Straightening my shoulders, I leave my parents’ bedroom and head over to their office. Alec already stands inside.
“how does it look?” I ask.
“Completely stripped.”
I cross the threshold. “What about that safe?”
“Safe?” Alex turns around and stares at the new-looking safe in one corner. “That wasn’t here when I entered before.”
I step in for a closer look. “And there’s no dust on it, either. Must be an enchantment.” I frown. “But who would enchant a safe?”
“Whoever it is, they only wanted you to find it. I couldn’t see the thing until you entered the room.”
Memories appear. “On the day I left here, someone protected my money from my stepmother. I never found out who did it. And now, someone glamoured my parents’ safe?”
“It must be the same person.”
I nod. “But who?” I shake my head. “That’s something to worry about later. I’d like to check out the safe now.”
“Of course.”
“Did your spell show it was boobytrapped or anything?”
“No, but you will need the combination.”
“That’s okay. I remember it.”
Kneeling before the safe, I twist the spin lock and enter in the old combination from my parents. My hands tremble, so it takes me a few tries to get it right. Finally, there’s the soft click of the lock releasing. I pull open the safe door. A pile of documents sit inside. I pull out the sheets, set them atop the safe, and scan the top one.
“What is it?” asks Alec.
“It’s a record of the store’s history. After I left, Marchesa sold off everything. She turned out all the animates, too.”
“Maybe she needed the money.”
“No, my parents had a gift called the Coffer of Wonders. It was created to protect this store. Once a day, the coffer could be opened. Then it would give whatever the store needed.”
“Hmm.” Alec rakes his hand through his hair. “Sounds like that coffer’s like the most valuable thing in the store. Perhaps that’s what your stepmother sold. It would get the most money.”
My blood chills. It never occurred to me that someone would sell the Coffer of Wonders. It was a gift from the animates meant to keep my family’s legacy alive.
Sadly, I can see Marchesa doing just that.
I flip through more pages. “Here’s a contract,” I state. “It’s dated the same week Marchesa closed down the store.” I scan further. “And you guessed right. It’s all about selling the Coffer of Wonders.” I turn the page. “They’re putting it in magical escrow? I’ve never heard of that.”
“We do that sometimes with very expensive jewels,” explains Alec. “It protects the buyer and seller. The object goes to a third party until the deal closes. It should all be listed later in the document.”
“Right.” I read a little further. “Here it is. The Coffer of Wonders will be held by the Queen of Hearts until…” I pause, not believing what I’ seeing.
Alec steps to my side. “May I?”
“Sure.”
Alec reads further. “It says the coffer will be released to the buyer on the day of my Glass Slipper Ball.”
That chill in my veins turns downright arctic. “Your parents are buying the Coffer of Wonders? Why?”
Alec sighs. “Le Charme Jewelers hasn’t been in good shape for years. Tons of money has been poured into the L Center, and that’s not even the most pricey of my father’s plans.” He meets my gaze. “It would make sense that they’d want the Coffer of Wonders. The magic serves the business, yes?”
I nod. “It was made to keep Cyber Mercantile going.”
“I’m so sorry.”
I press my palms to my eyes and think. There’s something I’m still missing here. The question hits me. “What does Marchesa get out of this?”
“My parents can’t be paying her with human money,” says Alec. “They don’t have any.”
I flip more pages and pause. It can’t be true and yet it’s written right there. “Your parents will receive the Coffer of Wonders for Le Charme Jewelers. In exchange, you’ll be bonded to Ivy Cynder at your Glass Slipper Ball. The Queen of Hearts will make sure it all happens.” I look to Alec. “Now it’s my turn to be sorry.”
Alec scoops up the documents. “This is unbelievable.”
“Don’t worry,” I offer. “They can’t make you do anything.”
“The Queen of Hearts certainly can.” Alec shakes his head. “That damned curse.”
“You mean the one against wardens and marriage? That’s over now. Our trip to Egypt fixed everything.”
“Oh, I’m a lucky fellow,” says Alec. “I have two curses in my life. The warden one is over, sure. But there’s a second bit of evil. My father believes that there’s another curse that’s specific to the Le Charme family. It forces our men into loveless marriages. Looks like Legend is making sure it happens to me.”
Looking up, I see a small birdlike figure that flits above the safe. “Blackaverre.”
“Your fairy godmother is here?” asks Alec.
“Sadly.” I glare in her direction. “She doesn’t detect us, does she?”
“No, do you want her to?”
I nod.
Alec pulls out some more stones and casts a spell. Within seconds, he and I are visible once more.
In response, Blackaverre throws up her arms in a great show of spotting me for the first time.
“She doesn’t talk?” asks Alec.
“Nope.”
After that, Blackaverre zooms over and kisses the top of my head. She’s making a big act of being happy to see me. I’m here, but I’m still not sure what Blackaverre is really up to.
I step away from the kiss fest on my hair. “There’s no emergency. This place has been deserted for ages. Why am I really here?”
Blackaverre twiddles her fingers. A moment later, a small notecard appears on her palm. She hands the message to me and winks. After that, my so-called fairy godmother vanishes in a pouf of pink smoke.
“Typical,” I grumble. I hold up the envelope. A name is written outside, Elle. I know that handwriting. “This is from Marchesa.” I tear the message open and read the contents inside.
Elle, By now you’ve figured out that running away is pointless. I’ve known where you are for years, and I’ve been looking forward to this day. If you hadn’t run across Alec on your own, I’d have made it happen, just so I can see the pain in your eyes when you lose him… just as I lost Declan. - Your dear stepmother
“What does it say?” asks Alec.
“My stepmother, Marchesa, has been planning this all along. Our meeting. You marrying Ivy. It’s her revenge on me.”
“Revenge. Why?”
“Marchesa wanted to my marry my father, Declan.” I toss the note atop the safe. “She’s always hated me. And now I understand why your parents need her Coffer of Wonders.”
“There’s more to it than that. My mother recently told me. She swore me to secrecy, but in light of this?” Alec gestures toward the pile of papers. “I’m not keeping secrets for her any longer.” He turns to me once more. “My father wanted to marry your mother.”
On reflex, my hand goes to my throat. “Legend proposed to Rae? My Rae? Are you sure?”
“Diamond showed me pictures.”
“How long have you known?”
“About the proposal? Only a few days ago. But there were warning signs before. Diamond never liked it when I talked to you, even all those years ago at the L Center.”
A memory appears. The woman’s voice calling to the guy I thought was Fred. “I remember that. I thought you were in trouble from your boss at the loading dock.”
“That was Diamond. My parents don’t have a happy marriage. Diamond blames your mother. And as I said, the Le Charme company isn’t in good shape, either. I’m sure Diamond jumped at the chance to hurt you and save Le Charme at the same time.”
I stare at the pile of pape
rs, my mind lost in thought. This is hopeless. Diamond and Legend Le Charme teaming up with Marchesa? My own fairy godmother helping her along? And there very well could be powerful magic driving this whole thing. Maybe Alec and I should accept all this and move on.
Then again, screw that idea.
My blood heats with a mixture of rage and determination. I turn to Alec. “You know what I think about all this?”
He tilts his head. “Tell me.”
“That—” I point to the pile of papers “—is a pile of crap. No one pushes us around. And if my life gets ruined, I won’t let it be Marchesa and her spawn who take me down. I’ll make my own terrible mistakes, thank you very much.”
A smile quirks Alec’s mouth. “What are you thinking?”
“I met the Queen of Hearts years ago. You had a dream where she visited you. I think that old vampire-fairy doesn’t like this whole curse situation for some reason.” I toss the papers back inside the safe and slam the door. “Let’s go see the Queen of Hearts. You’re a warden. So am I. There must be something we can do to make her kill this curse. I, for one, will not stand around and just take this. What do you say?”
“I say you’re amazing, Elle Cynder.” Alec reaches out and runs his finger along my jawline. “And I love this idea.”
I open my mouth, ready to say, I love you, Alec Le Charme.
But thankfully, I’m able to close my yap before I do something that crazy. I’ve already lost so much, between my parents and now Cynder mercantile. Alec is a friend who holds my hand and tells me I’m amazing.
I simply won’t risk losing Alec’s friendship. But I will go with him to see the Queen of Hearts.
Alec closes his eyes. “It’s my detection spell. The stones speak to me once more.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“A troll has broken in through the back of the warehouse.”
I stumble backward. Trolls are the assassins of the shadowcoe world.
And they don’t hand out pretty deaths, either.
13
Elle
Alec’s words seem to float in a word bubble by his mouth, like he’s a cartoon instead of a person.
A troll has broken in through the back of the warehouse.
Seeing cartoon bubble talk? That makes it official. I am beyond stressed-out today. Yet another telltale sign of my anxiety is how I still can’t believe Alec’s words, despite the fact that I still see them in a cartoon talk bubble.
“Trolls?” I ask. “How?”
“I noticed some vials in the kitchen. There’s only one purpose for these particular containers. Your stepmother is a potion master, yes?”
“Sure.”
“They’re closely aligned with trolls. We better go.”
Now, I know we should leave. Yet my feet feel rooted to the spot. Blackaverre betrayed me. She lured me here to let me know Marchesa’s plan to ruin my life, followed up by a troll to actually do the ruining part. All of which adds up to one thing.
Blackaverre is in cahoots with Marchesa. Not that I’m surprised.
Okay, I’m a little surprised.
Blackaverre may hate me, but my mother is the equivalent of a fairy saint. Who helps someone that destroyed Mom’s legacy? I understand having a classic fairy tale life template but sheesh.
I’m about to complain about Blackaverre when Alec steps into my line of vision and sets his hand over my mouth. No question what he means here. Stay silent.
I nod. Got it.
Alec glances toward the doorway. An electric sense of alarm rattles through my nervous system.
Little by little, I turn to face the doorway. A massive troll stands framed on the threshold.
Damn.
14
Alec
The troll is a lanky fellow, with a hunched back and skin that’s covered in green pustules. His wide face holds beady eyes. A small tuft of yellow hair juts from atop his head. Four small tusks stick out from his lower jaw, two on either side of his mouth. He holds a large club in his right hand.
“Kill Elle,” grumbles the troll.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a fresh handful of rubies. “That won’t happen.”
A surge of power surrounds Elle. It’s like the electric sense of lightning before a storm.
She’s pulling in magic and a lot of it.
I set my hand on Elle’s forearm. “Not safe,” I whisper.
A thin cloud of fairy dust collects around Elle’s hand. She stares at the enchanted mist that swirls around her fingers. “I can’t just stand here.”
“I won’t let you expose yourself.” I raise my hand. Rubies gleam inside my fist.
I mean it, too. Elle’s the warden of fae magic. Shadowcoe are residents of the Faerie Lands. If Elle exposes her powers to even one troll, all of Faerie could know the truth about her and soon.
The stones glow more brightly. Crimson light shines through my closed fingers. “Do I have to get nasty here?”
Elle winks. “Tough guy.”
“You know it.”
The troll raises his club. “Kill Elle!” he cries.
Closing my eyes, I reach out to the stones in my fist.
Protect Elle.
A chorus of alto voices reply.
What shall we cast?
My thoughts instantly spin through all the possible spells in this moment. I do have a special black diamond that I’m creating. Although I haven’t heard a voice back from that particular stone yet, I almost wish I were holding it in my fist right now. That could protect Elle like nothing else.
The name of the right spell appears. I focus on it in my mind’s eye.
Night.
Wisps of red smoke spin out from my hand. For a moment, the tendrils whirl about my palm. A burst of white light fills the room.
Then my spell really kicks into action.
Cords of red mist whip out from my palm. Lines of crimson power whirl around the troll. The shadowcoe writhes under the mist, trying to wipe the spell off his skin.
Yet the red mist stays in place.
Next the colored gaze soaks inside the troll. Another burst of light follows.
The spell ends.
The troll wobbles in place, then falls over and snores.
15
Alec
Elle steps up to the sleeping troll. She kicks at it with her boot. “Cool,” she breathes.
“You’ll have to show me some of your fairy and enchanter magic one of these days.”
“I can only do a few things with fairy dust,” Elle knocks on the statue’s arm. “And I don’t think I have any enchanter magic.”
“I disagree.”
Elle spins about to face me. “What makes you say that?”
“We get along far too well.” I grin. “And I’m a wizard.”
Bzzzz… Bzzzz…
My phone goes nuts. I pull my cell from my pocket. Both Diamond and Legend are calling me. My parents dial from separate phones, but with the same purpose.
“Blackaverre,” I state. “Do you think she’s working with Marchesa?”
“Absolutely.”
I turn my phone off. “And Marchesa is in league with my parents. Clearly, Diamond and Legend know something is going on. They’re blowing up my phone.”
“Should you see them?”
“No,” I reply. “But if we’ll visit the queen, we better hurry. I have about an hour before my parents cast transport spells and show up in person.” I point to the troll. “Plus this guy won’t sleep for long. Trolls are very resistant to magic.”
“Got it. Let’s go.” Elle scooches around the snoozing troll and heads for the stairs.
She’s unstoppable.
And in some way I can’t quite understand, she’s also entirely mine.
16
Alec
Elle and I step through Central Park. According to my spell books, folks like Elle can view the Faerie Lands without using a portal.
“What do you see here?” I ask.
Elle pauses. “You’ve never been to the Faerie Lands before?”
“No. You?”
“Once. It’s not a place I want to visit.”
I nod. Of course. She wouldn’t wish to expose her warden nature. “So why go there at all?”
“Because someone from Faerie once listed a crown for bounty. The Queen of Hearts.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “You un-stole something for the queen?”
Elle bobs her head from side to side—it means she’s thinking things through before talking. “I’m not sure it was stolen, really, so much as planted in the human world. A test, if you like. The Queen of Hearts wanted to see if someone would find her crown and return it.” She curtseys. “That would be me.”
“Can you see her right now?”
Elle steps in a slow circle. “I see the world of faerie overlapping with this one.” She gestures across a small patch of forest. “To me, those take up the same space as trees with white trunks and red leaves.” She then points toward Belvedere Castle. “And there’s a great white palace on top of that gray one.”
To my eyes, Elle simply follows a footpath to Belvedere Castle. All of a sudden, an oval hole appears in the sky just above the trail. I’ve read about these, but never seen one.
A portal to the Faerie Lands.
I step around the connection to the human world and the Faerie Lands. If I stand right in front, there’s a cut-out spot in the air which shows the reality Elle described. Through that portal—that window—there’s a white forest of red leafed trees. Beyond that, a low hill is topped by a majestic palace of white stone. Small red pennants flap from the peak of conical towers. yet unless I look at the portal straight-on, I can’t see the vision at all.
Scanning Central Park, I find I can no longer see Elle. So I step through the portal. Once I’m on the other side, Elle appears again. This time, she waits on the wide path to the Queen of Hearts’ palace.
Slippers and Thieves Special Edition Page 13
