Red Hood's Revenge

so sharply that wisps of Talia’s hair disappeared up her nose. Yellow eyes narrowed. A serpentine tongue darted between her lips, touching the side of Talia’s neck.
    Talia twisted away, but the troll was done. She stepped back, both hands on her staff.
    “Are you satisfied?” Roudette demanded. “This is Princess Talia Malak-el-Dahshat. Where is Zestan?”
    “You’ll understand if Zestan prefers not to meet with a known killer of fairies,” the troll said.
    At the sound of the troll’s voice, something deep inside Talia recoiled. Her breathing quickened, and only Roudette’s unbreakable grip kept Talia from lunging forward and stabbing her knife into the troll’s chest. “Who are you?” she whispered.
    The troll’s smile exposed huge yellow teeth. “You know who I am. A part of you remembers. My name is Naghesh. I saved your life, long ago.”
    Talia stared, trying to understand her reaction. She would have sworn she had never seen Naghesh, yet some part of her recognized the troll. Recognized and hated her.
    “You were a sickly thing then,” Naghesh went on. “Your brothers and sister were healthy enough, but not you. Small and weak, born almost a month before your time. Your parents feared for your life, so they summoned the fairies of Arathea, begging us to transform you from a sniveling runt into the princess they truly desired.”
    She circled Talia and Roudette, the end of her staff grinding into the sand with each step.
    “You were there,” said Talia. “You were one of the fairies who did this to me.”
    Naghesh dipped her head. “I was the last. The one who saved you from my sister’s curse of death.”
    Talia stomped her right heel onto the arch of Roudette’s foot and bent forward. Roudette was strong, but Talia was faster. She tossed Roudette over her hip. Even as Roudette slammed onto the ground, Talia was yanking the knife from Roudette’s hand. She leaped at Naghesh.
    The driftwood staff in Naghesh’s hands writhed to life, striking Talia’s arm like a snake. The knife fell into the dirt. A second blow numbed Talia’s shoulder. “You have no secrets from me, child,” said Naghesh. “My magic flows in your blood.”
    Talia yanked her hands free of the ropes. She slid her foot into the sand and kicked the knife into the air, snatching it with her left hand. Magic or no, she doubted the troll was fast enough to dodge a thrown blade.
    Roudette crashed into her from behind, knocking them both to the ground. Her hand seized Talia’s wrist, squeezing until the bone threatened to snap.
    “You can’t,” Roudette said.
    Talia fought to keep the knife. She jabbed her fingers at Roudette’s eyes, then kicked behind her at Naghesh. Roudette blocked and returned the blow, striking Talia in the head hard enough to make her vision flash.
    Roudette’s eyes widened, and she fell back. Her hands ripped her shirt, exposing the mark Snow had left on her shoulder. She grabbed the mark with both hands.
    Talia rolled over, raising the knife to throw when a silver arrow buried itself in the sand between them. Three of the hunters sat with bows drawn.
    “Twitch and they’ll pin you to the earth,” Naghesh said, stepping around Talia. “I know your gifts, child. You’re not fast enough.”
    Dropping the knife was one of the hardest things Talia had ever done. “I will kill you for what you did to my family.”
    “Perhaps.” Naghesh reached out to dig a claw into Roudette’s shoulder. “This resembles a fairy mark. Don’t tell me humans are trying to steal our magic.”
    Roudette’s body arched and she fell back, whimpering through clenched teeth as Snow’s curse took effect, boiling the blood in her body. Furious as Talia was at Roudette’s betrayal, she had no desire to see her tortured to death by such magic.
    Naghesh pressed the end of her staff to Roudette’s shoulder. Roudette collapsed, gasping. Even in the moonlight, Talia could see that her shoulder was red and blistered. Red streaks webbed the back of her hand.
    “There we go,” said Naghesh. “Nothing Zestan’s magic can’t cure. You’re in Zestan’s debt now, Red Hood. Not that I imagine that will mean anything to you.”
    Roudette pushed herself to her hands and knees. “I did as I said I would, Naghesh. I delivered Sleeping Beauty to you.”
    “And you shall have the reward you were promised.”
    Talia faced Roudette, her own blood going cold as she realized the truth. “You were never working for