by Anna Santos
Snow folded her arms. “Why should we trust you? You tricked my father, tried to kill me several times, and wanted to steal Dorian from me.”
“Your enemy’s enemy is your friend,” Marlena said, showing her dark teeth to us.
Snow tilted her head to one side. “You need to come up with a better excuse.”
Marlena’s face became serious. “All I wanted was eternal life. Dorian could give me that. He’s also handsome.” She looked at me and frowned—the lines in her wrinkled face were becoming deeper. “With the Dark King on the loose, he’ll try to get revenge on my sisters.”
“So, you do worry about someone other than yourself.” Snow commented.
“You’re too young to understand. You’re an only child and don’t have any friends, either.”
“I have friends.”
Marlena snorted. “Who? Your horse? That doesn’t count.”
“She has me,” I said. Snow smiled at me. “She’s no longer alone.”
“I was exposed,” Marlena said, returning to the serious discussion. “The Dark King will come for me. We need to put the past behind us and work together. No hard feelings.”
Snow unfolded her arms and growled at her. “No hard feelings? I should have let him kill you.”
“Yes. The Dark King was really eager to do that if you remember it well,” Marlena reminded us. “Why do you think he wanted that? Only for pure revenge? I know how to destroy him.”
“If you are on our side, prove it. Where can we find the princess?” I questioned.
Marlena pressed her lips into a tight line. “I need something in return for helping you. Dying isn’t in my plans.”
“I’ll turn you,” Luke said, coming out from the shadows. “If that’s what you want, I’ll turn you into a vampire.”
“Luke,” I called, not happy with his statement. “Turning someone requires a lot of energy, and it can go terribly wrong.”
“If becoming immortal and pretty is all she wants; I can give her that. Unlike you, I haven’t found my mate. Turning her won’t be a problem for me.”
Marlena perked up. “I’ll need your word and the Prince’s,” she replied to Luke. “Vampires are true to their word. I know that much.”
“I give you my word,” Luke said.
“I don’t feel comfortable with this,” I admitted, folding my arms behind my back. “Her information might not be reliable.”
“The Cursed Forest,” Marlena said. “Have any of you heard about it?”
“Of course, we have. No one dares to go there. It’s filled with dangerous creatures and enchanted plants that will eat you alive,” I replied.
“The Dark King forced us to enchant that forest after he imprisoned his daughter in a tower, decades ago.”
“So, she’s trapped in the Cursed Forest, all alone?” Snow asked. “For decades?” She covered her mouth. “That’s so scary and sad.”
“She doesn’t feel the time the same way we do. She’s asleep, and her mind is trapped inside the mirror. The Fate Mirror that the White Wolf is protecting has the princess’s conscience.” She got up and dragged her feet to the bars. “Speaking of which, who’s protecting the mirror? The king will go for it once he’s strong enough. He didn’t hurt us last night because the decades inside the mirror drained him. Although, killing the queen might have given him the strength he needed to recover a part of his power.”
“With the veil gone, he’ll easily find and enter the White Wolf’s village,” I continued her reasoning.
Marlena nodded. “Clever and handsome. What are the odds of finding someone like you, Dorian?”
“Stop flirting with my husband,” Snow warned her. “Luke agreed to turn you into a vampire. We’ll remove the magical cuffs once you give us something useful. Unless you’d rather die of old age.”
I smiled at my wife’s resolution. She appeared serious.
“You want something useful, Snow? Then, know this. The king will go after the queen’s daughters next. All the halflings that the queen scattered around these lands are in danger. Any human with fae blood is a target. He’ll hunt them down and suck the magical spark out of them to restore his powers.”
Snow stepped back, and I rushed to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Why wouldn’t Snow be safe?” Marlena asked, apparently unaware of Snow’s origin.
“It’s none of your concern. You just need to tell us how to save Princess Medina,” Snow said with a cold stare.
Marlena smirked. “I want your word that you’ll let me leave once I’m a vampire. It’s no use becoming an immortal if you’re planning to keep me locked up and try me for treason. I’m more useful alive. I won’t try to kill you or your father again. We are on the same side now.”
“We aren’t on the same side, but we need to know what you know. It’s not my call to set you free for what you did,” Snow said.
“I’ll let you go if you tell us what we need to know to save my kingdom and my daughter’s life,” a hoarse voice behind us echoed.
We turned and saw Snow’s father. He strolled into the light coming from the small barred windows on the wall. His pale face indicated that he was still not fully recovered.
Snow rushed to her father’s side and helped him stand. “Father, you shouldn’t be here.”
“I’m feeling better. The women taking care of me told me what was going on, and the guards told me where to find you.”
“You need to rest. Dorian and I will deal with this.”
“Despite what this woman has done to us, she was my wife for several years.”
Marlena snorted from her cell. “Old fool.”
“Younger than you, it seems,” the king countered, raising an eyebrow at her new appearance. “Were you using magic to conceal your true form?”
“I can shapeshift into whatever form I want as long as I absorb their energy,” she claimed. “It’s not glamor magic like what the elves use.”
“I don’t need to know the details.” The king waved in dismissal. “I can promise you that I’ll let you go and remove the cuffs if you tell us how to vanquish this new threat.”
“A threat that your daughter and your son-in-law brought on themselves.”
“We wanted to get rid of you and save my father,” Snow explained. “We had no idea. Even the White Wolf had no idea that the elf in the mirror was evil.”
“Not even the Fairy Queen, it seems,” I added.
Marlena ignored us, diverting her attention to Luke. “How long does it take to become like you?”
“Two months, at least,” Luke replied.
“I’ll tell you what you need to know, and you set me free,” she said, glancing at the king. “Do I have your word, Husband?”
“You have my word,” the king assured.
“I’ll need to borrow your friend for a couple of months, Dorian, until I become one of you. I’ll also join my sisters, and we’ll find a way to help you.”
I looked back at my friend. “Luke, are you fine with this?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes if that means I can protect this world from this new threat,” Luke replied.
“Interesting,” Marlena said with a smirk. “I think I found myself a true knight. You’re not bad-looking, either.”
I stepped closer to the bars and glared at the queen. “If something happens to my friend, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”
Marlena didn’t even blink. “Remove the cuffs first. I’m also thirsty and hungry. I wish to be taken to the dining room. Give me food, and we’ll talk once we are there.”
“How do we know that you won’t use magic against us once you can use your magic again?” I asked her.
“You have my word.”
“Your word means nothing to me.”
“We’ve dealt with witches before,” the king claimed. “Replace those cuffs with normal ropes. If she doesn’t have her hands free, she can’t use magic.”
“Luke can feed you,” Snow said.
“What? Wait, what?” Luke asked, losing his sober façade. “Why me?”
“My father wants to kill her, I want to kill her, and Dorian isn’t going near her,” Snow replied. “You’re the only one left.”
“You’ve done worse things already,” I reminded my friend. “Feeding her can’t be that hard.”
Luke sneered at me. “Fine.”
Marlena’s lust for Luke reflected in her eyes. “I’ve always wanted a vampire pet.”
“I’m not a pet, witch,” Luke grunted.
She giggled, and he frowned with disgust.
“You didn’t seem repulsed by me when I was young and pretty,” she told him. “As I recall, you were rather friendly with me.”
Luke grimaced. “I regret my actions now.”
“Did anyone touch my things in the secret room?” the witch asked me.
“No.”
“Good. We are going to need them. For now, send someone to the White Wolf’s village and tell them to take the mirror to safety. Once I have my hands free, I’ll reinforce the wards around the palace, so the Dark King can’t enter this place. It’ll require time and patience, but I’m the only who can help you now.”
Chapter THIRTY
Snow’s POV
Father returned to his quarters to rest after we replaced Marlena’s magical cuffs with simple ropes. Once that was done, her former beauty returned, and she walked proudly out of the cell.
We stayed true to our word and accompanied her to the dining room where Luke helped her drink and eat. Not that my husband’s friend looked pleased about it. However, he was the sole solution since I wasn’t going to let Dorian go near her, and the staff seemed terrified of their former queen.
As Marlena ate and, apparently, flirted with a taciturn Luke, Dorian and I sat on the couches and spoke quietly.
“I don’t see any other option, Snow. Luke can’t leave this place. He needs to take care of Marlena. Belle is too pregnant to travel. I need to go to Drake’s village and make sure that he’s all right. I’m worried.”
I leaned closer. “I don’t want to be left alone with her roaming around the palace without the magical cuffs.”
I spied the queen at the dining table. “I think she’s afraid of the Fairy King. She tried to conceal it with arrogance, but her heartrate increases when she speaks of him. If he’s as powerful as she claims, he can kill her.”
“Especially if he has absorbed the Fairy Queen’s magical spark. That’s scary. Marlena says that he’ll be after other fairies.”
“You’re not a fairy yet. You’re safe for now.”
I pressed my fingers together. “It’s our fault that he’s free.”
Dorian held my hands between his. “No. It’s not our fault. The Fairy Queen wanted him free, too. We didn’t know. No one knew but the witches, and they kept it a secret and used his powers for their personal gain.”
“We need to send messengers to the other kingdoms to warn them about this new threat.”
“Not yet. First, we need to make sure the other mirror is safe. We also need to find out how to free the powerful fae princess from her prison. Once Marlena eats, you need to talk to her again.”
I released my hands and held on to his arm. “You’re going to Drake’s village and leaving me alone?”
“I’ll take a few of my men, and we’ll use our super-speed to travel. I have a feeling something is wrong.”
“The safest place to stay is here,” Marlena said from the table. “This palace is enchanted against dark magic. The king was able to get out because my magic was restrained. Now that it’s flowing around me, he can’t enter.”
Dorian and I got up. “Were you lying when you said you couldn’t use your magic with your hands tied up?”
“I can’t use magic against you, but the magic that I placed in objects and the sigils around this palace are active,” Marlena replied. “Which is a good thing since once the Dark King finds the Fate Mirror, he’s coming here for the astral scroll. He won’t find it because my secret room is protected.”
“What are you talking about?” Dorian asked. “Why do you only tell us half-truths?”
Marlena snorted. “I’m valuable while I can be useful to you.”
I rushed to Marlena’s side. “Is Drake in danger?” I looked at my husband behind me. “We need to leave now to save the Alpha. Belle will be crushed if something happens to him.”
“What can a human and a vampire do against a powerful dark fae?” Marlena asked.
Before we could say anything else, the palace shook.
“He’s coming,” Marlena said, jumping to her feet and looking around with a daunted expression. The palace shook again. “He…He’s trying to breach the wards.”
“What do we do?” I asked Dorian.
Marlena put herself between Dorian and me. “Release my hands. I can try to protect us. At least stall him while you run to hide in my secret room. He can’t enter there if he doesn’t have the key. You still have the key, right?”
“Drake has the key,” Dorian replied.
“We’re doomed.”
The trembling under my feet increased, and the walls kept shaking.
A beam of light formed at the entrance of the dining room. Dorian moved behind me and held me in his arms. His body was tense against mine.
The ball of light increased until it dissipated, and two bodies materialized in front of us.
“Drake!” I called when I saw the Alpha hugging a dark cloth and being held by a beautiful blonde woman in a silky purple dress.
“What happened?” Dorian asked, releasing me and going to his side.
Drake had blood on his shirt, and his face was dirty.
“A crazy elf is going around killing fairies, and he tried to steal my sister’s mirror,” the blonde woman replied.
“Your sister?” It was Marlena who asked and stepped forward. “Your mother, where is she?”
“Dead.” The girl said, devoid of emotion. “I woke up with her astral visit and with all these new powers. It was hard to materialize inside this place. We’re in a hurry. Drake said there’s a room here that can conceal magical objects.”
“Yes, it’s mine,” Marlena replied. “You’re the new Fairy Queen?”
“I am as surprised as you are. I thought I wouldn’t have to be queen for the next couple of centuries,” the blonde said. “Could someone attend to the Alpha? He’s hurt, and we need to hide the mirror before the crazy elf finds us.”
“That crazy elf is your dead mother’s husband,” Marlena elucidated. “I’m assuming the Alpha fought him, and you saved him. Which means, the Dark King saw you.”
“I went to the village to repair the veil and restore the portals to the Fairy Island. Mother’s last wish was to protect my sister’s spirit inside the mirror.”
Marlena jiggled her hands behind her back. “Someone remove these ropes. If the king is coming, the Fairy Queen needs my help. We have a chance to survive if we both use magic to reinforce the wards around our palace and hide the mirror before he can sense it.”
“You just want to get free,” I protested.
“I have no wish to escape the only place where I’m safe,” Marlena assured. “And, you already said you’d release me and turn me into a vampire.”
I looked at Dorian. Drake dropped to the floor, and the Fairy Queen took what he was holding in his arms.
Drake coughed before he spoke. “The only reason the Dark King didn’t kill me was that I used my blood to free him from the mirror. He owes me, so he can’t kill me. But he can kill everybody else in here. My wife included. Free the Evil Queen if she can help us against the Dark King.”
Luke was the one who moved and cut the ropes. “I won’t turn you into a vampire if you betray us. Remember that.”
“Don’t worry, lover,” Marlena replied with a smirk. “Our two months together are a
done deal.” The witch stretched her arms in the air. “This feels great.”
“Where’s the magical secret room?” the Fairy Queen asked.
Marlena walked to Drake and showed him her hand. “I’ll need my key back.”
Drake sneered but extracted the key from his pocket and gave it to her.
She grinned. “Good boy.” Turning around, she glanced at the fairy. “Come along. Your sister’s mirror isn’t the only thing that the Dark King wants.”
“Yes, but I’ll take the key if you don’t mind.” The fairy walked to Marlena and plucked the key from her hand.
“I do mind,” Marlena muttered.
The fairy smiled at her. “I’m not taking the chance that you might use it to close the passageway and leave us all behind.”
“It seems, you have an idea of how my magic works, after all.”
“I’ve seen rooms like yours before.”
Marlena and the fairy snapped their heads to the windows.
Outside, the light dimmed, and I rushed to the balcony and noticed clouds forming and covering the sun. “What’s going on? Is a storm coming?”
“The Dark King is annoyed,” Marlena enlightened us. “Don’t stay there. He might not be able to come in, but his lightning can kill. Once we secure the mirror, the Fairy Queen and I will deal with the weather.”
“I should warn our troops to stay alert,” Luke said.
Marlena spoke to Luke. “It will be pointless. I’d prefer it if you don’t die before you can turn me into one of you.”
He squinted. “My duty is to protect my prince and his wife. You have a better chance of protecting the mirror if we stall the Dark King. He might know magic but—”
She raised her hand for him to silence himself. “He can crush you with the flick of his finger. He can also summon his army of dark shadows once he’s strong enough. Protecting the mirror and the new Fairy Queen is important.” She looked at the rest of the people in the living room. “He’s faster than a vampire, stronger than a werewolf, and more powerful than a witch.” Her eyes aimed at Luke again. “You made me a promise. Once you lead your men against the Dark King, if the wards fall, and he tries to enter the palace, you’ll die.”
