My wand’s glow filled the space. I’d let it slip from my fingers during my brief unconscious spell. I picked it up and examined my surroundings. Further down the tunnel there was the shadow of a ladder leading up. I clutched the wand between my teeth, crawled to the ladder, and ascended to a slightly wider passage. I scuttled through it next then swiftly came to a ventilation shaft ending in a vent. On the other side was a sheet of thick, violet cloth—likely the back of a tapestry. I kicked open the vent, which clattered to the ground, and I peeked out. The floor was six feet beneath me. I stuffed my wand into my boot, maneuvered out of the vent, and carefully jumped down. When I stepped around the tapestry, I was back in the hallway that led to the Knights’ Room. My eyes wandered to the door.
I wanted to go after the magic hunters and rescue SJ immediately, but I didn’t have a plan for dealing with—let alone catching—three magic hunters who’d clearly stolen Merlin’s invisibility powers. And I could still have enough time to save the wizard if I went to him first. I may not have liked the guy, but I didn’t want him to die. He was an important character.
I rushed to the door of the Knights’ Room. If there was any time left in Merlin’s three-minute window for being saved, it was fleeting.
The breeze from the open windows in the next corridor blew back my hair. Thinking quickly, I pulled my wand from my boot and transformed it into a knife. I cut a strip of material from the bottom of my dress, restored the knife to wandpin form, and clipped it to my bra strap. Then I held my breath, held the material to my face, and threw open the door to the Knights’ Room. There was still a whisper of Poppy Potion gas in the room, but the breeze carried it out into the hallway. My arms veins flickered purple for a moment; it wasn’t even long enough for my counteractive gold energy to activate though. The purple color faded in seconds as the gas dispersed. When my skin normalized, I gathered the air was breathable. I tossed aside the makeshift facemask and dashed into the room.
Merlin lay on the ground where we’d left him. It wasn’t clear how long it’d been since he’d been killed, but I knew any shot I had of bringing him back was slipping away by the second. I got to my knees beside him and put one hand over his wound and another on his forehead. My anger over Merlin’s earlier interference still stewed, but I found the focus to concentrate on the good things I knew about the wizard, particularly our similar motivations for using our powers.
It was enough.
Emotions and strong will swirled through me. With a powerful rush, I poured magic into Merlin. Like Jason and Arthur before him, his body seized with golden light and I was thrust back a bit by the final injection. Then Merlin opened his eyes.
“Wow, what a jolt,” he said, his voice raspy as he sat up gradually. “So that’s what resurrection feels like.”
I took a breath to calm my magic down, and rein in the rush of sudden ache and exhaustion. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Good.” I smacked him upside the head. “You jerk. You didn’t let me save those other people earlier so that I could save you? That’s the important thing you were preserving my powers for?”
“Actually no,” Merlin coughed, rubbing his head and slowly standing. “This is a happy accident.”
“You know what’s not a happy accident?” I snapped, leaping to my feet. “Three magic hunters killed you, stole your invisibility powers, and took SJ.”
Merlin furrowed his brow before closing his eyes. After a moment, his body radiated golden light and he vanished.
“Merlin?”
He reappeared two seconds later, gasping. “Just as I thought,” he said. “My magic is not gone, I just have Magic Exhaustion. I need a little time to reboot.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “When Morgause died, Kai absorbed all her power. I saw it. I thought the hunters took your power when you were dead.”
“Morgause had normal magic. You and I have Pure Magic.” Merlin grunted. He reached for one of the dark wooden chairs surrounding the Round Table and held onto it for support. I’d never seen him weak or in pain before. It was weirdly humbling.
“Pure Magic can never be fully taken from us, Crisanta. That’s the point. It’s fused to our essence. When the magic hunters snuck up and killed me, all the active power in my body was discharged. It was a lot more power than normal magic would release in such a circumstance, especially because of the Vicennalia Aurora, so it spread itself out and absorbed intro three people instead of just one. But the moment you brought me back, those Pure Magic cells in my body started regenerating.”
“All right, that’s great for you,” I huffed. “Do you have any suggestions about how to deal with three invisible magic hunters? They were talking about Arian. They said—”
I froze.
“They said, ‘She’ll come for them,’” I thought aloud.
My eyes widened and I felt a surge of fear strike my core, like lighting splitting a tree. “My friends! They’re going after the others!” I grabbed Merlin by the collar. “Fastest way to the infirmary?”
Merlin painfully cleared his throat. “Uh, down the hall with the windows, up three flights, then turn left and follow the hall to the end.”
I ran off without another word. The windows along the adjacent hall painted my shadow against the wall. The bright, warm light of the setting sun blinded my vision with shades of orange. I took the stairs two at a time, bobbing and weaving around people and piles of rubble. When I reached the third floor, my heart was beating so loud it felt like a gong in my chest.
The hallway ahead was long and oddly deserted. At the other end was a set of tall, wooden doors studded with iron bolts. The infirmary. I sprinted to it and threw open the doors with a mighty pull.
I immediately stopped. The bodies of several nurses and Gwenivere Brigade girls lay on the ground. I knew they weren’t dead. Their arm veins glowed purple—indicating some form of Poppy Potion had knocked them out. Any traces of said potion were gone from the air though, dispersed by the open windows on the right.
The sunset’s colors reflected off the glass and cast the room in beautiful shades. Cots on either side of the room projected shadows that stretched across the floor.
The beds in the front part of the infirmary were occupied by injured knights and Gwenivere Brigade girls from our battle, all of whom were asleep and purple veined. I didn’t see my friends or anyone I recognized. Further down, long navy curtains had been pulled in front of a number of beds for privacy, so I hurried that way to check if my friends were there.
I was careful as I maneuvered around the sleeping bodies. At one point I was taken aback when I looked up and saw Elaine the Younger and another ghost snoozing on the ceiling. I guess Poppies and Poppy Potions could affect spirits too. The girls’ translucent forms were pulsing a faint purple that made them look like the world’s trippiest nightlights.
The fair wind blowing in caused the privacy curtains to sway in an almost ominous manner. I started checking each sectioned-off cot, trying to keep my panic under control.
Where were my friends?
In one curtained-off area I found Morgan asleep in her cot. Elaine Senior was slouched over in a chair beside her. The next bed in the line up was empty, though I suspected it hadn’t been for long; the sheets and pillowcase were wrinkled. I moved to the next curtained-off cot and my eyes widened with surprise.
Ozma.
She was asleep like everyone else. Staring at her adolescent face, I noted the resemblance between her and her dastardly big brother, Julian, who’d left her to rot here. Like the current Wizard of Oz, Ozma’s hair was black and wavy; it cascaded over the white satin pillowcase in thick bunches. Her pixie nose was turned up and the shadows of the infirmary made the regal jawline she and her brother shared look even sharper.
Moving closer to her, I saw that Ozma was wearing a necklace. The cord was presently tucked inside her shirt so I couldn’t see whatever pendant rested on the end of it.
The little Ozian queen donned a mint jacket and her feet sported a pair of ruby and silver slippers. The shoes were a famous magical pair that belonged to Dorothy. They had several functions, including finding their way back to one another. One shoe had been locked in this castle and I’d set the other shoe free in Oz several days ago. It had managed to cross realms and find its way here on its own. Super impressive.
“I have to commend you . . .”
I leapt back in surprise when Arian appeared from behind the opposite curtain. My hand automatically ignited with a golden glow of power. The fear and anger that shot through me was like fuel to my magic. It wanted to fight back and didn’t seem to need to wait for my permission this time.
“We’ve been through a lot together, you and I,” Arian said, walking around the other side of Ozma’s cot so he stood across from me. “And at every turn, you continue to surprise me. My forces keep adapting, yet nothing can keep up with you.”
“You seem to keep up with me just fine,” I replied, narrowing my eyes.
It’d been a long time since it’d been just Arian and me. Last semester, it seemed like every time I turned around, he was there. But since the hunt for Paige Tomkins and Excalibur began, it felt like we were ships crossing in the night. I’d had a brief confrontation with him in Oz, he was present at the attack on the Lost Boys and Girls camp in Neverland, and we had run into each other on Avalon, but we hadn’t actually spoken face-to-face for a while.
The tension in the room became thick as syrup. There was nothing like standing with Arian alone. I’d felt this way since meeting him in Century City all that time ago, when he was the hunter and I was the girl backed against the wall. His calm demeanor paired with his undeniable good looks and the black evil in his eyes had this way of inspiring a person to shrink. It took more of me to remain tall in his presence. No matter how strong I became, I suspected something about him would probably always compel me to cower. Though I did not fold to that intimidation today. I was far fiercer, more confident, and more powerful than I’d been when we’d first met. So much so that I felt maybe it was time he start cowering to me.
I carefully watched Arian. His black Shadow Guardian eyes were cold as he gazed down at Ozma. I kept expecting him to reach for the sword at his side, but he didn’t. My magic radiated from my hands, burning with intensity.
Kill him, it seemed to urge. Suck the life from him now.
“Where are my friends, Arian?” I asked, ignoring the yearnings.
Arian glanced at me. “My magic hunters captured them,” he said nonchalantly. “They were supposed to capture you too, but as you got away, I thought I would invite you to come with me by your own free will.”
“An awful lot of trouble to go through to kill me, Arian,” I replied. “Why not just do it right here?” I gestured around the infirmary, goading him. “Afraid you can’t beat me on your own?”
“I’m not trying to kill you today,” Arian said.
I tensed as he walked around the cot and began to proceed up the infirmary walkway toward the entrance. Cautiously, I followed.
“I actually need you to do something for me,” he said with his back to me.
“What’s that?”
I paused in the walkway ten feet behind him. He pivoted toward me then gestured with a tilt of his chin, indicating that I follow. “Come on. I’ll explain on the way.”
He kept walking without looking back. Again, I felt the urge to use my magic or draw my wand or even grab the nearest scalpel and stab him, but he had kidnapped my friends so I couldn’t do any of the above. What hope did I have of finding them if I took out Arian now?
I extinguished my glow and pursued Arian out of the infirmary, keeping at least five feet between us and watching his hands and his weapon like a hawk.
“We both know you can’t die,” Arian said, as easily if he were stating that the sky was blue. “At least not most of the time. For instance, I have no way of knowing how your Pure Magic would react if I killed you while you were restrained with Stiltdegarth cuffs, or if you were partially magically exhausted, or trapped in a Jacobee stone prison . . .”
It set all the hairs on my body on edge to hear how many different hypotheses he had about killing me. I didn’t know how my magic would react to any of those circumstances either, but the way he spoke about it so casually made my skin crawl.
“Anyway, a friend of mine suggested that instead of wasting my time trying to kill you, I should change tactics.”
“Rampart,” I said. “He told you the story of Sir Balin, The Knight of Two Swords.”
Arian stopped, surprised. Then he gave me a chilling smile. “Seeing the future has its benefits, doesn’t it?” he said.
“I’m sure you think so,” I replied as we continued steadily down the hall. “That’s how you’ve managed to stay a step ahead of me and my friends so many times, isn’t it? I didn’t put much thought into it until I met Merlin. Now I get it. Exposing your spy in the Scribes last semester may have cut off your access to protagonist books, but it didn’t take away your foresight. All those witches and warlocks in Alderon with Pure Magic—they see the future just like the Author and I do. You’ve surely been using their gifts to manipulate the future.”
Arian shrugged. “Their visions are inconsistent and wildly less clear. When Pure Magic corrupts the heart and mind, the powers of foresight are also damaged. But with so many wielders of Pure Magic in our kingdom, Nadia has them all on standby to report any information relevant to our enemies. Once in a while, someone spits out something useful.”
“Well, good for Nadia,” I said, rolling my eyes. “The queen of Alderon has all her evil ducks in a row, I’ll give her that.”
“And while you’re at it, you can also give me that,” Arian said. He came to a stop and gestured for my sheath. I’d completely forgotten that I had been carrying Excalibur.
“Forget it,” I said, drawing back defensively.
“Crisa,” Arian chided.
Hearing him say my nickname was unsettling. That was too personal.
“It’s very simple,” he said. “If you give me the sword, I’ll reunite you with your friends. If you don’t, I’ll have all five of them killed and you won’t even know where to find the bodies.”
I delayed my response. I looked up and down the hall, hoping another soul would pass by and witness what was happening, but no such luck. We were alone. Everyone in the vicinity was in the infirmary and asleep.
Pain swelled my stomach like the tides, but I remained steady as stone. “I can’t give you the sword, Arian,” I said decidedly. “If I let you use it to free Paige’s memories from Glinda’s memory stone, you’ll know the location of our realm’s genies. And that would be the end of Book.”
“Book is doomed either way,” Arian replied. “Our attack on the Alderon border is imminent. And thanks to my magic hunters who killed Merlin and stole his powers, the Simia Crown that your friend SJ found is now on its way to Nadia.”
At least he doesn’t know I resurrected Merlin.
“And I know you resurrected Merlin.”
Dang it.
“But it doesn’t matter. We only needed his invisibility powers to provide cover in Glinda’s fortress long enough to kill her and reach the memory stone. Now that we have that power, his life is inconsequential.”
Oh, so that’s how he means to do it. Not a bad idea.
To be honest, my friends and I hadn’t developed a solid plan for how we were going to find the memory stone and defeat Glinda once we got to the witch’s lair in Oz. It may have sounded stupid, but I guess we’d just been intending to wing it. There’d been too much else going on for us to sit down and have a proper war meeting about it.
Arian, however, had come up with a plan. A good one. Being invisible was the perfect way to accomplish the task at hand. Arian and his allies could enter the lair and sneak up on Glinda and kill her, or reach the memory stone without being spotted at all.
I wondered if M
erlin could get over his Magic Exhaustion fast enough to help my friends and me in the same way. The Vicennalia Aurora was making our magic stronger; perhaps his powers would reboot faster.
“Anyway,” Arian said, interrupting my plotting. “Your best option is to surrender and at least save your friends. If you don’t give me the sword, maybe our plans won’t pan out. But Book will fall tonight regardless. Between the flying monkeys Nadia unleashes on the Fairy Godmothers, our dark Pure Magic assault set to crumble the In and Out Spell around Alderon and free our kind, and the commons rebellion attacks occurring across the realm during the Aurora, it’s inevitable.”
My heart sank. Lenore had been right. There were going to be commons rebellion attacks during the Vicennalia Aurora. She’d been wise to want to protect the kingdoms.
I hated that I had been advocating for her to divert her forces elsewhere, but I reminded myself that the logic behind the advice was sound. We needed the Fairy Godmothers at the Alderon border more. If it was a choice between two evils, the antagonists had to come first. We would deal with the commons rebellion later.
“A lot of people are going to die in the next hour, Crisanta Knight,” Arian said simply. “The only thing you have to decide is if you want your friends to be in the casualty count.”
A grandfather clock down the hall ticked loudly in my pensive silence.
“You’ll just kill them all even if I give you the sword,” I finally replied.
“No, I won’t,” Arian said. “And not because I’ll promise not to, or anything quite so foolish. But because I need them alive in order to get what I want from you.”
“Excalibur?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“You’ll see.”
A bright swirl of silver light erupted in the wall next to Arian. “Right on cue,” he said. He tapped the watch on his wrist. “You have to love how punctual these Hole Trackers are. I almost feel bad for killing the White Rabbit I stole this from.”
Crisanta Knight: The Lost King Page 16
