“You ok?” asked Cynder, patting my back. He must have been as tired as I was, but he thought of me first. He always had.
Between breaths, I began to giggle. The last few days had finally caught up with me. I’d never known tiredness like this, but knowing Elise was going to be alright made everything worthwhile.
I began to laugh again, this time more loudly. Cynder joined in. We were quite the pair.
After a depressing meal of tomato soup, cooked on the small stove, we tumbled into bed. We would have to discuss our strategy for freeing everyone and exposing Luca, but it would have to wait for another day. I was too tired to think.
The next morning I made a couple of rounds of toast for both of us and brewed a couple of cups of coffee. We had no milk, but I wanted the caffeine buzz, so I drank it black, choking on the bitter taste.
“You ok?” Cynder mumbled from under the bedclothes. “Do I smell coffee?”
“You do indeed,” I replied while turning on the TV. I wanted to see if there was any mention of Elise or even the girl that Luca had taken thinking she was me. Guilt coursed through me as I thought of her. I’d get her out, along with everyone else.
Of course, neither of those things were given any airtime. It made sense I suppose. Luca was hardly going to publicize his incompetence. Besides, for all anyone knew, Elise was already dead. Luca must have paid the hospital a great deal of money to keep her a secret.
“Why do you think Luca let Elise go to the hospital?” I mused aloud. “It would be a lot easier for him if he let her die.”
“He knew you’d show up. He probably thought you’d not bother to try the police station for fear of getting caught. That’s why there were so many guards there, and not one thought to check us.”
I nodded, taking another sip of the bitter coffee.
A news item came on that had me sitting up straight. I wouldn’t have noticed it at all, coming as it did at the end of a long section of news about the upcoming wedding, but it was about the bakery we broke into last night.
“Cynder, look,” I said, pointing at the TV.
The report only lasted a minute and told how someone had broken in and stolen a couple of the cakes from the shop window. I had to laugh when they reported that the cakes weren’t even real. They were just for show. Evidently, the reporter thought it was funny too. Cynder and I were branded a couple of idiots. Suited me. They had no leads which was just the way I liked it.
The news went back to images of all the preparations for the big day. Drusilla delighted in telling the world how fancy everything was going to be and how much better her wedding would be than mine. I’m sure it would be. Maybe her house wouldn’t blow up at the end of it.
We were still no closer to overturning Luca, and practically everyone I knew was either in jail cells or in a damp basement, but in spite of everything, I was happy. I’d only gotten to see her for a couple of minutes, but my heart filled with joy every time I thought of baby Grace’s perfect little face, her rosebud lips, her skin darker than Elise’s porcelain complexion, but lighter than Leo’s, the perfect blend of the two of them.
I was still thinking about her cute baby cheeks when the news was interrupted for a special announcement.
I sat bolt upright. It must have been something major to interrupt Drusilla talking about wedding corsages.
Frederick Pittser appeared on the screen. Behind him was the huge square in front of the cathedral where our wedding took place and where Luca and Drusilla were due to marry. It was also the place where coronations take place. At my wedding there had been thousands of people with banners, and today, judging by the report, there were still thousands of people with banners. This time though they weren’t well-wishers out to wish their queen a happy future. The people marching behind Pittser looked defiant.
“Police are trying to control the angry protesters, most of whom are illegal Magi. They stormed across the border into Silverwood and broke down the capital’s defenses. The people of the capital are warned to stay in their homes. These people are dangerous and will kill non-Magi people on sight.”
I should have been outraged, but I was delighted. I knew for a fact that not all of the people marching were Magi. I recognized some of them as people who worked in the palace. I even spotted some prominent community members in the march that looked anything but angry. Thousands of people marched peacefully through the square, their banners filled with slogans such as “Charmaine Lives,” and “We love Queen Charmaine.” It wasn’t the slogans that made me cheer. It was the color of the fabric used for the banner. It looked like most of the city had come out, and all were dressed in purple, the color of the Magi.
“They are fighting, Charm,” Cynder said, gripping my hand. “The people are fighting. I knew Luca’s time would come.” Even as we watched the live feed, more and more people joined them. It was a beautiful sight.
Pittser looked more and more afraid as the throng turned towards him, but before they got near, the police arrived. Hundreds of Luca’s guards raced towards the protesters, batons raised as if to hurt them, a song went up. The guards found that they could not quite reach the protestors. The camera panned round to see the Magi with their wands outstretched. Instead of using them to hurt the guards, they had elected to cause a barrier between them. The more the guards tried to break down the invisible barrier, the louder the protesters sang. There was no mistaking what the song was. It was Silverwood’s national anthem. Instead of singing ‘God save the King,’ instead, they sang ‘God save Queen Charm.’
Cynder and I jumped out of our seats at the same time, cheering. Cynder tossed a stone to me, and when I looked down, I saw that it was Copper’s talk stone. On it in his handwriting were the words Turn the TV on.
I grinned broadly as I replied that I was already watching it.
“We need to go out there,” I shouted. “The people want me. Now is the time.” I was finally ready to unmask myself and show everyone in Silverwood I was still alive.
And now, a special announcement from His Royal Highness, Prince Luca.
The TV flashed away from Pittser’s face to that of Luca’s. He was sitting in a room I remembered at his house. It was the study where I’d seen him have a secret conversation on his phone.
He looked somber as he addressed the camera.
“People of Silverwood, as you have seen, the center of the capital has been overrun by people of magic. It saddens me after everything I’ve done for the Magi that they would do something like this so close to my wedding day, and more importantly, my coronation. I do not blame the Magi for what they are doing. An illegal purple paper has been circulating throughout Silverwood, spreading lies. I want to assure you that the perpetrators of these crimes have been caught and are due for sentencing. I’m afraid to say that although I understand that the Magi out there today have been influenced by this purple rag, they have become dangerous. You’ve seen for yourself the trouble they are currently causing. This has brought me to a monumental decision—one that will allow me to make a law to rid Silverwood of this threat, once and for all. I’m bringing the date of my coronation forward. Because of this, I will also be moving my wedding to Drusilla Bloom forward.
“Tomorrow, I will walk down the aisle of the cathedral as an un-married prince. The day after, I’ll become Silverwood’s new king. As for those treacherous Magi out there today, I’ll be handing them the steepest punishment a king can give. In three days’ time, I’ll be holding a public execution in the same spot they are now standing. As ruler of Silverwood, I’ll finally rid us of the vermin that corrupts our safe land.”
Cynder and I looked at each other.
We’d run out of time.
Drusilla and the Cake
We sat up all night, trying to come up with a plan—anything to beat Luca at his own game. Once he was king, he’d be unstoppable. The reason he’d not publically killed anyone yet was that only the ruler of the kingdom had the legal power to do such a thing. Being a pr
ince wasn’t enough. He had to be king. If I outed myself after the coronation, it wouldn’t matter anymore. I would no longer be able to call myself queen. I had to show the world I was alive before that crown was placed on his head. I had to do it at the wedding.
The next morning, we dressed in the bakery cloaks we’d stolen, hopeful that no one would connect us to the break-in. Our auburn twin masks had worked well for us, so we elected to keep ourselves that way.
There was a strange atmosphere in the city as we walked through. Many people lined the streets holding the kingdom’s flag and banners with the names of Luca and Drusilla written on them. To most people, it looked the same as when I’d married Luca, but it didn’t feel the same. It all seemed forced somehow. There were no smiles on the faces of the people lining the streets, waiting for the royal carriage to bring Luca and Drusilla home after the wedding. On my wedding day, the excitement of the crowd was palpable. People were screaming my name and waving. Now, it was eerily quiet despite the number of people. I followed Cynder past the groups of people until we reached Luca’s house. The guards were still there. In fact, if anything, there were more of them, but this time the front door was wide open as a stream of people with flowers, centerpieces, and more importantly, food came in and out of it. Finding the bakery wagon was easy. We followed the smell of fresh food and there it was. Boxes and boxes of food were piled up ready to be taken into Luca’s kitchen. In the center was a cake. I thought my mother had gone overboard with my seven-layered cake, but this was a monstrosity. It was baked into the shape of a white castle and at the front, were two little figures kissing. They were obviously meant to be Luca and Drusilla. Both wore tiny crowns on their heads. After checking that no one was looking, I picked up the little figures and broke both their heads off, before placing them back on the cake.
“Don’t you think that was a bit petty?” Cynder grinned.
“You’re only saying that because you didn’t think of it first,” I replied, sticking out my tongue at him. “Besides, after everything that has happened, I feel entitled to a little pettiness.”
I picked up one of the boxes and joined the line of people going into the house.
Our plan was to get inside the house and try to rescue Seraphia, Daniel, Dean, and the others. At the same time, we planned to use the talk stone to contact Copper to free the prisoners. Last night, we’d let him know the plan, so he was ready. The new chief of police was heading up the security at the actual wedding, so Copper had been left in charge of the cells. It was all working out perfectly.
I tried to look as harassed as the other people as I was bustled into the house. Of course, they were harassed. They were expecting the wedding to happen in a couple of weeks and here they were, having to move it up with less than twenty-four hours’ notice.
I knew exactly where I was going. Once inside I took the stairs straight down to the kitchen. I took the door to the right. The door on the left was currently being guarded by one of Luca’s men. I was glad to see that it didn’t have a lock on it, just a huge bolt that would be easy to pull back if only we could find a way to get the guard to move.
As I walked into the kitchen, I thought I’d be nervous after being locked in there for so long, but it was so busy with people working that it didn’t feel threatening at all.
“Put that over there on the table with the other boxes,” shouted a chef with such a red face I was sure he’d explode. Behind me, I felt a nudge. It was Cynder with a box of his own. We placed the boxes on the table.
“We need to find a way to get into the door opposite,” I whispered to Cynder.
“I know. I was down there myself, remember?”
We both headed to the door but were stopped before we left the kitchen by a young woman with bright white hair. She had a clipboard in her hand and an air of efficiency about her. She reminded me of Xavi.
“I need a volunteer to help upstairs,” she announced. “You!”
She pointed at Cynder. He had no choice but to follow her. I tried to tag along behind but was stopped by the chef yelling at me.
“Where do you think you are going? I need someone to chop vegetables.”
I couldn’t help think it would have been better if I’d been called upstairs and it was Cynder that had been left behind. He was a whizz in the kitchen, whereas I had to make do with bumbling through.
Pulling out some carrots, I began to chop them as neatly as I could. All I could think about was Seraphia and the others just behind the basement door. I listened out for them, but any noise they may have been making was drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the wedding preparations.
Although we’d planned to help them escape, we’d not actually come up with a plan on how we’d actually do that. With so little time to prepare, winging it was our only option.
“Where is the cake?” shrieked someone from upstairs. This question was shortly followed by the pounding of someone stomping down the stairs. I almost fell over in shock when I saw who it was. Drusilla Bloom. Having only ever seen her on TV and in photos, I was not quite prepared for the sight of her. She was large, much larger than I expected, both tall and wide. The corset she wore was practically bursting at the seams, her bosoms pushed up so high she could practically rest her chin on them.
Her makeup was so thick that it looked like she was wearing a mask herself. It was almost grotesque. What on earth did Luca see in her? Urgh. And goodness only knew why she was wandering around in her underwear. Maybe she’d look better once her dress was on. She’d definitely look better with her veil on. I suppressed a snicker and went back to chopping carrots.
“The cake!” she screeched once again. The head chef, who just seconds before had been the epitome of angry was now bowing and smiling to this hideous woman. He was now fussing around Drusilla as if his life depended on it. Knowing this woman, it probably did.
“I don’t know where it is, Your Majesty. We have many boxes of food we haven’t opened yet. Perhaps it’s in one of those?” The poor guy looked like he was going to cry.
“You heard the lady,” he boomed, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at him. “Find the cake.”
I certainly wasn’t going to let on that it was still on the wagon. Let them look for it. I used the pandemonium of people opening boxes while Drusilla and the chef screamed at them to duck outside the kitchen. Very quietly, I closed the door behind me. The one guard that had been standing at the bottom of the stairs guarding the door opposite had gone into the kitchen to help. With him distracted, now was the best time to get them out, but how? Someone was bound to notice them, even in the melee of people. Opening the door was simple. Only a bolt held it shut, but I still had no idea what to do once it was open.
Deciding I’d worry about it later, I pulled back on the large iron bolt. It made a horrible screeching sound as it opened, matched only by the same noise Drusilla was making in the kitchen.
“Hey!”
I jumped, fearful that I’d been caught, but when I looked back up the stairs, all I could see was the ridiculous cake coming towards me.
A face peeked out from behind it.
“Cynder!”
“I was asked to bring this down to the kitchen,” he explained. It was so huge; I could see he was buckling under the weight of it.
“You can’t take it in there. Looking for the damn thing is the only thing keeping everyone occupied. Once they search through all the boxes, the guard will be right out. Bring it in here.” I opened the door to the basement.
Ten pairs of eyes looked back at me.
“Seraphia! Daniel! Dean! It’s us, Charm and Cynder!” I ran over and hugged them. They were all noticeably thinner than the last time I’d seen them, and their clothes were filthy.
Cynder placed the cake on the floor and hugged them all. Apart from Seraphia, Daniel, and Dean, the other seven were all people I recognized from the farmhouse.
“Seraphia,” said Cynder, throwing a wand to her. “I found y
our wand in an office upstairs. I hear you are good at transforming. I can only do so much. Can you transform your clothes to uniforms like this?”
She nodded and waved her wand. Seconds later, instead of nine Magi and Dean, there now stood ten caterers. She’d done a magnificent job of transforming them. Their faces had changed too.
Leaving the cake where it was and carefully closing and bolting the door behind us, we all dashed upstairs. At the main door, the guard gave us a quizzical look. Maybe we should have changed everyone into something else. There were now more caterers trying to get out than had come in.
“We are looking for the wedding cake,” I said, looking harassed. “It seems to be misplaced, and Her Majesty is rather upset.”
The guard blocked our exit. “The cake already went down to the kitchen. I saw it being brought in just a few minutes ago.”
Damn! I’d not thought of that.
“It’s another cake. The one brought downstairs was the wrong one!” cut in Cynder. The guard arched his brow but didn’t back down.
“My cake!” Drusilla screamed. She was so loud, we could all hear her all the way up here.
Her loud footsteps began to pound on the steps.
“Ok,” I smiled sweetly to the guard. “I’ll just let Her Majesty know that you won’t let us go look for it.”
The guard adopted a terrified look and backed off, letting us go through.
We’d done it!
We’d gotten everyone out.
Getting away from the house was easy. Only streets away, huge numbers of people were gathering to see the royal carriage make its way to the cathedral. All we had to do was join the throng.
“Stand together,” Seraphia commanded. We did as she asked, and she once again waved her wand. I felt warm as the spell consumed me. All the others changed clothes again. I looked down, and my catering uniform had now been replaced by a beautiful blue dress.
Charmed Page 16
