Faeiria Glassboria's Arc

Chapter 10 of 11

The court mage led Faeiria through the palace corridors toward the tower where the woman was being held. He moved quickly, the glass slipper wrapped in cloth and tucked under his arm. Guards nodded as they passed, recognizing the mage but glancing uncertainly at Faeiria. They stopped at a guard post outside the tower, marked by an iron brazier that burned with red light. The mage spoke quietly with the captain while Faeiria stood back and listened. The woman inside had been screaming for hours, demanding release. She claimed the slipper was stolen from her, that she had lost it at the ball. But when the guards pressed her for proof, she had nothing. No witnesses. No description of the palace interior that matched reality. The prince had refused to see her after the first meeting. Faeiria felt the woman's desperation before she heard the words. A guard emerged from the tower entrance, his face tight with disgust. The prisoner had finally broken. She had given them a name in exchange for water and a promise to consider her release. Not her own name. Someone else's. The guard held a scrap of parchment with writing on it. Faeiria saw the word before the mage did. Cinderella. The woman had revealed the name of the girl who actually wore the slippers, hoping it would buy her freedom. The mage turned to Faeiria with alarm, but she felt only cold clarity. The woman had done exactly what Faeiria needed. The guards now had Cinderella's name. They would search for her. The prince would find her. Faeiria had anchored the slipper to create a trail, and now that trail had a destination. She met the mage's eyes and nodded once. The mission was no longer in her hands alone. It was moving forward whether she guided it or not.