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Tugging back my magic, my gaze bounces from one person to another, eagerly watching as they wake from my spell. Their eyes go from Alaric’s face to his saggy skin, to the empty bowls in front of them.
The sickening realization enters their eyes, and cries of dismay and retching fill the room. I throw my head back, dark laughter pouring from me.
The next day, there are no protesters at the gates.
Chapter 12
Snow White
AmIreal?Orjust a fragment in someone’s dream? Perhaps I am a ghost. Maybe . . . as slippery as an eel, the thoughts slide away.
I brush my hands down my arms and shudder at the papery skin stretched tightly over bone. It feels unfamiliar, as if my body is not my own. My hands fall away and disappear into the black nothingness surrounding me.
It wraps around me in an embrace, promising sanctuary. It whispers to me of danger and despair, encouraging me to take shelter in its arms.It is safe here, no one can harm you.
It’s a lie wrapped up in the guise of safety.
Somethingprodsatmylips, a faraway voice begging for someone named Snow White to eat.Go away.They force something into my mouth, insisting I swallow it. My tongue runs along the soft flesh, testing the foreign object. At their persistent urging, I bite into it, and a juicy, sweet taste bursts on my tongue. It tastes familiar, I’m sure I know . . .
Theyarebackagain,this time with a sharp object. I flail at them weakly, barely able to move my arms. They hold me down as I twist and turn, terrified screams ripping from my throat.No. Don’t.Please don’t hurt me.They shave my head, muttering about fleas.
Once they’re gone, memories begin to trickle in. The harsh metallic taste of blood coating my mouth. The never-ending pain ripping through my body. The meaty sound of the leather whip striking my back. The spectral shade of Death reaching for me. Beckoning me to follow it.Not yet.There is someone I must find. Cas—
The thought floats away and I go with it, the darkness wrapping itself around me like a comforting blanket.
Safe.
Timepasses.Night,day,night again. They won’t go away. Lucidity comes and goes, but every time I slip into the darkness, they call to me, begging me to return. They pull me from the safety and force me into the awareness. Into being. Eat. Piss. Bathe. Tears run down my icy cheeks as I plead and beg.Stop, please. Leave me be.Still, the hands come, rubbing lotions into my skin, forcing food into my mouth, making me swallow.
Let me go back into the darkness.
“No, Snow White. You must fight this! Morana is destroying your kingdom.”
Morana. I flinch back at the name. I know this, I know . . . crimson streaks running down my legs. Agonizing pain. My babe. Darkness comes roaring up, reaching for me.Take me.
Hands shake me. I turn to them but see nothing but the walls of my prison. Look at all the pretty white lines. “Wake up!”
Shivers rack my body. I need . . .
“What do you need?” The voice is soft and caring. Not likehers.
Him.
“Who?”
Green eyes flash in my memory. A fleeting smile. A promise. Feminine voices murmur and someone tucks another blanket around me. Warmth begins to seep into me.
“What did he promise you?”
My vision blurs. Why does my chest hurt so? I begin to rock as the pain escalates.
“Tell us who you need,” they plead.
I hum, then giggle at the raspy sound.Someday my prince will come.But he’s not a prince. No, he’s . . .
“What is he?”
Gone. He is gone.
