Red Hood's Revenge

Especially with your condition.”
    “I’m fine,” Snow snapped. She clenched her jaw. Dropping the illusions on herself and Danielle had helped, but her head still throbbed from the spell she had cast into the jinniyah to prevent it from using a fairy ring. Not to mention the magic she had to maintain to keep anyone from scrying on them. Talia should be protected by Roudette’s cape, but if anyone thought to search for Faziya, Snow wanted to be certain they found nothing. “There has to be another way.”
    “We’re outmatched, Snow!” Trittibar pulled on his beard. When he spoke again, he sounded calmer. “Even with both of us at our best—”
    “I know.” Snow rubbed her eyes.
    Outside the cave, Danielle called out, “They’re back.”
    “Already?” How long had she and Trittibar been working? She muttered a farewell to Trittibar and returned the now vacant mirror to her choker. Faziya appeared content to sleep for the moment, barely cracking an eye as Snow crawled out of the cave.
    The sun was dipping behind the hills. No wonder Snow’s stomach had begun to complain.
    Talia carried two large waterskins, one strapped over each shoulder. She wore a heavy pack as well. Sweat and dust caked a stripe across her eyes, though her forehead and the lower part of her face appeared clean. She must have pushed back her head scarf just a short time ago.
    Roudette also carried water and supplies. Snow stared. Roudette appeared almost cheerful. She was even whistling .
    “Where did these come from?” Danielle asked, stepping away from the horses.
    “Courtesy of Jahrasima.” Talia handed one to Danielle, who struggled with the unfamiliar skin. These waterskins were far larger than the bottles they had brought in their saddlebags. The bulging skin appeared to be made of goat hide, still covered in fur. The skin was stitched in a long, curved shape. When carried, it would fit around the ribs with the strap worn over the opposite shoulder. A small tube of ebony horn formed the mouthpiece.
    Talia demonstrated with her remaining skin. Keeping the strap on her shoulder, she lifted the skin to the front of her body so the mouthpiece was on top. She used one hand to support the skin and the other to untie the mouthpiece. Pressure compressed the skin, shooting water into her mouth without spilling a drop. She swallowed and asked, “How is Faziya? Have you found a way to restore her?”
    Snow took the waterskin from Danielle, drinking to give herself time to answer. The water was warm and faintly sour, but Snow gulped it down until Talia tugged the mouthpiece away.
    “Don’t drink too much at once,” said Talia. “And make sure you don’t completely empty the skins, or they’ll go brittle and crack.”
    Snow stretched, arching her hands over her head and cracking her back. “Trittibar believes the spell was cast with an object. A wand or a piece of jewelry, something imbued with Zestan’s magic.”
    “Meaning what?” Talia demanded.
    “The safest way to break the spell would be to sneak into the mansion a second time and find whatever object Jhukha used when she cast the curse.”
    Talia stared. “They’ll have figured out how we got in, and the guards will be on alert. Even if I go alone, it would be difficult—”
    “You can’t,” said Snow. “You wouldn’t know what to look for.”
    “So what do we do?” Talia removed the other waterskin and leaned it against the rocks.
    “We can’t go back. But there might be another way.”
    “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
    Snow paced in a circle. She knew exactly how to proceed. She could see the spells she would need to cast. A circle to contain Faziya. A second spell to calm her. Back home, Snow would have brewed a potion to help her sleep. She had hoped Trittibar would have another option. “There are three known ways to break this sort of transformation. The first is to allow the spell to wear off on its own. Uf’uyan would have returned to his natural state within a day or two.”
    Talia nodded. “How long would Faziya—”
    “Your curse lasted a hundred years.” Snow glanced into the cave. “If this is deev magic, it could survive a thousand. The second way is built into the spell itself. You know the stories. The prince who’s trapped as a frog is freed by a princess’ kiss.”
    “We’ve got three princesses here,” Talia said. “I could—”
    Snow shook her head. “The kissing component is local to the lands around the