The Stepsister Scheme

arm.
    Danielle and Snow looked at one another.
    “Your stepsister has strange taste in men,” Snow said.
    Talia tried to shout, but another length of hair wrapped around her face, muffling the sound.
    “Let her go,” said Danielle. She kept her sword pointed at Brahkop.
    “Or maybe I should rip her apart instead,” Brahkop said. “I still owe her for the cut she gave me.”
    Danielle hesitated. Charlotte hadn’t gotten up from the floor, and Snow had the darkling trapped. Stacia looked battered and exhausted, but she might still have a spell or two in reserve. “I thought you were banished from Fairytown,” she said, stalling for time.
    Somewhere beneath all that hair, Brahkop shrugged. “I am. But marriage transcends all, here in Fairytown. My wife is a guest of the Duchess, and that means I’m welcome here. A good thing, considering what you did to my home.”
    “You’re married?” Danielle looked back at Stacia. Ridiculous as it was, a part of her felt hurt that Stacia hadn’t told her about the wedding.
    “We can’t all win princes,” Stacia said, her voice raspy with pain and hate. “Brahkop is a c“Br="6better husband than you or Charlotte will ever have. Strong, loyal, powerful... he loves me more than life itself.”
    Stacia glanced at Charlotte. “Witchcraft was her idea, but Brahkop knew at once which of us was stronger.”
    With that, Stacia took a deep breath and blew, like she was trying to extinguish a candle. The light in the cave faded, and the darkling scrambled free.
    “That’s a nice blade, dear stepsister,” Stacia said. Her voice grew deeper. “Give it to me.”
    To her horror, Danielle found herself obeying. She could hear Snow and the darkling fighting behind her, but when she tried to turn and help, her body wouldn’t cooperate. She could do nothing but reach out, passing the glass sword to her stepsister, who grinned as she yanked it from Danielle’s hand.
    “I think I’ll start with your feet,” Stacia said, swishing the blade through the air. “That seems only fitting, given what Charlotte and I endured.”
    Danielle tried to back away. Now that she had complied with Stacia’s command, she seemed to be back in control of herself. She had only taken one step when a length of Brahkop’s hair slipped around her ankles, and she fell.
    “After the feet will come the eyes. Just as your cursed birds blinded our mother, you will lose your sight as well.” She touched the blade to the tip of Danielle’s boot. “Soon you’ll wish you’d never—”
    With a curse, she dropped the sword and yanked her hand away. Droplets of blood covered her palm. Danielle stretched out, reaching for the falling sword. Brahkop yanked her back, nearly snapping her ankles, but she managed to catch the sword’s crossguard. One awkward swing, and she was free.
    Stacia’s face was almost as red as her tattoo. “ Drop that—”
    A ball of shadows crashed into her stomach, knocking the wind from her. Snow brushed her hands together as she strode after the darkling. “Thought you were going to put those filthy claws on me? ” she muttered. “I’ll throw you to the desert and lay you out until the sun burns you to ash.”
    “Stay back,” Brahkop shouted. He lifted the still-struggling Talia, his hair forming a noose around her neck. “Surrender, or I’ll—”
    Danielle lunged and swung, just as Talia had taught her. Her blade cut cleanly through the troll’s hair.
    “Aw, crap,” said Brahkop.
    Talia rolled away, snatching her sword from the ground. She came to her knees and dodged to avoid another strike from Brahkop. She landed next to Stacia, the point of her blade resting beneath Stacia’s chin.
    “Wait!” Brahkop raised his huge hands. “You win. Don’t hurt my wife.”
    Talia licked blood from her bruised lip. “Snow, get over here. Find out where they’ve got Armand.”
    Snow hurried to join her. Talia glanced at Danielle. “You keep an eye on Charlotte. She may look broken, but I don’t trust her.”
    Danielle moved toward Charlotte, leveling the sword at her chest. “Please don’t move,” she said.
    Charlotte laughed, a sound so hoarse and bitter Danielle almost pitied her. Blood dripped from her nose, courtesy of Talia’s kick.
    “Look at you,” Danielle whispered. Bloodstains soaked Charlotte’s shirt. She hated to wear anything with the faintest stains. “What have you done to yourself, Charlotte?”
    From the corner of her eye, she saw Snow