Flight of Frost and Aurora

Chapter 57

"Help! Somebody, help us! God! Anyone! Please!"

Charlotte jolted awake in bed, her heart racing. That was Vagatha's voice—she sounded desperate. Springing from her bed, the last traces of sleep vanished in the face of the looming crisis. Charlotte rushed to find Mother Rosamund.

"Mother Rosamund!" Charlotte called as she entered the small, serene space where she usually worked, surrounded by herbs and potions.

"What is it, my child?" Rosamund asked, glancing up from a collection of herbs.

"I heard Vagatha! She... she sounded like she was in trouble. I think there's something wrong going down there." Charlotte gasped, trying to catch her breath.

Without hesitation, Mother Rosamund's expression shifted to one of alarm. She moved swiftly, rousing her ancient magic to peer into the depths of Snejotep Haven, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as she closed her eyes.

Images began to flicker in Rosamund's mind: the bustling town square, decorated for a wedding, laughter entwined with anxiety, listening to what they spoke of.

"Oh dear, Alastor is being forced to wed, my dear," Mother Rosamund whispered, her voice thick with sorrow. "He is going to be married to your wretched stepsister."

"Oh no!" Charlotte cried out. "No! He can't! She'll ruin him! Just like her mother ruined my father! How did this even happen?"

"I'm not sure."

"Eisheth must have somehow manipulated Papa to force him into it! I never thought my father would stoop to this!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh this is dreadful."

"What about Vagatha?"

Rosamund focused again, seeking more details, and a new vision surfaced—Vagatha and Anthony struggling against a monstrous serpent in a murky clearing. Rosamund's heart sank as she grasped the horror of their plight. "

"Oh good Lord! They are trapped, Charlotte. In a ravine, and Madame Katia's serpent is trying to eat them! I have to get down there! I must- Ow!"

Rosamund suddenly halted, her foot crunching down on something sharp. Looking down to find a long, slender fang protruding from the ground—one of Madame Katia's serpent's fangs.

"Oh no."

A jolt of paralyzing venom shot through her leg, and she stumbled back, trying to fight the creeping numbness. Charlotte hurried to her side.

"Are you alright?"

"No..." Rosamund managed, her breath coming in strained gasps. "I...I can't move."

Damn Madame Katia! First her serpent goes after Vagatha and then a fang from that wretched snake just happens to be on the floor in Rosamund's house? No, no this was a set up. Madame Katia was up to something. At long last she was going to try to get her revenge on Alastor and Vagatha, and the old witch had made certain that neither Rosamund or Carmilla would be able to stop her this time.

Rosamund could think of only one way that might save both of them. It was risky and dangerous, and she hated to put this on Charlotte, but there was no one else she could call on.

"Charlotte, listen carefully. You need to retrieve Alastor and Vagatha's medallions from Lord Zestial's domain. They will allow them to change back into sprites and they can use their powers to escape."

"How do I do that?"

"First you must leave my world, go to the gate at the end of the field, once back on earth, go to the center of the forest and find the well that is a stone door in a fairy ring," Rosamund instructed urgently. "There you will enter Lord Zestial's domain. Once in there go to the throne room. You need to find the medallion with the snowflake and the one with a star. But be warned—that part of the world is very dangerous, the living are not meant to dwell in Lord Zestial's domain. The longer you stay, the more perilous it becomes for your body."