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Eventually, we ride into a small glen surrounded by thick forests. A large white cottage with a thatched roof sits in the center, wild roses climbing up its walls in a profusion of color and scent. Deer, unafraid of our arrival, nibble at the grass, while a rabbit family pokes their heads up from a clover patch, their noses twitching in curiosity. It’s an enchanting place, and I am delighted when Cassian carries me inside, kicking the door shut behind us. He lays me down on a soft bed, tucking warm blankets around me and drops a kiss on my forehead.
Wake up, princess.
Snuggling into the soft blankets, I fall into a deep sleep, where I dream of dark magic, blood, and the woman that is the source of all my pain.
Morana
“What do you mean, she’s gone?” I yell at the huntsmen cowering before me. Unbridled fury courses through my veins, a sizzling inferno waiting to erupt.
One of the two huntsmen swallows, glancing at the other. “We-we went down to deliver her meal, and the gate was open,” he explains, his voice wavering. He lowers his head, too weak to meet my eyes even when I step toward him menacingly. Wrapping a hand around his neck, I force him to look at me.
“She didn’t get out by herself,” I hiss in his face. “Who could have done this?”
He shakes his head, eyes wide in terror. “I know not, my queen.”
Throwing him to the ground, I spit on his face. “Go through the castle. Find who is missing. She could barely walk, let alone orchestrate an escape. Someone is with her.”
He gets to his feet and grabs the other, the two backing away with a bow before bolting.
Letting out a frustrated scream, I storm through the castle and up to my tower. “Mirror! Show me Snow White.” The runes glow, and fog moves across the surface. Minutes pass and my fury increases with the wait. My hands curl into fists, my teeth grinding against each other as the seconds go by.
“I cannot locate her, my queen,” the mirror finally answers.
“Is she dead?”
“I cannot say.”
Throwing back one of the tapestries, I lean against the window and stare out over the kingdom, eyeing with satisfaction the destruction my magic has wreaked. Turning back, a thought comes to me. “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
“Morana, queen of Valderán, art the most fair.”
I hum under my breath. Then she is either dead or no longer in Valderán.Or some kind of magic hides her,my mind reminds me. Until the huntsmen return to me with their answer, there is nothing I can do. If the mirror can’t find her, I have little chance on my own.
Turning back to the window, I let the view calm me before heading to the great hall. Settling onto my throne, I patiently wait for the huntsmen to return. An hour turns to two, and even several glasses of the finest red wine cannot stem my annoyance. Tapping my foot in irritation, I mutter under my breath about the incompetence of the fools I’m surrounded with.
An eternity seems to pass before they finally come stumbling into the hall, practically tripping over each other in their haste to reach me. Rolling my eyes, I silently beg the dark gods to give me patience. They fall to their knees before me, breaths coming out in sharp pants and hands trembling at their sides.
“Well?” I grind out when they remain silent. The one on the left swallows audibly.
“Both Alaric and Cassian are missing, Your Majesty.”
Sitting up straighter, I cast my mind back. Alaric was here yesterday, I’m sure of it. But Cassian . . .
“When was the last time Cassian was on duty?” I bark out.
The two huntsmen exchange glances. One shrugs, while the other replies, “I haven’t seen him in quite some time, my queen.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Define ‘quite some time,’ huntsman.”
“I cannot recall the last time I saw him. When I realized this, I asked around. No one can remember seeing him for at least a year. One stable lad mentioned he remembered Cassian taking one of the horses out to visit a girl, but neither he nor the horse seems to have returned.”
The men scamper off when I absentmindedly wave them away. If Cassian has been gone for so long, it’s strange Alaric never voiced his concerns over his missing son.
Unless he wasn’t missing, and Alaric knows exactly where he is.
Storming out of the hall, I find myself once again in my tower, demanding the mirror tell me where Cassian is.
“He does not reside within the boundary of Valderán,” the mirror replies.
