The Cindy Chronicles: The Complete Set

by RaShelle Workman

  “It’s alright,” she said to Quilla. Then she turned to Leo and me. “Take each other’s hands.”

  Leo wrapped his hand around mine and winked, then held up a hand. “May I say something first, Polly?”

  “Please.” She smiled, obviously smitten by him.

  “Cinderella, I don’t really know you, and we’re kind of going about this backward, but…” He ran a hand through his hair. “After the ceremony is finished I think we should celebrate. Throw a ball. Invite everyone. Let it be a new beginning for all of Polonias. What do you think?”

  My heart seemed to grow and blossom at Leo’s words. He really was a good man. I sensed that marriage to him would be full of surprises, all of them exciting and wonderful.

  Leo leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “Also, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

  I shivered at the way his breath blew my hair against my cheek. I had no idea what his question would be. Thoughts crossed my mind, like: would he want sex? Probably. How would we rule? What would his job as my husband and the new King be? I’m sure there were even more because I had dozens. For now, I answered, “I can’t wait.”

  He grinned and kissed my cheek. I leaned into his lips. “Okay, Polly. I’m ready,” Leo said, stepping back.

  Polly started from the beginning again, before Quilla had interrupted her. “Now is the time of restoration.” She gave Quilla a pointed look. My Fairy Godmother blushed. Polly continued, “Our world has waited for this day for many years. To be a part of this mending through marriage is something to be treasured.” She glanced first at Leo and then me. “There are seven great magics. They created this world. They are the essence of each of us, of the trees, the flowers, the sky, the water, and every living thing. Many years ago the magics were broken. That curse threw our world into chaos. With the return of Cinderella and her true love, Leo Loyalor, the magics will be realigned.”

  Quilla let out a sob. Violet purred happily.

  “Leo, true prince of Polonias, do you take Cinderella into your heart? Will you protect her, love her, cherish her, and do all in your power to keep her happy?”

  Leo swallowed. I wondered if he was nervous. His voice rang out confident and clear. “With all that I am, I will. I do.”

  My heart began to hammer against my ribs. Hard and fast. I was suddenly nervous, afraid.

  Polly glanced at me. “Cinderella, Healer of Polonias, rightful ruler of this world, do you take Leo Loyalor into your heart? Will you protect him, cherish him, and do all in your power to keep him happy?”

  My throat felt dry. “I-Yes, I do, I will.”

  A dark cord appeared and wrapped itself around Leo’s wrist and mine. I felt my eyes go wide in surprise. On my ring finger, what looked like a tattooed vine wrapped itself up to my knuckle. I saw the same thing happening on Leo’s ring finger. There was a strange pulling from inside me, near my heart. When it finished the pull became stronger and it brought tears to my eyes.

  I looked at Leo and noticed he was experiencing the same effects that I was. The tattoos on our ring fingers flitted through the colors of the seven magics. His stayed on silver. Mine turned silver as well and a large diamond appeared in the center. It sparkled in the sunlight.

  “Wow,” I whispered.

  Leo squeezed my hands.

  Polly smiled, showing her childlike teeth. “As the heart of Polonias it is my honor to pronounce—”

  Mizrabel appeared and sent a bolt of black magic into Leo. He was sent flying backward. His head smacked against a rock and he crumbled to the ground. His eyes were closed.

  “Leo!” I shouted and rushed toward him.

  Mizrabel stopped me, shooting a blaze of magic at my chest. I bent over, panting.

  “No you don’t, daughter.” She held me in place.

  The King burst from the tree line of the Golden Forest as did the false prince, Lawson.

  “You see, King Loyalor. I told you she was here.”

  Betrayal

  “How dare you?” King Loyalor asked, stomping forward and slapping my face.

  Polly fell down as though the King had slapped her too.

  I turned to help her up. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, sitting up. “Are you?”

  My face stung and I was sure there was a handprint on my cheek. “Yeah.”

  Polly whispered in my ear, “The ceremony won’t be complete until you and Leo kiss. That seals the magics and gives you the power to heal Polonias.”

  I glanced back. King Loyalor and Mizrabel were talking. Lawson stood over his brother, Leo. Quilla was hovering above Anna and Belle, and Violet was behind the King, growling.

  “Kiss him. Kiss Leo. That’ll complete the ritual. Hurry.” Polly tried to stand and I helped her.

  She gave me a gentle shove in the direction of Leo. His eyes were closed and he lay unconscious. I hoped he was alive.

  Mizrabel blocked my passage. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I was confused. I thought she intended to help us—me. Her daughter. The words to a spell came to my mind. “Ruatha. Grislingr. Wenwillow.” As I spoke, Mizrabel’s eyes grew wide. She knew it was a shunning spell, meant to keep her away from me.

  “You see, King Loyalor. She speaks spells from the Eye of Abernathy. That book is blasphemy and a crime against our laws and our land. It isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.” As she spoke her body started to shimmer. Like a light bulb fighting to go out, Mizrabel kept flicking in and out of view.

  I watched, surprised, because I hadn’t been sure what the spell would do.

  “She must pay for her crimes and suffer death in the magical fires of Evanoa.” With her final word she winked out and was gone.

  King Loyalor seemed just as shocked as I was that she was gone. So did Lawson.

  He spoke first. “Mizrabel is right. She must pay for her atrocities and we have witnesses that have seen her commit the offense.”

  “What about your crimes? You lied to the world.” Violet, the leopard historian had spoken, her words like a roar.

  Anna and Belle hopped to either side of her and Quilla flew so she hovered behind them.

  The King stepped back. He seemed shocked by the turn of events. Lawson was yelling at his father. It surprised me that I hadn’t seen the truth behind Lawson’s kind words and hard eyes. He was still handsome, but somehow the real Leo seemed a hundred times better looking.

  I took the opportunity to sneak over to Leo. I grabbed his hand and patted it softly. “Leo. Leo.”

  He moaned and rolled his head to the side. There was blood in his hair and some on the grass beneath him.

  “Leo,” I said more intently, noting the paleness of his skin. He didn’t look well. Another spell from the Eye of Abernathy came into mind. A healing spell.

  “Helavera. Gno—” A hand clamped over my mouth and another pulled me to my feet.

  “The one universal law in Polonias is that no one is to use the magic spells from the Eye of Abernathy. The book is one of pure evil. To say those spells is to call on evil itself. You’ve broken the law and the punishment is death in the fires of Evanoa,” King Loyalor said. He roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me from Lawson’s grasp. “Alixis. Rotus,” he said.

  At his words my arms and hands were bound, as was my mouth. I couldn’t utter a spell or use my hands to create a spell in my mind. I was frozen in terror.

  “Take her back to the castle, Lawson. I’ll deal with Leo.”

  The Tower

  My heart sped up. I tried to scream, “Don’t hurt Leo!” but nothing came out. I wanted to reach out for him, but my arms wouldn’t move. Violet, Quilla, and the bunnies tried to rush to my aid, but King Loyalor did something and they all vanished.

  Merde. I was tres pissed and couldn’t do a thing about it. But where was Polly during this? I moved my eyes, trying to see her. She’d been near the edge of the pool, but I couldn’t see her now.

  Polly, I thought, hop
ing she was okay.

  Lawson grabbed me roughly around the waist. “You were supposed to be my bride. Now you’ll burn. What a waste.” He leaned down and kissed my mouth.

  If I could’ve spit I would have. As it was I couldn’t talk.

  Lawson said the words to the travelling spell. Just as we started to move, my eyes caught hold of Leo. His father was lifting him over his shoulder.

  Lawson and I zipped through the colors quickly, past the greenery of the forest, over a hill, and into a lovely meadow filled with pink and violet flowers. We kept going through the town near the castle. The streets were made of stone. Four wooden bridges went along the outskirts, passing over a river. Lawson took me past cottages, bakeries that smelled of freshly baked bread and cinnamon rolls, along streets coming in and out of dress and shoe shops to the center of town. A giant water feature made of stone stood in the center. A carved boy who looked a lot like Lawson stood next to a girl. One arm was around the other’s waist. In their other hands they each carried a pail. Water poured from the pails into the circular wishing fountain below.

  We were like ghosts, moving through people like they weren’t even there. No one noticed us.

  When we reached the other side of town we crossed a drawbridge that led to the castle, down the path to the front door and up the stairs. Then Lawson took me into a part of the castle I’d never seen before.

  It was dark. Thick drapes covered the windows and dusty white sheets covered the furniture. It was obvious it was never used. He kept going until we reached another set of stairs. Up. Up. Up we went on a circular staircase. Lawson went through a closed wooden door.

  The room was dark. He went over to the window and pulled the curtains open. Bright light shone in, allowing me to see the dust particles in the air. He said the words to a spell meant to keep me from being able to go out of the window. Lawson let me go. I sighed with relief.

  “You’ll stay up here, out of the way, until your sentence is carried out.” He whispered a word and the sheets covering the furniture and the bedding disappeared. “This room is more than suitable for a traitor.”

  I wanted to scream, to yell at him that I’d done nothing wrong. But his magic still held me fast.

  He walked to the door and opened it. “If you would’ve stuck with me, if you would’ve helped me destroy the lyre…” He sighed. “We would’ve been happy together, you and I. I’m much better for you than that strange angel creature, Gabe. And Leo is a simpering oaf that hasn’t the first clue how to rule a kingdom.”

  I wanted to ask him how he intended to save Polonias since I was the only one that could do it.

  He must’ve seen something in my eyes. “Don’t worry about Polonias. That’s the thing about magic. There has to be balance. Once you’re killed another option will present itself. Polonias won’t die. I’ll find a way to save it.” His eyes grew harsh. “Me. Not you. Not my stupid brother. Me.” He stepped into the hallway. “I’ll release you, but don’t try to escape. There isn’t any point. Magic will keep you in here.”

  I wanted to scratch his eyes out.

  He whispered a spell and I felt my body be unbound from the invisible cords that’d held me tight.

  Lawson slammed the door. I ran to it. “Lawson!” I yelled, but he didn’t respond. I ran to the window. It wasn’t even a window, but a hole in the wall in the shape of one. I tried to stick my hand outside. There was something in the way, something I couldn’t see. “Merde,” I swore. A slight breeze blew into the room. It felt nice and smelled sweet, like apple blossoms.

  Down below was the town. I could see the giant fountain of the boy and the girl in the center. People milled about. Some seemed focused on their task. Others meandered. Beyond the town was the hill, and I knew beyond that was the Golden Forest and the heart of Polonias—Polly’s Paradise.

  A sickness sat on my chest. I felt out of control. When I’d woke this morning, I hadn’t expected or fathomed I could be locked away in a tower. It was surreal. It didn’t seem real.

  I needed help.

  I needed to find Leo. I hoped he was okay.

  After the sun set, someone brought me food and slid it through a slot in the door I hadn’t seen before. It was vegetable soup, bread, and water. It tasted delicious and I ate it all. When I was finished I curled up on the bed, still in my beautiful wedding dress, still in my Manolo Blahnicks. The choker was still around my neck. Some of my hair had fallen out.

  I didn’t care.

  I closed my eyes.

  Sleep took over almost before I realized it.

  Singed

  When I woke it was to the smell of smoke. I opened my eyes and saw that I’d been tied to a stake. People were standing around, staring.

  It was the moment of truth.

  A bulky guard with beefy hands unrolled a parchment. His voice boomed out across the open field. “Cinderella, by issue of King Loyalor, supreme ruler over the land of Polonias, you are hereby sentenced to burn at the stake until such time as you are dead.” He glanced at me, and through the billowing smoke I held his gaze. He cleared his throat. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  Only one word popped into my head. “Merde.” A curse word in French. One of my favorites. Truthfully the one I remembered most often.

  The man rolled his eyes along with the parchment and stepped off the podium into the noisy crown.

  Some of the people were crying. Okay, one person was crying: my Fairy Godmother. Beside her, dabbing her bright lavender eyes with a hanky, was my friend Violet. Her glasses sat precariously on the edge of her large leopard nose. Seeing her showing such emotion made me sad, and I wanted to cry with her. And even though I didn’t really know her, I believed that if we’d had the chance to get to know each other she’d be one of my dearest friends.

  Next to her were two oversized brown bunnies—Anna and Belle. I didn’t really know them either, but I adored them—her. She was beyond sweet, even if she had pooped on Leo’s shoe.

  Seeing them, knowing they cared, lifted my spirits. A little.

  The one person I wished was here wasn’t, and it broke my heart.

  Leo, my mind repeated over and over. I hoped he was alive at least.

  The noise from the crowd picked up. Every fairy, water sprite, and gnome was screaming obscenities and began throwing fruit. At me. A tomato smacked me in the forehead and the juices leaked into my eyes.

  Definitely not my finest hour.

  At least I still look gorgeous. Or I did before the dumb guard lit the wood piled around my feet on fire with that stinking magical word. Bloomous.

  I was still in my wedding dress, the one Quilla created for me yesterday when I told Leo I do. We were supposed to have a ball after the ceremony. A celebration. One that would tell our little world of Polonias that it wouldn’t die, that everyone was saved.

  “Ugh,” I groaned, searching beyond the upset crowd to the land beyond. Smoke washed out the landscape, but not enough to hide the colorful loveliness.

  I was a little afraid. I wasn’t ready to die, but I didn’t see a way out of my situation. If Gabe knew what was happening he’d be here in a second. He’d save me. I knew that for sure. But Polonias wasn’t his world. He didn’t belong here any more than I belonged in his. It made me sad to think about it, but not too sad. I knew in a way that wasn’t humanly possible that Leo was my soulmate. We were meant to be together. While the ring tattooed itself on my finger, the knowledge that he was the right man for me tattooed itself on my heart. There was no mistaking the feeling. Definitely not something most humans would understand.

  I closed my eyes, steadying myself. If this was how I must end, then I’d go gracefully. Frightened butterflies danced in my belly. Memories—some recent and some from long ago—careened across my mind. And I knew that despite everything that happened, there wasn’t anything I would’ve done differently.

  Stryker

  The magical flames swirled around my feet and singed my dress and my shoes. T
he heat became so unbearable I wished I could shrink from it but, since I’d been tied to the stake, there was no moving. “I’m so sorry,” I cried out, not really knowing why. I guessed I was sorry for all the things I wouldn’t be able to do, that I hadn’t been able to save this world, that I was letting Polly, Leo, and all those in Polonias down.

  Tears filled my eyes but dried before they could make their way down my cheeks.

  The cheers and taunting from the crowd got louder and I knew the end was close. I couldn’t help but think of my mom and dad, my siblings. They would be sad I was gone. I knew they’d miss me, and I’d miss them too. I thought of Snow, the best friend I could’ve asked for, and I thought of Gabe. The love I had for him, still had even though it wasn’t right. It’d been the closest thing to human love I’d ever felt.

  Thoughts of my life before I knew of Polonias’s existence entered my mind next, and I wondered if I’d change anything. Would I change my life if I had the chance? Would I go back and wish I’d never been given magic? Never been told of a fairy godmother, of another world?

  No. I’d done the best I could. I’d lived the best I could. There wasn’t anything to change. My life would end and I would leave knowing I’d done all I could.

  I lifted my chin, the only part of my body I could move, and waited for the end…

  A roar tore through the rowdy crowd. Suddenly the screams of anger turned to shrieks of fear. I opened one eye and gasped.

  There was a man, or a shape of a man, ravaging the crowd, breathing fire. He wore silver armor stained with soot. He came over and stood within the magical flames. “Ecudous,” he shouted.

  The fire disappeared.

  “Refusith.” He said, and the bonds that held me to the stake were gone.

  I rubbed my sore wrists and ankles. “Who are you?” I asked, my voice shaky from the smoke I’d inhaled.

  “The name is Stryker.” As he spoke I saw the pointed teeth in his mouth. They appeared razor sharp. His eyes were a hollow black. His didn’t have a nose, only the slits where a nose should be. By all accounts he looked scary, but I wasn’t afraid. He’d just rescued me from certain death.