The Stepsister Scheme (38 page)
Read The Stepsister Scheme Online
Authors: Jim C. Hines
“Talia is right,” Danielle said. “There has to be another way.”
“Then name it.” Snow wiped her nose. “Choose quickly, Danielle. Unless you want to return to slavery.”
Danielle racked her brain, desperately grasping at one idea after another. “Stacia’s knife,” she whispered. “I poisoned it. If we can force her to use her magic and draw her own blood, she might destroy herself.” Quickly, she explained what she had done with the rats and the poison.
“I’m impressed,” said Talia. “I didn’t think you had it in you. But it probably won’t kill her. The dosage isn’t high enough. You might make her a little ill, but that’s all.”
“Are you sure?” Danielle asked.
“Trust me on this.” Talia’s smile was anything but pleasant.
“Fine.” Danielle held out her arm. “Then give the dwarves seven years of
my
life. It’s my husband we came to rescue. My child we’re protecting. I’ll pay the cost.”
my
life. It’s my husband we came to rescue. My child we’re protecting. I’ll pay the cost.”
Snow’s expression softened, and her eyes watered. She covered her mouth with both hands. “You’d do that for me?” Without waiting for a response, she threw her arms around Danielle and squeezed so hard Danielle could barely breathe. Then, trembling, she pulled away. “I couldn’t. You’re already so old.”
“I beg your pardon?” Danielle snapped. She pushed up her sleeve, but hesitated before offering the arm to Snow. “Just promise I’ll be the only one to pay, not my son.”
Snow nodded, still staring. “But—”
“I would die to save Armand and my son,” Danielle said. “Seven years is a small price.”
“Three and a half,” Talia said, her voice strangely soft. She returned Snow’s knife and extended her own arm. “We’ll share the cost.”
Snow bit her lip, then embraced them both, nearly stabbing Danielle’s shoulder in the process.
“Do you think perhaps we should get on with it?” Talia asked. “Or is all of this hugging and merriment a part of the spell?”
Snow backed away, still smiling. “Don’t be afraid,” she said, her eyes sparkling.
Snow’s fingers felt like ice water as she took Danielle’s hand. Her knife dented the skin of her inner wrist. Danielle barely felt the cut. So keen was Snow’s blade that only when Danielle flexed her arm did the skin separate and blood begin to flow toward her fingers.
Snow did the same to Talia, and then to her own forearm. She twined her fingers with Danielle’s. Talia did the same, sandwiching Snow’s hand between Danielle’s and her own. Blood trickled over their hands and dripped to the floor.
Snow closed her eyes and whispered,
“Blood of life, blood of binding,
hear me light and darkness blinding.
Magic from the world’s first turning,
Water flowing, fire burning.
Awaken earth with life so old.
Hear me, winds of winter cold.
Share my—”
Snow flushed. “I mean, share
our
blood, which I—, which
we
give freely, darn it.” She wiped her face and shared a sheepish smile before finishing. “By this bond, we summon thee.”
our
blood, which I—, which
we
give freely, darn it.” She wiped her face and shared a sheepish smile before finishing. “By this bond, we summon thee.”
Snow relaxed her grip and stepped back, motioning the others to do the same. Danielle moved cautiously, glancing all about as she waited for something to happen. Her hand was stiff, and the cut had begun to sting. “When will we know if it worked?”
The oil lamps over the door brightened. The light of the small fires flowed together, growing into a tiny sun.
“What’s happening?” Danielle asked, covering her eyes.
“They’re coming.” Snow’s gaze was glassy, like she was watching from a great distance.
Crude limbs flailed from the light, moving with the awkwardness of a newborn. Soon those limbs gripped the pipe more firmly. A small, squat man formed entirely of light dropped gently to the floor. His features were vague and blurry. Pinpoints of shadow suggested eyes, while a darker spot might have been a mouth. Danielle had to squint to look at him.
Others followed. The fires of the oil lamp still burned, appearing weak and dim in comparison to the dwarf. Again the flames came together, and soon the lantern died as a second figure dropped down to join his companion. This one retained the strange yellow fires of the lamp. Flickers of blue swept across his extremities when he moved.
Water seeped out of the wall, congealing into a slender, feminine form. Her long hair was a miniature waterfall, ending in white mist around her waist. With every movement, she gave off a faint trickling sound, like a stream in springtime.
Snow’s own shadow rose from the floor with reptilian smoothness. Soon it was the perfect twin to the man of light. He stepped away, leaving Snow without a shadow.
Floorboards splintered at Snow’s feet. Danielle grabbed her sword and stumbled back. Even Talia drew her knife. Snow merely smiled and stepped away from the widening hole.
Dark green fingers of stone reached out. Moving as gracefully and easily as Talia herself, a statue climbed through the floor to join the others. Her skin was so finely polished Danielle could see the rest of the room reflected on her bare back.
A sudden breeze made the man of fire brighten, though Danielle saw nothing.
“What are they?” Danielle whispered.
“Wind, fire, water and stone,” said Snow. “Light and darkness. The very elements of our world, summoned and made flesh.”
Danielle kept her sword ready. “I thought there were seven.”
Snow pointed, and the shattered remains of the coffin began to swirl about the floor. “The seventh is the embodiment of magic. She’s too wild to be given her own form, so she will remain within me. She’ll give me the power I need to find your husband and face my mother.”
She stepped toward the cloud of glass, which began to re-form into a single mirror. Snow didn’t bother with rhymes this time. Fragmented images flickered before her. Danielle caught a brief glimpse of Armand sitting at a table. It was too fast for her to follow, but Snow said, “I know where they are.”
The contours of a woman’s face began to emerge in the cloud of glass. The features resembled Snow, aged twenty years. Knives of glass settled around the brow, a mirrored crown. The oversized eyes blinked, and the harsh lips pulled into a smile. “I expected you to flee.”
“I know,” said Snow. She clapped her hands, and the glass crushed together. Danielle saw the face flinch, and then glittering powder streamed to the floor.
“Your mother?” Danielle asked.
“She already knew I was awake,” said Snow.
“You’re taunting her?” Talia asked.
“She’s impetuous when she loses her temper. I want to be sure she comes out to face me.” Snow turned toward the door. The stone dwarf leaped like a jack-rabbit, driving her fingers into the wood and ripping it apart, just as she had done to the floor.
“You could have just opened it,” Talia muttered. She drew her knife, then glanced at the ceiling, where her tiny spindle whip still swung over Snow’s coffin. She hadn’t been carrying it when she used Trittibar’s magic to restore herself. “I don’t suppose—”
Snow snapped her fingers, and the whip pulled free of the plaster. By the time it flew to Talia’s hand, it had regained its full size.
“Nice.” Talia’s face was grim as she wound the line back around the spindle.
The hallway was empty. Snow followed her dwarves through the door, leaving Talia and Danielle to follow.
“What are they, really?” Danielle whispered.
“The dwarves? They’re not good, if that’s what you’re asking. They tortured Snow’s mother before they killed her,” Talia said. “She told me about it once, after drinking way too much ale. Wind and magic held Rose in place while fire consumed her from the feet up.”
Danielle glanced at Charlotte’s door as they passed. Thankfully, neither Snow nor the dwarves slowed their pace. Despite everything her stepsister had done, Danielle had no desire to see her tortured to death. If Charlotte did manage to work free, Danielle hoped she would be smart enough to stay hidden until this was over.
“Much of Snow’s power came from her mother,” Talia added. “She tries not to use the darker spells, but sometimes her magic ventures to the shadows.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what she fears more, having to face her mother again, or becoming her.”
CHAPTER 14
T
HE WIND RUSHED them along, pushing Danielle from behind so that every step felt like she was flying downhill, ever on the verge of toppling head over heels. Even Talia looked disconcerted.
HE WIND RUSHED them along, pushing Danielle from behind so that every step felt like she was flying downhill, ever on the verge of toppling head over heels. Even Talia looked disconcerted.
Twice they were attacked by darklings, and both times Snow’s dwarves made short work of their attackers. Danielle tried not to watch. The dwarves were fierce and gleeful in their destruction.
“There,” said Snow, pointing to an irregularly shaped door at the end of the corridor. Unlike the other doors, this one appeared to be made of stone. There was no handle, and the hinges were mounted on the outside. A square of brass framed a tiny keyhole on the right side of the door.
“That will take us into the main cavern,” said Talia.
Snow lowered her voice. “My mother is waiting. She’ll try to destroy us the moment we emerge.”
Talia knelt by the keyhole. “Hey, glowboy. Stick a finger in this lock so I can see what I’m dealing with.” She peered into the hole as the dwarf of light squatted beside her, forcing Danielle to avert her eyes. “I should be able to get us past this. Looks like a typical fairy mechanism. Six tumblers on both sides. Tricky, but—”
Snow touched Talia’s shoulder and gestured for her to move aside. The stone dwarf ran her fingers down the door. The screech of stone raised the hairs on Danielle’s neck and arms.
This dwarf, like the rest, lacked any recognizable facial features. They were like unfinished dolls. Yet the bulge of her chest was clearly female, as was the roundness of her hips. Danielle wondered if that was a deliberate choice on Snow’s part, or simply the nature of the dwarves.
“Be ready,” Snow said.
Danielle nodded, trying to remember the things Talia had taught her about swordplay. She forced herself to relax, loosening her grip on her sword. “Small, precise movements,” she whispered.
Stone fingers slipped into the crack on the side of the door. Rock crumbled, bringing a shower of dust and dirt.
Danielle tried not to think about the last time they had fought Rose and Stacia. “What will they do when we go through the door?”
“We may have more darklings to fight,” Talia said. “The darklings don’t seem to have much independence, and they obviously don’t have any qualms about attacking humans. Or Rose may conjure up something new. Sometimes it’s better if you don’t try to guess what’s coming. You’ll prepare yourself for the familiar, and the unexpected will run you through before you realize you guessed wrong.”
“Thanks. I feel so much better.” She tried to think about Armand and their son. Whatever Stacia and Rose sent against them, she had to survive.
“Stay close to me,” Talia said. “I’ll do my best to protect you. Look for a way to reach the Duchess’ tower. Hopefully, the dwarves will keep them busy while we sneak in to get your husband.”
The stone dwarf stepped back and brushed her hands together. Much of the rock had been gouged away from the left side of the door, exposing black hinges. The dwarf dropped to a crouch and surged forward, slamming her shoulder into the door. The sound was deafening. Even Snow winced and covered her ears.
After two more such assaults, the great door slowly toppled outward. The stone dwarf stepped through the doorway, followed by her companions.
“Subtlety was never Snow’s strength,” Talia said. Danielle could barely hear her over the ringing in her ears.
Snow was already hurrying through the doorway, with Talia close behind. Taking a deep breath, Danielle raised her sword and followed, climbing over the fallen door and hopping down onto the metal walkway outside.
The last time Danielle was here, she had been trapped by Stacia’s curse. With her head bowed in obeisance, she hadn’t fully absorbed the sheer size of the Duchess’ cavern.
They stood more than halfway up the side of the cavern. From this height, the figures scurrying about at the base of the Duchess’ tower were little more than insects. The tower itself made her gasp. It rose like a stalagmite from the center of the lake, nearly as broad as the castle back home. The tower narrowed somewhat near the middle, then expanded again to merge with the rock overhead. Railings and platforms circled the tower, along with several light, narrow bridges which stretched from the tower to the cavern walls. Other bridges had been raised like drawbridges, pressing flat against the tower. If the Duchess wanted, she could raise every bridge, leaving the tower inaccessible save from the lake below.
Danielle’s sword reflected the blue sparks of the water running through the walkway beneath her feet. The walkways were little more than wide gutters with open grates over the top. The light of the water illuminated the path as it flowed, spiraling down the walkways into the lake. Walkways and pipes and support beams lined the walls of the cavern, like the work of an enormous metal-spinning spider.
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