Prologue
JACOB
Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
Death hovers at our door, fingers clawing at the edges, rattling the doorknob. It’s only a matter of hours before the end swoops in, and yet I refuse to believe it—refuse to leave my brother’s side.
I need a miracle.
I want the impossible.
“When I go,” Wilhelm says between gasping breaths, “take care of Mother.”
“No.” I grind my teeth in frustration and press a hand on his shoulder. “You must take care of her. You’re so much better at that sort of thing.”
“Hardly.” Wilhelm tries to smile, but a cough wracks his frail body.
How did this happen? Yesterday, he was reciting Shakespeare with me. I can’t lose him. When Father died, that had been hard, life-changing even. But to lose Wilhelm? Unimaginable. He’s one of the few truly good people in this world. People like him are supposed to live and make a difference.
“Where is the doctor?” I growl, abandoning the bed for the door. “I sent for him hours ago.”
Impatient, I step outside, searching the silent cobblestone street. Mist curls around the lampposts like a dragon’s tail, dimming their light into pale yellows and corrupting the shadows.
Snowflakes flutter onto my lashes, cold and fragile. I frown. Snow this time of year? I must be imagining things, or maybe it’s a sign of Death’s arrival, hungrily waiting for my brother’s soul. Shivering, I stride back inside only to freeze.
A woman stands at my brother’s bedside.
No. More than a woman. Her presence fills the shadows and dusty cracks with a radiance that only a rainbow after a storm can bring.
Slowly, this creature—for she can’t possibly belong to this world—drags her eyes from Wilhelm’s face to mine.
She smiles, thick red lips curving seductively.
Her eyes gleam bright as stars, and her long white hair cascades over thin shoulders in tight, glistening curls.
“Hello, Jacob Grimm.” She glides to the foot of the bed. Her dress sparkles with gems, and the chiffon floats lighter than summer clouds. Her radiance practically blinds me.
“Who are you?” I demand. “How do you know my name?”
“I’m here to save your brother, for he will die soon.” She purses her lips as if deep in thought. “Quite soon.”
Her words rattle me. Too close to my greatest fear. “Except, you aren’t a doctor, are you?” I give a pointed look at her shimmering gown. “I’ll wait for his diagnosis.”
“It hardly takes talent to see your brother is using his last breaths. Besides, Death has been here, and his poison has seeped into Wilhelm’s soul.”
“You will leave right now,” I grind out.
“Feisty, aren’t you? I like that in a man. Take a moment and hear what I have to offer.”
“There’s nothing you could possibly offer me.” I wave her away as a cough shudders through Wilhelm. I move to his side. His eyes are closed, face pale. “Leave us. I want to spend these last minutes with my brother in peace.”
“What if I were to tell you I could heal him?” She steps closer to me. The scent of lilies wafts across my face.
My heart stutters. “What do you mean?”
“Work for me and I will heal him.”
“You speak like a witch.”
She tosses her head back and laughs, full and rich.
“Hardly,” she says, and her tone switches like she tasted something sour. “My powers surpass those of a petty witch. Those meaningless wenches thought they were so powerful, but who holds their names between her fingertips now?”
I groan. This woman isn’t dangerous—she’s completely mad. I need to get her out of the room and focus on finding a real doctor.
A flash of light cuts through the darkness, and an ancient scroll appears in her palm.
I gasp. Wilhelm makes a croaking sound, opening his eyes.
The woman flicks her other hand, and slowly the scroll unravels, trailing across the ground like a runner unleashed before a king at his coronation. Words glisten on the page.
“What is this?” I demand.
“You are scholars, are you not?” She doesn’t bother waiting for a response. “I’ve searched a great deal for talent like you two possess. You both work hard and excel in your studies. How would you like to help me with a little project?”
“A project. My brother is dying, and you want to talk about a project?” I shoot her a glare, then dip a cloth into a bowl of water and gently dab Wilhelm’s forehead with it.
“This is a list of people who are lost and must be found. I’m looking to acquire hunters to find them.”
“Hunters? You must have confused us with someone else. We aren’t hunters, we’re law students.”
She pushes her scroll into my hands. “These people who belong in my world are forbidden to be in this one. They must be returned to their own land, or the consequences to your world will be disastrous.”
“My world?” I ask, my eyes narrowing. “You act like you aren’t from this place.”
“But of course not!” She snorts. “The Forbidden’s presence has caused problems, including one named Death that has made your brother sick. As long as these creatures remain in this realm, their power will increase and poison your people.”
“A creature from your realm did this to my brother?”
“Think of it like a plague. If you want your brother and others in your world to live, listen carefully. You have the power to change everything by becoming my hunter and seeking out these Forbidden. All you must do is write their story into little books like this one. It’s so simple, really.”
A whoosh of cool air flushes across the room, and a leather-bound book thuds onto the table.
“Let me understand.” I rise from the bed and study it. “You want us to find all the people on that list and write their life stories?”
“Exactly.” She beams. “I knew you were perfect for the task.”
“This list is long. It will take a lifetime.”
“Would you rather a lifetime alone, visiting your brother’s grave year after year? Or one with the two of you writing as a team, bonded together in a common goal?”
“You do have a way of persuasion.” I study Wilhelm, frail and coughing.
Dying. My heart feels like it’s ripping in half.
I can’t stand life without him. If there’s a way to save him, how can I say no?
“Fine. I’ll do this task of yours if you save my brother.
Once he has been given the medicine, and we know it works, then I’ll begin on your collection of stories. ”
The scroll tucks back into a neat roll, landing in my hand with a snap. Her eyes light up, and she withdraws a quill with a tip sharp as an icicle.
“What’s this? Some kind of magic?”
“Call it whatever you like.” She shrugs as another piece of paper flutters to the table. Paragraphs of text fill the page, but the words are foreign to me despite being fluent in numerous languages. “Our contract. The three of us will sign our names in blood to bind the agreement.”
“I can’t read it.” I toss the pen onto the table. “Get it translated before I’m signing anything.”
Wilhelm coughs blood onto his pillow. I storm to his side.
“Wilhelm,” I say, leaning down. “Fight a little longer.”
“Don’t do this,” Wilhelm pleads in a wheezing whisper. “My time has ended. Let me go in peace.”
“No!” Fear thickens my blood. “I won’t. I can’t.”
“Too late.” The woman clucks her tongue. “Better say your farewells.”
Will I be able to live with myself knowing I could’ve saved him but chose not to? I’d curse every day I took a breath. Gritting my teeth, I march to the parchment and pick up the slender quill. It tingles between my fingers as if whispering deadly secrets.
“Where is the ink to sign?” I demand.
“Hold out your hand.” Her voice is heavy as darkness. “You shall provide the ink.”
I obey. She cuts a tiny slice along its center with her razor-sharp nail. Fresh blood gushes out, dripping to the floor. I dip the pen’s tip into it.
And sign my name.
The woman flicks her hand, and an hourglass appears on the table.
It consists of a pair of glass bulbs joined together by a narrow, twisted neck.
Three gnarled iron trees hold up the protective frame.
She lifts the top off and taps the tip of my pen against the edge of the top bulb. My blood plops inside.
The room spins. Everything blurs before my eyes. Something is wrong. My body trembles. She picks up Wilhelm’s hand next.
“No,” I say. “Not him. Just me.”
“Too late,” she says brightly.
I try to stop her, but my knees buckle and I drop to the ground. She holds his limp hand, using his blood to scrawl out a signature, the pen’s tip scraping like a knife. She taps the liquid into the hourglass and adds a prick of her own blood. It all swirls, mixing together.
What did I do?
Pain ripples through my muscles like they’re being coated in iron. Fire burns my blood, and stabbing knives prick my skin. I scream in agony, my back arching like an unseen hand has picked me off the floor.
Finally, my body collapses to the ground. I lay still, heaving and sweating.
The room rights itself sharply and everything focuses. The objects in the room appear brighter, the shadows sharper, and sounds I’ve never noticed before reach my ears. The creak of the floorboards. The skitter of a rat behind the walls. The plod of horse hooves clomping down a distant street.
The woman’s lips quirk and her icy blue eyes flash victoriously as I stagger to my feet.
“What did you do to us?” I growl.
“I just saved your brother’s life. You’re welcome.” She rolls her eyes like I’m an idiot. “To keep you on task, I created this lovely hourglass. A Forbidden’s name will appear at the top when they are near you. You have until the hourglass runs out to complete that Forbidden’s story.”
Fear chills my bones. “What happens if we don’t write the story in time?”
“Your brother will die. Then after that, the deaths will continue for everyone in your bloodline. Jacob, I suggest you stay on task.”
She sets the hourglass on the table and signs her name.
Enchantress of the Candora Realm
She sighs. “It is done and it’s beautiful.”
Fury takes over all rational thought, and I lunge for her. But then my brother sits up in bed and my steps falter.
“Wilhelm!” I rush to his side. His cheeks are back to their normal color, and his eyes are bright. He looks great. In fact, better than I’ve ever seen him. “You’re healed.”
“What have you done?” Wilhelm asks sharply. “You just made a deal with the Devil.”
My heart sinks. I turn to face the Enchantress.
But she’s vanished with the winds of snow, leaving behind her tome, pen, and an hourglass trickling its deadly descent.