Banished: Book 1 of The Grimm Laws (32 page)

A
hush fell
over the ballroom as Cinderella came down the stairs. The music halted, and all eyes turned to see the glorious maiden in silver, gliding toward them. When she reached the bottom of the steps, Prince Edward stepped up to her and took her hand. “Thou art an angel,” he murmured into her ear.

“Thank you.”

The music began again, and couples resumed their dance. Edward led her across the floor to where his mother and father were standing. Queen Loreena turned. Her jaw dropped slightly when she saw Cinderella. She looked her over from head to toe. “That dress. ‘Tis unique. Where did you get it?”

“A friend gave it to me, Your Highness.”

“Well, thou art certainly beautiful. Now I see why Edward found you so hard to resist.”

“Thank you,” Cinderella uttered, even though she could tell from the tone of Loreena’s voice that it wasn’t a compliment.

Seraphina stepped up. She was wearing a green, velvet dress and was fanning herself vigorously. She gave Cinderella a tight embrace. “My lovely daughter. How delightful you look tonight,” she gushed. She looked over her shoulder. “Josselyn, come and congratulate thy sister on her engagement to the Prince.”

As Josselyn stepped forward, a look of shock registered on her face when she saw the gown, and Cinderella knew for sure then that she’d been the one who shredded the gowns.

“How dost thou like my gown, Josselyn?”

Color crept into Josselyn’s face. “‘Tis beautiful,” she muttered.

“Aye, ‘tis fortunate it was not destroyed along with my other gowns.”

Seraphina looked concerned. “What happened to thy gowns?”

Cinderella kept her eyes fixed on Josselyn. “‘Twas an unfortunate accident. One which I am certain will never happen again.” She kept staring at Josselyn until she finally nodded and looked away.

Seraphina gave Josselyn a questioning look. “Care to explain?”

“Nay.”

Seraphina looked to Cinderella for an explanation. Cinderella only smiled. “Come, and allow me to introduce thee to the other members of the court.”

Prince Edward caught her hand. “Nay, my Princess, thou must first dance with me.”

“Of course,” Seraphina said, smiling. “Dance and enjoy this happy occasion. There will be plenty of time for me to meet the members of the royal court.”

And so they danced. Edward held her in his arms, and they danced around the floor as if they were the only two there. Edward’s touch was gentle, yet protective. He looked at her with such adoration that her heart softened. Perhaps life with him would not be so terrible after all. She felt her mood lighten, and before long, she discovered that she was actually enjoying herself.

Shortly before the ringing of the midnight bell, the King motioned for the music to halt. He bade Edward and Cinderella to come forward. “Ladies and Gents of the Royal Court, it gives me great pleasure to announce the engagement of my son, Prince Edward to the maiden Cinderella. May they long live in joy and happiness.”

A murmur of approval rippled through the crowd, followed by clapping. “Long live Prince Edward and Cinderella,” a voice boomed from the back. “Long live Prince Edward and Cinderella another voice said.” The chant went through the ballroom.

Cinderella caught sight of Seraphina, who was beaming. A warm glow settled over her. This is what she had been craving her entire life—a way to erase the heavy burden of debt that her father had left them. Perhaps this is what Adele had meant. She could find happiness, here in this castle, with Edward. As his eyes met hers, and he flashed a brilliant smile, she heard the midnight bell clanging.

Then, she heard a gasp. She looked and saw Wisteria fall to her knees. The crowd began to part, and she saw him walking toward her. She thought he might’ve been a demon sent to torment her, but then realized that other people were seeing him too. Her knees went weak, and she stumbled backward. Edward caught her and helped her to stand. He looked at her stricken face with concern. “My love, art thou ill?”

“Look,” was all she could manage to say.

He looked and let out a whoop of joy. “Rushton! Thou art alive!” He left Cinderella’s side, and went to hug Rushton. “‘Tis a great miracle. And the best part of all is that you are here on this night—the night that I have announced my engagement to the most beautiful maiden in the kingdom.” Tears formed in Edward’s eyes. “Things happened just as the sorceress said they would,” he said quietly, so that only Rushton could hear. “I owe it all to you, my brother, my friend.”

C
inderella could hardly stand it
. Rushton was here, and she was forced to stand by Edward’s side, smiling politely, while every part of her wanted to run to Rushton and hold him in her arms. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing, and Edward, thinking that she was crying because of the tender reunion between Rushton and himself, was touched. “My delicate rose,” he said admiringly.

She could only smile and nod. Her heart felt like it would break in half when Rushton caught hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. “Congratulations on thine engagement, Princess.”

She caught the edge to his voice, and it stabbed her like a knife.

Finally, Queen Loreena pulled Edward away to introduce him to some diplomat from the neighboring kingdom. Part of Cinderella wondered if it had anything to do with Edward breaking the alliance with King Felipe’s daughter. Rumors had been flying all over the castle that King Felipe was angry and demanding retribution. Regardless, she was grateful to have a reprieve. She scoped the ballroom, looking for Rushton. When she couldn’t find him, she started looking for Wisteria but could not find her either. It was with a sinking heart that she realized that he must have left already. She wandered out of the stuffy ballroom and onto the terrace that overlooked the lake. The cold air raised goose bumps over her flesh. She rubbed her arms and suppressed a shiver. What was she going to do? Tears stung her eyes. Never would she have gotten engaged to Edward if she’d thought for a moment that Rushton was alive. Fate had delivered a cruel blow. She didn’t hear him until he was standing beside her.

“Rushton,” she exclaimed, ready to throw her arms around him, but he stopped her. “Remember thy station, Princess.” The words came out cold and clipped.

Numbly, she nodded. Tears were streaming down her face. “I thought thou wast dead.”

He spread his hands. “Aye, but as thine eyes can see, I am alive and well.”

She couldn’t help herself. She reached out and touched his chest. “How?”

He shook his head. “A story for another time.” His jaw grew hard. “When I was away, all I could think about was getting back to thee.” He touched her face, and she caught hold of his hand. Fury flickered in his eyes as he removed his hand from her grasp. “Imagine my surprise when I returned home to find thee engaged.” He clenched his fist and looked out at the lake. “That it was written in The Grimm Laws. Dost thou understand the seriousness of what was done?” he asked hoarsely.

“Aye.” She winced at the condemnation that was burning in his eyes. “Rushton, I did not want to marry him. Thou must believe me. I’m telling the truth.”

He scoffed. “Obviously.”

“‘Twas your mother that convinced me to marry him.”

His face went a shade darker. “How dare thee suggest that my mother had anything to do with this! If thou hadst not gone to the marketplace then none of this would have happened!”

“What? The only reason I went to the marketplace that evening was because Wisteria asked me to.”

He shook his head. “Liar!”

The hair on the back of her neck bristled. “Nay, I tell the truth!” She looked him in the eye, glaring at him so that he would know that she was sincere. Finally, he looked away.

She caught his arm. “Rushton, ‘twas thy mother who asked me to go to the marketplace that evening. I was on her errand!”

Hesitation clouded his features. “Nay, my mother would never do such a thing. She couldn’t have possibly known …”

She cocked her head. “Known what?”

“Nothing.”

“Known what?” she pressed.

He rubbed a hand through his hair. “Even if my mother did ask thee to go to the marketplace on her behalf, that still does not explain the engagement.”

“Thy mother came to me shortly after you were called away to defend the King’s Highway.”

“Aye, I asked her to come and tell you how I felt about thee.”

“She did so.” When she saw the look of vindication on his face, she held up a finger. “However, she also told me that it would be in everyone’s best interest if I feigned affection for the Prince.”

His jaw dropped. “Nay.”

“Aye, that’s what she told me.” She spread her hands. “And when the news of thy death came, she told me that if I did not marry the Prince then I would be left penniless, a beggar with no means of earning my bread. She said that thou wouldst have wanted me to marry Edward.”

“I certainly would not have wanted that!” His voice rose.

“That is precisely what I told her.”

He smirked. “And yet thou got engaged to the Prince anyway. Congratulations, Princess, Cinderella, Royal Highness!” He gave her a mocking bow.

Red blotches started crawling up her neck, and she felt the urge to scream. She spun at him. “Thou hast no idea what I’ve been through! I love you, Rushton Porter, you thickheaded mule! And now I’m shackled to a man I do not love!” It took every effort to keep her voice low. She spat out the words through clenched teeth. “A prisoner in a gilded cage! Thou art so high and mighty—accusing me of rushing off to get engaged to the Prince! I don’t know what it is that thou art not telling me about the marketplace, but I tell thee this, Squire, if thou hadst not run off that evening when I tried to talk to some sense into thee, then none of this would have happened!”

“That is not fair!” he countered hotly.

“Fair?” She clenched her fists. Her face felt like it was on fire. “Fair? I’ll tell thee what is not fair! ‘Tis not fair that I have been forced into something because of thy mother! I should have never trusted her! She had it in for me from the beginning. She probably planned this whole thing!”

He raised himself up to his full height. “Madam, I would ask thee to refrain from speaking such accusations about my mother.”

Her hands went to her hips. “Rushton Porter, I will say anything I please about thy mother! And I’ll tell thee this—I would much rather be married to a level-headed prince like Edward than to be stuck with some hot head with feathers for brains!” Her tears were coming so fast that she could barely see. “It is my fervent hope that I never see thee again!”

“Good riddance, Mi’ Lady!”

She almost slapped him across the face but took off half running instead. She had only gotten a few steps from him when she tripped over her dress and stumbled, barely catching herself from falling.

“Go ahead, Cinderella, run like the coward thou art!”

Her head felt like it would explode from fury. This was madness! She let out a growl, took off one of her slippers, and threw it as hard as she could at his head.

A look of surprise washed over his features just as the point of the heel met its mark, hitting him in the forehead. She heard him swear and thought he might have called for her to come back, but she tore off the other slipper, hiked up her gown, and started running as fast as she could.

Edward came upon the scene just as the last glimmer of Cinderella’s dress was disappearing. He looked at Rushton, who was holding the glass slipper in his hand. He took the slipper from him and cradled it in his palms. “Cinderella!” he called. “Come back!”

He gave Rushton a dumfounded look. “Where did she go? Cinderella, my love. Come back to me!” The words seemed to vanish into the night air.

There was a look of desperation on Edward’s face as he clutched Rushton’s arm. “Now that I have found my true love, I will not let her go. Thou must help me find her!”

A
dele wrapped
her arms around herself protectively. A storm was brewing—she could feel it deep down in her bones. But more than that, there seemed to be an evil portent looming over her. The cuckoo clock had chimed at the wrong time twice in the last hour. And there was that business about that hulk of a boy who’d come into The Chocolate Fountain and unnerved Elle. There was more to him than met the eye—she was sure of it, and why did he look so familiar?

She hurried to the kitchen and checked the vat of chocolate that had suddenly burst into a boiling frenzy that was flowing over and solidifying almost as quickly as it hit the floor. She closed her eyes and in a commanding voice uttered an incantation. For a second, she thought it had worked, but it continued to flow as if the vat were bottomless.

The boom came out of nowhere. The walls shook and then went still. Silence. Adele craned her ears and heard nothing, and then the wind began to wail. The wooden planks on the floor began popping and cracking as if they were trying to dislodge themselves from the building. The lights started flickering just as the realization of what was happening hit her. She went to the window and looked out. The sky was a sickly green, and a funnel of black with snake-like tentacles protruding from it was headed straight for her!

Adele backed up against the counter. There was no time to summon Merek. She was on her own. The wailing subsided, and in its place came a smothering silence that was more terrifying than the noise.
Bree!
She had to save Bree! A surge of adrenaline raced through her veins as she ran to the clock and threw open the door. The cuckoo birds came swarming out with a vengeance, forming a protective circle around her as she ran up the stairs and to the study. She had just made it to the secret room where she managed to hide Bree when the black mist started crawling underneath the door. Adele waved her hand and began chanting a spell, but it had no affect on the mist. It slithered up the wall and began twisting and writhing until the hideous sorceress stood before her.

“Griselda!” Adele lifted her hand, and the cuckoo birds formed a line. When she thrust her arm forward, they attacked.

Griselda let out a cackle and wagged a finger. In one swift motion, the cuckoo birds fell lifeless to the floor.

The black mist drifted off of Griselda and crawled toward Adele. She looked down in dread as the serpent tentacles slithered around her feet and up her legs where they encircled her waist and began to squeeze.

Griselda cocked her head to one side and then the other before a wicked smile spread across her face. “So Merek sent his little tart to do his bidding. So much like my brother, getting other people to do his dirty work!”

Adele had to fight to get a breath. The room was starting to swim before her eyes. It was as if a thick fog were penetrating her brain and trying to obliterate her thoughts. She used all of her will to fight against the darkness. She glared at the loathsome creature in front of her. Griselda had come here for one reason—to capture Bree. Somehow, she had to save him. Her mind began going over the possibilities, searching for a way out of this. “Merek, help!” An invisible fist caught her around the neck, choking out the words.

“There will be no calling for help this time. Do not even bother. Merek cannot hear you, tart, I made certain of that before I came.”

So Griselda had cast a gag spell over The Chocolate Fountain, a spell that would prevent Merek from hearing her. The full scope of the situation hit her then. She truly was on her own. The only weapon she could use was her wit. If only she could get to her potions on the shelves against the wall. “You surprise me, Griselda. How did you manage it? How did such a wretched old hag like you amass enough power to come here? ‘Tis a pity you weren’t able to do something about your unsightly appearance. I suppose you still don’t have enough power to fix that, for thou art still as ugly as thou ever were.”

Griselda’s face twisted as the serpents squeezed even tighter, causing Adele to cough and sputter. “Careful, little witch, or thy death will be long and painful. My brother has always underestimated me, as have you. Thou art as stupid here as in the other realm. Always Merek’s little puppet.”

“You will never have the fortitude to outwit thy brother, you repulsive hag! He will crush you like the bug you are!”

Fury erupted in Griselda’s eyes, and she motioned with her hand. Adele went flying across the room where she landed facedown on the floor. Groaning, she lifted up on her forearms and began crawling toward the shelves.

Griselda was amused. “Thou art the loathsome one—crawling on the floor to save thy skin.”

Adele used the shelves to pull herself to her feet. She turned to face her adversary.

The corners of Griselda’s mouth turned down. “I grow weary of this game. Where is it?” Her voice cackled through the room. “Give me the book!”

She’d placed Bree on the shelf, near where she was standing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, not taking her eyes off of Griselda.

“The book! That helps them to remember!”

“Oh, that book. Let me see, where did I put the book? Sorry, it escapes my mind … old age and all.”

The serpents slithered forward and rose up in strike position. Adele shrank back.

“Thou art a poor liar!” Her face crinkled into a morbid mask of wrinkles.

“Oh, that book! It’s here,” Adele said, clutching a glass jar in her hand. It contained white cubes that resembled sugar. She unscrewed the lid.

Griselda was amused. “Looking for some chocolate, sweetie?” She leaned forward, and her face seemed to expand. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t like chocolate!” she roared.

Adele reached for Bree and threw the jar on the floor. The cubes spilled out and melded together, creating a single cube that formed around Adele. Then the cube began to shrink into itself, getting smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than a child’s toy.

Griselda leaned over. Adele and the book were inside the cube. When she attempted to pick it up, it shocked her, and she jerked her hand away. “What a clever little witch thou art, hiding in a glass of protection.” A scornful laugh cut through her lips. “Dost thou actually believe you have bested me? Little witch, if I wanted thee, there is no glass in this world or the other that could keep me from thee.” She threw back her head in a burst of sheer exhilaration. “Thou hast not locked me out but rather have locked thyself in! Now thou art powerless to stop what will come next! I was going to kill thee, but this is even better as you will live to see the dismal failure of everything you have tried to build!” Her raucous laughter echoed through the room and started growing louder and more terrible until it turned into shrieking. Adele fell to her knees, holding her ears. A blinding white energy began ricocheting around the room.

Griselda lifted her arms in the air. “Give my older brother my regards!” And with that, she was gone, leaving Adele trapped inside the cube.

O
f all of
the stupid things to happen, why did Rush have to come out the very minute that Edward was kissing her? It was as if fate were hedging against her. If Edward had not come up on the stage after the performance then she wouldn’t have gone into the hall with him, he wouldn’t have shown her the letter, and she wouldn’t have let him kiss her. In fact, she would have told Rush how she felt about him, and they would be together right now.

Elle scooted backwards and rested her back against the side of the house. She looked up into the starry night, wondering if there had ever been another time in her life when she’d felt this confused and alone. She clenched her fist. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember because she couldn’t remember anything. It was all so frustrating! Her mind went back to the letter. She wondered again how it was that she could have loved Edward so fiercely before the accident and now all of those feelings had transferred to Rush. It pained her to admit it, but she loved Rush, and while she cared about Edward, it was Rush that consumed her thoughts and drove her to distraction. She grimaced wondering what had happened after she left. She couldn’t bear to stand there and watch Rush and Edward tear each other apart over her. She drew her legs up to her chest in a fetal position and wrapped her arms around her knees. Tears dribbled down her cheeks. How was she going to fix this?

She glanced over at Rush’s house. A part of her was hoping that he would see her up here and join her. Even though he was probably still fighting mad, she’d take his wrath over his indifference any day. She was sick and tired of being ignored. She sat there for another ten minutes, staring unseeingly into the distance before looking over at his house. Still dark. Then her eye caught something white, laying on the roof about three feet from where she was sitting. She inched her way over to it. Her heart picked up a notch when she realized that it was a piece of paper—a note! Rush had left her a note.

She turned the note over, but the backside was blank. Why did Rush want her to meet him at The Chocolate Fountain? Why had he not come here? She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time—10:00. A hopeful excitement began working its way through her. Then she realized that she had no way to get there. Josselyn was still at the formal, and Seraphina and her dad had gone to dinner. The bike! She could take the bike. She’d never ridden it to The Chocolate Fountain at night, but it wasn’t that far. A feeling of warmth settled over her. Rush had left her a note. He’d known that she would come out on the roof. There was still the matter of the letter, but she wouldn’t think about that right now. She was a different person now, and she couldn’t keep pretending to be someone she wasn’t. Edward would have to understand. Her heart felt lighter as she opened the window and climbed into her bedroom. A minute later, she darted out the door.

E
lle halfway expected
Rush to be outside waiting for her when she arrived at The Chocolate Fountain. She’d thought that only she and Rae had keys to the building, but she supposed that Adele had given him one too. It would make sense. Then he could come and go as he pleased—practice whenever he wanted. She walked up to the door and saw the note that was taped to the glass. It read:

Come on in. I’m in the kitchen.

It was the same handwriting as the note. She frowned. Why was he in the kitchen? She’d assumed that he would be in the attic where they held their practices.

She removed the note from the door and stepped inside. “Hello … Rush … I’m here.”

No answer.

She flipped on the lights. Then she walked past the bakery cases and into the kitchen. “Rush,” she called. She stepped into the kitchen and gasped. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, going pale. It looked like chocolate had exploded all over the place, and the planks on the floor were haphazardly scattered like broken toothpicks. Dishes, along with pots and pans, littered the floor. “What?” she blustered. A feeling of alarm raced through her. “Rush!” she yelled. Surely he’d not done this.

Rough hands caught her from behind. She jumped, startled, and spun around. “You’d better have a good explanation—” Her words got choked out by panic when she saw him towering over her. “Huntsden!” She took a step back. “What’re you doing here?”

He chuckled. “Elle, something tells me that before this night is over, you and I are going to become well acquainted.”

Her fight or flight sense took over, and she backed away and turned to bolt, but he was faster. He jerked her arm behind her back, causing her to howl in pain. He led her over to a chair and pushed her into it.

She fought and clawed him for all it was worth until the hard slap across her face stunned her into going still. Tears sprang to her eyes. “What do you want with me?” She jumped up to run, but he shoved her back down. His face grew hard as he pulled something from his pocket. She let out a cry. A gun. He was pointing a gun at her chest.

“Now, you’re going to do exactly as I say, or things are going to get very ugly.”

T
he text came
from Elle’s phone to two separate locations. When Edward received the text, he immediately jumped in his car and headed to The Chocolate Fountain in an attempt to patch things up with Elle. Rush, on the other hand, decided not to go at first, but the more he thought about it, the madder he became. Ultimately, he went, thinking that it would feel good to give Elle a piece of his mind before he cut her loose and moved on.

A
lexander stopped in his tracks
. Even though Wisteria was being cold and aloof, he’d stayed by her side the entire evening. He’d only left her five minutes ago to go to the restroom, and here she was dancing with another man. A hot fury crawled over his skin. She was leaning in and laughing at something the man was saying. Her eyes caught his, and she gave him a snide smile before turning her attention back to her dance partner, pointedly ignoring him as he stood there glaring. Then they turned on the dance floor, and her partner came into full view. Alexander’s blood ran cold. Ruben! A cold sweat broke out on his brow. Ruben was dancing with Wisteria. He strode forward and stood beside them.

“May I cut in?” His eyes bored into Ruben’s, daring him to refuse.

A magnanimous smile spread over Ruben’s face and he nodded and moved to let Alexander take his place, but Wisteria held him fast, glaring at Alexander. “We are not finished with the dance.”

Amusement sparkled in Ruben’s black eyes. “The lady has spoken.”

“Wisteria, I must speak to you immediately!” Alexander said.

“After the dance!”

“I will be right over there.” He glared at Ruben. “Watching.”

Wisteria rolled her eyes as Alexander walked back to the side of the dance floor.

After the song was over. Ruben linked his arm through Wisteria’s and escorted her back to Alexander’s side. Alexander grabbed Wisteria’s hand and linked his fingers through hers. “Let’s go!”