highlighting her ethereal beauty. “It’s been almost ten years to the day since Snow left the Enchanted Forest. And,” she pursed her lips, “I’m sure everyone missed her horribly. But life goes on and a competent and fair ruler stepped in.”
A coughed over “bullshit” was heard in the audience, then frantic shushing. Naomi’s gaze flicked across the room and rested at the table of dwarves. I wasn’t sure who said it, but my money was on Grumpy. I felt the smile crease on my face. He might not like me but he wasn’t on Naomi’s side.
Naomi produced a scroll in a plume of red smoke. She held it up in her hands to show the audience. I heard a shocked gasp and as I turned, I noticed Belle’s pale face and rounded mouth. Cyndi clenched Belle’s arm hard enough to leave her white-knuckled, and even Red looked unsettled.
What the hell was going on? I shrugged. “It’s a scroll. So what?” I whispered. I didn’t understand the murmurs going through the crowd or why Naomi looked so satisfied.
If possible, her grin got even wider. “This scroll contains the laws of the Enchanted Forest, written by your father and his father before him. There’s one rule in particular you should be aware of.” She made a show of unrolling it, my heart beginning to sink as I realized what might lie within. I glanced over to Max. He sat stone-faced, no emotion visible, but his arms lay across his chest and his jaw was tense.
Naomi made a show of pretending to read the scroll, clucking here and there, and making tsking noises. The entire room began to erupt in a low murmur, the stares coming my way turning less hostile and more sympathetic. My heart began to sink.
“Here it is!” Naomi crowed and read aloud. “If the next heir to the throne dies, becomes an invalid, or otherwise disappears from the Enchanted Forest for a period of ten years, the throne will succeed to the person the king declares as fit to rule.” She glanced up at me, satisfaction and cruelty glinting in her eyes. “Would you care to make a guess as to who your father thought was the most fit to rule?”
I’d kill her. I straightened my spine and steeled my jaw. “I’m here now.”
She smiled. “But you aren’t in the Enchanted Forest, are you? Rules are rules.”
I did the math in my head. I had seventy-two hours to make it back to the Enchanted Forest. And I didn’t have a clue how to do it. Even if I got there, I knew Naomi would make it as difficult as possible for me to reclaim my crown. I’d been thinking about returning before, but seeing her and hearing the dissatisfaction of the people had made my mind up. It was time to take her down. Her desperation oozed out of her pores, and even though she presented a cool and calm façade to everyone else, I recognized fear when I saw it. Behind that beautiful face and calm demeanor lay a woman who was scared to lose her power. And the threat to it loomed right in front of her.
She was going to try to kill me in the next three days. I could feel it in my bones.
Naomi turned to address her unadoring audience. “Snow here is out of luck and just about out of time. Any hope you were holding out of your long lost regent returning home has blown away with the wind.” She held up the scroll. “This is the law of the Enchanted Forest. And I always enforce the law.” She grinned cruelly and strode back up to the stage.
Someone from the audience, feeling braver than everyone else, shouted, “We all know how you love to twist the laws for your own gain!” I didn’t recognize the voice, but I did recognize the hitch in Naomi’s step. She stopped, turned back to the audience and swept her gaze across the tables until they fell upon a nondescript man wearing a white collared shirt and no tie. I’d never seen him before. The way Naomi was looking at him now told me I might not get the opportunity to see him again.
She strode over to the table. The air was tight with tension, and terrified eyes
A coughed over “bullshit” was heard in the audience, then frantic shushing. Naomi’s gaze flicked across the room and rested at the table of dwarves. I wasn’t sure who said it, but my money was on Grumpy. I felt the smile crease on my face. He might not like me but he wasn’t on Naomi’s side.
Naomi produced a scroll in a plume of red smoke. She held it up in her hands to show the audience. I heard a shocked gasp and as I turned, I noticed Belle’s pale face and rounded mouth. Cyndi clenched Belle’s arm hard enough to leave her white-knuckled, and even Red looked unsettled.
What the hell was going on? I shrugged. “It’s a scroll. So what?” I whispered. I didn’t understand the murmurs going through the crowd or why Naomi looked so satisfied.
If possible, her grin got even wider. “This scroll contains the laws of the Enchanted Forest, written by your father and his father before him. There’s one rule in particular you should be aware of.” She made a show of unrolling it, my heart beginning to sink as I realized what might lie within. I glanced over to Max. He sat stone-faced, no emotion visible, but his arms lay across his chest and his jaw was tense.
Naomi made a show of pretending to read the scroll, clucking here and there, and making tsking noises. The entire room began to erupt in a low murmur, the stares coming my way turning less hostile and more sympathetic. My heart began to sink.
“Here it is!” Naomi crowed and read aloud. “If the next heir to the throne dies, becomes an invalid, or otherwise disappears from the Enchanted Forest for a period of ten years, the throne will succeed to the person the king declares as fit to rule.” She glanced up at me, satisfaction and cruelty glinting in her eyes. “Would you care to make a guess as to who your father thought was the most fit to rule?”
I’d kill her. I straightened my spine and steeled my jaw. “I’m here now.”
She smiled. “But you aren’t in the Enchanted Forest, are you? Rules are rules.”
I did the math in my head. I had seventy-two hours to make it back to the Enchanted Forest. And I didn’t have a clue how to do it. Even if I got there, I knew Naomi would make it as difficult as possible for me to reclaim my crown. I’d been thinking about returning before, but seeing her and hearing the dissatisfaction of the people had made my mind up. It was time to take her down. Her desperation oozed out of her pores, and even though she presented a cool and calm façade to everyone else, I recognized fear when I saw it. Behind that beautiful face and calm demeanor lay a woman who was scared to lose her power. And the threat to it loomed right in front of her.
She was going to try to kill me in the next three days. I could feel it in my bones.
Naomi turned to address her unadoring audience. “Snow here is out of luck and just about out of time. Any hope you were holding out of your long lost regent returning home has blown away with the wind.” She held up the scroll. “This is the law of the Enchanted Forest. And I always enforce the law.” She grinned cruelly and strode back up to the stage.
Someone from the audience, feeling braver than everyone else, shouted, “We all know how you love to twist the laws for your own gain!” I didn’t recognize the voice, but I did recognize the hitch in Naomi’s step. She stopped, turned back to the audience and swept her gaze across the tables until they fell upon a nondescript man wearing a white collared shirt and no tie. I’d never seen him before. The way Naomi was looking at him now told me I might not get the opportunity to see him again.
She strode over to the table. The air was tight with tension, and terrified eyes
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