They stared each other down for what felt like an eternity.
“You can’t beat me,” the queen said, swimming in her smugness.
With a wave of her hand, she conjured more magic to hurl at her. An illusion of a snake slithering toward Snow, hissing.
Snow almost laughed. She wasn’t afraid of any creature, snakes or otherwise. She dropped to her knees, placing her hand on the cold stone floor. She used her nature power to call to it, to touch her mind to it, and to tell it she meant it no harm. The queen, however, intended to use it as a weapon.
The slithering voice inside her head hissed its irritation and turned on the queen. It slinked back toward her, hissing and uncoiling it’s long, sleek body. Seraphina backed onto the balcony.
“You wench!” she shouted.
Snow stood. While the queen was occupied, she glanced around the chamber for something to use as a weapon to shatter the mirror. She hurried over to the bureau with all the glittering vials and decanters and wondered if one of them was the antidote to the poison that had put Roderick into a sleeping curse.
“Get away from there,” the queen said, panic evident in her voice.
Remembering she had magic, the queen destroyed the snake with one swipe of her hand and then charged Snow. As she did, something crashed against the side of the castle making the walls tremble with a violent shudder.
It caught both of them off guard and they paused, staring at each other. The queen ran to the balcony. A frustrated shriek escaped her. She spun back to Snow, her face pinched with fury.
“You did this.” Accusation laced her tone.
Snow had no idea what she was talking about. She was about to ask when something struck the side of the castle again, making the walls quake. Seraphina yelped her annoyance. She spun back to the balcony and stepped onto it. Whatever magic she used, made her glow into a bright white ball of flame.
Now was her chance. While she was occupied, Snow went back to searching for something with which to smash the mirror. Then she spied a brass candleholder. She snatched it, tossing the unlit candle the ground and hurrying back to the mirror. She clutched the enchanted blade in her hand slick with blood and sweat, and the brass candleholder in the other. She peered up at the distorted face with apprehension but knew it was what she had to do.
She swung the candleholder at the mirror. It connected with a crash but did nothing to damage it. Seraphina, however, emitted a high-pitched scream as though she were injured.
“What are you doing?” the mirror asked, panic lacing its tone.
Something smashed against the castle walls again. Snow assumed they were under some sort of attack. But who would be attacking the castle and why?
She didn’t have time to puzzle it out as she smashed the candleholder against the mirror once again. Tiny cracks were evident in the glass.
“Stop!” the mirror shouted.
Snow hit it again. This time, an audible crack. Seraphina stumbled into the chamber from the balcony, her eyes wide with alarm.
Snow hit the mirror once more, this time with the base of the candleholder so it would do more damage. More splintering from the center. Another cry from Seraphina.
“Help! Help, my queen!” the mirror shouted.
She had to get it to stop talking.
A wild scream from the queen and the next thing she knew, Snow was grabbed from behind and dragged from the alcove with the mirror. Seraphina had her arm around her and then spun and shoved her to the ground. Snow landed hard, banging her elbow on the stone. Both the candleholder and the dagger flew from her hands and skittered across the floor.
Before she was able to right herself, Seraphina snatched her by the hair once again and dragged her to her feet.
Gripping her hard, she hauled her out to the balcony, shoving her against the railing.
“Look at them!” the queen shouted. “This isyourdoing.”
Snow was shocked to see the lines of soldiers in the courtyard with not only a battering ram, but a trebuchet that continuously launched large boulders at the castle. She wasn’t sure who the army was or where they came from, but she was grateful. On the edge, she saw a line of men and women, their hands clasped, and they were glowing.
The only thing it could be was elven magic.
She sucked in a sharp breath. How were the elves here?
Seraphina pushed her harder into the railing, shoving her over the edge.
