Sneaky Snow White (Dark Fairy Tale Queen Series Book 2) Read online

  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.

  ~*~ 10 ~*~

  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.”

  Hunter leans back, horrified.

  I exhale impatiently. “Haven’t you ever gutted a deer? I know you have, this is no different. You are a hunter, Hunter. Hunt her!”

  Hunter looks away from me. I feel bad at how conflicted he looks; the poor boy is too sensitive. I will have to be brave for both of us.

  “I think the queen is misunderstood,” he says. “Can’t we just destroy The Mirror?”

  “Yes, we can. But Cinderella goes first, I’m not backing down on that. If you love me as you say, you will protect me. Do you love me, Hunter?”

  Hunter’s leaning on his knees, his head bowed. His rakes his fingers through his thick, dark hair. Then, with his eyes closed, he gently nods his head.

  ~*~ 11 ~*~

  Hunter and I make our plans to kill the queen. We will meet at the well at sundown. Hunter is going to bring me some clothes, something more practical than my poufy white gown. I have to show him the entrance to the secret passage that leads inside the castle. From there he will go on alone. The guards, I suspect, will be under orders to kill me on sight. I will return to the tower and wait for Hunter there.

  I’m thrilled to learn Hunter didn’t know about the tower. He has seen the cave but never went in, since caves are not considered safe places to explore. That means our tower is well hidden. I tell Hunter about my plans to turn it into a home for us, but he doesn’t seem to be listening. I can tell he’s nervous about what he has to do.

  He presses me against him before he leaves; kisses me between my eyebrows. He lends me a hunting knife from his belt, since I dropped my pretty dagger when I attacked Cinderella. Once he’s gone, I head back to the tower, noting landmarks along the way. I need to memorize how to find this place.

  I grab apples off the trees and eat them as I go. Oh my stars, I’m so hungry. I think about the Love Apple. Cinderella won’t make it for me now, which worries me. I need that apple for me and Hunter.

  A Love Apple, according to the spell book, will grant everlasting happiness to you and your lover. It will keep your love as fresh and magical as when it first blossomed, never letting your hearts grow weary, like those of an old married couple. And it prevents your lover from ever straying to someone else. Both of you must bite the apple to complete the spell. And then you live happily ever after.

  I grope my way through the cave again and return to the meadow with the tower. My heart is much lighter now. Soon I’ll be rid of Old Cinders and the darkness she brought into my life. I explore the clearing for a while and disco
ver some raspberry bushes at the edge of the forest, and a bit further back, a shallow stream. I cup my hands and drink the cold water, then wash the dry blood off my arm. I will try to clean up the tower next, though it won’t be easy without a broom. I need to make things suitable for the baby.

  I can’t help smiling as I think about it. That baby is the only thing Cinderella cares about. And I’m going to take it from her. So in a way, I’m doing to her what she wanted to do to me. I am ripping out her heart.

  ~*~ 12 ~*~

  Hunter, always early, is waiting for me when I return to the well. He’s got a leather pack slung over his shoulder and from it he draws a simple gray dress. “It was my mother’s. But I think it will fit you.”

  “Thank you!” I take the dress and slip behind the broad trunk of an oak, to change. It’s a much more sensible dress than the white – at least the skirt isn’t three feet wide. I feel as cute as a little peasant maiden.

  When I return, Hunter is holding his elbows and frowning. “I’ve thought of a problem. If we kill the queen, who will rule the kingdom? You’ll have to do it, you’re next in line. Which means we can’t live in that tower.”

  “I don’t want to rule the kingdom,” I say firmly. “It never makes anyone happy. Let the people find a new ruler among themselves.”

  “It will throw our land into chaos.”

  “Oh Hunter, now you’re stalling. None of this changes the fact that we have to kill Cinderella, or she will kill me. The rest will sort itself out.”

  Hunter sighs. I give him a comforting hug and rub his back. I wish I could go with him, to help him be brave. But it’s far too dangerous.

  “So where is this secret passage?” he asks.

  I point to the well behind us. “Right here.”

  Hunter stares at me in disbelief.

  I giggle. “It is! It starts in the dungeons below the castle and ends here at the well. It was built as an escape route for the royal family in case they were under attack. But those who know how can also use it to get into the castle.” I beckon him to the side of the well that has crumbled down. We crouch on the dirt and peer inside. Much of the well’s inner shaft is grown over with ivy, so it’s hard to see far. “Look there.” I point to the far side of the shaft. “There’s an iron rung built into the wall, like the step of a ladder. Do you see it?”

  Hunter nods.

  “There are more of them. You can climb down. Now, once you’re at the bottom, it’ll be tricky. There’s a tiny door, about half your height, made to look like the wall. You’ll have to crouch and push until it opens for you. From there the passage leads straight to the castle.”

  “And what do I do about the guards?”

  I hesitate. I know what I’d do if I had a crossbow and came face-to-face with those cowards who did nothing to help me yesterday. But I’m made of tougher stuff than Hunter.

  “Avoid them if you can,” I say. “Take the back stairs used by the servants until you get to the main floor. If you get caught, say you’ve been summoned by the queen to hunt the traitor, Snow White. They might take you to her.”

  Hunter nods without looking at me. He secures the crossbow to his back, shifts his legs into the well, and lowers himself in. When only his head and shoulders are still above ground, he turns to me, one hand gripping the top rung of the iron ladder. “Wish me luck,” he says with an uneasy smile.

  I’m still crouched on my knees, so I lean forward and kiss him, my hands holding both sides of his face. For the first time ever, I feel reluctance from him, like he’s only receiving the kiss and not giving it. I will have to get the Love Apple soon.

  I draw back but let my lips hover just above his. “Kill her quickly,” I whisper. “And bring me the baby. I’ll be waiting for you at the tower.”

  “I will come,” he says. And then he drops out of sight, into the well.

  ~*~ 13 ~*~

  Back at the tower, I find a shallow wood crate with some walnuts at the bottom. I shake them out, carry the crate up to the high room, and stuff it with my white dress. There. Now the baby has a soft place to sleep.

  There’s still a lot that we will need. Tables and chairs and pots and bowls and curtains and rugs. And a bed for me and Hunter. My body blushes hot at the thought of it. I will need to find a friar to marry us first. Hunter is the noble sort and I know he won’t share the bed with me until he’s made me his wife.

  I walk to the window, though night has settled in and I can’t distinguish the trees from the sky. It should be over now. Hunter should have the baby in his arms, heading back to me through The Wood. And Cinderella should be dead in the palace, lying in a lake of her own blood. I hope he did it in front of The Mirror.

  My stomach grumbles so I eat a handful of raspberries I collected earlier. I wonder if the baby is a boy or a girl. I will have to choose a name for this infant who will be both my child and my sibling. I doubt we’ll look alike, though. Cinderella and my father were both blonde, but I have the midnight hair and eyes of my mother.

  I remember my own mother well. She died when I was six due to some trouble with her lungs, my father said. She was as beautiful as sculpted ice, with haunting eyes that seemed to harbor a dark secret. She told me that my beauty came from her, but also from magic. Blood Magic, she called it. She said she would explain it to me when I was older. But, of course, that day never came. I miss my mother. If she hadn’t died, Old Cinders would never have come. I would still have my family.

  I’m now feeling nicks of impatience. Hunter should have returned by now. I strain my ears at the window, hoping to hear crackling footsteps or the feeble cry of an infant. Perhaps things did not go as planned. I should have gone with him, but I was afraid of Cinderella, and the palace guards, and more than anything else - The Mirror. Although I didn’t tell Hunter this, I know Cinderella was right: The Mirror wants me now. I have felt it for weeks, I just didn’t understand. I won’t let it find me. I won’t let it control me.

  I hope he made it past the guards. I hope he killed Cinderella but not the baby. I hope he was strong enough to cut the baby from her. I hope he got out of the palace. I hope he wasn’t attacked by Dwarves in the forest. I hope he will be here soon.

  All night long, I hope and I hope. But my Hunter does not come.

  ~*~ 14 ~*~

  I walk through The Wood at a hard, steady pace. Hunter never came back. Once morning gave me enough light to see by, I set out with the hunting knife clutched in my hand. He must have been caught, imprisoned at the palace. Well, I’ll get him out. Even if I have to slay every guard in my path.

  The forest is a sleepy gray, the sky wearing a wooly blanket of clouds. I’m still far from the palace, moving around clusters of oak and chestnut trees. It’s dim even in daylight and too leafy to see far ahead. Someone should really cut a path through this place, it would make getting through a lot easier.

  And then a Dwarf steps right in front of me.

  I stop in pure shock. I don’t think he knew I was coming either, because his bushy eyebrows shoot up. He’s holding a wooden club with iron spikes at the end. The thing is nearly as tall as I am.

  He gives a short nod. “Morning, miss. Glad I ran into you.” He looks beyond me and raises his voice. “Hey, fellows, look who’s here!”

  Oh NO! I whirl around but more Dwarves are creeping out behind me, pushing through ferns and around trees. They’re all enormous, close to seven feet. Oh my stars, I’m a dead girl.

  I spin back to face the one in front of me. I jab my arm upward and point the hunting knife at his face. A ripple of rough laughter circles around me.

  The Dwarf ahead of me smiles. He’s got sandy hair and a short beard, both untidy. One of his eyebrows has been split at the center by a deep scar. But despite all that, there’s something familiar about him.

  “Put it down, little miss, won’t do you no good. Sorry we scared you the other night, we didn’t know you were Hunter’s gal.”

  I drop my arm in surprise. “What?”
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  “We don’t harm each other’s women. It’s in the code, more or less. Keeps us all on friendly terms that way.”

  “Us?” I ask, bewildered.

  “Us!” The Dwarf laughs and lifts his arms, gesturing to the six other men. “And our brother Hunter too, of course.”

  I keep perfectly still. I can’t process what I’m hearing. “Hunter is… your brother?”

  “We’re all brothers,” the Dwarf says. “Hunter’s the youngest.”

  “Hunter is a Dwarf!”

  The seven men all rumble with laughter.

  “Naw, he’s too small for that,” the Dwarf says. “He came from Pa’s second wife, so he didn’t get the big bones of our mother. She was solid.”

  “So Hunter is your half-brother.”

  “Brother is brother!” the Dwarf says gruffly. “What, he didn’t tell you about us?”

  I shake my head. All Hunter ever said was that he lived with his family. Oh boy, are we going to have a long talk!

  “Probably didn’t want to push his luck. Really bowled us over when he said he was courting the princess. He was none too happy we chased you the other night.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” says another Dwarf with a dark, longer beard. They all look at least thirty or older, but even with their lined faces and hard scowls, I can see traces of Hunter. His father must have married again late in life.

  I shake my head. “It’s… it’s….” No, I can’t say it’s all right. They did scare me out of my wits. “It’s time for me to go. You won’t stop me?”

  “Nope!” The Dwarf steps aside, raising a hand to the forest ahead of me. I manage a smile as I pass him. “And what do I call you if we should meet again?”

  “Cooper.” He claps a huge hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad Hunter found you, you’re a right pretty wench. But just so you know, if you ever hurt him, we’ll split you open and eat your heart and liver for supper.” He smiles pleasantly.