Gwenivere nodded to Dorothy. “Arthur has told me so much about you. We are happy to see that Crisa was able to restore life to you as well.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty.” Dorothy curtseyed. “And yes, I feel brand new. It almost seems too good to be true.”
“I’m afraid it is,” Merlin interjected.
I pivoted around slowly. “What do you mean?”
“While you managed to restore life to me and your friends Jason and Kai, it would seem Arthur was not so easily fixed,” Merlin replied. “That’s why I brought you here.”
I looked at Arthur, concerned. “What’s he talking about?”
“It’s coming back,” Arthur said solemnly. “My wound may have sealed perfectly after you used your magic, but the poison color that marred it in Neverland has started to return. With each day, the injury becomes more painful. I believe that it is only a matter of time before the wound opens again and kills me the way it was intended.”
“But why are you relapsing when Kai, Merlin, and I aren’t?” Jason asked.
“It turns out that Mordred stabbed Arthur with a blade laced with poison from the Questor Beast,” Gwenivere explained. “Merlin diagnosed it. The creature’s mutant poison is evidently too persistent to be quelled by magic permanently. And unlike regular toxins, there is no existing cure for that venom in natural medicine either.”
“At least not yet,” SJ chimed in. “The only reason an antidote does not exist is because no one has ever been able to properly study the Questor Beast and its genetic composition. Until now.” She addressed Blue. “I believe that with certain samples of your DNA and a little time, Merlin and I may be able to concoct something that will permanently resolve Arthur’s wound and finish the healing process where Crisa’s magic left off.”
“In the meantime, we need you to give the king another boost of your magic,” Ormé said to me. “We fear his wound may be at full force again soon, which will cause him to die. Hopefully by the time this new magic injection wears off, SJ and Merlin will have created a permanent antidote to keep our king and Dorothy from relapsing. Her fix won’t last long either, given her wound came from the same monster.”
“Merlin, you should have said something earlier.” I glanced at SJ. “You both should have.”
“We did not want to add more stress to your load,” SJ replied. “The moment we came up with this plan, Merlin used his visions to foresee when the closest set of wormholes would open to lead you back here. Then he contacted you straight away.”
“Now that you are here let us not delay any longer,” Gwenivere said. “Blue, why don’t you and Jason go with SJ and Merlin. Ormé, will you accompany Dorothy? She has been in Neverland a long time and surely could use some fresh clothes for her return journey to Oz. Crisa, you come with Arthur and me. I trust your magic has had proper time to rest since reviving Dorothy?”
“Um, I’m not sure,” I replied. “Bringing someone back to life takes a lot of power. I probably need more time to recharge.”
“You won’t know until you test it,” Merlin interjected. He gave me a look like he was posing a challenge. “Go on, Crisanta. Let’s see what you’re made of.”
old still,” I told Arthur.
The golden glow around my hand lit up like happy fire. I marveled at how easily it came, and how much satisfaction and dread that filled me with. I shouldn’t be able to do this after just reviving Dorothy. I shouldn’t, but here I was anyway.
The king and queen had taken me to a hidden study behind the throne room. Animal silhouettes were carved into the walls and a beautiful carpet lay over the wooden floor. Arthur leaned against a maroon velvet chair in the center of the room. He’d taken his shirt off and I could see what everyone meant about his wound making a comeback.
Mordred had stabbed Arthur from behind in the lower back. The wound had looked sealed and healed last I’d seen it; now green and black jagged marks formed beneath the increasingly-translucent skin around his scar. Blood had also coagulated into dark bruises around the marks. It was a lot to look at, and I felt certain in that moment that I did not have what it took to be a doctor.
Gwenivere nervously crossed her arms at first, then stepped forward and put one of her hands over Arthur’s for support.
All right. Here we go.
I placed both my glowing hands on Arthur’s back over the injury. Most of my resurrection work involved people who were already dead or on the verge of death. I wondered if this life booster task would be any more difficult, especially considering how much magic I’d already used today. After a moment, I realized it wasn’t.
Arthur’s bruises and green-black marks were driven back by my light. Soon his whole injury was consumed in gold and then obliterated entirely by a final burst of magic. This pulse, however, was more controlled than the one I’d released during Dorothy’s healing; I was only thrust back a couple of feet. As for pain and exhaustion, I barely felt anything—even less than what I’d felt after using my power on Dorothy when it should’ve been the opposite. I looked at my hands. I should’ve been more tired now. How could I possibly feel stronger?
Sparks flashed over Arthur’s scar. After a moment, the king nodded and straightened up, grabbing his shirt from a nearby coat hook. His blue irises sparkled with a temporary gold rim.
“Crisa,” he said as he placed the shirt over his head. “I will never cease to be amazed by how powerful you are. I feel good as new once again. Thank you. Sincerely.”
“You’re welcome sincerely,” I said. “I can’t imagine how scary it must’ve been for you guys when you realized the wound hadn’t properly healed.”
Gwenivere nodded solemnly. “While I have complete faith in SJ and Merlin, if you didn’t have dire responsibilities elsewhere, I would implore you to stay in residence in case we need you at a moment’s notice to handle this again. It never hurts to have an all-powerful ally close by.”
“All-powerful no, but ally yes,” I replied. “You both know that I’m only a Mark Two call and a couple realm hops away if you ever need me. I know I have a lot going on, but I promise I’ll never let you down. No matter the distance.”
“You know the same applies for Gwenivere and me,” Arthur said. “Merlin and SJ have kept us informed of what you’re facing in Book and the trial that approaches. Whatever you go up against, trust me, when you need us, we will be there.”
“Thank you, Arthur, but I—”
A knock came at the door and Merlin peeked his head inside. “Artie, you okay?”
“Good as new, old man,” Arthur replied. “How are things going with the ladies?”
“SJ has taken several samples from Blue already,” Merlin said, entering the study. “She wants to run Blue through a few drills to get additional samples. Should be another half hour. Crisanta, will you join me? I need a word.”
I stiffened involuntarily, but acquiesced. Although I didn’t like Merlin’s tendency to mess with my head, I had come to terms on our last adventure that despite how Merlin made me feel, he always did have the best intentions in mind. Those intentions just came at the cost of my own comfort.
I left Arthur and Gwenivere in the study and followed the wizard. “Any word on Sir Balin’s curse?” I asked in a hushed voice as we walked.
“Not yet,” he said. “But I am going to try something a bit . . . unorthodox.”
“What?”
“I’d rather not say—I don’t want to get your hopes up—but it will be our best shot, so trust me.”
“You know that I don’t.”
“But you know that I will do whatever I can for the greater good. And I agree with what you said about saving Daniel from that curse. It is for the greater good because it impacts you directly. Crisanta . . .” He paused and looked at me seriously, a rare spark of kindness in his eyes. “I am going to do everything I can to help you with this.”
Then he waved his hand abruptly and broke the moment of sincerity, continuing up the hall then
down a long flight of stairs. “Anyway, of the two of us, I am far more trustworthy. You are a liar.”
I crunched my eyebrows. “What? Why?”
“You keep asserting that you don’t have the power to do things, but you do.”
“That’s not a lie; that’s an honest deduction,” I refuted. “What I said to you guys after the Vicennalia Aurora is true. I don’t have the power to repeat the feats I performed that day. It would be impossible without the extra boost.”
“Maybe,” Merlin concurred. “Perhaps you’re not as strong as you were that day, but I do believe that you are much stronger now than you were before that day. You’re merely too afraid to find out how much.”
He wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t going to tell him that though.
“Well, I’m definitely low on magic now,” I announced confidently. “That’s two revivals in one day, and a cool jungle Pegasus I made earlier. That’s a lot.”
“Uh-huh. Sure you are. Now come, take a look at this.” Merlin had led us through a corridor I hadn’t been in before. We arrived at a metal door.
“Leave your backpack out here,” he instructed.
I slid off the straps and leaned the pack against the wall. Merlin ushered me into a huge room. It looked like a combat arena. The walls were at least forty feet high. A big circular metal door was built in the wall opposite us.
“This is where Artie used to run some of his more . . . abstract combat drills,” Merlin explained. “The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of a special magic-coated platinum that make this room indestructible. There are several miniature projection orbs mounted in key spots so trainers could watch his fighting in the adjacent room and give feedback.”
“And what’s with all that?” I asked, gesturing at a pile of miscellaneous junk in the corner—chairs, blankets, lamps, bricks, scraps of metal, and so forth
“That’s for you,” Merlin said. He pushed me roughly into the center of the room. I stumbled, and by the time I found my footing, he’d exited the way we’d come in and slammed the door shut. I raced for the door but it was locked.
“Merlin!” I banged on it angrily. There was no response.
I strode to the center of the room and waited. Eventually his voice came through an intercom in the ceiling.
“Crisanta, I am doing this for your own good. We’re too far in your storyline for you to be giving excuses or moving backward. Own what you are, even if you’re afraid of it. If you’re too scared to test your power on your own, you need someone to give you a push.”
A grinding sound drew my attention. The circular metal door was spiraling open, revealing a tunnel. It was completely dark inside except for two red dots. They blinked and began to get closer. I backed up.
“This is a Muckrack,” Merlin’s voice said over the intercom. “Pulled fresh from the Passage Perelous this morning. “Watch out for the globs and its tail.”
“Merlin!” I shouted.
The creature crawled from the tunnel and revealed itself. The Muckrack had the evil clown face of a possum and a body four times the size of SJ’s Griffin. Its furry-toed paws were larger still, making them disproportionate with the rest of the creature. When the Muckrack fully stepped into the light I saw that its long, naked rodent tail had hundreds of quills the size of sewing needles glistening along it.
The Muckrack did not look pleased. It blinked at me. Then without needing further provocation, swung its tail in my direction. I dodged and pulled out my wandpin.
Lapellius.
Shield.
It transformed in the nick of time. Merlin hadn’t warned me about the lasers in the Muckrack’s eyes. Twin red beams burst from its sockets and bounced off my shield then started ricocheting off the metal walls. I had to dart across the room to avoid being hit on the rebound, and stay away from the monster trudging after me in the process. Luckily, the Muckrack was fairly slow and not particularly good at turning fast.
Eventually the lasers smacked into the pile of junk in the corner. They obliterated a lamp and then extinguished. I was relieved until I tried to take a step back and realized I couldn’t. My right foot was stuck in a brownish splotch of goop, like mud crossed with maple syrup. It was the size of one of the Muckrack’s paws. The floor was covered with these goopy paw prints; the Muckrack was producing them, but didn’t get stuck by them.
“I warned you about the globs,” Merlin’s voice said. “Muckracks hunt prey like spiders—trapping victims in their secretion. Then they corncob what they catch by stabbing the victims through the heart with their tails.”
The Muckrack circled around and fired another set of lasers. I blocked, sending the beams bouncing off the walls again. I tried to yank my boot free, but it was no good. I wormed my foot out of my shoe and hopped around the other globs on the floor, heading for the open tunnel. I stopped suddenly when I saw another pair of red eyes in the darkness.
“Muckracks mate for life,” Merlin said over the intercom. “I couldn’t separate the set.”
A loud huff came from behind me. The first Muckrack was merely two meters away. I turned my shield into a spear and lunged. What happened next was totally unexpected; the Muckrack’s surprisingly long tongue whipped out, lashed around my spear, and pulled it out of my grip. The tongue then tossed the weapon across the room. The spear fell close to the pile of junk.
I dove out of the way as the Muckrack’s tail whipped around. Rolling to my feet, I dashed for my spear. By then the second Muckrack had emerged from the tunnel, blocking the left side of the room. The first monster was on my right. Its red eyes began to glow as I snatched up my weapon.
Shield.
The lasers rebounded. As I’d hoped, they sprung off my angled shield to blast the second Muckrack’s face. The creature emitted a low, warbling growl but didn’t seem too affected. Both Muckracks began to move toward me. I glanced back at the pile of junk.
Dang it.
I ignited my magic. It was easier than I thought it would be, just as Merlin had assumed. The golden glow consumed the junk behind me. Following my will, items contorted together and formed the body of a vaguely human-shaped fighter that charged forward and tackled the second Muckrack. My junk creature and the wild monster thrashed violently. Teeth were shown and punches were thrown, culminating in a violent wrestling match at the back of the room. That only left Muckrack number one to deal with.
It lashed its tail at me. A leftover chair launched forward upon my bidding. The chair had an open back and the Muckrack’s tail ran through it like a thread through a needle. On my telepathic command the chair twisted sideways, pinning the tail down. I sent another two chairs at the Muckrack to herd it back like a lion tamer at the circus.
With both creatures temporarily restrained, I made a dash for the door. It was a safer bet than the tunnel, considering I didn’t know what else was down there. As I raced for the exit I began the telepathic command to disassemble it. Golden light coated the door. A hole punched through its center that started to widen—fragments of metal peeling apart like the skin of a giant tangerine. The metal in this room may have been coated with some enchantment that made it indestructible, but it was not made of Jacobee stone, Stiltdegarth blood, or anything else that could stop me. I was evidently more powerful than it was.
Chunks of the door began to fly outward. I was nearly free when Muckrack number one threw itself sideways, rolling into a ball and escaping the chairs pestering it. This put the monster right in my path. I changed course abruptly to keep from getting run over, but in doing so both my feet got trapped in a glob of muck on the floor. I lost my balance and fell backward, dropping my shield and landing on my butt. I reflexively had landed with one hand bracing against the ground, which got it stuck in the muck as well.
The Muckrack prowled toward me. A loud shattering made me flinch, and a glance proved my fears correct—the junk creature I’d built was almost smashed to pieces. The second Muckrack would be free soon to rejoin the hunt.
My eyes darte
d back to my present problem as the tail of the first Muckrack cracked like a whip. My heart bounded into my throat, and I lifted my free hand to do the only thing I could.
I’m sorry.
My golden glow consumed the Muckrack in an instant and the most horrible thing I had in my potential unleashed. The energy violently seared the Muckrack as surges of gray flooded through the light. Bits of the creature’s body turned darker and floated into the air as ash. These disintegrating pieces of the monster swirled in the gold and gray magic as I sucked life from the Muckrack. The second monster drew closer aggressively and I focused my power on it too. Both Muckracks were now at my mercy as I started to cross the Malice Line.
Although I was concentrating on the task at hand, I couldn’t help noticing how different it felt to utilize my magic in this way now. Like giving life, taking life with my magic used to be a lot more physically taxing. It still put a strain on me, but significantly less than in the past. Most of the pain this action caused me at the moment was emotional.
The first time I had truly taken life had been an accident, a protective reflex where my magic had stepped in. What I was doing now was protective too, but it was not a reflex; it was a choice. That’s what hurt me the most. I couldn’t blame what was happening on anything but myself. Which meant only I could choose how this ended.
My glow was getting brighter and the amount of ash floating off the creatures increased as they writhed on the ground—more and more pieces of their forms erasing from existence. I knew they would be dead soon. If I was going to rein it in I had to do it now, but that was easier said than done.
If there was one thing I’d learned about my magic, it was that the more I unleashed, the harder it was to draw back. It liked being released, and I was self-aware enough to accept that a part of me loved releasing it. In spite of that, I fought the urge to finish the deeply satisfying action and severed my magic’s hold before I could fully cross the Malice Line. Now that was difficult and painful.
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