The Common King

by Brian Olsen

  She grits her teeth and tries to talk, but only a grunt comes out. Her cheek presses into the steps so hard it’s bleeding.

  “Oh.” He drops my chin and snaps his fingers. “There you go.”

  The pressure on Mom eases, but only a little. Gritting her teeth from the effort, she pushes herself up to her hands and knees. “I sacrificed everything for you, in the world before.” She blows a strand of black hair out of her eyes. “Did you know that?”

  He shrugs. “You mentioned something about a lover you gave up.”

  “I gave him up because I believed in you. I believed that in serving you I was serving the greater good.”

  He stands. “Spare me. You saw me as an opportunity for power and wealth, just like the rest of them.”

  “That, too. But I honestly was loyal to you. To your cause.”

  “And you’ve changed that much?”

  “No.” She looks at me. “Or yes. I don’t know. I feel like the same person. But I love him. I loved his father.”

  His face twists in confusion. “False love! From a false world! Why can’t any of you see that?”

  “I do see. The Moment was wrong. Evil. The rebel logomancers stripped our selves away. Forced us to forget who we were, to love strangers. That was why I ran from Chris, from Eric. Why I ran to you.”

  He bounds over to stand in front of her. “Yes, Kelle! Exactly! So why turn on me? Why choose him?”

  “Because I know exactly how I came to love him, and why.” She smiles at me. “And I love him anyway. It wasn’t my choice then, but it is my choice now. Not the logomancers’, not Chris’s, and not yours.”

  I smile back at her. I understand. Dad would have, too. I hope she knows that.

  The king is quiet for a long moment, watching her, expressionless. Finally, he shakes his head. “Remarkable.” He turns to Jasmine. “Do you feel the same, Tes?”

  Jasmine rests her hand in Nate’s hair. “Yeah. I do. I didn’t think of it that way, but she’s right.” She puts her other hand on her heart. “I’m still with you, Kirt. A hundred percent. But I love Nate, and my parents.” She looks out over those of us kneeling at their feet. “And I even love some of them. That’s not gonna change.”

  “Thank you, Tes. And you, Kelle.” He furrows his brow. “I thought the way all of you clung to these false lives was simply due to a lack of willpower. That your feelings would fade in time. But you’ve given me a new perspective.”

  “Will you let them live?” Shonda asks. “If they stop fighting?”

  He scratches his chin. “In a sense. In a sense. I was considering destroying this city.”

  Jasmine stiffens. “You were what?”

  “My current plan isn’t working. Not fast enough, at least. The rulers of this world don’t seem capable of quick decisions, even in the face of such an overwhelming threat as myself.” He sits on the top step and stretches his legs out. “You know another word I’ve recently learned? Radioactivity. The sun is radioactive. If I ignite a nuclear explosion in one of the largest cities in the world, that might speed things up. But now I wonder if that’s thinking too small. I just don’t know.”

  And in a flash I know what he might do. Maybe because we’re so similar. If I’m right, it’s so much worse than destroying New York City.

  “Alisa.”

  “Working on a plan, Chris.”

  “No, listen to me!”

  Too late. Liefer, Mr. Ambrose, and Ihsan shout their words. “Space! Disrupt! Imprison!”

  It’s pointless. I think even if Kenny were helping it would be pointless, but without him there’s no chance. The king sort of flickers for a second, but that’s all. An annoyed look flashes across his face. He raises a finger.

  “Please.” Shonda sounds so tired. “Please, no more killing.”

  He hesitates, then calls down to the base of the steps.

  “You’ve been unusually quiet, Dante. What do you think? Should I kill them?”

  Dante kicks at a loose stone. “I mean, I haven’t loved all the killing, Chris. I mean, Kirt. I mean, Your Majesty. So if, like, not killing anybody is on the table, I’d vote for that. Especially maybe not blowing up New York? It’s a fun town. You should give it a chance.”

  The king nods as if he’s taking Dante seriously. “And you, Baroness? What do you say?”

  Mrs. Kumar looks down her nose at Kenny, kneeling at her feet. “You ordered them not to resist.” She kicks the bottom of his sneaker. “They resisted. Execute them.”

  “Hm. And New York?”

  She ponders for a moment, then nods. “Releasing the magical beasts has caused some measure of chaos and destabilization, but there’s little sign that the nations of the world are taking your claims of responsibility seriously. A broader show of force would establish you as a viable world power. Yes, Your Majesty, I think it’s a wise decision.”

  He laughs and jumps to his feet. “There’s loyalty for you! But no, Baroness, it serves my purpose to show mercy at this time.” He snaps his fingers and Mr. Ambrose and Ihsan cry out. They fall prone on the steps like my mother did. Their breathing becomes labored and heavy, then their eyes close. Mr. Ambrose gives one last rattling exhale before both of them grow still.

  “They’re alive,” the king says. “I think this will work better if they’re alive.”

  “Alisa!”

  “Chris, I’m all out of ideas!”

  “I’ve got one, but without Ihsan we’re going to need Jasmine.”

  “There’s no way she’ll help us.”

  “I think she will, if he’s planning what I think he’s planning.”

  The king takes a little tour, sweeping past each of his prisoners in turn. He pauses at Mrs. Wollard. “Who is this one again?”

  “The wolf woman.” Mrs. Kumar climbs up a few steps. “She ran and hid when you fought for the crown, choosing neither side.”

  “Hm. I’d execute you as a coward, but you showed some fortitude today.”

  The bookshop owner snarls at him. “I’ll show you fortitude, young man. Wolf!”

  Mrs. Wollard’s word transforms Mrs. Kumar into a wolf. She leaps for the king, but halts in mid-air, caught by his gravity manipulation. She kicks her legs and snarls.

  The king laughs. “You know, I can’t think of a single application of my power that would change her back. Well, one, but it’s overkill. Bravo, old woman. But I’d like my general back. Sleep.”

  Mrs. Wollard drops flat to the steps with a cry, like Mr. Ambrose and Ihsan before her. The elderly woman, tough as she is, only holds on for a second or two before blacking out. Mrs. Kumar transforms back into human form, looking incredibly pissed off, and the king lowers her gently to the steps.

  “I’m happy to put you all to sleep, if you force me.” The king moves on, stopping in front of Emmet. “This one. This one I wasn’t sure about, but I’m beginning to remember. Baroness, who is he in this world?”

  Mrs. Kumar, still a little shaky, looks Emmet up and down. “I’ve never seen him before.”

  “Yes, you have!” Jasmine says. “That’s Emmet Liefer. Mr. Liefer’s son.”

  Mrs. Kumar frowns. “Mr. Liefer has a son? I only knew of the daughter.”

  “Ah.” The king raises a finger. “Your lack of resistance to hostile magic shows itself again, Kumar. Your mind has been changed, as your body just was.” He looks Emmet in the eye. “You’re the memory thief. The cause of so many of our woes. You know, I made a promise to myself, as to what I’d do to you if I ever found you. And we all know, I never break a promise.”

  “No!” Mr. Liefer, flat on the ground, squirms. He tries to push himself up on his ruined hands but cries out in pain and falls. “No, don’t hurt him.”

  The Common King claps his hands in delight. “There we go! This is why I kept you awake, Liefer! One last test! I thought I’d have to hunt down your new wife and daughter but this is even better.”

  He points at each Liefer and raises his hands. Father and son float into the
air, arms pinned to their sides.

  “Chris.” Alisa’s voice rings in my head. “Zane can get us to safety.”

  “No. We need to stop the king here and now.”

  “I think he’s about to kill Emmet.”

  “I know. Can Zane get just him away?”

  “No. Emmet can’t pass through a portal while he’s being levitated.”

  “Then we have to wait. Maybe Mr. Liefer can get them out of here.”

  Alisa doesn’t send a coherent thought, but I feel doubt from her. And I see why. Mr. Liefer’s eyes bulge and his breathing is rapid. He’s in no fit state to cast a spell.

  The king turns to Liefer. “I need your help with this decision.” He gestures to Emmet. “I remember this man, now, from the proper world. He wasn’t your son there, was he?”

  Mr. Liefer shakes his head.

  “So he’s not really your son at all, is he?”

  Liefer swallows hard. “No.”

  “You’re nothing to each other.” He looks at Emmet. “Isn’t that right…what is it? Emmet? Isn’t that right?”

  Emmet keeps his eyes straight ahead. “That’s right. He’s nothing to me, and I’m nothing to him.”

  The king turns to his allies. “You see? This is the proper attitude.” He taps his teeth with a fingernail. “Only. I’m not so convinced. Kelle. Tes. Everyone, really. They’ve got me thinking…” He shakes his head. “Nope. Lost the thought. I suppose I’d better get on with killing you, Emmet. A promise is a promise.”

  “No!” Mr. Liefer yells. “No, no. Please. Please don’t. Space! Space!”

  “Ah!” The king slaps Liefer’s cheek gently. “None of that. I’ve got you held fast and you won’t go anywhere I don’t want you to. Unless…” He tilts his head to the side, as if considering something, then shrugs. “Well. Somebody is about to die, Liefer. Do you understand me? Somebody is about to die.”

  Liefer takes a deep breath. He grows calmer, more still. “Yes. I understand.”

  “Excellent. And so.” He climbs a few steps above where they hover, so he’s level with them. He raises a hand.

  “Don’t.” Emmet isn’t looking at the king. He’s looking at his father. “Don’t do it.”

  The king moves his hand towards Emmet, but slowly. Purposefully slowly. It glows, faintly.

  Mr. Liefer takes another breath. His blackened fingers flex.

  “Dad!” Emmet screams. “Dad, don’t! Please!”

  “I love you, Emmet,” Mr. Liefer says.

  “Dad!”

  I want to look away. I can’t.

  The Common King, finally, casts his blast of fire. It shoots towards Emmet.

  A shadow appears in front of it. A desperate attempt by Zane. The fire goes right through, bursting the shadow apart, and continues towards Emmet.

  “Space.”

  Mr. Liefer and Emmet switch places. The flames hit Mr. Liefer and engulf him. He screams and thrashes, still held in the air, as his body burns.

  The Common King laughs and claps his hands. “Excellent! Excellent!”

  Jasmine looks away. So do Shonda and Dante.

  Mrs. Kumar watches.

  “Alisa?”

  “I’m trying. Jasmine hears me but she won’t answer.”

  Emmet screams for his dying father.

  “Jaz.” Nate’s voice is sharp enough to cut through the screams. “Jasmine! Do something!”

  Jasmine shakes her head. She doesn’t look at him. At any of us.

  Mr. Liefer finally stops screaming. The flame goes out and the king flings the body into the plaza. It rolls to a stop against a crushed cafe table.

  The king climbs all the way back up to the top of the steps. He spreads his arms out and spins in a circle. Taking in the whole city. “What an incredible world my enemies built. Purely by chance! No plan, no guidance except one simple command – recreate it as it would have been without the Logos – and all these marvels were the result.” He puts his hands on his hips. “How much better, I wonder, would it have been with my guidance?”

  “Yes.” Jasmine’s voice cuts through the square. She’s slightly bent over, one fist resting on a step above her. “Yes.” Her voice is firm. “You were a great ruler, Kirt. And you will be again.” She stands upright, her face set and determined. She gives a pointed look at Alisa. “If everyone would realize how pointless it is to fight you, they’d see how much better the world will be when you’re king again.”

  He bows his head to her. “Thank you, Tes. But…when I’m king again? No, no, that’s not what I meant. You and Kelle gave me an idea, and Liefer’s willingness to sacrifice his life for a man who should have meant nothing to him…well. That clinched it. This world, I’m forced to admit, is as real as ours. Therefore, whatever world I create next will be real as well.”

  Jasmine frowns. “Whatever world you create next?”

  “Yes!” He throws his head back, grinning into the sun. “Do you know how powerful I am now, Tes? Do you truly grasp it?”

  “Alisa, you know what we need to do?”

  “Chris, are you sure about this?”

  “There’s no other choice.”

  “But—”

  “Alisa! No time!”

  “Okay. Okay. Lily’s ready. Kenny’s back with us, too. I pointed out if the king blows up New York, Bobby goes with it.”

  “I don’t think blowing up New York is his plan anymore.”

  “Emmet might not be in any state to help.”

  “We don’t need him for this. But be ready to bring in Jasmine.”

  “She says she won’t—”

  “She will, when she realizes what he’s about to do.”

  The king reaches down for Jasmine’s hand. She takes it, although her hand is shaking. He lifts her up to the step just beneath him.

  “Ever since that contagion was cut out of me,” he says, tossing a dismissive gesture in my direction, “my power has grown greater than even I could have imagined. Look up, Tes.”

  “What?”

  “Up!”

  He looks up at the bright midday sky. She does too, although she has to shield her eyes from the sun.

  “Do you see them?” he asks.

  “See what?”

  “The stars, Tes, the stars!”

  “It’s day, Kirt. You can’t see the stars during the day.”

  “I can. By the Logos, they shine so bright.” He drops her hand and spreads his arms out wide. “They shine on me! I feel them!”

  “Kirt.” Jasmine steps up next to him. “You’re scaring me a little.”

  He laughs. “You don’t need to be scared of me, Tes. Never you. Did you know that the sun is a star?”

  She throws a nervous look back at Nate. “Yes. Sure.”

  “But did you know that before the Moment?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

  “I didn’t. And if the sun is a star, then aren’t all the stars suns?”

  “I…I’m not sure.”

  “Do you know how many stars there are in the universe, Tes?”

  “No. A lot.”

  He laughs again. “One billion trillion! That’s what the internet told me. One billion trillion! I can’t even think of such a number. That many suns! All giving their power to me!”

  “Chris, if we’re doing this, it should be now.”

  “Not without Jasmine. It won’t work without her.”

  “We could try.”

  “Trust me, Alisa! We need her. And look at her. She’ll be with us.”

  Jasmine looks scared and confused. Not at all the confident Nightmare Queen.

  “Get her to ask him, Alisa. Tell her to ask him what he’s planning.”

  I don’t hear a response. But Jasmine tilts her head, then says softly, “What are you going to do with all this power, Kirt?”

  He cups her cheek in his hand. “I’m going to create a better world for us, Tes.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to recrea
te the Moment. All on my own.” He turns out to us. Fire flickers in his eyes. “I’m going to rewrite the world.”

  Thirty-eight

  Jasmine takes a half step back. “Kirt, I’m confused. You can’t create another Moment all by yourself. Can you?”

  The Common King doesn’t answer her directly. He paces up and down the steps, looking over his allies and his enemies one by one. “It’ll be a lot like this world to start, I think. There’s much I’ve grown to like about it. The internet. Air conditioning. Hotels. I’ll rewrite everyone’s lives, though. As my loyal subjects. You’ll be much happier.” He pauses in front of Tannyl and frowns. “No magical creatures. That’s something they got right. But no hiding in artifacts or storybooks this time. I’ll wipe them away completely.” He lifts Tannyl’s chin in his hand. “Maybe I’ll keep the elves as a slave race. How do you feel about that?”

  Tannyl spits in his face. The saliva hits his cheek, where it sizzles and boils away into steam.

  The king laughs and drops Tannyl’s head. “Elf slaves it is! Theen, the book, if you please.”

  Shonda’s been leaning against the glass barrier along the side of the steps for the past little while, but jumps to attention at the sound of her old name. She holds out her hands, palms up. “Conjure.” Something appears, something heavy enough that her hands drop a few inches from the weight. Creatures of Myth and Legend.

  The king takes it from her and holds it up. “Finally. I’ve been aching to be rid of this encyclopedia of abominations.” His eyes gleam, and the book burns in his hands.

  “No!” Tannyl screams. “No, monster!”

  The king laughs and laughs as the pages turn to embers and float free.

  Everyone’s stunned, even the king’s allies. Alisa’s breathing heavy, I think trying not to scream her own insults at the king. We were counting on recovering the book after the king was back in the floating room. We needed it to return the magical species to their artifacts temporarily, to defuse the tensions their sudden appearance had caused. We’d then release them again, under more controlled conditions. But that’s done. There’s no way to put them back in their artifacts now.

  But it’s even worse than that. We’re pretty sure the king didn’t retrieve every single artifact, just enough for his plan. Any species he didn’t release are now stuck in their magical prisons. Maybe Ihsan can free them. But he doesn’t know what the artifacts look like, and without the book, we’ve no way to track them down. They could stay in their dead worlds forever.