Snow White and the Huntsman (6 page)

T
he water sucked her into a long, narrow pipe. She could feel the walls closing in on her. Her shoulders brushed past them. She tried to make herself as small as possible, folding her arms over her chest and crossing her legs. She didn’t dare struggle—she was too afraid she’d get stuck.

After a few moments, the tunnel ended and she was out in open water, her limbs finally free. Her lungs were throbbing. She desperately wanted to take a breath. She stared up at the surface of the water, nearly twenty feet above her. Seaweed floated by, casting shadows on her face. She kicked wildly, toward the sun, but when she reached the seaweed it was too thick. It tangled around her arms and legs, weighing her down.

This can’t be happening
, she thought, the reality of her situation sinking in. She kicked frantically, trying to free herself, but a piece of seaweed was still coiled around her
leg. She was still so weak. Her lungs hurt. She kept flailing her arms until the surface of the water was inches away. With a few desperate kicks, she finally freed herself and broke through, bursting into the open air.

Gasping for breath, she could hear the distant sound of hooves on the stone. The soldiers were coming for her. She stared at the beach, just a hundred feet away. The castle was nestled into the hillside above the coast. The cliff beside it was covered with trees and shrubs. She swam for the shore, grateful when the waves helped her onto the beach. She didn’t have much time.

The shore was covered with large gray rocks. They were assembled in lines, creating a massive maze, stretching the length of the sand. Snow White approached the first stone entrance. It was taller than she was, the walls covered in barnacles and dried seaweed. She went through it, winding into the maze, but when the stone passageway forked in two, she wasn’t certain which way to go. Her childhood memory was less distinct when it came to the maze—William had always been the one to find the way out.

Her dress was soaked and she was shaking from the cold. She heard the sound of hooves on rocks. The army was getting closer. Finn had certainly alerted Ravenna already. If he didn’t find her, Ravenna’s magic certainly would. She would have her heart.

Snow White started to her right. Her hands were shaking. She was about to round a corner when a soft whistling noise caught her attention.

She turned. The two magpies had come back to her. They were sitting on the stone wall to the left. She covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. They swooped off the ledge and flew in the opposite direction. She followed after them down the beach, winding in and out of the massive rocks, until the path emptied onto the sand. A few feet in front of her sat a beautiful white mare. It was sitting on the shore, in a way she’d never seen a horse do before, as if it were just waiting for her to climb on.

The sound of hooves came closer. “There!” a man’s voice shouted. She looked up the cliff ledge. The first two soldiers on horseback emerged from the trees. One pointed at her with a silver dagger. She didn’t hesitate. She ran at the mare, vaulting herself up onto its back. It stood, and they took off down the rocky beach.

They galloped down the shore, the waves crashing beside them. Snow White kept looking back, her hair a mess of black. The salt air coming off the ocean stung her eyes. Finn’s army descended the cliff quickly and were still close behind.

Finally, the magpies turned right, back onto the mainland. The mare followed them into the thick forest, and the army pursued Snow White through the trees.

She recognized the land from her childhood. They were just outside one of the villages. She’d sat in parades with her parents, moving through the small towns in their open carriage, waving to the village children. Everyone in the settlement had awaited the royal family. They’d worn their finest clothes and strewn flower petals over the dirt road. But as she
approached the village, Snow White hardly recognized it. Most of the houses were burnt piles of rubble. Others were boarded up. The old well in the center of the village was sealed shut.

The mare kept up the pace, flying past the charred schoolhouse. At the end of the dirt path, a few children emerged from a thatched home. There were gaping holes in the roof. Snow White slapped the horse’s side, but the animal refused to stop. As the children came closer, she could see why. There was panic in their eyes. They were all so thin, like walking skeletons. One had a bloody nose. Another was so frail, he could barely stand. They moved slowly, staring at the horse with a strange curiosity.

Snow White took off into the forest ahead of her, but as the mare continued on, there were fewer and fewer trees to provide cover. She was exposed, riding through a barren field. Rotting stumps filled a clearing that had once been lush with trees. The grass was scorched black. Everywhere, there was death and destruction. The kingdom was a mere shadow of what it once was.

She kept her eyes on the two birds in front of her as they crested a hill. Beyond the steep incline was a wall of ancient trees, their trunks nearly seven feet wide. Snow White swallowed hard. She’d heard of the Dark Forest as a child. Her mother used to tell her stories of the magic the forest contained—plants that would coil around your legs, strange creatures that haunted the undergrowth, and quicksand that could swallow you whole. No one went into the Dark Forest and came out alive.

Snow White looked back. Finn’s army was coming up the hill. Within minutes, they’d be upon her. She urged the mare forward. The horse hesitated, uncertain of the giant trees before them. The forest was surrounded by a dense cloud of fog that oozed out between tree trunks. She couldn’t see five feet in front of her. “Come on,” Snow White whispered, rubbing the mare’s neck.

They started into the forest, the mist encircling them. The magpies had disappeared in the thick white cloud. She glanced up at the tree branches. Strange birds called out from above, their guttural shrieks sending shivers down her back. The mare moved slowly into the forest, just a few steps at a time. Snow White let out a deep breath, her hands shaking. The sounds of Finn’s men faded into the background. She could hear only the Dark Forest and all its terrible noises.

The mare took one step forward, then another, and then the ground gave way beneath her. She reared back, sending Snow White tumbling off. Snow White hit the ground hard and gasped to get air back into her lungs. When she looked up, the white mare had disappeared back through the mist.

She lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath. The ground was soggy beneath her. The thick moss crept over her fingers, as if it were trying to swallow them. A few feet away, she could hear the squishy footsteps as the men made their way through the forest.

She stood and started away from them, unable to see even the ground beneath her feet. The white cloud enveloped her. She looked back and briefly saw the silhouette of a man. She
ran faster, trying to get away from Finn’s army. She kept going, her breathing ragged and hoarse, until her toe caught under a giant tree root that sent her hurtling through the air. She landed with a thud in a patch of orange and red mushrooms.

A puff of pollen rose up around her. The sticky yellow powder settled on every inch of her body. She knew in an instant that something was terribly wrong. Her head felt light. Her vision blurred. She stood, trying to get away, but the Dark Forest appeared even stranger than it had before. The trees looked like hooded figures, menacing and black, waiting to take her back to the castle. “You shouldn’t have left, my dear,” one hissed, its branch snaking out to stroke her cheek.

Another hobbled toward her, lifting its giant roots with great effort. “Look what we have here. A princess.” It bent forward. Snow White stared into its dark face, the bark marked by an axe.

“Get away from me,” she muttered. Her mouth was filled with the sick yellow pollen. She felt it on her tongue. “Leave me alone.”

But the forest was closing in. Black bats circled above. She could see their fangs as they flew in front of her. Their mouths were covered with blood.

“Please, no …” she cried as they swooped down, chasing her deeper into the dense wood. “Stay away from me.” But she was too dizzy. Her body felt like it was weighed down with stones. She struggled to keep her eyes open as she moved forward, away from Finn’s men. But within seconds, she fell, the magic pollen sending her into a strange, heavy sleep.

R
avenna circled the mirror chamber over and over, dragging her fingernails against the stone walls. Her chain gauntlet bracelets rattled. The skin around her nails was pink and bloody, but she didn’t care. She could think only of Snow White. The girl was off somewhere, outside the castle walls, her heart still beating inside her chest. She was still alive.

Ravenna had lost her chance. So many years locked up in that tower, but now Snow White was gone. Ravenna wondered why she had not seen it before. Those bloodred lips, that flawless fair skin. Hair black as night. Her natural beauty had always been there, just waiting to be consumed. But now it was too late.

There was a faint knock. The door opened, and Finn peered inside, his face raw from where Snow White had slashed him. Ravenna turned on him in a rage and swirled around to attack, her fists landing hard against his chest.

“You swore to protect me!” she yelled, each word filled with pain. “Do you not understand what the girl means to us? This is my future. This is my
everything
.”

Ravenna could barely breathe. She felt the walls closing in on her. She would be stuck like this forever, her powers vulnerable, as long as Snow White was free.

“I told you,” Finn spoke quietly, as if nothing were amiss, cupping her hands in his own. “She was chased into the Dark Forest. She’s probably already dead.”

Ravenna shook her head. It was Finn’s fault—her own brother! He had done this to her. There was no loyalty even inside the castle walls. There was no one she could trust. This girl, so young, so fragile, had escaped using only a nail.

Had he
let
her go? Had he given up too easily, knowing that his failure would mean her freedom? He had spent so many mornings up there, studying her, watching her sleep.
I knew it
, Ravenna thought, her grip tightening around his hands.
Somewhere inside him, he loves her.

“She’s no good to me there, lost,” she growled. “I have no powers in the Dark Forest. I must have her heart.” She landed her fist on his chest once more, satisfied when he winced in pain.

She went to hit him again, but he grabbed her hand. “Have I not given everything to you?” he asked. His gray eyes stared at her, as if to remind her of all the orders he’d carried out in the past—the citizens he’d imprisoned and murdered, and all the young girls he’d brought to the castle for her consumption.

Ravenna pulled her hand away. “Have
I
not given everything to
you
?” she hissed, reminding him of their bond.
“Everything?”
She stayed strong and powerful for him. Without her magic, the opposition would’ve already taken the castle. They would have both been killed.

They stayed like that for a moment, glaring at each other, until she reached out and touched his cheek. She ran her thumb over the open wound. It closed beneath her touch, the blood disappearing, the skin healing with her magic. When she removed her hand from Finn’s face, it was just as it had been before. His skin was taut. There were no wrinkles. There wasn’t even a scar.

He ran his fingers over the place where the wound had been. “I won’t fail you again,” he whispered, bowing his head in reverence. “I have brought you someone who knows the Dark Forest well. A man who can hunt her, should she have survived.”