They looked so strange with their telltale red hidden away, and a part of her hated having to hide their colors. “Because she used to ride with the Wolves. She and her man were part of the ambush that killed Grandma.”
Grandma had founded the Red Hoods to rescue young women and raise hell, not necessarily in that order. But their rivalry with the Wolves had destroyed both gangs.
“That’s why you wanted to save me?” asked Snow. “To pay her back?”
“No,” Stepmama said firmly. “Pissing off the queen was just the shine on the apple.”
“Ugh. Please don’t talk to me about applies.” Snow grimaced. “If not to slight my mother, why risk your life to rescue a stranger?”
Stepmama cursed at the sight of mounted guards at the end of the street. She urged Nana through an alley that led toward the shipping warehouses. “A long time ago, Grandma rescued me. She gave me the chance to have my own life. But I wasn’t there to save hers. That means the only way for me to pay her back is to pay it forward.”
Ash scowled. “Why didn’t you tell us about the queen?”
“Because you’d run off like a damn fool to attack her in her own castle, and like as not get killed for your trouble,” Stepmama snapped.
Ash opened her mouth to respond, paused, and then said, “I suppose that’s true enough.”
“It was a nice thought,” Legs said as another guard cut across the alley ahead of them. “Though I’d have preferred the suicidal attack on the castle to being hunted and killed like crabs in the sand.”
Stepmama took a long, slow breath. “This is personal between me and the queen. I’ll lead her men away while you take Snow—”
“Nope.”
Stepmama turned to Ash. “Are you challenging me?”
“No,” said Goldie, before Ash could answer. “We’re helping you. The thing about rescuing someone is it can be hard to stop. We don’t need to be rescued anymore. Grandma gave you the chance to choose your own life. You did that for us. You don’t get to take that choice away now.”
It was the most she’d ever heard Goldie say, and Stepmama found herself without an answer.
“After Roland’s failure, my mother will have come along to make sure there are no further mistakes,” said Snow. “She won’t risk herself, though. She’ll probably be waiting with her guards outside of town.”
“Easier than taking on an entire castle,” said Ash.
Legs gave an exaggerated nod. She still had trouble with that gesture. “I say we take her prisoner, lock her feet in shoes of red-hot iron, and force her to dance until she dies.”
Snow stared at the former mermaid. “What is wrong with you?”
“All right.” Stepmama reached down to pull her cape and helm from her saddlebag. If they were going to do this, she’d do it properly dressed, by God. “Let’s not keep the queen waiting.”
Despite her misgivings, Stepmama found herself enjoying the chase. She and Nana hadn’t galloped together like this in a long time. Hooves thundered against the cobblestones, and Stepmama’s cape flapped behind her.
“They’re herding us like sheep,” said Snow, as a group of guards moved to cut them off.
Stepmama guided Nana with her legs.
“Not that lane!” shouted Ash. “It’s too narrow. Good place for an ambush.”
“I wasn’t going for the lane.” Stepmama urged Nana into the open doorway of the Golden Goose Tavern. There weren’t too many patrons this early in the evening, and she managed to squeeze past the bar, through the kitchen, and out the back door. Goldie had a bit of trouble following, but that was mostly because she stopped to snatch a pastry from the kitchen.
Nana was getting winded. She couldn’t keep this up much longer, but they were so close to the edge of town, and once they reached the fields and forest beyond, they could—
“Oh, whaleshit,” said Legs. At least ten guards armed with crossbows blocked the road ahead.
“Stick to the plan,” said Stepmama.
Legs and Triton galloped ahead, charging the massed guards. They raised their weapons, but before they could shoot, she began to bellow a chantey about a pirate captain with a crooked mast. Not the song Stepmama would have chosen, but it didn’t matter. The song of a mermaid had lured many a ship to its doom. It stunned the guards long enough for Legs to break through their line, and then they were wheeling around to chase after her, their orders forgotten.
All but two. In any group of men, there were bound to be