Grimilde's ice-blue eyes locked onto Alex's amber ones, but she didn't answer. She still held the precious shard in her hands, clenching it so the sharpest, most jagged edges pierced her skin, drawing blood.
Snow White grew scared: "Ilde?" She grabbed the wounded hand, trying to loosen her grip, and forced the woman to look her in the face. "Ilde? Answer me. What is happening to you?" Snow White stepped between them, shielding her beloved from the witch's piercing gaze.
"There's no time to explain everything. Darling, as you know, there are things from my past that I must keep hidden for our safety. I know I keep disappointing you, that I'm not always strong enough to protect you from everything, but I—" The Queen's eyes grew damp; she started breathing heavily, seized by a wave of panic brought on by the situation. She was losing control of her emotions, and it was a terrifying thing for her.
Snow White stunned everyone, leaving them breathless, when she grabbed the Queen's face and kissed her on the mouth. Zeyana, Alex, and Astrael were the only ones present not shocked by that blatant display of love. William's mouth fell open, and Adelina covered her own and her friend's.
"I trust you blindly. You could never disappoint me, Ilde."
Those words ignited a fire inside Grimilde, a strength she didn't believe she had, a certainty she hoped to find. The time had come for her to take control of the situation to save their world.
"Golujef will come and he will be unstoppable, but..." she addressed those present, holding the mirror shard in her hand and displaying it to everyone: "I know a way to imprison him and stop him from carrying out his plans. We need to work together, otherwise, it will be impossible to avert this catastrophe."
First and foremost, it was necessary to find the tribe as soon as possible, which was why Grimilde had used her blood to try to speed up the process. For some reason, she couldn't establish a connection with the tribe... something had happened, she could feel it.
"Brace yourselves... it's coming again." Alex raised her eyes to the sky, and the group followed suit, noticing the dark, looming clouds. The wind suddenly began to blow fiercely, rain poured down within seconds, and the inexorable disaster arrived without warning, just like the earthquake.
"Ah..." A gasp, heavy with pain and confusion.
Grimilde felt the wet soil and cold grass touching the skin of her face, and her hands planted against the soft, damp surface. She tried to push herself up, struggling: as she began to move her body, she felt the breath of the wind commanding her to stay down, and the weakness in her limbs didn't help in the endeavor to stand. Her eyes brought her surroundings into focus, and she realized she was in the middle of the woods, temporarily sheltered by the branches of a sturdy tree protecting her from the furious rain falling from the leaden sky.
Snow White... was her first thought. Where was Snow White? What had happened?
"Snow White?" She found her voice, called out to her, but received no answer. The downpour created too much noise and wouldn't allow Grimilde's words to ring out and find their mark.
"Snow White!" Desperation overtook reason: the Queen finally stood up, and it was then she noticed the blood dripping from her left hand. Her arm was injured near the shoulder, but Grimilde had no memory of what had happened before waking up in that isolated place. "Astrael." She called the demon and searched for her mirror: "Damn it..." She couldn't find it! Her eyes roamed in search of the shard; she even walked several yards around her, hoping to find it near the spot where she woke up, but nothing. She found nothing. She was completely alone, and apparently, no one could hear her.
Grimilde felt a tightness in her chest, and it became hard to breathe: she brought her hands to her throat, closed her eyes, and tried to take deep breaths. "Not now... not now..." Her heart hammered fiercely, stealing her breath, turning agitation into panic, a nameless terror. She collapsed to the ground, scratching her neck and chest, trying to find oxygen for her frightened lungs.
"Grimilde." The woman quickly looked up, seeing Astrael kneeling before her.
"W-what happened?"
The demon placed a hand on the Queen's injured shoulder and furrowed his brow: "The downpour, the earthquake... they separated us. Some were injured." He looked around and helped the Queen up. "Snow White is fine, don't worry. She is with the witch and the Empress."
"Astrael... what can we do? I lost the mirror, I don't know how to contact the tribe, I'm completely useless—"
Astrael tightened his grip, and the pain woke the Queen from her panic, making her grit her teeth. "Golujef is looking for us. It isn't wise to approach the others."
"U-us?"
"Your power. He knows what you are capable of, you are a threat to him." Astrael led Grimilde through the woods, helping her push against the wind and protecting her from bent trees and snapped branches.
"We have to find him, before he finds us. You will have to break those chains, Grimilde."
"No... I can't allow that! I won't be able to stop him, I won't have control!"
"Grimilde... perhaps you forget the real reason why the tribe sought you out and trained you for years."
The Queen stopped, staring at the horizon, her eyes searching for something, a sign that could give her strength, but which she could never find. Her mind was struck by the traumatic memories that crowded her nightmares.
"Han er en trussel mot oss alle!" (She is a threat to us all!)
"En heks!" (A witch!)
"Vi kan ikke holde henne her, ellers dreper hun oss alle!" (We can't keep her here or she'll kill us all!)
"Du er en skuffelse, Grimhilde... jeg burde ha drept deg sammen med moren din!" (You are a disappointment, Grimilde... I should have killed you, along with your mother!)
Those words echoed in her skull, pounding against her brain: "I... I..." She trembled and felt a menacing heat start in her chest and spread through the rest of her body, like constricting snakes ready to suffocate her. The Queen's ice-blue eyes glowed, and her veins pulsed, welcoming the energy she kept chained deep within her being.
"Let go..." Astrael's tempting words, accompanied by that sinister smile, made the clasps holding Grimilde's power shake. "You have to save this place, Arran, you have to save your beloved Snow White..."
"If I lose control, get her out of here, Astrael—"
"It will be done." Astrael grabbed Grimilde's face, observing her dilated pupils and glowing corneas, then observed her pale skin and blue veins, sighing: "Were it not for the nature of our relationship, I would be truly tempted by this extraordinary sight, Grimilde."
After saying that, he stepped back, and his eyes turned blood-red: "Keep him busy, I'll make sure he falls into a trap... and at that point, I will be the one to devour him first!"
Astrael vanished, just like the Queen's lucidity, who was no longer Grimilde but Heks, the only being who could stop that tragedy. Only a heks could oppose a demon like Golujef. The hersir had helped Grimilde create a cell to contain that identity—uncontrollable, risking a descent into chaos, hungry for power, ready to unleash it. The heks had been a threat to Grimilde's family, but to the Tribe, she was a blessing.
The miracle that would protect the continent.