I padded over to Elise’s door and knocked lightly. She opened it, her face puffy from crying and dried blood still clinging to her dress. I pulled her into a hug.
“I can’t believe this happened.” She broke down in tears, so I guided her to the bed. “After all that we’ve been through. Why would anyone do this?”
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully, “but Father will find out. Come on; let’s get you out of those clothes.”
I helped her into her pajamas, and she did the same with me. I felt filthy and desperately needed a shower, but I knew there was no way I’d get past the guards without them noticing. When Elise was in bed and asleep, I went back into my own room, taking my spoiled dress with me. I threw it on the floor almost covering the sneakers Cynder had given me. Without knowing it, he’d probably saved my life. Without running shoes on, I’d not have been able to run so fast. I only hoped he was alright. I’d been told that the ballroom was the target, and the rest of the palace was intact, but I had no way of knowing if Cynder was in the ballroom at the time of the blast.
I opened my door to the corridor and stepped out.
As soon as I had, the guard at my door blocked my path. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but you can’t come out here. The palace is still being checked over for more devices, and the king has explicitly forbidden you or The Princess Elise to leave until we know it’s safe.”
I sighed and headed back to my room. Getting past the guards was going to be impossible. There was no way that they would let me past, but I had to get to Cynder, to know he was still alive. I couldn’t wait until a thorough head count was done. We had a thousand staff on top of all the guests at the ball. It could take days to count everyone. It could take weeks to identify the bodies.
My heart lurched at the thought of it, and yet, it spurred me into action. I had to know. I ran to my window and looked outside to see if there was any way I could climb down. I was on the fifth floor and looking out, I could see that the face of the palace was sheer with no way to climb down. No ivy, no ledges, and no drainpipes. At least none I could reach. I could see a climbable pipe, but the only way I could see to reach it was through a room at the other end of the palace. As my room was being guarded, I couldn’t see how I could get to it. I ran back to the bed and threw myself on it, feeling frustrated.
It was then that a plan came to me. Adjoining my room was Elise’s and at the other side, the door that led to Grace’s room. It hadn’t been opened in weeks, and I’d not wanted to go through it. What was the point? She wasn’t in there anymore. More to the point, there would be no one guarding it from the corridor. Of course, the guard might see me leave, but if he was distracted, there was a chance I could get into the corridor unseen. From there, the corridor bent slightly. If I could get round the bend and out of view, I’d be able to run to the end and out through the window to the drainpipe. It was incredibly risky, but I couldn’t get thoughts of Cynder lying in the rubble somewhere out of my mind.
I fitted the sneakers he’d given me back on and went to wake Elise. I hated to do it after the trauma of the evening, but I had no choice.
“Hmm?” She jumped up out of bed in alarm. “What’s the matter? Has another bomb gone off?”
“No. Nothing like that, I just need your help.”
She wiped her eyes and yawned. “What do you need?”
“I need you to talk to the guard. Distract him.”
“Why?” Her eyes widened in shock. “You aren’t planning to leave your room, surely?”
“I just need to get a shower,” I lied. “I feel disgusting.”
I certainly looked filthy enough to warrant one. Dust clung to my hair and my skin was so black with dirt that it had stained my bed sheets. As the bathroom was just a little way along the corridor, I knew she’d not see any danger in it.
“Ok, but be careful.”
“I will. Give it a couple of minutes and then go and ask him a question.”
I ran back into my own bedroom and then straight into Grace’s. My heart stopped for a second as I took it in. It was the same as it always had been except now there was no Grace; it seemed empty without her.
I swallowed back my tears and ran to the door that led out to the corridor. I waited until I heard Elise’s voice and then slipped out as quietly as I could. The guard was closer to my door than Elise’s, but as he had his head turned towards her, it was easy to slip along the corridor unnoticed. Once around the corner, I ran the full length of it, trying to judge which door to go through to get to the drainpipe. This end of the corridor was usually reserved for guests, but after the bomb, almost everyone had elected to go home to safety. I’d been told that only Luca, Leo, and Xavier had decided to stay and they had been given their own guest houses in the grounds. Daniel had gone home, not because of the bomb, but because it had always been his plan with him living so close by.
When I thought I’d gotten to the right place, I opened the door. The suite had been made up for a guest that would not be staying. Fresh flowers sat in a vase by the four-poster bed along with a basket of fruit, and some chocolates had been left on the pillow.
I ran past and opened the window. The acrid smell of smoke lingered in the air. I ignored it and looked for the drainpipe. It was there, about two feet away. It would be a stretch, but I was confident I could reach it.
Grabbing it with my right hand, I pulled myself out of the window and swung around until I had hold of it tightly. From there, it was pretty easy to shimmy down it until my feet hit the stone pathway at the bottom.
The sound of sirens had long since stopped, but I could still hear the noise of the fire crews as they sifted through the wreckage of the ballroom at the right side of the palace. Going past them was not an option, not unless I wanted to get caught, so I slowly crept around the side of the palace to my left, past the staff entrance and the stone steps that led down to the driveway. The lights were still on in the kitchens even though the sun was almost fully up in the sky. I peeked through the window, surprised to see the kitchen full of staff, washing up and cleaning after the big night. My eyes went straight for the large sink where I’d usually find Cynder, but instead, there was someone else there. In fact, there were a number of other people there, scurrying around and making the place tidy. I scanned the rest of the kitchen, trying to pick out his curly hair in amongst all the others, but I couldn’t see him. I also couldn’t see anyone else dressed in the smart uniform of the wait staff as he had been, so perhaps he’d been allowed to go home early. It was my only hope as the alternative was unthinkable. I knew there were many members of staff serving drinks when the bomb went off. Had he escaped like I had, or had he been too close to the explosion? A sob escaped my lips and the sound cut through the air. In the distance, at the end of the long staff driveway, I noticed someone talking to the guards at the gate. I got a shock when I realized it was my father. I had to get back inside before he saw me!
I turned and made my way back to the drainpipe. As I passed the staff steps, something glinted in the sun, catching my eye. It took me a couple of seconds to register what I was seeing, but when I did, I couldn’t make sense of it. There, about half way down the stairs was a sparkling glass slipper. My glass slipper.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Aftermath
Getting back inside the palace was easy. Instead of chancing the drainpipe again, I walked in through a back door and headed towards my room until one of the guards saw me. For the second time that morning, I was escorted back up to the fifth floor. The guard outside my room looked surprised as I walked back into my room, but neither of us said anything.
I never thought I’d sleep again, but after the adrenaline and shock wore off, I slept all through the day and into the next night. No one came to wake me or to bring me food. It was the heel of the glass slipper, digging into me that finally roused me from a nightmare-filled sleep.
I pulled it out from under me, where it had fallen. I’d slept with it, not knowing
if Cynder was alive or not, and it broke my heart. The pain I felt was indescribable and so raw it eclipsed the ache left behind by Grace. I had never felt more confused in my life, nor as low as I did now. My heart felt like a lead weight in my chest, threatening to pull me under. When I saw the light of day, I realized just how long I’d slept.
I jumped out of bed as Agatha walked in. She seemed surprised to see me awake.
“Morning, Your Highness.” Her voice was flat and her face expressionless.
“You’re ok!” I ran to her and gave her a hug. She hugged me back tightly.
“I’m fine. I was at the other side of the room when it happened. The king kindly gave me the day off work yesterday and for the rest of the week. He even offered those of us who live in the staff quarters money for a hotel in town, but I couldn’t bear to stay away. This is my home.”
“Of course it is. Do you know what happened?”
“You don’t know?”
“No, I’ve been here since the morning after the explosion. No one has told me anything.”
“That was yesterday morning. I can’t believe no one has been to see you since then. You must be starving.”
“I slept through it.” I yawned as if to prove my point.
“Let me get you something to eat.”
She turned to leave, but I caught her arm.
“No. I’m not hungry. I just want to know what happened.”
“I don’t know much,” she said, suddenly looking fearful.
“Then tell me everything you do know.”
“The investigators seem to think it was a bomb planted by the Magi who were demonstrating.”
She was so quiet when she said it that I almost didn’t hear her at all. I wasn’t surprised. She was a Mage too.
“They couldn’t have!” I cried, sounding more outraged than I had planned.
I watched Agatha’s expression turn from one of fear to one of relief. “You don’t think so?”
“No, do you?”
“Of course not. We are not a violent people. I knew people in that demonstration, and none of them would hurt anyone.”
“Of course, they wouldn’t.” Would they? I remembered Cynder’s anger as he spoke about his people being treated unfairly. Were the other Magi as angry as he? Were any of them angry enough to kill?
“Agatha, I need your help. I need to go and have a shower. I feel disgusting, but there are guards outside. Can you tell my father to tell them to go, so I can go use the bathroom?”
“There is no one outside the door, Your Highness.”
I peeked out, and she was right. I ran across the corridor and used the toilet before jumping into the hottest shower I’d ever had. The burning water washing over my skin was a relief, taking my mind from everything that had happened in the past few days and cleansing me of the dirt and spots of blood that had caked on me.
Agatha appeared ten minutes later with a large white towel and some clothes for me. I let her dry me and help me into the black dress. Another black dress. Were we still in mourning for Grace or were we mourning someone else now?
“How many people died in the blast?” I asked as she buttoned up the dress.
“I don’t know,” replied Agatha. “There hasn’t been an official total, but the newspaper said that there were more than twenty. The Prince of Aurora was killed.”
I remembered the prince of Aurora was one of the older princes. I’d not spoken to him apart from saying hello at the beginning of the night. His death would cause a huge impact for our already floundering kingdom.
“Who else?” I asked thinking only of Cynder.
“No other names have been released. I do know that Jenny is in the palace infirmary.”
Jenny! I’d not thought of her at all, and now I felt terrible.
“Is she ok?” I demanded urgently.
“I think she was hurt pretty badly, but she’s alive.”
I ran out of the bathroom, with my dress not buttoned up all the way to the top and with no shoes on my feet. Not that I cared what I looked like. The palace was subdued. There were guards on every corridor, but none of them made any attempt to either stop me or speak to me. When I got to the infirmary, I found that it too was guarded.
The two guards stepped back when they saw me to let me pass.
The small ward of ten beds was full. I recognized some of the staff as well as some of the men from the ball. Jenny was in the last bed. I ran straight over to her. Her right arm was in a sling, and she had cuts and bruises on her face, but she was alive and awake.
“Jenny. I’m sorry I’ve not been down to see you. I was asleep. I only just found out.”
“Don’t you worry about it. The king has been sitting with me.”
“My father?”
“Yes, he was down here most of yesterday making sure that everything was being done that could be done. Most of the injured went to the hospital in town, but those of us with only superficial injuries were treated here.”
“Superficial injuries?” I eyed her arm.
“Just a hairline fracture. Nothing to worry about. It will be in a cast for six weeks then back to normal.”
“Can’t they fix you with magic?” Even though Magi were not permitted to become doctors, we did have a Magic nurse on staff. I knew she could mend bones; she mended a broken finger of mine a couple of years back when I fell out of a tree.
Jenny beckoned me closer and talked to me in hushed tones.
“There has been talk that the Magi set off the bomb and the police seem to think it was an insider. All the Magi in the palace have been suspended for a week while the police carry out their inquiries.”
“But that can’t be true!” I’d only just left Agatha. She was a Mage, and she was still working.
“Shhh!” Jenny nodded her head to the bed opposite where a Mage was sleeping. It was one of the cleaners.
“Agatha is still here,” I whispered.
“Your father, along with the chief of police, called for it, but I know there were a few that were asked to stay. Agatha was asked to stay because they thought you might need the support. June, Elise’s dresser was also asked to stay, but the majority have left.”
“But that’s madness.”
“Your father has to be seen to be doing the right thing, plus the police demanded it.”
“But my father is the king!”
“Not even the king is above the law. Some very important people were killed here the other night. He has to be seen to be doing what is right.”
“How is it right that half the staff have been taken away? Why do they think it was a Mage anyway? Just because they were demonstrating, doesn’t make them murderers.”
“Keep your voice down!” Jenny hissed. “There was a shoe found by the site of the bomb blast. A glass slipper. It was melted beyond recognition by the heat of the blast, but one of the guests said they’d seen a member of our staff carrying glass slippers just before the blast. The police seem to think that whoever set the bomb dropped the slipper just before they ran away. They are now scouring the kingdom for the other one.”
My thoughts went up to my bedroom. I knew exactly where the other slipper was. It was lying on the floor next to my bed.
“I need to go and see my father,” I said hurriedly, kissing her cheek. I hated to leave her after such a short visit, but I needed to find out why they were looking for Cynder. A melted shoe was hardly enough evidence to mount a kingdom–wide manhunt.
I found him in his study surrounded by people.
“Father, I need to speak to you. It’s urgent.”
Normally, he’d call me on my rudeness for barging in, but he must have seen the panic in my expression.
“You heard her gentlemen. My daughter needs me. We’ll resume this conversation after lunch.”
The men filed out until there were only myself and my father left in the room.
“Charmaine. What is it?”
“Who do they think planted the bomb?”
“Have you had breakfast yet? You look so pale. You must still be in shock. I must say the last few days have been shocking for all of us.”
“I’m fine. I’ll eat later. I just want to know who planted the bomb.”
My father sighed. “Sit down. I was hoping to be able to brief you and Elise together, but as you are here asking, I’ll tell you all I know.”
I sat in the leather chair opposite him and waited.
“At ten fifteen one of the guests saw a member of staff acting strangely in the outer corridor. He was carrying a pair of glass slippers and something else. The guest thought it odd that one of our wait staff was carrying something so out of place as glass slippers, but he shrugged it off and carried on his way to the bathroom. It was there he heard the explosion. The center of the explosion was found to be right at the exact spot where he’d seen the member of staff. The boy’s description matched one of our kitchen hands who’d been working as a member of the wait staff that night. The boy escaped, but don’t worry, the police are after him.”
So Cynder escaped. The relief that I felt knowing he was alive was overshadowed by the fear I felt that the police were after him.
“Why do they think Cy...the kitchen hand did it? I’m sure a lot of the wait staff used that corridor.”
“A few reasons. Firstly, he dropped one of the shoes right in the spot where the explosion was. The police think he would only have done that if he was in a hurry. They also think he might have stolen the shoes from a guest because they were expensive. Way beyond the means of a kitchen hand. Secondly, the boy in question had links to the protest group. He was a Mage and was known for protesting for Magi Rights. Thirdly, he ran away. If he was innocent, he’d have stayed like the other Magi.”
“So they know he ran away and wasn’t caught up in the blast?”
“He was seen a couple of hours later on the outskirts of town, but by the time the police got there, he’d escaped.”
So Cynder was definitely alive. He was also wanted for murder. I thought back to the man I’d come to know. Could he really have done this? I didn’t think so, but at the same time, I realized I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. I didn’t know he was a member of the protest groups. He’d never mentioned it, but on the one occasion we’d talked about the treatment of Magi, he’d become angry, before changing the subject.
Charm (A Cinderella reverse fairytale) (Reverse Fairytales Book 1) Page 8