Marissa Holsteins's Arc

Chapter 2 of 10

Marissa pushed her cart through the castle doors. Red and gold banners hung from every window, each marked with a heart. A woman waited in the great hall. She had white hair, a black gown stitched with gold, and a smile too wide. She stepped forward with open arms. "Welcome, dairy maid," the woman said. "I am one of the king's wives. He sent me to bring you to him." Marissa relaxed. "He wants to taste my milk?" "He wants everything you have," the woman said. Her name was Agatha, though she did not give it. She looked young, but her eyes were older than the stone walls. She waved a hand toward a low door. "This way. The king waits below." Marissa followed her down a cold stair. The hall opened into a dungeon. Chains and iron cuffs hung from one wall. A dramatic bed sat in the corner, roses piled at its feet. This was no throne room. "Where is the king?" Marissa asked. Agatha turned. Her smile fell away. She raised both hands and spoke a word Marissa did not know. Purple light snapped from her fingers. Chains flew off the wall and wrapped Marissa's wrists. They pulled tight and held her fast. "No king," Agatha said. "Only me. Your milk buys me this whole kingdom." She dragged Marissa's milking machine across the floor. She fitted the rounded cups and flipped the switch. The machine hummed to life. Marissa pulled at the chains. "Stop! That milk is for the king!" "It is for me now," Agatha said. Cream poured into the glass jar, thick and golden. Agatha laughed and watched it fill. "A thousand years I waited. No cow will slow me now." Steel boots rang on the stair. A red-haired knight burst into the dungeon. Her chainmail flashed. It was Angelica, the guard who had let Marissa pass at the gate. She drew her sword and pointed it at Agatha. "Step away from her," Angelica said. Agatha spun. "This is no concern of yours, guard." "The king has no wife with white hair," Angelica said. "You are no wife. You are a thief." She swung her blade and cut the machine's hose. Cream splashed across the stone. Agatha shrieked. Angelica lunged. Agatha threw up her hands and vanished in a burst of purple smoke. The chains fell loose. Marissa dropped to her knees, free. Angelica knelt beside her. "Are you hurt?" "No," Marissa said. She rubbed her wrists. "Who was she?" "A witch," Angelica said. "She has fooled the king before. She wanted your milk to buy his throne." She helped Marissa stand. "She will come back. She always does." Marissa looked at the split hose and the spilled cream. Her machine was broken. But she was alive, and she knew her enemy now. She gathered the pieces. "Then take me to the king," she said. "Before she finds another way."