The Stepsister Scheme

scraping sound interrupted them. Snow dragged a heavy stool across the room, setting it in front of the mirror. “I’m ready.”
    “Come,” said the queen. She placed a gentle hand on Danielle’s shoulder. “Let us find my son.”
    The hilt of Danielle’s sword jabbed her beneath the ribs when she tried to obey. She wrenched the belt around and sat.
    Snow leaned down, so close her breath tickled Danielle’s ear. “Stare into the mirror. Think of your husband. Any memory will do, but the more vivid, the better.”
    The first thing that came to mind made her face burn. She shoved that memory aside, on the chance that Snow might be able to see her thoughts. Instead, she tried to remember the day after the ball, when Armand had come to her house. She remembered the feel of his hand on hers as he helped her into his coach. Her stepsisters had been screaming, her stepmother fuming, but Danielle barely heard.
    Only when the door was shut and the horses’ hooves began to clop as they drew her away had she started to believe this was real. Years of unshed tears slipped down her cheeks. She wiped her face and turned away, hoping Armand wouldn’t see.
    From the window, she saw Charlotte and Stacia standing in the road, blood pooling around their feet. Danielle shuddered. That her stepmother had been so horrid to Danielle all these years was bad enough, but that she would maim her own daughters... .

Armand reached past her, pulling the curtains closed and shutting out that part of her life. Danielle gasped when she saw the fresh blood on his sleeves. Drops of vivid crimson stained the white satin of his pants as well.
    “I’m so sorry,” Danielle whispered. “My stepmother, she... ” She shook her head. “We must soak those in cold water before the stains set. We can stop at Helena’s Apothecary Shop over on Garden Street. Watersnake venom will break down the blood and release the stains, and I can—”
    Only then did she realize the prince was laughing. His shoulders shook, and he held his clean hand to his mouth. She drew back, confused.
    “Please don’t be offended, love,” Armand said. He glanced down at his clothes. “This is nothing. I’ve never liked this outfit anyway. So much gold thread... I feel like a pirate’s treasure.” Another bout of laughter took him.
    Slowly, Danielle’s mood changed to confusion, then annoyance. “What’s so funny?”
    “I’ve spent my life surrounded by politics,” Armand said, still chuckling. “My parents were always fiercely protective and loyal to their only son, but the same can’t be said for the endless aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives scattered across Lorindar. Backstabbing and betrayal were as much a part of my diet as fish and venison.”
    An unprincelike snort escaped his nose. “On this day, I’ve finally met a family to make my own seem pleasant.”
    “That’s good,” said Snow, startling Danielle from her memory and drawing her back to the present. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, still feeling Armand’s touch, hearing his laughter. Was it the mirror’s power that brought such vividness to the memories?
    Danielle tensed her legs, bracing herself against the sensation that she was tumbling into the mirror. Her reflection seemed to grow, as if the glass were falling toward her.
    Snow’s voice was a delicate breeze across Danielle’s cheek. “Mirror, mirror, old and great. Show me Princess Danielle’s mate.” She giggled. “Assuming you haven’t mated with anyone else recently?”
    Danielle shook her head, too disoriented to take offense.
    “Concentrate, Snow,” snapped Talia.
    Like ripples on the water, dark rings spread across the center of the silvered glass. They rebounded from the edge of the frame, blurring Danielle’s reflection. Colors and shapes flashed past between the rings.
    The mirror went dark. Danielle leaned closer, and her stomach twisted. “What does that mean? Why can’t I see anything? Is he dead?”
    “No,” said Snow. “If he was, we’d still see the bod—” She bit her lip and glanced at the queen. In a softer voice, she said, “We’d still see him.”
    “He’s been hidden,” Beatrice said. “Through magic. The same thing happened when Snow used me to try to find him.”
    Danielle grabbed Snow’s hand. “You said you could find him.”
    “Armand is twenty years old,” Snow said. “The bond between parent and child weakens over time.” She pulled her hand free and placed it