The Common King

by Brian Olsen

  Her eyes dart away from me, towards nothing in particular. She shrugs. “That’s a funny name. No. Should it?”

  Finlay leans forward. “Are you sure you don’t recognize it? It seems like you—”

  I grab his shoulder again and pull him back. This time I send a wave of painful heat through my hand. He bites his lip to avoid crying out.

  “Mr. Finlay,” I say. “Why don’t you go see if Jasmine needs anything?”

  “Jasmine is here?” Shonda asks. “She’s been missing, too.”

  “She is.” I nod towards the door. “She’s out in the hallway.”

  “I can do that. Sure.” Finlay stands and rolls out his shoulder, then heads for the bedroom door and opens it. “I’ll just…be out here if anybody needs me.” He smiles awkwardly at Shonda, then exits, pulling the door shut behind him.

  Shonda raises an eyebrow at me. “You giving orders to our teachers now, Chris?”

  I laugh. “These are strange times, Shonda. Surely you’ve noticed.”

  She takes her phone from the table next to her bed and looks at the screen. “What do you mean?”

  “People in England turning into wolves,” I say. “Minotaurs rampaging through the center of town. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

  “I don’t know about any wolves.” She puts the phone back down. “But I remember what happened in town in May, sure. Now that you mention it.”

  “What are people saying happened?” I already know, but I’m curious what she’ll say.

  “Drugs,” Shonda answers. “People out of their minds on something. Dressed up like monsters and smashed the town.”

  This matches what we’ve seen on the computers and the television. The Moment has persistent amnesia-inducing properties, causing people – especially non-logomancers – to forget, or at least ignore, anything they see that doesn’t makes sense in this non-magical world. Tes and Muln discovered that the Moment can weaken if too many people witness magic or encounter magical creatures, and they tried, and failed, to use this to shatter the Moment completely.

  “And how does that sound to you, Shonda?” I ask. “Do you believe that’s what happened?”

  “I don’t know. I know one of the people who died. Guy who works at the bike shop downtown. I went to his wake and nobody was even talking about how it happened.”

  Kelle looks away from the window for a moment. “Didn’t that seem strange to you?”

  Shonda scratches her shoulder. “I guess. Every time I think about it, though, it kind of…slips away.”

  I sit, taking the spot at the end of the bed that Finlay gave up. “Have you felt anything else slipping away, Shonda?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you had any strange dreams? Or flashes of memory?”

  “Déjà vu?” Kelle suggests. “With me there was déjà vu.”

  I don’t know what that is, but it strikes a chord with Shonda.

  “Yes.” She stares at me, her face clouding over in thought. “Yes. More and more. And when I look at you, Chris…there’s something…”

  I take her hand and touch it to my face. She furrows her brow, then runs her fingers across my cheek.

  “I feel like we’re friends,” she says softly.

  “Of course we are.”

  “No, I mean…like we were friends.”

  I smile. “That’s what I mean, too.”

  She whispers, “But they told me—” She cuts herself off. She yanks her hand back and looks down at her blanket.

  Kumar says, a little too sharply, “Who, Shonda? Who told you what?”

  I gesture her away. Kumar nods and stands, joining Kenny near the door.

  “I’m sorry,” Shonda says.

  “It’s all right.” I take her hand again. “You’ve been having memories of another life, haven’t you?”

  “Yes. Since the Moment. I remember, and then I forget again.”

  “But you do know the name Theen, don’t you?”

  She nods.

  “Did it come to you in a memory?”

  She shakes her head. “They told me it used to be my name.”

  “Who did? Alisa? Mr. Liefer?”

  She nods again.

  “What else did they tell you?”

  “That the world used to be different. That I used to be different. And that you…” She swallows. “That you had turned bad. That you might come for me.”

  “And what do you think?” She’s still looking down, so I duck my head to catch her eye. “Am I bad?”

  We make eye contact. She laughs, just a little. I see a glimpse of my old friend and I laugh too.

  “I don’t know.” Her voice is louder now, more confident. “They told me horrible things, Chris. Horrible things that you did.”

  “Well.” I shrug. “I’m sure they’re all true.”

  Her smile drops. “But—”

  “From their point of view.” I take her other hand in mine. “They were my enemies, I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Alisa and Mr. Liefer and all the rest of them. But forget what they told you for a minute, Shonda. What do your memories tell you? What do you feel is true?”

  “I feel…” Her eyes search my face. Her brow furrows, then relaxes. She squeezes my hands. “I feel that you’re my friend. That you’ve never lied to me. That I can trust you.”

  “I can give you your memories back, Shonda. Your real memories, of your life as Theen Gandenschild. Would you like me to do that?”

  Her face falls. She casts a look towards the door. “But…my family…”

  “It’s all right,” I say. “Tell her.”

  Kumar smiles at her, every inch the kindly headmistress. “You won’t forget them, Shonda. You’ll have both memories. I’m the Baroness Chand Retyinchild now, but I’m Mira Kumar, too. I still love my husband and my children. Everything I do, I do for them.”

  It’s a delicate moment, so I don’t remind her that she also does it for her king. I look over my shoulder at Kelle and raise an eyebrow.

  “It’s true,” Kelle adds. “I got my real life back and lost nothing.”

  Well, that’s far from true, but correcting her would also be counterproductive. Shonda looks at Kenny, and I nod at him.

  “Yeah,” he says slowly. “I don’t remember much from before. But…I’ve got magic now. I guess that’s cool.” He sees my expression and forces a smile. “Yeah, it’s definitely cool.”

  “And you’re with Chris now?” she asks. “Alisa said he kidnapped you.”

  “Oh.” He looks down again. “No. No. It wasn’t like that—”

  “It’s all right, Kenny.” I let go of Shonda’s hands. “You’re my friend, Shonda, and I won’t lie to you. I need Kenny’s power and he’s not with me willingly. But I haven’t hurt him or his family.”

  She looks at Kenny again, then back at me. “I don’t like that.”

  “I understand. But if you take your full memories back, you’ll be in a better position to judge me. Isn’t that fair?”

  “I suppose.” She picks up a framed picture from her nightstand. “But still…will I have to leave my family behind?”

  “For a time.”

  “I don’t mean physically.” She strokes the picture. “They won’t be a part of all this. Alisa and Mr. Liefer told me some people weren’t there, in the world before. I don’t want to lose them.”

  I take the picture from her. It’s of her, her parents, and her two sisters. I can’t stop myself from laughing.

  “What?” She snatches the picture back, annoyed. “What?”

  “You won’t lose them at all!” I point at her father. “That’s Dens.” At her mother. “That’s Gan. I met them both, and your sisters too, at my coronation. They were so proud of you! Of how far you had come in the world!”

  She looks back at the picture in amazement. “They were all there? They’re my family in both worlds? But they’re not getting flashes of memory, like I do.”

  “They’re not logomancers,” I
explain. “Your connection to the Logos fights back against the Moment. They have no such advantage. But you don’t have to worry about them. When I am restored to power, and you are at my side, they will live a life of privilege and luxury once again.” I stand, and extend my hand to her. “What do you say, Shonda Yeboah? Would you like to become reacquainted with Theen Gandenschild?”

  She closes her eyes. We’re all still while she thinks.

  She opens them again, and any doubt she might have felt has gone. “We have to leave.” She scrambles out of bed and runs to her closet. “They’re coming. I told them you were here.”

  “What?” Kumar opens the door. “My queen! Mr. Finlay! The enemy is on its way.” She turns back to me. “Your Majesty, we should move outside at once so you can transport us back—”

  I hold up a hand. “It’s all right, Kumar. Yes, let’s move outside.”

  Kelle looks out the window again, scanning the street for our enemies. “You knew. You knew she warned them.”

  “I should hope so. I gave her every opportunity.”

  “You want them to find us?”

  I pick up Shonda’s phone, unplug it from the cord that gives it power, and look at the time. “I don’t know what’s taking them so long. It’s been ages.” I hand the device to Shonda, who’s pulled on a skirt. “Here. No time for you to pack. We can get you whatever you need later, but I assume you’ll want this.”

  She takes it from me. “Thank you. I’m sorry. They said you’d hurt me. When I woke up and you were there…”

  “It’s all right. I want them to know you’re with us.”

  “But how did you warn them?” Kelle asks. “You didn’t use your phone.”

  I move to the door. “Let’s finish this outside. There may be a battle and I’m sure Shonda would prefer we not put her family at risk.”

  “Yes, I would.”

  Shonda heads out into the hall and the rest of us follow. Tes and Finlay are there, waiting.

  “Should I keep them asleep?” Tes asks. “Oh, hi, Shonda! Your little sister has weird nightmares.”

  “Jasmine.” Shonda puts a hand on the door to her sister’s room. “What did you do to my family?”

  “Nothing,” I say quickly. “Jasmine has the power to keep people asleep, that’s all. They’ll wake once we’re gone. You can call them and tell them whatever you need to so they won’t worry. But if Mr. Liefer arrives and we’re still inside, I can’t promise he’ll be as concerned for their safety as we are.”

  Shonda pulls her hand off the door sharply. “Let’s go, then.”

  She runs down the stairs two at a time. The rest of us follow her out the front door and onto the front lawn.

  The sun has fully risen now. Birds are singing and the sky is blue. It’s going to be a beautiful day.

  “Do you have a car?” Shonda asks.

  I laugh. “All I need is the sun in the sky, my friend.” I reach out to her. “Take my hand, please.”

  She looks confused, but does so.

  “The rest of you, take hold,” I command.

  Tes takes my other hand. Kumar, Kelle, Finlay, and Kenny stand behind me, each placing a hand on my back.

  “I haven’t quite mastered taking others with me without physical contact.” I shake my head. “It’s inconvenient at times.”

  “I don’t know,” Tes says. “It’s amazing you can do it at all. I don’t think of teleportation when I hear the word ‘sun.’”

  “You’re right, Tes. I am amazing.” I grin at her. “For someone who specializes in nightmares, you have an uncanny ability to look on the bright side.”

  “Aw!” She blushes. “You’re the best king ever.”

  Shonda looks around at the quiet neighborhood. “Are we holding hands for the fun of it or is something supposed to be happening?”

  “You tell me,” I say. “Where are your friends?”

  My foes appear as if in response to my question. I recognize Rahk Ungsilchild, their teleporter, known in this world as Mr. Liefer. He was the leader of the rebellion against me. At his side is one of that rebellion’s most prominent logomancers, Ree Vardanchild, known now as Alisa Green, with her power of truth. She worries me more than anyone. From what Tes told me, she had no inkling of how powerful her word could be, but that may have changed in the last few weeks.

  There are others with whom I’m less familiar. The girl who can make copies of herself. I don’t remember her name in either world. A man with a burned face – that must be Andy Palakiko, which means he’s the logomancer Chris almost killed. He’s merely a brawler, using his word, “body,” to give himself strength and durability. And there’s a man my age I vaguely remember from my first few waking moments in this world, and from photos Tes showed me. Nate Montgomery, her former boyfriend and Chris’s best friend. Odd that they’d bring him along, since he’s neither a logomancer nor a skilled fighter.

  There’s one more, one face I know very well. Desh Nonechild. Zane Winarski is his name now. Chris’s lover. Perfect. I was counting on him being here.

  Zane’s desperately trying to catch my eye. To see some hint of the man he knew, I’m sure. He still loves him. Remarkable. He must not remember our final encounter, before the Moment. Hm.

  They waste no time. Liefer gestures at me and I feel a pressure in my head. He’s trying to remove it from my body, I expect.

  It’s a mistake, going for a fatal move like that. The Logos resists attempts to kill directly, especially other logomancers. That resistance can be overcome, obviously. I do it all the time. But there’s a reason even I am more likely to, say, throw a fireball at someone rather than cause them to self-combust. A trained logomancer will have time to mount a defense against an attack like that, taking advantage of the extra effort involved. Liefer should have gone for an indirect attack. Dropped something heavy on me.

  My hands aren’t free, with Shonda holding one and Tes the other, so I shoot twin jets of flames at him from my eyes. His concentration shatters and as he teleports out of the way the pressure in my head ceases.

  Shonda, surprised, tries to pull away from me, but I hold her tight. “Everyone stay where you are,” I hiss. I feel one hand leave my back. Kenny, probably, but Kumar will keep him from running off.

  I turn my head this way and that, strafing the yard with fire. My foes scatter in every direction.

  “Pathetic,” I say. “Was this your whole plan?”

  “My house!” Shonda yells.

  Whoops. Caught a bit of the front door. I stop the flame from my eyes, then extinguish the fires it caused before any real damage is done.

  “Jasmine!” Nate, cowering by the side of the house, calls out to my queen. “Stop this!”

  I yell back, “Sorry. My wife has decided she’s outgrown her imaginary boyfriend. I’m sure you understand.”

  A dog barks next door, and lights turn on in houses up and down the street. Excellent.

  “Your Majesty,” Kumar says. “Are we attacking or retreating?”

  “I can freeze—” Kelle starts.

  “Do nothing,” I snap at them.

  “Chris.” It’s Alisa, the truthful one. She advances slowly, her hands raised as if she’s no threat. “This isn’t you. This isn’t your truth.”

  She’s trying something. I feel a tickle in my mind and see a mental image of Kelle and a man, a man who looks like an older version of me. They’re inside a house but there’s a tree there. They’re putting baubles and ornaments on it. Some kind of winter solstice celebration.

  I’m in the lush plain. The floating room above me. My foot is over the first step, almost touching it.

  I think of fire and burn the memory of Chris’s family from my mind. The plain is gone, and I’m back in Shonda’s front yard. Alisa stops in her tracks and presses her hand against her head.

  Yes, she’s definitely gotten more dangerous.

  “Let Shonda go,” she says.

  “Let her go?” I look at my old-new friend. “Do you wan
t me to let you go, Shonda?”

  Shonda puts her free hand up. “Please, all of you, stop! Don’t fight! I’m going with him willingly!”

  The girl who can duplicate herself comes forward. “Shonda, no! You don’t know what he’s done!”

  “Well, then, I’ll learn, Lily,” Shonda answers. “And I’ll decide for myself. Don’t I have that right?”

  “Behind us,” Kumar whispers in my ear.

  I whip my head around. Liefer is there. I don’t know what he’s about to do, but his hands are extended towards us. He’s always depended too much on gesticulation. My connection to the Logos is much stronger than his – than anyone’s – so I’m faster. I make a sphere of flames around his hands.

  He screams and vanishes.

  “Thank you, Baroness.”

  Shonda gasps at the apparent viciousness of my attack. “You burned him!”

  “He’ll be fine, the fire didn’t touch him. Just a little heat to scare him away.”

  It’s the truth, I didn’t hurt him. I need my enemies intact, for the time being. But Shonda looks dubious. Damn it. I need to wrap this up before I’m forced to abduct her after all.

  My feet are cold. A shadow is spreading up them.

  “Desh,” I say. “Sorry, I mean, Zane. You really don’t think I can burn this off?”

  He displays no fear, no caution. He walks right up to me. “I know you can.” The shadow disappears. “I just wanted your attention.”

  “You have it.” I tilt my head. “Calling off your attack?”

  He nods towards Shonda. “If she wants to go with you, we won’t stop her.”

  “I’ll come back, Zane,” Shonda says. “I need to see for myself. If he’s as bad as you say, I’ll come back.”

  The burned man, Andy, stomps the ground and I actually feel myself shake from the impact. “He won’t let you come back, Shonda!” he snarls. “Don’t be an idiot!

  She pulls her head back. “I know you’re not talking to me like that, Mr. Palakiko! There’s only one person insulting me on my own front lawn right now, and it is not Chris Armstrong!”

  “Ask Kenny!” Nate shouts. “Ask him if Chris is letting him go home! Or his family!”

  “I already did, Nate Montgomery!” Shonda yells back. “Don’t you talk to me like I’m stupid, too!”