Page 39 of Cinder's Adventure: Get Me To the Wedding!

But another part of her knew that this wasn’t her fight. It wasn’t her story.

She had her own ending to get to.

Swallowing back the bile in her throat, she turned away.

Proceed to Chapter 19.

Chapter 46

“Let’s all just take a moment, shall we?” said Cinder. “I don’t know who any of you are. I don’t understand what’s happening here. I’m just trying to get back to New Beijing so I can marry the love of my life and I’m really frustrated at how the whole world seems to be against that happening right now. So let’s take a breath and figure this out.”

She was proud of herself as she bent down and set the sword neatly on top of the nearest pumpkin, then backed away from it—a show of peace and diplomacy. She liked to think that Kai’s gift for reasoning with people was starting to rub off on her.

And for a long moment, she was convinced that it was working. Everyone in the pumpkin patch stared at her—curious and uncertain. Even the Jabberwock.

“Now then,” said Cinder. “Why don’t you start by telling me what is this all about?”

The girl in the gown stood taller, eyes flashing, and pointed at the man with the ax. “Peter Peter kidnapped my maid and is holding her prisoner inside of a pumpkin shell, preparing to feed her to his pet monster!” She swiveled her finger toward the Jabberwock.

Cinder blinked. “Peter… Peter? Isn’t that from a nursery rhyme?”

“Cath,” said the boy in black. “Think of the prophecy. Reasoning with Peter Peter might be our best chance of escaping it.”

The girl gave a rough shake to her head, then snarled. “He’s evil, Jest. They’re both evil! And I won’t let them terrorize Hearts any longer!”

With that, the girl dove for the sword. She grasped its hilt in both hands and pivoted to face the Jabberwock. The beast reared back on its hind legs with another scream. Cath stepped forward, preparing to swing for the monster’s neck, when Peter Peter blocked her path. The sword and the ax clanged together. For a few seconds they were locked in a duel, but it wasn’t long before the man had overpowered her. He knocked the sword from Cath’s grip, then raised the ax overhead.

“Cath! No!”

A blur of black—and when the ax came down, it didn’t strike the girl—but Jest.

Cath screamed.

But another swing of the ax… and her agony, too, was ended.

Cinder stared, her breaths ragged, her brain fogged with disbelief. The brutality, the unnecessary bloodshed.

“We need to get out of here.” A hand grabbed her wrist. She started and yanked her arm away, but the man in the top hat grabbed her again. His eyes were wild and haunted, sweat dripping down one side of his face. “We need to get to Chess, before the last bit of the prophecy—”

“You’re not going anywhere,” growled Peter Peter, stomping toward them. A twisted snarl was on his face, blood splattered across his clothes. The Jabberwock pawed at the ground behind him, drool dripping from its fangs.

“The wannabe queen was right,” he said. “My pet monster is hungry. You two should keep her satisfied for a week or two, at least.”

The man beside her cursed. “I knew I shouldn’t have come back.”

Cinder glowered and had just sought out the aura of bioelectricity surrounding Peter Peter, was just preparing to seize control of him with her Lunar gift—when the side of her head was struck by the handle of the ax. Pain burst through her skull, followed by blackness.

And Cinder and the Mad Hatter were never seen or heard from again.

The end.

Chapter 47

Unlike Thorne, Cinderdidn’ttrust every odd little tag she came across, and she wasn’t interested in drinking any mystery liquid, especially at this mad tea party.

With a smile that was as polite as she could manage, she set the bottle back onto the table and started to back away. “Thanks, but… no thanks.”

Thorne and Cress looked at her, baffled and a little disappointed.

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