The Search for Cinderella

Epilogue

Jade checked her pocket watch as each second weighed heavily on her. Her brown eyes were fixed on the cave until a figure appeared from the depth of the darkness.

“Go, go, go!” Luke yelled as he threw a dynamite behind him. An unearthly roar rumbled from within the earth.

“I’m going to lose my hearing one day if you keep chucking the dynamite like sweets,” Jade hollered as her hands manoeuvred the levers of their horseless carriage with ease. 

“No, I will not listen to you be negative when we have witch on our tails,” Luke panted. His shirt was sticking to his solid body with sweat.

“Don’t tell me she’s given your rear a new addition. Tell me before I unwrap the surprise,” Jade asked, cheekily. She pressed her feet firmly on the lever as the sky above them darkened.

“My bottom is perfectly fine,” The dark haired man gritted out.

“I agree,” Jade shouted as the shadow of the creature following them increased, “What is it this time?!”

“This witch isn’t that old, no more then a century!” Luke informed his wife.

“I remember a time when that was ancient. Go on!” Jade‘s loud voice was nearly drowned out by roaring above them. A fire bolt decimated a boulder just ahead.

“She’s been buying and selling voices of various girls. It’s hard to explain but it’s got something to do with the soul,” Luke looked behind him fretfully.

“Souls, right, turn to page thirty four, Princess,” The brown eyed girl pointed at Mr. Gepetto’s book perched on the space between them.

“That’s what should I be calling you, dear wife,” Luke huffed as he thumbed through the ancient book, “Emma’s a bad influence.”

“Who would have thought,” Jade laughed hysterically having no other means to show her panic. Another bolt landed so close their hair stood on end. The air sizzled an odd smell.

“Take the left,” Luke roared, dramatically.

“You promised me a very relaxing honeymoon,” The girl’s hands turned the steering wheel firmly. Her knuckles had gone white from the pressure.

“You’re the one who wanted to see whether the reports of disappearances were true,” The man complained as they jumped out of the car and rolled into a tree patch. Both of them were grateful they were wearing their luggage for their vehicle exploded.

“It was an official visit. The girls kept disappearing. I thought it was a slavery ring. I did not expect magic,” Jade hissed as she looked away from the flames. The creature above them circled the burning car, not realising they had survived. 

“Good thing your beans are thriving,” Luke pulled out his crossbow and shot the bean laden weapon onto the creature. The transformed witch screeched with a demonic howl and landed on the rocky plains with a thud. The dust was displaced into the air.

The pair ran towards the abomination and when the dust settled down they found a circle of ash instead of the creature’s body.

“Is it gone...” Jade murmured redundantly, “What about the girls?”

“Since the witch is gone the spell must have broken,” Luke read through the small book quickly. He nodded as the book confirmed his hypothesis.

“Yes, I think so too. Let’s go back to the cave. It’s going to be a long walk back now that we don’t have a vehicle,” Jade sighed at the destroyed state of their ride. This was third they had lost and there was a real chance they would not be getting any more.

“I’ll tell father you were driving,” Luke was thinking of the warning his father had given them when handing out the keys.

“I’m his favourite. He shan’t punish me at all,” Jade crossed her arms as they argued all the way back to cave where they rescued all the trapped women.