The Snow Queen's Shadow (32 page)

“So what’s the threat?” Gerta asked, slipping her hand into Talia’s. Talia appeared a little self-conscious, but didn’t pull away.

“Have you heard the tale of the girl with no hands?” Danielle asked.

“From Najarin, right?” Talia pursed her lips. “Her father made a deal with a devil. He cut off his daughter’s hands, and in exchange the devil rewarded him with tremendous wealth. The story says she eventually replaced her lost hands with hands of silver, and went on to marry a minor king.”

“That’s the story, yes.”

“You’ve heard otherwise?” asked Gerta.

“Rumors only, so far. A woman with silver hands was seen in the southern isles off the coast of Lorindar. Five people have been found dead. Four men and one woman, all wealthy.”

Gerta’s lips pursed. “Her father mutilated her for gold.”

“So now she punishes the rich,” Talia guessed.

“For their greed.” Danielle pulled out the note she had received. “I’ve spoken with Najarin. The girl’s father was her first victim. She killed thirteen other people before fleeing.”

Talia whistled softly.

“A mermaid named Nallinix claims to have witnessed the last murder. She says the woman’s hands absorbed magic, reflecting it back at her caster. A single blow from her silver fists was enough to crush bones. So be careful.”

“Define careful,” Talia said.

Danielle smiled. “It means you do whatever it takes to return home safely. That’s an order from your queen.”

“Not my queen,” said Gerta. “I’m Allesandrian, remember? I don’t recall swearing fealty to Lorindar.”

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever swore an oath to our new queen, either,” said Talia.

“You leave in the morning.” Danielle gave Talia a mock glare. “Don’t keep Gerta up too late. Some of us need our sleep.”

Gerta tugged Talia closer. “Sleep is overrated.”

The setting sun made it difficult to be certain, but she could have sworn Talia actually blushed.

Danielle turned her head, hiding her smile. “Good night, my friends.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I
REMEMBER SITTING IN A RESTAURANT with my friend Trey and his wife Adelia back in 2004. It was the last day of Windycon, a Chicago SF/F convention, and I was babbling on and on about this nifty new idea I had for a different kind of fairy-tale retelling.

It was my daughter’s fault. She was going through a princess phase, and our house had been taken over by princess-themed movies and merchandise. I wanted to provide an alternate take on fairy-tale princesses, one that went back to the older source material while putting the princesses squarely in charge of their own stories. And I wanted it to be fun. Sort of a Brothers Grimm meets
Last Action Hero
thing.

A lot has changed since I first started playing with these ideas. The first version of Snow White’s character was blind, relying on her mirrors to see. (I’ve posted a deleted scene with her at
www.jimchines.com
.) She went by the name of Lina in that first book, which was originally titled
The Stepsister Plot
, and then
The Stepsister Conspiracy
. She and her companions rode unicorns across Fairytown, which led Lina to make all manner of off-color remarks about virgins. And then I started planning book two,
The Mermaid Mysteries . . .

Snow Queen
was the book that gave me the most title trouble. My editor rejected more titles than I can count, including
The Snow Queen’s Scourge
,
Shards of the Snow Queen
, and
Godzilla vs. The Snow Queen
. I finally went to my blog and begged my readers for help. Huge thanks to Arlene Medder and Lara (a.k.a. Miladygray the Internet Muse), who both suggested what would become the final title for the book.

Snow Queen
was challenging in other ways, too. It’s one thing to finish a book, but this time I needed to bring closure to an entire series. How the heck do you end a series that’s all about what happens
after
the “happily ever after”?

I blame Talia. Back in ’04, I was planning to write a more episodic series, something like James Bond for the Fairy-Tale Princess set, which would allow me to write book after book, make millions of dollars, and buy Hawaii. There would be no multi-book arcs, and no need to write a true end to the series. Then Talia had to go and fall in love, and I realized I couldn’t just leave her hanging. Either the relationship needed to go somewhere, or else Talia needed to move on. And it wasn’t just Talia; all three of my protagonists had to grow and change. Suddenly I wasn’t just writing episodes, but larger character arcs and stories.

Ultimately, I believe that made the series stronger (even if I didn’t get to buy Hawaii). I’m proud of these books. I love the characters. I love their stories. I love their strengths and their flaws. I love their struggles. And I’ve done my best to be true to the characters and their stories, and to find the endings that felt honest for each of them . . . even when that was hard to do.

Especially when it was hard. My beta readers told me they got choked up while reading the final few chapters of this book. Well, good! Because I had the same problem while writing them, and I’d hate to be the only one.

Thank you to everyone who has read these books. Thank you for joining me for these stories. Thank you for your letters and your e-mails. It makes my day to hear from someone who loved one of my books, to know that something I wrote connected and resonated with that person. Thanks also to everyone who told their friends about the series, or posted reviews. The bottom line is that without all of you, I’d have no writing career. And I really, really like my career!

As long as I’m thanking people, I have to give a shout-out to
www.surlalunefairytales.com
. This is a wonderful resource, and includes annotations and research information for a ton of fairy tales. I’ve used them a great many times over the past six years.

Thanks also to Sheila Gilbert, Debra Euler, and everyone else at DAW Books. To my agent Joshua Bilmes. To my friends and fellow authors Stephanie Burgis and Seanan McGuire, who read a draft of
Snow Queen
and helped me pound it into shape. To my cover artist Scott Fischer. To my family, who put up with me and the emotional roller coaster that is my writing process.

One thing I’ve learned from this series is that the line between ending and beginning is a thin one. I hope you enjoyed the final (at least for now) book in the Princess series. If you need me, I’ll be in my office beginning the first book of the
Magic ex Libris
series. That book is tentatively titled
Libriomancer.
What will it be called when it comes out in 2012? Your guess is as good as mine . . .

—Jim C. Hines

Once upon a time...

Cinderella, whose real name is Danielle
Whiteshore, did marry Prince Armand.
And their wedding was a dream come true.

But not long after the “happily ever after,”
Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte,
who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon.
And though Talia the martial arts master—
otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty—
comes to the rescue, Charlotte gets away.

That’s when Danielle discovers a number of disturbing facts: Armand has been kidnapped; Danielle is pregnant; and the Queen has her own Secret Service that consists of Talia and Snow (White, of course). Snow is an expert at mirror magic and heavy-duty flirting. Can the princesses track down Armand and rescue him from the clutches of some of Fantasyland’s most nefarious villains?

The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines

978-0-7564-0532-8

“Do we look like we need to be rescued?”

DAW 130

There is an old story...

...you might have heard it—about a young mermaid, the daughter of a king, who saved the life of a human prince and fell in love.

So innocent was her love, so pure her devotion, that she would pay any price for the chance to be with her prince. She gave up her voice, her family, and the sea, and became human. But the prince had fallen in love with another woman.

The tales say the little mermaid sacrificed her own life so that her beloved prince could find happiness with his bride.

The tales lie.

Danielle, Talia, and Snow from
The Stepsister Scheme
return in

The Mermaid’s Madness
by Jim
C.
Hines

978-0-7564-0583-0

“Do we look like we need to be rescued?”

DAW 109

Roudette’s story was simple
.

A red cape. A wolf. A hunter.

Her mother told her she would be safe, so long as she kept to the path. But sometimes the path leads to dark places. Roudette is the hunter now, an assassin known throughout the world as the Lady of the Red Hood. Her mission will take her to Arathea and an ancient fairy threat. At the heart of the conflict betwen humans and fairies stands the woman Roudette has been hired to kill, the only human ever to have fought the Lady of the Red Hood and survived: the princess known as Sleeping Beauty.

Danielle, Talia, and Snow from
The Stepsister Scheme
return in
Red Hood’s Revenge
by Jim C. Hines
978-0-7564-0608-0

“Do we look like we need to be rescued?”

DAW 179

Jim Hines

The Jig the Goblin series

“Clever satire… Reminiscent of Terry Pratchett and Robert Asprin at their best.”

—
Romantic Times

“If you’ve always kinda rooted for the little guy, even maybe had a bit of a place in your heart for Gollum, rather than the Boromirs and Gandalfs of the world, pick up Goblin Quest.”

—
The SF Site

“This exciting adult fairy tale is filled with adventure and action, but the keys to the fantasy are Jig and the belief that the mythological creatures are real in the realm of Jim C. Hines.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“A rollicking ride, enjoyable from beginning to end… Jim Hines has just become one of my must-read authors.”—Julie E. Czerneda

GOBLIN QUEST

978-07564-0400-0

GOBLIN HERO

978-07564-0442-0

GOBLIN WAR

978-07564-0493-2

To Order Call: 1-800-788-6262
www.dawbooks.com

DAW 100

Celia Jerome

The
Willow Tate
Novels

“Readers will love the first Willow Tate book. Willow is funny, brave and open to possibilities most people would not have even considered as she meets her perfect foil in Thaddeus Grant, a British agent assigned to look over the strange occurrences following Willow like a shadow. Together they make a wonderful pair and readers will love their unconventional courtship.”

—
RT Book Review

TROLLS IN THE
HAMPTONS
978-0-7564-0630-1

NIGHT MARES IN
THE HAMPTONS
978-0-7564-0663-9

To Order Call: 1-800-788-6262
www.dawbooks.com

DAW 170