Chapter 37

T he captain was adept at leading them through the passageways that were less populated. He knew the castle better than Snow, which made her a little sad. But then, it had been a decade since she stepped foot in her childhood home.

He led them to the north tower via a winding stone staircase that Snow scarcely remembered. Up and up they went until they finally came to the top where the captain turned to the right. He pushed open the first door he came to, then stood aside for them to enter. When they were inside, he closed the door.

The room was devoid of all furniture except for a large four-poster bed stripped bare. Seraphina was not one to encourage visitors. There was one candelabra in the corner of the room. The captain lit it, illuminating it in a warm yellow glow.

"The passage is behind that tapestry." He pointed to the length of material on the far wall behind the bed. "All the royal chambers are connected."

"I remember," Snow said with a nod.

She started to take a step toward the tapestry, but the captain grasped her arm to stop her.

"She's in there now," he said. "I will try to lure her away."

Snow considered this for a long moment, wondering if he was telling her the truth. Finally, she decided to trust him and gave a nod.

"Thank you."

But the captain hesitated another moment. "Are you certain destroying the mirror with take away her magic?"

Snow nodded.

Contemplation shifted through his eyes as he considered his next words. "The mirror is in a secret chamber behind a tapestry. One of the stones is a lever that will open the door to reveal the mirror."

"How do you know this?" Roderick demanded.

"When you spend as much time with the queen as I have, you learn things," he said.

"I appreciate your help," Snow said.

Her gave her a nod. "Good luck. Wait a few minutes before entering the chamber. I'll do my best to get her out."

Then he was gone, slipping through the door and closing it behind him with a soft snick.

"Can you trust him?" Roderick asked.

"I hope so," she replied.

She headed for the tapestry on the other side of the room behind the bed and pushed it aside. She immediately felt the draft from the cracks around the hidden stone door. She pushed, but nothing happened. She tried again in a lower spot on the wall. Still nothing.

"Can I try?" Roderick asked.

She stepped aside. He ran his hands over the stones from top to bottom, pausing every few inches, and then went back up again. His hand landed on one of the middle stones. He heaved against it with a mighty shove and pushed the door into the wall. It scraped along the floor.

As soon as the door was open, her nerves jingled. Taking a deep breath, she took the first step into the drafty corridor. Cobwebs hung from the corners. The floor was dusty from disuse. Perhaps Seraphina didn't realize the royal chambers were all connected with secrete passages that led out of the castle.

That gave her an advantage. She hoped.

She started down the hallway, but the only light was that from the chamber they left behind. It was faint at best. She glanced around the walls, looking for old torches in brackets. She found one a few feet away and pulled it from the bracket, but she had no way to light it.

"Let me try," he said.

She watched as he closed his eyes and placed his hand over the wick. A moment later, flame burst to life. She stared at him in awe.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"I didn't either," he said, looking perplexed. "I didn't think it would work."

"Well, I'm glad it did."

They started down the corridor, Snow leading the way with the flickering torch in hand.

"I feel different here," he said. "Like…" He paused.

"Like?"

"Like there is a tingling sensation deep inside me." He lurched suddenly, catching himself on the wall. His face paled.

She gripped his arm. "Are you all right?"

His eyes met hers. "It's the poison taking hold."

"Then we need to hurry."

"You go ahead. I'll catch up," he said.

"But—"

"I don't want to hold you up."

She hesitated, looking him over. Sweat dotted his forehead. Was it the poison affecting him? And if it was, did it have something to do with his sudden new elemental magic?

"I don't want to go without you," she said at last.

"I promise I'll catch up." He gave her a weak smile.

Before she did, she glanced around until she saw another torch. She lit it from hers and then handed it to him.

"Here. I don't want to leave you in the dark. Follow this until it dead ends, then turn left. The queen's chamber is the last door on the left. I'll leave it open for you."

Grateful, he took the torch and nodded.

"Snow, wait. There's something else I should tell you." She paused, gave him a quizzical look. "There's a certain tree with rainbow bark near Bridgefort that allowed me to forge the blade with a shaving of its wood. It's what gives the steel that shimmering glow. When I made the one for the queen, though, the tree told me to choose my recipient wisely, that she was not the rightful ruler."

Her brows drew together. "What are you saying, Roderick? She took the blade from me."

"Yes, but if you can get it away from her, don't hesitate to use it. That enchanted blade was meant for you," he said.

Hot pinpricks went through her. She wasn't sure what to say, so she merely nodded.

"Now, go. I'll be right behind you."

But something told her he wasn't going to make it.

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.