Once Upon a Time Read online

  She looked at him and he nodded his head to the right. She nodded as well and he set off in that direction around the outside of the hall, leaving her to take the other. There was something going on right in the centre of the dancefloor, two groups apparently arguing over one girl. Some of Snow’s Enforcers were in there with them, but the situation was on the edge, and one wrong move would turn it into a brawl.

  She slipped between the patrons, aiming for one of the two ringleaders. Tall, ugly, stupid. Just the way I like them. Across from her she could see Adam making his move, a little less restrained, taking a direct path and expecting everyone to get out of his way. Only a few truly idiotic or drunk men decided that the mountain of muscle was worth squaring off against, but a body check from the Beast was not something you got up from quickly.

  The argument was worsening, and the girl in the middle was being pulled violently between the two men, tears streaming down her face as she cried for them to leave her alone. The music was loud enough to all but drown her protests, but Red got a clear look at her, and the look of terror on the girl’s face spurred her on.

  She was a half-step too late, and one of the men threw a wild haymaker at an Enforcer, sending him sprawling. The other one tried to restrain the man, but three of his friends piled in. Distracted, the ringleader let go of the girl, who was quickly dragged into the other group. Enraged at having lost his prize, he yelled something, and the two groups crashed together.

  Beast handles the crowd, I get the girls. They had done it before, though usually under less extreme circumstances. The only saving grace of the situation was that customers were not allowed to bring weapons inside the building under any circumstances. Red snagged one of the girls and pulled her free, shoving her roughly towards one of her friends. The dancefloor was clearing of bystanders as the brawl got underway, which at least gave her some space to work in.

  She got another two girls out before she saw the results of Beast’s handiwork, half a dozen men lying unconscious in a semi-circle on the floor. He was right in the thick of it, making short work of the fighters, leaving her more than enough room to get the rest of the girls out and to safety. Drawing her revolver, she went back in to help him. Snow wouldn’t be happy if she shot someone, but the sight of a gun was sometimes enough to sober someone up.

  The brawl ended as quickly as it had started, Beast seizing one of the leaders and holding him a good foot off the floor, while Red tripped the other and jammed her pistol up under his chin. She became aware that the music had stopped, and looked up to see Snow standing by the bar, holding herself with every inch of regal authority she had ever possessed.

  “Into the street with them,” she declared. “All of them, Lips is closing. We’re not selling tonight.”

  Some of the customers looked like they might complain, but when Beast dropped his patron to the floor and Red stood with her revolver still out at her side they quickly subsided and shuffled out, supervised by the Enforcers. Thank God for our reputation. Red holstered her gun and went over to Beast, who was examining his ripped suit jacket; I don’t think either of us could actually take that many.

  “How long?” She asked.

  “How long what?”

  “How long has it been this bad?”

  “You have to talk to Belle.” He sighed and shrugged out of his jacket. “There’s more going on here than just disgruntled drunkards.”

  ***

  It took a while before Red finally managed to find Belle. First she had been made to stand next to Snow as the patrons were being shown out, then they had needed to clear the girls and send them either to their rooms or the common areas, then she and Adam had swept the building to make sure no one had managed to hide away. Only when Snow was convinced the place was clear did she set the locks and turn out the party lights. In the stark white glare the place looked even less appealing. The grime rose to the surface, along with other less wholesome stains.

  After they were finally done she headed into one of the back rooms and found Belle, who was talking to the girl who had been fought over. “You said we needed to talk.”

  Belle kept her smile in place right up until the door had closed behind the girl, and then her whole body slumped. “It’s getting bad here Red, sit down.”

  They sat, Belle on one of the emerald couches while Red leaned against a gigantic armchair. If I sat in this I’d look like a little girl. It took her a moment to realise that that was precisely the effect Snow had been going for.

  “How long have you been gone?”

  “Nine months, give or take.”

  “Then you’ll have missed it. About six months ago, Charming brought out a new wave of technology, designed to upgrade all systems. The Dreamscape now extends to every Terminal, unless the owner took pains to keep it off the grid.”

  That’s not good. The Dreamscape was the shared network that the computers generated, a way of sharing information at incredible speeds. Red had never trusted it; her various evil magic detectors going off whenever she got near a Terminal was enough reason for her. “So a few more people get plugged in, how does that lead to this?”

  “A month after the upgrade, violence on the streets rose, followed by violence everywhere.” Belle closed her eyes, clearly going back into her memories. “You’ve got no idea how bad it’s been. People are forming into two groups, violent or apathetic. Soon there’ll be anarchy.”

  “So why tell me?”

  “Adam and I can’t do anything. We’re too well known, too well connected. But you’re a freelancer. You can go to places and ask questions we can’t.” Belle leaned forwards and lowered her voice. “I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure, but the Fair Folk have been in contact, and they say that something is returning, something old and cruel.”

  “There’s more you’re not telling me.”

  Belle sighed and brushed hair off her forehead. “It’s Goldie, Red.”

  Just hearing the name was enough. Red slumped back and took a deep breath which hitched in her chest. “Where is she?”

  “She was found out by the Farm. We received a message, but no one knew where you were.” Belle pulled a piece of paper from her dress. “Here’s the message. I’m so sorry, but it’s not good news.”

  Red took the paper and unfolded it. The writing was the scrawl of one of the animals, but she couldn’t quite decipher which one. The message was short and direct: We have the golden haired girl. Send the Red Rider to us or suffer the consequences.

  Red went over the note four times before finally dropping it to the floor, standing and beginning to pace the room. “I’ve never had any problems with the Farm before, why are they asking for me now?”

  Belle shook her head. “I don’t know. If it was just about the trouble Goldie had with them they’d have killed her as soon as she was caught.” She held up a hand before Red could protest. “You know it’s true, the Family aren’t exactly subtle about their desires for her. But instead someone’s convinced them to send a message to you, and may I say it’s a pretty obvious trap.”

  “I noticed that,” Red said dryly. “But traps aren’t things you do on a whim, and not for someone you have no problem with.” She was thinking hard. “Maybe they found out about Goldie and me? But then that still wouldn’t explain why they want me. If they had me they might use me as bait for her, but not the other way round.”

  Belle seemed to be a little hesitant about voicing her next concern. “Could it be something to do with Him?”

  Red flinched and began to pace faster. “No way. Absolutely not. He’s never had a connection to the Farm. Most of them hate Him almost as much as I do.” She stopped and rubbed her head thoughtfully. “But there was that business with Renard a few years ago that got a little out of hand.”

  “You did business with Renard?” Belle raised one elegant eyebrow. “I would have thought that was beneath you.”

  Red shrugged. “You’d be surprised who your bed mates are w
hen you’re in a tight spot. I never thought you’d do business with Snow.”

  “Fair enough.” Belle shifted a little in her chair. “It was Renard who brought us this message.”

  “So apparently you trust him as well.”

  “I wouldn’t say that exactly. He’s able to get into the city without being spotted by Charming or his guards. That’s a useful ability to have these days.”

  There was something in Belle’s voice Red didn’t like the sound of. She had learned a long time ago to spot changes in people’s emotions. “You’re talking about Charming like he’s something to be scared of.”

  “He is. It’s this new technology update. It’s made people more dependent on him than ever. He’s got cameras on every street corner, men in every bar, every brothel, every business. His taxes are so high people can barely avoid to live, so they have to rely on the Dreamscape to keep themselves alive.”

  Red stopped pacing as she took in what Belle was telling her. “What can we do?”

  “Adam and I are going from place to place, trying to keep the peace, but it’s difficult. We’ve been in contact with all our old allies, but the few we can talk to have as many problems as we do, if not more.” Belle rubbed her face and took a breath. “There are few kingdoms left, everyone has been forced into Ateer. The crops are dying across the entire continent, and where the land isn’t barren it’s poison.”

  Red knew the consequences of such devastation. It could easily mean war. “Who’s left?”

  “The Lindwyrm King and his brother are still holding on, but apart from that?” Belle shook her head. “Our swineherd friend gave his people into our care, but we had to abandon our own kingdom anyway.”

  Red snorted. “Of course he gave up his people. They needed him, what else was he going to do but leave?”

  Belle ignored that. “We need to stop Charming, one way or the other.”

  “And how do you suggest we do that?” Red sat again. “Charming has always been better protected than anyone else. His castle is a fortress. And I need to save Goldie anyway.””

  “If Charming can’t be stopped then everyone will suffer.”

  “Why come to me? I wouldn’t come here at all if I had the choice. Why do you think I care at all about this kingdom?”

  “You might not, but I do, and you’re the only person I know strong enough to even stand a chance against Charming.”

  Red shook her head. “And Beast? Luke? Even the Bold Knight would be a better choice than me.”

  Belle glared at her. She didn’t like her husband’s nickname. “Adam is staying right here with me, Luke has enough to worry about with his own kingdom, and the Bold Knight is in the middle of important trade negotiations. He can’t be disturbed.”

  Red sighed. “I can’t just leave her there,” she said, already knowing what she had to do.

  “I didn’t think you could.”

  “Not only will the Family eventually demand their revenge, but I did promise her that I’d be there for her if she needed me.”

  Bowing her head a little, Belle smiled at the floor. “I remember. You two were very sweet together.”

  “That was a long time ago, we haven’t spoken in years.”

  “Well it is rather difficult to get messages to you when you insist on living in squalor in the middle of the woods.” That was about more than her relationship with Goldilocks.

  “I like the woods, I like the squalor, and I like my privacy.” That last part she said rather pointedly. Belle and Adam were better to her than the rest of the leaders floating around Ateer, but there was still the debacle with Puss in Boots and Blackbeard.

  Belle didn’t push the point. “When are you going to the Farm?”

  Red strode to the door, turning back one last time to look at her friend. “Tonight. If I ride hard I can be there before dawn. I’ll need time to plan if I’m going to break her out.”

  “Good luck.”

  ***

  Snow looked positively thrilled when Red informed her that she was going to be leaving as soon as possible, and even happier when informed of the mercenary’s destination.

  “If you do manage to survive, I’d just love to have some of their honey brought back,” she said, following Red back up to her room. “We’ve been running low on our stocks of things that can be drizzled over the girls.”

  Red was quite tempted to punch her, but she decided that speed was the better option here, and so contented herself with shutting the door right onto the pretty white face. One day she won’t be able to push my buttons so easily. It had helped seeing Belle. Snow’s beauty was staggering, after all she had been created to be that way. But in many ways she was too perfect. Belle was beautiful as well, but in a much more human way. She could look tired, she could look happy or sad. She could look human. Snow’s porcelain skin could have belonged to a doll.

  Her musings kept her thoughts occupied while she dragged her bag out from under the bed and started to check she had enough ammunition and weapons in it. But then she had to face the reality of the situation. She had to decide how bad the situation was at the Farm, and what might be needed to free Goldilocks. It wasn’t that she intended to have a firefight in the Farm, but her plans usually didn’t work out how she wanted them.

  Keeping that in mind, she opened the special lock box she kept in the room and retrieved her second shotgun and two semi-automatic pistols, adding them to the arsenal. Finally, she swung back a hidden panel in the wall and retrieved a three foot long tube from inside, placing it delicately in a padded side pocket.

  She stripped off the suit and tossed it into a corner, pulling on another pair of red leather trousers and a shirt that had been patched almost as much as the one she rode in wearing. The holsters she threw into the bag as well, followed by an entire bag of knives and her leather armour. There would be no time to darn the new holes in it. Finally she swung her long red jacket over the ensemble and pulled the hood up over her head, striding out of the door and slamming it shut.

  Adam was waiting for her in the hall. “Remember what I taught you,” he said as they walked down to the street. “Your advantages are speed and agility. You don’t want to get into a slugging match with some of the guys down there.”

  She grinned and put on a gruff voice. “Misdirection is important. If your enemy doesn’t know where you are then he can’t hit you.”

  He fought to keep a straight face. “Remember to check your corners and watch your back if you’re in there alone. And don’t get caught in any tight corners.”

  “Adam, I know all this. I’ve been doing this a long time.”

  They stopped at the door. “I’m sorry. I find it a bit hard to see you’re not eleven anymore.”

  “Well I haven’t really grown much since then, so I can see why you’d make the mistake.”

  They clasped forearms. “Come back safely. Belle will have my hide otherwise.”

  “I’m sure it would look great on the floor in the library,” she said, kicking open the door. “But I’ve got to bring Goldie back as well. That’ll keep me alive.”

  He let the door swing closed. It had always been like that between them. Neither of them would watch the other leave. She remembered a scared twelve year old holding tightly to his jacket. If you say goodbye it makes it real. No time for that. She pushed the memory away as she bent to unlock the chains from her bike. The last chain clear she started the engine up and opened the throttle, taking it to full speed as fast as she could. Only four hours until dawn and a long way to go.

  Chapter Three: The Farm

  The Farm was something of a legend, and not the good kind.

  It had been built nearly eight years ago, before Charming’s father had died and he had taken control of the throne and the realm. One of his major projects, before the war, had been to order the construction of a separate town for all the animals and beasts, supposedly to engender good faith in those who would one day be hi
s subjects. At the time it had sounded like a good idea. The animals and humans had had a few issues living together in those early years, and the proposal of a nearby village where they could relax had been welcomed. It was close enough to the city that they could still come for trade, but far enough away for them to feel comfortable.

  Of course, the design had been done by Charming, and looking back now Red could see that he had been testing out whether his plans for Ateer itself would work. Housing built close together. Gigantic towers where dozens of families could live all in one place. At the time it had been grand. Like living in the castles only the richest humans enjoyed. It seemed only logical that each tower should have one leader, or family of leaders, to settle any disputes. Charming hand-picked those he wanted in control, then gave them the latest technology to help them keep records.

  At the time the Dreamscape was new, and everyone in the world was in love with it. To be able to connect to so many people and ideas at once, sharing information and feelings on a globals scale. But then the reports started to emerge of people who went mad after being exposed to it for too long. Something was rotten in the Dreamscape, and no one was willing to admit it. Charming insisted to everyone that these were isolated cases. People who would have gone that way whatever the cause.

  Then there was the Farm.

  It was now the widely held belief that the Corruption had begun there. The animals’ Terminals had been deliberately configured so as to cause the maximum Corruption possible in the shortest time. Deaths had skyrocketed and the towers had turned into kingdoms, each presided over by a tyrannical ruler. The Three Bears, the Ass in the Lion Skin and the Hawk formed an alliance, taking down the fourth tower, ruled by Mother Goose, and killing half the inhabitants. Now the three of them maintained an uneasy peace, no single tower able to guarantee victory over both of their opponents.

  She drove far too fast down the only thing resembling a road leading to the Farm. Once upon a time it had been a bustling highway, with dozens of traders making their way between the kingdoms. There had been a few hazards then, a couple of trolls hiding beneath bridges, some crossroads you wouldn’t want to hang around at night. But now the monsters walked around freely in the daylight, roving in packs and attacking anyone they could catch. An ogre could run nearly twice as fast as a human, and they were just smart enough to set up ambushes. Add in a goblin or two and bandits on every inch of road and soon enough there were no traders left.