Into the Gray

by Geanna Culbertson

  “Hi you guys! Having fun?”

  “Yeah, though not as much as you,” I commented, nodding at the twin cupcakes. “I approve tremendously.”

  “It’s graduation season and my motto is live, laugh, and cover everything in frosting,” Jacqueline replied. “See you two later.”

  We waved to Jacqueline, then Girtha looked both ways to make sure no faculty was looking. There may not have been a rule against it, but our predominantly uptight staff probably would freak if they saw how Girtha was leaning over the cupcake tower. I kept an eye out as she used her massive height to her advantage and reached for the desired cupcake. “Got it!”

  I eyed her dress, and then the cupcake tower where a few cupcakes had been smushed slightly. “You got some green frosting on your dress, Girtha.”

  Girtha had just taken an enormous bite, and she looked down. “Good thing my dress is green then,” she mumbled around the mouthful. Taking a couple napkins, she wiped at the frosting, smudging it into the fabric. Surprisingly, the stain now looked like it was a part of the pattern.

  I smiled. “I’m going to miss you too, you know that?”

  “Crisa, I’m not graduating.”

  “No, I mean over the summer. You’re fun and hilarious and ridiculous in the best kind of way. And I feel like I’ve only just started getting to know you.”

  “So invite me to your house sometime,” she said, taking a smaller bite.

  “You’d come?”

  She swallowed. “Well, I’d have to pencil you in between picking berries in the forest and wood-chopping . . . Of course I’d come, dummy. I’ve never been to a castle before.”

  “All right. Cool! We’ll try to do it when we’re not dealing with . . .” I frowned.

  “Antagonists, commons rebellion stuff, and trying to access the memories of a comatose classmate?”

  “Yeah, that.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” suggested Girtha. She delicately wiped her fingers on a fresh napkin then tossed her trash. “Why don’t we just pick a day and I’ll mark it in my calendar with an asterisk that says: May be cancelled due to last minute crazy plot twist.”

  I smirked. “Sounds like a good idea.”

  “You know what else is a good idea? Accepting a dance with that handsome fellow while he’s managed to escape the army of girls after him.” She pointed behind me.

  Chance walked over to where we stood. He looked handsome. He looked confident. And I didn’t have a problem with either.

  “Ballroom dance rules should be a two-way street,” the prince said as he joined us. “If the rules state that a girl must dance with a guy for at least ten minutes before someone can cut in, why can’t it work the other way too? I faked a bathroom break and temporarily escaped the girls on my dance card. If you ask me to dance right now, then I think we can hang out for ten minutes before another girl can cut in.”

  “Well, if you insist,” Girtha said, taking Chance by the arm.

  His shocked expression was priceless. “I, uh . . .”

  “I’m kidding,” she said, slapping Chance on the back. “Geez, I didn’t know good-looking people could be so awkward.” She laughed and pushed him forward. “He’s all yours, Crisa.” With that, Girtha happily strode off.

  My face broke into a grin and I laughed. Chance laughed too.

  “So, do you want to?” he asked.

  “Sure.” I stepped toward him but he didn’t lift his arm to escort me to the dance floor. Instead, he took a step back.

  “Okay, ask me.”

  “What?”

  “Given ball dynamics, you need to be the suitor who asks me to dance,” Chance said smugly.

  I tilted my head, but then smiled.

  “Okay, fine,” I said, accepting the challenge. “I remember how you asked me to dance the first ball of the school year. Let me see if I can mirror your chivalry and integrity.” I bowed dramatically and made my tone a little deeper.

  “Prince Chance Darling, I find that you adequately meet my attractiveness level, despite your cocky nature and slightly masculine nose. Won’t you please do me the honor of this dance?” “Oh, Crisanta,” Chance said in a high-pitched, mocking voice. He waved his hand haughtily. “I don’t know if I can. I’m far too busy being witty and sarcastic to care about your feelings. Warrior princess. Feminism. Combat boots.”

  I grinned at him. “Not a bad impression.”

  “Same to you,” he said. Then his face cringed a bit. “I really did call your nose slightly masculine, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, but you weren’t wrong. Now come on.” I offered him my hand. “Let’s do this.”

  Chance twirled me onto the dance floor. We didn’t talk. We didn’t overanalyze. We didn’t do anything but step and spin and sway. I felt lost in the music. Ten minutes had never flown by so quickly. But inevitably, a girl with dark hair, a strappy dress, and a lot of bosom came to cut in. Chance smiled apologetically, but I was fine and waved him goodbye. I’d had a great time and we would hang out again soon. I started to head off the dance floor when Daniel came out of nowhere.

  “Hey, I feel like I haven’t seen you all night,” he said.

  “You’ve been dancing all night,” I replied. “You’ve come a long way from having two left feet.”

  “You’ve come a long way from crushing them,” he retorted amicably. “What do you say, you want to dance? The ball’s going to be over soon.”

  “What happened to Kai?”

  “She wanted to spend some time at the buffet. Dumplings are her favorite food and according to her, she’s danced enough tonight to work off the calories for a tray of them.”

  “I like the logic,” I said. “Aren’t you tired, though?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, but I figured you and I started the school year with a dance at our first ball, why not finish with a dance at our last one?” He offered his hand.

  “All right . . .”

  Now it was Daniel’s turn to twirl me onto the dance floor. He and I didn’t dance in silence. We never did anything in silence, really. We had too much fun sniping at each other. Even in the aftermath of my trial, although there were massive changes to my life, he respected my wishes to not dwell on the verdict, and we talked nonstop during Twenty-Three Skidd practice and our after-practice hang out sessions this week. We’d covered dozens of topics in that time, from exams and teachers to our favorite summer memories.

  “I was thinking about what you told me the other day about going mushroom hunting in the forest with your brothers when you were little,” Daniel said as he turned me.

  “It was an activity that involved cooking and eating what you find—what’s not to like? You’re not going to make more jokes about it, are you?”

  He spun me again. “No, I was going to say that the forest outside of Century City is actually known for its mushrooms. A lot of the fine-dining restaurants in the capital get ingredients from there. You could come visit Kai and me during the summer if you want, and we could all hang out.”

  I grimaced slightly. “I appreciate the offer, Daniel. But I don’t think I’m a welcome visitor in the capital anymore. It feels too weird to be there. I went for the trial because I had to, but I’d rather not go back for a while. I hope you understand.”

  He gave me a remorseful look. “Oh. Yeah, I get that. Dumb offer.”

  “Nice offer,” I corrected. “Just not ideal given my rep. But it’s okay. Besides, I’m sure we’ll see each other over break. We probably have another mission or battle in the near future. Our enemies have been quiet for over a month. That’s not like them. The last time we went this long without interaction they were plotting substantially. Which leads to the bad feeling I’ve been having that they’re going to strike soon in a big way. Add to that, once we find a way to wake Mauvrey and get Paige’s memories out of her, there’ll be no coming back from the domino effect.”

  “I get what you’re talking about,” Daniel admitted. “I feel it too; like we’re all just biding time be
fore the next quest or attack. I guess it’s wishful thinking that we can do something normal over the summer. Though, if it helps your optimism . . . I think there will come a day when we won’t have to worry about all this stuff and we can be what we want to be.”

  “And what’s that?” I asked.

  “Just two people with lives to live.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Is there anything better?”

  I smiled.

  “Crisa, Daniel!” Javier and Divya hurried over to us, their faces etched with worry.

  I stopped smiling.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, dropping Daniel’s hand.

  “Jason got a call on his Mark Two from Dorothy,” Javier said. “There’s been an attack on the Emerald City. Glinda is down. The antagonists are trying to take Mauvrey.”

  After speaking to Dorothy, Blue and Jason had let Lady Agnue know the situation and she had excused our group from the ball. The closest room where we could reconvene with some privacy was the school spa and lounge. Blue and Jason had picked the lock and were just entering when we caught up with them.

  I hadn’t been in here in a really long time. Though, given my stress levels, the occasional massage probably wouldn’t have been the worst idea. Too bad the waiting list was always a mile long and I couldn’t plan months in advance. You never knew when the next kidnapping attempt or enemy attack would occur.

  Marie had gone to find Gordon and Chance, but the rest of the team had assembled. To avoid drawing attention to ourselves, we didn’t turn on any lights; only the glowing fountains along the pale yellow walls offered luminescence. The lighting was soft but sufficient.

  “I called SJ to fill her in on our way over here,” Blue said, placing her open compact on one of the tables. “She’s still on the line.” SJ’s worried face filled the looking glass. It was a good thing most of Blue’s dresses had pockets; my Mark Two was up in our room.

  “Okay, what’s the full story?” I asked Jason.

  “Dorothy said there was an explosion at the main entrance of the Emerald City that took out several defense turbines in the outer moat. Explosions went off at the same time in the Emerald Tower. Ozma is away on some diplomatic thing only her palace staff knew about, so since the attack was timed to correspond with that, it means someone on the inside tipped off our enemies. Glinda was badly injured in the process.”

  “What about Mauvrey?” Daniel asked.

  The door behind us opened and Marie, Gordon, and Chance entered.

  “Dorothy went to check on Mauvrey during the attack and discovered a hole blown in the floor,” Jason continued. “The villains got around the protective force field surrounding her bed by lowering Mauvrey through the ground somehow. They’re not sure who took her or where she is, but Dorothy said she’d call when—”

  Jason’s compact rang in his hand. He flipped it open. “Dorothy! What’s the word?”

  “It’s fine. We’re fine,” she replied, panting slightly. “Julian recovered Mauvrey and captured the men who broke in. Luckily, he caught up with them by one of our indoor waterfalls. He was able to drown the attackers with his water magic.”

  “They are okay, right?” Marie asked.

  We all looked at her as if to say, Really?

  “One of the explosions targeted Glinda’s room,” Dorothy continued. “She was able to protect herself with her force fields, but she got crushed by debris whilst moving around the rest of the building. Both her legs are broken.”

  I winced. “That’s terrible. What about the rest of the city?”

  “It’s still under attack. Our favorite Wicked Witch of the West must’ve been working with the antagonists. Now that some of the defensive turbines are down, flying monkeys are attacking the city, so I need to help Julian quash the threat. Ozma has the Simia Crown for controlling her half of the flying monkeys, but she’s three villages over, so we can’t count on her right now.”

  “Okay, go. Be safe,” Jason said.

  “I will,” Dorothy replied. “We can handle this. Our soldiers are trained for flying monkey attacks. Mauvrey is under guard for now—Glinda conjured a temporary protective shield around her—but the Emerald Tower is clearly not the safest place for the girl anymore. I’ll call you back later. In the meantime, you all need to think of other living arrangements for her.”

  Dorothy hung up.

  “Poor Glinda,” Divya said.

  “I knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened,” Kai said. “The antagonists are too cunning. They’ve infiltrated Crisa’s castle, this school, and numerous other high-security places. We were kidding ourselves thinking Mauvrey would be safe there until we woke her up.”

  “We were being optimistic and logical,” Jason replied. “I really thought that the security of the Emerald City was enough.”

  “What are we going to do now?” Blue asked. “Keeping Mauvrey safe until we can get Paige’s memories out of her is the most important part of our war with the antagonists right now. Where can we move her?”

  “What about Camelot with SJ, Merlin, and Arthur?” Girtha suggested. We turned to the compact on the table, but SJ was shaking her head.

  “We would face the same problems of possible infiltration here,” she responded. “Arian was in league with the former king of this land prior to Arthur’s return. This castle has plenty of secret passages that Arian could be familiar with as a result. Frankly, he could already have plans in the works for a contingency where we move Mauvrey here. The boy is always planning for all the possible outcomes. It makes our ability to keep Mauvrey safe very questionable.”

  “It’s the same problem with my castle in Midveil,” I said. “My brother showed our secret passages to Mauvrey—well, I guess I should start saying Tara. If she knows about them, the antagonists she’s in league with probably do too.”

  “We’d offer you our castle,” Gordon said, gesturing to his sister, “but summer is a crazy time in our kingdom with annual festivals and balls and tournaments. There’s too much going on and it spreads security thin.”

  “I would not recommend my castle in Dobb either,” SJ added. “The staff has my flock of baby brothers to worry about and my parents have been terribly preoccupied strategizing with our war council. We have not been hit by the commons rebellion yet, but our castle and kingdom have a lot of flatlands that are easily exposed to threats. My parents will not agree to take on this additional threat too.”

  “Then what about Clevaunt?” Chance suggested.

  We all turned to him.

  “My kingdom hasn’t been affected by the commons rebellion, and the mountainous position of our castle gives us a highly defensible location. Before the Century City Summit was established and all kingdoms signed our realm’s peace treaty, Clevaunt armies were famous for never having lost a war. As a bonus, half my siblings have magical powers inherited from my grandfather. Combined, that’s plenty of security.”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Blue mused.

  “It’s actually a really good one.” Jason asserted.

  I had to agree. My own parents had stayed with the Darlings at their castle in Clevaunt while my home was rebuilt. If I trusted they were safe there, I could trust Mauvrey would be too.

  “And if you want,” Chance continued. “You can all come stay at our castle once school lets out so we can keep an eye on Mauvrey firsthand together. I don’t mind having a lot of visitors, and neither will my parents; our castle is huge.”

  I liked that idea too. The thought of being able to keep a closer eye on Mauvrey, such a vital chess piece in this game with the antagonists, comforted me greatly. I’d always been anxious about being realms apart from her.

  “What do you say, Crisa?” Divya asked.

  “I’m onboard, but everyone else has to be also. This isn’t just my decision. We’re a team and all opinions matter. So if anyone has any thoughts, now’s the time to hear them.”

  I looked around expectantly, but no on
e spoke. Then Blue raised a hand.

  “Yes, Blue?”

  She pivoted toward Chance. “I expect my own room and I prefer to eat breakfast late.”

  “Uh, okay,” Chance said. “Anyone else?”

  Daniel had a frown on his face and looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t. I noticed SJ’s expression also seemed a little sour in the Mark Two mirror, but she didn’t voice any protests either.

  Girtha took stock of our friends. “I think we’re all on the same page.”

  I nodded. “We’ll work out the exact arrival dates later; in the meantime, I’m confident with this plan. It’ll be good to have different members of the team watching over Mauvrey throughout the summer. The antagonists won’t be able to get the jump on her again.”

  “There is another benefit to the move,” SJ said. I looked down at the compact. “Based on what Merlin and I expect, the effects of Mauvrey’s memory potion should be very . . . visual once it has been administered. Those of us wishing to see the results firsthand will need to be with her in person.”

  “That is a bonus,” I said. “Now, in regards to getting Mauvrey to Chance’s, here’s what I think we need to do. Chance, you explain the situation to your family. I give you permission to be as honest as you like. Let them know to expect SJ and Mauvrey at any point in the next couple of weeks. We’re going to tell Dorothy and our allies in Oz that we’re moving Mauvrey, but we don’t need to tell them where or when. The when is up to only you, SJ.”

  I addressed her in the looking glass specifically. “You’ll need to craft another couple of those Realm Tearer potions as soon as you can. Then you and Merlin can use them to get to Oz, get Mauvrey, and then travel to Book. Don’t even tell us when you’re making the move; just tell us when the job is done.”

  “Why the secrecy?” Marie commented. “Would you not prefer to know all the details?”

  “Details are important,” I replied. “But we’re relying on the element of surprise here. Arian, Tara, and Nadia are great at worming their way into our plans and manipulating them. If there are no concrete plans and everything is done on the fly, then the odds of SJ being able to do what she needs to without intrusion are much better.”