The Stepsister Scheme

Fairytown?” He fumbled with a pouch at his belt. “Why don’t you ladies step inside?
    “Said the dragon to the virgin,” Talia muttered.
    Trittibar continued as if he hadn’t heard. “Quickly now, before young Peter recovers. We wouldn’t want to use another enchantment. Too many spells in one morning aren’t healthy for a growing boy.”
    “How do we get in?” Danielle asked.
    Snow was already reaching down to take something from Trittibar. She held out her hand to Danielle. A tiny brown speck, no larger than a flake of pepper, lay in the middle of her palm. “Eat this.”
    Talia caught Snow’s wrist. “We don’t even know what that is.”
    “You don’t think you can fit through my doorway looking like that, do you?” Trittibar asked. “Even if you could, think what you’d do to my furniture!”
    “The queen trusts him,” Danielle said. She pressed the tip of her finger to Snow’s palm. The speck stuck. She brought her finger to her mouth, touching the tip to her tongue. Whatever it was dissolved almost instantly, with a faint, bitter taste which reminded her a little of pickles.
    A wicked grin spread over Snow’s face as she took Danielle’s hand. “Hold on, Princess.”
    Snow’s fingers began to grow, her hand enveloping Danielle’s. Soon, Snow’s index finger looped around Danielle’s wrist. The wall stretched upward, as did Snow and Talia. Danielle’s shoulder twinged as her arm was pulled up, until she hung from Snow’s grip. Her feet kicked the top of the grass. By now, Snow held Danielle’s hand with only her finger and thumb. Her other hand reached down to cup Danielle’s back and legs like a doll.
    “Isn’t it fun?” Snow asked.
    Danielle clutched the side of Snow’s hand. She knew she was no higher than before, but if she were to fall, she would tumble many times her own height before she hit the earth.
    Snow brought her hand to the wall, where Trittibar waited with his arms ready. He took Danielle’s hands, guiding her down like a coachman leading his lady from a carriage. Her shoulders brushed the stones to either side.
    “Welcome to my humble home, Your Highness. Do watch out for spiders.”
    “Spiders?” Danielle’s hand went to her sword, which had shrunk along with her. Given her size, even the smallest spider would be as large as her head. She searched the shadows overhead for any sign of motion.
    Trittibar chuckled. “Most ladies of your station would scream at my little jest. I hope you’ll forgive me. You have my word, there are no spiders in my home. I deal with enough vermin in my position as ambassador.”
    He stepped back, motioning for Danielle to follow. The gap in the stone widened farther back, giving him room to squeeze past her. “Princess Talia.” He extended his arms and waited as Talia shrank.
    Talia ignored him. Without a word, she jumped from Snow’s hand and joined Danielle in the darkness.
    Outside, Snow touched her tongue to her hand. She seemed a giantess as she reached out to grab the ivy on the wall. Her grip tightened as she shrank. She brought her other hand up to catch a leaf directly above the crack. Switching both hands to the leaf, she swung her feet back and forth like a child, then jumped.
    Trittibar tried valiantly to catch her, but only managed to break her fall. They tumbled to the ground together. Snow was giggling as she pushed herself off of the ambassador.
    “Graceful as always, Princess Ermillina,” said Trittibar. He accepted her hand, and Snow pulled him to his feet. Dusting himself off, he glanced out one last time to check on Peter. “If you’ll come with me, ladies?”
    The stones of the inner wall were as thick as Danielle’s arm was long. At least, when she was her normal size. The wall itself was three stones thick. For someone Trittibar’s size, an entire mansion could fit within this wall.
    To her right, two white feathers hung suspended by the quills, covering a slender doorway. The feathers seemed to interlace, bound so tightly they appeared to be a single feather with two shafts. Trittibar clapped his hands, and the feathers parted to reveal a miniature apartment.
    “Please leave your shoes at the entryway,” Trittibar said, stepping past them.
    Danielle kicked off her boots and followed him inside. Her feet sank into soft mole fur. “It’s very... tall.”
    It was like standing inside a tower. Two stones had been left out of the middle of the wall, creating a tall hollow space. Danielle