Read Online Cinderella Dreams of Fire (Fairy Tales Forever #1) by Casey Lane - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Casey Lane
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her that she wasn't sure she could keep her eyes open that much longer. But she had to look. She had to find her amid the accumulating rubble of a collapsing building.
Her heartbeat quickened as she searched every last spot that had yet to be touched by the fiery killing machine before her. Her hands were slick with sweat as she cupped them to her mouth.
"Mother?"
C inderella awoke with a start . Her face was pressed against the cold stone of the wall. She was surrounded by linens she'd spent the entire day cleaning. Cinderella rubbed at her eyes. “I'm glad the old witch didn't see me. Who knows what she would have done to me in my sleep."
She looked down at her hands. They were calloused and strong, but they weren't burnt. She had scars from that fateful night on her lower back, but her hands had somehow escaped without a lasting reminder. She sighed and returned to work for the remaining few hours until nightfall.
T he thief arrived at the Godmother's house under the cover of darkness. Between thoughts of dirty linens and wanting to mount Armenia's head on a pike, she thought of Prince Braedon. Most of those thoughts revolved around how annoying and insolent he'd been over the time she had known him. Like most royalty, he usually seemed to think he was better than everybody else around him... but not always. After all, he had saved a little girl from dying.
I would never tell him, but that was pretty impressive.
Cinderella's thoughts were interrupted by a faint clanging sound behind her. She drew the sword from her scabbard and turned toward the noise. As she crouched into a fighting position, a burst of air sprung up behind her and she felt a light slap on the back of her head. As she turned to swipe at the blur, her blade struck nothing but air.
She grunted as she rubbed at her hair with her free hand. “Show yourself."
Another noise prompted her to step forward. The second she did, another burst of air zipped through the room and she was struck in the same exact spot, this time with a fist. For the second time, she was too slow to get a weapon on the attacker, her sword frustratingly hitting nothing at all.
Cinderella's instinct was to get angry and swipe her sword in every direction. Instead, she thought through the many lessons the Godmother had given her. She withdrew her weapon and closed her eyes. A whole new world opened up to her, with her other four senses focused in response. She controlled her breath and waited for something to happen. When the next speedy attack came, the thief used her training to duck down and sweep her leg at just the right moment.
With a yelp of surprise, a man whose voice she recognized tumbled to the ground. Cinderella opened her eyes to see Prince Braedon dusting himself off.
Cinderella smirked. “I see the knee is feeling better."
He sprung up into a crouched position. “It might be better than ever after what the Godmother taught me. You up for another round of sparring?"
"You call that sparring?"
The prince grinned and made a run at the thief. Sure, he was fast, but things were a little easier when she could see him coming. When he got close enough, she slipped underneath his left arm, hooked under the armpit, and used his own momentum to toss him halfway across the room. He landed on his upper back with a satisfying fall. The heir to the throne of Loren groaned in the dust.
Cinderella cracked her neck to one side. “The element of surprise works much better for you. I'd stick with that.” She looked up through the window. “Besides, I was planning to spend my time patrolling for whatever it was that killed the captain’s wife.
The prince was up quicker than she expected. “You need to take me with you. This is the most fun I've had in ages."
"Fun? You were nearly killed by a raging carriage. You call that fun?"
The prince relaxed his face. “I know that you would. Why should I be any different?"
While the Godmother didn't seem to be in the room,
Her heartbeat quickened as she searched every last spot that had yet to be touched by the fiery killing machine before her. Her hands were slick with sweat as she cupped them to her mouth.
"Mother?"
C inderella awoke with a start . Her face was pressed against the cold stone of the wall. She was surrounded by linens she'd spent the entire day cleaning. Cinderella rubbed at her eyes. “I'm glad the old witch didn't see me. Who knows what she would have done to me in my sleep."
She looked down at her hands. They were calloused and strong, but they weren't burnt. She had scars from that fateful night on her lower back, but her hands had somehow escaped without a lasting reminder. She sighed and returned to work for the remaining few hours until nightfall.
T he thief arrived at the Godmother's house under the cover of darkness. Between thoughts of dirty linens and wanting to mount Armenia's head on a pike, she thought of Prince Braedon. Most of those thoughts revolved around how annoying and insolent he'd been over the time she had known him. Like most royalty, he usually seemed to think he was better than everybody else around him... but not always. After all, he had saved a little girl from dying.
I would never tell him, but that was pretty impressive.
Cinderella's thoughts were interrupted by a faint clanging sound behind her. She drew the sword from her scabbard and turned toward the noise. As she crouched into a fighting position, a burst of air sprung up behind her and she felt a light slap on the back of her head. As she turned to swipe at the blur, her blade struck nothing but air.
She grunted as she rubbed at her hair with her free hand. “Show yourself."
Another noise prompted her to step forward. The second she did, another burst of air zipped through the room and she was struck in the same exact spot, this time with a fist. For the second time, she was too slow to get a weapon on the attacker, her sword frustratingly hitting nothing at all.
Cinderella's instinct was to get angry and swipe her sword in every direction. Instead, she thought through the many lessons the Godmother had given her. She withdrew her weapon and closed her eyes. A whole new world opened up to her, with her other four senses focused in response. She controlled her breath and waited for something to happen. When the next speedy attack came, the thief used her training to duck down and sweep her leg at just the right moment.
With a yelp of surprise, a man whose voice she recognized tumbled to the ground. Cinderella opened her eyes to see Prince Braedon dusting himself off.
Cinderella smirked. “I see the knee is feeling better."
He sprung up into a crouched position. “It might be better than ever after what the Godmother taught me. You up for another round of sparring?"
"You call that sparring?"
The prince grinned and made a run at the thief. Sure, he was fast, but things were a little easier when she could see him coming. When he got close enough, she slipped underneath his left arm, hooked under the armpit, and used his own momentum to toss him halfway across the room. He landed on his upper back with a satisfying fall. The heir to the throne of Loren groaned in the dust.
Cinderella cracked her neck to one side. “The element of surprise works much better for you. I'd stick with that.” She looked up through the window. “Besides, I was planning to spend my time patrolling for whatever it was that killed the captain’s wife.
The prince was up quicker than she expected. “You need to take me with you. This is the most fun I've had in ages."
"Fun? You were nearly killed by a raging carriage. You call that fun?"
The prince relaxed his face. “I know that you would. Why should I be any different?"
While the Godmother didn't seem to be in the room,
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