Page 54 of Once Upon a Midnight Clear

At the edge of the bridge, he paused to take in a deep breath. He peered into the darkness but saw nothing and no one and hoped that was a good sign. As he stepped out onto the bridge, he stole a glance upward where he left Ella. She was well concealed there.

Good. He didn’t want her to get captured.

He scurried across the bridge heading for the walkway but all the time thinking of kissing Ella. He should not have kissed her, but she was hard to resist with the worry in her eyes.

On the ship, when they were crossing, she had looked so sad when she spoke about her stepmother and stepsisters. As if going home really wasn’t an option. It sent a pang of concern through him. How could he send her back knowing she would be unhappy?

He would think about that later as he focused on crossing the bridge. He made it to the other side in record time, his breath see-sawing in and out and his lungs burning from the exertion in the frigid night air. He slipped through the opening in the wall, then pressed his back against it, glancing left and right.

Torches lined the wall every few feet, leaving puddles of light. Though he hadn’t shared it with Ella, his idea was to find a couple of guards he could knock out and steal their overcoats, thereby allowing them to slip inside the fortress unnoticed. So far, no one had presented themselves as a potential victim.

He headed down the length of the wall to the left. In the distance, the walkway curved around the fortress and there were no doors visible. He hurried down he wall, his footsteps light as he approached the first torch. Ahead, a guard rounded the corner.

He pressed his back against the wall, remaining in the shadows and hoping he remained unnoticed. As the guard neared, he sized him up, hoping he was at least as tall as he was. The man wore a helm that concealed most of his face, full plate armor, a sword swinging by this side, and an overcoat with the sigil of the dark queen—a crow in flight.

Nicholas reached into the pocket of his cloak, pulling out a small corked vial. He had stashed it there before they left the castle, hoping it would come in handy. He thumbed the cork off as the guard neared and when he passed, Nicholas tossed the contents on the man.

A shimmering cloud landed on him, making him halt. He paused long enough to turn around and see Nicholas there in the shadows. As he reached for his sword, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, landing with a muffled thud. He stuck the empty vial back in his pocket.

The sleeping powder would only work for a certain amount of time, so he had to hurry. He bent down and stripped the cloak off the guard, then wrapped it around his shoulders. It took some doing, but he managed to move the man’s lifeless body to a sitting position up against the wall. Anyone passing by would assume he was sleeping on the job or passed out drunk.

Now, he had to find a suitable disguise for Ella.

Or did he?

Perhaps he could talk Ella into pretending to be his prisoner as he led her through the fortress to find Ingrid. None of the other guards would question him. And if they did, he’d tell them he was leading her to the queen.

“Hello, dear.”

His mother’s voice startled him out of his contemplation and he whirled to face her. She looked like the picture of Christmas standing there in her red gown trimmed in white fur with matching cloak. The hood was up, framing her face and hiding her shimmering silver hair as her bright blue eyes fixed him in disapproval.

“Mother? What are you doing here?”

“I think the more important question is what areyoudoing here?” She propped her gloved hands on her waist as she looked him over with a critical eye. “And why are you wearingthat?”

He took her by the arm and led her away from the sleeping guard but she craned her neck to look back at him.

“What have you done?” she asked.

“Don’t worry. He’s not dead. Just sleeping.”

“You used the sleeping powder on him?” she asked.

He nodded as they came to a halt near the exit leading back to the bridge.

“Malvina kidnapped one of the girls from the village,” he said. “We’re here to rescue her.”

“We?” She looked around as though looking for someone else.

“Me and Ella.”

“You brought Ella here?” She peered at him in astonished shock. She dropped her voice to a rough whisper. “Does she still have the slippers?”

“Yes.”

“Nicholas!” This time she didn’t bother to keep her voice down. “After all the trouble I went through keeping them out of Malvina’s hands and you bring them right to her.”

“Well, Mother, what can I say. She wouldn’t leave them behind at the castle.” A hint of guilt laced his words as he ran his hand through his hair, unable to meet her gaze.

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