The Stepsister Scheme

morning’s light.”
    “Hey, that’s cheating, that is!” Arlorran hurried after Snow, but he was too late. A beam of warm sunlight cut through the air, and one figure on the ceiling began to glow.
    Bits of metal gleamed among the quartz. Danielle held up her hand to block Snow’s light, which was a little blinding. She craned her head, trying to see the inverted image.
    A near-vertical crack in the quartz had been carefully etched to resemble a cliff. At the top of the cliff stood the fairy king and queen, crowned with gold. Tiny winged men and women surrounded them, while others floated in front of the cliff, their wings so thin Danielle could have snapped them with her fingers. Nearly invisible needles of quartz connected the flying fairies to the rest of the ceiling. Deep down, at the bottom of the crack, a layer of clear quartz had been bonded to the rock. Danielle could just make out the shapes of pink fish beneath the water. She wondered how Arlorran had managed such intricate layering. Her father would have been fascinated.
    “Dewdrop’s Dance,” Arlorran said. He pointed to one of the winged figures. “Dewdrop was a pixie, one of the most gifted airdancers ever known. He led this performance to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the queen’s rule.” He shook his head. “Later on, he started spying on the queen for the king. She found out and fed him to the griffins. But he could fly like a dragon in springtime, Dewdrop could.”
    “Snow’s light wasn’t shining on Dewdrop,” Danielle said. She peered more closely. The light had sunk into the crack, near the bottom... there. The clear quartz was smokier here, but she could make out a face beneath the water. A woman with long hair peered up at the dance. A line of silver circled her brow. “Who is this?”
    “Damn my artistic integrity,” said Arlorran.
    “This crack is supposed to be the chasm, Malindar’s Triumph, isn’t it?” Talia asked.
    Snow dimmed her light as she crowded beside Danielle. “Why is she wearing a crown? I’ve never heard of another fairy royal.”
    “She’s no royal,” Arlorran said.
    Danielle reached out to touch the “water.” The quartz was cool and smooth as glass. This was no human city, spreading out across the land. This was Fairytown, and its inhabitants lived in all directions, from the pixies and their tavern in the treetops to Arlorran and his underground home. “How deep is the crevasse? What lies beneath the water?”
    “The bones of those who go poking about where they shouldn’t,” snapped Arlorran. “Dark creatures who’ll tear you apart before you can say, ‘I should have listened to old Arlorran.’”
    “We found her,” Danielle said, tapping the rock. “Tell us what we need to know.”
    Slowly, Arlorran nodded. “A deal’s a deal.” He stomped back into the study. “Come on, then. This will take time to explain, and if you mean to reach the chasm before your stepsisters, you’ll need help.”
    “Thank you,” said Danielle.
    Arlorran hesitated. “Don’t thank me, Princess. I’m doing you no favor.”
    With those words, he took their hands, and once again Danielle found herself falling into darkness.

    CHAPTER 9
    They emerged at the base of an enormous iron tower, beside a mud-slick road. The tower’s twin stood on the opposite side of the road, with walkways and tubular passages connecting the two like an enormous ladder. A low mist turned the air cool and damp.
    Glowing pixies darted around the walkways to cling to the sides. Most of them appeared to be polishing the walls.
    Spikes of all sizes covered the towers. Close to the ground, they were the size of sword blades. They grew larger the higher one looked. The three enormous spears jutting out from the tip of each tower could have skewered a giant. Harsh and cruel as the towers appeared, they blended perfectly with the great hedge which passed behind them.
    “Every one of those spikes can be adjusted from within. The higher ones can even be fired at intruders.” Arlorran licked his lips. “Marvelous workmanship. Never been inside myself, but I’d pay a lot to see how they managed some of those tricks.”
    “Where are we?” Talia peered at the sky. Twin quarter moons faced each other over the horizon.
    “This is the king’s land,” Arlorran said. “The dwarven towers.”
    “That’s the opposite side of Fairytown,” Danielle said. “We have to get to the chasm.”
    “Quit your whining,” snapped