Read Red Hood's Revenge for Free Online

I’d be the fairest in the land anymore, though.”
    “Depends on which land.” Anything more Talia might say would only make them both uncomfortable. Instead, she fell back on familiar banter. “Are you going to spend the whole day admiring yourself? We do have a killer to catch, remember?”
    Snow brushed her fingers through her hair, picked at a few white strands, and grimaced.
    “If it bothers you so much, there are dyes—”
    “That’s cheating.” Snow tossed her hair back and flashed a carefree smile. “My mother used them all as she got older. It’s not the same.” She reached over to take Roudette’s note from the box.
    Talia moved closer, hopping up to sit on the edge of the table where she would have a better view.
    Snow touched the note to the glass. “Mirror, mirror, hear my plea. Show the killer Red to me.”
    “Not bad,” said Talia. “The second part was a little forced, but it’s better than some of your other rhymes.”
    “Hush.” Snow stuck out her tongue. Her reflection rippled and faded. Red smoke filled the glass, swirling like bloody fog and obscuring all but a shadow that might have been a woman.
    “Didn’t this happen last time, too?” Talia asked.
    “It’s her cape.” Snow picked up the cup of tea and sipped absently. Her face wrinkled. She whispered a quick spell, and steam began to rise from the mug. “It’s enchanted to deflect magic.”
    “A useful quality for an assassin.”
    Snow took another drink, still frowning at the mirror. The smoke thinned briefly, and for a moment Talia spotted hard-packed earth and pale tree roots. A blur of brown passed through the image.
    “What was that?” Talia asked.
    “I’m not sure.” Snow pressed her fingers to the glass, but the smoke had already obscured whatever it was. “Could have been her shoes, or it could have been a frightened chipmunk.”
    “How close is she to Stone Grove?” Talia grimaced. “Trittibar’s fairy falcon is fast enough to make the trip in an hour. If we had to, we could—”
    “She’s already there.” Snow stared at the mirror. “I can’t see her, but those roots were definitely from Stone Grove.”
    “That’s impossible. Even at a full gallop, she couldn’t have killed Rumpelstilzchen and made it back so quickly.” Talia squinted at the red smoke. “Are you sure your magic is working right?”
    Snow set down the mug and the note and turned to face Talia. “You’re welcome to take a turn if you think you can do better. My mother didn’t exactly leave a book of instructions for this thing. I could spend the rest of my life trying to unravel its secrets.”
    “So if Roudette’s hidden, what about Charlotte?”
    Snow plucked Charlotte’s toe from the box and held it to the mirror. “Mirror tell us what you know. Find the bitch without a toe.”
    “I like that one,” said Talia.
    The red smoke thinned enough to make out Danielle’s stepsister. Tree roots as thick as Talia’s leg snaked past Charlotte’s body. Her arms were bound at the wrists and elbows, and had been secured to the tree roots. Her legs were stretched out, tied at the ankles. A blood-soaked bandage circled her right foot.
    “There’s your proof.” Snow pointed to the smoke that continued to dance and curl at the edge of the image. “Roudette’s with Charlotte, close enough that her cape is interfering with my mirror.” Almost as an afterthought, she added, “She looks awful.”
    “It’s a good look for her.” Charlotte’s pale face was filthy, save where tears had streaked the dirt. The brown curls of her hair were short and knotted. Old scars around her eyes marred her once-smooth beauty. She wore only a torn, filthy gown which hung loosely from her shoulders. Talia leaned closer. “What’s wrong with those trees?”
    Snow massaged the back of her skull. “You really need to spend more time in the library. One of the earliest battles between humans and fairies was fought at Stone Grove. The dryads