The queen waves her hand. “Guards.”
The warriors fall out. Every caster and troll gets held down by at least a half dozen of the queen’s warriors. Some try to fight or cast counter spells. Nothing works. Soon our opposing army is now restrained, all except for one.
It’s Charles. The Le Charme founder marches up to the queen.
“What’s all this?” demands Charles. “We have a bargain.”
At this point, something silky purrs by my ankle. Looking down, I find Chesh mewling at my side. I scoop him into my arms. “Your Majesty! Our quest is complete! We’ve found your cat!”
“We did?” asks Alec. He spies what’s in my arms. “We did!”
In arms, Chesh licks his lips. “Gerry says hi.”
Alec and I share a dry look. Gerry was totally the Cheshire cat all the time. What a stinker.
“How nice,” states the queen. “Bring me my feline and you may claim your reward.” She turns to Charles. “I’m sure you noticed what just happened here.”
“Yes! You’re a liar and oath breaker.”
“No,” says the queen sweetly. “I just won our bet.”
My brows lift. She won the bet? Hoisting Chesh higher in my arms, I march over to the queen. Alec steps along at my side.
This’ll be good.
55
Alec
As we close in on the queen, Chesh leaps down from Elle’s arms to sit by the queen’s feet. For a long moment, Chesh licks his paws before addressing the queen.
“Oh, I was so frightened and lost,” says Chesh. “Now I have been found. We should pay these two kind people.”
“Agreed,” says the queen. “And it’s so nice to have you back, Chesh.” She looks to me and Elle. “You have found my cat and may claim your reward. Although you may have noticed I got started a little early.”
Charles’ face turns four shades of pink. “Reward?”
“I should have thought this was clear,” say the queen. “I’m breaking the little curse that hangs over the house of Le Charme. Afterwards, Elle and Alec can be together in any way they see fit.”
In response, Legend tries to break free from his guards. “Impossible! No one can break the curse!”
The queen shoots Legend a sideways glance. “Quiet, you.”
“This simply can not happen,” adds Charles. “Ivy and Alec will be bonded tonight. You are magically contracted to perform the spell that will force them to get married.”
“Time was, I would be.” The queen smiles sweetly, but there’s an edge of evil under her grin. “It’s like this. Years ago, we made a bargain. You said you and your line could ignore love forever. And as long as you did, I would support you in forcing your offspring into loveless marriages.. and give you a comfortable life in the Fairy Lands.”
Now, it’s one thing to suspect your forebear traded your happiness for his own comfort. It’s another to hear that crime confirmed out loud. No wonder Charles agreed to come back and help with the Le Charme Extravaganza and the Glass Slipper Ball.
“That was our bargain. You’re breaking it.”
The queen continues. “Now, I have folks come me all the time, begging for favors. So I leave my crown in an open hiding spot. You see, arrangements made with the desperate are hardly a challenge. A queen wants to face off with someone who has a spine.”
“That’s why you hid the crown,” says Charles.
“Obviously,” says the queen. “When you recovered my crown from the bottom of the Sienne, I thought you were a challenge worth taking. So I agreed to this bargain. And yes, I figured one of your offspring would surely fall in love. Yet hundreds of years passed with nothing but hateful weddings. It’s been rather annoying.” She sighs. “When it came to Legend, I thought I came close.”
My father stops struggling against his guards. “Rae left me because of this damnable curse.”
“No,” counters the queen. “She left because you loved Le Charme more than her. But things have changed. The queen gestures toward Elle. “Imagine my joy when someone else finally uncovered my crown. Only true love would break my arrangement with Charles. Asking Elle and Alec to find Chesh was my way of testing the depth of their feeling.” She looks to me. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yes,” I reply. “We didn’t need to find the cat.” I pull Elle against my side. “We needed to find each other. Fully.”
“That’s right. And so I have broken the agreement, the curse, whatever you want to call it.”
Charles pales. “What about my eternity in the Faerie lands?”
“That will still happen,” replies the queen. “Only that forever will take place in my dungeons.”
“No!”
“Don’t fret. You’ll have lots of company.” She whistles. “Guards! Take them all to my dungeons!”
One by one, the guards vanish, along with their prisoners. Which makes sense. All the guards are vampires. For shadowcoe, materializing and vanishing is just what they do.
As each so-called enemy blinks out of existence, my heart sinks. “Your Majesty,” I say.
“Yes, Alec?”
“About my parents,” I begin.
“And my stepfamily,” adds Elle.
“As part of your reward, you may decide what to do with them all. Except Charles, of course. He’s mine.”
“Thank you,” say Elle and I together.
The queen scans the clearing and smiles. “Such a nice gathering. We have shifters, animates, dwarves and my favorite Cinderella and prince.”
Chesh’s tail flicks slowly behind him. “We should have a proper party.”
“Yes,” says the queen. “I think we shall.”
The Queen of Hearts snaps her fingers. Yet another spell launches into action. Something tells me this will be the best one of all.
56
Elle
I curl more closely against Alec’s side. The solidity of his form helps to ground me to this moment. Even so, none of this seems real. Minutes ago, Marchesa and Legend almost killed me and Alec.
And now?
The queen raises her arms. Mist and magic appears around her hands. Crimson light streams off her palms. The colored haze takes the form of so many red hearts that float into the air. Soon the sky fills with a shifting canopy of red hearts. The shapes burst in a flare of red light, sending crimson glitter tumbling to the ground.
The queen’s spell is cast.
By the time the last of the sparkling magic touches the ground, the space is transformed. We still wait in a clearing of white trees and matching grass. Only now, it’s night time. Candelabras line the space, casting a gentle glow onto the scene. A full fairy orchestra sits at one end of the clearing. The werewolves are back in their human form. All wear tuxedos and ball gowns. Even the dwarves and animates are in formalwear. My dress is back to perfection. All signs of tears are gone from Alec’s jacket.
The queen scans her work and nods. “I do so love a happy ending.”
At those words, the orchestra launches into a romantic tune. All eyes turn to me and Alec.
My prince falls to his knee. “Elle Cynder, will you dance with me?”
I smile so hard, my face hurts. And there really is only one answer to this particular question.
57
Alec
I remain kneeling before my true love. Now, I’ve seen Elle grin before. Yet all those smiles are nothing compared to way she now beams with joy.
“Yes,” she replies. “I’d love to dance with you.”
I pull my woman into my arms. We waltz to the gentle tune. As we dance about, happy faces fall into my range of vision. There’s Bry and Knox, as well as the animates, dwarves and shifters. Everyone we love is held in one place, enjoying music and each other’s company.
I lock gazes with Elle. At this point, there’s only one more thing that could make tonight perfect.
“Yes?” I ask.
And just as she did back when we first entered the palace of the Queen of Hearts, Ell
e answers with a single word.
“Yes.”
Pausing, I pull Elle into my arms and press my mouth against hers.
Pure bliss is mine.
58
Elle
Over the past week, I’ve had time to think through all the things I wanted to discuss with Alec. From playing Magicorum Killers and eating Bry’s mystery meals to hiding my scary dolls and sitting in class… there were so many things I wanted to share.
I’d been keeping a running list.
There were even some things about my father’s powers that I wanted to discuss. After all, gem casters like Alec know plenty of enchanter magic. I planned to ask him to teach me an enchanter casting or two.
But now? All that stuff melts from my mind. The only thing I sense is the way Alec’s mouth moves against mine. And the touch of his tongue makes me realize one thing. For years, I’ve thought about everything I lost and lacked.
Yet in this moment, what Alec and I have found is now enough for me.
No, it’s more than that.
It’s everything.
Epilogue
Epilogue
Jacoby - One Month Later
I loathe visiting my family’s castle in the Faerie Lands. The place is drafty and full of ghosts.
Not metaphorical ones, mind you, such as the types who slam doors or go boo in the night. I’m talking real spirits with opinions that they insist on sharing. Overall, I find it’s best to do my business here and return to Earth as quickly as possible.
To that end, I step in my newest throne room. This was my late brother Frey’s seat. As I cross the threshold, one thing becomes obvious.
The decor here is horrible.
Frey had an unhealthy interest in bull themes. Therefore, horns adorn the walls while a mosaic of charging bulls covers the floor. And the throne itself is coated in a rather putrid brown hide. I’m assuming that’s a bull skin, but with my family, you never know.
My animate servant, Doc Eight, stomps in behind me. He was originally a suit of armor, so his steps are always noisy. “What a grim day, your Highness.”
“It should be grim,” I reply.
And it certainly was when my older brothers Abner, Barnaby, Cramley, Damascus and Edwin died.
I inspect a set of horns stuck onto a nearby wall. Frey really did have the worst taste. And it concerned more than bulls, too. Frey had a nasty habit of attempting to murder us brothers. Rude. The royal family has enough trouble with outsiders and assassinations.
“So not as grim this time?” asks Doc.
“Correct.”
Doc shakes his head. Since he’s an enchanted suit of armor, the movement involves a lot of squeaking noises. “I can’t believe it,” he says in his deep and echoing voice. “You’re now fourth in line for the royal throne of dark elves.” My parents were killed off years ago. Now it’s a rotating line of brothers.
“Don’t remind me,” I state. “My family has a dismal record when it comes to life span. Now only Gorgan, Harold, and …” I snap my fingers, trying to remember the name.
“Prince Ignatius.”
“Right. Now only Gorgan, Harold, and Ignatius stand in line before me.” I step closer to the very pungent throne. “Ah, well. Best to get it over with.”
Now that Frey is dead, I must officially take over his seat. The process involves actually reclining on Frey’s throne while saying a spell. After that, I shall return to Earth before I’m poisoned, shredded, or otherwise destroyed.
I take my throne and pull on my inner power. The room darkens. An electric sense of magic crackles in the air. “I, Prince Jacoby of the Dark Elves, do hereby acknowledge my new place in the line of accession.”
“Is that all?” asks Doc. He knows there’s a long version of this particular speech. To begin with, I have about twelve separate names and titles that I could add into the mix. Frey’s not worth it, though.
“We’re doing the short version today,” I reply. “And thus endeth the spell.” The room lightens. All sense of power fades from the air.
Time to return to Earth.
Speaking of the human realm, I still need to find a powerful wife to help keep me alive. Elle remains my top choice. She’s a warden, nice to look at, and not yet wed to that Alec fellow. And, most importantly, I really didn’t care if she lives or dies.
That’s the ticket to staying alive in the Faerie Lands: pleasant detachment.
Emotional entanglements are only a horrid waste of good energy. Other elves see your affection as weakness. And they’re right. In short order, those feelings will be used to murder you in any number of ways.
Mother always said that she’d rather drink poison than fall in love. Both cause your death, yet only poison allows you to set the time and place.
A wise woman, my mother.
Knocks sound at the chamber door. I hadn’t realized Doc had closed us in. It’s a wise choice, though. No point being seen by relatives. Or anyone, really.
“Shall I check the door, my Prince?”
“Please do.”
Every reception chamber has a hidden peep hole for the outer hall. Doc marches right over to the one for this space. He really is extraordinarily efficient. I couldn’t ask for more in a servant. Doc even pretends to be my boss when we are hiding out on earth. That isn’t easy, once you know who I really am.
Doc removes an obliging bull horn from the wall. A small hole sits in the plaster. Doc looks through. “You have a group outside who wishes to speak with you.”
“Assassins?”
“Not exactly.”
Stepping down from my throne, I use the peep hole myself. A rather ragtag group waits in the outer hall. It’s Marchesa, Agatha, Ivy, Diamond and Legend. I’d heard they’d been pardoned from Queen of Hearts dungeon. So long as they in the Fairy Lands, they may remain free.
I roll my eyes. Elle and Alec are really too soft-hearted, pardoning them all like that. Ah, well. If Elle becomes my bride, I’ll have to educate her on the uses of sympathy. As in, there are none.
I reset the bull horn into its spot in the wall.
Doc tilts his metal helm. It’s his silent way of asking. Do you wish to see them?
I’m about to say, never, but then I sense it.
A pulse of power.
In fact, it’s the very magical signature I detected in Elle’s bedroom. It’s elvish and of unknown origin. I retake my stinky throne.
“Allow them in,” I command.
The pack of supplicants spill into the room. Legend seems the self-appointed leader.
“We heard you’d returned to the Fairy Lands,” says Legend. “We wished to see you.”
It’s an effort not to roll my eyes again. “Obviously.”
Marchesa steps forward. “I hope you won’t resent how we treated you back on Earth. We’d no idea who you really were.”
Legend continues. “Imagine our surprise when we’re released from the queen’s dungeons, thinking we don’t have a friend in the Faerie Lands. Then we discover who you really are!”
I sigh. “Is there a request you wish to make?” Because this is taking way too long.
“We want our lives back,” says Legend. “Marchesa and I want to return to Earth and our rule over Le Charme Jewelers. Marchesa and her daughters desire their station restored at Cynder Mercantile. And we all need gold to support ourselves.”
“And what do you offer in return?”
Marchesa steps forward. She pulls a small container from the folds of her cloak. “I can offer you this: the Coffer of Wonders. It could be aligned to the dark elves and give you whatever you need that day.”
Interesting. “Show me.”
Marchesa opens the box. There’s a small pouf of smoke, followed by a scrap of paper flying out of the container. I pluck the tiny document from the air. “This provides the address for Kokkivo.”
“Yes,” confirms Marchesa. “No doubt, the coffer wishes us to bring the phoenix back to Cynder Mercantile.”
> “Is the coffer does such things often?”
“Absolutely,” answers Marchesa. “The coffer offers excellent advice.”
“And sometimes, it even provides a nice luncheon,” adds Legend. “Isn’t that right?”
“So delicious,” confirms Marchesa.
I crumple the paper and drop it to the floor. “That’s rather limited, isn’t it? More bossy than actual help.”
Legend lifts his chin. “We can offer you other things.”
“Name it.”
Legend bows low. “You’d have a promise of our eternal loyalty.”
I laugh. “Not acceptable.”
Once more, that pulse of power moves through the room. This time, the source is easily discerned.
Agatha.
Stepping down from my throne, I cross the floor and approach the girl. Like always, she wears a boxy dress, large hat, and wide sunglasses. I stop before her.
“Remove the hat and glasses, please.”
Agatha does nothing. It isn’t a freezing of motion that comes from fear. No, this girl’s got some fight in her. Clearly, Agatha doesn’t like being ordered around. The waves of elven power turn even more intense. I scan the other faces nearby. They can’t detect a thing.
Who is this girl?
Stepping closer, I take care to gentle my voice. “Please.”
Agatha removes both her glasses and hat. She has an aristocratic face with wise emerald eyes. Long waves of brown hair cascade down her back. I reach forward and slide some strands behind her ear. The feel of her skin sends a pleasant jolt through my chest. And my touch reveals something even more exciting.
No question about it. The tips of her ears point upwards. Agatha is an elf.
“I want them safe and taken care of,” she whispers. I scan the room. No one heard her words.
Again, I wonder. Who is this girl?
Slippers and Thieves Special Edition Page 24
