in the mirror. The necklace around her neck, a gift from Madeel, was moving oddly. The necklace had lost its lovely gold lace and ornamentation, and now there were only curled rings and two opals depicting a crowned head. The golden snake itself might have been a mere ornament if it hadnt moved. It wrapped itself in several rings around Rhianons neck, but its elongated golden body was still big enough to reach the frightened guest. The golden jaws hissed open. The snake ducked into a lunge. It lasted only a moment, during which time Hildegard managed to swing the door open and run out of the room. It was amazing dexterity for her. Rhianon had not expected that the staid black lady could be so swift when necessary. But she was more concerned with the snake. Would it strangle her? The rings around her neck loosened just a little. The necklace was loosening, and now the golden lace was hanging smoothly down over her chest again. The snake was gone.
«But it might reappear when youre in danger again,» hissed a voice from the enamel snuffbox.
«I know,» Rhianon didnt even look at the leprechaun. She had grown accustomed to his almost invisible presence. «Pick up that hairpin. It fell to the carpet.»
«Is it a sprig of grapes?»
«Yes.»
«What if shes already turned into a toad?»
«Dont mess with me. Be quickly!» Rhianon commanded, and the leprechaun reluctantly began to climb out of his hiding place. He clicked first on the cleverly positioned latch in the secret compartment, then lifted the little cornelian-encrusted lid and out came the fancifully dressed creature. He hurried past the incense bottles and down the satin ribbon.
«Here it is,» the cunning man still found what he needed on the floor when he was forced to.
As he climbed back up onto the table, Rhianon put her palm up to him and felt the chill of the dark agate in her fingers. The stones took the shape of grape pips, and at the tip of the clasp it looked as if poison had accumulated.
«Ill have to find out what it is.»
«You still dont believe in unselfish gifts.»
«No,» Rhianon touched the necklace around her neck. It had already become the same, but, as it turned out, even Madael never gave gifts for nothing. Perhaps one day that thing would strangle her. So shouldnt she take it off? And lose her protection? But that protection is given to her by the Devil, and he can also kill her. Who is to be trusted when no one is trustworthy? Rhianon decided to choose the lesser of two evils and left the necklace around her neck. At least it protects her from all those people who dwell in the castle, and they are even more insidious than the devil.
«Ill throw it into the castle moat,» she decided about the hairpin. For some reason she didnt want to keep it. The grapevine sprig felt like it was pulsing with poison and burning. It was as if she were clutching a spark from a volcano in her fingers.
«Arent you afraid of poisoning the local vipers?» Orpheus joked, looking out from behind the curtains. Though who knows, maybe it wasnt a joke at all.
Rhianon searched for a shawl or a muffler to cover her exposed shoulders, but found neither and decided to go out into the tower that way. The cold wind blew against her skin, and there was fire beneath her skin itself. She was not cold at all, and yet she felt a storm approaching. The night seemed almost icy.
For some reason there were no sentries on the roof of the castle. Rhianon didnt worry about it. She wanted to be alone now. She unclenched her fingers and watched with satisfaction as the heavy object tumbled down. Her eyesight was sharp enough to see the dark waters closing over the glittering jewel from above. It flashed a ruby sparkle for a moment and then faded into the darkness forever.
And that was it! Rhianon turned to leave, and she gasped. He stood there, alive and beautiful, but so ancient that not even the stones of the castle could compete with him. The world was younger than he was, but he alone would remain forever young. He alone is unchanged, unlike his entire mutated army, but his wings had begun to darken beneath his cloak. His golden chain mail gleamed on his chest. Its links covered his skin like a dragons armor. But why, he was invulnerable as it was. He still wore the same wreath of unfading roses over his brown locks. It seemed to have replaced his crown now.
«Are you looking for me?» His voice became more deep and penetrating, more threatening at the same time. For a moment Rhianon even felt fear. Madael had changed, she could see it, and at the same time she couldnt tell what exactly the change consisted of. It was as if the beautiful, innocent image had been impregnated with vice, and yet it had lost none of its pristine purity.
«What do you make to think it was you?»
«Why else would you look up at the starry sky?» He leaned forward, and Rhianon recoiled in horror. Despite all his beauty, he suddenly frightened her. She would have kept on retreating, had she not stumbled upon the parapet. She could have gone no farther; there was only the moat below, if she was lucky, and the sharp rocks if she had fallen a little to her left. Fall into the water after Hildegards ornament, and the underwater creatures might still pull her out, much worse would be crashing. It is a pity she still has no wings. And he had promised. She looked at Madael with challenge. Now she knew who killed all the sentries in the towers. And why was it? What did he want from her today? Did he want to fight? She had no sword with her.