Read The Stepsister Scheme Online
Authors: Jim C. Hines
The Stepsister Scheme (25 page)
“Every one of those spikes can be adjusted from within. The higher ones can even be fired at intruders.” Arlorran licked his lips. “Marvelous workmanship. Never been inside myself, but I’d pay a lot to see how they managed some of those tricks.”
“Where are we?” Talia peered at the sky. Twin quarter moons faced each other over the horizon.
“This is the king’s land,” Arlorran said. “The dwarven towers.”
“That’s the opposite side of Fairytown,” Danielle said. “We have to get to the chasm.”
“Quit your whining,” snapped Arlorran. “I told you, there are only a few places where the pull is strong enough for me to summon myself. If you want to reach the chasm before your stepsisters take their anger out on your prince, this is the place to start. Unless you’d rather take your chances on the road? Some of your race have been known to wander that road their whole lives, never finding their destination.”
“I thought we were protected, as long as we stayed on the road,” said Danielle.
“Protected, sure,” said Arlorran. “That doesn’t mean the road will take you where you want to go.” He stuck his fingers in his mouth and gave two sharp whistles. One of the pixies whistled back, then disappeared through an unseen window above a spear.
“Damned dwarves,” Arlorran muttered. “She’ll be back just as soon as they give her permission to speak with us.”
The pixie emerged again before Danielle could respond. She flew faster than any bird, a blur of yellow light that streaked down to hover before Arlorran. “What do you want, gnome?” she asked.
“Nice to see you too, Nexxle.” Arlorran gestured at Danielle and the others. “My friends need transportation.”
“Then it’s fortunate they have feet,” said Nexxle.
“They need something faster.” He pointed to Danielle. “They need to rescue this one’s husband. Nasty forces at work here, and they need all the speed and help they can get.”
Nexxle’s wings stilled, and she dropped lightly into the mud. “What kind of forces?”
Arlorran lowered his voice. “They set a darkling loose in my home, Nexxle. Little bugger could have killed me!”
The pixie’s scowl never changed, but her light brightened slightly. “Maybe he’ll have better luck next time.”
“Will you help us?” Danielle asked.
Nexxle spat. “Some husbands aren’t worth rescuing.”
“Do I have to call a meeting of the elders?” Arlorran asked.
Nexxle’s light dimmed to almost nothing. “You would, wouldn’t you? Never could take no for an answer. Stupid gnome.” She leaped up, wings buzzing. “Stay there. I’ll find someone to take you to the stables.”
She returned to the same window and disappeared into the tower.
“What’s she doing?” Danielle asked.
Arlorran rubbed his face with both hands. “Getting permission from the dwarves to come with us. The whole bloodline lost a bet with the dwarves, years ago. Had they won, they would have taken the towers and supplanted the dwarves as the king’s guardians.”
“What did they lose?” Danielle asked, watching the pixies work.
“One generation of servitude. One dwarf generation, lucky for them. Pixie generations are measured in centuries.” Arlorran laughed, though there was little humor in the sound. “I have to hand it to them. These towers have stood for centuries, and I don’t think they’ve ever looked so clean.”
“Who is Nexxle, and why does she hate you so much?” asked Snow.
Arlorran pursed his lips. “She’s . . . well, she’s my mother-in-law.”
Snow’s body went still. “You’re married?”
“Uh-oh,” Talia muttered.
“I
was
married,” Arlorran said hastily. “A long time ago. She died young, fifty years ago this month.” He turned away from Snow and stared up at the tower. “A bit flighty, even for a pixie, but I loved her. You remind me of her, actually.”
was
married,” Arlorran said hastily. “A long time ago. She died young, fifty years ago this month.” He turned away from Snow and stared up at the tower. “A bit flighty, even for a pixie, but I loved her. You remind me of her, actually.”
“I’m sorry,” said Snow.
Arlorran shook his head. “Suffice it to say, pixies take family ties pretty seriously. I’ve still got rights here, though it pains them to admit it.” He took a deep, tremulous breath. “Enough of my troubles. You need to know who’s got your prince. Maybe the tale of the Duchess will drive some sense into you.”
He took Danielle’s hand and tugged. “Don’t worry, Nexxle will catch up.” He reached for Snow with his free hand, and soon he was walking along, swinging their arms like a child between his parents. “The Duchess’ story is an old one. Goes back to when Fairytown was little more than a lump in the earth, surrounded by a ring of toadstools. The king and queen kept within the hill most of the time, coming out only once a year to hunt.”
“To hunt what?” asked Snow.
“Humans, mostly.” Arlorran gave an apologetic shrug. “’Twas sport, little more. They’d capture their favorites, choosing the most handsome and beautiful of your race to be their playthings for the coming year. Others became slaves. Often the humans chose to remain with us, even when their year of slavery was up. It’s not like we killed them, you understand.”
“No,” said Talia. “You fairies simply burst with kindness and compassion.”
“We are what we are.” Arlorran gave Danielle’s hand a squeeze. “Now back then, there was one ambitious little sprite who hoped to take the queen’s place. She was a gifted one. Illusions, enchantment, earth magic . . . they say she even knew a little summoning magic. She transformed herself into the most beautiful of men and slipped away before the hunt. She waited in the woods, and when the king and queen arrived—well, naturally the queen was struck by her perfection. His perfection, I mean. Blast it, how are you supposed to tell a story when the pronouns keep changing on you?
“Anyway, the queen claimed him for her own, which annoyed the king to no end. He couldn’t concentrate on his magic, and the girl he tried to ensnare that night managed to slip away. Understand, the king had his share of dalliances, too. He and the queen always returned to one another in the end, but this fellow was a little too good-looking, if you know what I mean.” He clucked his tongue. “I have the same problem when I visit the old gnomeland.”
Danielle glanced at Talia, who rolled her eyes.
“So the queen takes her prize back to the palace, where he acts as overwhelmed and befuddled as any of you humans. She’s about to bed the fellow when the king bursts in. Jealousy had gotten the best of him, as it often did. Fast as a dwarf can down a pint, the king throws his spear.
“Well, a spear in the back tends to be a bit distracting. The Duchess’ spell unraveled then and there, leaving her naked and bleeding and still holding the silver knife she was planning to use to cut the queen’s throat.
“The queen was quite miffed, as you can imagine. Nobody likes an assassin.” He glanced up at Danielle. “I guess you can imagine, at that. But no creature in the world has a temper to match that of fairy royalty. The queen was all set to rip this sprite apart when the king intervened. He said he was impressed by the magical skill it took to fool the queen. Said he could use talented spellcasters like that. Personally, I think he just wanted to keep her alive to get back at the queen.
“The queen had already lost a good deal of face over the whole mess. Rather than risk an all-out fight with her husband, she backed down. But she swore that little would-be murderess would be tortured for a thousand years if the queen ever saw her again. The king agreed, promising to bind her to tasks that would keep her away from the queen.”
“So what happened?” Snow asked.
Arlorran chuckled. “She played the same game with the king that she had with the queen. Seduced him into bed that very night, whispering sweet words into his ear to gain his sympathy. The king refused to release her, but he did allow her one wish. She said she wanted to see the sun rise one last time as a free woman. After that, she would serve him willingly. The instant he agreed, she fled. The king gave chase, but she was too quick. Dove into the earth and burrowed deep. She hasn’t come up since. Until she comes out and sees a sunrise, she remains free.”
“I’ve read everything in Lorindar about fairies, including most of Trittibar’s books,” said Snow. “I’ve never heard of the Duchess.”
“Not many have, even in Fairytown. And I’d take it as a favor if you kept the story to yourselves. The king and queen don’t appreciate looking like fools, and they’ve done what they can to keep the Duchess quiet. Harder to do, since the war. Once the chasm opened up, the Duchess made a home for herself at the base of the cliffs. Started luring some of the darker creatures of Fairytown to her.”
“She still wants to overthrow the king and queen?” Talia asked.
“No doubt.”
Danielle stared at the road, trying to imagine her stepsisters in league with a mythical usurper to the fairy throne. “How did you learn about the Duchess?”
“The queen told me,” Arlorran said. “Back when she made me summoner. First thing she told me to do was summon the Duchess. Every few years she has me try again, hoping the Duchess will drop her guard.”
“Why would she want to summon the Duchess?” Danielle asked.
“Because then the queen would see her, which means she could carry out her threat,” Talia said.
“Just so.” Arlorran’s shudder wasn’t entirely theatrical. “I told you, nobody holds a grudge like fairy royals.”
“They haven’t exiled her?” Snow asked.
“Exile her, and she’d be free of all ties to Fairytown,” said Arlorran. “Including her oath to the king.”
Danielle rubbed her arms, fighting a chill. “So why would the Duchess kidnap Armand?”
“Oh, she wouldn’t,” Arlorran said quickly. “She’s still a fairy, bound by the treaty like everyone else. But there’s nothing in the treaty to prohibit her from harboring your stepsisters, so long as she’s not actively harming any humans.”
“What does she get out of it?” Danielle tried to imagine what her stepsisters might offer someone like the Duchess. Her stepmother had lost most of the family’s money over the years, spending the last on preparations for the ball. Charlotte and Stacia had nothing left. And their magic wouldn’t impress someone with power enough to defy the fairy king and queen.
The buzzing of wings announced Nexxle’s return. She carried a burlap sack three times her size. Those shimmering wings were stronger than Danielle would have guessed.
Nexxle tossed the sack to Arlorran. He did his best to catch it, but the impact knocked him onto his backside. “Thanks.” He yanked the drawstring and rummaged about, pulling out several reddish-yellow apples. “Here you go,” he said, tossing one to Danielle. He threw another to Snow, but Talia snatched it out of the air.
“Got anything else?” Talia asked. “Snow’s . . . allergic.”
Danielle glanced at Snow, who was even paler than normal. Snow forced a smile. “The taste makes me gag.”>
Thinking of the stories, Danielle couldn’t blame her. If her mother had tried to murder her with a poisoned apple, Danielle would probably avoid them, too.
“They’re not for you,” Nexxle said. She flew low, smacking Arlorran on the head and knocking his cap to the road. “Come on.”
She led them beneath a cluster of pine trees with needles that gleamed like silver. Nexxle’s yellow light sparkled in the branches as she passed.
Danielle touched one of the branches, half-expecting the needles to pierce her skin, but they were even softer than the pines she knew from back home. She followed Nexxle onto a narrow trail.
“Never used to be a path,” Nexxle muttered. “Stupid dwarves and their big, heavy boots. Might as well plant signs to mark the way.”
Danielle finished her apple as they walked, following Nexxle’s light through the darkness. She hurried to catch up with Arlorran. “You never explained why she doesn’t like you.”
“She wanted her daughter to marry a nice pixie boy,” Arlorran said. “She wanted little grandkids darting around like drunken fireflies. Instead, her little girl left the family to run off with a wrinkled old gnome.” He chuckled, but not fast enough to hide the longing that passed over his face. “Even if we could have had children together, can you imagine me trying to father a flock of flying kids?”
“You could have always summoned them back,” Danielle pointed out.
“Ha! True enough. I haven’t the temperament for the job, though. You on the other hand, you’ll make a good mother. Assuming you don’t get yourself killed or enslaved to the Duchess first.”
Danielle shook her head. “Everything I know about being a loving mother, I learned from a tree.”
Arlorran grinned. “That sounds like a tale strange enough to come from a fairy.”
“Hurry up,” Nexxle snapped. “The dwarves want me to finish oiling the spears on the eighteenth level, and I mean to be done before sunrise.”
The trees thinned as they climbed a broad hill. What Danielle saw when she reached the top was almost enough to drive all thoughts of her stepsisters, the Duchess, and even Armand from her mind.
Tree-covered hills spread out in a wide circle, creating a grassy bowl. Grazing on the far side, painted by the light of a handful of pixies, was a small herd of what appeared to be horses. But they were like no horses Danielle had ever seen.
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