by T K White
Grishelda didn’t owe her stepdaughter an explanation, but she decided to give one anyway. “Once the king died, the magic he acquired died with him.” Her voice wobbled. “And I can’t bring him back. I don’t think this magic works like that.”
Snow staggered into the wall. “What’s happening to me? What have you done to me, witch?” She clutched the plaster for support, but strength bled from her limbs and she sank to the floor.
There was not one ounce of sympathy left in Grishelda as she towered over the stupid girl. “Your father’s food wasn’t the only dish I slipped something into. You like your dessert too much.”
“The apple tartlet.” Snow clutched her heart, but a look of confusion passed across her face.
“Oh, it’s not targeting your heart. I’m not a killer, despite what you think.” Grishelda said it more to convince herself than Snow. “It’s a sleeping curse. My plan was to put you under the curse. I would feign ignorance, blame the curse on Kal. And after helping your father exhaust all possibilities, I would wake you and gain his favor even further. It was the perfect plan. But it’s all been ruined, and now you’re going to sleep for a very long time.”
Snow spat on the ground. “That never would have worked. My mother and father were soulmates. He loved her until the day he died.”
The girl’s words stung. Grishelda raised her chin. “You’ll sleep for eternity. The only way to awaken from this curse is . . . well it doesn’t matter. It’ll never happen. Sweet dreams, Princess.”
Eyes fluttering, Snow drowsily spoke her last words. “Good always triumphs over evil.”
“I’m not evil!” The words rang out and reverberated through the room.
Before Grishelda’s proclamation stopped echoing, Snow had fallen into a deep sleep.
17
“She’s in here!”
Before the guards entered the room, Grishelda heard whispers of what they were already calling her.
“King Killer.”
“A curse upon the kingdom.”
“Evil witch.”
One guard warned, “She’s going be dangerous.”
Another said, “We have to proceed with caution.”
Idiots. Didn’t they know she could hear them? Grishelda sat on the floor with the king’s head cradled in her lap. She stroked his hair.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry this happened. Why couldn’t you just listen to me? Why couldn’t you forget about the late queen and just love me? None of this would have happened if you only loved me.”
Snow lay on the floor, chest rising and falling. She would remain alive, unharmed. It was a better punishment than she deserved. Grishelda was still in shock that they had tried to steal her magic. The power entwined with her heart. Stealing her magic would have been akin to ripping out her soul. What could they possibly have been thinking?
Bracing herself for the battle rushing toward her, Grishelda planted a kiss on the king’s forehead and stood.
Guards burst into the room, all with spears pointed at her. She held her hands in the air.
“Please, let me explain,” she said.
“Get on your knees, witch. Hands behind your back.”
This wouldn’t do. If Grishelda let them take her, she would cede power. She was the rightful queen, the king’s wife. Now that he was gone and Snow was sleeping and . . . and . . . they couldn’t make Grishelda give up her power. They wouldn’t.
Imagining exactly what she wanted to happen and channeling all of her energy toward it, Grishelda shot out her hands. In turn, each guard kneeled on the ground. It seemed a bit of dark fairy magic still remained inside her.
“I will not kneel.” She towered over them, her voice filling the room. “I’m your queen, and I deserve respect. You will kneel before me.”
“We’ll see you burn, witch!” a guard mumbled.
“What was that?” Grishelda was kind. She would give these rebels one more chance.
The guard looked her straight in the eyes and repeated his words. “You. Will. Burn.”
Grishelda tightened her hands into fists and the disrespectful guard gasped for air. He clawed at his throat while his face turned purple as an eggplant.
“What are you doing to him?” Another guard struggled against his invisible restraints, trying to reach the one who choked. “You’re killing him!”
Things had spiraled down so fast. Grishelda hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. She couldn’t kill him. That would make her just as bad as her mother. She released her hold on him and the others. The man fell to the floor, breathing ragged.
She had to demand respect. “Now, what were you saying?”
As the guard recovered, he bowed at Grishelda’s feet. The other guards followed suit.
“We are at your service, Your Majesty.”
Grishelda smiled to herself. No more death would plague her kingdom. She had the guards behind her. That meant she now held all the power.
18
Reveling in the feel of being completely in control, Grishelda sat in her throne, overlooking the great hall. Windows stretched out on both sides of the room, and the stone floor—newly polished—sparkled. She’d removed the green banners that hung across the walls and replaced them with purple. It suited her more.
Theo had never let her set foot in this room, and she now knew why. This was his precious wife’s throne. He didn’t want Grishelda to sully it with her presence. Well, now the room was certainly hers. Her lips twitched with a smile as she gazed at the twisty vines crawling across every wall in the room.
The past few weeks had its ups and downs, but Grishelda won over the people with her great displays of power. The first thing she had done was send out an emissary to find Kal. Kal returned to sell Grishelda more of the dark magic she so badly craved.
Grishelda convinced Kal to stay with her, just for a little while. They practiced magic daily, battling to make each other stronger. Kal would supply Grishelda with dark magic. In exchange, Grishelda vowed to help Kal find a kingdom of her own, a place of safety for her and her siblings. They would be allies. The Great Queens.
“I get that you love your throne, but can we do a little bit of practicing? You’ve been lazing away all day.” Kal entered the room, silent and undetectable, as always.
Her friend wasn’t entirely wrong, but it felt so good to sit in her ebony throne that glittered like the sea at night. Black and purple diamonds encrusted the top, while a plump purple cushion lay on the seat. So Grishelda had used a bit of her dark magic to give her throne a makeover. It had been worth the small price.
The spineless steward of hers ran into the room, trembling at the sight of Grishelda. Honestly, she didn’t know why people were so terrified of her. She hadn’t killed a single person. Not on purpose, anyway. She had been perfectly fair to the people thus far. Every day, she went on walks about the kingdom, trying to get to know her people, but they made it impossible. When she went out, people boarded up their shops and the streets emptied. If they didn’t start talking to her soon, she would make them. Then, they would get to know the real her, and she was sure they would grow to love her.
“Y-Your Majesty, I’m so sorry to interrupt.”
“It’s all right, Peter. That is your name, right?”
His head bobbed. “But you can call me whatever you want.”
These weak-willed people were beginning to grate at her nerves. If they kept treating her like some horrible villain, she was going to get grumpy. Very grumpy. “Get on with it, then.”
“You have a visitor.”
“I don’t want any visitors right now. I’m practicing magic with Kal.”
Peter nodded and scurried away like a scared mouse.
Turning to Kal, she added, “We’ve practiced enough this week. I’m already much faster with my reflexes than I was when I began.”
Yes, she lied to Peter, but she wasn’t in the mood for more visitors who would treat her like some plague they needed to avoid, lest they catch wha
tever she had. It was all too tiring.
“There’s always room for improvement, Grishelda. Don’t ever grow complacent,” Kal warned.
“Well, well, well.”
Ice shot through Grishelda’s veins at the sound of the voice that still haunted her nightmares.
Eva strode into the throne room, her husband trailing behind. “It looks like you finally found a friend worthy of your mother’s approval.”
“Mother? What on earth are you doing here?” Grishelda’s hands clutched the armrests of her throne, every bone in her body alert to the unexpected threat. Kal moved to stand by her friend, watching the newcomers closely.
“Really, Grishelda. Is that the way to greet your mother? If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be on the throne in the first place.”
Of course that’s what her mother thought. She never gave Grishelda any credit.
Grishelda glared down at Eva. “How dare you speak to me in that way. I am a queen and you will address me as one.”
Jeremiah’s eyes searched her face, his eyebrows knit together. “Grishelda, what’s happened to you?”
“I’m queen, Father. I have many responsibilities now.”
“We’ve heard terrible things about your kingdom. That you killed the king and cursed his daughter.” His voice shook. “Is that true?”
Grishelda felt a flicker of shame. She pushed it away. “You don’t understand. The king and Snow plotted against me. They were going to steal my magic.”
Kal nodded. “It’s all true. Grishelda was just protecting herself.”
“Well, of course they were,” Eva chimed in. “Why else do you think the king wanted you?”
“You mean, you knew?” Grishelda’s heart skipped a beat. “You sent me into this lion’s den willingly?”
Kal whispered into her ear, “Exactly what my mother would have done.”
Eva smiled. “I wanted to see what you were made of. What you could do when faced with adversity. And look at you. You mostly succeeded.”
That last comment sent Grishelda flying out of her throne to hover over her parents.
“What’s this? Acquired new magic of some sort?” Her mother stared up at Grishelda, arching her eyebrows.
“Don’t you toy with me, Mother. I have more power than you could ever dream of. Don’t you dare come into my kingdom and insult me.”
“I’m not insulting you. I’ve just noticed that most of your kingdom doesn’t really take to you. Why don’t you let your mother stay and help you to gain the love of your people? You’ll never be a good ruler if you don’t have that.”
Kal nodded to Grishelda, giving her a kind of courage she hadn’t had before. Not able to take the words, not able to take any more criticism, Grishelda did what she’d dreamed of doing for so long. Her favorite companions, the vines, glided toward her mother. Before Eva knew what was happening, they were upon her.
“You’re too weak. You always have been. You need me, Grishelda. Just admit it.” Her mother rasped out as the vines closed around her neck.
“Grisha, please,” her father said. “Don’t do this. Don’t be like her.”
But Grishelda would never be like her mother. “Don’t you see, Father? We can finally be free of her. Just like we always dreamed. You can live with me here and be my confidante.”
“But not like this.”
Grishelda shook her head to clear her father’s words away. This was her only option. She could tell from Eva’s expression her mother didn’t believe Grishelda could do it. That sneer remained until the moment the vines drilled into Eva’s chest and wrenched out her heart. She slumped to the floor, blood gushing from her chest.
“NO!” Jeremiah sank down next to his wife. “No. Grishelda, what have you done?”
Grishelda settled back in her throne. Kal stood by her side. Her mother, so long a thorn in her side, a poison in her life, was gone. Finally gone. She was surprised to feel nothing more than a slight stirring of relief. “I did what was necessary, Father. You’ll see in time. Now that Mother’s gone, I can be the queen I was always meant to be. Everyone will know my name. I will be the greatest queen there ever was.”
Epilogue
The smell of death and misery lingered in the air around the once magnificent castle. It stood high atop a peak; a place no one dared go. In fact, it had been so long since anyone had braved the treacherous terrain, most had forgotten this castle even existed. Once upon a time, Chionti had been the largest kingdom in the realm of Neleque. But darkness entered the castle. It leaked through the cracks in the ground, it fell from the sky, it infiltrated every nook and cranny of this once grand palace. It sucked out all of the happiness until there was nothing left.
Winged skeletons flew through the grey sky, cawing to show their displeasure at the life they’d been given. They were starved but stayed with their mistress. Ever so loyal. Black, slimy vines covered almost every inch of what had once been a beautiful white castle. Thorny bushes and dead trees lined the twisted and overgrown path that led to the twelve-foot-tall doors, which opened up into the castle.
Around the castle sat murky, green water. If one was unlucky enough to descend into that water, it would be the last thing they ever did. Falling into that water was instant death. That was how the mistress liked it. Death. Destruction. Despondency. It was all kind of her thing.
But what lay on the outside of the castle wasn’t but a drop compared with what lingered inside. Lurking far in the depths of this sad excuse for a castle, sat a woman with so much hate in her heart, it was almost completely rotted through.
Grishelda came to Chionti a starry-eyed girl, convinced she had married the man of her dreams, and had gained a darling stepdaughter. She had escaped her own nightmares, even if it meant her mother selling her beautiful daughter off to the highest bidder. Grishelda had gazed upon her new husband with nothing but adoration. She was ready to be queen, the best queen the kingdom had ever seen. That was her chance at a fairytale ending. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.
As time went on, she knew she was nothing more than a third wheel. She could never compete with the oh so fair Snow White. All she could do was watch as her husband fawned over the girl known as the “fairest of them all.” And Snow White? What a little brat. At every turn, the horrid girl flaunted her relationship with her father. Snow White planned special picnics, dinners, walks in the garden, and just happened to forget Grishelda every time. It was Snow’s advice the king asked for on important matters. Grishelda never had a say in one single thing. Jealousy churned in her, and over the months, that jealousy turned into hatred. The king’s death was a tragic accident, one everyone blamed on Grishelda. But she had no choice in her actions. Grishelda had turned to dark magic to force the king to love her. The problem was, once the inky darkness slid into her kingdom, it drove everyone else out as well.
And what had she gotten from all of it? Not one thing. Grishelda was a forgotten villain, a joke to most people. Her beautiful black hair now had streaks of white in it. Wrinkles and age spots filled her once flawless skin. Her back was now hunched and her hands gnarled. Her hair falling out in places, creating bald patches. But none of that was truly ugly. No. The true ugliness lay beating in her chest.
Grishelda sat on her throne made of thorns, thinking about it all. She didn’t mind the pricking. In fact, she hardly felt pain at all anymore. Once, when people saw her sitting on the throne, they shuddered and couldn’t run fast enough to escape the lair of this evil sorceress. How could someone be so impervious to pain, they would wonder about her. She believed that to be a strength.
The truth of the matter was Grishelda hardly had any enemies to defeat anymore. She was becoming obsolete. A non-issue for most of her neighboring kingdoms in Neleque. She just needed the key to her power. Something very special. Something that was stolen and needed to be found. And when it was, forget the neighboring kingdoms, everyone in the realm of Neleque would wish they had destroyed her when they had the chanc
e.
Acknowledgements
Ever since I was little, I have been an avid reader. My favorite kind of books always involved fairytales and fantasy. I loved escaping to worlds that didn’t exist, ones I wished were real. As I grew older, my love of magic grew alongside my love of writing. All of a sudden, I wanted to create the types of worlds I read about. When I was ten or eleven, I spent all summer working on my own version of Disney’s Aladdin. I wrote page after page, and while it’s never going to see the light of day, that story helped me realize what I was meant to do. Fast forward to today, and I’m so excited to publish Grishelda’s story. There are a lot of people who helped me along on this journey.
First of all, thank you to Jade Young and V Renae for beta-reading this for me! Thank you to Jonas Steger for the beautiful cover design. Thank you to my parents for believing in me and for encouraging me to pursue writing. Lastly, thank you to my husband for listening to my endless prattling about my stories and for actually remembering most of what I say.
Now, onto you. Thank you for buying and reading A Darkness Found. I hope you liked reading it as much as I loved creating it!
A Darkness Found features Grishelda’s story. Grishelda is the antagonist from my full-length novel, The Reflection Thief. I loved writing her character so much, I decided I had to take time to explore her story more, and A Darkness Found was born. Then, I came to the realization that I loved writing the villain’s side of the story, and this became a part of The Darkness Trilogy.
If you enjoyed reading my novel and want to support me in my future writing endeavors, please leave a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon and share my book with others who you think might enjoy it!
Coming Next . . .
Did you enjoy Grishelda’s story in A Darkness Found?
Then, don’t miss Kumar’s story of redemption in A Darkness Within.