Cinderella's Secret Witch Diaries Box Set: Lost, Stolen, Found

Chapter 8-2

“You are a trickster and not to be trusted.” She turned to Phoebe. “Come away from him.”

Phoebe wiped her eyes and stood close to Tenskwatawa. “He has not hurt me. Please, we need to trust him.”

“No, he has betwitched you with a spell. Focus and you can break free.” She tightened her hand on the knife’s handle.

“Auntie, there is no spell. Please, lower your knife.”

Tenskwatawa kept quiet. He put his arms down and waited.

Renée held back and asked, “Mab, why are you still in Tenskwatawa’s body? Let him go and return him.”

“I have nowhere else to go. If I leave this body, I will be lost.”

Renée edged forward, ignored Queen Mab’s words, and put out one hand to Phoebe. “Come to me and we will lock him up again so that we will all be safe.”

Phoebe shook her head and then they all heard someone cry out loudly. They turned and heard more screams coming from outside.

Tenskwatawa turned to the sounds of battle and said, “The Shawnee are being attacked. We must leave.”

Renée grabbed Phoebe and for a moment hesitated and then said, “Let us go together. But if you cross me, I have a long memory and I will hunt you until I find you and make you pay for your betrayal.”

Tenskwatawa laughed. “Such histrionics and bold promises. I get it. You will hunt me to the ends of the earth if I betray your trust. Let’s go.”

Renée held tightly onto Phoebe’s hand and they ran outside in the gray light of the morning to see the camp was under attack. She led the way and Tenskwatawa followed, trying to avoid the skirmishes taking place. Up ahead they saw two wagons and Phoebe led them that way. When they arrived at the wagons, Mr. Radley saw them and brought them inside.

“No arrows have been fired yet. I think the attacking party is simply to test the defenses of the tribe and they will break off soon.”

Mrs. Radley also held a rifle in her hand while her children hid on the floor of the wagon. Tenskwatawa looked around for a weapon and asked, “May I have a rifle?”

Renée reached for one and handed it to him. “Here.” She did not yet let it go. “Mab, do not dare to cross us.”

Tenskwatawa nodded and then took the weapon, checked to see if it were loaded and then peered out the back of the wagon. “Are we in agreement to stay out of the fighting?”

Mr. Radley joined him and replied, “I want to, but if they come to our wagons we will need to protect ourselves.”

“We’re on the outskirts of the village so it is possible that we might avoid being in the conflict.”

Renée peeked out the front of the wagon and already the sounds of battle had begun to fade. In moments, the victory calls of the Shawnee filled the air. And that is the moment that she heard the sound of a bugle. There could be no mistaking the sound and its meaning. The American cavalry had arrived.

***

I stared up at the ceiling and could not sleep any longer. The night had passed quickly and, try as I might, I could not use my magic to reach out to Phoebe. My connection with her felt light and lost. Not broken, but I could not reach her. Instead I stayed in bed, anxious about the day. The fool that I am, I felt a twinge of hope in that I could see Henri again soon. And I stopped the thought and banished it from my mind. Clarissa and he were married and had a daughter. I thought of that and anger rose up within me, unexpectedly. I had raised our daughter for ten years with Renée’s help, and had not asked for assistance but now that I had come home, he had not even asked about our child and whether I had had a boy or a girl. I wondered . . .

These thoughts of entrapment would only keep me in sadness and despair. I had lost him and been betrayed by Clarissa and yet they were still together and, apparently, in love. I threw the covers off of me and began to attend to myself. If I rang the bell, the maid would come, but at such an early hour, I saw no need. I dressed in the only clothes I had and headed outside. I needed some air to think. Today would be a day full of challenges. A walk in the gardens to clear my head would do me good.

Outside I saw an early fog had blanketed the palace grounds and I headed off to be left alone. The walk did me good. My head cleared and I could sense the warming air around me. The sun would rise higher and burn the fog away and, like my mind, the obscurity of thought would disappear. Ten years had passed. Yet Henri looked more distinguished and my heart ached to see him, I am ashamed to say. The wound remained unhealed and, try as I might, I could not ignore how I felt. I missed him; foolish, I know.

There was a time when I would come to the gardens and think about my life, wondering what my future would be. Think about my predicament and I looked to my Fairy Godmother to help deliver me from such stagnation. But there was no fox for me to see today, he remained imprisoned by the binding spell, and I stared out over the gardens and saw not much except grayness. Similar to how I saw my future, gray and formless, unsure I was in what I would do. Would the queen yet again use me as her pawn, but this time to defeat la petite Reine or were there other machinations that I would need to be wary of?

And then a thought came upon me uninvited and strong. I could travel back and see him, like I had done many times before, but this time I could confront him. I had not done this for months and would break my own rule, but I couldn’t hide in the shadows. To go back again to see him and to tell him how I felt would give me a chance to resolve all that I felt and start anew. No one would take care of me, I needed to help myself.

Staring out at the gray fog that spread before me, I raised my left arm and concentrated. In my skin, the tightness of the native yellowish clay fell away and my blood pulsed, surging forth with a hum of pure belonging and joy. I opened my hand and saw it light up at my desire, opening a doorway, a passageway through to the past. I concentrated, focused my reserve and focused on him. On how he was and where he would be, looking for him in the threads upon threads of fate that littered the sky in front of me. I reached, chose one thread and then walked forward and my world changed.

The time of day had changed for it was now night. The fog had disappeared and far off I could hear a lonely lute. I had chosen well, but after much effort of looking for him in the threads of time, I found him with ease. I ran ahead and came to him in the garden. His music filled the air with such beauty so I ran up ahead and turned a corner and saw him playing, but he was not alone. His daughter sat in the grass and he played for her. They were alone and she looked up at him with eyes of wonder. She appeared to be four or five years of age. I listened to his song and then it suddenly ended.

“Daddy, Daddy, play some more for me!”

“No, my little buttercup. It is time for you to get to bed.” He put the lute down and scooped her up off the ground.

“Will you play me another song after I am in bed?” She snuggled up close to his neck and wrapped her arms tight around him.

“Your mother would be furious that I kept you up much later. But with a moon like tonight and the summer air so cool, I wanted you to hear some music before bed.” He touched her nose. “But now it is time for bed. No more music tonight!”

She began to cry and he laughed.

“Do not try me with those fake tears.” He held her close in his one arm and picked up his lute with his other. “Time for bed!”

She continued to cry and became louder with her wails.

“Look, a fairy!” He turned around in my direction and I jumped back behind the bush.

“Where, Daddy?” All her tears had stopped in an instant.

He laughed full with pure mirth. “How quickly your tears fade away with the mention of a fairy.”

“Did you see one? A real fairy?”

He paused and glanced back toward me but I had hidden myself better in the shadows behind the bush. “I thought I did see something for a moment. Maybe a ghost rather than a fairy.”

Their voices trailed off as he headed back to the palace and I stood there with my heart beating fast. He had nearly seen me or possibly did but had good sense to remain quiet. Yet what would I have said to him with Abigail in his arms? I am a fool. An utter fool to believe that I could travel back to a time I had not been with him. The risks were too great. It was easier to go back and relive the times he and I were together or when I knew him to be alone. I raised my arm and let its light shine out and in a blink and batter of an eye I stood again in the gray garden, waiting for the sun to rise to burn off the fog.

On my way back to the palace, I tried not to think too much, but I had difficulty doing so. My thoughts ran in circles and I could not stop thinking of Henri. From off to my left, I chanced upon Jeremiah sitting on a wall. He gazed out over the garden and he did not see me. I watched him and tried to leave him in peace but he heard movement and turned to see who came behind him.

“Unable to sleep as well?” He swung his legs over the wall and jumped off to stand by me.

“Yes, you could say that.” I closed my thoughts and shielded myself from any emotion.

“Your magic will return soon. And when it does, what will you do?” He leaned against a stone wall and watched me.

“I do not know if I am honest with myself.” I thought a small lie would protect me best.

“I see.” He chanced to pry deeper. “Will you hear what the queen has to say this morning or are you closed to her?”

I remained quiet and looked away at the fog that burned off ever so slowly.

“You miss him, is that not true?”

His question caught me off guard. “Excuse me?”

“Henri, you miss him. I can see it in your face and in how you hold yourself when he is near.”

“That is none of your concern.”

“Of course, you are correct, but if you are to fight by my side, I wonder how distracted you are and I would guess that you are greatly so.”

“Keep it best to yourself your opinions. I have no need of them.”

“Yes, why would you? You are the great Cinderella who defeated the Silver Fox and are an all-powerful witch. I have read the tales and heard the stories. You are a legend and now I have brought you back so that you can save England from yet another threat.” He pointed back at the castle. “I am a witch hunter and brought you back. But I did not bring you fully back. Your heart is still with Phoebe and I apologize for that. I gave you not much of a choice. And now here you are. So I sit here and wonder what you will do.”

I chose my words carefully. “Why are you concerned with my decision?”

“The tide is coming in and it will be red with blood. When the fighting starts, what side will you be on?”

“I will be on my own side.”

“As will I, but Henri, what of him?”

“Again, this is no concern of yours.”

“So you say. So you say. But if we fight against la petite Reine, you better be prepared. If your mind is unfocused, you might surrender now and save us all time.”

“Maybe you should save me time and remain quiet. I tire of your prodding in my personal life. What I do is none of your concern. You are a hunter, brought me to the queen for your fee, and why are you not on your way like a good and trusted henchman?”

Jeremiah smiled and shook his head. “I will not be baited in such an easy trap. You’ll not anger me with your feeble words. And, look, here comes your Henri now!”

I jerked my head around to greet him and no one was behind me. I had been played the fool.

Jeremiah pushed himself away from the wall that he had been leaning against and came close to me. “You see? If la petite Reine gets a whiff of your weakness for Henri, you will be lost and all of us with you.” I tried to interrupt him but he spoke louder and cut me off. “Think carefully before you decide whether to hear the queen’s words this morning or not. If you run, you will never have a chance to win against la petite Reine. And if you choose to stay and fight, your heart better be in it or we are all lost.”

He strode off and my words of insult deflated from me. As he had done in the past, Jeremiah had hit his mark with expertise skill. He saw through me and pushed me up against what I feared most and I hated him for that. I did. My heart raced and I could not hide from the truth on how just the thought of seeing Henri again had thrilled me. After all this time, I am still yet a young girl, looking for my lost love. Yet he is married, has a family now, and has shown no interest in me, but I wish to speak with him. I must say some words to him to ease my mind or I would not remain focused. I had much to dwell on and not much time. The queen would call me soon and I would need my response prepared. What I would say, I did not know.