Let Slip The Princesses of War by David Schenck

at the many weapons in the armory and finally took a long bath.
    “She seems to have recovered from the shock of the whole mother and sisters slaughtered thing pretty fast.” I pointed out.
    “What are you suggesting?” Asked Sweet Pea
    “Nothing, I was just noticing, that’s all.”
    Cinderella made a sad motion with her head. “I recognize that resilience. It’s the mark of someone who’s lived a hard life and doesn’t expect any better.  I recognize it from when I was a child.”
    Now, Cindy’s got a sad story.  Mother dead, absent father, cruel step-mother and sisters.  No question.  Still, it seemed to me that Emily had a sadder story and was splashing in the tub-pool in a manner that just struck me as odd. 
    But, it was clear that I wasn’t going to make any headway against Pea and Cinderella, and I don’t know what I wanted them to do anyhow.  I’d just have to keep my eyes open. 
    When Emily finished her bath, Cinderella did her cool turn the tent transparent trick. 
    We were surrounded.  There must have been 25 or 50 or, I don’t know, a fuck-ton of monsters. 
    “Want to go out the bolt-hole?” Cinderella asked.
    I looked at Pea, she shook her head.  “Nah, I don’t think it’s necessary.  We can go out the front.”
    Pea was checking her guns and her extra ammunition. 
    “Oh!  Come on!  The bolt-hole is really cool!” Cinderella pouted. 
    Pea nodded her agreement.  Cinderella was going to be unbearable if we didn’t see the bolt-hole.
    “Ok.  Lead the way.”
    Pea sat Emily on a bed with Ben at her feet. “You two stay here, we’ll be right back.”
    Emily looked anxious, I guess you can’t blame her, but said, “Ok.”
    Cinderella lifted one of the carpets and opened the hatch below.  “Down you go!”
    Pea went first, then me.  I could hear Cinderella above talking to Emily.  Finally she joined us.
    The bolt-hole was, like everything associated with the tent, fabulous.  It was tall enough to stand in, with indirect lighting, and there was a kind of glass rail-car system like you see in mines, it was shored at intervals with glass pillars (what is with her fairy godmother and glass?). 
    “All aboard the Bolt-Hole Express, ladies!” Cinderella opened the car door and waved us in. 
    We got in and the car took off under its own power.
    “How far does it go?” Asked Pea.
    “As far as it needs to.  Once it took me about 2 miles away.”
    Soon the car stopped.  At the stop there was a little stand, like where you might buy food or a newspaper.  Cinderella walked up to the stand and took a mouse from under her gown and set him on the ground, he grew into a shopkeeper and took his place behind the counter. 
    “Afternoon, Princess.  What can I get for you?”
    Cinderella rattled off a list of weapons and accessories.  “You girls want anything?  He’s well stocked.  Guns, armor, swords, pretty much anything you need.” Then she turned back to the shopkeeper, “Anything they want, put it on my tab.”
    Pea shook her head.  “We’re good.” I said.
    Cinderella tapped the shopkeeper on his head and he shrank back into a mouse and disappeared under her gown. 
    “Why didn’t you just take what you needed from the armory back in the tent?” Pea asked.
    “I don’t like to carry stuff in the cart.  It’s easier to just get it here.”
    What a princess!
    The path sloped gently upward and emerged into the forest as a doorway in a large tree, which disappeared as soon as we exited.  From there we could see the assembled monsters in the distance.  Apparently, Cinderella had left the tent in its transparent form and it made an odd ripple in the air, like a tent made of clear jelly.
    “All together or split up?” Asked Pea. 
    “Let’s split up and surround them.  If the tent is invulnerable…”
    “It is!” Insisted Cinderella
    “OK, then we can force them back against the tent.”
    They agreed and we split up.  I moved forward, and they moved