Crown of Crowns

by Clara Loveman

  “Incredible!” I said. “I can’t believe I’ve been talking to monsters this whole time.”

  “Not monsters,” Roki said. “They are from Dimension Z8. They were chosen as the best among us three thousand years ago.”

  “They’ve lived for almost four thousand years … That’s impressive.”

  I wanted to ask more questions, but the Crown of Crowns began to address the crowd.

  “Hello,” Hanchell said. Even as a three-headed monster, I thought she looked compassionate in her golden robes; there were twinkles of kindness in her six yellow eyes. “We have brought you here to announce that our tenure as Crown of Crowns is coming to an end. In approximately six months, the Seeing Water will pick our replacements. That means you clever Min have time to partner up and present your cases. Choose wisely. None of you will live long enough to have another shot at being orchestrators of our galaxy.”

  “The suitable candidates must not only be clever,” Riedel said. “They must also be strong, wise, invested in the future of the universe, and willing to make the hard sacrifices to keep the balance.”

  I thought, If trying to run Geniverd was stressful, what would running the freaking galaxy be like? If we were selected, how would Roki and I cope?

  “If you’d like to be considered for the position, please present yourselves to us sooner rather than later,” Hanchell said, her gray tail wagging. “For now, we bid you farewell.”

  Hanchell and Riedel sparkled like static and then were gone. And that was when I looked through the crowd and saw Lordin glaring at me.

  The crowd of aliens and interdimensional beings was gone. The square was empty. Lordin and I stood alone with the eerie strangeness of Shiol’s megalopolis looming in the distance.

  “You stole my cure,” she said. Lordin made no attempt to attack me. She simply stood glaring at me in Hagan’s body. It was creepy and intimidating.

  “You were killing people,” I said. “What did you think I would do?”

  Lordin shrugged. “I’m just surprised you found it. It’s not like I can blame you for trying to save the world. I wasn’t comfortable with the death toll either, but I was powerless to my mama’s commands. I needed to gain status in this body.”

  “So that you could schmooze your way back into Zawne’s life?”

  “Something like that.”

  “I don’t get it,” I said. “You both know the Great Secret. Why not just reveal yourself?”

  Lordin laughed, folded her arms, and shook her head at me. “You guys were married, Kaelyn! Don’t you think I tried? Zawne’s a noble man. When I came to him in Shiol, I altered his reality so that he would see me in my original body. He told me he loved me even beyond death, but that he was a king and would not fold his commitment to his new wife, Kaelyn of Gaard, the daughter of my mama’s enemy.”

  “Oh …” I said. It was starting to make sense. Zawne had been honest with me the whole time. He’d had no intentions of cheating, so Lordin had needed to maneuver me off the throne somehow.

  I said, “You used Emell’s lifelong thirst for vengeance to try to dispose of me because Zawne rejected you. So you hatched an insane plot to spiral the world into chaos and get me banished for being a bad queen. Then you were going to insert yourself in Zawne’s council and make him fall for you in Hagan’s body!”

  “Well,” Lordin said, “it was Mama’s insane plot. The virus would have been unleashed with or without me. Yet by helping Mama, I kept my lifelong promise to get her revenge, while at the same time getting rid of you. There’s only one thing you’ve got wrong, Kaelyn. There’s one sticky detail you missed.”

  I crossed my arms and said nothing. I wished she couldn’t alter reality. I wished everyone in the square could have heard Lordin’s sick confession, though I had to remember she wasn’t naturally sick. Emell had filled her with evil. Then Zawne had filled her with love, and the Crown of Crowns had fueled her desire for power. Lordin was trying to juggle all these personas, all these goals and aspirations. I had a feeling it was driving her to madness.

  “I wasn’t planning to become Zawne’s queen,” Lordin said. “Emell thought so, but she was wrong. See, I want to trick Zawne into sacrificing himself and becoming a Min. I need him to partner with me. I’m sure that together we can take over as the Crown of Crowns.”

  Chapter 19

  “Never,” I shouted, suddenly angry at how Lordin planned to manipulate Zawne. “Not in a million years! I know you have a good heart somewhere inside you, but it’s cracked and broken. You’ll never get the universal throne, Lordin.”

  “Maybe not,” she said, shrugging with cool indifference, “but maybe I will. All I need is Zawne.”

  “And to eliminate the competition,” I said, suddenly understanding everything. “That’s why you broke up Roki and me. You were scared of our power together. You were worried that Roki and I could ascend the throne instead of you. You’re still scared of us and our bond!”

  Lordin’s face went dark. She started toward me. “I”—lips twisted in a snarl—“am”—balling her hands into little fists—“scared of no one!”

  She raised her arm and I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut. Without warning, she flitted upward and, in a flash, was on top of me, hanging from my head, and we were skidding in all directions.

  “Thief!” Lordin screeched as she made several attempts to grab my Valer. I used all my strength to unhitch myself from her, my Valer instinctively jittering around my body, its natural defense mechanism.

  I panted. “I can’t believe how foolish I was to believe in you!”

  As I spun, my eyes hunted for her, knowing that she could see me. But then, in a shot, she was swinging at me again, and she tossed me into the air. I crashed heavily into the buoyant space. It felt like I’d hit the ground as my whole body cramped or spasmed.

  I mustn’t give in, I told myself, thinking about all the people who’d died because of her. I steadied my Valer, using it as bait, and fine-tuned my senses. Instantly I felt Lordin’s presence just before she was upon me, and I lunged at her head, sending her hurtling several feet away.

  I caught my breath, surprised at my superhuman strength, and looked up to see several amused Min staring at me. I didn’t know if I’d struck something that had ended Lordin’s spell or if someone had interrupted us.

  Roki was there with a concerned look. “You all right?” he asked. “You kind of gaped out there for a second.”

  I explained it all to Roki: Lordin’s twisted motives, Zawne’s loyalty to me, the whole bloated mess. We had left Shiol and were lying on the rooftop of the tallest building in Geniverd’s capital city, watching the clouds go by as we tried to make sense of it all.

  “It’s wild,” Roki said. “I hope Lordin doesn’t turn into one of those perverse serial-killer Min.”

  “Me too,” I said. “I hope she’s all right. Her mama’s in jail now in Gaard. So that’s one good thing that came out of this. I just wonder how having her mama locked up will bend her mind.”

  Roki turned to me, looking offended. “Only one good thing came out of this? What about us? We’re together again because of what happened.”

  “Of course,” I assured him. “It’s only you and me now, Roki. I’ve vowed to myself to let Zawne live his life. I won’t lie to you, though. I still love him in my own way, and if I hadn’t become a Min, I never would have left him. But things have changed. The world moves on. Raad taught me that. We must grow and face the future. You and I will face it together.”

  At that moment, I remembered that I still didn’t know the identity of the Seeing Water. I asked Roki, “Can you tell me what the Seeing Water is?”

  “I’ve only heard from secondhand sources,” he said. Apparently, it’s an amalgamation of the spirits of all the billions of babies and children unjustly killed in the universe since the beginning of time. It is ‘seeing’ because it can see through anything and everything in the universe. The ‘water’ represents the children’s tears. T
ears from having their lives cut short prematurely. Tears for saving us again and again despite what the universe did to them. The Seeing Water wields more power every time it gains a new spirit.”

  “Hanchell said that it is merciful. What is the Seeing Water saving us from?”

  “From ourselves. The Seeing Water can end all our lives in an instant. It can destroy planets in the blink of an eye. Instead, it chooses to apportion power to the Crown of Crowns to help us look after our galaxy. It oversees all the Crowns of Crowns in all the galaxies in our universe.”

  “So we can ask the Seeing Water to help us? I mean, to stop Lordin?”

  Roki shook his head. “You don’t understand. It may be merciful, but its wrath is in proportion to the evil in the universe, the unrighteousness. Three great personal sacrifices of its choosing would be required to even approach its presence.”

  Just then I felt the presence of someone behind us. I craned my head to see an enormous man watching us. He had curly gray hair down to his shoulders, ashy-white skin, stern eyes. He was the hugest person I had ever seen. He just stood there watching us like a giant creep. “Who are you?” I asked, scrambling to my feet. “Why did you sneak up on us?”

  “Sire,” he said, ignoring me and looking at Roki, “we have a problem.”

  Roki didn’t get up. He continued to watch the clouds flow by while he talked to the man. They seemed to be acquainted.

  “What is it, Neuge? Give me the scoop.”

  Neuge’s voice was like cannon fire. “King Zawne has managed to cool the fighting for now,” he said. “A shaky truce has been reached between mainland Nurlie and the shadow government on Nurlie Island. As of now, there will be no referendum. The Ava-Surrvul reinforcements have scattered without their allies. The bloodshed in the streets has ceased. The medical Protectors are administering first aid and handing out antivirals for the KS3 virus. Things are looking up.”

  “Surrvul will be back,” Roki said. “They were testing the will of the new king, poking the bear to see which clan leaders did what. Next time, they’ll come stronger and faster and meaner. The other clans aren’t dumb. I’m sure everyone is preparing for a dastardly conflict.”

  Roki got up, brushed himself off, and regarded Neuge. Roki looked more severe than I had ever seen him. “But that’s all good news,” Roki said. “So, what’s the problem?”

  Neuge hesitated. I saw then that he was a Min. Neuge was so wide that I hadn’t noticed the Valer floating in his core. I thought it was strange that he avoided Roki’s eyes, as if he feared to look straight at him. It was ridiculous, because Neuge could have crushed Roki with one meaty fist. Yet he appeared nervous.

  “The problem, sire, is that you’ve been absent for several days since the conflict began. Our people must be given direction. There’s talk of marching even without our allies. The people are restless. Many have lost loved ones because of the virus outbreak. They need an address from their leader. Some are calling for more fires, only this time with casualties by the thousands.”

  Leader, I thought. Leader of what? Just who exactly is Neuge, and what the heck is going on? And who is the dragon starting the fires? Is Roki really friends with this dragon character?

  I shifted my eyes from Neuge to Roki. “Would you care to explain this to me? I thought we were done with secrets.”

  Roki started laughing. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “This is huge news for you. I totally forgot!” Then he said to Neuge, “Leave us. Gather the people, and I’ll be there within the hour to give a speech.”

  Neuge bowed. Then he shot high into the clouds and flew away. I was left speechless and confused, glaring at Roki as he doubled over with laughter.

  “It’s not funny,” I said. “Seriously, tell me what’s going on. Are you the leader of a spiritual army?”

  He took my hand and kissed it gently, his brilliant smile making me melt. “It’s better if I show you. Come, Kaelyn. Should you choose to be with me for the next few centuries, you’re going to need to know my secret job.”

  We flew west across the ocean, farther and farther, until I could see Krug’s coastline of sandy beaches.

  Roki came to a dead stop fifty miles from land. He hadn’t stopped grinning since the rooftop. “You’re going to love this,” he said. “Hold your breath.”

  “No, wait, what are we—?”

  Roki took my arm and pulled me downward, laughing hysterically as we plummeted toward the water.

  I screamed, “No! I don’t want to get wet!”

  But we didn’t hit the water. We passed through it, plunging beneath the surface as if it were an illusion. Then we were hovering inside a hollow tube like a giant drainage pipe.

  Roki explained, “I keep all the ports masked using my power. It’s why I have a hard time keeping other things masked for long periods. I divert a ton of my energy to these secret ports. This one is my private entrance to the city. It’s like a metal chimney sticking out of the water, but it’s invisible to anyone who looks at it.”

  I had no idea what to say. Secret tunnels? Hidden ports!

  “There are other entrances inland, on the beaches of other continents,” he said, “other ports disguised as oil refineries, hatches, and pods that lead many miles below the surface of the ocean. Air locks and security systems. There are passenger trains in metro tunnels in major cities, all disguised by my power. It’s quite high tech. Combined with my Min powers, it’s superior to all else in Geniverd …” He shrugged. “At least, all else that I know about.”

  “Where are you freaking taking me?” I blurted. It was hard to keep my panic in check. “Are you trying to say there is an underground tunnel system connecting all six continents to an underwater city?”

  Roki’s grin could have eaten the planet. “Yes,” he said, teasing me with his eyes. “Come on, let’s go see it.”

  We flew a significant distance underground, gliding through the hollow tunnel until we reached an air lock. Roki hit a button and the door opened. We stood inside a small room while machines groaned.

  “It’s for water,” Roki said. “This tank is meant to purge any water before I go into the city. You know, in case my tunnel floods. This tunnel isn’t made for humans. It’s meant just for me. I haven’t even brought another Min into the city this way.”

  “So, you’re saying I’m special?” I asked. It was my turn to smirk and tease Roki.

  “More than you know,” he said.

  The purge system finished. Then the door opened. We walked into a bare, sort of musty hallway and continued until we reached a red-varnished door. Roki stopped with his hand on the knob. “Home sweet home. Welcome to my house, Kaelyn.”

  We were in an antechamber. Roki took my hand and said, “This way. Come on.” He led me through his mansion of a house, old picture frames on the walls and dozens of closed rooms. He was saying, “It’s lavish, I know. I’ll give you a tour another time, but right now we have to get to the city square.”

  I couldn’t believe it when we exited Roki’s house onto his porch and I was staring down at an enormous underground city. There were houses, tall buildings, streets, huge complexes. I even saw flyrarcs hovering beneath the domed ceiling. It must have been half the size of the capital!

  “Are we beneath Krug?” I asked.

  “About a hundred yards beneath Krug. We started building this place roughly a century ago. The more people we recruit, the larger the city gets. We have many Min on our side, so we use our combined power and influence to keep it secret and to expand. We also have the best architects and engineers in Geniverd working for us.”

  “Us? We? Our side?” I blinked at him, ready to explode if I didn’t get some answers. “Roki … who are you?”

  Roki exhaled deeply, steadied himself, and looked in my eyes. “I always wanted to tell you. It just never seemed like the right time. Kaelyn, I’m the leader of the so-called Gurnots. It’s been my task to support them for the last hundred years, a direct order from the Crown of Crowns to
keep the balance. Our proper name is Defiance. And now, as the leader of Defiance, I am serving my second year in office.”

  It felt like Roki had punched me in the gut. Leader of the Gurnots? The man I had fallen in love with was a freaking Gurnot! How could that be?

  “I want to show you more. Let’s walk to the center. I want you to see my people. We’re not evil, Kaelyn. We’re just tired of the upper class. I mean, why should anyone be born superior? We’re willing to fight to free the kingdom from the tyrannical rule of the clans. Our views are directly in line with yours. We want to restore the balance between rich and poor.”

  I had no words. This was the ultimate shock. After so many twists and turns, betrayals and revelations, to find out Roki was the leader of the Gurnots—it turned my perception of the world inside out.

  I couldn’t believe the things I saw as Roki led me through the city. There were markets, people selling meats and fruits, artisanal crafts—only this time it was all real! And women with large round bellies waddling through the streets. They were pregnant! I had forgotten that the Gurnots favored natural births. I supposed it was also a way to keep their children out of the system. But I thought the most fascinating part was how the city smelled. I was so used to the controlled atmosphere I’d spent my life inside that I had never experienced such a bombardment of different smells. There was the scent of fresh bread, of engine exhaust, of tangy human sweat. It was overwhelming.

  “There are about six hundred thousand living in the city,” Roki was saying as we went past a couple of kids playing with their dogs.

  Dogs! I thought. They’re probably not even replicas!

  “But in the entire world, I’d say about a quarter are associated with Defiance. That means a billion people. When the time to rise above the clans is at hand, it will be an even fight. Yet we must pick our time to rebel carefully. It was unfortunate how much life was lost during the Nurlie Islanders’ revolution, but it was a good test of our abilities. It may be the catalyst that will ignite global change.”