Snow's Lament (6 page)

I was feeling the wicked burn of the silver dagger across my throat when all hell broke loose. Naomi’s grip loosened and I seized on that moment, Boneless, I slumped to the floor and rolled away, my hand slapping over the wound in my throat. The hut shook on its foundation. I crawled over to Robin, hoping against all hope there was still some life in his body.

“Belle!” I screamed and immediately regretted it. Pain bloomed within my throat and blood pushed against my fingers. I was cut deeper than I’d expected. Although, considering I was still able to move, Naomi hadn’t cut anything vital yet.

Purple smoke curled and tied around Naomi. Her arms were pinned at her side as she struggled. For the moment, she was effectively neutralized. Robin’s pulse was weak, but still there. I rested my head on his chest and held on tight.

“Get us out of here!” I screamed and waited for the vertigo to come.

A fiercely proud face and ebony hair leaned over me, obscuring my view of the room.

“Nice to see you again, friend,” said Maleficent.

Her tone was dry, which made me think maybe she wasn’t so happy.

“Sorry,” I rasped. My hand crept up to the wound on my throat. The skin there was puckered, but closed.

Maleficent’s expression showed regret. “I did the best I could, but you’re going to have a scar. Naomi’s dagger was enchanted. She wasn’t screwing around this time. You’re going to sound like a chain smoker for at least a week.”

“Better than being dead.”

“True, child.”

I sat up abruptly. “Robin and Belle?” I looked around, but didn’t see them anywhere. I assumed she’d taken us back to her castle, but the room we were in was small and cozy. It looked more like a small cabin than anything else.

She touched my arm with a cool hand. “Belle is fine.”

I stared. “Robin?”

“Touch and go, friend. I wish I would have gotten to him sooner.”

Hot tears filled my eyes. “Will he live?”

A small smile full of regret touched her face. “Even I cannot answer that. I might be a sorceress, but I am not a goddess.”

“Where is he?”

She held out a hand, which I gladly accepted. I swayed on my feet a bit, no doubt due to blood loss, and allowed her to lead me down the hall. She swung back a royal blue curtain and fastened it with a decorative dragon hook on the wall.

Robin lay silent and unmoving on a bed of straw and hay. His chest rose and fell as he breathed. I hurried over to his bed and fell to my knees. I took his chilly hand and pressed his knuckles to my lips.

“I am so, so sorry. I will make sure she pays for this.” I sat there for a few moments, waiting for some kind of miracle, but he lay there motionless.

A hand on my shoulder startled me. Belle crouched down and leaned against me.

“He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” she whispered.

I squeezed her knee. “I don’t know.”

She reached out with a hesitant hand and laid it on his chest. I slowly stood and watched her for a moment. Grief, love, and regret warred on her face. I touched her hair and left her alone in the room.

Maleficent was already back in her living area, a steaming cup of tea in her hands. It was an odd sight, but I’d long learned not to judge anyone. I wasn’t sure of her history, but I thought maybe she was a good ally to have on our side.

“Belle loves him,” she said as she offered to pour me a cup.

I nodded. “Something happened between them. She refuses to talk about it.”

Maleficent winced. “I don’t blame her.”

My gaze flew to hers. “You know what happened?” My heart began to pound faster. I was dying to know.

She sipped her tea. “It isn’t my story to tell.”

“You can’t lift a sister up like that and let her fall,” I grumbled.

She chuckled. “Their future is unclear. Let them be, Snow.”

I lifted my tea cup and smelled lemon and mint. “We’ll see.”

“That we will,” she said ominously.

“Sometimes you are really scary.” The liquid slid down my throat and soothed my ills. I wouldn’t put it past her to have slipped something healing into my tea.

“I take that as the highest compliment.”

I set my cup down and studied the woman in front of me. She was non-traditionally beautiful. High cheekbones and vivid violet eyes set off a heart shaped face. Long, ebony hair normally contained behind her hooded robes fell across her shoulders and down to her waist in waves. She was thin—
thinner than she should be
, I thought. How someone that small had so much power in her frame was a wonder. Not that Maleficent was in any way petite—six-foot tall was not petite—but her small frame belied her strength.

I leaned forward. “Everything okay?” She looked tired and drawn.

She sighed. “It will be as it is meant to be.”

Which told me nothing at all. I snorted. “Really? Cryptic much?”

She laughed lightly. “The trouble is not yet at my door, child. It is not the time to worry about such things. You, on the other hand, have a nose for finding craziness.”

I let it go for the moment. “I suppose I do. By the way, thanks for that dramatic rescue.”

“I couldn’t let the best entertainment I’ve had in years die on me, now could I?” Her tone was light but expectant.

“Just entertainment? I would have hated to leave behind a good friend without saying goodbye.”

Color filled her cheeks. “Friend?”

“How could you think otherwise, Maleficent?”

She lowered her gaze. “I do not make…friends.” She waved her hand, as if trying to clear the nasty word out of the air.

“Too bad. You’ve saved me more times than I can count. You’re stuck with me. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to return the favor.”

She lifted her violet gaze to mine. “Do not be so flippant about that last sentence, child, for it shall come to pass sooner than you want.”

I flinched. “Maleficent. Tell me. What kind of trouble are you in?”

She set her tea cup down hard enough to crack the delicate china. “I know not. I feel this…weight upon my shoulders.” Maleficent stood, walked over to her fireplace, and fiddled with the knick-knacks scattered across it. “I’ve done horrible things in my time—things that weigh upon my conscience and haunt my dreams.”

She turned to me, her face haunted and stark. “Those deeds will come back and sit upon my doorstep. I don’t know which ones or how they will be delivered, but I fear my darkest hour will be upon me soon.”

“I will be here. For you. Promise you will call upon me when your need arises.”

Her shoulders dropped an inch, as if relieved by my response. She really was not used to having any friends. Maleficent turned to me. “What use could a small human be when sorcerers and magic are involved?” She scoffed. “You would be crushed beneath the weight of the power on its way.”

I crossed my arms. “You’re trying to push me away.”

“I am trying to protect you.”

“Don’t,” I said shortly. “This is what friends do.”

Maleficent raised one eyebrow. “They die?”

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “Hopefully not. But…maybe. Dying to save a friend is honorable, don’t you think?”

“No.” She turned away. “It’s not honorable. It’s selfish.”

I was confused. “Selfish?” I repeated. “I would die for a cause, Maleficent. I would
willingly
walk into hellfire and burn alive for my friends.”

“You are a foolish child.” She knocked over one of the small metal dragon statues on top of her fireplace with her fingertip.

“No,” I said, “I’m just your friend.”

When she didn’t respond, I let myself out of the house for awhile.

People said a lot of things about Maleficent, but they couldn’t deny she had style. I stepped outside expecting to see a rustic old cabin in the middle of the woods somewhere, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. We were on the outskirts of her lands. The massive castle she probably ripped from some unsuspecting king loomed over the lands, the highest spires hidden within the clouds surrounding the property. It was beautiful and awe-inspiring, much like the woman herself. But it was also a little bit depressing and I wondered if Maleficent’s castle reflected her current melancholy mood. Everything around it was gray. The castle, the sky, the bridge connecting the castle to the roads—everything. Or maybe it was a show to keep people away. There was no denying she was seriously fearsome, but I saw something within her that made me think she was also someone fiercely loyal to her friends, yet very much misunderstood.

She was an onion: multiple layers, a little bit ugly sometimes, and she could make you cry if you cut too deep.

Good thing for her, I liked onions.

However, when I looked away from the castle and off the front porch of the not-so rustic cabin, the land before me was gorgeous. Beautiful forest blanketed the area, letting in as much sunlight as it could thanks to Naomi’s poison magic. Large, gnarled trees towered over me, the branches heavy with flowers I’d never seen before, and the forest floor was a mix of flowers and what appeared to be the softest grass I’d ever seen. I slipped off my boots and headed down to the grass. As I walked and looked around, a large black tree caught my eye. I didn’t think it was naturally black, maybe burned, but it still lived. Red flowers bloomed from its boughs. I sat down against the bark of the trunk and leaned my head back.

So much had gone wrong today. Cinderella was gone, Naomi had everything we needed, and Robin lay inside grievously injured. As plans go, this one had gone wildly sideways. I was alive, only because of Belle and Maleficent.

I was tired of being rescued.

My brain was so jumbled, thoughts of Max had yet to consume me. He looked wonderful, fit and healthy. Naomi couldn’t allow her best weapon to suffer on the outside, though I knew Max hurt plenty on the inside.

A shuffling noise alerted me to a new presence. I cracked one eye open and saw Belle settle in beside me.

“Holy shit, right?”

I laughed. “You were kick ass back there, Belle. How the hell did you manage that?”

She shook her head. “Not quite sure. Some of it was electric induction, some of it was magic, and some of it was frantic self-preservation.”

I had no idea what electric induction was, nor did I want a long-winded academic explanation, so I merely said, “Huh.”

She snorted. “I scared the shit out of myself. I thought I was going to kill everyone inside.”

So had I for a minute. “It was brilliant. A little insane, but one hundred percent brilliant. And the copper…holy crap. I’d never seen anything like it.”

Belle tilted her head forward, her chestnut hair shielding her face. “It didn’t save Robin.”

“I disagree.”

“Why am I not surprised?” She groaned and banged her head against the back of the tree.

I fiddled with a piece of grass and chose my words carefully. “We are all alive because of that distraction. You disabled Naomi and bought me enough time to call Maleficent. She’s doing everything she can to keep him alive. Now…Max had pretty unfortunate timing, but still. We’re here. We’re alive.” I looked at her. “Because of you. Not me.”

“Were you able to get the gem?”

I chuckled. “How’s my luck been lately? What are the odds of that?”

“Yeah. Guess not.” She pulled her long hair to the side and began to braid it. It was more of a move to keep herself busy and not because she cared about the way she looked.

I watched her for a moment, jealous of her hair, but remembering my old adage. Hair is a weapon that could be used against me. Maybe I could learn to tight French braid.

“Belle?”

She continued focusing on her braid, one strand over another.

“What happened between you and Robin?”

She flinched. “I’m not ready to talk about it.”

One day. One day I’d get the story out of her.

As long as Robin was okay and we made it out of here alive, that was all that mattered to me for now. Belle stood and left me alone. I sat there for a while, lost in my thoughts, and slowly drifted off to sleep, safe in Maleficent’s realm—at least, for now.

I awoke to a warm hand caressing my hair and my face smooshed into a hard chest. I stilled until I smelled the familiar scent of warm cinnamon.

“Max?”

I lifted my head up to see his handsome face smiling at me. “Hi.”

I snorted. “Hey, yourself. If you’re planning to kill me, you’re doing a really bad job.”

I put my head back down on his chest and felt it rumble with laughter. “Not today, Snow.”

“Good. You’re comfortable.” I lay there for a moment and closed my eyes. I wished I could wake up every day like this. With him. With no fear hanging over our heads and no battles yet to be fought.

“Glad to hear it.” He fell silent as something occurred to me.

“How did you get in here?” Maleficent’s wards were legendary in the Enchanted Forest. Rare was the man who could break through and survive.

“I have a deal with the sorceress.”

I raised my head and stared at him. “Oh?”

“Being inside here nullifies Naomi’s magic. I’m not sure why, I’m not sure how, but I don’t care. I come here sometimes when everything becomes too much.”

My heart hurt for him. “Maleficent is a powerful sorceress.”

“Indeed,” he murmured. “She hasn’t been unable to break the binding, though. She’s tried.” He paused. “Numerous times.”

So far, the only way we knew to break it was to either kill her, something that was proving difficult, or banish her to Earth where there was no magic. Technically, Belle and Cyndi’s magic both worked on Earth, so I wasn’t sure banishing her would actually work. Instead, it could unleash hell upon Earth. Putting Naomi in a place where no one could fight her would only encourage her sociopathic tendencies. Max, however, didn’t appear to give a crap about that. He was only concerned about freeing his daughter. If I were in his position, I would probably feel the same way. It still didn’t make it right or even fair, but Max was in an impossible position. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew if Max had to choose between me or his daughter, I would lose. As it should be, I supposed. I wasn’t a parent. Kids made me uncomfortable and awkward, but if I had a family member in trouble, I would move heaven and earth to save them.

“We will figure something out.”

His hand stilled on my hair. “I didn’t come here to talk about this. I came here to hold you for a little while.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw a slight shimmer surrounding us. I pushed myself up, my hand lingering over my Sig.

Max still lay flat on his back. “Relax,” he said, and chuckled. “It’s a sound and vision shield. No one can see or hear us.”

I still wasn’t assured. In fact, I was unsettled. “Did you do this?”

I turned my concerned gaze to his, but he brushed away my fears. “I told you, being in Naomi’s thrall has its perks. Her control magic might be nullified here, but I can still draw on the rest of her power.”

He seemed too cavalier about the entire thing. My hand left my weapon, but I didn’t lie back down. “Since when are you versed in the way of magic?”

His expression closed down. “It was a mistake to come here.” He pushed himself up and rested his arms over his knees. He was breathtakingly handsome, like always.

I put a hand on his arm. “Please don’t go.” I choked any further mention of Naomi down. “I’m sorry. I just get…concerned for you.”

His jaw tightened. “Do not.”

I rolled my eyes. “You can’t tell me what to do,” I grumbled. I lay back down on the soft grass. “Someone should be concerned for you.”

I watched his back muscles tighten against the linen of his shirt. “I will get away from her, Snow.” He turned his head to me. “And when I do, I will make you mine.”

My throat went dry and things tightened down low. “I hope so,” I whispered huskily and dropped my gaze. “We could get started on that a little bit earlier, you know.”

His amber eyes darkened. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard today.”

I opened my arms to him. My heart was already opened and had been for a decade. He was the only one for me, and to feel him here with me, instead of only in my dreams, was a gift I would never take for granted.

“You have grass in your hair.” Maleficent smirked and pulled a piece from the top of my head.

She leaned closer and peered at my face. “And what looks suspiciously like beard burn.”

“Maleficent!” I rubbed a hand over my face and glared at her.

Her throaty laugh rang out across the room. “At least someone is getting some.”

“Oh my God,” I muttered. “Could you be any more embarrassing?”

“Yes,” she said. Her expression sobered. “Your time with him is precious, Snow. Don’t feel embarrassed around me for taking a lover.”

My cheeks felt like they were on fire. She sounded so archaic and formal, but I knew what she meant. I lowered my eyes. “Thank you for allowing him in.”

“Max is…” she hesitated, “good,” she said after a moment. “For the most part, he’s good.”

I thought so too. “Even with Naomi’s mark?”

She smiled. “Especially then. It takes a strong man to overcome such powerful magic, Snow. We must give him credit where credit is due. I know of no other who could withstand her for as long as he has.”

Even unspoken, I knew there was a ‘but’ in that sentence. “But?”

She sat down and crossed her long, velvet skirt over her thin legs. “But,” she said, “I see him weakening. He might not see it yet, but her magic will overtake him if a solution isn’t found soon.”

I already knew this, had known it for awhile, but hearing it from someone who knew what they were talking about drove it home. I would like to be able to save everyone, but sometimes the needs of many outweighed the needs of one. Right now, the needs of my entire kingdom weighed on my shoulders like a lead vest.

“He thinks she needs to be banished to Earth or die. He doesn’t care which.” I never had the chance to discuss Max’s plans with her before the portals slammed closed.

She crossed her hands together and studied me, a thoughtful expression on her face. “And which do you think should happen?”

“Personally, I’d rather see her dead.”

Maleficent laughed, full and hearty. “Now, that’s why I like you. Straight to the heart of the matter.”

I headed into the kitchen and turned the tap on to fill the coffee carafe. I’d need all the energy I could muster, especially with Robin down for the count. “Banishing her to Earth would open an additional bundle of worms we can’t even fathom.”

“I don’t disagree,” she replied.

I filled the coffee filter with grounds and poured the water into the pot. Five minutes and I’d get my java fix. I rummaged through Maleficent’s cabinets until I pulled down a black and purple clay mug. It fit my mood: melancholy.

“Maleficent?” I peered around the corner. She still sat in the chair cross-legged and straight-backed.

“Yes?” One eyebrow rose. I wonder if she knew what I was going to ask her. Even more pressing, I wondered if she was going to answer what I asked her.

I thought about it for a moment and saw no way to word the question delicately. I had a feeling something weird was going on and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. If magic wasn’t supposed to work on Earth…if Earth was supposed to be a magic-free zone, why were Cinderella and Belle able to use theirs? And why was Belle’s so powerful on Earth and not here? Although, judging from that stunt with the copper pot, either Belle’s power was growing here or she’d been extraordinarily lucky. I didn’t believe in luck that good.

I decided to tiptoe around the question and try to extract as much information as I could out of her. Maleficent was reticent on the best of days, so maybe phrasing it in multiple questions would help me get the full story.

“On Earth, there is no magic, right?”

“That’s what people say.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “People say a lot of things. Turns out, lots of those things aren’t true. Is there magic on Earth?”

She leaned back against the couch. “Bring me a cup of coffee. In the second cabinet to the left, there’s biscotti. Bring that too and rest a spell.”

Oh my God! Jiggety Jig, Maleficent was going to answer questions! I felt like doing that double kick thing, but was scared I’d break something. Instead, I settled for grinning like a loon and loading up a plate full of biscotti. I hustled that into the living room, set it down on the coffee table, and ran back into the kitchen to get our coffees. If I dallied too much, I felt like she was going to clam up. I rushed back in, trying to play it cool, yet totally not succeeding. I handed her coffee over, sat down, and tried not to wiggle like a kid who has to pee.

Maleficent rolled her eyes. “Boys and girls…once upon a time…”

I huffed. “Maleficent.”

She held up an elegant hand tipped with black fingernails. “Tsk-tsk, wait for Auntie Maleficent to finish the story, young lady.”

I rolled my eyes at her wide grin. “Fine.”

“Good.” She winked at me. “In short, yes, there is magic on Earth.”

As I suspected. I opened my mouth to speak, but her words rolled right over me.

“But, those who are born of parents from the Enchanted Forest are unable to use their magic when they are Earthbound. This is not to say that they cannot use magic at all, but the magic they are forced to use on Earth comes from nature or the Old Religions through spells or incantations. It is not innate. However, there are people walking on Earth today who are born with magic. It is different than here, and unique to them. Here, our magic system comes from our lands and our gods and goddesses. On Earth, it is…different. I don’t know exactly how it works, but I do know those of the Enchanted Forest cannot perform magic the same way there as they can here.”

My mouth dropped open. Holy. Holy. Holy crap. I took a deep breath. “So, what about people not from the Enchanted Forest who come here? What about their magic?”

A sly look of approval slithered through her eyes. “So, you’ve figured it out. I’ve wondered how long this would stay secret once you started coming back around.”

“Do they know?” I hoped they did, but I didn’t think they were aware. Belle was in a constant state of confusion about her magic. Plus, it was weird to be gifted something like technomancy in a place where technology and electricity was so limited.

“To answer your other question, when someone from Earth comes here, their magic can be stunted sometimes. It doesn’t always happen, and I don’t understand why, but their magic can have a different and unintended effect when used in this realm.”

“But Belle was born here.” There was only one scenario that presented itself. There was a rotten apple in Belle’s family tree.

“Indeed she was.” Maleficent waited for me to put the pieces together.

“Belle’s father was from Earth then?”

A shuffling noise startled me. Maleficent paled and gazed behind me.

I turned, my hopes sinking since there could only be one person behind me.

“Earth?” she asked blankly. “How is that possible?”

Maleficent leaned over. “Get her some coffee, please.”

To Belle, she said, “Come, child, and sit.”

“My father was a peddler.” She moved, her pace slow and stilted. “A peddler,” she repeated as she sat down beside Maleficent.

I rushed into the kitchen to make her a cup of coffee and as I was leaving, I heard Maleficent say, “No, child, your father was most assuredly not a peddler.”

After breaking the world’s record for fastest ever coffee pour, I rushed back into the room and handed Belle her cup.

She sat there, pale and beautiful, the freckles I rarely saw standing out in stark contrast to the pale pallor of her skin. Belle accepted the cup with trembling hands.

“A sorcerer?” She heaved a gulping sigh. “How is that even possible?”

I resisted the urge to say something smart-assy like, “Well, when a girl likes a boy…” It wasn’t the time or the place. I pressed my lips together and let her work it out for herself. Maleficent sat close beside her on the couch, her stark beauty a great and terrible contrast to Belle’s silver screen looks.

“He’s a technomancer, from Earth, but with the ability to portal travel. I’ve met him a couple times.” She lifted a hand to encompass the room. “How else would I have modern Earth conveniences here in the Enchanted Forest? I can implement some things, but the majority of technology in this realm came from him.” Seeing Belle’s face, she said softly, “His name is Nixon.”

“Nixon,” Belle repeated the name, almost like she was tasting it. She trembled as she lifted the cup to her lips and sipped the coffee. After a moment, she pulled it from her lips, sighed again, and asked, “What about my mother?”

For all the terrible things that happened to me over my life, there had always been the bright shining beacon of my mother’s love. When things became terrible, I always thought back to the lessons she taught me. I might not have always followed them, but in some of my darkest times, my mother’s words would intrude into my conscience and often convince me to choose a brighter path.

Belle had no such influence, yet she’d still grown up to be wise, loving, and beautiful—the trifecta of good traits in a friend. Forced into an orphanage when she wasn’t yet a teen, the beginning of those years proved to be terrible indeed. Adopted by a loving couple when she was fourteen, Belle fortunately had the willpower and spine to put those demons behind her and embrace life as only she could. Sometimes, when we ended up in a discussion, Belle remarked how books saved her life. So, she kept up that habit and, as far as I could tell, remained as normal as someone who’d grown up like that could be.

Something dangerous flickered over Maleficent’s face as Belle asked about her mother. My hand tightened over the cup I’d just picked up. Whatever this was, it wouldn’t be good news.

“Your mother is a little more complicated.”

A harsh laugh came from Belle. “I doubt it.”

Maleficent took Belle’s hand. “You shouldn’t. Only a few knew your mother’s name. Most called her,,,” she paused and her gaze flicked to me, “Witch of the Woods.”

Holy
shitballs
. My eyes widened involuntarily and I choked on the sip of coffee I’d just taken.