The Cindy Chronicles: The Complete Set

by RaShelle Workman

  “Thank you, Stryker, for saving my life.”

  He let out an evil laugh. “All of you would do well to denounce your king and his despicable son. Go back to your homes and ponder long and hard about whose side you wish to be on.” As he spoke, his eyes swept the fearful crowd. “ Will it be on the side of Cinderella, the only one who can save this world? Or will it be the King and his son? But know this. War is coming, and the side that loses will end up with me in the realm of the unenchanted.”

  There was weeping and moaning now. No one even paid attention to me.

  I walked to the edge of the pyre of burning wood and peered out, stretching my back and rolling my shoulders.

  “You’re coming with me,” Stryker hissed. He picked me up and took to the air.

  The crowd shouted and watched us leave. I was too surprised to say anything.

  When we reached the forest, he landed. I moved away, trying not to be afraid, but unable to help myself. He shook his body and the body of Stryker changed into that of a dragon.

  “Abernathy,” I breathed.

  Abernathy

  “What the hell? You’re… You…” I shook my head in shock, unable to believe my eyes. “Is it really you?”

  “Yes, child, it’s really me.” He curled himself into a ball and rested his head on his front paws. “And after all that excitement I need a nap.” He sighed and a cloud of smoke came out of his nostrils.

  I laughed. Out loud. “I don’t believe it. You know about Polonias as well?”

  His laugh rumbled deep in his belly. “I’ve been alive a long time. I’ve seen many realms and worlds begin and end. Polonias is relatively new. I like it. The fairies secretly treat me like I’m royalty. They like to polish my scales. It tickles.”

  I was still in shock and found myself pacing until the heel of one of my shoes got caught in a hole. My heel broke and my ankle twisted. “Ouch. Merde!” I flicked my shoe off and tossed it to the ground.

  “Anger issues?” Abernathy asked, lazily.

  I growled, literally growled. “I was almost burned alive. I have the right to be angry.”

  “I completely agree.” He made a tsk-tsking sound with his voice. “I almost didn’t make it in time. If Quilla’s message had arrived even five minutes later…” He let his unfinished sentence hang in the air. I understood.

  I walked over and leaned against Abernathy’s cheek. “You know your spells are considered blasphemous, right?”

  Abernathy snorted, sending out more smoke. “Isn’t that great?”

  I laughed without joy. “Not really, no. Since that’s why I almost went up in smoke.”

  “Good one, Cinderella.” Abernathy smacked his lips.

  I snorted. “So what do you know about all of this? About Polonias dying? About my marriage to Leo? About Polly?”

  “Polly? You mean the Heart?”

  “Yes.” I patted his cheek. I’d never really felt close to Abernathy before. Even reading his book—The Eye of Abernathy. Every time I saw him in the past he’d scared me. That wasn’t the case anymore. Maybe it was because he saved my life; I wasn’t sure.

  “Polonias is different than Earth. It was created with a heart, just as you and I were. In the case of this world the heart is a living, breathing, beautiful creature.”

  “Polly.”

  “Yes, dear. The heart of Polonias is Polly.”

  “What about the rest of it?” I turned to face him, his giant eye studying me curiously.

  “You have to kiss Leo in order to complete the ceremony. It was very beautiful, by the way. I never liked seeing you with that chayot. He has many great characteristics, but you and he weren’t suited. Probably because you lived on Earth but don’t belong there.”

  I grunted. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Of course he was right, but it sucked hearing it from so many different people.

  “And that ring on your finger is delicate and beautiful, just like you, Cinderella.”

  I’d forgotten about the ring, but looked at it now. It really was beautiful. “Thanks.”

  “Are you ready to rescue your husband?” He lifted his head and clicked his teeth together.

  “That sounds weird. Husband.” I touched my ring. “Abernathy?” It was weird how I felt about Leo even though I barely knew him. I really did care. “It’s strange, because the people on Polonias look the same as those on Earth, but it seems that something is different—the way I feel for Leo seems odd.” I shook my head and took a step away. “Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”

  “Humans from Earth look the same as those on Polonias, but there is one big difference.”

  I turned back. “What’s that?”

  “It all goes back to the way Polonias was created. This world possesses a heart, a living, breathing heart. Her feelings, her desires, her happiness or sadness flows into this world and into its people. That makes everything and everyone connected. She gives them life. At the same time it allows her to know everything and everyone, like a two way street. Because of that continuous flow, it allows those who are of Polonias to know and feel more and differently than creatures from Earth. Even me.”

  I listened intently, trying to grasp what he was saying.

  “Is that why she must spend time in the earth?” I asked.

  “It is.”

  “Interesting,” I said softly. It was more than interesting, actually. It was fascinating. And it made sense. It explained why I’d felt so much of a stronger connection with the people of Polonias. It was because part of them existed in me and part of me existed in them. But then… “How can the people not know that King Loyalor lied, that he and Lawson intend to do Polonias harm?”

  Abernathy smacked his lips. His big eye closed and he began humming.

  “Abernathy?”

  “It has to do with Mizrabel’s magic; her sorcery combined with that of the King has allowed them to convince the people of their lies. And that’s where you come in.”

  “Me?” I stared at him.

  “Haven’t you wondered why you’re so special? Why it had to be you to marry Leo? Why you’re the one who is supposed to save the world?”

  I turned away and leaned against the dragon’s side. Of course I’d wondered. It’d crossed my mind on several occasions. I looked down. The bodice of my dress had slipped and I shrugged it back up. Then I looked around.

  The sun was setting. Orange and yellow rays of light cut through the trees. Some of the birds had returned and were chirping in the trees above. I finally said, “Yes, I’ve wondered.”

  Abernathy started to snore.

  I elbowed him. “Seriously?”

  He didn’t respond. His snores grew louder.

  “Merde.”

  The Dungeon

  I sighed and moved toward the edge of the forest. I sat on a fallen log, not caring that it might rip my already singed and dirtied dress. It was too late to save it and I was too sad to care. I was also worried about Leo. I’d seen the King pick him up, which I hoped meant he wasn’t dead. Somehow in my heart, I knew he wasn’t. During the ceremony he and I had become connected.

  Then there was Mizrabel. She’d betrayed me. She told me she was my mother, agreed to help, and then betrayed me. It hurt. If I saw her again I’d do my best to scratch her eyes out. Just thinking about her made me see red. I was an idiot.

  And what about the King and his son, Lawson? What were they up to? Whatever it was couldn’t be good. But what was I supposed to do about it? My magic wasn’t nearly as strong as theirs.

  I knew I needed to kiss Leo. If I could do that then the ceremony would be complete and Polonias could be healed. It was still weird to think about. He and I were married. Well, almost married. There was a ring on my finger to prove it. One that’d been tattooed on my finger and somehow made me a part of Leo and him a part of me. The way my heart felt—

  “Are you ready to go find your husband?” Abernathy asked.

  I turned toward him. “You’re awake.�
�� I crossed one leg over the other and wrapped my hands around my knees. “Do you know where he is?”

  Abernathy lifted his head from his paws, stretched, and stood. Scales shifted and clanked. Some fell from his body and hit the dirt. One rolled toward me, but fell onto its side just before it bounced into my log.

  “Yes, I know where he is.” He shook. I watched his body change from that of a dragon to the frightful-looking demon the people of Polonias called Stryker.

  “That’s so weird,” I said, standing. “What else can you change into?” I asked half-heartedly.

  He smiled, showing all of his pointy white teeth. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he responded.

  I shook my head. “Not really.” I took a couple of tentative steps toward him. For some reason he was a lot more intimidating as Stryker, the demon than as Abernathy, the gigantic dragon with golden eyes. “Before you fell asleep you were going to share why it’s me that is supposed to save—”

  “Tut. Tut. I wasn’t going to share anything. I just wanted to know if you wondered.” He pulled a large black hood over his bald head so that his face was in shadow.

  I tried to hide the shudder that ran the length of my body.

  He came forward. I forced myself not to run away. He wrapped a hand around my waist and we began to move. As we did, Stryker spoke. “The reason my spells are considered blasphemous is that they are from another world. And a dragon.” He put a hand to his chest. “Me.” He raised his nonexistent eyebrows as a joke. I couldn’t say anything. He frightened me.

  “That’s why I change into this form. To them, Stryker, a demon who lives in the witch mists and keeps the evil at bay, is more suitable than a dragon from Earth.”

  “But why? You’re…” I paused, trying to think of a word that adequately described him. “Awesome,” I exclaimed.

  The head beneath the hood turned. “Thank you, my dear. That’s true, but I’m also an abomination from another world, and my magic is from another world as well. They don’t care that it’s got great power, only that it doesn’t come from Polonias.”

  As he spoke I watched the colors swirl around us. I didn’t know where we were, but we’d gone into a building made from large stones. From there we went down an endless array of stairs. They kept going. Down. Down. Down.

  The air got chillier. A stench like stale water and dead fish lingered. “Gross,” I said, wrinkling my nose.

  “Think about your poor husband. He’s been down here two days.”

  “I know,” I said, swallowing my worry.

  The stairs finally ended at a door. Stryker released my waist and opened it. He pointed down the long, dark corridor. “Follow this hallway to the end. You’ll see another door. It’ll be unlocked. Open it. Go down another set of stairs and Leo will be there.”

  “You’re not coming?” I asked, shaking my head. My heart thundered with panic. We were way, way down and I had no idea where here was. What if Leo wasn’t there? What if something happened to him? “What if—”

  “Don’t worry, Cinderella. Leo’s there.” A bright red light consumed him and, when it cleared, Stryker was gone.

  Rescue

  My body shook with stress and fear. It was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, and the darkness made my heart beat faster.

  “Der’mo,” I swore in Russian. It surprised me I’d recalled the word at a time like this; I’d only been studying Russian two days when Lawson asked me to come to Polonias and I’d agreed. The fact that I remembered made me giggle. Hearing myself laugh relaxed me some.

  I used a spell and created a blue light in the palm of my hand. “Down the hallway to another door. You can do this,” I said aloud as I walked barefoot. The floor was cold and damp. The stone walls were covered with moss and leaked water where the roof met the wall.

  At the end of the hall I opened the door and, just as Stryker had said, there was another set of stairs. I took a deep breath and regretted it. “Ugh, it smells.”

  I carefully went down, deeper and deeper. It was so cold now I could see my breath and that made me worried. If Leo had been here two days, he might be frozen.

  When I got off the last step I froze. It was a damp circular room. In the center lay someone. Even in the blue witch light he looked bad.

  “Leo,” I whispered and ran forward.

  He moaned lightly.

  I sent the witch light from my palm and into the air. Then I kneeled beside Leo and rolled him onto his back. “I’m here,” I said, brushing some hair off his face. “I’m here.”

  He coughed and there was a rasp in his chest. “Ho-How are you alive?” He asked. Even as sick as he sounded I could hear the surprise in his voice. “How did you find me?”

  I pulled his head into my lap. “I had help from a friend,” I said, stroking his cheek.

  “I-Do you have any water?”

  I didn’t, but I knew a spell. “Miras.” Water filled in my hands. I brought it to his lips. “Drink.”

  He drank until my hands were empty. I filled them again and he drank until they were empty again.

  “Better?” I asked when he was done.

  “Yes.” Leo tried to sit but grabbed hold of his ribs and fell back.

  I ripped a chunk of my dress and put it under his head, then moved to his side. “I’m going to open your shirt.” I started to undo the buttons.

  Leo tried to smile but it looked more like a wince. “If you wanted—” He paused and took a shaky breath before he continued, “to see me naked, you could’ve just asked.”

  I giggled. It was embarrassing. Something I never did… well, unless it was part of a planned flirting expedition. This wasn’t one of those times. “That’s not it.” I got the last button undone and opened his shirt. Even though he’d been in limbo four years he still looked pretty good. Some of the color had come back. He had abs. Over the right side of his body was a dark purple bruise. Immediately upon seeing it one of the spells from Abernathy’s book came into my mind.

  I placed both hands over the bruise. “Hold still,” I said, glancing at him briefly.

  He lifted his hands and placed them over mine. There was a strong shock and I gasped.

  “You feel that too, right?” he asked, closing his eyes and resting his hands at his sides.

  “Yes.” I swallowed. I felt it everywhere, and especially my heart. It seemed to grow stronger each time. “This might hurt,” I said, gently placing my palm on this bruise.

  “I’m ready,” he said.

  I studied his gorgeous face, the lines of pain, his strong jaw, thick eyebrows, and full lips. They looked so kissable. In fact I could lean over right now, press my lips to his, and Polonias would be healed. I bent forward…

  “Ouch,” Leo said, opening his eyes. My face was right above his and he smiled. “Were you going to heal me or did you want to make out? Because if you want to know the truth I’d love it if we did both.” He grimaced. “If you healed me first it might be better.”

  “Right,” I said and returned my gaze to his chest. My cheeks were hot with embarrassment. “Evantha. Sprinthia. Britman.” As I said the words a violet, blue, and silvery white light spilled from under my hands. When the light disappeared I removed my hands and the bruise was gone.

  He looked much better.

  “You ready to make out?” he asked with a smirk.

  I punched him in the bicep. “Maybe we could find a place that isn’t quite so… vile before we do that.”

  Leo chuckled and stood. “Thank you for saving me once again, dear Cinderella. You truly are my lifesaver.” He tugged me into a giant bear hug.

  “You’re welcome,” I returned and snuggled into his bare chest.

  Lost Magic

  “Where should we go?” I asked once we were outside of the dungeon.

  “I’m not sure. Someplace safe. Someplace where Mizrabel, my father, and Lawson can’t find us.” He turned in a circle and I followed. We were on a mountainside, near the edge. I walked ove
r and could see straight down. Below were hundreds of trees and a fast moving stream. “Is this part of the Golden Forest?” I asked, remembering all Lawson had told me about Polonias.

  It wasn’t a big world.

  Overhead a crescent moon was visible. Thick gray clouds billowed and occasionally covered it. It looked like rain.

  Farther out I could see the town as well as the castle. The view was breathtaking, filled with vibrant colors. “Most likely.” He came to stand next to me.

  “There’s the castle. Does that help?” I asked after a few minutes. I really wanted to scrub off the soot and grime from almost being burned alive and then being down in that disgusting dungeon. I figured there was a spell if I got desperate, but there was just something about using soap and water, lathering shampoo in my hair, shaving the necessary parts that needed shaving… the smells, the way the water soothed and rejuvenated… yeah, I wanted a real shower.

  Leo nodded. “Yes it does.” He sighed and tugged me into another hug. “Tell me again that you’re okay. When I heard they were going to burn you at the stake, I fought until Mizrabel knocked me out. Damn sorceress. I’ve no idea what she’s playing at.”

  “Neither do I.” I shrugged, trying to pretend it didn’t sting like a thousand wasps to know she was my mother and she betrayed me. I had nearly died.

  “We’ll deal with her, with my father, with all of them, but first I’m taking you someplace safe. Someplace only I know about.”

  I swallowed. “Alright.”

  Leo smiled lazily. “Since we’ve already done the hard part and got married, I figured I should take you on a date.”

  “A date?” I glanced down at my disgusting dress and bare feet. “Like this?”

  He took my elbows and pulled me close. “You look beautiful.” He kissed my cheek, pulled back, and scrunched his nose. “I’ll admit you’ve smelled better, though.”