Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales) Read Online Free PDF

your invitation?”
    “Of course I haven’t,” I snapped at him. “My father received the invitation. Don’t be dim.”
    “Your father?”
    “Lord Tremaine of Bradenshire,” I said, remembering the name of a man blessed with an astounding amount of children. At last count, he was at a whopping seventeen sons and daughters. “Are you about done questioning me, or shall I find my way on my own and have you reprimanded by your captain for delaying me?”
    He straightened and gave a nod, turning back the way he came. “If you follow this path until the second right turn, then follow that to the third left, that will lead you straight out.”
    I sniffed and brushed off the front of my skirt again, not so much as thanking him for his assistance.
    “Have a pleasant evening, M’lady,” he called after me, but I didn’t stop to return the sentiment. Really, I greatly disliked being so rude, but being polite or cordial would cast suspicion on me instantly. Better to insult him a bit and save my skin, than spare his feelings and wind up in a cell.
    My nerve faltered as the sounds of the ball finally reached me. Laughter and music carried into the garden and my steps slowed. Checking for any other people about, I touched the gem around my neck.
    A shimmer passed over me as the magic took effect. A quick glance told me it worked as well as my godmother said, and I emerged from the maze and crept up the stone steps to the veranda overlooking the garden. Not one of the amorous couples dotting the dark corners so much as glanced at me, and the guards posted inside the wide doorway kept their eyes straight ahead.
    Disregarding the astounding display of wealth drenching every guest and buffet table for the moment, I looked for an unoccupied corner to take up residence in until I had a better handle on the situation. I slowly dodged and weaved my way across the dance floor, nearly missing more than one couple engaged in a bouncy reel, then settled myself in beside a table overflowing with delicious-smelling pastries and roasted meats.
    It was then my stomach reminded me of how long it had been since I’d had a full meal.
    Thinking quickly, I calculated I had roughly five minutes of invisibility remaining, but what I didn’t know was if the spell would extend to things I picked up. As a test, I reached for a slice of bread, intending to only lift it an inch or two, lest anyone was looking. The food did disappear, at which point the challenge became how to eat something I couldn’t see. Forgoing all propriety, I stuffed it in my mouth as quickly as possible, then moved down the line to snag small pieces of meat that vanished down my gullet more quickly than they did at my first touch. My eyes rolled back, savoring each buttery morsel. Was this how food tasted when I was younger and treated to such things regularly? How spoiled I must’ve been to have taken it for granted.
    A slight feeling of alarm came over me, a warning sign that the enchantment was about to end. Straightening my appearance as best I could, I stepped away from the table and behind a line of gossiping matrons who shook their heads sadly as they picked at the manners of the younger generations. They didn’t notice me when I rematerialized at their backs. As they seemed not to mind, I remained there, content to scan the crowd and wait for a good moment to slip away.
    A breeze stirred at the back of my neck, and I glanced back to see a smartly dressed servant emerge from a hidden doorway with a tray of flutes filled with a golden liquor. He immediately offered one to me, which I declined, wanting to keep my wits about me, but the chattering ladies were quick to relieve him of a glass each. I was far more interested in the servants’ entrance than the drinks, and decided to watch the flow of traffic to gauge my own timing later.
    A blast of trumpeters silenced the crowd and the musicians, announcing the arrival of the royal family, minus Queen Muriel, of course.