The Stepsister Scheme

They’ll be on us before we can go... .” Her voice trailed off, and she stared at Talia. “How did you get in here without anyone catching you? I never even heard the door open.”
    “Doors are too conspicuous.” Talia reached into her shirt and pulled out a black and white leather pouch.
    “That’s Ambassador Trittibar’s,” Danielle said. “Trittibar is here? He’s helping you?”
    “Not exactly.” Talia shrugged. “I thought that shrinking magic of his might come in handy, so I nicked his pouch before we left the palace. There are only a few spores left. Hopefully, it will be enough for us to reach Snow without being seen.”
    “You stole from the ambassador? After everything he did for us? Talia!”
    Talia grabbed the wine bottle from the floor where it had fallen. Little more than a swallow remained in the bottom. Talia gulped it down, then grimaced. “Tastes like dirt.” She tossed the bottle into the pool.
    “Would you like to yell at me, or would you rather save Snow?”
    “Snow. But when we get home, you’re apologizing to Trittibar.” She studied Talia more closely. “I don’t suppose you brought something we can use to wake Snow?”
    Talia ignored the question and ran her hand along the wall. “The stone behind the wallboards is pretty rough. Plenty of room to squeeze about. Do you know where they’re keeping her?”
    “The common room near the end of the hall,” said Danielle.
    “Guarded?”
    “Only the darklings in the hall. The common room is usually empty.”
    “Good.” Talia leaned over Charlotte. “A strong, healthy woman could probably squirm free by the end of the night. For you, I imagine it will take at least a day.”
    She turned away. “Let’s get going.”
    “Wait. What about—” Danielle looked at the rat and realized there was no point. The pillow around his head was a mix of soot and watery blood. The rough, spastic breathing had stopped. She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Never mind.”
    “Over here,” Talia said, leading Danielle toward the rathole by the pool. She handed one of the spores to Danielle.
    Danielle touched the spore to her tongue. Moments later, she and Talia were squeezing into the darkness past the pool. Talia glanced back and shook her head.
    “What’s wrong?” Danielle asked.
    “Charlotte. When I was younger, I would have killed her to make sure she didn’t follow.” Talia sighed. “I think you’re rubbing off on me, Princess.”

    The space between the wallboards and the rough-carved rock was cramped and filthy. Gravel and dust littered the ground, along with rat droppings, the empty shells of insects, and a healthy crop of mildew. The wooden planks of the wall were unsanded on this side. Splinters pricked at Danielle’s clothes as she fought her way past a cobweb. “How did you find me?”
    “Rode a rat,” said Talia. “Nearly stabbed the thing in the eye before I realized it was there to help. I assume it’s a friend of yours.”
    She reached back to help Danielle past a rock the size of a grown man’s thumb. At their current size, it might as well have been a boulder.
    “Even so, it took several days to sneak up here from the water. This is not an easy place to infiltrate. Whoever designed it knew what they were doing.” Admiration warmed Talia’s words. “I don’t suppose you can call up anything more substantial than a rat? Maybe a team of manticores?”
    “Sorry.” From the sound of trickling water, they were directly beneath the pipe which circulated water into the fish pool. “Talia, what happened after you fell into the river? How did you break Stacia’s spell?”
    “Your aviar dragged me out. I assume I have you to thank for that. I finally managed to pull myself onto her back. I clung for dear life and told her to take me back to the pixies.”
    “They helped you?”
    “Not exactly. Arlorran was gone, and the pixies were pretty mad when I told them what had happened to the other two aviars.”
    “Were they—?”
    “Midnight and Socks were both alive the last I knew, but neither one was up for flying. The pixies sent a group back to get them. I don’t know if they survived.” Talia sighed. “I headed for the road, but it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I’d have been lucky to make it a quarter of a mile without twisting my ankle or wrenching a knee. So... I asked for a guide.”
    Danielle grinned. “Don’t you know you’re never supposed to ask for a