We ate in silence. When we finished, we thanked Mrs. Flamico. Leo magicked the dishes clean and then magicked them back into their position on top of a bunch of others.
When we were out in the hallway, he asked, “You ready?” He grabbed my hand and again I felt the cold heat of fire and ice.
“Sure,” I replied, trying to ignore the way my skin tingled as he gripped my hand tighter.
Chapter 16
“Avandey.” Leo spoke the word quietly. There was a gentle rush, and our bodies travelled like apparitions down hallways, through the rock walls of the castle, and out onto the grounds.
I watched in awe as we floated past groundskeepers, through bushes, trees, and over a large lake. Until we reached a garden surrounded by thick bushes and covered in what looked like roses.
“Stolenvey.” At the word, our bodies stopped, and my feet touched the ground.
I took a deep breath. “I always wondered what it would feel like to be a ghost,” I said, feeling the slightest bit woozy. “Is that the normal way people of Polonias travel or were you showing off?” I turned in a circle, taking in my surroundings. We were in a garden filled with flowers.
“A little of both,” he said, sheepishly. “It’s quick and easy. Think you can remember the words?”
“Sure,” I said, repeating them in my mind.
“Good.” He walked to the edge of the garden and picked a flower that sort of looked like a blue rose. Then he turned and brought it to me.
I took it from his hand. The petals were buttery soft and smelled like roses too. I pressed the center to my nose and inhaled. Something pinched me. “Ouch,” I said, pulling it away. At the center of the flower was a little… girl. I could just make out her head, shoulders, and arms. She had her arms crossed and was glaring at me, or at least trying to. “What in the world?” I asked, handing the flower girl back to Leo. She reminded me of a mini Polly.
“These aren’t really flowers, but posies.” He held his hand flat and the petals turned downward, becoming a lovely dress, the same as Polly’s. The little posie walked to the edge of Leo’s fingers and shook a fist at me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, covering my smile in my hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She crossed her arms and turned away in a huff.
Leo chuckled and put his face close to the posie’s. “It’s my fault. I told her your garden was special. I wanted to show you, all of you, to her. She thought you smelled lovely. Am I right, Cindy?”
I stepped closer. “Yes, he’s right. You do smell really good.” I gave her an encouraging smile.
She faced me and stepped closer. Then four of what I thought were petals turned to wings at the center of her back. I never saw Polly do that, but I wondered whether she could.
The posie lifted off Leo’s hand, flew closer to me, and patted my nose. A strange noise came from her mouth. I had the feeling she was speaking to me, but I couldn’t understand.
I looked at Leo for help.
He smiled. “The posie language is a little strange, but you’ll get the hang of it. You just need a little magic.” He smiled. “Say this: deotha spranza.”
The little posie and Leo waited. I took a deep breath. “Deotha spranza.” As soon as I spoke the words, a strange wave of air struck my eardrums. The feeling touched my throat as well.
The posie flipped her long red hair. “Greetings, Cinderella. It’s lovely to meet you. My name is Cyan. Welcome to my garden.”
I blinked several times, surprised her mouth still moved in a strange way, but I understood. “Nice to meet you,” I finally said.
Cyan flew higher and out toward the middle of the garden. Leo sidled up next to me and took my hand. As Cyan waved her hands, thousands of posie creatures flew off the shrubs, bushes, and stems and into the air. I thought of the pixilettes from Sharra. They were around the same size, but a pixilettes’ wings were more like a dragonfly than a flower.
As we watched, the posies performed a sort of dance. Each moved in sync with others. They were beautiful.
“What do you think?” Leo asked.
“I love them,” I breathed. The posies twirled and swayed to music I couldn’t hear.
“Are they flowers or something else?” I finally asked.
Leo chuckled. “Flower isn’t acceptable to you?”
“Most flowers don’t talk and dance, but after all I’ve seen here, I’ll accept pretty much any explanation.” I smirked.
“Remember, everything here is created of magic. Most can talk. You just have to be able to understand them.”
I nodded, thinking of the words I used to understand Cyan. “Will I always be able to understand the posies now that I’ve spoken the magic words?”
“You will. Yes.” He led me over to a bench where we sat.
I couldn’t take my eyes from the flowers. They were incredible.
“The posies are a type of fairy,” Leo went on. “Here in Polonias, they are in charge of reseeding in the spring and fall. Since it’s summer they’re in full out party mode.”
“Cool. In Sharra, there are creatures called pixilettes. Posies remind me of them a little,” I said, smiling.
“I’ve met a pixilette before. She was known as Ryden.”
I glanced over at the prince. “I know her,” I said, surprised and thinking even though we weren’t on Earth, it was a small world.
We sat comfortably together for a long while, enjoying the posies, and each other’s company. Leo was really easy to talk to. It was nice to speak with him about nothing at all. A sense of calm overtook me, and I smiled. I really did like it here.
“I should probably get you back. The celebration will begin in a few hours and I know you’ll want to get ready.”
“Alright,” I said, allowing him to help me up. He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm, and we walked together to the edge of the gardens. Several of the posies held petals in their tiny hands. Cyan flew forward, presenting me with one. “We wanted you to have these in honor of the celebration tonight.”
“Thank you,” I replied, as she placed it in my hand. After her, dozens of posies came forward and dropped petals into my cupped hands, then flew away. When they were finished my hands were filled. I looked at Cyan, unsure about what to do with all of them. I didn’t want to be disrespectful, but they were petals. The aroma coming off them was incredible.
Cyan hovered just above my hand. From within her dress she pulled a wand and waved it. The petals spun together and transformed into a small bottle. The top was shaped like a flower. Inside the iridescent glass bottle was a light blue liquid.
“Wear it and all who catch a whiff will be unable to do anything but agree with all you say,” Cyan said.
“Thank you,” I said, studying the bottle more closely. It was more a potion than a perfume. I knew and knew the contents could be exploited. I needed to keep it safe.
“I am so grateful to you, Cyan, and to all posies for your welcoming Cinderella and for your lovely gift. Good day,” Leo said, and bowed.
In response, the posies flew around him, speaking their returned gratitude. Leo grasped my hand and uttered the word, “Avandey.” As I waved goodbye, he and I drifted out of the garden, over the river, and onto a path near the castle. “Stolenvey.” Leo used the word to stop our supernatural travel. “Be careful with that potion. The gift is as she said. If someone discovers you’ve used the concoction on them, they won’t be happy.”
“I kinda figured. So why would they give it to me?” I tucked the bottle into the pocket of my dress so it wouldn’t be seen.
“Posies have lived a long time. Some believe they can see the future. Others believe their power is even stronger than that. They believe posies are able to travel to the future and the past as well as predict it.”
“Merde,” I swore softly. It seemed the little creatures had some elven blood in them as well.
Leo shook his head. “I don’t know the truth. No one really does, but it’s nice t
o have them on your side, especially if they know something we don’t.”
I agreed and we continued back to the castle. When we reached my room, Leo stopped. “I’ll see you tonight, Cinderella.” He gently stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. My body tingled.
I swallowed back the feelings coursing through me. “See ya,” I said, and quickly shut the door, leaning against it. I removed the bottle from my pocket and studied the liquid inside. I couldn’t catch a whiff of the scent, but I knew it would smell amazing, and I debated dabbing a bit on for the party, but quickly decided not to.
The dress Quilla made for me, the one I put in the closet before leaving earlier, fluttered through the air and stopped near my bed. “What the hell?” I went to the closet and tucked the potion underneath my under things and way in the back. As I walked away, I changed my mind, deciding the hiding place wasn’t secure enough. I retrieved the bottle and searched for a dress with pockets, finding a periwinkle gown similar to the one I had on. After a quick glance toward the closet door, I slid the potion inside the pocket closest to the wall. Satisfied, I left the closet, shutting the doors. The dress moved so it was beside me and I screamed in fear. “Stop it,” I said, grabbing at my racing heart. “You’re worse than an apparition.” It seemed to sulk, the sleeves drooping slightly. “Sorry,” I said, quietly, running a hand over the skirt.
Movement from my bed turned my attention there. Curled atop my covers were two furry brown rabbits. “Why?” I gasped in surprise.
The bunnies woke in unison, their ears twitching. They weren’t small bunnies; in fact, each looked to be at least a foot in length. I guessed these were the rabbits I saw around the castle, one of which continuously played tricks on me.
“What do you two want?” I asked, figuring they would run off the way they had in the past.
Instead they carefully hopped to the end of the bed and stopped.
I took a tentative step toward them. “You aren’t going to run?” I crossed my arms, not expecting a response.
At the sound of my voice, one of the rabbits scooted backward while the other sniffed me.
“I won’t bite,” I said, holding out my hand.
Twinkling lights appeared suddenly around them. Just a few at first, but quickly more and more surrounded them until the light was so bright, I looked away.
When I turned back the twin bunnies were gone and, in their place, sat a girlish creature. Pointed ears poked through hair the color of chestnuts. Her eyes were amber. She wore a forest green dress and matching shoes that reminded me of leaves. Between her shoulder blades grew two beautiful, gossamer wings. They fluttered rapidly, like a fan turned on high. I blinked and brushed some fluttering hair out of my face.
“Oh, sorry,” she said, her voice high and soft. As she spoke, her wings slowed until they came to a stop.
“What happened to the bunnies?” I asked, trying not to stare, but I couldn’t help it. Between the posie, Quilla, Polly, and now this girl, I was beginning to feel that possessing magic in this land was nothing unless it was accompanied by a set of wings… Or at least a flower dress. Neither of which I possessed.
The girl’s body changed to a bright shade of yellow. “Uh, I—I’m the bunnies. They are m—me. W—we are each other,” she stammered nervously, clutching her hands together.
“You are the bunnies?” I asked, watching her.
She looked more confused than I felt. “A—a spell.” Her eyes darkened; her thin brows scrunched together. “A cu—curse is more like it.” She hopped off the bed. She was taller than expected. Her head came to my shoulders.
“You were cursed? By whom? Why?” What a terrible thing to do to someone.
She sighed. “Mizrabel did it.”
I was about to ask for clarification on who or what this Mizrabel was when she continued.
“Mizrabel is a dark sorceress. She lives on Thorn’s Peak, to the east of the castle, past the Golden Forest.” She turned her face in the direction of my window. Her wings fluttered slightly. “My name is Anna—Anna Belle Sun.” She turned her amber eyes on me. “I’m a woodland fairy. My family lives in the Golden Forest.”
“Mizrabel sounds miserable,” I said, smiling at my joke, trying to lighten the mood, but Anna Belle didn’t join in. I cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you.” I stuck out my hand to shake hers. I didn’t know why, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
Anna Belle fell to her knees and took my hand in both of hers, kissing my knuckles. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance, Cinderella.”
I was more than a little shocked. “What are you doing?” I asked, pulling her up by her elbow. “There’s no need for that.”
She turned a bright yellow. “I’m showing you my respect. As you are the one true ruler of Polonias, it’s my duty and honor to bow before you.” She bobbed a curtsy.
I took a step back as a sudden and strange panic curled through my stomach. “You have me mistaken for someone else. Leo and his family are the rulers of this land. I’m just a guest.”
She walked forward and placed a hand over my heart. I let her, too stunned to move away. The palm of her hand seemed to radiate warmth. I looked down and would swear I saw an orangey glow coming from her.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, locking eyes with her.
“Checking.” After a few moments, she nodded. “You are the one, Cinderella. And contrary to what you may think, or even what the king may believe, you will rule this land. Honorably, too, I think.” Anna Belle pulled her hand away and stepped back. “Your heart is strong, full of magic, full of the blood of this people and more. There is much you must learn, but as a lowly forest fairy, it is not my place to be your teacher. Talk to the pretend prince. Ask him to tell you whether or not I’m lying.” Anna Belle started to breathe heavily. She bent over, trying to catch her breath. “That’s what I—I came to t—tell you.”
“What’s wrong? Anna Belle, are you okay? Do I need to take you to the doctor?” As I said the words, I realized I didn’t even know if there were doctors in this land. Maybe there were medicine people, or perhaps everyone knew magical spells to heal themselves when they were wounded or sick.
“Call me Anna when I’m like this,” she choked out. “That is what my friends call me.”
“I will, Anna.” I rubbed a hand across her back. I also tried to remember a healing spell, but I didn’t know what was wrong with her. “Is there something I can do?” I asked, wishing I wasn’t so magically inept in this land.
Anna shook her head. “No, it’s the curse. No one can help me except Mizrabel, and she won’t.” She spat the last word out. Bright, sparkling stars surrounded her completely and then she was no longer a woodland fairy, but two brown rabbits again.
They wiggled their noses at me. I kneeled on the floor next to them. The one on the right climbed into my lap and burrowed under my arms. The one of the left bit my outstretched finger and darted behind the curtains.
“Hey, where are you going?” I called after it. Of course, there was no answer. I glanced at the bunny still in my lap. “I’m guessing you’re Anna and the other, more offensive one is Belle?”
She looked at me with her dark eyes, then hopped behind the curtain after the other one. Though all the animals in Polonias could speak, I guessed Anna and Belle couldn’t because of Mizrabel. Or perhaps it was as with the posies. I didn’t understand rabbit language.
Chapter 17
I followed them over to the curtain and pushed the heavy material back, but they were gone. After carefully checking around the sill I noticed a little door in the wall under the window. I pushed and the wooden door fell open. Lying on my stomach I tried to peer inside, but it was too dark. Using one finger I closed the door and stood.
And made a decision. I wanted to talk to Snow. Wrapping my hand around the hourglass, I closed my eyes and thought of Sharra. The castle. Snow’s door just outside her bedroom.
With a whoosh, I sailed through the witch mists.
This time, I listened intently to see if I could understand what they were saying, but to no avail.
The noise was gone, replaced by the smell of old drapes and vanilla. I had arrived.
“Cindy,” Snow said. She sounded as surprised as I felt. At least I didn’t have to search for her.
I heaved a breath and opened my eyes. “How did you get here?” she asked, hugging me.
“This,” I said, relieved to be here.
“You’ll have to explain what it is some time.” She glanced over her shoulder. We were in the hall and there were several worker vampires waiting at the door, watching me curiously.
“I don’t have long, but I needed to see you.” Sometimes I got the nagging suspicion Snow didn’t need me anymore. Growing up, I was the one she went to and held for comfort and cheering up. But she had Dorian for that now as well as others like her, so where did that leave me?
She hugged me again. “I’ll always need you, Cin,” she said, saying what I was thinking out loud.
Tears touched the edge of my lashes. “It’s good to see you.” I sniffled.
“And you. How are things going in Polonias?”
“Fine, I guess.” I sighed.
“Tell me what’s the matter.” She took my hand and led me into her living room.
I flopped onto the couch and covered my eyes with my hand. “What isn’t the matter?” I said, wiping my eyes.
“How can I help?” Snow sat next to me, propping my legs on top of hers.
I let out a sob, unable to understand what my problem was. “Maybe I’m going to start my period or something,” I said and sat up.
“Tell me what you’re doing tonight.” Snow encouraged, changing the subject.
“I’m going to a party,” I said, glancing at her. Crap. Time passed much faster there than here. I literally had only a few more seconds and then I needed to get back.
“Ooooh, a party sounds fun.” Snow clapped her hands in excitement and I couldn’t fight the smile that sprung to my lips. She wasn’t one of those girly-girls. All through high school, I was the only girl she hung out with, so her acting all girly was pretty funny. “Who is hosting? The prince, Leo?” she asked.
Deadly Witch: Cinderella Reimagined with Witches and Angels (Seven Magics Academy Book 4) Page 9