Sneaky Snow White (Dark Fairy Tale Queen Series Book 2) (3 page)

I pull on the heavy door and rush into the night. As I’m sprinting down the half-moon stairs, I notice little rivers of blood spilling down my right arm from the wound on my shoulder. My foot has just touched the gravel drive when I hear Cinderella’s voice calling out from the parlor window.

“Do not think you can fly, little Snow! I will
find
you!”

I keep running until I reach The Wood. I don’t know if Cinderella will send the guards after me. Like the two idiots outside her chamber who did nothing to help me, thanks a lot, fellows! Too scared of the queen to make a move.

I slow down, winded, as the trees of The Wood close over me. It’s too dark. If I keep running, I’ll hurt myself. The moon slides blades of silver light through the trees but all else is blackness. I need to find the well… and Hunter.

My shoulder aches and I close my hand over it. It feels wet. I’m sure the blood has dripped on my dress by now. My white silk dress, iridescent in the moonlight…. I look around me. It’s not good that I’m wearing white out here.

Oh, my heart. It won’t stop battering. I can’t believe Cinderella…. Well, I guess I can believe it, she always wanted to kill me. But the way she crawled over me with that wild rage in her eyes - oh, it was horrible! I’m going to have nightmares forever.

I walk carefully, lifting my knees with each step. My racing heart is keeping me warm but as soon as it quiets, I’ll be cold. There’s nothing on my arms and shoulders, except for a loose bit of sleeve. I need shelter. I need warmth. I need Hunter.

When I reach the well, he isn’t there. And I’m dumb enough to be disappointed. Of course he’s not here, he doesn’t live at the well. I guess I hoped he would sense I’m in trouble and come to me.

I walk to the well, my arms hanging at my sides. I think the bleeding stopped. But what do I do? I don’t know where Hunter lives. He told me he lives in one of the villages with his family but he’s never taken me there. Hunter and I have always stayed in The Wood. It’s where we felt safe.

I look at the grove of apple trees around me, tangled black knots in the darkness. I don’t feel safe now. The Wood is not friendly at night, a place of harsh cries and crooked shadows, things that creep just beyond sight. Dangerous thieves are said to prowl The Wood at night, looking for unwary travelers. That would be me.

A chill wriggles up my spine and crinkles through my scalp. I’m starting to get cold. I rub my arms and look at the well but I don’t want to sit there. There might be insects. I simply don’t know what to do. I simply don’t know where to go.

A branch cracks and I spin around. Two men step into the grove, abnormally large men. Both of them well over six feet, bearded and broad. They each carry a weapon that flashes the moonlight, axes or something. Though night darkens their faces, I can tell they’re looking at me. I knew my white dress would call trouble.

“Lose your way, little miss?” one of them asks. His voice is neither friendly nor menacing, which scares me even more.

“No,” I mumble, backing around the well. But as I do, I spot a third huge man further back in the forest, and then a fourth. My breaths jump in and out, sharp little gusts.

“Who are you?” I call out.

“We are known as The Dwarves,” says the first man who spoke.

The Dwarves. Even I have heard of them, the most brutal gang of rogues in the kingdom. There’s six or seven of them, so I’ve heard, all hulking, monstrous men. Few that have encountered them survived to speak of it.

“Don’t worry, little miss,” says the first man. “Just leave us your coin purse and we’ll let you walk free.”

“I – I don’t have a coin purse. Truly! I didn’t bring one with me.” My voice is squeaky-high and scared. I back away, holding up my shivering hands.

“Hmm….” The first man reaches up to stroke his beard. He doesn’t sound angry. “Guess we’ll be taking that pretty dress, then.”

The man beside him gives a rough laugh. “And I get her after that!”

I turn and run with all my strength.

I tear through the forest, my dress catching every branch and briar along the way. I hold up an arm to shield my face and feel the plants lash across my skin. Behind me, the Dwarves are crunching through underbrush, laughing as they pursue me. They don’t sound the least bit worried I’ll escape.

Then, far to my left, I see something. Small in the distance, but shining like the moon, I see a lady. A beautiful lady made of soft, golden light. She faces me with her hand outstretched, beckoning. Two delicate shapes fan out from her back and I realize this lady has wings….

A
fairy!

Oh my stars, Old Cinders was right. I change course and sprint toward the fairy. She’s come to help me in my peril, that’s what they do, right? She’ll get me away from the Dwarves.

I hear them calling out to each other; they’ve observed my change in direction. Instinctively, I know they cannot see the fairy. She’s standing in a darker, denser part of The Wood, where the moonlight cannot find my dress. As I near her, I begin to see the features of her sweet face, the gauzy dress that drifts around her, the golden hair rippling over her shoulders-

And then she disappears.

I gasp as if struck. NO! Where did she go? The Dwarves are still chasing me, though the darkness confuses them, and I hear their frustrated curses. I sweep my eyes across the forest and with a surge of relief, I find her. She’s off to the right, far ahead of me, and beckoning just like before. All right, I understand now. She’s leading me somewhere.

I grab my skirt and raise it over my knees, gathering the bulk of the dress into a big, puffy bundle. I wrap my arms around it and run, my legs now free. The fairy stands silent and still as before, her hair and dress swaying gently. Again, just as I draw near, she vanishes. Moments later, she reappears like a twinkling star in the distance. We go through the cycle several times.

I can’t hear the Dwarves anymore, except for one faraway shout. They’ve lost my trail. My leg muscles burn but I continue to follow the fairy. I’m exhausted and shivering, damp with cold sweat. Wherever she’s taking me, I sure hope it’s warm.

The fairy stands before me, no more than a dozen yards ahead. She is so beautiful, a creature of light, with eyes kind as morning. I’m expecting her to disappear again but she raises an arm to her side. “Go through,” she says in a hollow voice. And with the light emanating from her body, I see that she’s brought me to the mouth of a cave.

And then she disappears.

The sudden darkness is sickening. I look around but she doesn’t reemerge in the distance. The cave – this is my destination.

I creep inside, lightly touching my fingertips to the wall. The cave is low and the ceiling curves just above my head. I don’t like this at all. Anything could be in here, bugs, bats, bears, you name it. And I won’t see it coming.

The cave echoes my shaky breaths. I take one slow step at a time, my fingers trembling over the wall. The floor creeps upward as I go. Two tears slip out of me, warm on their release but cold when they reach my chin. Oh, this is horrible. This is so horrible.

Go
through,
the fairy said. Not go in. There must be something at the end, or on the other side. I sure hope the fairy was as good as she appeared and I’m not being lured into the jaws of a dragon.

My feet move upward, always upward, and the passage turns a few times. After some minutes, I feel a rush of cool air and sigh in desperate relief.
Air.
That means an opening. I’m going to come out of this worm hole.

The floor beneath me levels off and suddenly I see the exit. A mouth of pale light, as beautiful as dreaming. I grab my skirt and run toward it.

Cold air washes over me as I emerge from the cave. I drop my skirt and stand there, gaping at the land around me. I feel both scared and spellbound.

The moon is right above me, a lantern of peaceful light. I’m standing in a meadow, perfectly round, a circle cut from The Wood. The trees form a dark, jagged wall around the edge. Near the back of the meadow, a solitary tower looms above me, sharp and black against the sky. There’s a door at the bottom, a window near the top, and a pointed roof covered in shingles. It’s a very tall tower, at least five floors, and menacing as a spear.

With a hard sigh, I walk to the door, grass and leaves swishing beneath my feet. This was the worst, most terrifying day of my life. Happy Birthday, Snow White.

I wake up stiff. There’s no bed in this tower and I slept on the floorboards. In the darkness, I found a heavy piece of cloth and drew it over me for warmth. I was too tired to care how dirty it might be.

I shift up to my elbows and look around. I’m in a circular room, unpainted and unadorned. Looks like this used to be a guard tower. A rusted shield remains, some simple wood chairs, a broken spyglass. My makeshift blanket is actually a cape. To judge by the light, I’d say it’s midmorning.

I stand up, groaning. There’s no mirror here – and just now mirrors are the
last
things I want – but I can tell I’m a mess. My arm is still smeared with my dried blood of yesterday and brown drops sprinkle the right side of my dress. My white skirt is dirty, torn in several places, and I think there are leaves in my hair.

I drift to the window and look out. I can see the palace from here, a few miles in the distance. This tower is tucked high in the hills, commanding a long view of the kingdom. I can see why it would have been used by guards.

I cross the room and head down the staircase which curls along the wall. The room below looks like it was used for eating, the room below that, for sleeping. There are five rooms in all, one above the other.

When I step outside, the dark memories of last night fade away. This spot is beautiful, the trees burning with autumn colors, the tower weathered and mossy. I smile as I step back to look at it. Hunter and I could live here. We would make it our own, paint every room, plant little gardens. And be together.

I’m not thrilled about having to go through the cave again, but it’s not so bad the second time. At least I know now where it takes me.

I step cautiously back into The Wood, my eyes alert for Dwarves. I see nothing but sunlight and shrubbery, hear nothing but chattering birdcalls. I hope I can find my way back to the well without getting lost. I need to talk to Hunter.

I’ve gone about half the distance when I hear someone say, “Snowy?”

I whirl around, my mind full of Dwarves. But it’s only Hunter, carrying his crossbow. “Hunter!” I cry out, running to him with open arms. I see him noticing my odd appearance, his dark brows drawing together. He catches me when I throw myself against him and cradles me gently.

“Hunter, Hunter, Hunter,” I sob into his neck.

“What happened to you?” he asks.

“So much! We need to talk.”

“Sure.” Tucking me under his arm, he walks me through the forest until we find a fallen tree. He holds both my hands as we sit down. “You’re hurt,” he says, touching my shoulder.

“Cinderella did it.” I tell Hunter everything that happened. Unfortunately, this means I have to talk about The Mirror. He looks bewildered at first, then more and more disturbed as I go on.

“What does it do?” he asks.

I open my hands. “It… changes how you feel about yourself. If it likes you, that’s good. If it doesn’t like you… it’s awful.”

Once, two years ago, Cinderella brought me in front of The Mirror. Honestly, I think she wanted to see what would happen. Out of curiosity, I cooperated. I felt The Mirror’s aura settle over me, wrapping me like a thick shawl. I looked at my reflection and I couldn’t look away.

My reflection was distorted but I didn’t know it. I saw myself as The Mirror saw me, small, ugly, useless. My limbs were thin as starvation, my face skeletal, my eyes sunken and dark. My utter worthlessness sank through me, heavy as a broken heart. No one as hideous as I was deserved to go on living. With one wordless thought, I begged The Mirror to end my wretched life. It released the aura so I could move.

I headed to the window and climbed on the sill, calm as sleepwalking. Cinderella simply watched me. Then my father came into the room, shouted at Cinderella, and pulled me off the sill. He carried me downstairs while I whimpered and shivered and tried to keep him from seeing my face. It took me three days to realize I was not the creature I’d seen in The Mirror.

Next I tell Hunter about the Dwarves. His face changes here, mouth hardening into a line. It is rare that I ever see Hunter look angry.

“Do not worry,” he says in a firm voice. “They won’t trouble you again.”

“Why?” I say. “Can you stop them?” Not that I don’t believe in Hunter, but those guys were monsters.

“Just don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

I look at him. “The first person we need to take care of is Cinderella. She’s lost her mind, Hunter. If we don’t do something, she will hunt me down and kill me.”

“But what can we do?”

I look down at the crossbow which Hunter propped against the fallen tree, then back up at his face. “We can hunt her first.”

Hunter blinks. “What?”

“We will never be safe, so long as she lives. She always wanted to kill me off. And now she thinks her demon mirror prefers me to her. She’ll do
anything
to make The Mirror take her back. That’s why we have to kill her first.” I rest my hand on his knee and speak in a whisper. “
You
have to do it.”

Hunter flinches. “I can’t.”

“It’s not murder,” I say soothingly. “You’d be defending me, saving my life. Like a hero! Did you not say you would do anything for me?”

He shakes his head. “Please don’t ask it of me.”

“You didn’t see her, Hunter. She said she would rip out my heart with her fingers. If you don’t do this for me, I’m as good as dead! Do you want that?”

“No, but… killing her will also kill the baby.”

I forgot about that. I think for a moment. “Aim high. The baby will be fine. Once Cinderella is dead, we can get it out of her.”