Snow's Lament by S.E. Babin Read Free Book Online Page B

No mess, nothing obviously out of place. I think these two were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
    Such a senseless loss of life. I wondered if Simeon even knew Naomi was after him. It would be hard not to notice the sun disappearing over the land due to her influence, and gossip spread faster than wildfire. Considering he couldn’t realm travel without the gem, I wagered Simeon was aware of who was on his tail.
    So, why didn’t he do a better job of hiding?
    There was nothing we could do for these two right now. Perhaps later we could ask for Maleficent’s help with the clean up, but for now, we needed to see what happened to the chronicler. I stepped out the door, my Sig at the ready and my eyes open for anything suspicious. Everything was suspicious right now, but I was ready to shoot first and ask questions later if I saw anything moving.
    And so our grim task continued. We went hut to hut, hoping against hope for some signs of life, and were crushed when we came upon the same scene over and over. Everyone in the village had been systematically slaughtered, and so far, there was no sign of Simeon. On the last house, I glanced at Belle, who was looking more and more queasy now.
    “You okay?”
    She swallowed hard. “This the last house?” She gestured at the smallest hut in the village. From the outside, it looked homey and welcoming. God only knew what we would find inside.
    I nodded. If we couldn’t find anything in here, we were not only stuck here until we found Maleficent, we were back at square one. I pushed open the door, my weapon at the ready. This time, the smell of death didn’t greet us, but the smell of fear did.
    The air here was oppressive and humid, and the hut itself was torn apart. The bed and small hay mattress were spread across the area. Lamps lay shattered on the floor. But the most important thing was huddled in the corner, staring out at us from terrified gray eyes.
    I holstered my weapon, held my hands up, and slowly walked toward Simeon.
    “Simeon?”
    He blinked and tightened even further around himself.
    “Snow,” Robin cautioned.
    I held my hand up to silence him and continued to Simeon, my footsteps slow and steady. I couldn’t even imagine the things he’d seen today, so I didn’t want to spook him. When I was within about a foot of him, I crouched low.
    “Hi, Simeon. Long time no see.”
    Simeon was never a large man, but today, he seemed so much smaller. His normally olive skin was at least two shades paler than I remembered and his eyes were red-rimmed from tears of terror I didn’t yet know.
    “You’re—” he licked his lips. “You’re here for the gem, aren’t you?”
    I nodded. “Actually we’re here for you, too. I see you have quite an enemy on your tail.”
    His face crumpled. “She killed everyone.”
    I touched his arm. “I know. Simeon, listen. Do you know where she is now?”
    “Snow,” Robin stepped up to me and crouched down.
    “Not now,” I snapped and turned to glare at him. Anger flashed across his face and his lips thinned.
    Simeon shook his head. “I hid. She tore through the village, killing indiscriminately, and when she couldn’t find me, she left.”
    I searched his face for any hint of untruth, but the only expression was stark fear. It wasn’t like Naomi to give up so easily, though, and now that I was sitting so close, there was something slightly…off about him I couldn’t put my finger on.
    “She kept screaming about finding me and the gem. She was enraged and the screams…” he trailed off, his hands shaking. His gaze met mine and he reached toward my neck. I startled and leaned back only to notice blood all over his hands.
    Before I could pull away, he reached across and yanked the gem off my neck. Red smoke filled the room, obscuring our vision. I scrambled to my feet.
    “No matter how much you grow up, Snow, your tender heart will always get you,” the thing that was not Simeon said.
    I pulled my Sig out, but