The Stepsister Scheme

her voice steady.
    “And my mother.” Snow reached out to touch the side of her coffin. “She’s watching us, though these mirrors. She’ll know I’m free.”
    “She must have sent the darklings to investigate when Talia broke the spell,” Danielle guessed.
    Snow’s expression tightened, and the coffin shattered. Thousands of fragments fell onto the table and floor, a glittering explosion of broken glass. She looked at Danielle again. “You look more pregnant than you should.”
    Danielle put her hand over her stomach. “Stacia used those darklings to age my son,” she said, pointing her sword toward the remains. “They want him ready by midsummer, so Rose can—” She clenched her jaw, fighting angry tears.
    “The conjoined moons,” Snow said. She rubbed her arms. “Clever. Wouldn’t want the king or queen to notice what’s going on.”
    “They’ve cast a new spell on Armand,” Danielle said. “Your mother gets my child, and the Duchess takes my husband in payment.”
    “Talia, get Princess Danielle to Armand so she can break the spell.” Snow’s voice changed, becoming harder. Danielle had never seen Snow truly angry before. She still smiled, but her free hand was clenched tight around the handle of her knife. The air itself seemed cold as a winter wind. “I’ll deal with my mother.”
    Talia grabbed Snow’s arm. “What are you—”
    “She cast me back into that damned box,” Snow said, wrenching free. “She murdered Roland. I’m going to destroy her this time, Talia. I’m going to stop her.”
    “Snow, stop. There’s a tower at the center of the cavern,” Talia said. “Armand is probably somewhere inside. But the cavern walls are littered with caves and tunnels. There’s no way for us to simply stroll into the tower and search for the prince. The Duchess has goblins and ogres and serpents guarding—”
    “They aren’t the ones we need to fight,” said Snow. “The Duchess won’t hurt us directly. She’s still bound by Malindar’s Treaty, remember? She’ll let my mother fight, so she can proclaim her innocence if things go wrong.”
    “How are you going to stop her?” Danielle asked. “I know you’re angry. Your mother cursed me, too, remember? But she beat you in the cave, and she’s broken your mirrors.”
    Snow brushed her fingers over her neck, then shrugged. She strode toward the door. “I’ll find Armand for you. If he’s still enchanted, you’ll have to overpower him without—”
    “Stop,” Talia snapped. “You can’t fight her alone.”
    “I’m not going to.” Snow smiled. “I’m going to summon the dwarves.”
    “What dwarves?” Danielle stared from one woman to the other. Talia’s face was stone, and Snow’s smile was the thing of nightmares. “I don’t understand. The only dwarves we’ve encountered were at the king’s gate.”
    “Not them, Danielle.” Snow laughed and shook her head. “Haven’t you heard of the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves?’
    “You can’t.” Talia’s voice was firm, the voice of command. “We don’t need them. You’ve proven that you’re strong enough to destroy the darklings. We’ll return to Charlotte’s room and steal a mirror there. You can use that to fight—”
    “You expect me to face her with the feeble magic such a glass would produce?” Snow asked. “An impure thing of rippled glass and tarnished metal? You saw what she did to my choker, Talia. Even the enchanted mirror back at the palace might not be powerful enough. Not against her.” She drew her knife and pressed the tip to her left palm. “The dwarves beat her before.”
    Danielle grabbed her wrist, thinking of her stepsister. Stacia had used blood for her own spells... spells she had learned from Rose. “What are you doing? How can dwarves fight your mother?”
    “Let me go!” Snow wrenched away, but Talia caught her elbow and twisted the knife from her hand. “You don’t understand,” Snow said. She sounded close to tears. “I won’t let her win again. I can’t.”
    “Find another way,” said Talia.
    “There is none.” Snow turned to Danielle. “The dwarves can help me find your husband. They can save him. They can save your son. You have to let me do this.”
    Talia folded her arms and stepped back. “Tell her the rest.”
    “We don’t have time!” Snow said, her voice rising. “They know I’ve awakened. They’re already preparing to enchant us both again. Do you want to protect your child