The Stepsister Scheme

but sharp thorns protruded from beneath the scales.
    “Snow!” Talia started to grab Snow, and then the darklings charged from behind.
    “I’ll slow them down,” Danielle shouted. “You help Snow.”
    Danielle stepped away, raising her sword as the darklings ran toward her. She counted four, no, five of the foul creatures. What on earth had possessed her to face the darklings alone? Clearly, she had spent too much time with Talia.
    The lead darkling crouched to attack. Danielle tensed.
    Blinding light seared her eyes, and the darklings screamed. Snow’s dwarf batted two of them over the railing before they could move. A glowing fist smashed a third against the stone wall. The remaining two fled, sprinting down the walkway like frightened rabbits.
    Danielle turned back to Snow, who had already used her knife to cut most of the vines from her legs. The thorns had tattered her pants, but the white skin beneath was untouched.
    Talia snorted and stepped back. “Maybe we’ll just watch. Let us know if you need any help.”
    Snow pointed toward Stacia. Like the vines had done, the dwarf of water reached up from the walkway to seize Stacia’s legs.
    Stacia screamed. The dwarf climbed up, lifting Stacia over her head to throw her from the walkway.
    “She can fly, remember?” Talia snapped. “That’s not going to do us any good.”
    Snow barely even blinked. The dwarf turned around and walked to the end of the bridge, preparing to smash Stacia’s body against the cavern wall.
    Stacia plunged her hands into the dwarf’s back.
    Snow gasped and staggered backward. Talia dropped her knife and caught Snow’s arms.
    Danielle watched as the sparkling water of the dwarf grew cloudy and still. Frost spread across her body, and her movement slowed. Stacia twisted free and dropped to her feet, keeping one hand sunk into the dwarf’s frozen back. The dwarf tried to reach her, but Stacia thrust her hand deeper. Soon even the dwarf’s fingers had frozen stiff.
    Stacia stepped back, pulling her hand free and clutching it against her chest. Another group of darklings swarmed forward, hoisting the dwarf up and pushing her over the railing. She tumbled down and shattered on the rocks by the lakeshore.
    Snow jumped at the impact, then drew a deep breath. “That stung.”
    The dwarf of wind began to blow. Danielle’s hair snapped back, and she grabbed the railing to keep from stumbling. Snow wasn’t directing her wind at Stacia, but at the tower. “What are you doing?”
    “The seventh dwarf has found Armand,” Snow shouted. “Be ready.”
    Talia looked around. “Ready for what?”
    The stone dwarf put one foot on the railing and leaped. The wind rushed with her, nearly sucking Danielle over the edge in its wake. She stared open-mouthed as the flailing statue flew like an arrow to slam into the side of the tower. The dwarf slid downward, landing on one of the platforms. The goblins on the platform drew weapons.
    The fight was a short one. Danielle turned away, remembering poor Diglet guarding the hedge into Fairytown. It wasn’t long before the bridge began to creak away from the tower.
    “Looks like it’s going to land one level below us,” Talia said.
    Metal squealed as if in pain, and then the bridge was swinging downward, fast enough to smash right through the walkway. But the Duchess’ builders knew what they were doing. The walkway held, though Danielle could feel the impact in her legs even from one level away. Water splashed out of the grate below.
    “Snow!” Talia shouted.
    Stacia had used Snow’s distraction with the bridge to launch another attack. Thorned vines now circled Snow’s arms, dragging her down to the grate, where another reached for her neck. The dwarf of fire reached out to seize two of the vines. When he opened his hands a moment later, black ash sprinkled the water. He grabbed two more, and Snow was free once again.
    Talia climbed over the railing. She lowered herself until she hung from the edge of the walkway. There, she swung her legs back and forth and jumped down to the bridge.
    “You’re next, Princess,” Talia shouted.
    Danielle moved toward Snow. “Are you sure you can stop her?”
    Snow glanced back. Her eyes were bloodshot, and proximity to the flames had reddened her skin. She was crying, but her voice was hard as stone. “She’s better prepared this time, and she knows what the dwarves can do, but I’m not leaving until she’s destroyed. Go with Talia. I won’t let