Cinderella Assassin

by Allie Burton

  The regent strolled in wearing full regalia. The long red robe, the gold crown, the rubied scepter.

  The guards bowed at his entrance.

  A second person paraded in behind the regent. His shiny shoes glared. His pressed pants didn’t have a piece of lint and his starched shirt appeared crisp. A bejeweled sash adorned his chest. He wore a familiarly endearing expression of concern.

  Rye.

  My heart lurched and tumbled. He seemed so different and superior than when we’d parted. He must be more than a friend of the prince. Maybe bringing the prince and regent here was part of his plan to help the majiks. To prove to the prince what was really going on in the palace. If he couldn’t convince them with his words, he could show them the torture device. Maybe that’s why his words had sounded so harsh earlier.

  Or maybe it was the prince convincing Rye to believe in the evil plot.

  I pulled myself higher to get a glimpse of the prince behind him.

  The nearest guard bowed.

  To Rye.

  My lurching heart stopped beating for a second, and then pitter-pattered to the rhythm of a fast song. Not a love song. Not a song of friendship. Rye had lied. The prince was not coming in behind him because Rye was the prince.

  Prince Zacharye.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Squeezing my eyes tight, I willed away the vision. This couldn’t be right. When I opened my eyes again, there Rye stood. Except he wasn’t just Rye.

  Rye was Prince Zacharye.

  My brain buzzed with the fact. My friend was not my ally. He probably wasn’t even my friend. He’d tricked me. My body sweltered and I wanted to bang my head against the auraguillotine. He’d made a fool of me.

  But if he was the prince, why hadn’t I killed him when we met? The Binding Promise should have forced me to assassinate the prince. I’d spent time with him at the ball and under the palace searching for Arbor. And yet, Prince Zacharye was still alive.

  The buzzing in my head swarmed like gnats. Like magic, had the enchantment not worked under the palace? Yet I’d met him at the ball. Did the Binding Promise not recognize the prince as I hadn’t? I didn’t know enough about my fairy background or the rules or the magic to understand how the dagger or the promise worked. I pinched my lips together. Gardenia had said the weapon would seek justice. Had the dagger recognized the goodness in Rye? Was that even possible for an inanimate object?

  I frowned. There was no goodness in him. He’d lied about who he was. Lied to me.

  He’d pretended to be an acquaintance of the prince, someone with influence, not overall control. He’d pretended to care about the plight of the majiks. What was his game?

  “I want to understand how torturing teen majiks is saving the kingdom.” Rye’s strong tone carried toward me in my position high on the auraguillotine.

  My breath fractured in cold crystals. He knew about the torture. He must believe in this terrible contraption. So much for goodness. So much for hope. How could I be fooled into thinking he’d wanted to help? How could I fall for him?

  With each step he took closer, my pulse throbbed. I willed him to glance up at the same time I prayed he didn’t. I wanted him to see me and my wrath. Although if he saw me, our mission to destroy the machine would end.

  His dark hair had been cut short, chopping off the lighter highlights. His thick brows curved above his eyes in a stern expression. His patrician profile appeared to be carved by the gods covered by a flawless complexion. Perfection for a teenage guy. Amazing, how handsome can cover the ugly underneath.

  Dressed in full regalia and with the shorter hair, I now saw the resemblance to the old vids of the prince. The brown hair color appeared more natural matching his eyebrows, than the blond hair he’d always sported. The old color had matched the regent’s hair showing a resemblance. Now, they looked nothing alike. Too bad they thought alike.

  Rye’s silver orbs roved over the machine, up and down and up and up.

  My body tensed, waiting, waiting, waiting.

  His gaze connected with mine. Every breath I took synched with his. No one else existed in the room except him and me.

  Us.

  Then, his eyes widened in horror realizing who I was and what I was doing.

  His gaze shot daggers that plunged into me and punctured my heart. My body froze, and I couldn’t do anything to stop him or warn the others. I was paralyzed.

  Would he command his guards to arrest me? Would he stay silent about my position? Would he come to my rescue?

  Twisting around, I focused on Keltie and Stone trying to warn them with my I’ve-been-discovered expression. Keltie couldn’t see the prince from where she worked behind the large machine. Stone didn’t know I’d met the prince, so he didn’t understand the ramifications.

  Pressing my lips together, I forced myself to wait for Rye to say something. Good or bad. For me or against me. My hand numbed holding the position for so long. My nerves screamed and tightened. I lost my grip.

  And, I fell.

  My body jolted with the fall putting my emotions back in place. My muscles tensed and tremors spread in my arms and legs. The ground rushed up to meet me. This was going to hurt, and I was going to get caught. In this weird-slowing-down-sense-of-time, my gaze swung to Keltie who wore a shocked expression. Stone charged in slow motion toward me, fear and concern etched on his square face. He was too far away. I squeezed my eyelids shut not wanting to witness my own demise.

  Because when I fell, I’d be captured and killed.

  My body hit something hard and solid. And warm. Instead of hurting me, it embraced, breaking my fall. This wasn’t the hard floor. My bones didn’t break, and my body didn’t bruise. The scent of sandalwood enveloped me making me feel alive.

  At least for the moment.

  I let myself relax for a second before opening my eyes.

  Rye held me in his arms. His mouth was open, gaping. The silver sizzled, and electricity leapt inside me.

  “Elle?” He spoke with a sense of wonder. His gaze slid from my face to my uniform. “What’re you doing here?”

  Destroying your machine. His machine. My rage reignited.

  His chin tilted, and I remembered he’d asked a question.

  What was I doing? My lungs seized when the reality of the situation returned. What was I doing? I tried to think of an excuse. What. Was. I. Doing.

  “Fixing the machine.” My answer came out fast and totally the opposite of my actions.

  His silver eyes zapped through me as if trying to connect with my soul. My truth.

  The truth.

  Stone cleared his throat. We had an audience. An audience besides the prince. The regent, the other guards, Stone, and Keltie squinted at the two of us believing we were mentally deranged. An unknown guard having a normal conversation with the prince while in his arms.

  My cheeks scorched, and I wanted to disappear.

  “Fixing the machine?” Rye repeated my words with a flavor of disbelief.

  Stone growled, and Keltie inched forward. They were both ready to defend me. I needed to defend them. Maybe I could use whatever connection Rye and I had so he’d use his influence to let us go.

  I’d lie to him just as he’d lied to me.

  “I can stand.” I shoved against his chest and wiggled my legs.

  Rye didn’t let me down physically, even though he’d let me down in so many other ways. His grip tightened. He continued to study me. “I don’t understand.”

  He didn’t believe me. I could see it in his expression, how he glared and roved down my body once more. Why was he mad? Did he not want to believe I’d switched to the other side? The guards’ side. His side.

  My mind whirred. How could he be upset with me when I’d been so wrong about him? I’d thought we’d had a connection, that he liked me, believed he was trying to help. My shoulders dropped with the weight of my own deception. I’d been pretending to be human for my entire life. Were our lies similar?

  No. I
refused to compare myself to him. My lies hadn’t scarred anyone except myself. His lies were far worse.

  “Let me down.” I put authority in my voice as I’d heard him use. Now I understood why.

  Stone bowed. “I’m sorry this guard is bothering you.” He tried to sound humble, but I heard the roar of anger beneath the quiet words. “You can put her down now, your majesty.”

  I cringed.

  The prince swung my legs down and set my feet on the ground as if I was cherished, which I found hard to believe after his earlier expression of horror. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  He peered at me and Stone and back to me again. The prince’s body stiffened, and his gaze narrowed at my new protector. Did Rye care?

  I wanted to bang my fist against my head. The connection I’d thought we had still seemed to live inside both of us. Yet how could I judge a guy’s feelings when I’d only known him for hours? When he’d lied about who he was? When he was the prince!

  He’d saved me from a brutal fall. He’d run so fast he’d been a blur. How could he be evil when he’d saved my life?

  “Did you finish fixing the machine?” Stone grabbed my arm and pinched bringing me back to our current situation.

  My face muscles slackened. It really didn’t matter how Rye felt because we were on opposing forces. “Almost.”

  My answer hit me, sharp and strong. I’d failed to set the timer on the explosive device.

  “What is going on?” Regent Theobald’s question demanded.

  Stone bowed to the prince again. “I’m sorry this guard caused a problem. I’ll take care of her for you, your majesty.”

  He started pulling me toward the back when Keltie caught my attention. She was climbing up the side of the machine and was going to finish the job I’d ungracefully abandoned. The air leaked out of me.

  The prince and the regent and the guards continued to leer. If I created a distraction, Keltie could finish the job. I yanked my arm out of Stone’s and faced the prince. The two of us talking distracted everyone in the room, including the regent.

  “You changed the color of your hair.” My tone was a little too hard. This wasn’t supposed to be an accusation, but a conversation to stop anyone from seeing Keltie.

  He lifted the dark wisps covering his forehead. “My uncle’s make up team couldn’t dye my hair blond or shave it short while my scar healed.” His lips lifted in a slight smile as if he had enjoyed his slight rebellion. “I decided I liked my natural color. Do you?”

  “Um, yeah.” I swallowed. So he hadn’t been in disguise at the ball.

  The guards continued to gawk. Keltie was almost at the top.

  “I hope I didn’t hurt you, your majesty.” I flashed what I hoped was a flirtatious smile. A fake flirtatious smile.

  Stone growled again.

  “You’re small.” Rye’s expression softened and the tease in his tone sent thrills across my skin. “You couldn’t injure a fly or a fairy.”

  I gulped. Did he know?

  His friendly face went cold as he spun toward Stone. “She was doing her job. Maybe you should pick someone taller for the task in the future.”

  “As you wish, your majesty.” Stone spoke through gritted teeth.

  “Thank you so much, Prince Zacharye.” My gratefulness was to more than him. Everyone else in the room was too busy watching our drama to notice Keltie at the top of the auraguillotine. “So glad you came to my defense and believe in helping the little people.”

  “Of course. Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Rye’s concern caused my stomach to flutter. “I could take you to the royal medic.”

  I angled away. The last thing I needed was to be taken deeper into the royal palace. “I’m fine.”

  Keltie had finished the set-up of the device and started climbing down. Stone was ready to gather his team and escape before the explosive device went off in ten minutes. An urge to warn Rye prodded. I didn’t want him to suffer any damage.

  “You should go see the medic.” I wanted him safe, even while my head wanted him dead. Leaning toward him, I placed my palms on his chest.

  The closest real guard gasped.

  It must be against protocol to touch the prince. Since my hands tingled, it must not be healthy for me either.

  “What is the hold up?” Regent Theobald’s demand jarred. “The auraguillotine is supposed to be running twenty-four hours a day. We have a schedule.”

  Nausea rose. A schedule for killing innocent teen majiks. I wanted to believe Rye didn’t understand the depth of the persecution. The murder and mayhem. The unfairness of the system the regent had put in place. I hoped the shallow and unconcerned words I’d overheard in the library when he didn’t stick up for the majiks had been a cover for his true nature.

  Except, he was the prince with real power. Technically, more power than the regent.

  “This, um, guard,” he faced his uncle with a bland expression. One displaying no depth. And yet, I’d seen the depth of his emotions, seen to the center of his soul—or so I’d thought, “was fixing the machine.”

  “I don’t have time for this.” The regent’s face scrunched, and bright red spots shone high on his cheeks. He imitated a petulant child. I could picture him stomping his foot and throwing a tantrum. He reminded me of Sybil. “Turn it on.”

  The job was complete. The explosive would detonate. I took a final glance at Rye. He was close to the machine. If I pushed him closer, I might assassinate him as I was supposed to do. An aching fissure formed in my heart. I’d had difficulty accepting the fact Gardenia wanted me to kill an unknown prince.

  This wasn’t an unknown royal. This was Rye.

  My thoughts seesawed back and forth like the seeds of a dandelion in a strong wind.

  Stone must’ve read my mind because his fingers gripped my arm tighter.

  The regent inched closer. “Prince Zacharye wants to be reassured of our processes.”

  I wished I could push Regent Theobald closer to the machine and the explosion.

  Rye scrunched his mouth together in a distasteful puckering pinch. “Questioning the processes.”

  My bleak outlook lightened. Maybe what he’d learned from me and the other majiks had helped him see how terrible the ruling royal government had treated majiks. Maybe he’d do something to stop this madness.

  “It’s so technical. Too boring for you, your majesty.” Regent Theobald waved away any concern.

  My lips flattened, and I wanted to speak up.

  Stone tugged on my arm signaling I should stay quiet. As Keltie made slow progress down, she’d moved to the back side of the machine, closer to the line of majiks so she wouldn’t be seen. She was about halfway down.

  “This is my kingdom. My citizens.” Rye spoke strongly, spoke up for himself. “I want to understand.”

  Pride he at least had the nerve to question the regent’s plans filled my lungs. Rye was going to be a better ruler than the regent.

  “Turn it on!” Regent Theobald stalked to the control panel. He punched a red button with his fat fist.

  The machine chugged starting up. The belching of the tanks filling and emptying caused my stomach to roil. I skimmed between the majiks to Keltie to Stone to Rye.

  The majiks in line moved forward again and the first was sucked in. The explosive would go off in nine minutes. How many would be tortured before then? The beginning of the first scream drove a chill up my spine and I sent up a silent prayer. I hoped Stone had a plan. His hard face gave nothing away.

  Rye seemed to be holding his breath. His gaze was wide, and his fingers twitched as if ready to throttle the regent. Regent Theobald beamed as the screams got louder.

  I skimmed the line of majiks. The next one was sucked inside revealing a small majik behind. A smoke sprite.

  My entire body stilled. My eyes grew as wide as a dark knot in a big oak tree. “Arbor!”

  Rye’s head jerked toward the line. He knew my friend’s name.

  Stone glowered, then s
lashed me an antagonistic scowl.

  I slapped a hand over my mouth. Idiot. I’d given myself away and attracted attention to the line of majiks. And Keltie. My brow started to sweat. This was Arbor. My reason for beginning this quest in the first place. I clasped my mouth shut and controlled my limbs from darting forward.

  “Elle?” The small voice didn’t sound like my friend. She was confused and dispirited.

  I glanced at Stone. His expression was set in, well, stone. Except he didn’t understand the depth of my friendship with the smoke sprite. A manic jolt of energy slashed through me. “I’ve got to save Arbor.”

  “Our priority is destroying the machine.” Stone held on tight to my arm as he whispered. I realized he’d been sent to protect me, not my friend.

  Rye’s mouth dropped. He’d heard Stone’s whispered response. The prince grabbed my other arm. “Who are you?”

  I was a wishbone between the two guys.

  Keltie climbed faster down the machine. She must’ve seen the argument and understood our predicament. We didn’t have much time before the explosion either.

  Yanking both my arms, I tried to get free. When I’d said saving all majiks, I’d meant saving all majiks.

  “An elf is trying to escape.” A guard monitoring the majik line raised his weapon and fired at Keltie.

  She ducked, and the shot rang off the metal of the machine.

  Clenching my fists, I ripped my arms out of both Stone and Rye’s grips. I needed to help, to do something to assist both my friends. Arbor was next to be sucked into the machine.

  Already spotted, Keltie climbed down toward the entrance with elf speed. She grabbed a lever near the end of the machine. Her sharp gaze connected with mine sending a message.

  Images flashed of our short time together. Our first meeting when she confronted Rye and I in the cave. Discussing why she’d been arrested. Her decision to back me up and follow me deeper into the underground portion of the palace. Her leadership. Her bravery. Her friendship.

  Keltie swung forward and around.

  Around toward the back of the machine.

  Around toward the majik vacuuming intake entrance. She kicked out with her feet and connected with Arbor’s midsection. The tiny smoke sprite went flying into the air.