by Allie Burton
I was amazed by the whip’s magical force, too. But we could ooh and ah about weapons later.
“Follow me and stay close.” Keeping the whip’s defensive techniques steered in the opposite direction, I worked my way back to the spot where the prince lay.
On both sides of us, guards were dead or injured. Blood stained the once-spotlessly clean floor. Smoke obscured the other side of the room. My lasso continued to defend, and I stood taller. It felt good to finally be the capable one.
“That’s incredible.” Stone grinned and then winced.
A large gash marred his non-fighting arm. The blood congealed in a strange mixture of red and green. Infected or giant blood?
“You’re injured.”
“Just a scratch.” Pulling a tattered sleeve down, he covered the wound. “Let’s get you out of here before these guards recover or more guards arrive.”
“But—” I’d wanted to help Rye.
A loud rumbling from the back exit caught my attention. More guards must be arriving.
“Too late.” I hoped the traumatized majiks we’d sent through earlier had gotten away. My shoulders slumped and I stopped moving toward the control panel. Rye would have his own army to help him soon. “Now what?”
“We fight alone.” Stone’s declaration said more than the words.
It was just the two of us. My eyes burned and my chin trembled. This was it. My life would end here before I had the chance to declare my new intentions. To be recognized as a fairy and to fight on the side of the majiks. Numbness traveled from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I’d fight until my last breath.
“Not alone.” Tos stood in the exit doorway with her hands on her tiny hips.
I flickered my eyelids wondering if I was imagining her. Through the smoke she resembled a conquering hero except she was so small. Who was I to judge by size? Small could be mighty. I’d proven that. My chest expanded, and I took in a few satisfied breaths.
I’d thought palace guards were approaching, not other majiks. Not friends.
Arbor flew over the brownie’s head.
Tos marched into the room with a majik brigade in step behind her. “We’re here to fight.”
Behind her stood Hokima with a fierce expression. And behind him marched other brownies and fairies and trolls and elves. An entire contingent of majiks had arrived. Warmth spread in my bloodstream bringing hope back to life. The numbness disappeared. Tos and Hokima had gotten out of the palace alive and returned with friends to help. Stone and I weren’t alone. And it proved a fairy and a giant and a brownie could be friends and work together.
I bent down and gave Tos a big hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She cleared her throat. “Capture or kill any human alive in this room.”
Stone drew his weapon prepared to fight if any of the guards struggled. “I can’t believe you came back and brought help.”
“I told the brownie chief what you planned, and he spoke with leaders of the other majik clans. The fairies especially wanted to be involved. Each sent fighters for me to command.”
And they were listening.
A group of brownies and fairies and all sorts of majik creatures ready to fight side by side. A troll forced a captured guard to his feet while an ogre threatened with a weapon. A brownie went from body to body determining whether the guards were alive or dead. A fairy collected human weapons. The mixed majik army worked as a team to clean the battle scene and make sure no humans got away.
I anchored a hand on my hip and the other hand gave a thumbs up.
Stone lowered his weapon because things were under control. “How did you find our location, Tos?”
“We ran into the majiks you saved from the auraguillotine.” She high-fived Stone on his calf. “Most of them joined us. Where’s Keltie?”
My throat clogged and I couldn’t speak.
“She didn’t make it.” Stone’s voice choked.
Tos and Hokima stared at the ground.
“She was a hero. She saved lots of majiks.” Including Arbor.
Arbor fluttered overhead shouting warnings and directions. I recognized a few of the majiks Keltie had saved before dying. A sharp sadness filled my lungs and I pushed it aside. The elf would not die for no reason. We’d won this battle, destroyed the machine, and were willing to fight for the cause.
I was willing to fight for the cause.
“Rye.” My feet moved on their own as if pulled to him. I needed to make sure he was okay, at the same time my original task banged in my head.
Assassinate the prince.
The injured moaned and the captured complained. I hurried past. Doubt ticked like cricket’s legs rubbing together in my mind. My quandary about whether to kill an unknown prince had challenged me. Even though I was now committed to the majik cause, I didn’t know if I could kill a known entity.
Kill Rye.
The large, locked front doors on the far side of the room burst open. Palace guards stormed inside. They held innovated weapons and they didn’t give orders before shooting. Bursts discharged from their guns.
“Ellery. We need to go.” Stone grabbed my arm and tugged.
The guards advanced, taking positions behind what was left of the machine. Their guns never stopped. A majik near me went down.
I held back a cry. “But Rye…”
A bullet whizzed past my ear. Stone ducked and in one smooth move he scooped me up and threw me onto his shoulder.
“Hey.” I fisted my hands.
Ignoring me, he signaled to the rest of the majiks and headed for the back exit. “Let’s move out.”
Arbor rounded everyone else up by flying around, completely comfortable with her new leadership role.
“What.” I pounded Stone’s back with my fist. “About.” I pounded again. “Rye!”
“If he’s not dead already, those guards won’t give you the chance to kill him.” Stone’s statement hit like a second explosive device.
“You knew?” My ears pounded. “You knew I was charged with killing the prince?”
Another fact Stone hadn’t confessed. Another aspect of his secret mission he didn’t explain. He’d been sent to watch me and to make sure I carried out the assassination. As if I was a little kid or an AWOL soldier. Gardenia hadn’t trust me.
His large feet stomped on the hard dirt ground as he ran past the cells and into the dark tunnels. My pulsed hammered. Tos darted in front of us and led the way. The other majiks followed.
My rage morphed into sweat and I wasn’t even running. I’d decided to disobey Gardenia’s orders by avoiding the prince.
Now I didn’t know if Rye was alive or dead.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The rest of the journey happened in a daze. Hokima had memorized the short cut he and Tos had taken from the safe room. At the exit, transport pods waited. We were whisked away. Stone, Arbor, and I arrived at Queens Academy. A place I’d sworn I’d never go, and now couldn’t wait to get started on my training.
“It used to be the fairy palace.” Stone must’ve seen me staring out the window at the grounds below.
The palace-turned-academy was built out of stone and marble resembling an ancient fortress. So different than the human palace of crystal and glass. A large wall circled the palace, its ground, and the outbuildings. The gardens had been turned into a sports field and weapons training ground.
The podship landed and the door opened with a silent swish. My stomach tumbled as I emerged onto the lawn in front of a grand stone staircase with gleaming marble pillars. A balcony ran the length of the building.
The palace guards saluted Stone and escorted us into the palace. The grand entryway boasted a large chandelier made from live flowers. The shiny marble floors reflected our dirty and bedraggled images. We probably should’ve come in through the back door.
Large golden doors with intricately carved wood panels depicting a forest were thrown open. We were led into a large reception area. Mor
e marble floors and flowered chandeliers. My gaze was drawn to the stage at the end where a single throne chair sat. The chair floated on a cloud stationed between two large oak trees. The branches of the trees glowed matching the chandelier above. Looking up, the night sky was visible.
Gardenia paced in front of the stage. Her hair had been pulled back in a tight bun, and yet many wisps had escaped as if she’d been fighting a battle of her own.
“Commander Gardenia.” Stone saluted smartly, and Arbor followed his action.
Cute, how she imitated the half giant soldier.
Still mad at Gardenia and Stone for their lack of trust, I wasn’t going to salute anyone.
“You’re safe.” Gardenia hugged me. “I’m so glad you made it out alive.” She glared at Stone, probably blaming him for the danger I’d been in.
Stiffening, I slipped out of her arms. “You sent me on a mission. Unprepared and untrained.”
“Yes, but not a suicide mission to destroy the auraguillotine.” Worry lines formed around her lips. She glared again at Stone.
“It was a smart idea to get rid of the machine while we were so close.” Stone’s even tone didn’t show any emotion. Not a muscle moved on his face.
The compliment soothed some of my anger.
“What about the young prince?” Her gaze flashed to me, before zeroing back on Stone.
My heart crushed, remembering Rye’s face as he turned away from me when he’d learned I was a majik. He didn’t care about the real me. Just like my stepmother and stepsisters, he was disgusted by my majik half. I shouldn’t mourn him.
Stone summarized the events in the torture chamber ending with, “We don’t know if the prince is alive or dead.”
“Why didn’t the dagger force me to kill the prince when I first met him?” I needed to learn everything about the fairy world if I planned to live in it, fight for it. “I thought the dagger was enchanted as part of the Binding Promise.”
“Give us a minute.” Gardenia pointed to the door with her chin.
The way Stone and Arbor pivoted and left, showed how important my fairy godmother was in this world.
The nerves in my stomach twisted. I was alone with her.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “The dagger weighs justice over crime. It must’ve decided that Prince Zacharye was worthy to live.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that beforehand?” A spike went through my chest. All that worry about how to avoid killing the prince hadn’t been necessary. “If you want me fighting on your side, I need to learn everything about being a fairy.”
“You’re going to fight on our side?” Her surprise should’ve pleased me because she’d actually had doubts about the final outcome.
“Yes.” The surety centered in my chest.
“You do need to learn everything.” A trembling edge in her tone scared me.
The silence in the room oppressed or maybe it was the long shadow from the throne chair. The chair hovered like a muted reminder of what was at stake. I wiggled my shoulders trying to get comfortable with the new environment. This palace would be my home until I was ready for battle.
I needed to break the tension. “Why aren’t you sitting on your royal throne?”
“Oh.” She swirled around. Her white eyebrows shot upwards as if she’d been caught. She smoothed the lines of worry on her face. “It’s not my throne to sit on. The Queen is still alive, and the lost princess has been found.”
“That never stopped Regent Theobald.”
Gardenia held a similar title to regent. Overseeing the fairy realm while the Queen was ill and until the true heir was found. Would Gardenia give up the power and control when the princess returned home?
“True.” She tapped her long finger on her chin. “Which is why we’re having this conflict now. I knew Prince Zacharye’s father. He was a good man who died tragically and mysteriously and way too young.”
My heart squeezed. I’d lost my parents, too. “You said the lost princess has been found. Where is she?”
According to Bim, the fairy realm was a matriarch society ruled by queens and passed from mother to daughter.
“For the princess’s safety, only a few people know her identity.” Gardenia stared at the throne chair as if she could make the lost princess materialize. “The chances of the current princess’s mother becoming queen was nearly impossible. She had two older sisters who would take the role before her.”
Arbor had once told me the queen had allowed the youngest daughter to leave the fairy world for love. She had two older daughters and their female offspring to inherit.
“Princess Celeste and Princess Daria died before having any female children.” Sadness flickered on my fairy godmother’s face.
“I’m sorry.” With the deaths of the two princesses, Rye’s parents, and possibly Rye, being royal sounded dangerous. I’d rather die fighting in a glorious battle than from palace intrigue. I blew out a breath. “I’m ready to attend the fairy academy and train to fight in the upcoming revolution.”
That should bring a smile to Gardenia’s face. I was giving her everything she wanted. It was what I wanted, too.
“I’m glad you’ve decided to accept your destiny.” She didn’t look happy. Her eyes took on a strange gleam. Her mouth compressed. “But you won’t be fighting.”
“Why not? That’s what you’ve wanted since I turned sixteen.” An odd strangled sound came from my throat. “A war is inevitable, and you need every good fairy on your side to fight.”
She crossed her arms and her gaze alighted on the throne chair. “Fighting is too dangerous for you.”
Stone had said something similar.
My stomach dropped expecting a roadblock. “That’s ridiculous. I’m a fast learner. I have this amazing whip.”
Gardenia unclasped her arms and grabbed my shoulders. Her bony fingers dug into my skin. “Fighting is too dangerous for you because you’re the lost princess, Ellery.”
Get a Sneak Peek of the Second Book in the series releasing summer 2020…
Cinderella Soldier
A Glass Slipper Adventure
What if you discovered you’re a long-lost fairy princess, but instead of taking the throne you want to become a powerful warrior and fight in the war?
The fairy kingdom is in an uproar. The lost heir to the throne has been found and everyone wants to know her identity. Except Ellery wasn’t brought up to be royal and doesn’t want anyone to learn she’s the newly found princess. For several reasons.
Ellery wouldn’t be allowed to become a soldier in the war of magic versus technology. She doesn’t know or care about etiquette and ancestry. And her life would be in danger from those who want to ensure she never rules.
To keep Ellery safe from court intrigue, her fairy godmother sends her on a secret mission to retrieve an important magical artifact. After a journey fraught with peril, Ellery arrives at her destination to discover the real danger is still ahead. She must compete for the powerful relic against other champions from royal clans including someone she’d once loved and believed lost.
But to save the magical beings, Ellery will fight no matter the cost.
As she battles to claim the precious prize, Ellery finds herself drawn once again to the skilled warrior who had stolen her heart. But he’s the enemy, wanting to destroy what she seeks to save, and she must decide: Is their love more powerful than magic?
Excerpt:
Sharp steel pressed against my neck. “This is the way to win, princess.”
I sucked in a ragged breath and not from the closeness of the blade. Perry couldn’t know the truth, few did. Because princess wasn’t just a taunt, it was a title.
My title.
Locking gazes with him, I glared at his attempt to best me. His silver eyes flashed with what looked like hatred, and then went hard and cool. Cute, but a total stranger even if he was one of my new classmates. Did he forget we were on the same side training for a real battle? To be real soldiers in the
fight against Regent Theobald and his cronies.
The blade pressed harder against my throat. Perry’s long, dark hair had been braided away from his forehead. His thin, angular face always appeared in a superior pout. “Concede, Ellery.”
Why did it sound as if he was asking me to give up more than this fight?
“No.” I wrapped my fingers tighter around my coiled carbon lasso, a connection of magical notches that did my bidding. And its own. A weapon that had found me on my first adventure.
My weapon whipped forward and wrapped around the hilt of his blade. The blade clattered onto the weapons training ground in a puff of dry dirt.
Perry scowled and backed away, disgust written across his face. “You’re using magic, not skill.”
He seemed to feel the need to best me in weapons and in magic class. It was as if he needed to prove his superiority in every aspect of fairy training. Which I didn’t doubt. I’d received my fairy magic only a few months ago when I’d turned sixteen. The weapons training was completely new to me. And yet, I held my own. Real battle experience counted for something.
My chin tilted up and power thrummed through my veins. Yanking the whip back, I took a deep breath. I coiled the shiny rope with care and held it at my hip. “We’re fairies. Magic is what we do.”
I was only half-fairy. A fact that the other students consistently pointed out.
“You need to learn how to fight without magic. That’s what weapons class is about.” Perry stepped back and snatched his blade off the ground.
I’d known the Queens Academy would be worse than human school. Battle training had been combined with magic training—because I still needed help with my newly-forming powers—and added on were fairy etiquette and history. I didn’t need the last two to win a war.
“Weren’t you beneath Regent Theobald’s royal palace where magic is suppressed?”
