«No, not rubies,» Rhianon reminded herself of her earlier aversion to the color of fire and all its reminders. Her fear of flames was now a thing of the past. She did not seek to contain the fire; rather, she stirred it up. But no gifts from Hildegard she wanted to accept.
«I have enough jewelry. Youre very kind, but Ill choose for myself.»
«I will.»
Now the brush glided through her hair in complete silence. A moment more, and Hildegards fingers touched her curls just as gently. Only fairies touched her like that. Rhianon closed her eyelids and remembered the touch of the green-eyed Phyllis. Or Flotus. Or maybe it was Chloe. Touching them was like dipping into a sea of flowers. All her fairy friends were bright or ghostly, but equally exhilarating. At the first caress she was immediately reminded of them, but there was only a dark shadow behind her.
Rhianon opened her eyes and saw Hildegards reflection in the mirror behind her. Her lips, lined with something purple, curved mockingly. Her headband slid down to the side, revealing stiff black curls. She might have been beautiful, or even attractive, if it hadnt been for that deep black tone that surrounded her like an aura. Rhianon thought with a chuckle that Hildegard would have made an excellent match for the dark burnt creatures that nested in the tower of Madael. She looked so much like them, and she must have been close to them in spirit. If it werent for her matte pale skin, the resemblance would probably be complete.
«You glow like a candle,» Hildegard leaned very low over her and stopped brushing her hair for a moment, and now she only stroked it with her hand. «Even in the dark you cant be unnoticed. If I were you»
Out of the corner of her eye Rhiannon noticed in the mirror how Hildegard was taking something out of her own tightly knotted hair, a tiny pin in the shape of a sprig of grapes, it seemed. She winced, remembering the deadly fairy treat, and didnt even notice the quick movement on her own neck. Something hissed right next to her ear. A dazzling, ringed ribbon sparkled. Hildegard did not notice all this. She continued to playfully run her hand through the soft golden curls, then, playing, touched her neck and recoiled. There was a look of horror on her face. Rhianon heard the snake hiss too, but didnt understand what it was until she felt someone or something still sliding down her neck. Only it was no longer Hildegards fingers. Hildegard stood at the door itself, paralyzed with fear and disbelief. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of something. Rhianon only realized what it was when she looked in the mirror. The necklace around her neck, a gift from Madeel, was moving oddly. The necklace had lost its lovely gold lace and ornamentation, and now there were only curled rings and two opals depicting a crowned head. The golden snake itself might have been a mere ornament if it hadnt moved. It wrapped itself in several rings around Rhianons neck, but its elongated golden body was still big enough to reach the frightened guest. The golden jaws hissed open. The snake ducked into a lunge. It lasted only a moment, during which time Hildegard managed to swing the door open and run out of the room. It was amazing dexterity for her. Rhianon had not expected that the staid black lady could be so swift when necessary. But she was more concerned with the snake. Would it strangle her? The rings around her neck loosened just a little. The necklace was loosening, and now the golden lace was hanging smoothly down over her chest again. The snake was gone.
«But it might reappear when youre in danger again,» hissed a voice from the enamel snuffbox.
«I know,» Rhianon didnt even look at the leprechaun. She had grown accustomed to his almost invisible presence. «Pick up that hairpin. It fell to the carpet.»
«Is it a sprig of grapes?»
«Yes.»
«What if shes already turned into a toad?»
«Dont mess with me. Be quickly!» Rhianon commanded, and the leprechaun reluctantly began to climb out of his hiding place. He clicked first on the cleverly positioned latch in the secret compartment, then lifted the little cornelian-encrusted lid and out came the fancifully dressed creature. He hurried past the incense bottles and down the satin ribbon.
«Here it is,» the cunning man still found what he needed on the floor when he was forced to.
As he climbed back up onto the table, Rhianon put her palm up to him and felt the chill of the dark agate in her fingers. The stones took the shape of grape pips, and at the tip of the clasp it looked as if poison had accumulated.
«Ill have to find out what it is.»
«You still dont believe in unselfish gifts.»
«No,» Rhianon touched the necklace around her neck. It had already become the same, but, as it turned out, even Madael never gave gifts for nothing. Perhaps one day that thing would strangle her. So shouldnt she take it off? And lose her protection? But that protection is given to her by the Devil, and he can also kill her. Who is to be trusted when no one is trustworthy? Rhianon decided to choose the lesser of two evils and left the necklace around her neck. At least it protects her from all those people who dwell in the castle, and they are even more insidious than the devil.
«Ill throw it into the castle moat,» she decided about the hairpin. For some reason she didnt want to keep it. The grapevine sprig felt like it was pulsing with poison and burning. It was as if she were clutching a spark from a volcano in her fingers.
«Arent you afraid of poisoning the local vipers?» Orpheus joked, looking out from behind the curtains. Though who knows, maybe it wasnt a joke at all.
Rhianon searched for a shawl or a muffler to cover her exposed shoulders, but found neither and decided to go out into the tower that way. The cold wind blew against her skin, and there was fire beneath her skin itself. She was not cold at all, and yet she felt a storm approaching. The night seemed almost icy.
For some reason there were no sentries on the roof of the castle. Rhianon didnt worry about it. She wanted to be alone now. She unclenched her fingers and watched with satisfaction as the heavy object tumbled down. Her eyesight was sharp enough to see the dark waters closing over the glittering jewel from above. It flashed a ruby sparkle for a moment and then faded into the darkness forever.
And that was it! Rhianon turned to leave, and she gasped. He stood there, alive and beautiful, but so ancient that not even the stones of the castle could compete with him. The world was younger than he was, but he alone would remain forever young. He alone is unchanged, unlike his entire mutated army, but his wings had begun to darken beneath his cloak. His golden chain mail gleamed on his chest. Its links covered his skin like a dragons armor. But why, he was invulnerable as it was. He still wore the same wreath of unfading roses over his brown locks. It seemed to have replaced his crown now.
«Are you looking for me?» His voice became more deep and penetrating, more threatening at the same time. For a moment Rhianon even felt fear. Madael had changed, she could see it, and at the same time she couldnt tell what exactly the change consisted of. It was as if the beautiful, innocent image had been impregnated with vice, and yet it had lost none of its pristine purity.
«What do you make to think it was you?»
«Why else would you look up at the starry sky?» He leaned forward, and Rhianon recoiled in horror. Despite all his beauty, he suddenly frightened her. She would have kept on retreating, had she not stumbled upon the parapet. She could have gone no farther; there was only the moat below, if she was lucky, and the sharp rocks if she had fallen a little to her left. Fall into the water after Hildegards ornament, and the underwater creatures might still pull her out, much worse would be crashing. It is a pity she still has no wings. And he had promised. She looked at Madael with challenge. Now she knew who killed all the sentries in the towers. And why was it? What did he want from her today? Did he want to fight? She had no sword with her.