Page 20 of Cinder's Adventure: Get Me To the Wedding!

Pru glowered at him.

Quintonian flexed his bicep.

Ari sighed. “Let’s just move on, okay, Jude—er, Game Master?”

“Yes, definitely,” said the disembodied voice. He cleared his throat. Cinder spun in a full circle, but still could see no sign of who was speaking. “You have arrived in a clearing in the Mad Forest. As I mentioned before, the girl before you appears lost, though not helpless. She has one hand crafted out of some unknown metal, giving her an undeniable air of danger.”

“What?” Cinder barked. “I’m just trying to get home!”

Ignoring her, the voice continued. “A large stone sits in the center of the clearing, and as you approach it, you see a tiny sparkling gem alone on top of the rock.”

“What? There wasn’t any—” Cinder turned back to the stone, and her words cut off. Therewasa tiny red gem, like a ruby, now sitting on top of it.

“What happens if we touch it?” asked Pru, her tone laced with suspicion.

The voice did not answer.

“Only one way to find out!” chirped Quintonian, strutting toward the rock.

Pru stopped him with a hand on his chest. “What are you doing? Every time you go around randomly touching things, something explodes or tries to kill us!”

He shrugged. “My character notes say I’m endlessly inquisitive and that I tend to act first, think later. I’m just playing my role.”

Pru let out a guttural groan. “You are going to get us all killed.”

“I still think we should try talking to the cyborg,” said Ari. “I mean, what’s a cyborg doing in the middle of an enchanted forest? Seems like an odd choice, Game Master.”

Though her tone was teasing, the response from the disembodied voice sounded exhausted. “Give me a break. This campaign went off the rails a long time ago. I’m just trying to salvage what I can.”

“Well, I say we introduce ourselves,” said Ari.

“I say we grab the gem and run,” said Quintonian.

“I say we kill the cyborg and get it over with.” Pru widened her hands, and two flaming balls appeared in front of her palms. “Everything else in this forest has tried to kill us, I’m sure she will too.”

“Fine,” said the voice. “Once again, your lawful evil tiefling is picking a fight with an apparently innocent bystander.”

Quintonian chuckled. “And she blamesmefor almost getting us killed.”

“All right, everyone,” said the voice. “Roll for initiative.”

“Roll for what?” asked Cinder, just as something the size of a pumpkin fell from the sky.

Thankfully—it wasn’t a pumpkin. Instead, it was a giant twenty-sided die that hit the dirt right in front of her feet.

If Cinder should roll the die, go to Chapter 29.

If Cinder should grab the gem and run, go to Chapter 28.

Chapter 21

As Magpie darted across the city street, Cinder growled to herself and turned toward the commotion at the dig site. She would find the thief later. For now, she could tell that something big was happening, and she felt compelled to find out what it was.

The yells were growing more enthusiastic, and as Cinder picked her way through the cemetery, she saw a crowd of people gathering to see what had happened. Some were dressed in hard hats and overalls, but many were wearing matching gray uniforms with red piping andRs embroidered on their chests.

A barricade had been set up around the dig site. As Cinder approached the yellow tape, she saw that a massive hole had been excavated beneath this section of the cemetery. It was the size of a city block, and at least four stories deep. Various levels were cut into the clay and bedrock, revealing aged stone walls and paths. Cinder had the sense that she was peering into an ancient tomb or underground temple.

In the corner nearest to where Cinder stood, some of the workers were using ropes and pulleys to drag a massive bronze chest onto higher ground. It was clear that this was what had intrigued everyone, and Cinder couldn’t help feeling intrigued, too, as they brought the chest up to city level.

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