by J. E. Taylor
When the last guard fell, I whispered the magical spell that would send the dead back to their graves, and they puffed into dust.
Then my world went dark.
Chapter 3
Voices faded in and out while I remained on the floor locked between blackness and agony. The burn on my back kept my chest tense, and I barely drew enough air to remain conscious.
“There has to be something you can do!”
Henry’s sharp tone cut through the haze keeping me under, and I opened my eyes to a dark, tight space. We were no longer in the clearing by the river. And this definitely wasn’t the cottage. I had no idea where I was or why the air surrounding me was so stale.
A cold chill gripped me, even with my back’s fiery inferno.
I tried to move, but a hand pushed me back down.
“Stay still,” a voice whispered.
It took me a moment to recognize the voice. Ruse was holding my shoulder. The sting in my back roared back to life, like an entire wasp nest had fallen on me. I pressed my lips together against the tortured wail that wanted to escape.
It was only then that I noticed the swaying. I focused on the rough surface under my fingertips and cheek. A familiar squeak caught my attention, and I closed my eyes. I was in the back of the wagon Henry used to get supplies when we needed them.
A yank at my skin pulled the air from my lungs and I groaned.
“Shhh,” Ruse whispered. “You need to be quiet and still in case we cross the queen’s guards.”
If they crossed the army of the dead, we were totally screwed, but I wasn’t going to argue. I wasn’t in any condition to fight. I closed my eyes, letting the darkness drag me back under.
Time melted into shocks of pain from whatever the dwarves were doing. Jolts of agony yanked me from a semi-conscious state, only to fall into the bliss of blackness moments later.
When the cart finally stopped and the tarp that hid us was stripped from the back, a cold breeze caressed my skin, waking me from the stupor I had been in. I inhaled, the cleanness of the air filled my lungs, and wiped the stale taste of death from my mouth.
My head cleared, and I pushed myself onto my hands and knees. Discomfort raked my back like a witch’s claw and I winced. Tensing increased the pain. Clamping my eyes shut, I counted to ten, forcing myself to relax.
Henry was at my side when my eyes opened.
“No matter how I do this, it is going to hurt,” he said and ducked his head under one of my arms.
When he stood and pulled me up with him, my chest locked, and every muscle seized. Before my lungs allowed a breath, Henry scooped me into both of his arms. Just the brush of his skin against my back brought forth the black spots in front of my eyes.
“Breathe,” he said and hopped off the end of the cart.
A strangled cry escaped from my lips. The breath that had been locked in my chest squeezed out in short bursts with every single one of Henry’s steps. The narrow path he carried me down wound through the woods for longer than I could stand. Tears burned my eyes, leaking out of the corners.
He slowed to a stop in a small, covered glen, and the dwarves rushed past him, laying out blankets on the ground.
Henry met my gaze. The creases around his eyes and lips echoed the same worry I saw in his irises. He gently put me down on my side, and he winced more than I did.
He lay down next to me and stared at the thick canopy over our heads. His hand raked down his face, and he turned his head, meeting my gaze.
Domino crept behind me with a tin in his hand. A moment later, coolness drizzled down the length of my back, and the sweet scent of honey drifted around us.
I closed my eyes. The cut on my back must have been bad for Domino to part with his prized honey. He went to great lengths to find excuses not to share his healing salve with anyone unless the situation was dire.
“We will keep watch,” he said and handed Henry the tin. “Keep this, just in case.”
I stared at the tin in Henry’s hand and then turned to watch Domino disappear down the winding path.
“Where are we?” My voice was hoarse and filled with the discomfort racking my body.
“One of my hiding places south of the enchanted forest.”
“South?”
“I can’t exactly take you north.” He raised an eyebrow.
“I could hide in plain sight.” I winked at him and attempted a smile.
The worry lines around his eyes smoothed out and he smiled, but it was fleeting, fading away the second his hand cupped my cheek. “I thought I had lost you.” He fell onto his back and pressed his palms to his eyes.
That was when I noticed the bandage around his hand. Three fingers and his thumb poked out. I couldn’t tell if his pinkie was wrapped under the bloody gauze or not. He followed my gaze and sighed.
“I lost my little finger to whatever poison their blades carried. Domino cut it off before the toxins spread.”
“Poison?” I choked on the word. Fear as feral as the dead soldiers gripped me. My entire back had been sliced by one of their swords.
His solemn eyes met mine. “You need to rest. You have lost a great deal of blood.”
I stared at his bandaged hand and swallowed with a spitless mouth. It felt as if I’d swallowed a mouse whole. “I was struck with one of their swords.”
Henry nodded and rubbed his face. Those worry creases around his lips were back.
“Am I going to die?”
“I don’t think so. They used up every last one of their leeches on your back.” He shivered visibly and met my gaze. “They think they got all the poison.”
The dwarves had a swamp full of leeches for just this type of purpose. They’d had run-ins with the evil queen a time or two, and those leeches had saved their lives.
I had seen the fleshy creatures greedily drink their blood. I had seen them absorb the poison and turn grey. I had seen them writhe on the ground until they shriveled up and died.
The image of the sheer number of blood suckers drinking from that open wound made my stomach roll. I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose, trying to quell the turmoil in my belly.
Henry’s warm palm on my cheek brought my gaze to his. “You were out cold for it all.” He didn’t add the ‘thank the heavens’ that reflected in his eyes. “It wasn’t until Domino started to stitch you up that you stirred.”
I didn’t want to ruin his perception that I was oblivious to the pain. I had been in and out the entire time they worked on me. It explained the sensations of tearing flesh and the excruciating agony when they ripped those poison-filled vessels off.
I trembled, and my teeth chattered. The cold ate away at my skin and filled my bones.
Henry sat up and grabbed one of the blankets, then covered me with the soft fabric. He moved close enough for me to feel his own heat. His lips covered mine in the softest of kisses.
“Rest. We have another long ride tomorrow.”
Chapter 4
Tomorrow came faster than I imagined it would. One moment, I was staring into Henry’s eyes, studying the flecks of green speckling the grey background of his irises as the light faded from the sky. And the next, the bright sunlight pierced through the hidden glen where we’d slept while birds chirped their morning songs above.
Henry lay curled up next to me, still wrapped in slumber. His dark lashes rested on his high cheek bones. Whatever tension had filled him last night, keeping his jaw tight, was not present in sleep. I sighed at the beauty of my handsome prince.
I moved to get up, but the debilitating agony gripping my back froze me in place. The hiss from between my lips snapped Henry’s eyes open. His entire body tensed, he sat up next to me, and his gaze darted all around us.
“It’s just me,” I said through clenched teeth. I pushed myself up on my hands and knees.
He hopped to his feet before I was able to get to mine, and he gripped my elbow, helping me to stand.
The chill in the air caressed my skin,
leaving goose flesh in its wake. I shivered and glanced at my clothing for the first time. I only had a thin undergarment on. One that I reserved for those hot summer nights when I needed something light. It was one of Henry’s favorites with an open back and a low neckline.
Henry stared at my back. His eyebrows drew together, creating a wave of worry lines around his eyes before his gaze traveled to mine.
“What is it?”
Henry swallowed, and his brow smoothed out. He shook his head. “Nothing.” He smiled, but it was one of those placating grins that I knew so well.
He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he spoke, I tilted my head, giving him a sideways glare. I didn’t even have to say a thing. My stare told him he better not tell me another lie.
His lips pressed together, and his cheeks bloomed red like I had caught him eating the last piece of apple pie. He swiveled his gaze to the surrounding area, looking at just about everything but me.
“Henry.”
He glanced at me. “I don’t think they got rid of all the poison.” His voice cracked with the dread reflected in his grey-green eyes.
I turned my head, but I couldn’t see the wound blazing on my back. I closed my eyes, clenched my fists, and reached for my magic. I centered myself, feeling the growing orb in the middle of my body. I sent pulses directly toward the pain, but my magic recoiled like it had encountered a viper.
I gasped. Whatever poisoned me was seeded with magic so dark that my pure enchantments couldn’t combat it.
My eyelids flew open and I met Henry’s gaze. Hot tears stung the corner of my eyes. “I can’t stop it.”
His brow furrowed. “You tried magic?”
I nodded.
He went into action, grabbing everything on the ground in one arm, and with the other, he grabbed my hand. “The queen can track magic.”
His words scraped across my skin, leaving an itchy residue that made me want to scratch myself raw. I had just put all of us in danger.
“We need to move. Fast,” Henry barked at the dwarves guarding the exit path. He threw the blankets and honey salve into the back of the cart and helped me up and into the tight space between the hay bales.
I was nearly shoved to the floor by the dwarves as they got into the cart and covered me back up. We lurched forward, and one of the little men fell onto my legs.
“Sorry, Maggie.” Blackie’s deep voice pierced the dark surrounding us.
Another blanket was folded under my head to keep me from banging it on the wooden planks. The ride was rougher today, and several times the cart hit bumps that lifted us all in the air.
“Where are we going?” I asked loud enough that I hoped Henry could hear.
“Hobgoblin Caverns,” Henry answered.
I clenched. Hobgoblin Caverns. Where the trolls ruled. Witches were a delicacy to them, and no magical being in their right mind would enter their dwellings. Even the queen wouldn’t dare enter their home.
“They will kill us!”
“The troll king owes me a favor,” Blackie said, placing his hand on my arm. “They will not kill the only mage left that can destroy the queen.”
I let out a high-pitched laugh. “I cannot even beat her new army of the dead. How in the world do you expect me to beat the queen?”
“It is your destiny,” Blackie said.
I nearly choked, and it wasn’t from the stale scent of morning breath clustered under the blanket. My destiny. I didn’t believe in destiny. I just knew if I faced her before my back healed, I would fall, and the world would be forever cloaked in darkness.
Chapter 5
“I need you up here with me, Blackie,” Henry said as the cart slowed.
“Fold the tarp and make sure you surround Maggie,” Blackie said and climbed out from under the blanket sealing us in the dark.
The dwarves made quick work of folding the cover and surrounding me. A blanket covered my back, allowing my head and shoulders to be exposed. They each stood on a piece of the blanket, stretching the fabric over my back in an uncomfortable cocoon. Each stood with their arms crossed facing forward in a protective stance.
I couldn't see the entrance to the Hobgoblin Caverns, but as we got closer, the cart was engulfed in the horrible stench of decay and terror.
We slowed to a stop, and the ground shook beneath us. A shadow fell over the entire cart, and I gulped my fear, forcing it into my stomach where it festered like an infection.
“What do we have here?” A voice barreled over us, creating a wind that nearly knocked over the dwarves surrounding me.
“The king owes me a favor, and I am here to collect,” Blackie announced.
The troll chuckled. “I smell magic among your clan. It has been too long since I've tasted magical blood.”
All the dwarves drew their swords, crisscrossing them over me. I could just see part of their defense, but I didn't think their meager weapons would hold against this giant beast.
“You cannot touch my princess!” Blackie said. “Not unless you want the full force of your king's fury.”
A growl rippled the air. “And who are you to stop me?”
“Blackie Sunhaven.”
Silence fell over us like a sweeping cloud.
The shadow decreased by half.
“I apologize for my rudeness, Sir Sunhaven,” the troll said. His voice had softened, and his tone echoed true remorse. “You may pass.”
“Sir Sunhaven?” Henry whispered as the cart started forward.
“It's a long story,” Blackie mumbled.
I caught sight of the troll guarding the entrance as we plodded along under him. He was massive, larger than the castle walls surrounding the queen's kingdom. The sharp claws at his fingertips made that festering fear inside me bubble like the surface of an erupting volcano.
If these creatures were this large and foreboding, why hadn't they joined the war against the queen years ago?
I wasn’t sure I would ever get an answer to that silent question. I only caught a fraction of the trolls’ stares as we navigated the cavern streets, but the ones I caught screamed hostility. We were strangers in their domain, and I was their main dessert.
My nerves jumbled into a crescendo of shocks that rocked my body with every clop of the horse’s hooves. When we stopped in front of a castle so tall I could barely see the top poking through a layer of clouds above, every one of my cells shook. I doubted my ability to stand, but when the dwarves pulled the blanket off, I pushed myself up to my feet, clenching my jaw against my muscles' rebellion.
With careful steps, I moved to the back of the cart. Henry waited for me. His eyes were somber when he reached out to help me down from the back. He kept eye contact long after he placed me on the ground. Even without words, I could see the depths of his love in his unease.
I prayed that coming here wasn't a mistake.
Henry clasped his arm around my waist, and we followed Blackie into the castle with the other six dwarves following us, keeping a healthy distance between us and the trolls that had gathered to see the spectacle.
Guards within the castle surrounded us, leading us into the massive throne room decorated in gemstones and gold. It sparkled, mesmerizing me, making me forget my fear. It wasn't until my gaze fell to the throne in front of us that the hot scratches of anxiety returned.
The king of Hobgoblin Caverns sat in a straight-backed chair. He was larger and more fierce-looking than any of the other trolls I’d had the distinct horror of seeing. His gaze narrowed at me and his nostrils flared as he tilted his head back to take a whiff. He licked his thick lips and smiled, revealing layers of the sharpest teeth I had ever seen.
“You brought me a gift, Sir Sunhaven.”
“No. I brought my princess to your caverns for her safety,” Blackie said from his post in front of us. “She is the last pureblood in the kingdom and the only one that can defeat the queen.”
The king leaned forward, scowling at Blackie. “I do not care about the kingdom
outside these cavern walls. This is my domain, and the evil queen is of no consequence to me. But a fine delicacy of pureblood magic... That is quite the prize.”
“Then you will have to go through me,” Henry said, his tone fiery just like his eyes.
Blackie turned, leveling a glare that shut Henry up. He turned back to the troll king. “Unfortunately, you will have to go through us all,” he said. “And that would be a stain to your good name. No one would be willing to deal with you if they knew you were not true to your word.”
A rumbling growl filled the room, and the king slammed his hand down on the arm of the chair.
My knees shook, and Henry's grip on me tightened. We were at the mercy of these beasts, and unless the king honored his agreements more than his stomach, we were in trouble.
“I will let you leave the city.” The king pointed at Blackie.
Blackie shook his head and took another step forward, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the king. “You owe me your life. I am calling in that favor right now.” He pointed his sword in my direction. “She must survive, or otherwise darkness will come to your caverns and you will be as helpless to stop it as we were. The queen left the lush hills of Dwarfland as a desolate scar.”
The king laughed. “You compare a land of midgets to this land of giants?”
Blackie raised an eyebrow, and the king's laughter subsided. “I alone defeated your best warrior.” He cocked his head. “Imagine how invincible a city of us were. The queen still slaughtered our families, our friends.”
I stared at the little man in front of us, startled at his words.
“The seven of us had a task, one that required us to be away. Otherwise, we would have fallen to her evil, too. Do you know what that task was, King Trenton?” Blackie asked and waited.
The king leaned forward. “What could possibly take all seven of you away from home during a war?”
Blackie pointed his sword at me. “Snow White.”
Gasps echoed in the chamber, but the king sent a silencing glare to his guards.
“It’s actually Maggie White,” I muttered under my breath. I hated my formal name. It was redundant, and irritated me, making me sound like a docile little girl instead of a strong princess warrior.