Sneaky Snow White (Dark Fairy Tale Queen Series Book 2) by Anita Valle

Mirror who was fairest. I thought it was just an obsession with her appearance, but it means so much more. The one who is fairest is the one most loved. When we love someone, that person becomes more beautiful than any other creature. And now I am fairest. Beautiful and beloved.
    I close my eyes and silently ask The Mirror to show Hunter to me. What is he doing now?
    My reflection fades and I’m looking through the glass and into a room. It’s a rustic room, like that of a cottage, where everything is made of wood. Cinderella is sitting on a small bed with a homespun quilt, her back against the headboard, her legs pointed straight. She’s still wearing her ridiculous black dress. And Hunter is with her.
    Hunter is sitting on a stool beside the bed and holding a bowl of what looks like soup. He offers it to her, and although I can’t hear them, his earnest face tells me that he’s trying to convince her to eat. Cinderella looks at the soup with uncaring eyes. Hunter continues to talk.
    After a minute, Cinderella half-heartedly takes the bowl. Hunter looks relieved. She picks up the spoon and eats slowly, never lifting her eyes or mouthing a word. Hunter stays there and talks to her, making light gestures like he’s speaking of something pleasant. At one point, Cinderella glances at him. Her lips curl up in a tired smile.
    Yes, I know. He’s just trying to cheer her up. But I don’t like this. Hunter is mine. I’m not sharing him with anyone else. Least of all, her!
    “I’ve seen enough,” I say to The Mirror. The scene vanishes and my regular reflection returns. I pace in front of The Mirror while the candles sway their golden heads and my shadow crawls across the floor. The Mirror pours comfort through my body like a warm breeze but I want none of it. I want answers.
    “How?” I ask sharply. “How do I get rid of her?”
    The Mirror is silent for several seconds. And then a word enters my head, sharp as frostbite.
    Magic.
    I stop pacing.
    What? I don’t have magic. I don’t know anyone that does, besides Cinderella. And I never saw her use it, she just told me about it. I wouldn’t know where to begin.
    No. Wait…. I do know where to begin. That lair in the dungeon with bottles and cauldrons and a ponderous book of spells. I peeked inside once, a few years ago, and saw Cinderella stirring something that gave off a peculiar odor. She said she tried a few spells. Some worked, some didn’t.
    But some worked.
    Then there was my mother who said my beauty came from Blood Magic. She never explained what that meant. But maybe… maybe she possessed magic too. And if she had it, then I might too. Such things are often hereditary.
    I leave the chamber with a satisfied smile. It’s time to go check out that lair.

~*~ 21 ~*~
     
    As I head downstairs, I don’t hear the noise of the Dwarves anymore. I guess they finished their battle in the throne room. I stop in, just to be sure, and oh my stars, what a mess. Weapons left everywhere, swords and axes and maces and spears. The floor and walls are all scratched. Oh well. At least they left the throne in one piece-
    I flinch hard. There’s a lady in here! An old lady sitting in my throne! She slouches casually against one arm, as if she owns the place. Her legs are crossed and she swings the upper foot lightly.
    “Hello, brat,” she says to me.
    I’m too shocked to say anything. It’s kind of scary, the way she smiles at me. She’s got messy gray hair done up in a sloppy bun. Wearing a worn out peasant dress with a green apron. An old lady from the villages, I guess. How on earth did she get in here?
    Hesitantly, I walk toward her. “Are you one of the servants?” I ask, even though I know she isn’t. She doesn’t look familiar.
    “Ha!” The lady says. “Do I look like a servant?”
    “Yes, you do. Can you get out of my chair, please?”
    “Why, you want it? Trust me, you won’t like it. Worst thing I’ve ever sat on. That girl has gone plain