Tanith Lee by Midnight

Author:Midnight
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-12-12T02:16:55+00:00

Like a statue, Elvira. Turned to stone.

Already it was too late.

The crashing axe-blows had become a thin honed sword, which sliced away the imagery of enchantment. Eviscerated, the white gown, foam-ing up like feathers, melted — the diamonds, shed like rain, dried— even the peerless shoes — for how could they remain, when all else that was sorcerous vanished? The shoes were two puddles of mirror. Then a mirror’s double shadow. Then— nothing at all.

Eight, nine, ten, eleven.

Twelve, roared the clock, the voice of judge-ment: Twelve-twelve-twelve. The echo continued forever. But after forever, silence returned.

Elvira had not run away. She stood there in the midst of strangers, three of whom — though she could not see them — she knew to be the enemies from her own house. These people had not lost their finery. They bloomed in it, and bloomed also with eyes stretched wide with shock, disgust or fear.

And there before her, he — her lover, her prince, also changed at last to expressionless pale stone.

The girl wore only her dirty shift. Her hair hung down her back, thick with kitchen grease and cinders. She smelled no more of flowers and essences, but of sweat and toil, ash and agony.

Love is not blind. No, love sees too much. Love sees and becomes a whip with thorns in it. Oh, she had already learned as much, when her step-mother and stepsisters first turned upon her like starving rats.

Elvira waited, her head still raised, too shamed to be ashamed, her tears now the only jewels she wore.

And he, the prince, stretched out one hand, as if to push her away.

Instead, his hand clasped hers. He looked into her face, and suddenly the sun rose behind his eyes. He smiled at her gravely. “Now I understand,” he said.

“But,” she faltered, “do you still know me — even now?”

“Just as I knew you at first sight,” he said. “It is still you. And how courageous you are, to have stayed. How you must love me, Elvira — perhaps even as much as I love you.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” said the prince, turn-

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