White As Snow by Tanith Lee

Author:Tanith Lee [Lee, Tanith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2001-12-07T06:00:00+00:00

A spider in her web, she waited for him. Staggering, sottish, to bed, he did not know it.

‘The water clock which dripped in the annex of the hall had shown midnight. In the torch-gloom there were still songs. “We keep later hours at Korchlava,” he had said. But generally he had never been included in those.

On a narrow stair, a woman appeared. She was flinty sober, dressed as an upper servant of the house.

“You’re the man Cirpoz? My lady summons you.”

“Does she now.”

“None of that. She’s the queen.”

“What queen? The queen’s at Korchlava … Oh, that one.” Unease curdled him. He had met her, last evening, in the ruins of the elder palace. That thin ghost with frost on her hair.

“Come now. What could she want with me?”

But the woman turned and he had to follow her, for a queen summoned him and he was, in fact, a nobody.

When he entered her apartment, after all the heat and noise, it seemed winter-cold to him, and dim from its two or three candles. The witch—many named her that—sat in her chair. Three dark rings stared from her hand, but not so darkly as her gemstone eyes. She made his skin creep. The servant was gone. This one and he were all alone.

“Illustrious madam.” The apartment as well as dim and cold was not very luxurious. Better spread butter on his words. “This honor—”

“You know me, do you?” Her voice surprised him by its youth. It was a girl’s voice.

“Why madam, you’re the regal queen.”

“Am I? What will you do for me?”

His gorge rose. He had heard she frolicked, this hag.

“Wh—whatever—I’m able, madam.”

“Are you able,” she said, “to take away from me one who harms me?”

“I—what does your ladyness mean?”

In her web, the ice-spider with the girl’s voice looked at him with her five black eyes.

“There is a chit here at the palace who works against me. But she would be easy for you to lead away, out of this house. She’s only young, slender—no nuisance to you.”

“You mean—to kill her would be easy?”

His nerves had steadied. This task was not quite unknown to him. The other victims had been men. A woman should present no problem.

“Is she of high rank, madam?”

“No.”

The hag was very definite. He wondered if she lied.

“But—”

“She’s nothing. No one will miss her. Only I will notice her loss. I shall be grateful. But it must be now—tonight.”

There was something in the corner, gleaming faintly. He had taken it for the glimmer of a low-slung lamp. But then instinct made him see what it was. It was the legendary witch’s sorcerous mirror, standing open, reflecting all the room. And himself. Cirpoz edged from the mirror’s view.

“But am I to kill her, madam? Sometimes that can be quite awkward. Especially since I must then go off myself—and there’s my troop of dwarves to consider—”

“Do what you want. Violate her, give her to Draco. Feed her to savage beasts. Whatever you like.”

Then she sighed. She looked away from him.

He fawned: “Immaculate lady, I dislike that I must ask, but I may still need … some funds.

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