With a Kiss

by Stephanie Fowers

  Chapter Twenty-One

  And there erect and tall, Abonde the Queen,

  Brow-girt with golden circlet, that doth bear

  A small bright scintillating star between

  Her braids of dusky hair.

  —Archibald Maclaren, The Fairy Family

  "She's dead!"

  I listened to the muffled voices of surprise as the guards let us into Snow White's castle. Well, that's what I called the hag anyway, even though that particular black haired girl was only rumored to be the queen—I thought it made sense.

  Bugul carried my glass casket on his back. I guessed that meant Leprechauns were strong. I felt his labored steps beneath me, and concentrated on my role. All I had to do was open my eyes or breathe too heavily and the jig was up. Luckily, the ogres weren't that smart. Bugul slipped on the ice-polished floor, and my fingers tightened over the rose laid delicately on my chest. Apparently all dead people have roses over their chests—Hobs' idea, not mine.

  "What's this?" I recognized the Cyclops's rough voice and tried to keep as still as I could. "What's Hobs doing here?"

  Bugul snorted. "Did you expect the prince not to attend his mother's inauguration, Balor?" he replied haughtily. "Under my vigilant supervision, of course. Don't fret, General. I'm a much better bodyguard than others I might mention."

  "And what makes you think the hag wants the lifeless body of the princess?"

  "It's just orders, General."

  I could imagine Balor's one eye zoning in on me and I tried not to breath. It didn't work too well. "Wait a second. She ain't dead!"

  "Of course not," Hobs' voice licked scathingly over us all. "She's eaten the apple."

  "Oh . . ."

  Apparently it was a common occurrence, because he didn't argue. Apples were bad business here. Still, death or a coma, I was having a hard time getting into it. Besides my roaring headache, everything itched: my nose, my ears, my neck. I forced myself to keep my breathing shallow, and listened to the faery music echoing in the chamber. Though it wasn't exactly healthy, it calmed me down. The only problem was that once the music was in my head, it was in. I tried not to think about it, except my tiara wouldn't let me forget. If you hear the music of the faeries, run. It was worse than a broken record. I kept myself from swatting at it.

  Bugul lurched forward, but I could hear the Cyclops keeping an even stride with us. "I don't think the hag wants her too close."

  "How else will the queen take her crown?" Bugul growled. "Magic, not brawn, will get this circlet off her head."

  I could almost feel the Cyclops's considering stare and I tried not to let my nose wriggle. "Ah yes, her crown," Balor said after a moment. "Didn't think of that. Very good. Continue."

  After a moment, I heard Hobs' voice. He leaned in closer to us. "Is that true?"

  "No, you idiot."

  "No wonder I muted you. You've a way with words that's dangerous."

  Bugul chuckled low in his throat. The casket thumped to the ground, and I knew that I was in the courtroom now. It was freezing in here. The music was deafening, and the sound of partying nymphs was enough to make me want to pick up my casket and run with it . . . or maybe boogie the night away. The good news was my head stopped pounding so hard. Babs was close by. My fingers tensed. I had to get to her.

  I listened to the girls swarm around Hobs; it was hard to ignore. "Hobs, what have you brought?" a smooth female voice asked. It was one of the lovesick nymphs. "Is it a present?"

  "You could say that." He made up colorful excuses as he deftly maneuvered around the besotted girls. Hobs might not be as powerful as his mother, but he was tricky enough to make up for it. The nymphs chattered desperately to get his attention until the noise abruptly stopped. It didn't take me long to figure out why. "Mother." His voice sounded altered, angry. My body stiffened in response.

  "Son." The high notes of her alarm echoed through my ears. "What are you doing here? Who let him in?" She gasped at what I could only guess was my coffin. "What did you drag into my courtroom, you wicked scamp?"

  "What?" Hobs sounded amused. "I've just brought you your handiwork, My Queen. How could you be upset with that?" He sat on the end of my casket, and it creaked under his weight. He attempted a mournful tone. "So, why did you do it, Mom?"

  I knew the moment the Snow Queen saw me in my coffin, because she shrieked. "Get away from her. Hobany! Now."

  "What's the matter, Mother? Are you afraid I'll wake her up?"

  "You idiots!" she cried to the room in perfect villainous fashion. "Why did you let him drag her sorry carcass in here?"

  "Oh c'mon, Mom. She's practically dead—what's she going to do? Crash the party?" Hobs clicked open the sides of the casket. "I think she was hungry. What I don't understand is why you fed her."

  I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. His mother's screams escalated as I accepted her son's hand. Hobs lifted me out of the casket, and my royal-blue skirts dragged behind me. The extra pomp and ceremony was Hobs' idea—I was only grateful he left out the puffy princess sleeves. Red netting molded to the shape of my arms, and tufts of fur decorated my collar. I looked like Snow White with a gothic twist. I'd get him back for that later, since in no way did he bother to dress up for his mother's coronation. Now that I was able to get a good look at him, I saw he sported the same worn-out jeans and black punk shirt he had been tromping around in all day. He matched his mother's glare with defiance.

  The hag stepped back in all her ice-caked ceremonial finery. "What have you done, Hobs?" There was no way she would fight me, but if she didn't—all of this would be in vain. It meant I had to force her hand somehow, had to make her crazy enough to take me on. I looked around, wracking my brain for ideas.

  The castle was like being inside an elaborate igloo. Ice sculptures stood silently in the hall of mirrors, mirrors that a certain little girl wouldn't be able to see herself in. The stairs were made of packed snow. The floors shone like glass. They'd need a Zamboni to polish them, not some poor little kid with numb fingers. Now where was she?

  Hobs passed the apple to me and I tossed it in my hand. "Did you think you could get rid of me with this?" I asked the Snow Queen. Before she could say anything, I took a bite of the apple and chewed slowly. It tasted just like any other apple. She waited expectantly, but nothing happened . . . well, nothing she could see. I, on the other hand, felt very strange. It gave me both a light and heavy sensation, which flowed through me. It made my heart beat unevenly. With each bite, I became one of them. I turned to the Snow Queen, trying to ignore that. I didn't want to be one of them. It still wasn't too late.

  Where was Babs? Seeing the hag's smug look, I took another bite—she didn't suspect a thing. "You know I wasn't really going to eat a poisoned apple, right?" I choked, ruining the effect. Once I caught my breath, I managed to say, "Looks like you fell for the oldest trick in the faerytales—playing dead. Hobs swiped this apple off your banquet table."

  That wiped the hag's confidence right off her perfect face. "My dear girl, you promised you wouldn't fight me." She snapped to some waiting guards. "Quickly! Fetch me the child!"

  One of the sweeter-looking waifs dragged my baby out from behind a banquet table. How Babs had gotten so dirty in such a short amount of time was beyond me. The Snow Queen dug her long nails into Babs' plump arms, yanking her to her side. "You know what will happen if you break your promise to a faery, my girl? I break my promise! And you all die."

  I took another bite of the apple, not realizing how hungry I was. With every bite, I felt my power growing, especially since I was cursed to protect this child. "Of course I'll never break my promise," I said between bites. "But I also promise I will defeat you and save this little changeling." The hag's eyes widened. "Now, which promise should I keep?" I asked.

  "You didn't promise you'd fight me exactly," she tried to reason. "Just that you'd save the changeling . . ."

  "Then let me correct that. I promise to fight you and I promise to win."


  The hag hissed low and catlike. For a lady who never had to keep a rein on that temper, she wasn't about to start now. "Balor," she shouted. "Get her!"

  The Cyclops loped for us. I jerked back, surprised out of my mind. This plan would only work if I fought the hag, not her minions. Bugul stepped in front of me. I noticed he was wearing a fat red-and-white striped tie for the occasion. It looked strange on his usual get-up. "How about I take out that other eye, Balor!" he shouted at his nemesis. "It was pretty easy last time, as I recall." Bugul thumped his club into his palm with a menacing look. A few ogres scurried for cover.

  Cyclops scowled, his eye bulging. He turned from me and aimed the bulk of fire from that eye straight for Bugul instead. "I'll burn you!"

  "Bugul!" I shouted. "Move!" Shots of painfully bright light shot past our scurrying feet, spraying chunks of ice against the pillars of the castle. The vaulted ceiling shook above us. Bugul dodged out of the way. I sucked in my breath. He wasn't hurt.

  "Usurpers to the throne!" The Snow Queen waved the ogres forward, bringing the battle into full swing. "Take them out!"

  This wasn't exactly going as we planned. Balor's eye rotated crazily and he aimed it on me this time. I twisted away, pushing far from Bugul. The last half of my apple got knocked out of my grip and rolled under the table, where it became covered in dust. I gagged when I saw it. I wasn't supposed to eat the whole apple, was I? Didn't one bite count as breaking the rules?

  One of the witch's monsters shrieked behind me when a beam of light missed me and hit him square in the neck. As soon as the ogres figured out that standing next to me was getting them all killed (which took a little longer than it should), they edged away in a panic. And just like the school play, I found myself doing flips in the air to avoid getting hit, faster than anything they threw at me. Look, Mom, no wings! Who needed those to fly? My faery mother had put a strange curse on me. I could do practically anything if it was connected to protecting this child.

  "I taught her that," Hobs said with a laugh. He pulled out his weapons from the coffin. I ducked behind it, listening to the shouts of pain coming from the ogres behind me. The ice grew thicker around the table. It wasn't my imagination; this room was getting colder. Innately, I felt it was because the Otherworldly was sneaking his way in, but how was he doing it? Where was he coming from?

  Balor shot madly for me, and I dove away. The coffin splintered into a thousand pieces. He was taking forever to run out of all that ammunition he packed away in that eye of his. There was no way I could search out that Otherworldly with him on my back.

  "Princess!" Hobs shouted. I still wasn't used to my new title. He tried again. "Ha . . . Halley!" I looked up at his warning just as an ogre toppled over me, about five arrows in its back. I rolled out of the way, and the ogre crashed into the floor. Hobs had taken care of him. Bugul fought off a whole army, but the Snow Queen's minions were gaining ground, despite the skill of my protectors.

  The wolves targeted in on Hobs. "What do you, the changeling, and the princess have in common?" Gray growled. All of our names start with an H? None of the wolves looked like they were playing anymore. Octavius stalked out his prey. Gray and Glasses took up the rear.

  "We're all strangely attractive?" Hobs guessed. "No, we smell great." Octavius chuckled appreciatively—until he saw Hobs draw another arrow. "Wait, I've got it," Hobs said. "We're taking down this madhouse?"

  "No." Gray bared his teeth. "You're all going to die!"

  Most of the nymphs had already peeled out of the room. A few of them, led by their glamorous leader Glistenda, glared at everyone in general, especially at me. Glistenda took out some faery dust, and I prepared myself for an onslaught of her magic.

  Half of the hag's army had been taken out of commission with the Cyclops's less than detailed job, and the hag shrieked when I switched directions and headed straight for her. "Get away!" she cried. But I didn't stop—I knew what I was doing. Everyone close to me was falling in droves; she'd be next. Balor aimed straight for me and I slowed, seeing Babs in the hag's arms, but it was too late.

  "No!" I shouted.

  "No!" the hag echoed. The Snow Queen would get blown away, along with her precious cargo. She managed to free one arm from Babs and pointed it at Balor. The single motion threw the Cyclops through the air. He landed into a pillar, colliding with Glistenda. The nymph's faery dust exploded over them in a cloud. Balor sneezed before they both collapsed into an unconscious heap. "Idiot," the hag said.

  "Here's a riddle. What happens when winter takes over the Sidhe?" I heard Hobs ask the wolves. They hesitated, lifting their furry ears. "We all die," Hobs briskly answered for them. "Okay, now let's see if you can get this one. Why would a prince fight his own mother? I mean, if she gets all the power, wouldn't he just inherit it?"

  "Not if there's nothing left to inherit," Glasses surmised.

  "Genius." Hobs nocked the arrow in his bow, but he didn't need to. The wolves had already turned from him, their considering eyes on their queen. The mirrors behind her were shaking.

  "Rumpelstiltskin is coming through the mirror!" Hobs shouted out to me. It was our code name for the Otherworldly. There was more than one mirror, but one look and it was obvious which one would bring the Otherworldly through. It was larger than the others. It warped almost in half it was so hot. The glass melted and peeled down the sides, running down to the floor and pooling into a nasty black puddle. Despite the mini-volcano behind the witch, my body trembled with the cold. It meant I was losing this fight, and I didn't know why.

  My fingers felt stiff, and I glanced down. They were turning blue. What had the queen done to me? She gave an unnatural giggle, her feet lifting off the ground. She carried Babs into the air with her. "You will die here, my girl. The curse is not yet broken. You still cannot make the ultimate sacrifice for love." She pointed at me, and I felt the chill of it seep through my chest.

  The hag was turning me into an icicle. This was what we wanted, for her to fight me, but I was still losing! Just like the Snow Queen said, my power wasn't complete. I still didn't belong here. I spied the last half of the apple under the refreshment table. It was on the other side of the room and I sprinted for it. My joints ached with the cold. Hobs circled and rushed to the mirror to stop the upcoming disaster. The Otherworldly was on his way, but there wasn't much Hobs could do about it.

  Bugul was in the thick of the battle. Gan, our infamous love-talking fiend, emerged from somewhere in the back clad in cravat and knickers. He cringed when he saw Bugul, and took his beautiful self off the other direction. He raced past me just as I dropped to my hands and knees to get to the dust-covered apple. I heard a loud crash and caught sight of some huge, hulking black thing materialize from the ceiling. Gan's missing shadow had finally come for us.

  The wolves prowled around the mirrors, sniffing and whimpering. The mirror spat its heat at them, and they jumped back with a howl of pain. The colder the room, the hotter the mirror got. It boiled over like water. The icy air around it crackled and sizzled with the heat. I wasn't sure which one would win, but as soon as I took a bite of the dusty apple, the room warmed. I sucked in some air, feeling it heat up my insides like hot cider. I took another bite and felt better than ever. I moved my thawing fingers. They tingled.

  The hag swiveled on me, snarling like a cat, her black hair a shadow behind her. "A changeling like you will experience the same transition a mortal does when eating our food—you will feel it dearly. As a faery, our rules will bind you. Now, drop that fruit! It is forbidden."

  If anything, I chewed faster. Once I was through with this apple, I'd be one of them. I hesitated. Did I want that? If I broke this rule—if I could love this mortal, I would lose all who loved me. I would have to leave my life in the Otherworld. My family would forget everything about me. My shadow would steal the love that rightfully belonged to me. But it didn't have to be this way. Why did I have to lose everything? I could love my family now. No matter what anyone said, the Starr family w
as mine.

  I didn't have to eat the rest of this apple. I stared down at it.

  "Halley!" Babs called me her own name. The hag held her tightly. "Halley!" she sobbed, reaching out to me. She didn't even know I could save her. She just wanted me with her. I looked from the fruit to her. I remembered Hobs molding her fuzz of hair into little devil pigtails. I saw her in my Midsummer Dream costume parroting everything I did. She was now a part of me. It was impossible to leave her here. I bit down on the juicy flesh of the core and the air glowed. One more bite and this apple was done for.

  "You eat the rest of that and I curse this child," the hag cried out desperately.

  It was no empty threat. She had done it to a kid before—namely me. I looked from her to Babs. "But if I don't eat it, you lose your kingdom to me."

  She stilled. "What are you saying? How is that possible?"

  "You should know. It's the curse you gave me. I cannot rule unless I love a mortal," I said, even as I realized it, "and if I don't take another bite, it means I love this child . . . and I do."

  "Surely you know what that will do to you?" The Snow Queen asked. "She cannot love you back!"

  The part of the apple I had already eaten felt stuck in my throat. I would lose Babs no matter what I did, but at least this way she'd be safe. I swallowed.

  "Your love will kill her!" the hag said.

  Is that what the curse meant? Those I loved would die? I didn't know what I was supposed to do. "Hobs!" My voice cracked over my shout. "Do something!"

  The mirror had reached its boiling point and started to freeze over. My eyes stung when I watched its brittle surface crack. A green vine broke through, followed by another. They grew longer and more spindly, dancing through the glass, as wide as tree trunks twisting dangerously around us. The wolves passed out from the heat. At least I hoped they had passed out. I liked them too much for them to die on me. But what did it matter? Soon we would all be dead.

  The largest of the vines settled firmly against the ice-covered floor. A black inky finger wriggled through after it, followed by another. What would the Otherworldly do when he saw me? Would he try to take me? If anything, it would be a convenient way for the Snow Queen to boot me out of here. And if he joined forces with the witch, we'd all be goners.

  "Hobs!" I shouted.

  Hobs was busy keeping the ogres back. Gan's black shadow lurked behind them. Hobs broke off a sharp icicle from an arched doorway and glanced over at me. There was only one way to stop the witch—and I was sure he was trying to figure out a way around that. He landed the sharp end of the icicle into an ogre and pulled away, shaking his hand to get some feeling back into it. "Mother!" He tried to distract her from tearing me apart. "You don't want to do this!"

  Her eyes went hard, and she turned from him to Babs, screeching out her curse on our little girl. "As long as summer rules, you cannot come. For deadly is the warmth of sun. Your prison is ice. Death only you'll part . . . for forbidden love will melt your heart.

  "No!" I cried out. She had actually cursed Babs against me. I was summer. My touch would now be deadly to her. The second my rule began, Babs could never be with me. It was too cruel. How could she do it? "No," I whispered.

  "Now," the Snow Queen said, "what will you do, princess? Will you rule this place and kill this child with your warmth?"

  I clenched down my chattering teeth. There wasn't enough warmth in me to do anything yet. I could feel the chill overcome me. It was more than the air around me—it was in my heart. If I finished the apple, I'd save myself, save the Sidhe . . . and kill Babs.

  Bugul was too far away to help. Hobs tried to get to my side, but he was outnumbered by the ogres. With any luck, the dumb creatures would tackle each other, instead of him, but even worse, Gan's shadow leaned against one side of the building. Parts of the terrace toppled down over the fighting mob.

  Hobs dodged a wicked-looking sword and dropped down behind a broken pillar to avoid getting hit by the falling ceiling. "Don't listen to her!" he shouted. "There are holes all over that curse! It's always that way. Just eat the rest of the apple!"

  I shook my head. "I don't see a hole in this one."

  "The girl cannot abide the same sphere as you." The hag raised her hands in triumph, cackling giddily. "You must leave or kill her. Winter and summer cannot coexist."

  "She can't abide with you, either." My breath came out in a fog as I felt her magic take the life out of me. "She is you now. Don't you see? You made her the successor to your throne. You made her winter. It is you who must leave, you hag! You're no longer needed here."

  The hag's hand dropped. "I will not leave," she whispered. Her bony fingers tangled through Babs' hair, but she was getting weaker, and we both knew I was right. She gasped out and began another spell against Babs, "Forget the Sidhe, its warmth and spring. You're banished. To the earth take wing."

  "No!" I ran forward. Babs was fading fast and I struggled to get to her side, unable to stop it. The mirrors towered around her and I couldn't see her—not just her image, but her. "Babs, eat the rest of this apple!" As soon as I reached her, I folded her hands over the wedge. I'd let her rule and then she could stay here with Hobs. She wouldn't have to be alone in the Otherworld.

  "Stop." Hobs tugged the fruit from her poor little hand. His breathing was ragged from fighting the ogres. Gan's shadow made a mess of the castle behind us. It tore down pillars and knocked down balconies. Hobs threw his arms around us, blocking us from it. "She'll be stuck here!"

  "There's no other way!" Babs' hand was disappearing from mine. "Don't go!" I said. "Fight it! Where is she going?" The hag wouldn't have banished her anywhere nice.

  "Halley!" Tears glistened on Babs' pale cheeks. She had no idea what was happening. Halley? I choked. No, that wasn't me. That was her. My little girl didn't even know who she was. I couldn't let her go to the Otherworld without knowing. How would she get back to me? "I can't see you," she said in a small voice. "Where are you going?"

  "You can see me." My hands hovered over Babs, but I couldn't touch her. She was almost gone. "Look to the first star that appears at night, Babs. Just wish on that star and the moon will smile down on you. That will be me. I won't leave you alone!" Her blonde hair grew lighter and lighter. She looked exactly like my little sisters. She belonged with them, but they would never know her. The witch wouldn't be merciful enough to send her to them. "That's how you'll find me," I promised. "Watch for that star!"

  "She'll never remember you!" the hag promised. She made circular motions with her hands. "And you! You will forget she ever existed."

  "No! I'll be with you!" I called to Babs. "I'll remember you always—just wish on me!" The smoke of Babs lingered in the air. Her hand was fading from Hobs' and I saw his worried expression. It gave me an idea. "Your Prince Charming!" I said. It was the only thing I could think of. If the hag could curse her, I could give her my blessing. "Love's kiss will break the curse!"

  "Make it rhyme," Hobs sounded frantic. "It's the only way to make a spell."

  "Love will break the curse," I stuttered over my next words. A rhyme? I tried to think of something poetic. "Though love is blind," I hesitated at Hobs' disbelieving look. What rhymed with curse? "You could do worse." I shrugged at him. Sure, it was one of the stupider things I've said, but if it broke the hag's curse, I'd take it.

  "Oh! Don't worry, Babs. We'll keep you safe. You'll never be alone." I tried to touch her arm, but she was gone. She had heard me though. I was sure of it. I no longer felt the pain at the separation. My curse was broken too, but I still felt it in my heart and it beat dully.

  The hag looked furious. My words had sealed her doom. Babs was destined to take her place as Snow Queen. "I will stop your heart, Princess!" She twisted—faster than it seemed possible—and before Hobs could stop her, I felt her cold fingers trail down my back. I arched backwards as she flew from us, cackling evilly.

  My lungs froze and I couldn't breathe. She had killed me. I could feel my life draining.
I had tried . . . and lost everything because of it: Babs, and now my life, but not everything, not Hobs. Hobs. He could watch out for Babs if I couldn't.

  "Hobs." My fingers were brittle from the cold. I found his rough hand. "Find Babs. You've got to find her." He acted like he couldn't hear me. His arms were around me, though his warmth couldn't touch me. His eyes were on his mother. I saw another inky hand rip from the vines through the mirror, followed by a twisting head. The eyes were dark and unfeeling and they darted around like snakes. The Otherworldly would kill us all.

  "Hobs!" I cried. "You have to leave here. Get Babs."

  The ogres surrounded us, armed with their clubs and daggers. Bugul was nowhere to be seen. Had they killed him too? Hobs' attention was riveted on the Otherworldly, and he squeezed my frozen shoulder before he stood up. He pulled out his arrow from a fallen ogre's gut. The arrow could pierce any hide, and it glistened in the cold winter air. His hand ran over it.

  "What are you doing?" the hag ridiculed. "Is this for her? Or that kid? You weakling! The Otherworldly is my guest. Hospitality for hospitality. It is the mantra of the Twelve. You cannot shoot him!"

  Hobs shook his head. "I'm not." His arrow scraped past the hag's delicate shoulder, leaving a dark and bloody scratch. She screamed out in pain, and then laughed bitterly. "You didn't kill me. How unfortunate for you." Her arms lifted and I knew she was about to finish him off. I cried out weakly and she jerked to a stop, lowering her hands to stare at her pointed nails. "What have you done to me, Hobs?"

  "It's a gift from the nymphs. I laced the tip."

  "My own son?" She tried to control the twitching in her body. "Poisoned?"

  "With a love potion." He lowered his bow. I saw the anguish in his eyes. "I gave you a heart, Mother."

  "Oh." The Snow Queen's voice sounded almost human, and she clasped her chest, stumbling across the room. "Worse than poison. It hurts to feel."

  ". . . especially when you can't feel that love returned."

  The Snow Queen whimpered. The ice that covered her beautiful body was melting. She turned watering eyes to the mirror, and with those imperfect eyes she finally saw. The Otherworldly was almost through it. "He will kill you." Her voice broke.

  Hobs watched her, grief written across his face, but still he didn't go to her. The Snow Queen staggered to him instead, dripping everywhere. She pulled the medallion from her neck with shaking hands and fell next to me. I choked on my breath; it hurt to breathe. My lungs iced over.

  "Son!" She reached up and caught his fingers. He cried out in pain. "I'm sorry, Hobany. I don't want to hurt you. I love you."

  Hobs responded with a nod. He looked numb. I doubted he had heard those words from his mother before, and even now they were bittersweet—brought only by a love potion. He knelt next to us, watching her wearily.

  She set her medallion over my cold stomach and folded his trembling fingers over it. "You'll need this. The Otherworldly has the lost treasures . . . get them back . . . you'll regain your powers. I was going to get them back. I swear. I didn't . . . I didn't give him the treasures. It wasn't me. It was . . . her."

  He groaned, but I knew he believed her. Someone else was guilty. Had it been Ratis then? It made sense. "There is one treasure still," she said, ". . . safe. The Stone of Fal. The mirror . . . it is under the ice. The ice will melt. " She coughed, her eyes watering over in her agony. "Don't let that monster get it."

  "How do I save my Leannan Sith, Mom?"

  The room was hot. The ice queen couldn't survive in it for long, but somehow the heat couldn't touch me. I was turning into a block of ice. "I must die before she does . . ." she said softly. "It's the only way to break my spell over her. Make her cheeks bloom, Hobany."

  The mirror melted just enough for the vines to push all the way into the room. The Otherworldly dragged himself up by his elbows, pushing free from the thick green stalks like a lizard cracking from its egg. Filthy black slime pooled down his body. He moved with the speed of a zombie in comparison to the grace of everything that lived in this world. The nymphs screamed out in panic, but the Otherworldly wasn't interested in terrorizing them. He had caught sight of me.

  I watched him helplessly. He knew exactly who I was—I didn't know how. Hobs scrambled to stand between us. The arrow that had nicked his mother was at his feet, and he drew it from the ground. With one quick movement, he cleaned off the remnants of the love potion with his shirt. The Otherworldly grumbled out a laugh. There wasn't much of me left to save.

  "Octavius." Hobs kicked the wolf hard in the side, trying to wake him up. "It's your lucky day, man. Fast food."

  Octavius swayed on drowsy legs. Gray and Glasses pulled groggily to their paws. They snarled; I just wished with more conviction.

  I felt an icy hand on mine. It was the hag's. It was colder than mine . . . then warmer. My skin glistened with frost. "Why must we suffer?" She looked older, her black hair whitened and melted, dripping down her neck. Somehow she was more beautiful than ever. I think it was her eyes. They felt warm. "The seasons change, the cycle of life continues. She will rule after me . . ."

  It was the first stroke of midnight. I listened to the toll of the bell and then the crackle in my ears as the frost over my flesh sealed them shut from this world.