Cinderella Assassin

by Allie Burton

  “I’m…um, meeting someone.”

  His lips flattened into a line.

  The crowd closed around Ingrid and I saw my chance. Except I didn’t know which way to go. I turned to him hoping he’d know. “Can you tell me where the kitchens are located?”

  “You’re meeting someone in the kitchens?”

  My head hurt from the truth slipping out and the new lies told to cover. Lifting my nose in the air imitating my stepmother, I tried to sound snotty. “I want to see how the other half lives.”

  “You mean the cyborgs or the zaubers?” His tone hardened as if he hated majiks, yet the harshness was laced with something else. Curiosity, perhaps?

  I couldn’t have him curious about me, so I picked the most boring reason. “School project.” If I act like I hated majiks no one will suspect me of helping one. Or being one. “It’s a ridiculous project. Why would I want to learn about them?”

  “Why, indeed?” Had his voice gone colder? “Skirt around the fighting stage and go past the tunnel. There’s a small hallway with two doors. Go through there.”

  He spoke fast as if he wanted to be rid of me.

  Smashing my lips, I held in the hurt. I slung my bag over my head and shoulder and started to saunter away. My sluggish legs wanted to reverse and see him one last time. Would he be staring at me?

  It didn’t matter. I shook off the sensation. A cute guy was the least of my worries. I needed to find Arbor.

  Wending between the marble pillars, I kept my gaze on my goal. I wove between people with the most elaborate outfits. A man wore a psychedelic pleated robe with live birds chained to the collar. So, cruel. A woman wore a leather leopard print body suit with spikes sticking out of the top. Who would want to dance with her? A girl wore impossibly high platform shoes with live butterflies captured in the heels. I wanted to set them free.

  People wearing techno clothes with touches of nature resembled this kingdom—mountains and forests with a technological center.

  A throaty, trilled giggle tugged at my ear and scraped along my spine. Dread dripped through me.

  Sybil.

  Nerves skittered across my skin.

  I ducked behind a cyborg passing appetizers to wait for my stepmother to move away. Time was going too fast. An internal clock ticked pounding an unnatural rhythm. I needed to find Arbor before I bumped into the prince, and all before midnight. The ball would end, and Sybil would leave promptly. I had to get home first and make up an excuse for Sybil’s boyfriend’s tattle.

  The fighting arena loomed large, shadowing my hiding spot. People surrounded the cage giving the cloyed air a suffocating scent. The carnival atmosphere tittered with gossip and harsh laughter.

  “Elle? Is that you?” The disbelief in the girl’s tone had me shifting to stone.

  Earlier, I’d wanted the girls from school to see me at the ball. Not anymore.

  “What’re you doing?” Olivia’s question was filled with disgust.

  I faced my nemesis, ignoring her second question. “Imagine running into you here.”

  “Why wouldn’t you? Everyone’s at the ball.” She appraised me and must’ve concluded I was totally stupid because she took a bite of the bioluminescent squid appetizer she held in a napkin.

  “Yes, but the event is so big.” And my luck had me running into her, my stepmother, and the cutest guy I’d ever seen. A slow pull had me remembering him asking me to dance. Too bad I’d never see him again.

  “Not that big. I’ve been to other events at the palace.” Jade bounced beside the other girl, the hem of her red gown skimming the floor. “My father gets invited all the time.”

  Maybe she could guide me to the kitchens. Except she knew there was no homework assignment.

  “Aren’t you lucky?” Olivia’s tone filled with prissiness. She always wanted to be the center of attention proven by her peach-colored hair piece that towered over most people’s heads.

  Jade studied the ground while the awkwardness stretched between the two.

  None of my business if the two best friends didn’t get along. “Well, nice seeing you.”

  Bells clanged. The murmur of the crowd rose and fell again. This was the distraction I needed to make my way to the kitchen.

  “The fighting is about to start.” Olivia clapped her hands together in a fast, excited action.

  My gut clenched. To pit a majik against a dragon. Sure, majiks had powers, but not all of them were strong. Some of their magic wasn’t powerful enough to defeat a fire-breathing dragon. I couldn’t worry about what was happening to this one majik though, I had a friend to save.

  “I need to go to the bathroom.” Jade held her midsection. She must feel sick, too.

  Not everyone wanted to witness the event.

  “You’re so squeamish.” Olivia chortled in a mean-derogatory way. “Regent Theobald wants everyone to watch. The reason the fighting stage is in the center of the ballroom.”

  “I don’t enjoy violence.” Jade’s voice trembled.

  Olivia patted her styled hair. “They’re only zaubers. Who cares if they die?”

  My insides dropped to the marble floor. “Die?”

  Jade crumpled her gown between her fingers. “It’s usually an ogre or a troll who’s been sent to prison.”

  “Ugly, disgusting kinds of majiks.” Olivia swiveled her dress.

  “For now.” Jade went quiet. “I’ve heard rumors about other kinds…”

  My heart squeezed. What if they put smoke sprites in the fighting arena? What if Arbor—

  “It’s not really a fair fight.” Maybe Olivia didn’t hate majiks. “Zaubers can use magic. They have an unfair advantage.”

  My jaw dropped. That was ridiculous. Majiks didn’t have an advantage. We’d learned in class ogres and trolls only had magic connected to a possession or nature. Nothing to fight off a hungry, wild, angry dragon.

  “The electroid wires are being turned on. Please don’t touch the electrified wires,” a disembodied voice spoke over the crowd. “In the first match, we have a troll against a Wyvern dragon.”

  A cheer erupted. The excited applause thundered in my head and struck like lightning behind my temple. The crowd was bloodthirsty, and the Wyvern dragon was known to be fierce and unforgiving.

  “I’m going to the bathroom.” Jade lifted her long skirt and hurried away.

  I wanted to follow or head in the opposite direction toward the kitchens.

  Olivia grabbed my arm. “Let’s get closer.”

  My entire body stiffened. I’d dreamed of a moment where the most popular girl in school asked me to do something with her. And now, I couldn’t go. I didn’t want to watch the fight and I had to take advantage of this opportunity to go to the kitchens and find my way into the dungeon.

  “I can’t. I’m supposed to meet my stepmother.” I slipped my arm out of her grasp.

  She gave me the oddest look, knowing my stepmother would never want my company. I didn’t care what she thought. I’d wasted too much time.

  Slinking away, I didn’t even think about my social status. Nothing was more important than saving Arbor, especially if there was a chance she’d end up in a battle against a dragon.

  People surged toward the fighting arena. I struggled against them going in the other direction. Every step I took seemed to take me two steps back. Bending forward, my shoulders bumped other people’s shoulders. A man stomped on my foot and knocked me down.

  “Sorry.” He grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet, then left me standing on my own.

  The crowd carried me closer.

  I ducked lower, squirming through the bodies. Their sharp accessories stabbed me and scratched my skin. The scent of over-powering perfume and sweat filled my nostrils. The harder I pushed, the more I was pulled forward.

  “Be careful.” A woman wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “The men always hog the spots up front.”

  “I don’t want to be up front.”

  She ignored my objection and t
ugged me closer. To her and the action.

  The wires of the arena sizzled with energy. Spotlights glared into the center of the blue mat.

  A troll stumbled out of the tunnel, his green slimy skin glistened. He wore a dirty and torn brown cloth draped over one shoulder and reaching to his knees. Tufts of dark hair stood out on his back and legs, similar to studs more than hair. His large mouth and pointy teeth could swallow me in one bite. Maybe he wasn’t defenseless.

  The troll stood in the center with a defiant expression, flared nostrils and flatlined mouth. Yet looking closely, his gloppy eyes shined with fear. How many majiks had been hurt or died in this terrible sport to entertain the regent, prince, and their cronies?

  Maybe my fairy godmother was right, and the majiks should rule the kingdom.

  A clinking came from the tunnel. Fire spurted from the opening and the heat traveled toward the spectators. The crowd oohed and ahhed.

  How had they captured a dragon?

  Most dragons hid in the mountains. They couldn’t leave the kingdom because of the dome. I’d been told by my teachers the dragons lived peacefully and didn’t bother humans. Did humans bother them?

  A large orange snout stuck out of the tunnel. I quivered. And I thought the troll’s teeth were big. The dragon’s teeth were bigger than my hands. Her fire-red gaze flashed with anger and intelligence. Her enormous wings unfurled like a wind sail. She stomped out of the tunnel and her mouth opened wide. Flames flared.

  Heat singed my eyebrows and the people leaned away. A rotten burnt smell filled the air. The flames couldn’t pass through the electronic cage. The humans were safe. The troll had no protection and no powers to defend itself. The dragon had fire. And real, sharp teeth. She could even beat the troll with her powerful wings.

  This wasn’t a fair fight. This wasn’t a fight at all. This was slaughter.

  My fingers sparked. I couldn’t let the troll be butchered. How could anyone be okay with this terrible sight? I remembered Olivia’s clapping, the cute guy’s description of the event, the women laughing about executing zaubers. Each image blazed a wildfire beneath my skin. The troll was a living, breathing, thinking creature. It didn’t deserve to die this way.

  The dragon screeched and beat its scaly wings. A special type of chain held her down. She kicked her clawed feet into the stage shredding the padded floor.

  The troll took a step back. His tiny legs trembled. His arms were stiff at his side. He had nothing to shield himself.

  The people behind pushed against me. My body pressed against the stage bringing me closer, letting me see and experience the troll’s fright firsthand. I gasped, dragging in air to breathe.

  The dragon fired again.

  The troll ran. He tripped on the dragon’s chain and went sliding across the mat landing in front of me. His slime splattered, and a drop hit my cheek.

  Gross.

  The dragon’s talons clawed, stalking toward the troll. I could make out each scale glinting in the light. Flames shot out of her mouth again. Her wings thumped creating a wind. A wind fanning the fire and making the space hotter and hotter.

  Sweat poured down my back.

  If the troll had a club, he could use it to fend off the dragon’s teeth, claws, and wings. I couldn’t do anything about the fire. Electricity rolled through my body igniting every nerve ending. My fingers sparked and waved and jolted.

  The troll jumped upright holding a club with metal spikes.

  My chest clutched. A club like I’d imagined. That wasn’t troll magic. It was my magic.

  Did I just expose myself as a majik?

  Chapter Nine

  Every muscle in my body went on high alert and I stood on my toes ready to fight. I hadn’t even started my real mission, and I’d exposed myself as a majik. My chin trembled, and my gaze darted around wary of a call to apprehend me.

  None came.

  I released some of my tension and uncurled my fists. Everyone stared at the troll with wide eyes and open mouths. No one realized the magic had been done by me. They must believe the troll had conjured his own club. Humans really didn’t understand the different majiks and their different powers. Not smart if war between us erupted.

  The troll’s eyes still shone with fear, but a light of hope gleamed between the puffy green lids. Maybe he believed he had a chance because he held a weapon.

  Maybe I had a chance to uphold my secret.

  The dragon was released from the chains and screeched, sending a chill down my spine. Her large orange wings flapped creating a draft that carried an acrid scent.

  The crowd leaned back. I pinched my nose.

  The dragon lifted her enormous body into the air and hit the wires on top of the arena. Sparks shot out and rained down on the crowd. I hunched my shoulders, protecting myself from the ashes.

  “Come on, troll,” I whispered. “Fight.”

  Or at least defend himself. I’d wanted to give him a fighting chance.

  Instead of charging the dragon, the troll ran in the opposite direction. He moved fast for a fat, slippery majik. Lifting the club high, he gave a blood-curdling yell. “Yaya! Yaya!”

  The scream attacked my ears and I covered them with my hands.

  Everyone else did, too. The ball attendees hunched, and yet managed to continue to watch the arena.

  The troll slammed the club down on the electrified wires surrounding the edges of the arena. Strong flickers of fire darted from the cage. He used the club to hit the wires again and again and again. The sparks hit the ceiling and exploded. Small tiles from the fresco hit people and fell onto the marble floor. The rat-a-tat-tat sounded similar to rapid gunfire.

  It wasn’t.

  Chaos hit the dance floor. People screamed and scrambled away. Wires collapsed and broke, the torn ends wriggled with the disconnected power resembling an attacking snake.

  The troll climbed out of the arena brandishing the club. He bared his jagged teeth. “Yaya! Yaya!”

  The screech was a sonic attack howling in my head. I’d thought the troll was defenseless, I’d been wrong. I had just as much to learn about my fellow majiks. Why had I felt sorry for the troll’s plight? He could take care of himself.

  The fallen wires had pinned the dragon down, trapping her inside the arena. She tried to flap her wings. The wires held her in place. Sparks hit her scaly skin and extinguished. Flames lobbed from the dragon’s mouth sending a scorching heat through the ballroom scaring the terrified people even more.

  They continued to scream and run, shoving others to the ground. They covered their heads to protect from falling tiles and flame.

  I ducked and worked my way toward the back of the crowd.

  The royal guards pointed weapons from where they stood on the balcony that ringed the ballroom. None of them discharged the guns. If they did, they might hit a guest. They weren’t equipped to deal with a wild majik inside the palace because they believed they’d kept them all out.

  I couldn’t stop a small smirk. Little did they know.

  The troll plodded toward the back of the ballroom near the kitchens. He disappeared behind the potted grove of palms.

  Great idea. I darted into a run knowing I wouldn’t look suspicious because everyone was running. I dodged and bolted my way through the crowd heading toward the double doors the cute guy had told me about. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside and halted.

  The kitchen was the complete opposite of the ballroom. Everything here was calm and organized. Dozens of cyborg waiters picked up trays and headed out the door toward the ballroom not even recognizing the chaos existing out there.

  I’d never seen so many cyborgs in one place. We didn’t own any. The closest thing we had was the broken robo-vac. School employed a few in the cafeteria, which were scratched up and dented with metal generic faces.

  These cyborgs glistened with the latest technology. They had real expressions and plastic blinking eyes. They hovered slightly above the ground without making a noise. Their arms
moved smoothly with no jerky motions.

  Other cyborgs operated the kitchen equipment punching buttons on the food preparation machines. Conveyor belts carried plates from one station to another. First a beam of light to cook the food, then a garnishment plopped from a tube, and the process continued.

  No humans or guards were present. Phew.

  I caught the attention of the closest cyborg. “How do I get to the dungeon where they hold the majiks?”

  Her pupils flickered from blue to yellow to blue again. “All garbage goes in the chute.”

  I studied the robot. Did she not know or not understand? “The majiks.” Maybe they didn’t use that word at the palace. “Where do they lock up the,” I cringed, “zaubers?”

  “All garbage goes in the chute.” The cyborg pointed to a white door with a handle. “All garbage goes in the chute.”

  Was the cyborg saying majiks were garbage or that’s how they fed the prisoners? Garbage thrown into a chute? Gross. Poor Arbor! She didn’t eat much, but she enjoyed the best.

  I pulled the handle and peered down. Molding vegetables, sour dairy, and rotten meat scents assaulted my nose. Scrunching my face, I considered my options. “Are you sure the majiks are down here?”

  The robot nodded. “All garbage goes in the chute.”

  My jaw tightened. She was calling majiks garbage. Meaning me, and Arbor, and all the others. I fisted my hand wanting to rearrange the cyborg’s perfectly arranged features.

  The kitchen door opened, and a cyborg rolled inside with a metal arm dangling at its side. Guards, with weapons drawn, positioned behind the cyborg.

  I rocked back and forth on my heels. They’d want to know what I was doing in the kitchen. They’d search me and my bag. They’d know, even dressed nice, I didn’t belong.

  I peered down the chute and the stink grew stronger.

  No, I couldn’t.

  “Check the entire kitchen,” a guard ordered.

  The six guards split up each going in a different direction. One headed toward me.

  Adrenaline spiked and sweat broke out on my upper lip. I paused to the side of a commercial flash-frozen freezer. I couldn’t get caught.