Poison Read online

  She smiled but she did not join them, although she commanded the music and watched the timeless dance between the sexes begin. A glance that lingered too long. A smile behind a fan. Eyes that peeked up playfully from a bow. It was always the same. She wondered how many ever ended happily ever after? Her mother had wanted that. It hadn’t lasted.

  After the first round of dancing came the entertainment as her guests ate and drank some more. There were the tumblers, the piper and his dancing rats, the fire eaters and the dancers, and soon the music would begin again. The queen clenched her teeth. The ball was in full swing and Snow White had yet to appear. She snapped her fingers. A footman scurried over and bowed.

  ‘Send someone to the princess’s rooms. Tell her she must come at once. I will not have her keeping my guests waiting longer.’ Enough was enough. There was lateness and then there was arrogance. ‘This delay is clearly the fault of her maids.’ Lilith smiled. ‘Make sure the princess knows that I shall punish them for embarrassing her if she does not arrive within five minutes.’ She gestured for music, sat as far back in her throne as the stiff upright chair would allow and focused on her annoyance rather than how easily the threats came from her these days, or on the knowledge that she would follow through on them if she had to.

  The footman, however, had barely turned to leave when the trumpet sounded and the doors at the far end opened wide. The orchestras stopped, trickling away to nothing as the performers forgot their notes and their bows hung in mid-air above the strings. Even the queen was breathless for a second at the sight of Snow White’s beauty. Gasps punctuated the stillness. Snow White stepped through the doors and paused at the top of the three marble steps that led down to the ballroom. She wore a pure white dress, strapless and fitted, so different to the full-skirted style that the ladies of the court preferred, and it was decorated with small purple jewels. The same gems sparkled in her dark hair, swept high and tousled on her head, and they served to highlight the violet of her eyes.

  All attention on her, she smiled and curtseyed, a more sensuous movement than all the years of training had ever given Lilith. The queen dragged her eyes away from the beautiful girl and got to her feet, scanning the ballroom. Every prince was staring, their pretty dancing partners completely forgotten, as if they were simply shadows. Snow White could have her pick of them, that was clear. A shard of envy pierced her hardening heart, and her face ached with the effort of maintaining her smile. Still. That didn’t matter. Snow White would be gone, out of the kingdom forever, and then maybe she would be able to relax.

  ‘I’m so sorry I’m late,’ Snow said, addressing the room. If Lilith was ice then Snow White was warm honey, and the mischievous twinkle as she smiled only enhanced her beauty. ‘But I was waiting for my companion.’ She held out one hand and curtseyed again as a man, thus far out of sight, came through the open doorway and joined her on the steps.

  The queen, always so controlled, could not contain her gasp. He stood eight feet or more tall and wore a bright purple suit with a silver trim, the colour almost an exact match to the gems adorning the princess. A painted mask covered most of his face.

  ‘May I introduce Agard, Prince of the Far Mountains, home of the Giants.’ She smiled again and took the enormous man’s hand, leading him into the party. Dresses rustled as men and women pulled away from them creating a path, not entirely out of politeness. The queen wasn’t the only one who was shocked. No one had been near the Far Mountains for as long as she’d been alive, and probably not in the generation before either. How could Snow possibly have . . .?

  ‘We’ve been communicating by dove since I found one injured in the forest with a message attached to its leg and restored it to health. The prince wanted to reach out to distant people, and he found me.’

  The strange couple moved further and further into the room, taking remarkably short steps given the man’s height, the queen noticed. Was he compensating for Snow White? How could he possibly have got into the castle without one of her spies telling her? And how could she have possibly fallen in love with this giant, as it seemed clear she had?

  Her eyes fixed on their progress, Lilith tried to relax. It didn’t matter which man Snow White chose. In fact, this creature might be a blessing in disguise. The king would surely disapprove of their union – what monstrous children would they create, for one thing? – and it was unlikely that Snow White would ever be allowed to return from the Far Mountains. The girl was embarrassing herself, but she was also doing all of Lilith’s work for her. She needn’t have wasted time and money inviting all the princes to a grand ball. Perhaps she should have just called for a circus or a freak show and given her step-daughter more to choose from.

  As they approached, she walked forward to meet them and then curtseyed deeply at the giant’s feet. Snow’s curtsey might have been sensuous but the queen’s was elegant and flawless, her back remaining perfectly straight. She made the gesture seem so effortless, but hours of training and tears had gone into it when she was four years old. The backs of her knees had been bruised and bleeding from the thwacks of the ruler her instructress used to inflict if she didn’t do it perfectly. Her father, the king, would not accept less than a perfect princess for a daughter. She had become one for him, despite herself. Even if magic ran in her veins as well as royal blood. It was a man’s world and she had learned to play the game. What else could a woman with beauty and brains do?

  ‘Your highness,’ the queen said. ‘Welcome to our home. We are honoured to be the first of the kingdoms to receive a visit from the people of the Far Mountains, and I hope it shall not be your last. We have heard so much of your strength and generosity of spirit.’ Her words were clear and humble although most of what she’d heard of the giants was that they were clumsy, stupid and greedy and spent most of their time fighting each other. Legend said that whenever rocks fell in the low lands, a giant in the Far Mountains was stamping his feet because he couldn’t get his own way. But she was a queen and she would behave like one.

  ‘Thank you, your Majesty.’ The giant’s voice was gruff but not as resonant as she expected. But then what did she really know of them? Nothing. Their guest began to lean forward to bow. The movement started well and then suddenly he wobbled, losing his balance and tilting dangerously sideways. The queen stepped backwards as two courtiers rushed forward and took the giant’s hands to stabilise him. It was only then the queen noticed how small the hand was. How could a giant . . .?

  Before she could finish her thought, the giant’s middle section began to erupt. Buttons flew from the purple suit. Somewhere amongst the guests an idiot girl shrieked and another fainted. From within the giant came several exclamations before the body finally collapsed into a small pile of moving pieces.

  For a moment there was silence and then Snow White burst into warm laughter. ‘I knew they couldn’t balance for long, but I was hoping for a first dance at least.’ She turned to the assembled guests. ‘A giant from the Far Mountains? Oh, come, come. You really fell for that? Anyway, my companions are far more impressive than any giant.’

  The bundle of dwarves slowly pulled themselves to their feet. Lilith stepped backwards, icy cold anger running through her pumping heart. She had curtseyed to them, these strange rough mining men. She had addressed them as royals, and worse than all of that was that they had tricked her.

  The little men lined up alongside Snow White and bowed. The gathered guests laughed and applauded as did Snow herself. They blushed and muttered to each other, but their bashful joy at being part of this humiliating game was obvious. Snow White leaned down and kissed their heads and two of the little faces turned almost the colour of their princess’s jewels.

  Snow stood alongside the queen and faced the guests. ‘It is so lovely to see so many visitors from other kingdoms here,’ she nodded and smiled at several of the princes. ‘Some of you I have not seen since childhood when I would beat you all to the top of the trees.’ Again, there was a round of laughter. Black crep
t into the corner of Lilith’s vision as she raged inside. This was uncalled for. Women did not make speeches at balls. Even she hadn’t and the purpose of the occasion was her birthday. Kings and princes made speeches. That was the protocol in all the allied kingdoms. What was Snow White doing? Why were all the guests so enamoured of her that they didn’t care? Why was it all so easy for her?

  ‘I am so very fond of you all,’ Snow White continued, apparently unaware of the waves of hatred coming from the slim figure in red beside her. ‘But if you have come here to seek my hand in marriage, then let me put you at ease so we can all just enjoy this wonderful party. I have no desire to be betrothed to any of you. You will not find marriage with me.’ She raised a dark eyebrow. ‘Although perhaps you might with some of the lovely ladies you’re already dancing with.’ Around the room couples blushed and moved closer together. Lilith felt sick, the few morsels of food she’d eaten curdling in her stomach. The princess was making a fool of her. Was she supposed to just smile through this embarrassment? Was she doing it on purpose . . . some act of revenge in front of princes from all the kingdoms?

  ‘You are all handsome and charming men,’ Snow White continued. ‘But I will only ever surrender myself to true love.’ She glanced at the queen and smiled, and from behind her own smile all Lilith wanted to do was choke the triumphant expression from the girl’s face.

  ‘Until then,’ Snow finished, ‘I shall make do with the company of my friends.’ She looked down once again at the dwarves who bowed in unison, first to Snow White, then to the queen and then to the guests, who gave another round of spontaneous applause.

  The musicians returned their bows to their instruments and the air was filled with music. The party began again, but this time there was a belle for their ball; the wonderful, unique Snow White. She led the dancing with the princes and the dwarves, so unlike the icy queen who oversaw the revelry from her throne. Within fifteen minutes Lilith, for all her great beauty, had been forgotten and she gladly slipped away, forcing herself to maintain a steady pace instead of bursting into a run as soon as she was through the doors.

  The corridor echoed with laughter that chased her until she was sure she was the cause of it. They were all laughing at her. Of course they were. She fled through the castle, a whirlwind of blazing fury, until at last there was only the silence of her forgotten library and the dry books which were as unloved as she was. Her pace slowed but still books fell from the shelves as she passed, her rage and hurt slamming them to the ground.

  Finally, there was the comfort of the room beyond. Her room. Her things. Her power was here. Her honesty was here. This was who she was. The candles and lamps lit as she glanced at them. Her magic was always stronger in anger and high emotion. Her mother’s magic had been weak, she hadn’t exercised it. Lilith had no intention of that happening to hers. She would no longer be ashamed of it.

  She poured warm red wine from the silver decanter that never emptied, and drank the first glass quickly. Her hand was still trembling when she poured the second. Her eyes were glittering diamonds in the candlelight. How could they have humiliated her like that? How could she have let them? Her insides twisted; a ball of snakes trapped by the fires of her emotions. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout at the girl and shake her until she understood that the world expected things of her.

  Behind glass, her crystal ball glowed red and green and then a rainbow of colours. With her glass refilled she sat in her chair and stared at it, letting the colours entrance and calm her. She drank quickly until her vision was hazy and her angry thoughts could no longer keep their sharp edges, and then she put the goblet down. She allowed herself to be lost in the colours and her memories of the past. Of happier times. Of being free.

  ‘Why did you leave?’

  The words, cutting the silence, made her jump and she turned to see the door open and Snow White, in all her beautiful finery, standing at the threshold. In her anger she hadn’t locked herself in. She cursed under her breath.

  ‘It’s your birthday ball. You should be there.’

  The queen rose to her feet, happy to find her legs steady. It took more than a heady wine to take her steel.

  ‘You humiliated me,’ she hissed. ‘And at my own birthday. I suppose you thought that was funny.’

  ‘It was supposed to be a joke,’ Snow White said, her eyes wide with innocence and hurt. ‘I thought you’d like it. I thought you’d get it.’

  Lilith wondered how much practice went into that look. The king and the courtiers might be fooled by it, but the queen would not be.

  ‘So, now you’re calling me stupid? A little girl like you who wants to play with dwarves thinks she can laugh at me?’ Where the candlelight accentuated each of Snow’s soft curves and full features, the queen knew it hardened her sharp cheekbones and cast shadows under her eyes. She wondered how she must look. Still the great beauty of the North, or a harpy? She found she did not much care. ‘Or do you really want to marry one? Maybe you’d like to marry all seven of your friends? It could be arranged. They’d tire you out soon enough.’

  ‘Why do you have to be so horrible?’ Snow White reeled slightly, and stepped backwards. ‘What happened to you? Why must you always be so mean?’

  Lilith opened her mouth to laugh and then Snow White’s gaze shifted from her to something behind them in the dark shadows of the room. The familiar creak of the cabinet. The queen’s eyes widened.

  ‘She is so beautiful. Snow White, the fairest in all the lands.’

  ‘What is that?’ Snow said, curiosity replacing her hurt. ‘Have you got someone in here with you? Their voice is . . . strange.’

  ‘It’s nothing.’ The queen flashed a look behind her, seeing the mirror glint slightly in the dark. ‘Nothing for you to—’

  ‘None can compare, none shall ever compare, to Snow White.’

  ‘Is that a talking cupboard?’ Snow White tried to push past, but Lilith blocked her way. ‘One of your crazy magic things the servants talk about?’

  ‘I said it was—’ The queen shoved her backwards.

  ‘Such a beauty. Such a heart. So easy to love. Snow White. Unbearably beautiful, isn’t she?’

  The cabinet slammed shut and silent with the ferocity of the queen’s glare.

  ‘It was talking about me,’ Snow White said. Her eyes came back to the queen’s. ‘The fairest in the land. You have a cupboard that talks about me?’ She laughed suddenly, a short, shocked burst of emotion. ‘What is wrong with you?’

  ‘Shut up,’ the queen said. ‘Shut up and get out.’

  ‘You are jealous of me,’ Snow said. ‘Not of my father loving me, but of everyone else. It’s not that hard, you know, to have people like you. You just have to be nice.’

  ‘I said get out!’ She spat the words at the girl, her fists balled. ‘You know nothing. You’re stupid and blind and I hate you.’

  Snow White’s jaw clenched. ‘Well, your cabinet doesn’t. Maybe I should take it back to the party instead.’

  The queen could see the mockery clearly in the princess’s eyes. She took a deep breath and drew herself up tall. ‘You’ll regret this. All of it. I promise you.’

  ‘Look, why can’t we—’

  ‘Go back to the party. Enjoy it. Tomorrow your dwarves are banished from the palace grounds. On pain of death.’

  ‘You can’t—’

  The slamming door cut off the rest of Snow White’s shocked sentence, and this time the queen remembered to pull the bolt across. Her breathing filled the room but this time it was slow and calm. A chill bloomed inside her. She looked back at the crystal ball. A black mist swirled inside it. So be it, the queen thought grimly. So be it.

  3

  ‘A wish is just a curse in disguise’

  The new dresses arrived two days after the ball. The atmosphere had remained frosty, the queen had avoided Snow White and it seemed the princess had been doing the same because it was only now, as they both stood in the princes
s’s rooms, that they were face to face since their argument. That suited Lilith.

  ‘Are you sure they’ll fit?’ one of Snow White’s handmaids said. She was a small, mousy thing who could probably come somewhere close to pretty if she straightened her shoulders and put some curls in her hair but, as things stood, she erred on the side of plain.

  ‘Of course they’ll fit,’ she said.

  ‘It’ll break me in half to wear this,’ Snow White had pulled on the blue dress closest to her. ‘These bones are criminal. There’s no give in them.’

  ‘There isn’t supposed to be any. They’ll stop you slouching.’

  ‘I want my old clothes back.’ Her simmering resentment was clear in the flash of her defiant violet eyes. Lilith had never seen eyes that colour before. She wondered if maybe the girl had magic in her too.

  ‘You had no right to take them.’ The dress still undone, Snow White stood with her hands on her hips, her hair falling loose over her shoulders. ‘No right at all.’

  ‘I had every right,’ Lilith snapped, aware that the two maids had drawn close together and were no doubt memorising every word of this confrontation to take down to the servants’ quarters and relay as soon as they could. ‘You’re twenty years old. You need to be preparing for marriage.’

  ‘I don’t want to get married,’ Snow White said, looking squarely at her. ‘I’m not seeing the appeal.’

  Lilith ignored her and, with her teeth gritted, grabbed the laces at the back of the dress. Beneath them, Snow White’s skin was white and soft, used to freedom. By tonight, if she did as she was told and stayed in the garment, it would be sore where the bindings had been. The laces shone beautifully but were coarse and rough, woven from looms housed in the attics of castles far away. There was no comfort in the court dresses of her own kingdom. She’d forgotten how unforgiving they were. Still, it would do Snow White good to wear them for a while. To feel what it was like to be so trapped by something that you felt you couldn’t breathe.