Page 11 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
The stiff navy dress and thick grey cloak she wears covers far too much of her delicate form. The only glimpse of skin I get is of her soft, youthful face and slender hands. My desire to know how she looks beneath the frilly collars and eccentric dresses grows stronger by the day.
The next time she turns her head, I catch sight of something shiny and black in her flowing hair. It’s a feather. My feather. One of the dozens I’ve had my pets leave for her to find. I haven’t dared to enter the castle myself. I cannot be trusted within the walls where such beauty waits to be devoured. The sight of the feather amongst her lovely features brings a tingling to my chest. My wings twitch behind me, recognizing a missing piece in such close proximity.
I move through the snow in silence, leaving no footprints. Lenore travels deep into the forest, heading to a clearing at the edge of a frozen pond. She stops only once to pick up the ice-coated bones of what was likely a squirrel. She tucks the bones in the small bag slung across her shoulder and continues on her way. My muse’s fascination with dead things speaks to the deepest part of my black soul.
What does she do with the bones?
She rests atop a severed stump, the casualty of a cruel winter storm. Presumably the same storm that took the life of the animal whose skeleton she has stuffed in her bag. The tree’s fallen trunk lies just beside it.
I drink in the sight of her. The sun glistens off the wintery surroundings. She turns her face to the sky, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. Then, she begins to sing.
The sound of her voice as it echoes through the forest makes me stagger back. Clear as a bell. So different from the smoky voice she speaks with in everyday conversation. The words sweep from her lips, painting the wind, dancing through the treetops, and floating into the sky. Subtle movements becomevisible from all around the clearing. Bit by bit, animals appear. Rabbits and deer, foxes and squirrels. They hurry from the forest’s edge, adopting a quick pace to take their place by her side. When Lenore finishes singing, she is surrounded by no less than twenty furry and feathered creatures of all sizes.
A true smile lights up her face. “And how have my friends fared in this dreadful weather?”That voice. So unique to this strange being. She extends her hand, offering to stroke the fur of a nearby doe. The animals clamber closer, nuzzling their heads toward her touch. She takes her time, giving each a gentle pat or pet while speaking to them in a cheery tone.
The longer I observe the mixed gathering of animals, the more things begin to feel wrong. Something is off about these creatures. The light that surrounds them has been tainted. Is that what it is? ‘Changed’ may be a better word. There’s a soft golden glow to their auras. Each one smells of a soul that is closest to death but also mixed with the pure scent of vibrant life. A spell? I cannot be sure.
Contentment softens my posture as I watch her with the animals. Pure joy radiates from her. She sings and speaks to them as if they can understand her. They sit, stand, and lay, captivated by her every word.
A cloud of powdered snow bursts from the tree line as a massive elk rushes into view. It keeps its distance, remaining on the far side of the frozen pond. The animal stomps and shakes its head, trotting in place as it releases huffs of distress. To my great surprise, Lenore rushes fearlessly toward the distraught creature.
“What has happened?” The worry in her voice heightens my own concern.
The elk turns, galloping into the forest. Lenore rushes after it, gripping her skirts in both hands as she trudges through the snow. The elk cuts a path through the dense trees with Lenorefollowing close behind. A soft, whining cry reaches my ears as I settle in a hiding place just behind Lenore. A young elk lies in a heap. Crimson stains the ground around it, soiling the pure white of the snow. A large arrow protrudes from the poor animal’s chest. Its whimpers and cries are soft and wet. There’s blood in its lungs.
Lenore gasps, dropping to its side. She wrenches the arrow from its body without a moment’s hesitation. The small elk cries out in pain. Its mother releases a mournful bleat, stomping her hooves in a frantic rhythm. Lenore presses her hands down on the wound. Blood continues to pour out, but as the minutes pass, the steady flowing stream dissipates to a trickle and then stops altogether.
I sense the life drain from its juvenile form. The bright white light signaling its approach to death fades, leaving it darkened and dull.It’s gone, little raven. Sadness settles in my chest. Lenore rests her hands upon its lifeless body, tears flowing down her face and dripping onto its dense brown fur.
Something shifts in the air around me.
A hum grows, vibrating through the forest.What is that? The wind swirls, kicking up snow and pine needles. There’s a flicker in the aura surrounding the young elk.Impossible.
Lenore’s hands remain firmly on the creature, fingertips burying into the fur more deeply. Again, a light flickers around it. Seconds pass, and the elk moves. A muscle twitches in its hind leg, then its front. The small chest cavity swells as it takes its first breath in several minutes.
No. It cannot be. I felt the spirit leave. Felt it enter my domain.
The animal shifts, tucking its feet beneath its body and moving to an upright position. My mouth hinges wide, heart beating with inhuman speed. A golden glow matching the rest of the animal onlookers radiates from around the tiny elk.
“Welcome back,” Lenore coos, running gentle fingers along its snout. I cannot breathe, cannot think. The world spins around me as the realization of what just happened takes root in my thoughts.
My little raven has brought a creature back from the dead.
The rest of my afternoon is spent in stunned silence, watching Lenore explore the forest with her resurrected animals close by her side and rethinking everything I know to be true. The small elk now joins the mismatched herd that surrounds the princess. Did she truly bring each back to life? That would explain the source of the tainted air surrounding them.
My amulet pulses. The pull to return to the Underworld tugs at my senses. I push it back. How can I leave when this beautiful mystery walks before me?
As the sun fades, Lenore speaks a few parting words to her pack, then ventures toward the castle. But she does not return the way she came. Instead, she stops before a tall, crumbling ruin. Pushing aside a tangle of thorny bramble, she slips through an opening and disappears. I follow her more quickly than is sensible given that I suspect she can see me. What I find on the other side of the wall leaves me stunned for a second time today.
Bones cover the floor of the secret garden we’ve just entered.
She emerges into a hidden refuge. A forgotten garden, surrounded by crumbling walls, filled with bones of every shape and sort. Flowers bloom despite the snow falling from the sky, no doubt thriving from the same magic that keeps the rest of the castle in bloom. Skeletons lie beneath rose bushes; skulls perch atop flowering vines; tiny femurs sit nestled beside patches of colorful blossoms. The collection is extensive. As she removes the bones from her bag and lays the newest pieces down on the ground, I sigh. In that moment, I realize my fondness for her is more than an obsession.
I’ve fallen in love with a human.
I’m silent as I move across the garden. Even without sound to give away my approach, Lenore senses me coming. Her body stiffens as I move behind her. Goosebumps rise along the sliver of skin peeking out between her high-neck collar and hairline. I’m inches away. The soft scent of flowers fights to mask her own scent, but I find it, beneath the flowers and trees. Poison, death, life, spring, mist, earth, madness—all wrapped up into a singular soul’s perfume.
My arm extends without thought. Lenore’s breath hitches as my fingertips sweep along the exposed flesh. Heat overtakes the tips of my fingers, creeping past my elbow and over my shoulder. The sensation spreads down into my chest and surrounds my heart and turns the world askew for several moments. I’m lost at sea, waves thrashing me about, stealing my bearings as I have done to those in my cursed river. My vision blurs into a seasick portrait of black-spotted trees and shimmer-edged scenery. Her skin is like sunlight beneath my touch, beaming, perfect, but unforgiving in its loveliness. A loveliness that damns me on the spot. I stumble backward, cursing myself.
