Page 87 of Once Upon True Love's Kiss

“Never,” Snow said on a rasp.

Once again, she placed her palms on the ground. This time, she chanted quickly, bringing the roots deep within the earth to life. The ground split around the queen’s feet. She glanced down, horror on her face, as she tried to stumble back. Her foot landed in one of the cracks, turning over her ankle and she fell. The roots erupted from the ground and wrapped around her, trapping her there.

Slowly, Snow climbed to her feet. Whatever dark magic hit her, it left her weak and bone tired. Or that could be from the effects of her own elemental magic. She made her way to Roderick’s side. The enchanted blade was on the ground in front of him, no longer glowing. She pressed two fingers against his neck. A faint pulse beat there. Thankfully, he was still alive.

Seraphina struggled on the ground against the roots and vines that trapped her. She cried out in frustration, her agitation clear on her face.

Snow moved toward her, standing over her and looking down at her. She pitied the woman who had wanted to be something more than she was—a peasant girl. She’d managed to achieve so much, but at the cost of precious lives.

“It isyou, Seraphina, who will live out the rest of your days in the dungeon ofmycastle. You will never again see the light of day,” Snow said.

A brief flash of panic went over her face as she looked up at her and then she laughed, that deep guttural, menacing laugh.

“You think you have beaten me. You are wrong.”

The queen’s hands were still free. She managed to twist them and then disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving behind the roots and vines resting limply against the cracked ground.

A groan behind her made her turn and drop to her knees next to Roderick. He came to, his eyes fluttering open. She helped him to a sitting position.

“What happened?”

“She got away.”

His gaze landed on the destroyed ground. “You tried to capture her.”

“Tried. Failed. I forgot about her magic.” She helped him to his feet. “Are you all right?”

“I shouldn’t have charged her,” he said. “Her blast of magic was rather painful.”

Whatever she did to him, it hit him harder than when the queen’s magic hit her. “Let’s find the horses and go.”

He nodded, picking up the dagger and sheathing it. But as they searched for the horses, the ground rumbled. A different rumble than when Snow used her elemental magic to manipulate the earth. This was deeper and sounded more like a horde of animals. They both froze. She gripped his hand, moving closer to him.

“What is it?” Her voice was a whisper.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s over with the queen.” He nodded to the distance.

There, she saw a black shadow rolling toward them. She sensed something sinister in that cloud of smoke, making all the hairs on her neck stand at attention. Roderick turned to her, gripping her by the shoulders.

“Run!”

They started to run away from the black cloud, but it was rolling in fast. She stole a glance over her shoulder and realized it was approaching at a rapid pace. They would never outrun it. And there was no place to hide on the flat plain. No trees. No nothing. A choked sob escaped her.

“Roderick—”

He reached for her, wrapping his arm around her just as the cloud overtook them. It was the last thing she remembered before darkness overtook her and then there was nothing at all.

Seraphina stood over the unconscious couple. Roderick’s arm was still wrapped around Snow as though he tried to protect her. They lay sprawled in the middle of the throne room on the cold stone floor.

“Well, aren’t they sweet,” she said, her tone dripping with disdain. “I should have known he wouldn’t be able to kill her. What a weakling.”

She bent and snatched the enchanted blade from the sheath at his waist. The steel glistened in the flickering candlelight of the room. She examined it for a long moment before handing it off to her Captain of the Guard, Erick. Then she noticed a sheath at Snow’s waist, which was similar to his. She removed the dagger. When she held it up, she realized it was the very one she had commissioned from the blacksmith to kill Snow White.

A spurt of rage went through her. She handed that one off to him as well.

“Do what you will with those,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“And what do you want to do with the two of them?” he asked.

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