The Stepsister Scheme (12 page)

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Authors: Jim C. Hines

BOOK: The Stepsister Scheme
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“Come,” said the queen. She placed a gentle hand on Danielle’s shoulder. “Let us find my son.”
The hilt of Danielle’s sword jabbed her beneath the ribs when she tried to obey. She wrenched the belt around and sat.
Snow leaned down, so close her breath tickled Danielle’s ear. “Stare into the mirror. Think of your husband. Any memory will do, but the more vivid, the better.”
The first thing that came to mind made her face burn. She shoved that memory aside, on the chance that Snow might be able to see her thoughts. Instead, she tried to remember the day after the ball, when Armand had come to her house. She remembered the feel of his hand on hers as he helped her into his coach. Her stepsisters had been screaming, her stepmother fuming, but Danielle barely heard.
Only when the door was shut and the horses’ hooves began to clop as they drew her away had she started to believe this was real. Years of unshed tears slipped down her cheeks. She wiped her face and turned away, hoping Armand wouldn’t see.
From the window, she saw Charlotte and Stacia standing in the road, blood pooling around their feet. Danielle shuddered. That her stepmother had been so horrid to Danielle all these years was bad enough, but that she would maim her own daughters. . . .
Armand reached past her, pulling the curtains closed and shutting out that part of her life. Danielle gasped when she saw the fresh blood on his sleeves. Drops of vivid crimson stained the white satin of his pants as well.
“I’m so sorry,” Danielle whispered. “My stepmother, she . . .” She shook her head. “We must soak those in cold water before the stains set. We can stop at Helena’s Apothecary Shop over on Garden Street. Watersnake venom will break down the blood and release the stains, and I can—”
Only then did she realize the prince was laughing. His shoulders shook, and he held his clean hand to his mouth. She drew back, confused.
“Please don’t be offended, love,” Armand said. He glanced down at his clothes. “This is nothing. I’ve never liked this outfit anyway. So much gold thread . . . I feel like a pirate’s treasure.” Another bout of laughter took him.
Slowly, Danielle’s mood changed to confusion, then annoyance. “What’s so funny?”
“I’ve spent my life surrounded by politics,” Armand said, still chuckling. “My parents were always fiercely protective and loyal to their only son, but the same can’t be said for the endless aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives scattered across Lorindar. Backstabbing and betrayal were as much a part of my diet as fish and venison.”
An unprincelike snort escaped his nose. “On this day, I’ve finally met a family to make my own seem pleasant.”
“That’s good,” said Snow, startling Danielle from her memory and drawing her back to the present. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, still feeling Armand’s touch, hearing his laughter. Was it the mirror’s power that brought such vividness to the memories?
Danielle tensed her legs, bracing herself against the sensation that she was tumbling into the mirror. Her reflection seemed to grow, as if the glass were falling toward her.
Snow’s voice was a delicate breeze across Danielle’s cheek. “Mirror, mirror, old and great. Show me Princess Danielle’s mate.” She giggled. “Assuming you haven’t mated with anyone else recently?”
Danielle shook her head, too disoriented to take offense.
“Concentrate, Snow,” snapped Talia.
Like ripples on the water, dark rings spread across the center of the silvered glass. They rebounded from the edge of the frame, blurring Danielle’s reflection. Colors and shapes flashed past between the rings.
The mirror went dark. Danielle leaned closer, and her stomach twisted. “What does that mean? Why can’t I see anything? Is he dead?”
“No,” said Snow. “If he was, we’d still see the bod—” She bit her lip and glanced at the queen. In a softer voice, she said, “We’d still see him.”
“He’s been hidden,” Beatrice said. “Through magic. The same thing happened when Snow used me to try to find him.”
Danielle grabbed Snow’s hand. “You said you could find him.”
“Armand is twenty years old,” Snow said. “The bond between parent and child weakens over time.” She pulled her hand free and placed it on Danielle’s stomach. “The babe in your womb is another matter. He’s a blending of your essence with Armand’s. Over time, as he grows into his own man, the bond will fade. But for now, that child is the most intimate connection we have to the prince. Even more intimate than your own, Princess.”
The queen cleared her throat. “Please, Snow. A little less lecturing, and a little more magic, if you would be so kind.”
“Sorry.” Snow brushed her fingers along the platinum frame of the mirror. “Mirror, mirror, with power so wild. Show us the father of Danielle’s child.”
The mirror brightened. Clouds rushed past, so fast Danielle reflexively pulled back. She would have fallen right off the stool if Talia hadn’t caught her shoulders and held her in place.
Danielle found herself looking down at a great chasm, as though she were a bird circling far overhead. A silver bridge spanned the gap, sparkling like a spider’s web in the morning dew. Slowly, the mirror drew back, revealing elaborate palaces to either side of the bridge. Spires of ebony and gold stretched into the sky, reaching to touch the clouds themselves. She saw great, thick forests and cities of such color they looked like a rainbow had shattered and fallen to earth. A group of winged horses circled an empty field, carrying glowing men and women so small that six could ride on a single horse.
“I can’t get any closer,” Snow said. “There’s too much magic.”
“That’s enough,” said Talia. “I told you it was fairies.”
Snow rolled her eyes. “Just because he’s in Fairytown doesn’t mean—”
Fairytown
. Danielle squinted, trying to see through the whirling images in the mirror.
“Enough,” interrupted Beatrice. “I’ll talk to Ambassador Trittibar tonight. He will arrange for the two of you to enter Fairytown. You leave in the morning.”
“I don’t understand,” said Danielle. “If we know where he is, why can’t we go to the fairy king or queen and ask them to find Armand? Doesn’t the treaty—”
“If we could prove that one of their subjects had taken a citizen of Lorindar to Fairytown, we could present evidence to the fairy court,” Snow said. “The treaty requires them to respond to any request for such a hearing within seven days.”
“But even if we had proof that one of their people was involved, we don’t know which court to go to,” Talia added. “The king and queen aren’t on very good terms. We could spend days arguing our case to the queen, only to find it’s the king’s people who helped your stepsisters.”
“So we go to both courts.” Danielle looked from one to the other, then turned to the queen. “Ask them both to help find Armand.”
“And they’ll help us why?” Talia asked. “Out of the goodness of their hearts? They lost the war. Humans forced the treaty on them. They’re not exactly our friends, Highness. If we want Armand back, Snow and I need to go get him.”
“Then I’m going with you.”
The queen was already shaking her head, as if she had anticipated Danielle’s words. “No, Danielle. The demon in that tree nearly killed you. I’ve already lost my son. I won’t risk losing my daughter-in-law and grandson as well.”
“You haven’t lost Armand,” Talia said. She was already heading to the other room, gathering weapons from the wall. “We’ll bring him back.”
“I know my stepsisters,” Danielle said. “I know how they think. I can help.”
Beatrice touched Danielle’s cheek. “I do understand how you feel. If it were up to me, I’d be on a horse to Fairytown this very moment. But we have other responsibilities, Princess. I trust Talia and Snow with my life. They will find Armand.”
“Fairytown is a big place,” Danielle said. “And what will they do if Charlotte and Stacia decide to move Armand elsewhere? Without me, they’ll have no way to find him.”
Talia returned, tucking small knives about her person. “They murdered your mother. They would have murdered you if I hadn’t saved you. Twice. Come with us, and you’re more likely to get yourself and your son killed than to save your husband.”
“The first attack was in my own bedroom,” Danielle said. “Do you truly think I’ll be safer here than I would with the two of you to protect me?”
Both Snow and Talia watched the queen, waiting for her to choose. Deep down, Danielle could understand their protests. She was no warrior, and the thought of putting her unborn child in danger made her want to weep.
“My mother died when I was too young to know her.” Danielle stepped down from the stool. “She stayed with me, but all my life I’ve been unable to touch her, to hear her voice or wrap my arms around her. Her loss broke something deep inside my father. I began to lose him the same day I lost her. When he died years later . . .”
“You’re risking the prince of Lorindar,” Talia said.
“I know that.” Danielle shuddered, remembering the way Brahkop had reached for her. If it were her alone, she would have gone without a second thought. She closed her eyes and turned away. “I also know that if my father had been given the chance to save my mother, and he had refused that chance because of me, I would never have forgiven him.”
“I could order you to stay,” the queen said.
Danielle pointed to Talia and Snow. “You said you trusted them with your life. Do you trust them with mine? Mine and my son’s?”
The queen’s lips pursed. “I think I liked you better when you were the obedient servant girl.” A smile softened her words. She turned to Talia. “I’m asking you to be responsible for Danielle’s safety.”
“I knew you were going to say that,” Talia muttered.
Danielle wrapped her arms around herself. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Talia ducked back through the doorway and studied the map on the ceiling. “We’ll need a ship. The
Phillipa
is fastest, but they’re halfway around Lorindar, escorting a silver merchant. Of the ships moored here,
Silver Wind
is probably the best choice. We should send a runner down to tell Captain James to prepare.”
“Trittibar will send you on your way first thing in the morning,” the queen said. “You should eat dinner and prepare for tomorrow.”
Talia shook her head. “They took Armand to Fairytown. That means the fairies are involved. We can’t go to their ambassador and expect him to help us over his own people.”
“Trittibar has always been a friend to Armand,” the queen interrupted. She stared into the mirror, her eyes unfocused. “The two of them used to sneak out of the palace together, visiting the taverns and gambling with the people. I’m told my son developed quite an arm for darts.” She smiled, momentarily lost in the memory. “He needed time away from the palace. Time to see what the world was like. And every boy needs to believe he’s pulled one over on his mother and father from time to time.”
“You knew they were sneaking off?” Danielle asked.
The queen’s smile grew. “My dear child, who do you think gave Trittibar the idea?”
 
Talia didn’t say another word until they returned to Danielle’s room. As before, she searched the room herself before gesturing for Danielle and Snow to follow. When she did speak, her words were curt. “I’ll fetch something to eat from the kitchens. The two of you stay here. Remain quiet, and stay away from the window.”
She opened the door, then stopped in mid-step. “Your Majesty.”
“Talia, isn’t it?” King Theodore stepped inside. Danielle saw two guards waiting in the hallway. His expression was almost playful. “Strange . . . I knocked a short time ago, but there was no answer.”
Danielle started to respond, but he held up his hand. “No need. I came to congratulate you, not interrogate you.”
The king was taller than his son, his brown hair dusted with gray. The padded shoulders of his jacket made him appear even more imposing, as did the heavy boots that clomped against the floor. His beard was neatly trimmed, framing a face which was longer and narrower than Armand’s. But when he smiled, his cheeks dimpled in a way that left no doubt he was the prince’s father.
“Beatrice said she would send you to see me, but I grew impatient.” He stepped forward to give Danielle a gentle embrace, as if she were made of porcelain. When he backed away, his brows lowered. “You’ve had a busy day, I see.”
Danielle looked down at her clothes, still stained from the filthy water of Fisherman’s Canal, and covered in dust from the secret passage. “Very busy, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t tell me. My wife’s secrets are her own.” He glanced at Snow and Talia, and his voice turned somber. “Have you learned anything of my son?”
“The queen believes he might be in Fairytown,” Snow said carefully.
“I see.” He studied each of them in turn. When those hazel eyes met Danielle’s, she felt as though he was peering into her mind, reading her thoughts as though she were one of the books from Snow’s shelves. “I would lead my troops to Fairytown tonight if I thought it would get him back.”

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