The Stepsister Scheme

pregnancy, she felt completely crippled. She couldn’t even help with her husband, and the sight of the carved stone bridge leading out over the lake made her want to weep.
    “Any luck?” asked Talia.
    “Not yet.” Snow slammed the knife back into its sheath. Something about the Duchess’ cavern blocked her from reaching Beatrice. It made sense, really. If the Duchess wanted to keep this place a secret, she wouldn’t allow people to use magic to peer into her domain.
    “I’m sorry about your sword, Danielle,” said Talia. “I can talk to the smith at the palace, see about having a new one forged for you. It won’t be as light, but—”
    “Thank you, but I’ll keep this one.” Danielle touched the pommel, smiling at the faint warmth that greeted her fingers. She had used Talia’s whip to tie the hilt into place, as the broken blade wasn’t long enough to hold it in the scabbard.
    Talia frowned. “I don’t understand. The sword broke when Stacia attacked you.”
    “I used the broken blade to stab Stacia.” Danielle held up her hand, showing the unbroken skin of her palm. “If the magic had been destroyed, I would be short several fingers. Whatever power my mother wove into the glass is still there. I’ll take the pieces to my father’s workshop. I’ll need new tools, but I’m sure I’ll be able to repair it, with Snow’s help.”
    “Good. Once you and the sword are both repaired, I’ll see what I can do about teaching you to use it. I saw you fighting Armand. That was disgraceful, Princess.” A faint smile belied the harshness of her words.
    “I won, didn’t I?”
    Talia’s smile grew. “Do you need more time to rest?”
    Danielle craned her head to study the tower. On the walls, dwarves and darklings scurried about, repairing the damage Snow and her mother had caused. Already they had lowered chains to haul the broken segment of walkway back into place. “No. The sooner we’re out of here, the happier I’ll be.”
    Talia pointed toward a patch of darkness on the far side of the bridge. “That tunnel should lead us out to the water. Assuming the Duchess hasn’t planned any surprises.”
    “The Duchess gave her word,” Danielle said, limping toward the bridge. “She won’t stop us from leaving.” As an afterthought, she added, “Unless she decides she wants her silverware back.”
    “Her silverware?” Snow frowned. “Talia?”
    Talia glared at Danielle. “Tattletale.”
    Danielle gave her a quick smile before turning her attention back to walking. The bridge had no railing, and it would be too easy to fall.
    “I don’t trust her,” said Talia. Dark shapes darted through the water as they crossed the bridge. “Fairy plots have too many layers. What are we missing?”
    “What do you mean?” asked Snow.
    “No matter how things turned out, the Duchess stood to benefit.” Talia tugged the back of Armand’s travois closer to the bridge’s center. “If Stacia had borne Armand’s child, the Duchess would have earned the favor of the future king of Lorindar. Then they discovered Danielle was pregnant and brought her here. In addition, she knew they planned to give her Armand, so she would have a human prince as a prize, and the whole time, she made certain no blame would cling to her. According to fairy law, we can’t prove her guilty of a single crime. Nobody who plans so thoroughly would let us walk away after everything that’s happened with nothing to show for it.”
    They were finally approaching the far side of the bridge. Danielle could see the bottom of the lake rising to meet them. Water lapped the foot of the bridge, and they waded through shallow water until they were out of the lake.
    There, Danielle rubbed her sweaty hands on her shirt, then flexed her fingers. “Snow, was the Duchess telling the truth about my son? Could all of that magic have hurt him?”
    Snow set the travois down again and touched Danielle’s stomach. “I don’t know. The curse Stacia cast on you is broken. I can’t find any trace on you or within you.” The baby squirmed, and delight suffused Snow’s face. “Hey, I felt that!”
    Danielle’s smile faded as she looked up at the tower. “Fairies think in the long term, Talia. Remember? The Duchess won’t stop us because she wants me to return of my own volition, to ask for her help. She wants me in her debt.”
    Neither Snow nor Talia spoke, which only solidified Danielle’s suspicions. And Danielle would do it. She