Charm Read Online Free PDF Page B

a gap in the wall of a house, eavesdropping in the warm for a while and, as well as stealing a few breadcrumbs from the floor, he learned what had passed.
    The king had died in battle. His body had not yet been returned home.
    It did not come as a surprise to the mouse. Kings liked battles and brave kings often got in the midst of them. And in the midst of every battle sat death, making his camp in the melee and gorging on life until his hunger was sated. All life was equal. Kings died as easily as other men.
    So now the queen and her magic were in charge, and although the woman who chattered as she sewed seemed convinced that the winter storm was just the icy queen’s expression of grief for her lost husband and vanished step-daughter, the mouse thought that perhaps the rest of the city was not so kind in its judgements. They thought perhaps, as could be seen in the nervous glances up at the ravens, that the queen was not so sad her husband would no longer be returning to her bed. That the queen had what she’d always wanted; a kingdom of her own. None of the nobles would challenge her rule, even though, by the laws of the land, they had every right to. Magic and bitterness could be a terrifying combination. Kings might die in battles but politicians chose theirs more wisely. This second wife was not to be challenged lightly.
    She didn’t see him for a while. She was lost in her reverie, her knees pulled up under her chin, curled up in the single throne at the centre of the tower. Around her the life of the city so far below played out in the mirrors, the bewitched ravens’ eyes showing her everything they saw. She wasn’t looking though. Her beautiful face was dark and drawn and lost in places that belonged only to her.
    He squeaked.
    She jumped.
    She swore under her breath, a crude word entirely out of place in one so high in society, and raised her hand. Sparks glittered at her fingertips and then she paused and frowned, leaning forward to take a closer look. He stood up on his hind legs as she loomed over him, her pale face an enormous moon against the black night of the walls that were fractured with red lightning. There were fresh lines around her eyes and her cheekbones were sharper. But then, he thought, and if a mouse could smile he would have, they’d both changed since he’d taken her on this cool marble floor.
    She stared at him for quite a while and he stared back. He was banking on her curiosity getting the better of her, rather than destroying him at her feet. His future happiness as well as his life depended on it. Finally, her fingers sparkled again and a tinkling sound filled the air as the glittering light coated him with its warmth, and the world shimmered and shook and trembled and so did his insides.
    He was a man again.
    He was also dressed, which came as something of a relief. For a moment he felt quite dizzy, strange to be tall in the world after such a long time, and there was a strange sensation in his gut which let him know he wasn’t free of her curse but had only a temporary reprieve.
    He did not waste time flirting with her. Whatever moment of lust they had once shared was long gone for both of them. Instead, she poured two glasses of wine and they sat on cushions on the floor and talked long into the night. Finally a pact was made, an agreement of sorts, and she told him how his curse could be lifted. It was the way of all curses and it came as no surprise. Until then, however, she would half-lift it so they could help each other. As deals went, it could have been worse.
    It was only when morning came and he was a mouse again did he wish he’d thought to go back down all the stairs before the change had been once again upon him.
     
    I t was a long two weeks between the announcement and the commencement of the Bride Ball, and throughout the city there was an air of excitement, even among the common people who would never in their lifetimes get through the castle gates. All day long