Mirror, Mirr- A Twisted Tale (Disney Twisted Tales) - Jen Calonita Page 0,46

The air was still. The quiet made every sound seem magnified, every crunch of dead leaves beneath their feet echoing in the darkness. Snow concentrated hard to make out the shadows in front of her. It was hard as the fog thickened. Every dead tree looked the same—mangled and gnarled, like its limbs were trying to grab them. She reminded herself it was only her imagination playing tricks on her.

“Anything?” Grumpy pressed.

“Not yet,” Snow admitted. There had been a tree that looked like it was screaming at her, had there not? She was sure she had seen it. But could that have been in her head like so much else that had happened in these parts? Had she led them into this awful place for nothing?

Snap! Everyone turned sharply at the crackling sound. Snow listened closely; she could swear she heard a familiar birdcall.

“What was that?” Doc shouted.

“It’s a ghost!” Sleepy cried.

Snow felt Doc’s hand slip from her grasp in his panic. There was shouting, and she heard a few cries. Snow tried to talk over them.

“It’s an owl!” she tried to assure the men, surprised she was remaining so calm. But she recognized that call. She and her mother had studied nocturnal birds as well. “There’s nothing to be afraid of! It’s just an—”

“No!” she heard Happy cry, and she whirled around. “No! Retreat! Retreat!”

She heard screaming and the rushing of sudden footsteps. The men’s voices sounded far away. What was happening?

“We’re not alone!” Grumpy shouted. “Run, Snow! Run!”

Snow froze. She had heard those words before—from the huntsman. Had he come back to finish her off? Was he going to hurt her new friends?

“Turn back, Snow! Run and don’t stop!” Doc yelled.

No. She wouldn’t run away. Not anymore. “No!” Snow cried. “I won’t let him hurt you!” She ran toward the commotion, deeper into the fog and the blackness, and seconds later, she crashed into someone larger than she. She fell to her knees on impact and quickly struggled to get back up. Feeling the dirt beneath her fingernails, she searched for anything she could use to defend herself and the others. Her hand closed around a large stick and she jumped up and swung the stick in the air. She heard it connect with a body.

“Oof!”

It was a male voice. It had to be the huntsman coming for her. She didn’t want to hurt him—he had spared her life once—but she would have to scare him off if she couldn’t reason with him.

“Leave now and you will be spared, huntsman!” she announced, but even as she said it, she knew the words sounded silly.

“Huntsman?” Grumpy repeated, from somewhere in the darkness. “Men, it’s the man who tried to kill the princess! Get him!”

Snow swung the stick wildly and hit her attacker again. She heard him start to cough and the sound of the leaves as he fell to the ground. “Go now and you will not be harmed!” she said again, stepping forward. But her foot slid on wet leaves and she felt herself begin to slip again. She hit the ground hard this time and started to roll, smashing right into him. Her hand was still firmly gripping the branch. She picked it up, fully prepared to use it again, when a sliver of light fell through the trees into the darkness.

“Stop! Please!” she heard him say as he breathed heavily. “I am no huntsman!”

“Snow!” Happy reached down and pulled her up. “Are you all right?”

“Tie up the huntsman,” Grumpy demanded. “We will leave him here for the woods to do away with.”

“Wait!” Snow said, but the dwarfs held her back.

“Wait!” echoed the man, but his voice sounded different now that the threat was over. “Please! I know not who you speak of.” He coughed hard. “I mean no harm. I got lost in the woods. This place is odd. I’m not myself, but time was of the essence . . .” he mumbled. “I’m looking for someone. Please help me.”

That voice. It sounded familiar. It was warm. Where had she heard it before? Curious, Snow leaned down to get a closer look before the men could stop her. She removed the attacker’s cap and dropped it in surprise. “Henri?”

He tried to sit up fast, but fell back. He ran a hand through his brown hair and blinked twice at her in surprise. “Snow White?”

“You know him?” Grumpy kept a long stick trained on him.

“Yes!” Snow said happily. She couldn’t believe she was seeing the prince again,