“I’m here, but thank you for your concern,” I said loudly, my voice carrying. Mr. Goodwin swayed at the sight of me as if he were about to faint. I smiled at him sweetly, then took my spot on the left side, far away from the Fontaine sisters, whom I guessed had reached the point where they wouldn’t hesitate to stab me in the back in front of everyone and then claim that I had stepped into a knife.
Mr. Goodwin cleared his throat. “Halia Bright, everyone.”
The crowd cheered while I allowed myself to properly take in the king for the first time. He was hunched in his throne, the seat next to him conspicuously empty. His face was drawn, heavy creases were etched into his forehead, and his eyes swam in dark circles, while his skin was a sickly gray shade. He must’ve been a mess since his wife had disappeared. Several guards were behind him, and more surrounded his dais, which was a safe distance away from the dais of the judges and the elevated area of the courtiers. The courtiers and judges wore stern, and in some cases, slightly bored expressions, while the commoners smiled and waved at us, excitement bubbling through them. Arcadia’s people were happy, unaware that the reason why they got to be this close to the castle and their monarch was because evil forces were planning an ambush. I gritted my teeth. I had to finish Madam and Rumpelstiltskin quickly, or innocent people would get caught in the crossfire.
Taking a calming breath, I prayed Lorenzo had found weapons and shared them with Tia and Mikka. Then I prayed the four of us would be enough to rescue Arcadia.
Mr. Goodwin stepped forward. “There will be two rounds of competition today. Let’s begin with the semifinals. Contestants, for this round, you are required to write an original song. You have half an hour.” The curtains behind us flew open to reveal a clock the size of a massive pumpkin attached to the stage wall. “Starting now. The presentation will go from left to right.”
Great, I got to go first. I caught the sisters smirking at me. They didn’t seem disturbed by my sudden appearance, which I took to mean that they believed they were going to win this. They’d probably had a master songwriter compose their song and taken extra-strong potions to make themselves charming to the audience.
The ticking of the clock behind me brought me back to the task at hand. I had no time to be outraged at the unfairness of the situation. I needed to make do with what I had to ensure I progressed into the next round.
“The three finalists will get to talk to the king before the final round,” Mr. Goodwin said, unknowingly providing me with the incentive I needed.
But what song should I compose? I considered writing one about Arcadia, but dismissed the idea since it was the obvious choice and probably what the Fontaines had chosen. I needed something more unique. Something that showcased what I was going through and also applied to Arcadia. Something that would let the king know who I was.
The sprout of my idea quickly grew roots and shot up, the leaves and bulbs taking shape as the words flowed onto the page, the melody playing in my head.
“Time’s up!” Mr. Goodwin called, apprehension in his gaze as he glanced at me. He knew that without assigning me an unfitting song and boring clothing, my fate lay in my own hands. “Halia Bright, everyone.”
I stepped toward the microphone stand and unclasped the button of my cape, and it flew back, revealing my black-and-gold warrior queen gear. Hushed whispers went through the crowd, but their looks were full of admiration, not terror. “Arcadia, this is for you.” I smiled, allowing the fierceness I felt to seep into my eyes:
Dark times have befallen you. You’re drowning in the darkness, in the evil, but you’re fighting. You won’t take it lying down. Don’t forget, you’re so much stronger than your enemies could ever be. Not giving in to evil, but choosing light is true strength.
I know you had to give me up. I understand. Your choice was driven by fear. I want to let you know that I forgive you.
The hardships I went through, the nastiness I saw, it made me a stronger, more compassionate person.
I’m no longer a liability. I am a warrior now. Allow me to stand by your side. Allow me to fight by your side.
As I sang, I walked across the stage, taking in every attendee, making eye contact with everyone, memorizing every single face. For the final line, I stepped right in front of the king and held his gaze, hoping that despite the distance, he could see my eyes. The time of hiding was over. I was ready to be myself.
Together, we’ll conquer this virus together. Together, we’ll eliminate all darkness with our light. Together, we’ll restore love and peace.
Deafening applause greeted me, and I bowed lowly. The king’s mouth was parted, his body angled forward. Did he know who I was?
“Thank you, Halia. Arcadia, please welcome our next contestant, Lana Shay.” Mr. Goodwin snatched the microphone from me and hissed low enough so that only I could hear, “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now, girl.”
“If you knew what was good for you, you’d never have agreed to get on the Fontaines’ payroll,” I hissed back.
He pressed his lips together. “They’ll end you.”
I smiled. “I’m not afraid of them.”
“You should be.”
Lana Shay took the microphone, glancing between the two of us with curiosity. I gave her a tight smile and stepped back.
Lana Shay sang an upbeat pop song that sounded suspiciously like her previous songs, and I guessed that she hadn’t composed it herself, but had used something that had been recently written for her but hadn’t been premiered to the public yet.
Deryll’s song appealed to the females and was basically a confession of how he felt lonely and was looking for his soulmate, or at least, that was what he wanted the audience to believe.
Hendrix’s song was about showing the girls a good time and had a bad boy vibe to it. Neither the king nor the judges looked impressed with the two guys.
When it was Georgette’s and Bernadette’s turn, I tried to stay calm and breathe deeply, but that proved impossible.
Arcadia, you shaped us into the people we are today. Arcadia, let us give back to you.
The hypocrisy was too much to bear. I balled my fists as my magic thrashed, begging me to destroy the dark power surrounding us, throwing a curtain over Arcadia’s citizens, whose eyes were glazing over. Georgette and Bernadette were using a spell. They needed to be stopped. But how?
I couldn’t break their—well, to be precise, Acacia’s magic. Or could I? I had done so when I had freed myself from the dream. I focused on the sister’s falseness, on their words. I opened my mouth and sang quietly, “Break the dark magic. Undo the spell. Break the dark magic. Undo the spell.”
The sisters faltered a step but then continued. What I was doing wasn’t enough. I had to go all in. But if I failed, …they would eliminate me. Worse, probably throw me into prison. And yet, I couldn’t just stand by as the sisters entranced Arcadia.
I stepped right between the Fontaine sisters and risked everything. “Let the spell be broken. Reveal the truth. Reveal your real faces. Reveal your real intent.” I hit the high G expertly, the crescendo building and building until it reached its grand finale.
There was a pop. The sisters gulped and stared at me for a second before pushing past me, clasping their microphones. But instead of the angelic voices that had come out of their mouths before, a tone-deaf, nasal mess emerged. “We hate you all,” they all sang. “You will be our slaves. You will bow to us.”
The sisters exchanged horrified glances, shocked they had voiced their real intentions.
“We didn’t mean it,” Georgette said.
“There was a mistake,” Bernadette added, but the glamour was broken. The gasping audience was inching away from the sisters. Somebody began to boo. The king said something to his guards, and they stormed the stage.
“You nasty bitch!” Georgette’s hands wrapped around my neck.
I kicked her in the gut, and she released me, crying out in pain. Her sister punched me in the fa
ce, and stars exploded in my vision. But before she could get another hit in, I pivoted and put my leg out. She tripped and tried to hold on to her sister, but instead, ended up pulling her to the ground with her. The guards reached us then and grabbed the two sisters, handcuffing them.
“Release us!” Georgette screamed.
“You are under arrest for treason,” one of the guards replied calmly.
“You’re dead,” Bernadette spat in my direction.
More guards reached the stage. Within their midst was the king, his eyes boring into mine. I held his gaze, even though I was terrified. What if he blamed me for everything? After all, all of Arcadia’s problems had started when I had turned eighteen and left the orphanage. What if I was bad luck?
“Halia.” The way he said my name, there was no hatred or fear; there was only hope, filled with tenderness.
I dared to step forward. Before I could reach him, the cathedral’s clock hit midnight. Thunder crashed, and lightning flashed through the sky.
“Not so fast,” a familiar voice came from above. Madam was levitating in the stormy sky.
7
11th August
“If you ever want to see your wife again, you’ll release my daughters immediately,” Madam spat.
“You have Ella?” the king whispered next to me while I tried to figure out how Madam was flying. It must’ve been the magic she was siphoning off the humans with the faes’ help.
And then, suddenly, she was tumbling. A hand was around her throat. Lorenzo had teleported behind her and grabbed her before gravity could pull him down, and now, they were both falling.
“No!” I rushed forward without a plan. Madam was clawing at Lorenzo. At first, I thought it was to get him off, but then I realized she was trying to maneuver them in a way that he would soften her fall. She’d crush him, and the ground would break his spine and skull if he didn’t teleport in time.
I darted off the stage, down the stairs, and pumped my legs toward the center of the square the spectators were inching toward as Madam’s and Lorenzo’s bodies came closer to the ground.
“Release him,” I sang, putting all my conviction into my voice. “Release him.”
Madam glanced at me for only a second, but that was enough for Lorenzo to shove her off him and teleport next to me.
“What were you thinking? You could’ve died!” I wanted to shake him, but all I did was hug him for a second.
“How dare you defy me! You shall pay! Feel my wrath!” Madam was once again levitating high in the sky, surrounded by colorful balls. No, not balls, but potions. She brought her palms down, and the potions hurtled toward us.
“Halia!” Lorenzo pivoted me, shielding me from a black potion that hit his spine. The glass exploded, and the ink ran down his back. Immediately, his face contorted in pain.
“Lorenzo!” Please don’t let it be a murderous potion. I was still getting over Tia trying to kill me and me having to stop her. At least, Tia had been human. I didn’t dare to think about how I could hope to even slow down a demon with teleportation skills. But Lorenzo didn’t charge me or reach for his knife. Instead, he did something much worse. He collapsed to his knees.
“Lorenzo!” I took his hands. “Talk to me.”
“She poisoned me,” he rasped. “Get everyone inside the palace. Separate the infected ones from the others.” His eyes began to close.
“Lorenzo! You can’t pass out! Stay awake!” I glanced frantically around us, not willing to leave him like this, yet knowing that there was no way I could get him to safety all by myself. My gaze snagged on a familiar face. “Thomas!”
He turned in my direction, hesitating, torn between following the other guards and helping me.
“Thomas,” I sang. “Come over here.”
Thankfully, my voice did the trick. I practically thrust Lorenzo at Thomas once he was next to me.
“Take him inside the palace. To the medic.” I had no clue if a regular doctor could help Lorenzo, but I sure as hell would try everything. As much as I wanted to stay with Lorenzo, I couldn’t. Once Thomas heaved him over his shoulder, I found the next closest guard to me.
“Listen up, we need to get everyone inside the castle. The infected people, who were hit with potions, put them in the cell; the others, put them in a big room.”
I repeated my commands for what felt like a thousand times, working my way back to the stage. I kept searching the sky for Madam, but she was nowhere found. Neither was the king or the Fontaine sisters. My guess was that the daughters had been arrested as originally planned and that the king had been taken inside the castle to a safe room. I needed to talk to him at the earliest opportunity because while it appeared that Madam had retreated for now, once she realized we weren’t capitulating, begging her to stop, she’d be back.
My head felt fuzzy from all the mind control I had used. When I stepped through the castle gates, I was afraid that I would have to work my way past twenty more guards, convincing them to take me to the king. But to my surprise and relief, a guard approached me.
“Halia Bright, the king wants to see you immediately.”
I exhaled and followed him, hoping the king wouldn’t blame me for everything that had transpired. Technically, I had set the bomb off by revealing the Fontaine sisters’ real colors. Not that I had meant for Madam to attack Arcadia’s citizens with potions or demand to exchange her daughters for the queen.
I was ushered through marble hallways, past elegant columns, priceless art pieces, and bronze sculptures. But I could barely take in all the splendor, my heart hammering loudly. I would finally get to speak to my father…if he chose to acknowledge me.
The guards stopped in front of a set of elegant wooden, double doors where another set of guards was waiting.
“This is Halia Bright,” my escort explained.
One of the guards nodded and opened the door to announce me.
“Send her in,” the king said.
I took a few steps inside and curtsied low, the door falling shut behind me. “Your Majesty.”
The king motioned for me to come closer. “Do you know who you are?”
I swallowed hard and pushed the words out of my throat. “I’m your adopted daughter.”
He stared at me for a long moment, and I prepared myself for him to lash out, but instead, a single tear trickled down his face. “When Ella gave you away, I thought I’d never see you again.”
I rushed toward him. “We need to rescue her.”
He nodded. “That woman, Madam Fontaine, she’s Ella’s stepmother, and her daughters are my wife’s stepsisters.” Pain marred his face. “I should’ve recognized them as soon as they entered the competition. When Ella went missing, I should’ve searched for her stepmother first.”
I took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t beat yourself up. You couldn’t have known.”
He shook his head. “No, I thought that they had long since disappeared. I knew they had broken out of prison, but I believed they had left Arcadia. I believed Ella was safe, that I could keep her safe.”
“And you did.” I swallowed hard, hoping he wouldn’t hate me for what I said next. “I believe Madam Fontaine lured Ella away by telling her she found me and was going to kill me.”
The king’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “My brave wife, always willing to protect others, never thinking about herself.”
As much as I wanted to hear more about the woman who had given me a home, albeit a brief one, I knew we didn’t have time to go down memory lane.
“Where are the Fontaine sisters?” I asked.
“In a cell, surrounded by guards. I can summon them easily to exchange them for my wife.”
I nodded. “You know that Madam won’t be satisfied with that. She wants to rule the kingdom.”
He rubbed his weathered forehead. “She always did.”
“Your citizens are safe in the castle, but Madam will attack again. We need to be prepared.”
As if
my words had summoned her, there was a crash, and sharp objects rained down on me. I dove forward, using my body to shield the king. When the attack stopped, I dared to look across my shoulder to discover that the window had been shattered. A potion had made it inside, and fumes were leaking from it.
“We need to get out!” I grabbed the king’s hand, coughing as the fumes filled my nose and throat and hurried to the door. It was locked. I banged against it, but no one replied from the other side. The guards must’ve been down.
“There’s another way out.”The king pulled me toward a bookshelf.
“Where does it lead?”
“Outside.”
Where we would be unprotected. Where Madam wanted us. I coughed as I inhaled, and the king’s eyes dropped. We had to get out. No matter how dangerous it was there. If we stayed here, we would pass out, maybe even die.
“Lead the way!”
The king jammed his body against the bookshelf, and it gave way into an underground passage wide enough for one. I shoved the secret door shut behind me and followed him. When we reached the end of the tunnel, he reached for the door, but I stopped him. “I’ll go. You need to wait here.”
He shook his head. “This is my kingdom. I can’t hide like a coward.”
“Madam is planning on you to do that.”
“If I don’t do what she wants me to, she’ll only get madder. I can’t put Ella in any more danger.”
I nodded. He was right. We’d play along for now, and then I’d figure something out. I gritted my teeth. If only Lorenzo was here. He would know what to do.
Together, the king and I stepped outside.
Madam was waiting. Rumpelstiltskin was nowhere in sight, but she was surrounded by Arcadian guards, her daughters in the background.
“What is the meaning of this? Why have they been released?” the king asked one of the guards who appeared to be the most senior one given the medals adorning his jacket.
Madam laughed like a hyena, and a sick feeling twisted my stomach.
Halia: Daughter of Cinderella Page 34