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DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS QUEEN!

CHAPTER 99

Audrey and Karl went through dozens of books, but with no luck.

"Karl, we can't keep doing this…there are two many books." Audrey said. "There isn't enough time!"

"Audrey, think back…did your grandfather ever say he had a favorite book?"

She searched her head, trying to remember anything of Edik. Since Christmas night six years earlier she had tried to forget him…it was far easier to forget she had a family then it was to face the fact that they had been killed right in front of her.

"Every time I saw him in here, he always had this large red book…I don't know what it was called. It had gold text." She said, using her glowing fingers and searching the bookshelves.

"There are a lot of red books here…" Karl said, slightly sarcastic.

"At least I narrowed it down slightly…it's not on any of the tables…" Audrey said, looking around.

"I think Edik must have known…" Karl said quietly, knowing it was a sensitive topic. "He may have anticipated it."

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, she nodded. She knew that there was a possibility that her grandparents knew an attack could be soon. Only mere months before it all, she had heard her grandparents arguing about this thing…whatever it was.

She was surprised to see her grandparents sitting together in the study, reading. It wasn't as though the two were ever on bad terms with each other, but they usually liked to go off and do their own things within the house. At least from what Audrey knew.

They were reading and whispering in low, barely audible, urgent voices. Audrey could only hear half of what they were saying.

"Edik, she has to know! Isaac hasn't told her yet…"

"I know! I know!" Edik snapped. "Anastasia, the time…she's not ready to know this yet…it's too much to bear for her…she is still so young."

"Edik, if we don't tell her soon, she may never know! And we don't know if anyone else knows outside of the circle…"

"We have nothing to fear, Anastasia. I promise you." Edik said.As they continued their search, Ivan had slipped into the study. He stood infront of the door, watching them.

There were yells and screams coming from outside. Jacques walked through a wall.

"You must hurry." Jacques urged. "I don't know if people are coming, but I don't want you to risk it…if they find you in this city they will execute you."

The noise outside was growing, I looked out the window to see that the square was on fire.

"Karl…" Audrey said, pointing at the window. He glanced.

Outside of the study, they could hear footsteps from the hallway.

Afanasi and Sven slid into the study.

"Have you found anything?" Sven asked, out of breath.

"Audrey think it might be in a red book." Karl said.

"We found something you should see." Afanasi said. "Come on."

They ran down the hallway to the left side of the palace, passing bedrooms as they went. Afanasi turned into the room that belonged to her grandparents.

Audrey hadn't been in that room since she was a small girl. It looked the same as she had remembered it, minus all of the dust.

There was one section in the middle of the floor where the dust had been cleared by Sven and Afanasi.

In the dark, it was hard to see what was there. Karl and Sven lit their wands to reveal faint writing.

Снегурочка

Snowmaiden.

I had forgotten about that tale, it was a something my grandfather read to me often when I was a little girl.

"Isn't that a children's tale?" Karl asked.

"Da." replied Afanasi.

"My grandfather used to read it to me all the time." Audrey said in thought.

"Tell it to me." Sven commanded. "Perhaps there's a clue within the tale."

"From what I remember, Snowmaiden was the daughter of the Winter and of the Spring…Father Frost and Fairy Spring…but thye had to hide their daughter from the Sun God, because he was so powerful. His rays could destroy her. So her parents took her to live deep in the woods, but she felt so lonely. One day, she decided to walk through the woods. She followed a lovely sound, and came to the edge of the woods where there was an open field. In that field, sat a farm boy playing his flute. Snowmaiden stayed at the edge of the forest, watching him and listening to his song. She was terribly upset that he didn't pay her any mind…he always danced with the other girls in the field. Snowmaiden was brokenhearted, and asked her mother to help her feel love. Her mother told her she would have to go out into the field where the boy plays. So the next day, Snowmaiden went out into the field. The boy saw her, and was captivated by her beauty. But Snowmaiden had stepped into a ray of sunshine, and she melted before the boys eyes." Audrey finished.

"That's pretty ironic." Afanasi snorted.

"What?" Audrey asked, confused.

"You don't see any similarities there?" Karl gave her a look.

I honestly hadn't thought of the tale since I was a little girl, but my memories began to fall into place. My parents…our cottage in the woods, my father always warning me about humans, and the war…

"But that doesn't give us a clue at all…it's pretty much Audrey's life…unless someone saw it." Karl said. "Maybe it's a prediction?"

"It can't be a prediction, that tale has been around for hundreds of years." Afanasi shook his head.

"If the secret isn't in the tale, it must be in the book…" Audrey realized, she then bolted from the room, Afanasi on her heels, Karl and Sven sprinted to catch up.

By the time the men caught up with the creatures, they were already tearing through the study, looking through the shelves.

"It has to be a red book, Af." Audrey called from one side of the study, she was hovering so she could reach the top shelf.

"Nothing yet?" Karl asked, joining them.

"I've found it!" Audrey called, jumping down. "It was hidden in the back of the shelf."

There was a tiny fringe sticking out from the book, Audrey pulled out a piece of stiff, dry, yellowed parchment. It was ripped, the other half, nowhere in sight. The writing was in old Russian, but very clear. It was a letter addressed to Audrey's grandfather.

So...I won't be publishing 100 until I get some more reviews. ;) Trolololo.

Credit for Snowmaiden to