Mirror, Mirr- A Twisted Tale (Disney Twisted Tales) - Jen Calonita Page 0,45

get out. I’ve heard men talk of an elixir found in the sap of a tree in the Haunted Woods that can change a person’s shape. Make you small or big. A bird or an ox. Whatever you need to be to get out of that hole.”

“A tree?” Grumpy repeated wryly. “The woods have lots of trees!”

Bashful leaned back. “This one is said to have a face, and it looks like it’s howling.”

Snow shut her eyes tight as a not-so-different memory sprang up. “I’ve seen a tree like that.” She opened her eyes and her heartbeat steadied at the sight of the men. “I wandered through those Haunted Woods. After I ran from the huntsman, that’s where I wound up. It was dreadful.” She shuddered. “I felt like I’d never see the sun again.”

Just the idea of going back in there made her blood run cold. The thoughts that had run through her head, the images she had seen in her mind, the feeling of utter loneliness that had almost consumed her—it was all too much. She wondered if that was part of the tree’s power.

“You were alone,” Grumpy said, his voice softer. “This time you won’t be.”

“Spirits can’t get you when you have company,” Happy said knowingly. The others nodded.

She didn’t know if that was true, but the words gave her comfort. She exhaled deeply. Grumpy might be right in that they needed some sort of magic. She wouldn’t want the subjects she met with to be led into battle without protection. They were fighting for themselves, but they were also fighting for her. “All right. I’ll go back to the Haunted Woods. And we will find that tree.”

The dwarfs had the next day off from the mines, and they wasted no time setting out for the woods. They walked most of the way in silence—something Snow knew all too well, but on this particular morning she didn’t much feel like talking anyway. She was too nervous. Where would her mind lead her when she was back in that awful place? Hush now! she told her restless thoughts, steadying her heart and her hands. This time, she wouldn’t let it consume her. I will be brave.

She knew they had reached the edge of the Haunted Woods when she saw the fog seeping out of the forest. Up ahead, the foliage had turned from green to black and the grass near the edges of the woods was devoid of color. A bird made a lonely cry, seemingly begging them to avoid the darkness. Instead, they walked forward together.

“Don’t trust most things. Just the thoughts inside your own head,” Grumpy said, sensing her anxiousness.

A raven flew overhead and the men stopped. The same bird had been at their window earlier. This had to be a bad omen. Snow felt like an hourglass was marking her time before the Evil Queen found them—and she could sense the sand was dwindling.

Grumpy looked up at the bird. “And even then, maybe don’t trust the creatures in there, either.”

“Okay,” Snow said, stepping into the tree line. The sunlight and warmth on her face vanished almost immediately.

Inside, where shadows reigned, the air was colder, and a breeze prickled the back of her neck. As she let her eyes adjust to the light, she heard the familiar whispers from her last visit. She refused to allow herself to decipher what they were saying. Instead, she concentrated on her steps. Ahead of her, she saw the clearing she had run through on her way out of the forest. Beyond it, she knew, were the bleak lake, the trees that had seemingly pulled at her cloak and her dress, and the deep darkness. That’s where the tree had been. She was sure of it. “It’s that way,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

“It’s dark in there,” Bashful whispered.

“So?” Sneezy asked. “You work in a mine. You should be used to the dark.”

“But the spirits,” Sleepy said, looking more somber than usual.

“Spirits?” Doc said. “That’s probably just a rumor the queen made up to keep people away from the howling tree. A tree that powerful needs protection; what better place than a supposedly haunted wood?”

Doc made a good point. Even still . . . Snow held out her hand. “It is quite dark,” she said. “Stay close to avoid being separated.”

“We will form a chain,” Grumpy said, ready as ever to take charge. “Come on, men!”

“Follow me,” Snow said firmly as she led them into the blackness ahead.