By moonlight's shadow

Chapter 53

Raphael looked at Snow for an instant stupefied.

“What did you just say?” asked Raphael once again as she smiled even bigger than before.

“You heard what I said. We need Rebecca to poison the entire school,” she repeated again and Raphael looked at her with his eyes turning red in anger.

“Have you lost your mind completely in your anger? Do you even understand the enormity of what you are saying? Where is your sense of responsibility Snow?” asked Raphael, his voice not loud but Snow could taste the anger flowing from him on her skin.

“You did not understand me clearly Headmaster King. I have said that we need Rebecca to poison the school and not kill the entire school. Without any crime of a huge magnitude committed by the witch you were harbouring with good intentions inside the Academy the Council is never going to let you off the hook and moreover we would lose the claim over her body if she has not harmed any of the vampires. And once her body is gone, so are your plans of raising the Defense of the Academy Walls along with her. Moreover the witches can attack us on the basis saying that we have killed one of their own without any provocation. It will be the beginning of a war. Why would we go to such lengths when we can have everything under our control?” asked Snow as Raphael’s eyes changed colour.

“What are you saying Snow? That she did not commit a crime? She brewed a love potion inside the walls of the castle whose magic affected you in this manner that you behaved like a lunatic!! She could have harmed you…in the name of seven heavens she did not plan to and then again is a different matter to discuss. But she has committed a crime!!!” said Raphael forcefully.

“Yes but that was crime which no one could see Raphael!!!” said Snow as she sank her hands and her fingers in the mass of his dark hair and pulled him closer.

She continued saying,” I know that you care about me but you cannot go out and proclaim before the Council that I was the only student who had been harmed. Why was I the only one affected by the lingering traces of magic and no one else? What will you say to this question when they ask you this? And you know this better than me that this is not the only question that will be asked. Then what are you going to do? How are you going to tell the world and the Vampire Elder Council that one of your students is a freak? That she has magic and no one knows how?” asked Snow, softly as Raphael’s eyes flashed red once again.

Snow looked at him deeply and he nodded at her words. There was strong logic behind what she was saying and moreover this was the only way that they could avoid a war with the Witches. Moreover he was liable to answer to the Elder Council as well.

“How did you become so well versed in politics Ms. White? Never found your interest in such matters earlier,” said Raphael as he laced his fingers in the white locks of her hair and smiled as they wrapped around his fingers on their own.

“Someone very intelligent and wise told me that politics is the price for achieving moments like this,” said Snow, as she pressed her lips on his and then took them away before he could kiss her at all.

“Moments like what?” asked Raphael as he gazed in her eyes.

“Moments like this are the ones which will bring us to the precipice of future, something which we know to be inevitable but we stop looking at it in the fear of the unknown. Moments like this creates opportunities for kingdoms to fall and monarchies to rise. They are the ones which bring people like us together, to make us one…politics is the price of moments which we want. And for me Raphael, it is nothing but just a few moves on the chess board if need be,” said Snow as she this time pulled him close and kissed her with everything she had. All her soul and frustration, her pain and her happiness, all jumbled and a big mass of emotion mangled in one. Snow did not even know that something was happening inside the room and neither did Raphael since they were both so lost in the passion of that one single kiss.

Finally when they both pulled apart with smiles on each of their faces Snow was the first to open her eyes and then she found that she was not on the bed anymore. And neither was Raphael.

“Raphael, I think you should open your eyes once,” said Snow in a calm and normal voice which had no shred of emotion behind it. Raphael opened his eyes only to find that they were both hanging mid-air. And comfortably sitting there as if they were on a magic carpet but that was not the case at all.

“Hmm!! How very extraordinary Snow!! I had no idea at all that you could fly!!” prompted Raphael as he let go of her hand and then dropped like a sack of potatoes on the bed with a thud. Snow descended slowly like a feather and she asked,” Are you alright? Are you doing fine? Hurt somewhere?”

“It is going to take a lot more than dropping a few feet to hurt me Snow. Come now, have you seen what you have done to your room?” asked Raphael as he looked everywhere.

Snow looked up and found that she was standing in the middle of a forest. Not the one like where they trained and hunted, with dry deciduous and coniferous trees. Upon the forest floor lie trees of yesteryear, fallen in storms long forgotten. The seasons have been harsh, stripping away the bark and outer layers, yet rendering them all the more beautiful. They have the appearance of driftwood, twisting in patterns that remind Snow of seaside waves; even the colour of the moss is kelp-like. They are soft, damp, yet her fingers come away dry. Snow tilts her head upward, feeling her hair tumble further down her back; the pines are several houses tall, reaching toward the golden rays of spring. Birdsong comes in lulls and bursts, the silence and the singing working together as well as any improvised melody. A new smile paints itself upon her freckled face, rose-pink lips semi-illuminated by the dappled light.

“Snow,” Raphael called out finding that she was mesmerized by what she had done and was thoroughly enjoying it. And the thing which shocked him to the core was she was standing in the light of the setting sun but still nothing happened to her. Then he realized that it was almost ten at night and this light was entirely created by magic. This was not the light of the real sun and he sighed in relief. Snow opened her eyes and looked at Raphael with a smile on her lips which made her look absolutely beautiful.

“How did this happen? Is this the surprise that you didn’t want me to know about?” asked Snow absolutely clueless that it was she who was the creator of this original masterpiece.

“I am very glad that you like it Snow, but then again you should. You are the one who created this masterpiece within a few moments of our kiss,’ said Raphael and Snow looked at him in shock and then blushed thinking that something like this could even happen in magic.

“But how? I did not know how to do this? This is something which is beyond my sense of reasoning Headmaster King..I did not even intend to do something of this sort,’ said Snow in panic and immediately the colour of the forest started to fade, and grow a mottled green and the flower started wilting.

“Calm down Snow…there are a lot of things which we are yet to know about you and it seems that your powers are growing at a rapid pace. You know what? This is actually a good thing, as you can see that your temperament is reflected on the health of the forest in your room which means that you have a sensor which will help to keep your magic grounded and healthy. This way it will be easier for you to understand how much control you will need to exert on yourself and when you need to let go,” said Raphael as Snow’s breathing became normal after a few moments and the bright healthy colour of the forest returned to its leaves and flowers almost immediately.

Snow looked at the effect and immediately gasped in shock. The change was instantaneous and nothing would make her believe still that she was the one who had made that thing.

“What am I supposed to tell them who are going to come to my room?” asked Snow, as her voice was far from normal.

“That is something I shall take care of. You need not worry about that. But Snow there is something else where you need to pay attention and that is not going to be as easy or beautiful like this at all,” said Raphael as Snow’s brows raised in question.

“And what is that supposed to be?” asked Snow, as she came and sat back on the bed which seemed to be smelling like lavender and some other wild flowers which she did not know the name of.

“You need to learn how to protect yourself, in mind,” said Raphael to the girl who looked at him in question.