She shoved the worry out of her mind and hurried down the corridor, turning left and then eyeing the secret door ahead. She stuck the torch in the bracket by the door and paused to listen. There were no voices inside the chamber. She took that as a good sign that the captain was able to get Seraphina out.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door with a yank and was immediately faced with a tapestry. She paused there, listening for movement, but heard none. She peeked around the edge of the tapestry, glancing around quickly. Satisfied it was empty, she slipped out from behind it and paused to get her bearings.
The room was not as she remembered. Seraphina had no doubt taken it upon herself to redecorate once her father was dead.
The four-poster bed that dominated the middle of the room was still there, but there were different curtains surrounding it. An oversized bench was at the foot of it. On one side of the room was an elaborate wardrobe. A bureau and mirror next to that. The top was cluttered with hair pins, a comb, a brush, vials containing glittering liquids. A small, squatty bottle with a cork in the top was next to one vial full of pink liquid. Inside the small bottle, was what appeared to be pink shimmering sand. The balcony doors stood open to let the breeze in, the curtains at the doors fluttering in the wind.
And there, on the far wall, was a tapestry in muted colors of blue, green, purple, and garnet. She did not recall seeing this tapestry when she was a child, but then she didn’t frequent this room, either.
She approached, her heart in her throat. There were no other tapestries in the room, so this had to be the one hiding the secret chamber with the Magic Mirror. She shoved it aside and examined the stones before her. They all looked the same. No one indicated it was a lever that would open the door.
There was only one thing to do. She started pressing on each and every stone starting at the top. Eventually, she would find the one that opened the door. Halfway down, a click and then stone scraped against stone as the door slid open revealing the reflective glass inside a large oval, opulent frame.
Frozen, she stood there gaping at it.
The mirror looked like any other ordinary mirror, but she knew without a doubt this was the one connected to both Seraphina and the dark wizard.
“Magic Mirror,” she whispered.
If flickered to life, a featureless face appearing in the center of the oval with nothing but holes for eyes and a mouth. She jumped back a step and gasped. The face peered at her through the looking glass in silence.
“The fair maid has come, I see. Lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow. It is you, Snow White.”
Her heart pounded a wicked tattoo as she stared at the mirror. How did it know her? It had described her as Master Harwin did. A prickling sensation went over her as she peered into the mirror, wondering if Master Harwin had conversed with it before. He had been in possession of the Magic Mirror and the others, after all.
“I am Snow White,” she said at last.
“The fairest in all the land. The one who has garnered the wrath of my queen. The one who will perish by her hand,” the mirror said.
As he said it, a reflection flickered in the looking glass behind her. The glint of the enchanted blade winked in the candlelight.
Chapter 38
Snowspunastheblade came down. She squeezed her eyes shut and put up her hands as if that would ward off the attack. The sharp pain sliced through one of her upturned palms. Blood welled at the shallow wound. A high-pitched screech rent the air followed by a thud on the stone flooring.
Dropping her arms to her side, she saw Seraphina sprawled out on the floor. Roderick climbed back to his feet as he stood over the queen, wobbly. Sweat dotted his forehead and trickled down the side of his face. His tunic was damp from it as well. His face was ashen.
“Roderick?”
“Destroy it, Snow,” he said on a pant. “Before it’s too late.”
His legs gave out and he crashed to the ground in a heap. Snow hurried over to him, pushing him to his back. The blood from her palm smeared across his tunic. He was unconscious. Seraphina cackled her glee.
“The sleeping curse has finally taken hold. There is no one to save you now, dear girl.”
Snow glanced up at Seraphina with all the rage burning through her. The enchanted blade was still on the stone floor past Seraphina. When she got to her feet, she failed to pick it up. Snow slowly pushed to her feet.
“I don’t need saving,” Snow said, her voice low and dangerous.
As fast as she was able, she dove for the enchanted blade. Seraphina realized too late what she was doing. Her hand landed on the hilt as the evil queen snatched her by the hair and jerked her upward. But Snow had the blade in her hand.
The queen pulled her head back, making her look up at her rage. Snow swiped the blade upward, her position awkward and uncomfortable, but she managed to put the sharp edge against the queen’s throat.
“Release me,” she demanded. “Give me the antidote to the sleeping curse.”
“You think I’m afraid of a little dagger?”
She disappeared in a poof of smoke causing Snow to fall backward. She managed to catch herself with her free hand before she landed hard against the stone floor. She rolled to her side and got to her feet, still clutching the dagger in one hand. Seraphina stood in the doorway of the balcony, the breeze fluttering her gown and hair making her appear more menacing than she actually was.
