Snow's Lament (7 page)

“Exactly,” Maleficent said.

My friend sat there expressionless. She clasped her hands together and barely breathed. We’d all heard of the infamous Witch of the Woods, but few had ever seen her. She was a formidable enemy and a formidable ally to have. I’d stayed far away from even talking about her. I was suspicious enough to believe the old adage of mentioning someone one too many times brought them to your doorstep. No way I wanted to deal with that. Except…I’d just found out my dear friend, orphaned when she was little, was holding in some serious magical mojo. And she hadn’t even begun to discover the power left to her by the witch. So far, she’d just been screwing around with the technomancy.

I cleared my throat. “Whoa,” was the most eloquent thing I could say right then.

“How do you know all this?” Belle was staring at Maleficent with curiosity.

“She used to be my best friend.”

I’d fallen down the rabbit hole, which unfortunately turned into a wormhole, and I was currently floating in a time bubble with no one around to hear me scream. I thought about politely excusing myself, but I felt like Belle needed me with her right now.

Maleficent shifted uncomfortably. “Her name is Selene. We grew up together.”

Belle set her mug down and stood. “I want to see her.”

“No,” Maleficent said in horror. She stood, her imposing height towering over Belle. “She is too unbalanced. Too dangerous for you to go to. I beg of you, Belle, do not do this.”

Belle took a deep breath. “Why tell me all this if I can’t see her? I want to ask her why.” Her voice choked and she examined her shoes.

“Everyone deserves to know their story. Everyone deserves to find their legacy.” Maleficent touched Belle’s arm. “But sometimes those legacies are ticking time bombs. I didn’t know your father well, but if you would visit anyone, it should be him over your mother. She is…unwell.”

Belle turned abruptly and walked to the back, no doubt to Robin’s room. I watched as she left and turned to Maleficent. “Why tell her that now?”

“She was responsible for the incident in the village, was she not?”

I nodded, not sure where she was going with it.

“Her power grows. Each day it remains untested, the danger grows. There is no one here to train her in her magic. There are no technomancers here.”

“What about her other powers?” I asked against my better judgment.

Her lips thinned. “Pray they stay dormant.”

I sighed. “Super.”

Robin woke up the next morning, much to our relief. Belle stayed the night curled up on the floor next to his bed, and from the self-satisfied smirk on his bruised and battered face, it wasn’t likely he would let her forget it for awhile.

I sat down at the edge of the bed and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. I leaned down and stared into his handsome face.

“You scared the complete shit out of me and if you ever do that again, I will kill you. Repeatedly.”

A wheeze that could have been a laugh passed through his lips. “I’ll try to remember that, love.”

At that moment, Maleficent breezed in, carrying a bottle of something that looked suspiciously like toilet water. “Nice to see you back in the land of the living.” She shook the bottle and I gagged as I watched chunks of something swirling around inside it.

Robin eyed it with trepidation. “I don’t have to drink that, do I? Gods, what did I ever do to you?”

“You’ll drink it and you’ll like it. Unless you want to lie here like a complete invalid.”

He flashed a devil’s grin at her.

Maleficent opened her mouth undoubtedly to say something ball shriveling, but before she could get it out, she snorted. “You’re incorrigible.” She handed over the bottle to Robin, who took it and held it between two fingers.

“You must truly hate me, Maleficent,” he said as he grimaced.

She harrumphed. “If I hated you, you’d still be lying in the village, fool. Now, drink.”

Robin shifted into a seated position, still holding the bottle at arm’s length. He winced in pain and sighed as he tilted the bottle up and shook it. The contents squirmed and shimmied inside the potion bottle. I laughed at his expression. “Bottom’s up,” I said sweetly.

Belle stirred and woke up, her eyes blinking blearily at us. She sat up and studied Robin. For a moment, no one else was in the room. Their gazes met, tangled, and both looked away, color blooming on their cheeks. Goodness, these two seriously needed to get this all out in the open and make wild monkey love before I murdered them.

Robin popped the cork on the bottle and made the mistake of smelling the contents. He dry heaved a couple times and leaned his head back against the wall with a
thunk
. “Gods, Maleficent. You’re the most powerful sorceress in the land. You couldn’t add cherry flavor or something?”

Belle stifled a smile and muttered, “Idiot” under her breath, but it was without venom. She stood and brushed off her skirts before she gave him one last glance and left the room. Robin grinned at her retreating back. “She’s coming around, you know.”

I smirked. “Maybe. Now, drink your raw sewage before Auntie Maleficent turns you into a toad.”

Maleficent waved a hand at me. “I’m past the point of toads,” she said, and I couldn’t tell if she was serious. “I prefer inanimate objects like…statues or water fountains. Annoy me too much, and you’ll be gracing my gardens for eternity.”

Robin’s easy smile slid off his face. A wary look replaced it.

“Tata, buffoons,” she said and slid out of the room, pulling the door half shut behind her.

“Shit. Is she serious?” Robin shifted uncomfortably.

I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Might be, best not to find out. She does have a lot of statuary in her gardens.”

He let out a deep, aggrieved sigh and tilted the bottle up. In one long swallow, the contents were gone. His face paled as he wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. I patted him on his suede clad knee and exited the room, giving him the privacy to hurl if he needed it.

Robin joined us in Maleficent’s kitchen a few hours later, looking nothing like the man who lay so close to death just a little while ago. He offered a begrudging nod to the sorceress, mumbled a thank you, and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Feeling better, I presume?” Maleficent asked with an amused smile on her face.

“After I threw up twice my body weight, indeed I do,” he answered.

Maleficent laughed heartily. “The extra magic had to come out some time. It’s best not to leave it to its own devices.”

“A warning would have been nice,” he grumbled.

She made a tsking noise. “You were already hesitant. Imagine your reaction had I told you its side effects.”

Robin nodded. “Probably right,” he murmured. He sat with us around the kitchen table. We’d been discussing not much of anything. Belle wasn’t much of a conversationalist this morning. After finding out her true heritage, I guess I wouldn’t have expected otherwise. She was always careful with her emotions, but today, she looked just…numb. I squared my shoulders. It was time to stop screwing around.

“Naomi has taken the gem. We are all the way back at square one. What’s next?” I eyed my team, hoping someone would have a flash of genius, but everyone looked so beaten down, it dashed my hopes significantly.

Robin eyed me over the top of his mug. “Not quite back at square one. That old, devious bastard Rumple dumped us back here so at least we aren’t on Earth sitting on our thumbs, eh?”

I had to agree. “Good point. We are here. Maleficent is here. It could be worse.” I turned my attention to Maleficent. “Do you happen to know where Cyndi is?”

A flash of regret blipped across her face. “Alas, no. Rumple’s power matches mine. If he doesn’t want to be found, he will not be found.”

Not that Cyndi would want to be caught up in all of this with us. She wasn’t much of a warrior, but she was still our friend and I was concerned about her whereabouts. Rumple was very close to breaking his deal with us. She was not to go with him until we were done here. Maybe I could exploit this.

A small smile played across Maleficent’s mouth. “Don’t even think about toying with Rumple, fair Snow. He is way out of your league.” She paused and tilted her head. “For now.”

My eyes narrowed. “Elaborate,” I said shortly.

She shrugged one thin shoulder. “I cannot. It is not time for you to know.”

I leaned back against the hard wooden chair, trying not to be angry. “I wish one day I could wake up in a world where being cryptic doesn’t exist. I could just say, ‘Gee World, what’s on the agenda today, and the world would say, ‘Gosh, Snow, you’re going to get hit by a truck. Might want to make sure your insurance is current!’ And I’d say, ‘Wow, World. Thanks for the heads up!’”

Belle bit her lip. Robin’s gaze flicked from me to Maleficent. The sorceress set her tea cup down and leaned toward me. “The world doesn’t work that way, Snow. We both know this. The future is not mine to tell.” She reached over and placed a cool hand on top of mine. “I will tell you this. Your future and the future of the Enchanted Forest depends upon the choices you will make over the next several days. They will not be easy choices. Loyalties will be tested and bridges will be burned.” She removed her hand and pierced me with her bright violet gaze. “Love will not see you through this. Being a queen requires difficult, terrible choices.”

Maleficent picked up her tea cup and left me sitting there with my mouth wide open.

Belle cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence. “Damn. Sounds like you’ve got a fun week ahead of you.”

I didn’t laugh. I stared at Maleficent’s retreating figure and swallowed hard. I excused myself and left the kitchen via the back door.

If Maleficent ever got tired of being a bad ass sorceress, she could make a good living as a landscape designer. I walked slowly through her vast gardens, my fingers touching dewy petals, still damp from the cool morning. The scent of roses, gardenia, and plants only living in the Enchanted Forest assailed my nose with a heady, deep fragrance. I inhaled deeply, my shoulders relaxing a fraction of an inch as I walked, my thoughts spinning out of control. One thought kept intruding.

I was not used to losing.

And now that I was losing, I felt like I was spinning out of control. Right now, I had no idea what to do. Max was bound. Cyndi wasn’t here. Belle had her own dramas to contend with, and Robin was coming out of a grievous injury. Maleficent helped, but I wasn’t sure how long I could count on her or how far she could assist me without dire consequences.

And Rumple—I was fuming about Rumple. Whatever his machinations were, whatever his end game was, I was already sick of it. He wanted Cyndi. That was blatantly obvious. But his ability to throw us to the wolves was disturbing. Rumple might want Cyndi, but he didn’t care about her. He couldn’t. If he cared about her, he would, by extension, be required to be somewhat concerned over our safety. She was a possession. A sparkly, sweet possession—and someone who could be deadly in the wrong hands.

Right now, I was convinced she was in the wrong hands. Naomi as an enemy was bad enough. She was powerful, yes. But Rumple? A sliver of fear slid down my spine. Taking on Rumple would be suicidal.

I found a large, flat rock in the middle of a thorny rose garden. I made my way over to it and noticed previous footsteps leading up to the rock.
Maleficent must come here a lot
, I mused. I could see why. Varieties of roses I’d never seen before climbed together in a twisted, brambled, beautiful mess. The scents mingled together, some light, some heavy, some dark and mysterious—all completely gorgeous. A heavy sense of magic permeated this place and as I positioned myself on the gray, cool stone, I saw a glow coming off some of the darker roses. Having a healthy sense of self-preservation, I left them alone. I might be hard to kill, but I was still human, and jacking with Maleficent’s magical garden would be stupid to the extreme.

Maleficent’s words rolled through my mind. I hated feeling so helpless. I was a human living in a world of magic. A displaced queen who had no idea how to run a kingdom. A woman in love with someone who might one day kill her. I chuckled to myself. All in a day’s work.

The shuffling of leaves caught my attention and my hand drifted to my always-present Sig in my waistband. I slid it smoothly out of the holster and clicked the safety off, my gaze wide and steady as I tried to see who approached. Not that I could. The roses made an effective barrier to my vision. I slid off the rock with silent grace and kept the gun lowered, but ready to go.

“She’s fine,” a voice to my left said quietly. I spun around, gun raised at eye level.

Rumple stood before me, his hands tucked into his pockets and one eyebrow raised.

I didn’t lower my gun.

“I’m not here to hurt you, Snow. You can lower the gun.”

I still didn’t lower the gun, nor did I click the safety back on.

Rumple sighed and with grace belying his powerful form, he hopped onto the rock I’d just vacated. With seemingly not a care in the world, he leaned back, his arms crossed against the back of his head. “I’ve always been enamored with Maleficent’s gardens,” he said, his gaze no longer on me.

I remained silent as I calculated the odds of me popping off a shot and making this entire thing easier for everyone.

“You aren’t going to shoot me.” He looked over to me, his eyes curious at first, then wary. “Or maybe you will,” he murmured. He sat up straighter and patted the rock. “Come, sit with me for a moment.”

“I’d much rather shoot you,” I said.

An amused chuckle burst from his lips. “Your bravery more than makes up for your lack of intellect.”

I sighed and lowered the gun. “Where’s Cyndi?” I made no move to sit beside him. My lack of intellect was maybe not that lacking.

“She will be along shortly,” he said.

“Did you hurt her?”

Something flashed in his gaze. Contempt possibly, but I was unsure whether it was for me or him. “I think maybe Cinderella is more capable of hurting someone than I.”

It was a curious thing to say. “Doubtful,” I murmured.

He sighed, a world weary sound. “You know so little about her, yet you claim her as one of your best friends. Why is that?”

I shrugged and thought about it. “I know her heart. It’s all I need to know.”

A myriad of emotions crossed his face. “Her heart? I know not that she has one. At least, when it comes to me.”

I moved closer, clicked the safety back on and slid the Sig back into my holster. This wasn’t my day to die. I sat at the bottom of the rock and tilted my face up to him. His powerful frame was easy in its relaxation. He felt I was absolutely of no threat to him. And perhaps I wasn’t. “You push her buttons. You are cruel to her.”

He stilled. “Cruel?” he asked, his tone curious, yet indulgent. “She has no idea of the cruelty I’ve wrought over the years.”

He didn’t get it. “You think of no one but yourself.”

“I’ve lived alone for thousands of years. I barter for information. I use people to secure my power base.” He shrugged one powerful shoulder. “It is the way of it.”

“It’s not Cyndi’s way. You use her for what she can give you.”

He smiled. “She bartered herself for your safety.”

“Yet you threw our safety away when you sent us through that portal uninformed.”

“Touché,” he murmured and chuckled. “She was most unhappy about that.”

I grinned. I could only imagine.

Rumple shifted and I sat up straighter, still wary of him. “Our agreement has been nullified,” he said suddenly.

My heart stilled and stuttered back to life, hope blooming like a beacon in my chest. “Really?” I said, trying my best to sound uninterested.

Rumple slid off the rock and offered a hand to help me up. I took it hesitantly, still unsure why he’d come to me. He lifted me with the ease of someone comfortable with his own massive strength. I stumbled as I felt myself fly up.

“Steady, lass,” he murmured. He held my elbow. “Sending you through the portal like that and leaving her behind enraged her to the point of murder. I wanted some time alone with her to explain my previous actions. She immediately saw it was a way to break our deal.” His face lit up with genuine amusement. “It was bloody fucking brilliant.”

It must have been if Rumple was cursing. I chuckled. All of us had underestimated Cyndi at one time or another.

“I’d never seen anything like it. She whipped out the contract from a pants pocket, skimmed down to one of the numerous addendums, and declared it void.” He scraped a well-worked hand across his handsome face. “No one had ever read and memorized one of my contracts before. I make them difficult on purpose. She was just waiting for me to make one tiny mistake.”