“I don't want to collect it. You collect it!” Pitch warbled at his brother.
“W-well... I don't want to collect it either!” Jostle trilled.
Terra's eyes rolled as she listened to the brothers' banter. They had been sent to the cellar to gather large spiders for one of Donnabella's potions. The cellar certainly had no shortage of arachnids. That morning, Terra plucked three large ones from Cinderella's hair.
“Look at its bum!” Pitch whined. “Have you ever seen a spider with a larger bum than that?”
“That's why I don't want to touch it, mate,” added Jostle. “The damn thing gives me the creeps!”
“Look how long its legs are!”
“I know! It's awful!”
“What if it bites?”
“They all bite, mate! They're evil!”
Finally, an expletive exploded from Terra's lips. The brothers' chatter made her miss the sound of silence. With an exasperated grumble, she got up, grabbed her crutches, and moved to their corner of the cellar. “For heaven's sake, why is this so difficult for you? Just grab it!”
“I caaaaan't!” Jostle whined. “I don't have the willpower!” When his brother nodded, Terra assumed his answer was the same.
Terra shifted her weight to a single crutch and reached for the spider. She gently pinched its “bum” between her thumb and forefinger. As she pulled it away from the wall, it splayed its spindly legs.
“Where should I put it?” Terra asked. When Pitch presented Gloriosa's urn, she shook her head. “I'm not going to put it in there! It might eat her!”
“Oh.” Pitch set the urn aside and grabbed a dusty jar from the closet. As soon as the lid was open, Terra dropped the spider in.
“Will you help us collect the rest o' the spiders, miss?” Jostle begged. “You're really good at it! It's like you've got no fear. None whatsoever!”
“Oh... I suppose I can help,” Terra quickly capsized. “If it'll stop your whining, it's worth it.”
As Terra moved around the room, hunting spiders with the boys, Cinda kept her eyes on Gloriosa's urn. Jostle and Pitch were hardly the brightest boys on earth—if anything, they were a bit dense. Cinda closed her eyes and prayed they would be dumb enough to leave the urn behind.
Five spiders later, her prayer was answered. As they stomped up the stairs, they were consumed by thoughts of creeping legs and sticky webs. Gloriosa wasn't a wisp in their minds.
As soon as the hatch was closed, Cinderella sprang to her feet and raced to the urn. “Terra!” she hissed. “Terra, look! They left it behind!”
“Oh my god!” Terra gasped. “Do you think we could ask Gloriosa to get us out of here?”
“I don't know, but we can certainly try!”
Cinda rubbed the urn so vigorously, her hand looked like a blur. She rubbed and rubbed and rubbed—but nothing happened.
“Why?” she shrieked. “Why isn't it working, Terra?”
“I don't know. Maybe it's only usable by certain people? It makes sense that she wouldn't want you to use it. Hand it to me.”
When Terra sat down, Cinda laid the urn on her stepsister's lap. “Try to rub it more gently,” Cinda suggested. “Maybe I wasn't doing it right?”
As Terra's fingers caressed the rusted urn, tears flooded Cinda's eyes. It was another failed attempt.
“This is awful!” Terra whined. “I was really hoping this would work.”
“I guess Donnabella made it impossible for us to use. I guess she--” The hatch reopened, so Cinda silenced herself. Before their visitor saw the urn, Terra hid it beneath her chair.
“Hello?”
When they realized it was Fenix's voice, both sisters relaxed a bit. Their enslaved abductor was descending the staircase with a pair of steaming bowls. “I have your lunch,” he announced. “I made the soup, so I hope it's not too terrible.”
“I'm sure it'll be fine,” Cinda murmured as she accepted a bowl. “I was just wondering something, actually. Now that you're here, would you mind if I asked a question?”
“Not at all.” He carefully lowered the hot soup to Terra's outstretched hand.
The soup was too hot to eat, so Cinda put it aside. She wasn't as brave as Terra, who had her first bite of steaming stew as soon as it was in her hands. “Why don't you just... leave?” Cinda asked. “Why don't you walk out the door and go far, far away, where Donnabella can't find you? If you weren't around, she couldn't give you commands all the time.”
“As much as I'd like to leave... I can't,” Fenix answered with a sigh. “I can't do anything that would go against Donnabella's wishes. The curse strips away my free will.”
“That's awful.” Cinda pouted on Fenix's behalf. “So you're just... eternally stuck with her?”
“Basically.” Fenix's eyes dropped to the floor. “I'm stuck until she gets tired of me... but I don't see that happening anytime soon. She kept her last boyfriend for eighty-eight years.”
“Eighty-eight years?” Terra shrieked. She was so surprised, she almost spilled the soup in her lap.
“Yeah.” Fenix shrugged. “And I've only been with her for a year, so I assume I have eight-seven years left to go.”
“Did her last boyfriend suffer the same curse?” Cinda asked as she took her first sip of soup. It was still hot, but her tongue wasn't scorched.
“He did. Both curses. The immortality and the servitude,” Fenix replied. “I can't die and I can't age. I'll look twenty when I'm eighty.”
“The immortality curse doesn't seem so bad,” Cinda responded with a sigh. “Still... I really do feel terrible for you. I can't imagine what your life must be like.”
“It's not too awful. I get to spend my days making terrible stews.” When he tried to fake a smile, his lips refused to hold it. “Actually... it is awful. But I think your situation is worse. I wish there was some way I could help you.”
Cinda exchanged glances with her stepsister. They were wondering the same thing, but it was Cinderella who said, “Give him the urn.”
“What?” Terra gasped. “Are you sure?”
“Uh huh. Give it to him. I think he'd help us.”
“If you say so, Cinda.” With a heavy sigh, Terra reached under her chair and recovered the urn. “Still... I think this is a mistake.”
As he eyed the urn, Fenix asked, “You think I should rub it?”
“Yes!” Cinda exclaimed. “Maybe you could ask Gloriosa to end your curse? If you were free, you could save yourself... and us, hopefully.” In the corner of her eye, she could see Terra shaking her head.
“But Donnabella is way more powerful than Gloriosa,” Fenix reminded her. “I don't think it'll work.”
“Still... does it hurt to try?” Cinda marched across the room, grabbed the urn from Terra's lap and pushed it into Fenix's hands. “Please try. We tried to rub the lamp, but nothing happened!”
“Very well. I guess I could try.”
Cinda held her breath as Fenix's fingers curled around the urn. “Please work...” she whimpered as he rubbed it. “Please, please work!”
Gloriosa's arrival was preceded by the usual loud pop. Cinda was afraid Donnabella—or one of her goons—would hear it.
“Cinderella!” Gloriosa exclaimed. “It's so good to see you again, dear. I'm getting so lonely inside that stupid urn!” The one-inch witch scanned the room for unfriendly faces. “I don't see Donnabella.”
“She isn't around,” Cinda said. “Quick... Fenix! Make your wish!”
Inspired by the urgency in Cinda's voice, he blurted, “I want you to break Donnabella's curse on me!” He hoped he wouldn't have to specify which one. Fenix secretly enjoyed his immortality.
“Ooo. I'm afraid I can't do that, young man.”
Everyone grunted at Gloriosa's reply.
“Are you sure?” Cinda cried. “M-maybe you could try? Maybe you don't know the extent of your own power?”
“Perhaps. But I do know the extent of Donnabella's power,” Gloriosa said. “There isn't a witch in the world who'd be strong enough to dispel one of her curses. I can, however, temporarily remove it.”
Cinderella's eyes went wide as her hope was renewed. “Really? For how long?”
“For an hour. If you're lucky... maybe two,” Gloriosa answered with a shrug. “At the end of two hours, you'll go back to being Donnabella's thrall.”
Even if he couldn't save himself, Fenix didn't want to fail the girls. “Maybe two hours is all we'll need?” he suggested. “I can get you back to the port... and we can part ways before I lose my free will.”
“But you'll still be under Donnabella's control,” Cinderella pointed out. “I would hate to leave you like that.”
“Don't worry about me. I've been with her for a year already. I can handle her.” Turning to Gloriosa, he reiterated his wish. “Please lift my curse, if only for an hour or two. That's my wish.”
“Good.” Gloriosa accepted his request with a firm nod. “Your wish is granted.”
As soon as the hex was lifted, Gloriosa was sucked into her urn.
“Are you free? Is the curse broken?” Cinda asked. “Is there any way to know for sure?”
“Well... I can think of one way to test it.” Fenix timidly took a step in Cinda's direction. “You might not like it, though.”
Cinderella's eyelashes fluttered as he closed the distance between them. Excitement fluttered in her stomach with each step he took. “What is it? What are you doing?”
Suddenly, Fenix brought his lips to hers. To Cinderella's surprise, she not only let it happen—she kissed him back. When she felt his hand gliding along her cheek, she whimpered into his mouth.
“There,” Fenix whispered as his lips departed. “That's how I know the curse is broken. Ever since I've been under Donnabella's spell, I haven't been able to kiss another girl.”
The only answer she could manage was a vaguely enlightened, “Ah.” Cinda didn't know what was more embarrassing—her blushing cheeks or her stepsister's smirk.
“I think you're lovely, Cinda. You have a beautiful soul,” Fenix whispered in her ear. “It's a shame I can't stay at your side.”
Fenix's words made her dizzy, but Terra's voice had a sobering effect. “As much as I hate to interrupt this moment, the clock is ticking. We should probably get going.”
“R-right,” Cinda stuttered as she moved to the stairs. “Is Donnabella going to see us?”
“No. We don't have to worry about Donnabella,” Fenix reported. “She's gone for the day. She's mixing potions in her cave.”
“What about the others?” Terra asked. “What about Jostle and Pitch?”
“I'm not concerned about those idiots. I'm pretty sure I could take them on and win.” Fenix's gaze suddenly dropped to the floor. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and tremulous. “Rank is the one we should worry about.”