Cinderella Dreams of Fire (Fairy Tales Forever #1) Read Online Free Page A

did seem to hold some kind of mysterious power. She could feel it in the way it seemed to change its temperature. She could feel it in the way the Godmother looked at it: with fear and hope in equal measure.
    Her mentor gestured and Cinderella placed it in her hand. The Godmother turned the gem over with her fingers and held it up to her eye.
    "You know, a little validation on this one would be nice. It wasn't the easiest thing to get."
    The Godmother continued examining the stone. “Yes, I heard. Half the village is talking about a thief battling Prince Braedon on a rooftop. Your stealth is commendable."
    Cinderella put her hands on her hips. “I could've ended it before any spectators started watching, but I didn't think you wanted any princes thrown off the roof."
    Her mentor ignored her and walked swiftly to a desk where she began scribbling a note on a piece of parchment.
    "Did you want princes thrown off rooftops?"
    "No."
    Cinderella snorted. “Good. I'm so glad we had this talk."
    She began to walk away until the Godmother cleared her throat. “I need you to do one last thing today."
    Her protégé stopped in her tracks and sighed. In the silence, Cinderella felt the bruise forming on her shoulder from her earlier effort to break through the wall. She waited for her mentor to finish the note.
    The Godmother placed the gem back in its pouch and handed it and the parchment toward Cinderella. “I want you to give this to Tristan.”
    Cinderella raised an eyebrow. “So it's a weapon?"
    "Of sorts."
    She looked her mentor in the eye. “Is the reason I never get answers from you because you don't trust me?"
    The Godmother walked back over to her desk and sat down. It was only after a few moments of quiet that she answered.
    "You'll get answers when you're ready for them.”
    Cinderella picked at her nails. “I know you're not going to tell me, but I might as well ask why. I did take down six soldiers and a drunken prince. Not exactly a snatch and grab."
    "If the queen truly knew what she had, she would've doubled the number of guards."
    "That's comforting."
    The Godmother sighed and pushed away from her desk. She slowly glided over and put her hand on Cinderella's shoulder. “Just take it to Tristan. I promise some things are about to become clear for the first time in your life."
    Cinderella looked away. “Uh huh."
    Her mentor reached for Cinderella's chin and pointed her face upward. “You did a good job tonight. Thank you."
    Cinderella's heart fluttered with affirmation, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She nodded and tucked the items away.

    S he crept into her stepmother's home about an hour before dawn. She'd oiled every hinge and lock in the house monthly for the last decade. Between her stealth, the constant covering of Kiyara, and the non-creaky doors, Cinderella hadn't been caught on her nighttime jaunts for ages. As she lay down upon her stiff, unforgiving mattress, she thought about the red stone that was warm to the touch. She wondered if the Godmother was right. She wondered if she'd soon learn the answer to the greatest question of all.

Chapter 7
    P rince Braedon woke up so sore he could barely sit up. As he stretched his arms skyward, he heard a pop in each of his vertebrae. Then he brought a hand up to his throbbing face. It was swollen and raw.
    His cheek ached when he smiled. “She was something else."
    The image of the thief standing upon the roof, a few stray strands of her golden hair blowing in the wind, consumed his thoughts. He never even saw her face. Her body was almost completely concealed in her fighting cloak. And yet, he didn't care whether or not he saw all the outward signs of beauty. His heart pumped a little faster for her.
    A short healer entered the room with his head bowed, making him look almost dwarf-like. He recognized the man from some of his previous late-night encounters with a fist and a boot.
    The dark-skinned islander looked up at Braedon's face and opened his