Daniel didn’t say anything in response to that. We walked the remainder of the way in silence. It wasn’t until we saw Lucky and I was about to wish Daniel goodbye that he touched my arm.
“Same.”
That was all he said. Then he pulled away and headed off in the other direction.
I stood there for a moment, secure and settled in a good place. His touch had surprised me, but his sentiment hadn’t. I knew he meant it and I think I’d known for some time.
entury City was a marvelous metropolis rich in architectural beauty. Modern highrises and twisting apartment complexes resided among cylindrical towers characteristic of classic fairytale castles. Bright colors throughout the structures were enhanced by metallic and glass elements inlaid in their composition.
As my friends and I flew over the city on our individual Pegasi, headed for my trial, I sighed with relief to see much of the city was whole; the damage from the dragon attack hadn’t taken away its essence. There were scorch marks on buildings. Some empty spots existed where structures had been demolished. Quite a few skyscrapers had been decapitated or had chunks missing. Yet, life had gone on and rebuilding was in full swing.
Majestic construction cranes were spread throughout the capital, stretching over streets like giant giraffes as they placed beams into broken buildings like a surgeon fusing metal to damaged bones. Support rafters connected gutted buildings like skin fragments reaching toward one another to seal structural wounds. As we flew, I spotted several Fairy Godmother teams hovering near the tops of skyscrapers, unleashing surges of their classic red magic, which resulted in small sections of the buildings getting rebuilt. The ladies weren’t all-powerful, but this diligent, consistent work surely bore great results over time.
We neared the center of the city. The Capitol Building—the heart of government for our entire realm—came into view. This structure had been seriously repaired since its dragon-inflicted injuries.
My friends and I approached on our small, but impressive fleet of Pegasi that we’d borrowed from the schools. Ordinarily I would’ve opted to ride Lucky, but given what this city just went through because of a dragon, we thought it would be smarter and less controversial to arrive on Pegasi.
I pat Sadie’s neck with affection as we descended. We landed in the cleared roundabout in front of the Capitol Building where a group of Century City guards waited for us.
Traffic in the surrounding streets had been shut down. As soon as we landed, the guards marched over.
“We are here to watch your steeds for the duration of the trial,” one guard said.
My friends and I obliged and handed over the reins to our Pegasi.
“Try not to park ’em too far,” Girtha said, slapping her reins into the hand of a guard.
I placed my hands on my hips and addressed our stiff welcoming committee. “So who’s going to show us the way?”
A lead guard with significantly more decorations on his uniform waved us forward. A crew of ten of his men escorted us toward the building. As we walked, I was very aware of the many other groups of guards in the vicinity, watching us. This area was always heavily armed during a Century City Summit since all our realm’s ambassadors were here at the same time, but I suspected there was extra staff on duty since today’s Summit ended with my trial.
I looked up at the stunning white structure as we drew near. The Capitol Building’s cupola had been damaged substantially during the dragon attack. However, while a few rafters and other signs of construction remained, for the most part it was whole again.
As I took in the tall Corinthian columns that led to the main door under the shadow of the cupola’s grand clock, I felt my heart speed up a bit.
I glanced at my friends. Daniel and Kai were on my right as we crossed the street. Marie was on my left. “Gordon is sorry that he and Javier could not be here,” she whispered when she saw me looking her way.
“It’s all right,” I replied. “I have plenty of support here, and he and Javier called me this morning on the Mark Two to convey theirs.”
We climbed up the steps and I experienced déjà vu from the first time our team had come to Century City. We’d fled down these stairs to escape Arian’s men. I paused and gazed back at the street.
“You okay?” Chance asked, putting his hand on my arm.
“Fine,” I said. I took a deep breath and turned my attention forward again. “Just like everything’s going to be.”
I’d had plenty of anxieties about this moment. At the end of this I could be sent to Alderon, where Nadia and her people would tear me apart or try to turn me full evil. I could be sentenced to some other kind of purgatory or jail, perhaps get locked away in an isolated kingdom for all eternity like Liza. Or maybe there was another way I could be imprisoned that was unique to me specifically. Overall, there were a lot of potential terrible outcomes to this day. But I wasn’t going to let that dread drown me like Lenore likely wanted. It was the hour of my judgment, and I was ready. I’d spent so much time wondering how to handle this challenge until I’d finally realized that the best way was just that—to handle it. That’s what I was doing. I was going to go in there, hold my head high, and defend myself.
Our group of nine was taken through several elaborate halls. The marble tiles, golden fixtures, and old paintings blended together in my peripherals like I had tunnel vision as I waited for my target to come into view. Finally, there it was—the epic gold-encrusted doors that connected to the Summit’s meeting chamber.
Guards pushed the doors open and we entered. All twenty-six ambassadors sat behind a large semicircular desk facing us. An elevated second level of desks behind them held thirteen women I didn’t recognize but assumed were Fairy Godmothers based on who sat at their center: Lena Lenore. Lenore’s chair was notably bigger and more decorative than the others, almost like a throne. The Godmother Supreme wore a sleeveless white fitted dress with a high neck. Her jewelry was simple—a single crystal on a chain that dangled like a lone star from her neck. Her lush black hair fell upon her shoulders and the dark skin of her toned arms. The woman’s expression remained unmoving, but her intense hazel eyes shone with focus.
The Godmothers and ambassadors went silent as I walked in. It was crazy to see all of them together like this. It was also intimidating. After the kings and queens of each kingdom, the ambassadors were next in line in terms of leadership responsibilities, which theoretically made these men and women the third most important and powerful people in their individual lands.
The guards guided my friends to a section of wooden benches on the left side of the entry doors, stacked in four rows like bleachers. I was bummed to see them empty. SJ hadn’t made it. I was sad, but didn’t blame her; she couldn’t control when and where wormholes appeared.
I started toward the bleachers with my friends, but the lead guard directed me to a spot in the center of the round room. The spot had a shimmering golden sun on the floor—rays bursting out in gold, orange, and red. I planted my feet on the surface of the sun facing the ambassadors and Godmothers—the men and women who would be my judges and jury. I met Lenore’s gaze across the space.
“Sir Jeffries,” a female ambassador in a red blazer said to the lead guard. “Are all the witnesses ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Then we may commence.”
The doors closed with a powerful thud, but I didn’t flinch. I proceeded to meet the eyes of every ambassador in the room. Each one had a nameplate in front of him or her. That was helpful, as I only knew a few of them personally.
First, there was the ambassador of my own kingdom, Susannah Marberg. I’d grown up admiring and caring for her, but we’d had a falling out when I discovered the ambassadors’ corruption of protagonist selection and learned that she’d gone along with it. I hadn’t forgiven her and would probably never trust her again. However, we’d come to a truce after the commons rebellion attack in Midveil. She gazed at me with sympathy for a moment, but it s
eemed that’s all her conscience could take. She promptly swept her long, reddish hair off the shoulder of her navy blazer and looked away.
Other than Susannah, I only recognized the faces of two other ambassadors. Mr. Zachary Shewd—the ambassador from SJ’s kingdom of Dobb—wore a dark blue suit with a silver and gold tie and matching pocket square. Sarah Steinglass, ambassador to Adelaide, sat in the chair below Lenore’s seat. The woman wore a black suit jacket and white chiffon blouse. She was the shortest of all the adults present, though she was rather sturdily built with big arms and big boobs.
Aside from Lenore I didn’t recognize any of the Godmothers. I had hoped to see my own Fairy Godmother, Debbie Nightengale, among those assembled in the second row, but regrettably she was absent from the party. I wondered where she was. I had assumed she wouldn’t miss this.
“Princess Crisanta Katherine Knight,” Ambassador Steinglass said in her trademark booming voice. “You have been brought here today to stand trial for your Pure Magic, which grants you the power of life. Proceed with great reverence and gratitude, for this is a courtesy we have never before extended to someone with Pure Magic Disease. At the end of these proceedings we will decide your fate based on the cases presented, witness testimonies, and the overarching interest of the realm. Sir Jeffries, please bring forth the Book of Bindings.”
I pivoted as the lead guard approached me again, now holding an old, leather-bound book with silver detailing.
“The Book of Bindings is one of our realm’s most sacred texts,” Ambassador Steinglass continued. “The book was created long before our history. It contains the most permanent and powerful magic spells in our realm—spells that do not require users to possess their own magic to cast. Magic is inlaid in the incantations. Anyone who speaks them aloud will activate their power.”
Sir Jeffries opened the book and flipped past the first three pages. I noticed the titles on them: “’Til Death Do Us Part,” “Midnight Law,” and “Lightning in a Bottle.” The fourth page, which Sir Jeffries stopped at, bore a simple title: “Truth.”
“Please recite the incantation,” Ambassador Steinglass instructed. “It will bind your words to honesty for the next twenty-four hours, allowing for a fair trial, free of deceit. All ambassadors invoke the power of this spell at the start of every Century City Summit. The Godmothers present have also been sworn in by the same magic.”
Sir Jeffries looked at me. “Place your hand on the blank page opposite the spell and read the incantation aloud.”
I did as instructed, and as I began to read, the words under the Truth spell rippled with blue light.
“Beneath fear and self-preservation,
Past uncertainty and personal motivation,
Let truth be spoken without hesitation,
For twenty-four hours this bond is taken.”
The whole book glowed for a second and the words shimmered like liquid metal. When the effect ceased, Sir Jeffries closed the book and returned to his post at the back of the room with the other guards.
“Now then,” Ambassador Steinglass said. “Let us begin. Princess Knight, do you have anything to say for your opening statement?”
Earlier in the week I had pondered what I would say when finally allowed to address these people. This was the first trial of its kind, so I wasn’t sure what the formatting was going to be, and Lenore certainly hadn’t sent me an itinerary. But I was familiar enough with general judicial proceedings to figure I may get the chance to say something. And yet, despite what I’d prepped, I knew then I didn’t need a memorized speech. The words were right there on the surface. I think they’d been there for a while.
“I didn’t ask for magic,” I stated clearly. “No more than I asked to be assigned as a protagonist or be born a princess. I was dealt a hand like everyone else in this realm and have chosen to play it to the best of my ability. Since the moment I found out about my powers, I have worked hard to control them and have used them to save others, defeat villains, and do as much good as possible. The condemnation you’re putting on me is undeserved and frankly an irresponsible use of time and resources. You’re all aware of the bigger threats out there, including the commons rebellion and the antagonists’ plot. All I want is to help, and to continue using my powers for the greater good. I realize I’m an easier target because I am right here and within your control, but you should stop focusing your energies on me and instead work toward taking on the real problems facing us. I understand that I am something new and that my powers are strong so you’re not sure how to deal with me, but I hope that through this trial you all can come to trust me, even if you are afraid of me.”
Lena Lenore didn’t blink. Most men and women were similarly stone-faced as my words settled.
“Very boldly spoken, Princess Knight,” the ambassador in a red blazer eventually said. Her nameplate identified her as Ambassador Dodge. “But you must realize that your disease almost always corrupts its hosts. We have never allowed someone with Pure Magic to walk around freely. There is no precedent for that.”
“But there is.” I directed my attention to Lena Lenore. “Do you want to tell them, or should I?”
Lenore had been uncharacteristically silent until now, watching the players of the show deliver their opening lines. She folded her hands together and at last addressed me. “I am sorry to disappoint you, Crisanta, but that ploy is a dead end for you. Contrary to what you may believe, I want the outcome of this trial to be just. So I have already revealed to this entire assembly that our Author is my sister Liza and that the source of her foresight is her extremely developed Pure Magic. They agreed that my motivations for keeping Liza’s identity a secret all these years are fair. Additionally, while they recognize that Liza is proof of a person’s ability to avoid being corrupted by Pure Magic Disease, she is the one and only example. Therefore her existence does not better your odds significantly.”
“I’m not talking about Liza,” I said bluntly. “I’m talking about the other powerful person who’s managed to avoid Pure Magic corruption. Someone you created.”
Suddenly the doors burst open. A crowd of people strut into the meeting hall, flanked by guards hurrying to catch up with them. I smiled. For once, I was glad that Merlin always seemed to be one step ahead. The wizard came to stand next to me while SJ, Arthur, Dorothy, and Oz’s thirteen-year-old queen Ozma joined my friends on the bleachers.
“You made it!” I exclaimed.
“My ears were burning,” Merlin said with a wink.
“Godmother Supreme, we beg your forgiveness,” said one of the guards. “The lot of them appeared on the Capitol steps through a silver portal. It closed shortly thereafter.”
“I can’t believe you all came,” I said, looking over my growing group of supporters.
“I told you, Crisanta, when you need us, we will be there,” Arthur responded.
“Princess Knight, what is the meaning of this?” Mr. Shewd asked. “Who are these people?”
“I can answer that, Zachary,” SJ replied to her kingdom’s ambassador. She stood in front of the first row of benches and put her hands on her hips unapologetically. “You have gathered an assembly to support the Godmother Supreme and her version of justice. We have done the same to support ours. May I introduce you to King Arthur of Camelot, the fierce and famous protagonist Dorothy Gale, and Queen Ozma of Oz. Oh, and of course, the great and powerful Merlin.”
At that, my princess friend smoothed out her dress and sat on the spectators’ bench beside Jason, taking off her satchel and placing it next to her.
“The girl’s great at formal introductions,” Merlin said throwing a thumb back in SJ’s direction. “I’m a little more casual.” He locked eyes with the Godmother Supreme. “Hello, Lena.”
She looked so dumbstruck it made me want to grin ear to ear. “You’re not on the witness list, Merlin,” Lenore stated. “Your testimony has no validity here.”
“I’m sorry, but am I not—as my princess apprentice just dec
lared—the great and powerful Merlin? I am the most legendary wizard in all the realms. That’s not ego; that’s fact. Which means my word is valid, everywhere. Now you, jockstrap,” Merlin gestured to Sir Jeffries, “bring me that dang magic book so I can get sworn in.”
The guard hesitated for a moment—frozen with surprise like the rest of the Godmothers and ambassadors—but then stepped forward obediently. Merlin didn’t wait for Jeffries to open the book. Instead, he turned to the appropriate page himself. I guess he was familiar with the text.
Merlin quickly recited the spell with his hand on the book. When the glow faded and Jeffries had retreated to the back of the room, Merlin addressed the court again.
“Well, then. It seems we are out of formalities.”
I pivoted toward Lena Lenore and smiled with my eyes. “Do you have anything to say for your opening statement?”
“Godmother Supreme?” Susannah tilted her head to better see the woman.
Lena Lenore leaned back in her chair, her hands still folded. The shock had melted from her face and I could tell she’d already re-strategized. While I detested her, I found her fascinating to watch. How the woman could manage to always appear so in control, powerful, and intimidating—even when she had just been blindsided—was unparalleled. If I could ever add a personality trait of hers into my repertoire, I would pick that. The woman probably won poker games without even drawing cards.
“Many years ago, the man you all know as the great and powerful Merlin was nothing but a simple music teacher in Camelot,” Lenore began. “While traveling to that realm on business, I was attacked by the dreaded monster known as the Questor Beast. Merlin rescued me and as per Godmother tradition, I rewarded his good deed. I was younger then and more naïve; I mistakenly gave him a spark of magic as his reward—an action I never took again given the consequences of that day. Merlin’s spark bonded to him and he developed Pure Magic. I did not see him as a threat to our realm, as he was a citizen of Camelot, but I felt guilty about the matter and decided to see if I could train him to control his powers like my sister had. I felt a responsibility to try, given that if he turned dark and attacked Camelot, the innocents he hurt would be on my head. So I worked with him for many years. Lo’ and behold, the man was able to beat his disease and offer great assistance to his realm and its rulers.”
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