The Stepsister Scheme

shadows. Had he been there the whole time? Even the curse couldn’t stop Danielle’s shiver of revulsion.
    “You, fetch me wine to drink,” Charlotte said. “Chilled. Something that doesn’t taste like fish piss.”
    The darkling hopped onto the table and scurried toward Danielle.
    “Go now!” Charlotte snapped.
    The darkling tilted his head. Even up close, Danielle could make out only the faintest hint of a mouth or nose. And then he was scampering away.
    “Do you know where my sister is now?” Charlotte asked.
    Danielle waited to see if the curse would compel her to answer. This was the first time in a month anyone had asked her a genuine question.
    “Well?”
    “I’m not sure,” Danielle said. She spoke slowly, stretching out the words and savoring the brief control of her own mouth.
    “After sending me to find you, she... they went traipsing off to meet with the Duchess.”
    Danielle tried to respond—but couldn’t. Apparently, Charlotte had to ask a direct question.
    “They’re in the tower, working on a way hasten the growth of your child.” Charlotte stood, stamping her foot and marching toward Danielle. “But did I rate an invitation to join them?”
    That was a question. Danielle tried to set her fears aside as she searched for the right words to respond.
    “I’m sorry, Charlotte. You don’t deserve to be treated this way,” Danielle said. What Charlotte did deserve, Danielle kept to herself.
    Charlotte wandered over to Snow’s coffin. “We were supposed to summon our mother, not hers.” She poked Snow’s cheek, then shivered and drew back her hand. “I understand why your friend murdered the old hag in the first place.”
    For once, Danielle was glad the spell stopped her from speaking her mind. Snow’s mother had been a selfish, controlling, cruel woman. It was easy to see how her stepsisters’ spell had mistaken Rose Curtana for their real mother.
    Danielle began to wipe the final table. The curse was tugging her back to work, but she slowed herself as much as she could, drawing out her time with Charlotte. After all, Charlotte wanted to talk, which meant she had a duty to listen.
    “Stacia spends all of her time with her lumbering troll husband and that dead witch,” Charlotte complained. “They leave me with a crippled darkling and his friends for company. Do you have any idea how degrading that is?”
    Once again, the curse saved her. If not for Stacia’s magic, she would have laughed in Charlotte’s face. For years, her friends had been rats and pigeons. She kept her words as sympathetic as she could. “They don’t appreciate you.”
    “They don’t need me. They have you. You and that brat in your womb.”
    The darkling returned, carrying a dusty green bottle. Charlotte grabbed it from his hand, bit the cork free, and spat it into the fireplace. “Now fetch me something to eat. Something cooked! ”
    As the darkling left, Charlotte shook her head. “The first time I commanded that little snake to bring me food, he left a pile of fish guts on my bed.”
    Danielle tried to speak, but her jaw refused to move.
    “Brahkop said the Duchess would take care of us. He promised us a home worthy of royalty. I should have known it would be little more than a hole in the earth. He’s a troll .” Charlotte took a deep swig of wine. “What does Stacia see in that hideous beast?”
    The question gave Danielle the chance she needed to speak again. She clenched her jaw, fighting for control of her voice. “He loves her.” Then, quickly, she added, “How long until Rose takes my son?”
    Charlotte rolled her eyes. “At the conjoined moons, a few weeks from now. When the two crescent moons come together on midsummer’s night. Magic that powerful is bound to draw the attention of the king and queen, but they’ll be... occupied.” She drank more of the wine and turned away. “Stacia says it’s the only time they set aside their differences and enjoy one another’s company.” She flushed. “You wouldn’t believe the mischief the other fairies cause during the conjoined moons, when their rulers are too distracted to notice.”
    Charlotte laughed. “At least then I won’t have to listen to Rose prattling on about her kingdom and her lost powers and her precious mirror. Stacia’s bad enough, but both of them in one body is more than I can take.”
    She returned to her chair and took another drink. The bottle was half empty already. “Was the prince