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Tainted Ashes ~ Untold Tales: Cinderella
Laura Greenwood
Tainted Ashes © 2020 Laura Greenwood
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Chapter 1
Soot coated my face, no doubt streaked with sweat. I both loved and hated it when the Duchess assigned fire duty to me. There was something comforting about being faced with the slowly dying embers, then building them up for when the next day dawned once more. Fire burned away the bad things, and left what it didn't need behind. It was simple. And while wild, it was also predictable. At least, it was to me.
I checked over my shoulder to make sure no one else was in the kitchens. The whole night would pass before the cooks arrived to bake the morning bread, and I was going to make the most of it. I held my hand out in front of me and clicked. A tiny flame leapt up from my fingers, flickering and casting tiny shadows across the hearth.
Before I could even fully appreciate it, the flame died, and I was left in the dark of the kitchen once more. Disappointment flooded me. No matter what I did, the most I could produce was the tiniest of sparks. I wasn't sure what I needed to do to change that. Other than something. Probably have formal training with one of the realms magicians, but that wasn't going to happen. It would cost money, and if there was one thing the Duchess didn't like, it was her girls costing her money.
I jumped as I caught the ashes shifting in the grate from the corner of my eye.
"Dart," I scolded. "I've told you not to do that."
The tiny dragon popped her head from beneath the pile, the white ashes falling away from her dark scales. She shook her head, ridding herself of the rest of them, and then cocked it to the side, as if asking me why she shouldn't be playing in the remains of the fire.
"If you get caught, we'll both be in trouble," I whispered.
Dart shook her head.
"Fine. If you're caught, I'll get in trouble. Do you want that?"
She paused, then shook her head again.
"Good. I thought not."
Footsteps sounded from outside the kitchen, and my eyes widened. That isn't good.
"Quick, get back under there and I'll light the fire," I warned the dragon.
She chittered, but disappeared back under the ashes. I tried to spark my fingers, desperate for some kind of flame to catch onto the kindling I'd stacked there.
"Come on," I whispered, hoping it would coax out my magic.
The footsteps drew nearer. If they entered the room and realised Dart was in here, there'd be trouble to pay. And not just for me. Dragons were rare and prized creatures, and I didn't like to think about what might happen to Dart if I let them get hold of her. She'd probably be fattened up, then killed and sold for parts.
A shiver ran down my spine simply from thinking of it. How could people do that to such beautiful creatures?
I let out a sigh of relief as a spark finally flew from my fingers and into the kindling. The soft glow of flames cut through the wood. I leaned in and blew on it, encouraging it to grow hotter and more certain. Dart would be having the time of her life beneath the ashes. She loved it when the fire burned around her. I supposed it gave her some kind of strength she didn't normally have, or something like that. I didn't know much about dragon lore, and couldn't sneak into the library more often than once every couple of months. The Duchess never assigned me to the library, I wasn't sure why. Potentially because she knew I could read, while some of the other girls could not.
The door at the opposite end of the kitchen creaked open.
"Tanwyn? Is that you?" the familiar voice of Jill called out.
"Yes," I responded. "Just setting the fire so the cooks don't come in to a cold grate again." One of the girls had been beaten for that last week. Not by the cooks, they'd done everything they could to avoid it, but like everyone else in the castle, they were in thrall to the Duchess. She was the one who punished us all, no matter how high we were on the serving chain.
"You have to hurry, bed check will be happening in five minutes."
I tried not to roll my eyes. It was a habit I needed to break, especially as it wasn't a good one for a serving girl to have. "I have to set the fire, even if it means I’ll be late."
"I know," Jill said. "That's why she sets those kinds of tasks." She clasped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and frightened.
"I won't tell anyone you said that," I promised.
She shook her head. "It won't matter. She'll know, she always does."
There was no denying what the other girl was saying. No one knew how the Duchess heard whispers and secret conversations, but somehow, she always did.
"She might not this time," I assured my friend. "And there's nothing we can do if she has, other than wait."
Jill rushed forward and sat down beside me as I waited for the fire to grow bigger.
"You need to go to bed," I warned her. "If you don't, you'll get into trouble."
She shrugged. "If the Duchess heard me talking about how our chores are designed to keep us from bed for that reason, then I'm already there."
Despite myself, a chuckle escaped me. She had a point there. The Duchess was careful, and wouldn't be caught out doing the things she did, but we all knew she loved to punish us, and would come up with any reason to do it. But she liked to think of herself as a fair woman, which meant she had to have a reason to punish us. Apparently, her morals didn't stop her from manufacturing the slights.
The fire shifted and panic flooded through me. What was Dart up to? Couldn't she hear that I had company? I looked between the fire and Jill, horrified to find her staring at the flames. What would she do if she saw the dragon? She'd believe me if I told her Dart was my friend, but it would be dangerous knowledge all the same, especially when Jill had a punishment coming up. Nothing stayed secret in this castle for long, especially when more than one person knew about it.
"It's looking strong now," Jill said.
I nodded. "But I want to make sure. Why don't you go upstairs and I'll join you in a couple of minutes?" I suggested, mostly so I could ask Dart to look over the fire for me.
Jill pulled a face, but then nodded. "I'll try and stall the inspection if it starts before you get there," she promised.
"No, you won't. You shouldn't do anything else that might get you into trouble," I reminded her. "Slip into bed, and I promise I'll be up before the bell rings." I only needed a couple of moments' privacy to ask Dart for help, nothing more than that.
It only took her a moment to chase away the indecisiveness. She rushed off in the direction of the stairs, desperate not to get into trouble. It was a miracle we were all still alive if I was honest. So often it felt as if there was no point to it.
"Dart," I whispered hastily to the fire.
The little dragon popped her head up, framing herself in the flames. Her tongue darted out, as if trying to drink up the power they gave her. My heart melted a little at the sight. She loved the flames, I wished I could leave her in them more often.
"Will you watch over the fire for me?" I asked her.
She nodded her head.
"Make sure you're gone bef
ore the cooks get here," I warned. "You don't know what they'll do if they catch you."
She gave an odd little yip that I'd always assumed meant she'd agreed with what I'd asked, but I had no real way of knowing.
"Good. I'll see you in the morning." I reached out and patted her head, ignoring the heat of the flames. The dragon wasn't the only one who could enter them untouched. Not that I'd ever tried anything other than my fingertips in the fire, I didn't want to be proven wrong.
I rose to my feet, giving one last lingering look at the grate. I didn't have time for this. The bell for inspection was going to go off at any moment, and if I was caught out of bed, I was going to be in serious trouble.
I rushed out of the door, taking the servant's stairs two at a time. I slowed when I was outside the door to our sleeping quarters, and slipped inside.
Jill motioned for me to hurry, and I went over to the empty bed next to her, slipping between the sheets fully dressed. I pulled the cap from my head and stuck it on the rickety wooden nightstand between us, before grabbing my nightgown. I should have put it on before getting into bed, but being caught fully dressed under the covers was preferable to being semi-disrobed out of them.
I squirmed around, pulling my skirt and stockings off, followed by my bodice. My underdress would have to stay on until the nightly bed check had been made, after that, I'd be able to take it off properly.
"You're going to get yourself into trouble one of these days," Jill whispered to me.
I smiled to cover up my unease. She had a point. "But not today."
"Girls," the Matron sang out as she walked into the room. She cracked a horsewhip against her bare hand. More than one person flinched. Most of the servants here felt the same way, we hated the way the Duchess treated us, but were helpless to do anything about it. But the Matron was different. It was almost like she enjoyed the power she wielded over us.
The woman's heavy step echoed as she walked up and down the room. I had no idea if everyone was even in their beds, if I was here well in advance of the bell, I'd always do a count, but this time, I hadn't been.
"Hmm. Everyone seems present today." She cracked the whip. "I hope everyone's chores have been completed. If not..."
The threat was left unfinished. We all knew what would happen if one of us hadn't done a good job.
The Matron didn't wait for any of us to answer, and swept out of the room, snuffing out the candles with a draft.
No one moved or spoke to one another. There was no point. Tomorrow would be another day as filled with work as this one had been, and we needed sleep in order to survive it.
Chapter 2
"The Duchess is asking for you," Maria whispered as she passed me on the stairs.
I grimaced. "Thank you." As much as I didn't want to be called to wait upon the woman, it was better to know she was expecting me and turn up only a little after that. The alternative was to be punished for being late, even if it wasn't my fault. "Would you take this down to the laundry?" I asked, lifting the basket of dirty bed linen I was holding so she knew what I was talking about.
"Of course. You'd better get going." Maria took the basket from me and began to hop down the stairs. "Oh, and you might want to straighten your cap," she said.
"Thanks," I muttered, and fixed it. I hated that she was right and it had become unruly.
I half-ran up the rest of the stairs and down the corridor to the Duchess' room. I couldn't go any faster for fear she'd be able to tell when I stopped and berate me for being out of breath. That was yet another thing on the list of things the Duchess hated, and we were all here in order to make her life the easiest and most enjoyable possible.
I drew a calming breath and knocked on the door.
"Get in here," the Duchess barked.
I didn't need to be told twice, and pushed open the bedroom door, entering her private domain. The stench of overused perfume reached my nose. I pushed away the tickling sensation it caused and put a calm, and most definitely fake, smile on my face. She wasn't ever going to know she got to me.
"You asked for me, Your Grace," I said, dipping into a curtsy. I knew she'd be able to see me in the mirror, and it pleased her when we showed her the deference due to her station. Yet another thing we had to do for no reason other than her ego.
"I'm going out, and I need my hair doing."
I nodded, the reason why she'd called for me in particular becoming clear. For whatever reason, she'd decided I was the best when it came to teasing her curly blonde hair into something that could be seen as a reputable sign.
Silence filled the room as I pulled the pins from her hair and began to brush. If she wanted me to speak, or to get a musician in here, then she'd tell me. I'd long since learned not to ask her anything before she was ready.
I ran my hand under her hair, smoothing the way for the brush so it didn't tug on any particularly nasty tangles.
"I think an updo would be the best today," she said.
"Of course, Your Grace." I didn't curtsy this time, she wouldn't like it while I had hold of her hair.
My hands worked without much instruction from me, I'd done this so many times that it was barely necessary. Instead, my gaze roamed over the dressing table to see what had changed since the last time I was in here. This had become an odd game of mine I'd started as a way to test my memory.
Without meaning them to, my hands stilled as I caught sight of an official-looking invitation. The moment I realised what I'd done, I resumed work on the Duchess' hair, teasing it into a respectable bun so I could add the ornamentation she was fond of.
"You can ask your question," the Duchess said with a heavy sigh.
I paused for a moment, unsure if this was a trap, or if it was safe to actually ask. "I was just wondering," I started, my voice wavering ever so slightly. "What you'd been invited to, Your Grace. If I know, perhaps I could start thinking about ways to style your hair, if it would please you." The lie tripped off my tongue easier than I expected it to. I didn't care in the slightest what her hair would look like on the date in question. She'd no doubt rip apart any suggestion I had.
"Hmm." She didn't say anything else.
I knew better than to prompt her into a response. She either wanted me to know, or she didn't, all I could do was wait.
"I suppose it is better if you know, that way you and the other girls will know to be on your best behaviour." The Duchess sighed loudly, as if it pained her to be so kind to us serving girls.
I raised an eyebrow without thinking about it, then smoothed my expression out again. I looked down at her hair, wrapping one strand around another and using a pin to stop it coming undone.
"The Prince is coming to stay here. Just for the night. Matron will have all the instructions for you girls, so don't think you'll be getting off lightly," she warned.
Wait, the Prince? He barely ever visited his nobility this far out from the capitol. Perhaps it was too long a journey, or more likely, they were all as unlikeable as the Duchess and he was saving his sanity instead.
"I'll expect the lot of you to be on your best behaviour, of course."
"Naturally, Your Grace." I stepped back and dipped into a curtsy. "I'm finished, if you like it," I added.
She picked up a handheld mirror and used it to get a good view of the back of her hair.
"Adequate, but you should practice your skills more on the other girls," she instructed.
"Of course, Your Grace." I wanted to point out that I didn't have the time to practice on the other girls, we were all so busy with our chores, and the little time we could find for ourselves was over so quickly it wasn't even worth mentioning.
"Very good. I'll expect tea when I return at four. Inform the cook."
"Of course, Your Grace," I repeated, already annoyed at how many times I'd had to say those words since arriving in her chambers.
She swept out of the room, not even sparing a glance in my direction. I was fine with that. It was easier to be unseen in this h
ouse.
I listened for her footsteps to fade, then started clearing up the pins and other items. The Duchess didn't like being able to hear when we were doing things like that. I was almost done when my gaze rested on the invitation again. Though I supposed it wasn't an invite, but some kind of proclamation. I wasn't sure how that worked.
With a quick glance over my shoulder to check no one was watching me, I picked it up and read the words. Learning to read was one of the dim memories I had of my childhood, before I came here at seven.
His Majesty, Prince Raynor requests residence at your castle in three days’ time.
Huh. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about the note. If anything, it didn't hold enough information about the impending royal visit. Was someone playing a cruel joke on the Duchess? I hoped not. We were the ones who would pay the price if that was the case, and I didn't want that for anyone.
Footsteps shuffled along the corridor outside. I hastily put the invitation back in its place and hurried out of the room. I still had all my chores left to do, attending on the Duchess simply took time away from doing them, rather than meaning someone else was assigned the task. This was a thankless world the woman had created within her castle.
I sighed and resigned myself to another day working with no end in sight. That was my lot in life, and I needed to stop dreaming of a better one. Nothing was going to change.
Dragons and Mages: A Limited Edition Anthology Page 83
