The Heart of the Darkness

by M. J. Padgett

  “I did. Look, I’ve been trying to work through this for a while now. Marissa and I think something fishy is going on, and we were on our way to tell the others about it when—”

  “Marissa... Larkin’s cousin? The one that came with her adoptive parents?” I asked.

  “Yeah. She’s really smart, and she kept reading and reading, then one day I decided I was bored enough to actually enjoy research, and I joined her. We couldn’t figure it out exactly, but we found enough to know something wasn’t right.”

  “Okay, what did you find?” I asked, hoping what he said would somehow fill in the missing pieces.

  “King Heinrich and Queen Tatjana never had a child, Annabell. Snow was not their child, and Queen Tatjana’s murder was never solved.”

  “But... the Salien’s said...”

  “There is no royal birth record, Annabell, and I think the birth of an heir would have been a big deal. The more we questioned people, the more we realized no one remembered the exact date of her birth. She just... existed. More than that, no one could remember Queen Tatjana getting sick back then. That was the story, but no one ever saw her ill. The records say she was murdered and found in her bed, but that’s not the story we’ve heard, right?”

  “Right. They said she was sick and died, then Heinrich married Ravenna.”

  “Only Ravenna said this morning she doesn’t even remember his first wife growing ill. The more she thought, the more confused she became. It was as if a fog lifted and she saw all the holes in her memory.”

  I stared at Ethan, confused as ever, but that was the least of my concerns. If Snow was on the loose and she was looking for the Seven, then I had to get to them as quickly as possible. “I need a ride before things go from bad to worse.”

  Ethan shifted and kneeled, and together we flew back to the only place I could think properly—at my mother’s side.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Larkin

  Hidden Cabin, Das Unbekannte

  I HAD BEEN UNSURE FOR a long time whether my psychic connection with my siblings worked over distances longer than a few miles, but as I contemplated shifting and testing the ability, a crashing sound outside distracted us all. Hayden had gone off searching for Cole along with Jack, but I doubted it was either of them returned so soon.

  Ulrich tensed beside me as Kai peered out the window. “It’s Annabell... and Ethan.”

  My immediate worry was that something had happened to Ophelia, but I also knew my brother. If anyone’s life had been in danger, he would have refused to remain in hiding. My answer came when Ethan burst through the door and scanned the room, his gaze connecting with mine only moments before he swept me into a hug that took my breath away.

  “I’m sorry, Larkin. I’m sorry. I tried to stay hidden, but Cole came, and you know Isla and Kirsten,” Ethan said.

  I pushed him away so I could speak. “Isla and Kirsten? Tell me they didn’t—”

  “They did, but they’re okay. Cole didn’t hurt them, not really.”

  “Not really?” I asked tensing.

  “Nothing that won’t heal.”

  “And Ophelia?” I asked.

  “Ophelia?” Parker asked and lurched to a standing position. He was as good as new, but I had a feeling he was about to get very angry with me. “What about Ophelia? What have you gotten her into?”

  “Uh... she’s fine. She was keeping people safe when I left,” Ethan said, glancing at me again. Though our connection didn’t work when we were in human form, he still read me like a book and covered for me, though I was sure Ophelia would tell Parker the truth once we all returned to Schwarzwald—if we all returned.

  “Listen, we need to talk,” Ethan said, pointing toward Annabell, who seemed exhausted. Dark circles had formed under her eyes, and her skin was pale and sickly. She nodded toward him and sat.

  “Where is my mother? Where is my father?” she asked, looking around the room.

  The room grew quiet, but there was no sense in lying to her. Annabell would figure out what we planned eventually, so I figured it was better to just lay it all on the table rather than pretend we were clueless.

  “They went to talk with Cole,” I said, forcing Annabell to leap to her feet.

  “They what?” she screeched, then mustered all her strength to flee the room. Ulrich chased her, but it was no use. Annabell was lost in the night the moment she set foot into it. She knew the forest, so I wasn’t concerned, but I did hope Hayden and Jack were able to figure out what was going on before Annabell interrupted them. I couldn’t say why, but in my heart, I knew there was another way. We were simply missing the key.

  “Okay, then, that was... She has a habit of just running off, and it’s... C-can I tell everyone what just happened before I arrived here? It kinda changes everything?” Ethan said.

  Calla groaned and flopped backward on the bed. She and Elizabeth had been there the longest and had clearly had enough, but Elizabeth nodded and said, “Please, go on. What happened?”

  “Snow is a big fat traitor,” Ethan said.

  Calla shot up so fast, she smashed her head on the bedpost, but it didn’t faze her. She gripped her nose and marched toward Ethan. “Please explain,” she said, muffled through her hand.

  “When Cole came, he was searching for Snow. No one had seen her the entire day, but no one really thought anything of it because... Well, why would we? There are so many people, we can go days without seeing someone even in the same castle, right?” Everyone nodded, urging my brother on.

  “She disappears a lot, too,” Sierra added. “I remember Ely mentioning that once.”

  “Right, well, turns out she’s been plotting against us the whole time. She came to the border to meet Annabell, and when Annabell confronted her about some things that didn’t add up, she attacked her with magic. She’s powerful, like almost as much as Hayden. No, she’s definitely as powerful as Hayden, but Annabell held her off well enough,” Ethan said.

  “Then what happened?” Sutton asked, gripping the edge of her chair.

  “Cole literally dropped me midair when he saw Snow attacking Annabell. I shifted to save myself, and he did that freaky mind thing we do,” he said to me. “He asked me to help save Annabell, and since it looked like Snow was going nuts, I agreed. He felt... I don’t know, genuine, I guess.”

  “He was probably tricking you so you would help him,” Parker said. “Classic bad guy move.”

  “I’m not so sure. When he went after Snow, she shifted into a wolf bigger than Jack and took off. He went after her, but that’s not all. She had the stones all along!”

  “What? My stone was in my sword just before he took me,” Parker said.

  “And the pendant was around my neck,” Ulrich said.

  “Mine was in the Salien safe, so... Wait, none of that matters. What happened to the stones?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Snow crushed them into powder in her bare hands! It was freaky!” Ethan said, his hands moving all over as he told the story.

  “She shifted into a wolf? And she has powerful magic?” Calla asked.

  “Well, we knew she had magic when she returned, but... she hasn’t used it since her arrival. Maybe to not draw attention to her ability?” Elizabeth said.

  “More likely so we wouldn’t know it was actually dark magic and not all that light mumbo jumbo she spewed. What does this mean?” Sierra asked.

  “It means we’re still where we were five minutes ago. We’re missing the key that unlocks the mystery. Let’s talk this through and see where we get with this new information,” Calla said, pacing. It seemed all any of us could do was pace and think, but she had a good idea.

  “Okay,” Luzia stepped into the middle of the room. “Here’s what we know. Annabell is the lost Princess Elfriede who started this whole mess when she entered into a crazy love affair with ultimate darkness.”

  “The vessel for Darkness,” Kai reminded. “My assumption is the Darkness is all the badness and sin in the forest, li
ke everything people do wrong manifested into something disgusting that Cole absorbs. We know Annabell tried to help him by absorbing some and dissolving it with her light magic, and vice versa.”

  “Something went wrong, and Annabell... Well, we know what she did,” I said, then, “and she became a star or something. When she saw how bad things had gotten, she returned somehow to make it right, though that whole situation is somewhat convoluted, I do know she failed, and everyone died because of Hayden’s... mishap.”

  “Right, then they tried to make the best of it and kept fighting. When someone else Annabell loved was killed, she decided to come back in time to try to fix it. Now here we are,” Luzia said. “Meanwhile, Cole made a bunch of crazy princesses drunk with dark power and nearly destroyed the forest, but why? Did he think it would force Annabell to return to him?”

  “That’s not exactly a loving gesture,” Ulrich said, rubbing his neck.

  “Actually, I think maybe Snow made them all bad, and Cole just... let her? I’m not sure, but it seemed that way from the conversation we overheard,” Ethan said.

  “That still leaves us wondering where Snow fits in, though. Even if she is the one who turned the other princesses, what did she stand to gain and how?”

  “She’s hungry for power. We see that much with the little things she does, like taking my brother’s place at the head of the table and talking over everyone. Maybe she heard the tale of Elfriede and—”

  “Wait...” Elizabeth stood, cutting Calla short. “No... I knew it was too easy when we killed Snow. I was distraught that I had killed someone, sure, but I was also afraid it was too easy. That’s why I stayed in the forest after I killed Snow. I was trying to see if she reappeared, but when she didn’t, I convinced myself it was fine. I thought maybe we were just stronger than we had anticipated, but now I fully believe it was all a trick.”

  “Everything? Are you saying—”

  Elizabeth gripped Calla’s hand. “We never killed her. We set her up for the win.”

  “I’m lost,” Sierra said. “Can you explain?”

  “Everything has been a lie, such a good one even Annabell fell for it, and that’s the key,” Elizabeth said. “Annabell always fell for it.”

  “What are you saying?” Calla asked.

  “I’m saying, this long game Snow is playing has gone on longer than we knew. She’s been here since... since the beginning. How else could she set it up like this?” Elizabeth was on the cusp of something, just on the edge of figuring it all out, but there was just one more small piece missing. “Think, everyone, think. Why would Cole want to kill her if she was on his side... Maybe that’s it? Maybe she’s not on his side. Maybe she never was?”

  “I feel sick,” Calla said, wiping her brow. “How could we have been so stupid? How could she fool everyone?”

  “She didn’t. Snow didn’t fool Cole, and I think Hayden was right,” Parker said. “I think he’s the only one with all the answers.”

  A chill shot through me, forcing a shiver and bumps on my skin. I said a silent prayer that Hayden’s ability to make anyone feel comfortable extended to Cole because if it didn’t, there was no way we could win the war.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Annabell

  Hidden Cabin, Das Unbekannte

  MY MOTHER AND FATHER, alone in the forest, terrified me. Monsters and malady of all sorts roamed the lands, searching for unsuspecting people or animals so they might suck them dry or steal their souls for a sliver of light. But my parents alone in the forest searching for Cole was another matter altogether. I had thought my mother was more sensible than that, then remembered who I was thinking of and shook the thought from my head. Hayden was nothing if not spontaneous and reckless when it came to her family.

  I rode my horse harder than he deserved, but I swore I would give him all the sugar lumps he wanted if he would only get to them before Cole did. My promises were of little use when I entered a clearing just north of the castle—one of Cole’s favorite places. I was surprised to see him there considering the last I’d seen him, he was chasing Snow White through the forest—which was another matter to discuss once I secured my parents’ safety.

  When I approached and dismounted, Hayden’s head snapped toward me with wide eyes and parted lips. Jack only pressed his lips in a firm line and watched as I walked closer. With each step, I felt my anger toward Cole grow. He had no right, none whatsoever, to drag my family into our centuries-long disagreement.

  “Just what do you think you are doing?” I snapped, my brow furrowed. My palms sweat despite the cold.

  “I was minding my own business when they approached me, so perhaps you might direct your anger at them,” Cole said, pointing toward Hayden and Jack. “But before you grow too angry with them, you might hear me out first?”

  “What could you possibly have to say that would keep me from gouging your eyeballs out right now?”

  “I haven’t harmed a hair on their heads, Ellie,” he said, throwing his hands in the air. “And I do not intend to.”

  “He hasn’t, Annabell. Listen to him,” Jack said.

  “What?” I asked pausing.

  “Just listen to him, Annabell. He’s not lying. He has not harmed us in any way. In fact, he’s been quite helpful.”

  “I’m sorry, am I to believe you are on his side now?” I asked, the darkness inside tickling my throat. Surely, it would dissipate soon. If not, then all was lost.

  “No, but we know something you don’t,” Hayden said. “Annabell, you need to remember what happened when you were young, back in your first life long before you returned the first time.”

  “How can I remember something I forgot centuries ago? How can I even be sure this isn’t a trick?” I asked.

  “Because it makes sense,” Jack said. “In a world where nothing has added up quite right, this is the only thing that makes any sense at all. And now that we know the truth, we can move forward with a plan that might actually work.”

  Adrenaline surged through my veins, bathing me in a warm sensation I didn’t like but could not control. Snow had tricked me, but how could I have believed her at all? How was I so easily tricked by her? Had she really manipulated the prophecy so much that no one knew up from down?

  “I see how hard you’re thinking, Ellie, and if you only ask me, I will tell you the truth.”

  “Oh, now you will? How noble of you,” I said, trying hard to ignore the pained expression on his face. “Tell me what you told them.”

  “I did not want to tell you in the beginning because I knew you would not believe me without proof. That is simply who you are, Ellie. You always give your trust freely, and you must be proven wrong about a person before you will see—”

  “Cole, tell me what you told my parents,” I insisted.

  He shook his head but did as I asked. “You already know there is no record of Snow’s birth on file in Schwarzwald, as Ethan informed you. That is because she was not born of Heinrich and Tatjana Salien,” Cole said.

  “But I thought—”

  “Come now, love. Surely you don’t think someone as powerful as Snow would have any trouble infiltrating the royal family? No, no. She simply manifested the memories in their minds and became their daughter.”

  “But she murdered her mother because the darkness had...” I paused, realizing that part of the story was also fabricated by Snow. Every single bit of the story had been carefully crafted and placed by Snow, a woman whose patience brought a new meaning to the term abundant.

  “She murdered them to get them out of the way for the next phase, only she hadn’t expected me to come to my senses after your death,” Cole said.

  “Why would that matter?” I asked, still working to fill the missing link between Snow and Cole.

  “This would be easier for you to grasp if you could somehow recover your memory—all of it, and in the right way.” Cole ran a hand through his jet-black hair, and his eyes flamed. He was losing control, but he bit down the d
arkness and continued. “Ellie, don’t you remember her at all?”

  Everything felt surreal as if the only thing I could trust was my own existence, and even that was transient at best, but I shook my head all the same. “I... I don’t.”

  “Ellie... Snow is my sister,” he said. The moment the words left his lips, they fell upon me with a weight so immense I couldn’t breathe.

  “But... everything pointed to Snow being the one to help me,” I said. “Even the parts of the prophecy the good fairies wrote, it pointed to a Salien that would... Oh...” I said, running through the Song of the Lost in my mind once more. “Ever beloved Salien bred... It was Elizabeth the song told about when she killed Snow White. It wasn’t pointing toward Snow Salien having your head, but Elizabeth having hers. And the lost verses, the ones written by Thirteen... The princess of snow... not Snow White, but a princess born of snow!” I shouted. “It’s Stella! But how? There’s no way she would have been brought here if Amanda’s death wish hadn’t been granted.”

  “Sometimes good wins no matter what,” Jack said. “For whatever reason, things lined up just right.”

  “But your mother told you when you died that when Snow came—”

  “Yes,” Hayden said, “but she didn’t say whose side Snow would be on, only that when she came, the final battle would begin. We read her message all wrong. Now you, my little light, must work with Stella and the Seven to try to take down Snow before it’s too late.”

  I glanced at Cole, who bit his lip to control the darkness long enough that he would not harm Hayden or Jack. I wasn’t sure he could last much longer, so my plan hadn’t changed all that much. After I defeated Snow, I would take his Darkness. Only now, if I was lucky, it wouldn’t kill him, and he could finally just... live.

  “Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you just tell me Snow was your sister and help me remember everything she did?” I asked. My stomach churned and dove every time my mind wandered back toward how well Snow had tricked me.