Cinderella vs. Happily Ever After

Chapter 43

            The glare she sent at the ice should have melted it by the force of her anger but it sat there, not a bead of water on it despite the warmth of the sun. Word was sent quickly back and Enax appeared, studying the ice closely. Valerie watched his every movement, looking for a sign he could fix this.

            He turned away and caught her stare. “It’s like the wood doors. If it’s not metal, it will waste magic for me to deal with it. You’re going to have to find another way to melt it.”

            She nodded, a sudden, and she felt stupid since it was so obvious, answer presenting itself. She threw her head back and yelled “Faal” into the sky.

            Her gaze locked on the wide blue expanse above her, she saw the tiny toy of a dragon suddenly drop. She knew enough from experience to shut her eyes, cover her mouth, and duck her head. Some of the nearby soldiers hadn’t yet learned that lesson and began coughing as the dragon raised a dust storm with his landing. Realizing where the dirt was coming from, they quickly retreated, not willing to dare the apparent good nature of this dragon. Not after seeing him swallow a man in two bites. Folding his wings behind him, Faal cocked his head as he looked at Valerie. “You do not appearr to be in dangerr.”

            She bowed her head in silent apology, hearing the faint rebuke in his voice. “The doors here have been frozen solid. I wanted to know if you could burn through them.”

            He snorted, stretching his neck out so he could see the doors. His nose almost touching the ice, he snorted again. “Thiss iss isce magic,” he hissed. “Verry powerrful isce magic.”

            Val felt her heart drop back down to her feet. “You can’t burn it then?”

            He looked down at her, the tilt of his head a match for the haughtiness she could hear in his voice. “I can melt it. I am a drragon and it iss merre isce, magical though it may be. Nothing can sstand againsst a drragon’s flame.”

            Without waiting for her signal, or warning anyone, Faal inhaled deeply and puffed himself up, head pointed straight at the door. In one long, continuous stream, he blew fire at the ice. The heat of it made Valerie back up several steps. Despite the slight scorched feeling of her skin and the sudden dryness of the air around her, she continued to stare at the door and the fire splashing against it.

            Faal stopped to inhale again and she could see there was a faint dent and a small puddle of water on the ground. The dragon noticed too and the size seemed to annoy him. At least that’s what Val thought when his chest expanded even farther out and the colour of his flame changed from yellow to red, forcing her back another few steps.

            When he next paused for air, she could faintly see the hall through the ice and she could have fit herself in the space in the door. Faal shifted his position, sticking his neck even farther out after inhaling, the glitter in his gold eyes making her think he might be irritated. The stream of shining red seemed endless this time.

            When Faal finally ran out of breath and stepped back, Val couldn’t help the cheer that broke through her lips. Scorched stone and wood along with the huge puddle on the ground were the only signs of that ice that had been there only minutes earlier. “Faal, you’re the best!”

            His jaw gaped and the flaps behind his head flared out fully. He resettled his wings as he inspected one claw. “Not the besst. But I am good.”

            She grinned at him. “No, you’re awesome! We would never have gotten through that ice without you. Thanks!”

            He nodded, fluttering his wings out. “I would not have a sson without you. Now I will fly. We will enssurre you have a ssafe rretrreat.”

            As was fast becoming his habit, Faal took off before she could say anything else, leaving her nothing but the ice-free door and a whirlwind of dust.  Once he was safely aloft, and the dirt had settled again, the others approached her.

            Val nodded at them. “Shall we then?”

            Isaac caught her arm before she could lead the way. “Now, now, you’re not going n first. There may be traps. Going first is the job of a redshirt and we’ve both seen more than enough Star Trek to know what happens to redshirts.”

            She glared. “I’m not-”

            The rest of her protest died as she watched one of the knights she’d rescued whose name she couldn’t remember, but in her head called him Sir Alejandro since he reminded her of the Lady Gaga song for some reason, walked in first. A moment later he popped his head back out and waved them in.

            Valerie sniffed and stalked past Isaac, her nose in the air. He laughed and followed behind her, Miette and Enax after him and everyone else making their way in, in single file. Icicles hung off the pink ceiling above them while the edges of the room shone with ice.

            In one corner of the room she saw Alejandro staring at something, face wide, pinched, and the colour of a corpse. Frowning, she walked over and stared at him. He didn’t react. She turned her attention to what he was staring at. It took a few minutes for what she was seeing to properly register with her brain. Then she gasped, backing up several steps and stumbling.

            Isaac was there in an instant to help her up. “What’s the matter?”

            She pointed, arm shaking, the other hand pressed over her mouth. Once she had her feet properly under her, he walked up, staring at the column of ice before him. He moved around it, seeing only ice until he stood just to the left of Alejandro. Then he leapt back and began to swear rapidly and colourfully. A face, mouth still open in what looked to be a scream was staring back at them from beneath the warped blue sheet. It was a human, completely encased in ice.