The Common King

by Brian Olsen

  “It’s not a teacher-student kind of question, so tell me to shut up if I’m being inappropriate.”

  My heart beats a little faster. Shut up, stupid heart, he’s not hitting on me! “I feel like we’re way past student-teacher relationships at this point, so go for it.”

  “When Nate came up with the idea to split you off from the Common King, Zane was all for it. He pushed and pushed for it because he was so worried about you. In fact, I think he’s the real reason all the parents finally agreed to try it.”

  I grab a few more t-shirts. “I didn’t know that.”

  “So…?”

  I go back to the bed. “So, what?”

  “So, what happened? Are you two fighting?”

  I shove the shirts into my bag. “I’m not. He might be. You’d have to ask him.”

  Andy scoots down to the end of the bed and pushes the bag out of my reach. “Maybe you should ask him.”

  I sigh and sit next to him. “I did. He says nothing’s wrong.”

  “Yeah.” He puts his arm around my shoulders. “You know, when I was still healing from my burns, I was angry all the time, at everybody. Andre would ask me what was wrong and I’d say, ‘Nothing.’” He squeezes me. “Lucky for me, he kept asking.” He stands up. “Andre’s not an actor or a logomancer, but he knows, too, that sometimes what we say isn’t what we mean. So maybe ask Zane again, and this time listen for his intention, not just his words.”

  “Huh.” I reach for my bag. “Yeah. I’ll try that. Thanks, Andy.”

  Andy pulls the bag out of my hand. “Go on. I can finish packing for you.”

  “Oh. You mean now.” I stand up. “Yeah. Okay. You want me to work out my boyfriend drama right now. Cool.”

  “Well, I am the drama teacher.” He smacks my upper arm. “You got this, Chris.”

  I head out to the hallway, then down to the living room. Zane is on his hands and knees next to the couch.

  He looks up when I come in and holds up a plug. “Everything’s unplugged.”

  “Mom always unplugs anything electronic if we’re going to be away for a while.”

  He nods, then plugs it into the wall. The display on the cable box lights up. He stands, brushing his hands off, then grabs the remote from the coffee table and plops back down on the couch. “Awesome. Haven’t had much TV time lately.” He looks up at me. “Or did you finish packing already?”

  “Andy’s finishing for me. I was hoping we could talk.”

  He looks back at the blank TV screen. His finger hovers over the remote’s “on” button, but he doesn’t press it.

  I sit next to him. “Please talk to me.”

  “About what?”

  “Come on.”

  “We haven’t even—” He cuts himself off, then slowly puts the remote down on the table.

  “What? We haven’t even what?”

  “I was going to say, we haven’t even been dating that long.”

  The clock on the far wall ticks.

  “I know.”

  “So we don’t even really know each other that well.”

  “I feel like we do.” My voice sounds small.

  He brushes the hair back from his forehead. “We started dating in the middle of all this craziness, and right away we were running around trying to save people and stay alive and we’re doing magic and it’s all so insane. Like, that’s not a relationship, right?” He finally looks at me. “We never even got that date night.”

  “We could do it now.” I force a smile. “We don’t have to be back at the museum until it’s time to sleep. We could have dinner here. Watch a movie.”

  He grimaces at me. “That’s not…that’s not my point.”

  “Are you breaking up with me?”

  “I’m not…I mean…” He slumps against the back of the couch and says again, “We haven’t even been dating that long.”

  If I were just listening to his words, that would sound a lot like, ‘Yes, I’m breaking up with you.’ I’d probably mutter some agreement to salvage my pride, slump back upstairs, and cry into Andy’s shoulder.

  But I’m listening for his intention. So I lean back next to him and ask, “Do you want to break up with me?”

  He casts his eyes down. “I don’t want to, but…”

  “Then why? Because I don’t want to break up.”

  He slams his fist down on the cushion next to him. “You got a clean slate.”

  “What?”

  “You’re just you now. Just Chris.” He laughs, and his voice takes on a sour tone. “Not that there’s anything ‘just’ about Chris Armstrong.”

  “Don’t,” I say softly. “Don’t tease me like you used to. I know you don’t want to.”

  He turns his head towards me. “Sorry.”

  Our faces are inches apart. “I don’t have a clean slate. Everything that happened in those weeks between the Moment and killing Mr. Miller was me. Scarring Andy. Burning Mrs. Wollard. Lying to Nate and Alisa about seeing you. Lying to all of you about the Nightmare Queen, and the floating room.” I dig my nails into my palm. “My father. I can’t blame any of that on anybody else.”

  “But before,” he says. “Before the Moment. The Common King. That’s not you anymore. He’s not you anymore. The crimes he committed, they’re not your crimes. Not because you can’t remember them. Because he’s literally a different person now.”

  “Why is that a problem? Andy said you were all for splitting us apart.”

  “Yeah. Of course. Of course.” He shifts position, bringing one leg up underneath him and putting a little more space between us. “Maybe I’m just jealous.”

  “Jealous? You want to be split, too? Make Zane Winarski and Desh Nonechild two different people?”

  “Yes. No.” He punches the cushion between us. The sudden violence makes me flinch back.

  “That wouldn’t matter,” he says. “It’s not like either one of me is so great.”

  “Why are you putting yourself down again?” I instinctively reach out a hand to comfort him, but pull it back. We’re not there. “You’re great. Zane Winarski is great. He was a bully who decided to change, and became one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

  He closes his eyes.

  “And Desh Nonechild, he’s a hero. Like, a genuine, out-of-a-storybook hero.” I laugh. “Basically all the bullshit Mr. Miller fed me about how I was some ‘chosen one?’ That was Desh! The only logomancer who ever came close to defeating the Common King. Almost sacrificed his life to stop him. Sounds like Zane and Desh are both pretty amazing people. Right?”

  He’s quiet for a long moment, then whispers, “I guess.”

  I take his hand. It sits limply in mine.

  He’s still not saying what he means.

  “Zane, do you trust me?”

  He nods, his eyes closed.

  “Then tell me what’s going on. It can’t hurt any worse than breaking up with me would.”

  “I don’t want to tell you.”

  “Are you afraid I won’t like you anymore if you tell me?”

  He nods again.

  “I promise—”

  “Don’t promise that.” His eyes snap open and he squeezes my hand. “You can’t. There’s a lot we don’t know about each other. You can’t promise me that nothing I tell you would matter. You can’t. I couldn’t promise you that. You being the Common King mattered.”

  “You didn’t judge me for it—”

  “But it mattered, Chris.” His look is fierce. “It changed things.”

  “Okay. Yes.” I take a risk and touch his face. It’s rigid and unyielding but he doesn’t pull away. “Yes. It mattered. Whatever you have to tell me, it might matter. It might change things. But we can’t get past it if we don’t talk about it.”

  He leans his cheek into my hand. “Do you trust me?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

  I drop my hand.

  “I don’t want to break up,” he says. />
  “I don’t either.”

  “And I don’t want to lie to you.”

  “Good.”

  “But I don’t want to tell you what’s bothering me.” He shrugs. “If you can be okay with that, then we’re okay.”

  His voice is almost the cold, harsh voice of my childhood bully. Almost, but not quite. There’s something else, some other intention, hiding underneath his words.

  He wants me to say yes. He needs me to say yes.

  “Yes,” I say. “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

  “Okay.” He lets out a long breath. “Good. Thank you.”

  “But stop treating me like a stranger, okay?”

  “Yeah.” He smiles. “Yeah. Okay.”

  And he kisses me.

  It’s not as good a kiss as before. Everything still isn’t right.

  But it’s better, and I’ll settle for that.

  For now.

  Sixteen

  “Wake up! Come on, wake up!”

  Annoying noise.

  Ignore it. I’m asleep.

  “Get up.”

  Ungh. No. More sleep. I throw my arm around something furry and cuddle it.

  “I mean it!”

  Ow! Somebody kicked me. I blink my eyes open. Where the hell am I?

  In a sleeping bag. Hard floor. Bright lights shining from above. Feet all around me. I’m snuggling an elephant-cat-thing.

  Right. Basement. Museum. Hiding. World ending.

  I roll onto my back. Yasu snorts in protest.

  Alisa glares down at me. “Up! Hurry!”

  I sit up, rub my eyes, and look around. Zane and Nate are still in their sleeping bags too, looking similarly bleary-eyed and confused. Lily’s cross-legged on the cot, also just waking up. Mr. Montgomery wasn’t so keen on me and Zane sleeping in a room alone, so Nate and Lily kept us company.

  Alisa, Mr. Liefer, Andy and Mr. Ambrose are here. All four are dressed.

  “Whu-huh?” I rub my eyes. “Whuh time izit?” I smack my lips. I need to brush my teeth.

  “After two,” Alisa replies.

  Andy throws a shirt in my face. “Get dressed, all of you. We have to move.”

  Something’s wrong. I jump up and pull on the t-shirt. “What is it?”

  Zane and Lily start changing as well. “Is he here?” Lily asks. “Did he find us?”

  “He’s not here,” Andy answers. “We’re not sure if he found us.”

  “But I found him.” Alisa paces to the doorway. “And we have to go, right now.”

  I sit on the cot next to Lily and pull on my sneakers. Alisa’s wearing a plain brown t-shirt, but something’s off about it…

  “Your necklace,” I say. “Where is it?”

  She touches her chest, where it usually hangs. “Gone. Disappeared right off my neck. Woke me up.”

  “Then she woke me up,” Mr. Ambrose says, “and together we found that our other artifacts were missing, too. The minotaur trophy, the lightning bird coin, the fairy painting, and the baku screen.”

  “Yasu?” Nate’s voice has a tinge of panic, but the baku jumps to his feet at the sound of his name and runs to Nate’s sleeping bag.

  “Still here.” Mr. Ambrose pats Yasu’s head. “I don’t need the screen to keep him in our world, Nate, don’t worry.”

  “Shonda.” Zane pulls on his leather jacket. “She must have gotten in, right? You said she could only use her magic on something if she knows where it is.”

  Mr. Liefer looks at his watch. “That was before Kenny. With him amplifying her, she may no longer have that limitation.”

  “Which is why we don’t know if they’ve found us or not,” Andy adds.

  “So what are we doing?” Nate’s the only one of us who hasn’t moved. He’s sitting up in his sleeping bag, his arms folded across his chest. “Bugging out? Going to hide somewhere else?”

  “No. We’re going to him.” Alisa puts a hand to her temple. “He made a mistake taking the necklace. Tannyl was still inside, and he and I are linked. I can hear him.”

  “Tannyl knows where the necklace is? From inside it?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “But our link is strong enough for me to break through Dante’s magic and scry for him. The necklace is in a hotel in the Adirondacks. It’s gotta be the same one we rescued you from.”

  “Stop off in London first?” Zane suggests. “Pick up Ihsan and Mrs. Wollard?”

  Alisa taps her forehead. “Already spoke to them. They’ll be with us when we’re ready to cast the Moment-strengthening spell again, but Mrs. Wollard is a firm no on a direct Common King confrontation. Ihsan’s waffling, he wants to help but is afraid of retaliation against his family. We don’t have time to convince him.”

  “Exactly, no time. So hurry up!” Liefer snaps his fingers. “If we act quickly we can catch them off guard.”

  Nate reaches for his bag and opens it, but then looks at Zane. “Wanna whip me up a privacy shadow, dude? I’ll be quick.”

  Liefer waves his hand to stop him. “Don’t bother, Nate. You’re not coming.”

  “What?” Nate shakes his head. “No way. I just need two seconds.”

  “Logomancers only. You’d be a liability.”

  Mr. Ambrose coughs. “I know time is short, Ronald, but let’s not be quite so brusque, all right?” He crouches down next to Nate. “You’re never a liability, but this will either be a quick in-and-out, in which case the fewer people the better. Or it’ll be a fight, in which case—”

  “I can fight. I’ve done it before.” He looks around at the group, but sees nothing but apologetic faces. He grabs Yasu and hugs the baku’s head. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll sit here and worry. Again.”

  “Good, that’s settled.” Liefer shakes out his hands, then cracks his knuckles. “Now if we’re all dressed…?”

  Lily gets up and moves to the doorway, looking towards the stairs. “Does my mom know we’re doing this?”

  “She does not. Is that a problem?”

  She shrugs. “Not for me. It will be for you, when she finds out.”

  “What’s the goal here?” Zane asks. “We getting the necklace back?”

  “No,” Liefer answers. “We—”

  “If we can, yes,” Alisa interrupts, “but that’s not the main objective. The king needs the artifacts, so the magical creatures aren’t in immediate danger. No, we’re going after Kenny.” She gives Mr. Liefer her most serious look. “And his family. And this time we’re not leaving without them.”

  Liefer shifts his weight uncomfortably. “Of course. We need Kenny, for our spell to strengthen the Moment. And he won’t work with us unless his family is safe.”

  Andy slaps Mr. Liefer on the back. “And also, it’s the right thing to do.”

  Liefer bites his lip. “Of course. I thought that went without saying.”

  “Good luck.” I pull my pillow into my lap. “Be careful.”

  Alisa drops down on the cot next to me. “Don’t kick those shoes off just yet, sleepyhead. You’re coming.”

  “Me? I’m not a logomancer anymore.”

  Liefer nods. “Precisely what I said.”

  Alisa raises an eyebrow at him. “But the rest of us agreed that it would be good to have you along, Chris.”

  “I’m…uh…” I lean in a little closer to her. “I’m not sure I want to see him. I’m not sure I can.”

  She takes the pillow from my lap. “I know. I’m sorry. But he may feel the same way. And any advantage… You may not have his memories, Chris, but you still know him.”

  I take a breath. “Yeah. Of course I’ll come, if you think I can help.”

  Nate kicks free of his sleeping bag and gets up. “Then I’m coming too.”

  Alisa shakes her head. “Nate—”

  “Everything you just said about Chris and not-Chris applies to me and Jasmine. She’s as strong as the king. Stronger, maybe. You need somebody who knows her, and who can distract her. That’s me.”

  Alisa
twists a few braids in her hands as she considers, then lets them go. “Yeah. Okay.”

  “Yes!” Nate scoops up his duffel bag. “One second. Gotta get dressed.”

  Mr. Liefer waves his arms as if he’s trying to stop a moving train. “No! That makes eight of us! It’s absurd! Far too many.”

  Nate ignores him. “Chris, come with me.”

  He runs into the hall so I get up and jog after him. In the room opposite, empty of people, he drops his bag and fishes out his binder. “Give me a hand.” He pulls off his t-shirt.

  I grab the binder and hold it out for him. “Since when do you need help with this?”

  “It’s faster with someone else to pull down the back. And they won’t leave without you, which means they won’t leave without me.”

  “Smart.”

  “Yes I am.” He grabs the tight gray top from me and pulls it over his head. “Ugh.” He tugs the binder down. “I thought my chest would get smaller when I started on T.”

  “Looks smaller to me.”

  He frowns. “You think? I don’t see it.” He tugs on the binder again. “I slept in this our first few nights on the run, when we thought your bad twin might burn everything down around our ears at any minute. It was like sleeping with a twenty-pound weight on my chest. Smooth out the back?”

  The bottom of it has curled up in the back so I straighten it for him. “You want me to tuck it into your shorts?”

  “Nah, I’m gonna put on jeans.” He pulls a clean t-shirt on, then slips off his shorts.

  “You know we’re in a hurry, right?”

  “Just a sec.” He pulls out one pair of jeans, but I guess he doesn’t like them because he puts them back and picks out another, a black pair.

  “Are you making yourself sexy for Jasmine?”

  “What? No.” He hops around while pulling them on. “I told you. That’s over. She’s my evil ex-girlfriend, nothing more.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Any interaction we have will be purely tactical.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Shut up.” He starts to take something else out of the bag, but hesitates. “Packer or no packer?”

  “Dude.”

  “Okay, okay! I’m done.” He zips up his jeans and we run back into the other room.

  Mr. Liefer glowers at us. “Finally.”