The Stepsister Scheme

wondered if it had been built this way originally, or if this was a later addition.
    Wooden steps spiraled up the rock. She knew they were within the palace walls, and that this entire space would be less than half her height, but at her current size it seemed to stretch up forever. Thin shafts of muted sunlight showed where other cracks led to the outside world. Wooden platforms jutted from the rock, suspended by golden threads and beams made of oak twigs.
    The air smelled of maple syrup. Bookshelves lined the far wall, though not nearly as many as the library beneath the palace. Velvet-cushioned chairs sat to one side. To the other, a blue flame heated a silver kettle.
    “Fire is hard to maintain at this scale.” Trittibar used a metal poker with a hook to retrieve the kettle. He smiled at Snow. “You’ve seen how fast twigs burn. Magically shrunken logs are little better than twigs. I used to use a normal-sized candle stub, but I like this better.” He poured himself a cup of tea and sat down, still watching Snow.
    “What does this have to do with Prince Armand?” Talia said.
    Trittibar raised his hand, still watching Snow. “Well?”
    “You slowed the flame,” Snow said. She walked to the mantel and retrieved three more teacups. Clearly she had been here before. “It’s hardly flickering at all.”
    “Very good.” Trittibar poured the rest of the tea. “Speed it up again, if you can.”
    Snow handed the cups to Danielle and Talia, then knelt in front of the fire. She touched her choker and muttered to herself. Orange light rippled through the flame, then disappeared again. Snow took a deep breath and tried again.
    “Remember, this isn’t witchcraft,” said Trittibar. “You’re fighting fairy magic now.”
    “I thought the wards in the walls prevented fairy magic,” Danielle said.
    “They do.” Trittibar grinned. “Fortunately, we’re inside the wards. What good is mail to a warrior who stands within one of the links?”
    “And the magic you used to shrink us?” Talia asked.
    “Would have triggered the wards if Snow hadn’t been here to muffle them.” He turned to Snow. “The fire still burns.”
    Snow shook her head. “I can see the spell, but I can’t break it.”
    “The trick isn’t to break it,” Trittibar said. He snapped his fingers, and the flame turned green. “Simply redirect the power.”
    “We don’t have time for this,” Talia said.
    “Keep trying.” Trittibar twirled the braid of his beard around one finger. “Beatrice tells me you believe Armand to be in Fairytown.”
    “And she told us you’d help,” Talia snapped. “Are you going to tell us how to get into Fairytown, or are you going to waste our time with games?”
    “Talia, please,” Snow said. “Trittibar is—”
    “No, my dear,” said Trittibar. He sipped his tea. “I know the tale of Sleeping Beauty. She has earned her hatred. But before you loose your rage on me, tell me this. If your friend can’t defeat my meager powers, how do you hope to overcome the magics of Fairytown?”
    Talia didn’t answer. The ambassador turned to Danielle. “The queen tells me there was an attempt on your life?”
    “Three,” said Talia.
    “My stepsister tried to kill me in my bedroom,” Danielle said. “They also summoned a demon, a Chirka, which attacked us when we went to my old house. And there was a troll who tried to kill us, too.” She tasted the tea. It was too thick and sweet for her liking, and she set the cup on the table.
    “An acquired taste,” Trittibar admitted. “So they’ve taken Armand to Fairytown. But how would they gain entry?” He continued to twirl his beard as he muttered to himself. “Noble blood gives each of you the right, but your stepsisters would require special dispensation from a fairy of the pure caste.”
    “Charlotte leaped off of the north wall and flew away to escape the guards,” Danielle said. “How hard would it be to sneak into Fairytown?”
    Trittibar pointed to Snow, who was talking to herself as she studied the fire. “Your friend is a moderately skilled witch, but she’s yet to break my control of the flames.”
    “Maybe I would if you’d stop distracting me,” Snow said.
    Danielle rose without speaking. She picked up the teapot, nudged Snow to one side, and flung the contents into the fireplace. Sweet-smelling smoke burst from the wood as the flame fizzled and sparked. Turning back to Trittibar, she said, “Now will you help us?”
    “I see