Halia: Daughter of Cinderella

by Armitage, J. A

  A whole world under the sea? What I wouldn’t give to see it. “Are you able to teleport underwater?”

  “I am, but I can’t stay long. I don’t have the ability to breathe underwater. I doubt I’ll be visiting Atlantice anytime soon.”

  “But, you hope to go to Draconis?”

  He nodded. “Yes, or perhaps go see Elder, which is rumored to be filled with werewolves.”

  The little hairs on my arms rose. “Are there any kingdoms that have no predatory creatures?”

  He took the book from me, and his fingers brushed against mine, eliciting a thrill in me that I had come to anticipate when we touched. Too soon, the contact was gone, and he opened the book onto a new page. “I think you would like this.” The page showed beautiful homes built in the mountains and people sitting atop huge birds. “In Arboria, the citizens live in houses built into the mountains. They travel from place to place on birds.”

  “That sounds amazing.” To be able to fly, what a dream.

  Lorenzo closed the book, his gaze drilling into me. “You didn’t come here to talk about travel. Did you want to discuss the performance?”

  I nodded. “I’m going to sing “Queen of Song.” I don’t think it needs a huge stage show, but I was hoping you could help me with something I have in mind.” I told him about my plan and held my breath.

  Lorenzo’s face lit up, making it impossible to believe that this was a man who had been alive for almost 300 years and had seen horrors I couldn’t even begin to imagine. “That’s a great idea. I’ll arrange for it.”

  “Thank you.” I touched his arm. “But please, let me pay for the cost.”

  He shook his head. “Nonsense. I’m your manager. This is my job.”

  “You’ve already done so much for me.”

  He paused. “I’ll tell you what. You can pay me back from the prize money you make when you win the competition.”

  “What if I don’t win?”

  He squeezed my hand. “You will.” His fingers stayed on top of mine, and I glanced at our hands, then back up at him. Neither of us pulled back. Instead, he leaned forward and brushed back a strand of my auburn hair. “You’re Halia. You can do anything.”

  Goosebumps exploded on my skin, and my stomach tingled with longing. His lips hovered above mine, and for a second, I was certain he would kiss me. For a second, there was nothing else I wanted but him.

  A knock at the door shattered the moment. “Lorenzo, you don’t need Tia or me before five, do you?”

  At Mikka’s voice, I pulled back and got off the bed, busying myself with studying the fireplace as my mind shrieked, What are you doing?

  “No,” Lorenzo called back. What were Mikka and Tia up to today? It hurt that my friend didn’t even consider inviting me to come along. Was I not good enough anymore? How could everything have changed so much in just one week? I really needed to talk to Tia.

  Lorenzo cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him and making my cheeks heat at what we had almost done. I had the urge to dart out of the room under his intense stare, but there was one more thing I needed to address before I could run away from my attraction to him. “I had a disagreement with Acacia yesterday. She’s selling voice enhancers to Madam Fontaine’s daughters. I need to find another fae to help conceal my eye color.”

  After I finished telling Lorenzo about my fight with Acacia, he shook his head. “That’s it. No more dealings with faes.”

  “But I need them to hide the gold in my eyes, especially since neither of us knows what it means and what others will do once they realize I have the ability to use my voice to…to compel others.” The words still tasted foreign on my tongue, and a part of me still fought this concept, even though another, wiser part of me knew it was true, and I needed to accept it. Maybe I could see it as something good. After all, my voice had allowed me to confirm that D…, Cinder, wasn’t a mute and allowed me to let the young boy escape before Victor could throw him into prison over a stolen loaf of bread. What else could I do with my voice? Could I pose a singing question and get an answer from Cinder? Could I win the competition by subconsciously compelling the judges? I shuddered. If I did that, I wasn’t any better than Acacia, who helped the sisters acquire better voices.

  “Is that why you think I’ll win? Because my voice is compelling?” I studied Lorenzo, my shoulders tensing. “I don’t want to compel the judges to give me the highest score. I don’t want to win that way.”

  Lorenzo chuckled. “Don’t worry, that’s not how your gift works.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  He stepped toward me, making my stomach tingle with butterflies. “Because your magic is part of you, Halia. You are good. You are a light magic wielder.”

  “But you said others could use me to do...” I trailed off at the ticking muscle in his jaw.

  “Dark magic wielders can always find a way to use light magic wielders for their nefarious purposes.”

  “What type is your magic?” Please don’t say dark.

  “Demon magic is neutral as is fae magic, allowing us to choose how we use it.”

  “So who is either a light or dark magic wielder?”

  “Witches, healers, and poisoners.”

  I exhaled. “So, I’m still mostly human.”

  Lorenzo tilted his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. “What is it with your obsession to be human?” At my raised eyebrows, he added. “You’re at least half-human. Otherwise, you wouldn’t look human.”

  Yet the golden rings in my eyes made me “other,” something that Lorenzo hadn’t encountered in his two hundred and seventy-two years of living. I sighed. “I wish I knew what I am. The not-knowing is hard.”

  He nodded. “Ambiguity can be the worst.” He took my hands in his, and calm spread through me. “Trust me, we’ll find out what you are. I promise you before the end of August, we’ll know.”

  August was only a few days away. Could Lorenzo really discover what I was in less than forty days? I hoped so. Until then, I needed to take precautions. “Do you know of any other fae nearby besides Acacia?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not letting you go to another fae. If Acacia can be bought, so can others. The more people know your secret, the more exposed you are.”

  I had thought about this as well, but what was I supposed to do? “I can’t just walk around Arcadia with golden circles in my eyes.”

  “You won’t.” Lorenzo squeezed my hand. “I’ll get you colored contacts.”

  I blinked in confusion. “What?”

  He let go of my hand. “They are tiny lenses that you put in your eyes to change your eye color. They don’t hurt but take some getting used to.”

  I massaged my temples. “There’s so much technology out there I don’t know about.”

  He smiled. “We demons like to keep our abilities well concealed.” Then his expression sobered. “I know someone who can create colored contacts for you in a day. Once I have them, I’ll get what you need for your recording.” He must have noticed the panic growing on my face, because he said, “I’ll be back long before recording. I promise.”

  “It’s at four on Tuesday. Please don’t be late.” Unable to stay away from him, I stepped closer until our noses were almost touching. “I don’t want to do this without you. I need you by my side.”

  His breath was hot against my lips as he replied, “I will be. I promise.”

  I closed my eyes, ready for the kiss, but instead of feeling his soft lips against mine, there was just air. I opened my eyes to find Lorenzo had taken several steps back. Earth, please swallow me whole. Unable to take the rejection, I headed for the door. “I better get going. Lots to do.”

  “Me too,” Lorenzo said behind me as I let the wooden door slam shut.

  After making a fool out of myself in front of Lorenzo, I needed something to cheer me up and distract me from the critical voice in my head telling me I was ridiculous for thinking a gorgeous demon would want to kiss me. Thus, I han
ded the gondolier a coin and got onto the long, wooden gondola, which would take me across the river to the Royal Opera House. The sun was slowly setting and bathed Arcadia in an orange glow. Once again, it struck me how beautiful my hometown was. My mood lifted slightly. I began to hum, and before I knew it, words tumbled from my lips.

  You are my home, my beautiful home. I want to travel the world, but when I’m done, I’ll always return to you, Arcadia.

  Arcadia, you are joy, happiness, and love.

  Arcadia, your market makes anyone feel welcome, overflowing with the most exotic spices and sweetest treats.

  Arcadia, your street dancers and acrobats can bring a smile to anyone’s face.

  Arcadia, you always shine bright. No matter if it’s day or night, summer or winter.

  I really liked the melody that came to me and wondered if I could make a full song out of it. Perhaps. A song to honor my hometown could be something for me to work on while I waited for the results of the first round of the contest to come in. But first, I had to size up my competition.

  I entered the imposing theater with its tall columns, still feeling out of place, even though today I had dressed up in a knee-length, white dress that I had purchased recently from a secondhand store and that looked almost new.

  Nobody stopped me as I headed past the gilded walls and marble staircase into the auditorium. The auditorium wasn’t as empty as I had expected it to be. Clearly, many of the other candidates had decided to watch the other recordings as well. I estimated that about 200 people had shown up.

  I chose a seat next to a girl who appeared to be a few years older than me, who wore her hair in a braid. She didn’t even glance at me as I sat down, so I didn’t say anything to her either, afraid talking would get me kicked out of the recording sessions. As the competition host had promised, each candidate had exactly half an hour to set up, get the recording right, and clean up.

  The recording team had several devices that stood on two skinny legs, were nearly as tall as them, and had boxes attached at the top. The whole concept of recording us on video was foreign to me. Recordings were common for the royal competitions; however, they weren’t used for anything else. The technology wasn’t something humans had created but rather something that was possible due to demon magic. What relationship did our king have with the magic bearers living in his kingdom?

  Arcadia’s policy on magical creatures wasn’t very well defined. Anyone could come and live in our kingdom. Demons and faes were safe to be around in public. Yet, it was frowned upon if humans hung out on an individual basis with magical creatures. It seemed that demons were good enough when we needed something from them, like their technology, or when they could contribute to Arcadia’s economy like Lorenzo did. However, the rest of the time, they were seen as second-class citizens. Second-class citizens that held a lot of power, and thus, inspired fear and even hate in some humans.

  I decided then and there that if I got to talk to the king, I would ask him to create a reform that would bridge the gap between demons, fae, and humans. Right now, we all shared the city but lived in segregation. If we got to truly know each other, a lot of the tensions could be resolved.

  Heat crept into my nape as I remembered how I had asked Lorenzo repeatedly if he was influencing my mind and had nearly accused him of being an incubus due to the attraction I felt. Only a week earlier, I, too, had been ignorant, and it had almost cost me the opportunity of a lifetime. If not for Lorenzo, I wouldn’t be here today, preparing for the competition. If not for Lorenzo, I would still be slaving away under Madam Fontaine’s violent outbursts. If not for Lorenzo, I would still be with Victor, who would subtly, and not so subtly, put me down. Thinking of Victor made sadness well inside of me. He had preyed on my naivety and loneliness. Yet, he had also been the only one to show me any interest. Lorenzo not kissing me today…I swallowed hard. It hurt. It hurt a lot. It made me feel like I was back in the orphanage. A seven-year-old girl with strange eyes and no friends.

  Fireworks erupted on the stage, drawing my attention back to the performances. Even though our contracts had explicitly stated that the stage couldn’t be altered in any way or be exposed to any dangerous materials, several contestants had decided to brazenly push the envelope. Besides the mini fireworks, people schlepped water fountains onto the stage, trees that almost reached the ceiling, and heavy furniture that I was certain left a mark on the floor. There was a lot of sighing and headshaking from Mr. Goodwin and his crew. However, none of the contestants were disqualified, which almost made me wonder if I should’ve asked Mikka to create some ice theme for my recording tomorrow. But no, just because others were breaking the rules didn’t make it all right.

  It was hard not to second-guess my choice to go minimal as I watched the recordings, one more impressive than the last. It wasn’t just the props but also the performances that left me breathless.

  A tiny girl contorted her body into strange positions and walked on her hands while singing. A man in his forties breathed fire in between the lines of his chorus. Several performers played an instrument. There were harps, drums, and cellos. Playing an instrument was not a requirement since the competition was for singing only, but I couldn’t help feeling that I was at a disadvantage. Since the orphanage didn’t have any instruments, I had never taught myself how to play one, but now, I wished I had gone out and searched for a second-hand guitar.

  As expected, some performances were weak, but not nearly enough for me to dare to hope that I would make it into the top ten percent and progress to the next round.

  It was midnight by the time the last performance finished, and everyone dispersed. With so many of us leaving at the same time, there were no gondolas left to take me across the river. Feeling restless and impatient after seeing how impressive my competition was, I didn’t want to wait for a gondola and decided to walk instead. A decision I came to regret dearly.

  6

  27th July

  It should have taken me about half an hour to get home. Arcadia wasn’t a dangerous city, and I wasn’t worried about walking by myself at night. My biggest concern was finding my way back to the market quarter since I hadn’t ever walked the route from the opera house to Daydream.

  Fortunately, from time to time, flames would light up the sky, letting me know where the fire breathers and, thus, the night market were. The bursts of fire kept getting bigger and bigger the further I walked. A pleasant breeze ruffled my hair. I welcomed it. With it being the middle of the summer, many days felt sticky and hot. As I had hoped, my anxiety about my recording diminished with each step I took.

  So what if a lot of the contestants had a professional background? Putting on a show wasn’t the only thing that mattered. Yes, a lot of the viewers and the court favored dramatics, but every year, there were several good voices that got really far. And that’s exactly what I would focus on—my strengths, not my weaknesses.

  Plus certainly, the heavens must be on my side, watching out for me in this competition. Why else give me a magical voice? The more I thought about it, the more certain I became that Lorenzo had come into my life now because the queen had gone missing, and it was up to me to bring her back. However, first, I needed to find out what the king knew. The only way I would get to talk to him was by winning the contest.

  Would he know who Cinder was? Perhaps the queen had a twin or sibling she had been separated from at birth. Cinder could even be a cousin.

  Another burst of fire flashed in the sky, much bigger than the last one. I wasn’t far from the night market now. Confidently, I continued down the dark alley, knowing this unlit part of the path was short. It was no big deal. Rowdy partygoers wouldn’t be here.

  My steps were steady and confident until somebody bumped into my shoulder, nearly knocking me on my behind. A shriek burst from my throat. I quickly suppressed it and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you.” Ugh, why was I apologizing when the man had run into me? Old habits die hard.

&nbs
p; “Halia?”

  I froze at the familiar voice. “Victor?”

  “What are you doing here?” The moon pushed through the clouds and illuminated his bloodshot eyes. His usually carefully trimmed hair was a mess, and his breath reeked of cheap beer.

  “I’m not doing anything.” I tried to push past him. There was no point in having a conversation with him, especially when he was in such a state.

  “Hey, wait.” He grabbed my arm and turned me around roughly. “You owe me an apology.”

  “For what?”

  He let out a gurgling sound that I supposed was meant to be a laugh. “Really? You’re going to pretend you’re all innocent? You let that boy get away! I could’ve lost my job.”

  “You would have ruined his life if you had put him into prison over a loaf of bread.”

  He snorted. “Clearly, you care more about a stranger to you than me.”

  “I want everyone to be happy and safe.”

  “Is that so?” His eyes narrowed, and suddenly, he didn’t seem so drunk anymore. “Your little stunt cost me. I was severely reprimanded, and now, Thomas will get the promotion I deserve.”

  “Is that why you’ve been drinking?” I asked, regretting the words as soon as they were out of my mouth.

  Victor snarled. “You think you’re so much better than everyone, don’t you?” His fingers dug hard into my skin, bruising it.

  “No, I just—”

  “You just what? You think you know everything because you’re a demon whore now?”

  “Lorenzo and I aren’t—”

  “Don’t deny it!” Victor shoved down the straps of my dress, ripping one of them in the process.

  “What are you doing?” I tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge. “Stop it right now!”

  “I offered you my protection. I wanted to honor you, but you chose to go off with a demon. If you debased yourself by sleeping with him, I might as well enjoy you as well!”

  “Let go of me, Victor!” I shoved him as hard as I could, but somehow, I was the one that ended up falling to the ground. And then, Victor was on top of me. “What are you doing?” My voice was hysterical now, and my whole body was trembling. “This is against the law!”