“Don’t start.”
He glanced over at me, and a wicked grin lit up his face. “So… now what do we do?”
I glared at him, which only made his grin wider. “You’re lucky I don’t—”
Now, I want you to assume that was about to be a truly excellent threat, a threat laden with both menace and literary allusion, cleverly worded but so hyperbolic as to be obviously joking. I’m sure I would have come up with something along those lines, anyway. Unfortunately, before this masterpiece could pass my lips, the door banged open, and Aaron yelled, “Snow’s awake!”
Aaron saw rather more of me in the next few seconds than he’d probably expected, but that was his own fault. Certainly by the time I had yanked on my clothes, he had turned around and was staring fixedly at the (now-closed) door. I shoved past him and barreled down the hall to the sickroom.
Rinald beamed at me as I came in. I dropped to my knees next to the bed. Snow still looked wan, but she turned her head to look at me. “Did it work?” she asked hoarsely, glancing past me at Rinald.
“You did it,” I told her, knowing she’d understand.
She closed her eyes, an expression of unutterable relief crossing her face. “Then it’s over.”
I took her hand. It was cold, but the pulse in her wrist was strong again. “You just have to focus on getting better. I suspect it’ll be easier now.”
She gave a soft huff of a laugh. After a moment, she said, “I think I’m hungry? I haven’t been hungry in a long time.”
“I suspect the cook will be thrilled to hear that.” I got to my feet. “I’ll have her send you up a tray.”
The king’s daughter smiled, and I slipped out of the room, then slumped against the wall. It felt as if I’d been holding my breath ever since the king had walked into my stillroom.
“Isit over?” Javier asked.
“Mostly. She’s Rinald’s patient now. He’ll do a much better jobthan I would.” I had never been one to stand around and oversee a recovery. That takes patience and caring and a certain sort of temperament that I absolutely do not possess. Should you happen to be dying and have a choice between me and a cactus to nurse you, the cactus will likely be less prickly and do a better job. “I suppose we should write a letter to the king.” I wondered what on earth to tell him. Probably not that killing his wife had been a tragic misunderstanding. I winced at the thought. No, not that. It would be enough to tell him that Snow would get better now. Maybe that would ease some of the lines in the king’s… in Randolph’s face.
Probably there would be rewards and signs of royal favor. The thought was exhausting, but I’d probably be able to deal with it in a few days, or off-load it onto my father, who would know how to handle royal favor gracefully.
But there was still one thing I had to do first.
“Where are we going?” asked Javier, as we climbed the steps to the third floor.
“To confront the Mirror Queen’s accomplice.”
“I thought that was Snow.”
“So did I, at first.”
I stopped before a particular door and knocked. The door opened immediately, as if the occupant had been expecting me.
“Ah,” said Nurse. “I knew you’d get here eventually.”
CHAPTER 31
“Come have a seat,” Nurse said, waving us toward chairs. Her room was smaller than mine, but it had a neat little sitting area.
We sat. Nurse perched on the edge of her own chair. When we’d first met, I’d thought of her as rabbitlike, but now she reminded me of a bird.
A surprisingly large number of birds will attack snakes to drive them out of their territory. Snakes eat eggs and baby birds, so it makes sense, but that’s still always struck me as a terrible kind of courage in a tiny ball of feather and bone.
“I suppose you know why we’re here,” I said.
Nurse smiled a little. “I have a fairly good idea, but suppose you tell me?”
I couldn’t blame her. No sense in incriminating herself if it turned out that I’d only come to ask about the weather. “You were working for the Mirror Queen,” I said.
Javier gave a startled grunt, but Nurse ducked her head like a child caught at mischief. “I suppose one of the servants saw me carrying that mirror?”
