Free Blood and Snow 11: Resolved to Rule by Rashelle Workman

Chapter 1
     
    Love is like a pyrotechnics display. The vibrancy and beauty not truly appreciated until after they erupt. When the sparks burst in radiant color, and gloriously proclaim to the sky, “This is what you’re missing. This is what you’ve lost.”
    At least that’s how it was with my mother. I adored her. Loved the way she sang while she cooked, the way her eyebrows came together when she read something interesting, and the way she snuggled into my neck when she tucked me in at night.
    Those memories were priceless, and I wished I relished her more while I had her love. Cuddled longer. Hugged her tighter. But then, I didn’t know she was going to die… or leave me.
    The knowledge that all this time she was alive, but chose to stay away, filled me with a pain I didn’t know existed. I was devastated, and, if I was honest with myself, also excited to see her.
    My mother used to say, “Promises are lies spoken from the heart. Never make a promise unless you’re one hundred percent sure you can keep it.” When she said it, I hadn’t understood what she meant. But as Dorian, Gabe, Cindy, and I got closer to the city my mother called home, I thought she must’ve known all along she would leave.
    That I would be alone.
    At those thoughts, some of my pain changed to resentment. At her. She allowed me to be raised by a mean stepmother, and a father who cowed to her every whim. A man who wasn’t strong enough to be there when I needed him most.
    How could she do that? Why? I hoped I’d get the chance to ask.
    “Is Snow’s mom like an elf-mermaid?” Dorian asked Abernathy, bringing me out of my reverie.
    Abernathy laughed. “Mermaids are fish. Elves are land dwellers. Snow’s mother is not a fish, but an elf. Please try to keep up.”
    Gabe smirked. “It may not be possible.”
    Dorian reached over and slugged Gabe in the arm, knocking Cindy and I slightly askew.
    “Hey, none of that,” Cindy hissed. “I don’t want to fall.”
    “You won’t,” I whispered, leaning into her.
    “You doing okay? You must be freaking out about your mom.” Cindy murmured.
    “Yeah, a little.” I swallowed, afraid if I said more I might cry. I still didn’t totally believe she was alive, and I wouldn’t until I saw her again, with my own eyes. And maybe she was as Abernathy said, an elf. But since she looked human while she lived with me, wasn’t it possible she could become something different while under the sea? Could she be a mermaid too?
    You’re an idiot, my inner voice scolded.
    “Hang on,” Abernathy growled.
    I glanced ahead. We were nearly to the large bubble surrounding the city. “How are we going to get in?”
    Abernathy’s response was flippant. “How are we in this realm? How are you four able to breathe, or more importantly, how are you able to keep from being crushed? The answer is the same for all questions. Magic. I have it and I know how to use it.” He shook his head, and his amber mane danced slowly in the water.
    When I thought Abernathy would crash, he yelled one word. “Opherium!” And he glided through.
    The bubble surrounding the city was much thicker than I believed, and as we passed through it, my body felt tingly, as though each cell was tickled. On the other side, there was a collective sigh from the others, and I realized they must’ve felt the same strangeness I did.
    Inside were tall, vibrant buildings. Colors similar to the coral I’d seen—turquoise, hot pink, salmon, neon blue, and lime green. Yellows, from buttery to vibrant, tangerine, and lavender. Various types of trees grew in rows along the perimeter of the buildings. The trees reminded me of a combination of kelp, and seaweed. Heat from above warmed my skin, and I glanced up. A yellow sun shone bright in the sky. Wispy clouds sailed across a blue firmament. “How?” I began, and then stopped. I already knew what Abernathy would say.
    Magic.
     

Chapter 2
     
    Roads and sidewalks intersected, and meandered