‘Oh, I say,’ she said, blushing prettily. ‘Get on with you.’
‘While I would love to undertake the quest myself, I’m not certain I, the king, should leave the palace during these troubled times,’ King Poderick said, pulling at the collar of his robes. ‘Is anyone else hot in here? I’m very hot.’
The advisers all huddled together for a moment to discuss this hiccup before turning back to the king.
‘We believe the people of the kingdom would be cheered to see their king go forth into the Dark Forest and bring back their beloved prince,’ the first adviser declared. ‘And also, no, we are not hot.’
‘Then it’s settled!’ the queen called. ‘My beloved husband, our brave and fearless king, will set out to save our son and bring him home this very eve!’
‘This very eve?’ the king asked as everyone began to cheer. ‘Before dinner? Without a proper night’s sleep?’
‘My brave, heroic husband,’ she said, lovingly stroking his cheek before gripping his arm very, very slightly. ‘Bring my son home or I’ll blimmin’ well throw you out of the window after that Huntsman.’
*
Everyone in the palace – and soon the entire kingdom – was celebrating the king’s pledge to go forth and find Prince Joderick himself. Everyone, that is, except for Margery.
‘That king is as useful as a chocolate teapot!’ she yelled, slamming the door to her bedchamber and rifling through a secret locked cupboard for which she had the only key. ‘There’s just one way we’ll get the prince back to the castle and that’s if someone gets Cinders out of the way first.’
She pulled out a shiny red apple, the big blue bottle of sleeping potion and a long black cloak, smiling as she laid them all out on her settee. The settee that used to live in Veronica the witch’s house … Margery turned to smile at herself in the mirror.
‘And that someone,’ she said, ‘is going to be me.’
Cinders lives a boring life with her selfish stepsisters and mean stepmother. So when her wishes start magically coming true it’s a surprise to say the least.
Soon, Cinders finds herself heading to the glamorous ball at the king’s palace. But Brian, her fairy godmother, is NOT very reliable and Cinders is NOT very good at magic. Now her life isn’t boring at all – it’s total chaos!
Cinders and her talking dog, Sparks, are fleeing fast because everyone thinks Cinders is a witch now that she’s done a bit of magic. Hansel is along for the ride, but only because he ate some of an actual witch’s gingerbread house and she got cross.
If they can reach Fairyland and find Cinders’s mother, maybe they’ll all be safe … or will they get more than they bargained for?
Books by Lindsey Kelk
The fantastic Cinders and Sparks adventures in reading order:
MAGIC AT MIDNIGHT
FAIRIES IN THE FOREST
GOBLINS AND GOLD
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