by Aron Lewes
“True. But there's a fine line between dedication and madness. It's a--”
Cinda interrupted Terra's remark. “Guys! Stop saying terrible things about Prince Sharman! Personally, I was impressed that he went to such lengths to find me again! He could have sought out any other young lady, but he wanted me! It made me feel special.”
When Cinda's speech ended, their food was delivered. For the next few minutes, forks and spoons were clinking in an otherwise silent room.
It was Fenix who finally spoke again. “Terra?”
Her fork halted over her meatloaf. “Hmm?”
“What's your story?” he asked. “Tell me something about yourself.”
“Well, I'm sure you're curious about this.” Terra raised one of the crutches. “Everyone always is, so let me sate your curiosity early on. I was in a carriage accident when I was a little girl. It left me paralyzed from the waist down.”
The food in Fenix's mouth muffled his consoling words. “I'm sh-orry.”
“Don't be. I've gotten used to it, and I'm happy as I am,” Terra told him. “To be honest, this is the first time I've been out of my cottage in ages. Even though it's been difficult, I've enjoyed the ride. And it's good to get away from my mother.”
“You don't like your mum?” Fenix asked. In the corner of his eye, he could see Cinda sneering at the rubbery meat on her plate.
“Oh, my mum is awful. She insults me. She made Cinda her slave. She made her sweep the floors, clean our linens, and dump our chamber pots. She was evil, and there was nothing I could do about it.”
“Chamber pots, huh?” Fenix shook his head. “That's unpleasant.”
“I should let Cinda tell the story.” Terra smiled at her stepsister. “Is there anything you'd like to add to that?”
“No. Not really. You covered it all.” The soup in Cinda's spoon was too hot, so she let it hover above her bowl as she waited for it to cool. “Basically, my stepmother and stepsister made my life a living hell.”
“Terra made your life a living hell?”
“No. Gaia,” Cinda quickly corrected him. “I have another stepsister who... forgive my language... is a horrible bitch.”
Fenix chuckled at the description. “Ah. That makes sense.”
When the soup was down her throat, Cinda jabbed her empty spoon at Fenix. “What's your story, Fenix?” she asked. “You're asking a lot of questions, but you haven't said anything about yourself!”
“W-well... there's nothing to tell. Not really.” His gaze dropped to his lap. “Apart from the whole shapeshifting thing, my life's really boring.”
“I'm sure it's not,” Cinda objected. “You've been cursed, right. That sounds far from boring. What happened?”
“I, uh...” After a short pause, Fenix shoved the rest of his meatloaf into his mouth, along with a pile of mashed potato, and hopped to his feet. “I should really get going. I haven't slept in a long time and I'm tired. Goodnight, ladies. I'll see you tomorrow morning.”
As she watched him hurry away, Terra raised an eyebrow. “That was... odd.”
“I know, right?” Cinderella agreed. “He was acting very cagey! Do you think he has something to hide?”
“Oh, he obviously has something to hide!” Terra laughed. “But... he's been decent so far, so we probably shouldn't pry.”
Shortly after Fenix's exit, the ladies finished supper and retired to their bedroom. Mere minutes after rolling into bed, Terra fell asleep. She was so exhausted by the day's events, she passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Cinda, however, wasn't so lucky. For over an hour, she was denied a peaceful sleep. Her blanket was itchy and thin, and it was a poor defense against the room's persistent chill. As she shivered, her eyes scanned the dark, unfamiliar room. When she spotted a cockroach, she sat up with a gasp. “Oh god...” she whispered to herself. “There's nothing worse than that.”
Disgusted, Cinda slid out of bed, donned her tatty slippers, and tiptoed from the room. “This place is filthy,” she whispered the complaint as she pattered down the hall. “If only I had some soap and a bucket...”
The restaurant was closed, but the bar was open, so she decided to enter. “I hope this place isn't filled with riffraff,” Cinda whispered as she slipped inside the smoky room.
What she saw was worse than riffraff, and twice as shocking.
Fenix was sitting at the bar—with Rank.
“Fenix!”
When he heard Cinderella shouting his name, Fenix turned around as slowly as he could. “Oh noooo,” he groaned. “No, no, no! You weren't supposed to find out this way! Not yet!”
“Find out what, exactly? That you were working together the entire time?” Cinda's eyes were dripping with rage as her gaze snapped between Fenix and Rank. The latter was leaning back in his chair, looking amused.
“N-no, you've got it wrong!” Fenix stammered. “I'm not working with Rank. It's more like... we accepted the same job.”
“Job?” Cinda's brow furrowed. “Who are you working for?”
Her question was answered by Rank, who was casually picking his teeth with the tip of a knife. “It's a witch, innit. She's a nasty piece of work, too. Her name's Donnabella.”
“Donna... bella,” Cinda slowly repeated, sounding confused. “Why would a witch be interested in me?”
Rank chuckled at her naivete. “You need to ask yourself this question, love. Why would anyone be interested in you right now? The answer should be obvious.” Rank got bored of his knife, so he traded it for a peppermint stick. As he unwrapped his sweets, he finished, “Princey will pay a lot to have lover girl returned to him.”
Cinda's gaze went back to Fenix, who was sheepishly staring at the floor. “So you knew my story the entire time, but you pretended you didn't?”
“Awww.” Rank ruffled Fenix's hair. “Is your little Fenix not the sweet young lad you thought he was? Your hero turned out to be... not so heroic?” Rank chuckled as he shoved the peppermint stick in the corner of his mouth. “You must be so disappointed.”
“But... I-I-I'm not bad, I swear!” Fenix exclaimed. “Do you remember when I said I was cursed?”
“Yes. Cursed with immortality,” Cinda apathetically answered.
“Well, my other curse is worse,” Fenix groaned. “I have to do everything Donnabella asks me to do.”
“He ain't lyin',” Rank vouched for his companion. “If Donnabella asked him to stand on his head, he'd have to stand on his head. If she wanted him to drop his breeches and flop around like a fish, he'd have to drop his breeches and flop around like a fish. And if she asked him to kidnap a pretty little girl like you... well... I guess he'd have to, wouldn't he? Me, on the other hand?” Rank bit off a chunk of his peppermint stick and chewed noisily. “I kidnapped you because I'm an arsehole.”
“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!” Fenix slipped from his stool and sank to his knees in front of Cinda. “I really, really don't want to do this! I don't have a choice!”
Cinderella turned away from him. She wasn't interested in accepting an apology from either abductor. “But you lied. You said you were taking me back to the prince! That almost makes you worse than Rank! At least he was honest about his intentions. You let me believe I was safe!”
“I knooooow!” Fenix cried. When he heard Rank chuckling, Fenix jabbed his knee. “I was trying to... earn your trust. I thought it would be easier if you thought I was a good guy.”
“You're such a naughty boy, Fenix,” interjected Rank, who simultaneously shook his head and clicked his tongue. “A naughty, naughty deceitful boy.”
“I'm sorry!” Fenix whimpered another apology. “You have to believe me! I honestly have no control over my actions!”
First, Cinda studied Fenix. His handsome, boyish face was twisted by a permanent pained grimace. Then she looked at Rank, who looked incredibly relaxed as he nibbled and licked his peppermint stick. She couldn't stand to be around either of them, so she turned away with a disgusted huff.
“I'm going back to bed!” she declared. “I'll see you tomorrow morning... when, I assume, I'll be clapped in irons?”
“No!” Fenix shrieked. “Never! I would never do that!”
Rank held up a finger. “I would. If I had to.”
Cinda charged away, left the bar, and stomped up the stairs. She could have tried to escape, but she couldn't leave without Terra.
When she reached her bedroom door, she realized Rank was following her. “What do you want?” she hissed at him.
“Oh, I'm just guarding your door, love. Don't mind me.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his tatty coat and leaned against the wall. “Get some rest for your pretty little head. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. We're boarding a ship.”
“A ship? To where?”
“To the witch's lair, you silly girl. Weren't you listening?” Rank rolled his eyes at her. “See you tomorrow.”
* * *
The next morning, Cinderella divulged the details of her midnight encounter to Terra, who was every bit as disgusted as she was. Hateful words for their friendly kidnapper poured from Terra's lips as she fumbled with her crutches.
“I can't believe it!” Terra roared. “I can't believe he lied to us. I thought he was kind!”
“I know. He certainly seemed like a gentleman. He--”
The door popped open, and a grinning Rank swaggered into the room. A red star was painted around his eye, and his red bowler cap was replaced with a black one.
“Rank!” Terra lectured him. “Why do you think you can barge in here? Either one of us could have been naked!”
Rank's grin was widened by Terra's hateful glare. “It would've been better if you were both naked, but alas... neither one of you was.”
“How did you get in here?” Cinda asked. “We locked the door.”
“Magic,” Rank replied with a yawn. “I could've picked the lock, but magic was easier.” He drew his sword and pointed at the door. Yesterday's broadsword had been replaced with a narrow epee. “Anyway, let's get going. If it was up to me, I'd leave Stepsister behind, but the Boss Man won't let me.”
“Boss Man?” Cinderella repeated as she moved to the door.
“Aye. Fenix. He seems to be calling the shots right now, and I have no idea why I'm letting him.” Rank didn't want to wait for Terra to make it down the stairs on her crutches, so he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.
“Hey!” she shrieked. “What are you doing?”
“It's easier this way, love. Don't complain.”
“Don't complain? Of course I'm going to complain! I'm going to complain until you put me down, you creep!”
Terra was true to her word. Her complaints didn't cease until they reached the bottom of the stairs, where Fenix was waiting for them. His eyes were half-slits, his shoulders were deflated, and his hands were shoved deep into his pockets. Cinda thought he looked sad—but he couldn't possibly be sadder than she was, so she had no sympathy for him.
Before Fenix could greet them, Rank spoke up again. “Oi! As we make our way to the port, you should tell them about the time you changed into a mouse to spy on naked girls.”
Fenix couldn't bring himself to look at Cinderella, but he knew she was glaring at him. He could feel it. “That was a long time ago!” he cried.
“Still, it's a fascinating story. I'm sure they'd love to hear it.” When Rank's hand accidentally slid to Terra's rear end, she screamed.
“Don't touch me there!” Terra wailed. “Oh, and if you haven't noticed, we made it down the stairs. You can let go of me now!”
“Nah.” Rank dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. “It's easier this way.”
Accepting her fate as Rank's carried captive, Terra passed her crutches to Cinderella, who had nothing but pitying glances for her discontented stepsister.
Unbeknownst to the ladies, they were staying in a port town, so it took them less then ten minutes to reach their ship. Rank whistled merrily as he toted Terra down a semi-crowded dock. Fenix was silent, while Cinderella occasionally shot glares in his direction.
“There she is!” Rank declared when they reached the two-masted vessel that would carry them across the sea. “Isn't she a beaut?”
“It would be beautiful if we weren't kidnapped!” Cinda exclaimed.
“Nah. It's still beautiful,” Rank insisted as he carried Terra across the gangway. When they were finally on the deck, he carefully put her down and claimed her crutches from Cinda. “Hey... do you want to know why people call me Rank?”
The girls muttered their answers at the same time.
“No,” Cinderella croaked.
“Not in the slightest,” Terra stated.
Despite their lack of interest, Rank opted to tell them anyway. “I spent six months on a prison ship. Of course, the blasted guards never let us bathe. They never even sprayed us with water or anything of the sort. We were stuck in a dark room with piles of our own feces. When I finally escaped, I reeked. I smelled so bloody awful, I would have made your eyes water. Anyway, when I got back to my mates, they said I was rank. And that's what they started calling me.”
Cinderella sarcastically replied, “Fascinating.”
“I'm more surprised that you actually have mates,” added Terra.
Undaunted by their disdain, Rank continued, “I had loads of nicknames before that. Dirty Davey. The Mad Hatter. The Tickler. Trickster. Pyro. Shuffler. Rank is the only name that stuck. I've been Rank for years.”
With a hopeless sigh, Cinda turned her eyes to the sky. She watched the ship's sails thrash as they were battered by a blustery wind. It was early morning, but the sky was still dark, and the voluminous gray clouds were more than a bit ominous. When they disembarked, they would be sailing straight into foul weather.
“Anyway, make yourself at home, loves,” Rank said. “Like I said, we've got a long trip. Not too long... but long enough. It should take the rest of the day.”
Cinderella's stomach gurgled at the thought.
They had yet to move an inch, but her seasickness was already kicking in.
Fenix heaved a sigh as he watched Cinderella. She was alone on the ship's bow, pitching bread crumbs to a small bird. The last time he saw her, she was on the starboard side of the ship, and she fled as soon as she saw him. Terra was upset with him, but unlike Cinda, she wasn't going to great lengths to avoid him.
“Why won't she speak to me?” Fenix complained to Terra, who had accepted his request for a stroll around the deck. “She talks to Rank... but she won't talk to me? It doesn't make sense. Isn't Rank worse?”
“He is. He's a lot worse,” Terra agreed. “As for Cinda, I think she was just... disappointed? She thought she found a gentleman, but you were nothing of the sort. She has zero tolerance for dishonesty.” A misty rain tickled her cheeks, but Terra didn't mind. Earlier, they had sailed through a storm. After that, a slight rain was barely a burden.
“But I am a gentleman!” Fenix cried. Across the way, a few sailors were shouting in a foreign language, but he paid little attention to them. “I want to be a good guy, but I can't. Don't you understand? The curse won't allow it.”
“So, you're forced to do this witch's bidding? What happens if you defy her?”
“I can't,” Fenix explained. “It's like... I have no free will of my own. My body reacts to her commands. I'm basically Donnabella's puppet.”
Terra's crutches thumped against the wood as they made their way around the deck. “That sounds awful.”
“It is awful!” Fenix whined. “Once, about a year ago, Donnabella asked me to capture one of my friends. I didn't want to do it. For a brief moment—a very brief moment—I actually resisted the curse. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and I retched until my stomach was empty.”
“That's terrible.” Terra stuck out her lower lip. “And... speaking of retching, I wonder if Cinda's feeling better?” Earlier, when their ship was plowing through the storm, the vessel's tossing put Cinderell
a on her knees. Terra pitied her, but there was nothing she could do to help.
“According to Rank, she's feeling better now. He gave her some ginger, and--”
Fenix's reply was interrupted by an unearthly, high-pitched shriek. His stomach dropped as his eyes turned skyward.
Cinda must have heard it too, because she came rushing toward them. “What was that?” she gasped. “Another dragon?”
Cinda's body was paralyzed by fear when she heard the brisk beating of bat-like wings. When she looked up, she spotted the monster. Sunlight glistened on the beast's silver scales. It's small, yellow eyes were watching the ship with interest, and as its jaws parted, she braced herself for the worst.
A spray of blue fire poured from the dragon's mouth, wrapping one of the ship's masts in a mantle of flame. When she saw Rank heading in their direction, Cinda was shocked to see a smile on his face.
“Hello, mates!” Rank greeted them. “I guess you've spotted the dragon, eh? Isn't that a lovely wee beast?”
“Wee?” Terra laughed at his word. “That's a Tiamat, if anyone's wondering. It's smaller than the Bronze Belcher, but I would hardly call it wee. Oh... and it's also twice as fast, so we should all brace ourselves.”
“Why are there so many dragons?” Cinderella whined. “We never saw dragons in Bramble! Our village was absolutely safe. I didn't realize dragons were such a problem.”
When Rank laid an arm on Cinda's shoulder, she knocked him off with a shrug. “Dragons don't waste their time on tiny hamlets like yours,” he told her. “There aren't enough fat, old cows for the beasts to feast on.”
“Oh? And are there cows in the sea, Mr. Rank?”
“Mr. Rank?” His body was shaken by a fit of giggles as he repeated the name. Rank was so amused, he was wiping tears from his eyes. “Ohhhh, Mister Rank. I can't believe you called me that. That's hilarious.”
“How can you laugh at a time like this?” The question was asked by Terra, whose face paled as she watched the dragon circle their ship.
“And what time is this, I wonder?” asked a grinning Rank. “I think it's a wonderful time. It's a beautiful time. I love dragons.”