The Lulins surrounding us whispered amongst themselves, shocked at my declaration. King Bimaedonis merely appeared amused.
“Very well, Magenta,” the Lulin King agreed. “I accept your challenge.”
Chapter 37
“You’re unarmed,” King Bimaedonis observed as he grabbed the sword at the foot of his throne.
“Don’t you remember?” I asked with a small smirk. “I have fire.”
One of the Lulin guards around me screamed. It was a horrible sound that left my ears ringing. It was horrifying, dissonant, and bloodcurdling all at once. My head wailed in agony. I rubbed my temples until the pain went down a few notches.
“And I have your friends,” the Lulin King retorted. “No fire.”
“I gave the challenge,” I informed him, “and I set the terms. You accepted. No backing out now without surrender. Are you surrendering?”
“No! I would never!” he protested.
I willed the fire to shoot out of my fingers like I had seen on the superhero movies I used to watch with my friends. It obeyed. Like my last encounter with the Lulins, I blasted fire everywhere, but this time it was in a more controlled and sophisticated manner. Not only did that get the Lulins away from Darren and Tamara, but it also kept King Laser-Eyes from advancing too much.
I blasted fire in his direction every time he got too close, but I was tiring. I was trying to keep the Lulin guards away from my friends and keep the Lulin King from killing me.
“Surrender, Magenta Valida!” he demanded, not even a little bit tired.
I couldn’t keep this up forever. I’d never used this much fire before, and I didn’t know my limit. What I did know was that I was going to reach my limit really soon and that when I did, I was probably going to black out.
It all happened in a blur. I was standing, blasting fire. Then, in a flash, I was on the ground, a sword to my throat.
“I win,” King Bimaedonis declared.
Once I processed what had happened, I got an idea. “Not quite.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. Sweat was running down my face, but I didn’t care. My body began glowing with heat. King Bimaedonis shrieked and leapt backward.
I got to my feet, dripping from head to toe in sweat. I shot some fire directly into the Lulin King’s glowing red eyes. King Bimaedonis screamed a wordless, bloodcurdling scream even worse than the Lulin guard’s.
“Do you surrender?” I asked with as much confidence and strength as possible.
“I surrender!” he shrieked. “Take the Diamond Ring and your friends and go!”
“But Your Highness—” Sygopsis protested.
“Give her the Diamond Ring!” he ordered.
Grudgingly, he did. I slipped my newly acquired Legendary Object on my finger and returned to Darren and Tamara. Their faces were red and tear-stained.
“Opatay clekavra Legendary Keeper Headquarters in Destiny Forest!” I chanted.
The three of us walked through the portal, but I knew that what had happened here would haunt us all forever.
◆◆◆
“Thank goodness you’re alive!” Gabrielle exclaimed.
The portal had opened in the kitchen at headquarters, where Gabrielle was preparing dinner. She wore her usual stained apron and whatever was on the stove smelled amazing.
“Not all of us,” Darren practically whispered.
Gabrielle’s face fell. “Who—?”
“Margaret,” Darren choked out, fresh tears spilling out of his eyes. His mother wrapped her arms around him and let her tears flow as well.
Gabrielle’s eyes widened. “Margaret...dead?”
Tears welled up in my eyes, too. I couldn’t stop replaying Margaret’s death. Her twinkling brown eyes, the same color as her mother’s, as the life in them vanished. Her bravery as she told Darren to save their mother instead of her. Her pleading last words: Let me go. The moment that laser hit her heart.
“This is all my fault,” Darren said, pulling out of his mother’s embrace and wiping away his tears. “If I hadn’t—”
“No.”
I jumped at the sound of Steven’s voice. He never ceased to make me jump. He had a habit of accidentally sneaking up on me.
“What?” Darren questioned.
Steven sat down on a stool and said, “It isn’t your f-fault. The fault belongs to K-king Bimaedonis and him alone. B-blaming yourself will only make th-things worse. Believe me, I w-would know.”
Lambda joined us, his Eikosi Tessera cloak and mask on as usual. He greeted us, congratulated us on being alive, mourned with us over Margaret, then said, “It’s nearly sunset. After dinner, we should get some sleep. We’re in for a big day tomorrow.”
“We’re going to send you, Darren, and Felix to Earth to retrieve the Link while the rest of us finish gathering allies and preparing for battle,” Gabrielle explained. “Tom figured that would allow us to cover more in a shorter amount of time.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “I think we can handle that.”
The rest of the evening passed by without a problem. Dinner was wonderful, despite the tragic news we brought about Margaret, and we were each retiring to bed in no time.
I settled down for a restful night, but Umarek had other ideas.
◆◆◆
I greeted the Darkness like an old friend. “Hey, Umarek, what’s up?”
You insolent girl! the Darkness insulted. I am the Darkness! I am fear itself!
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said, waving it off dismissively. “You’re the ‘all-powerful’ Umarek who hates my guts. I am well aware of that. Where’s Rekala?”
Right here, Rekala answered. Well, more or less.
“Hi, Miss Magenta,” Felix greeted cheerfully as he arrived.
“Hi, Potato Brain,” I returned.
Felix Leroy Wilson. Umarek spoke his name as if it tasted bitter on his seemingly-nonexistent tongue. Oh, the things I could say—or show—that would rattle even you.
“Your middle name is Leroy?” I questioned.
“It’s not like I got to pick my name,” he said. “Besides, your middle name is Agnes.”
“What do you have against Agnes?” I demanded.
“What do you have against Leroy?” he retorted.
“Touché.”
The Attackers are going to Earth in the morning, just like you are, Rekala informed us. You must get the Link before they do.
“Where can we find the Link? Earth is a pretty big Dimension.”
Don’t you dare, Rekala, Umarek threatened.
Rekala ignored him. At the moment, it is in Central Park in New York, which is located in the United States of America. However, you will not find it unless you have the gift of perception. Few families have it, but there is one family in New York with it.
Stop giving them information! Umarek ordered.
You’ll find one with the gift of perception easily, Rekala assured us. They see the true form of all they come in contact with. Just ask those you see what they see, or narrow your question down to what color your eyes are. In the morning, go to Times Square. That is where you can find your guide.
“Thanks,” I thanked her.
“Time to wake up?” Felix asked.
“Sure,” I said, “why not?”
His silhouette vanished, and soon enough, I woke up.
◆◆◆
Felix, Darren, and I left about an hour after we woke up, knowing that we had to beat the Attackers to the Link. Gabrielle gave her usual sendoff, making us a wonderful breakfast and giving us each a hug before we went through the portal.
“Opatay clekavra Times Square on Earth!” I chanted.
A portal opened, and we stepped through.
Chapter 38
I regretted that portal the moment I stepped out of it.
My best friend, Abigail White, stood in front of me, a brand new, two-inch-thick novel in her hands. She gaped at me, Felix, and Darren for a moment, before looking at me and yelling, “YOU LEFT
ME!”
“Oops?” I attempted.
“And you,” she said, turning to Felix with a glare. She smacked him multiple times with her hardcover book. He tried to block her book with his hands, turning his face away from the book. “You kidnapped my best friend!”
“Ow!” Felix exclaimed. “Abigail, that is a hardcover book! Why must you hit me with it?”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said?” she asked, smacking him with it one more time for good measure. “You kidnapped Valida!”
“For the last time, I didn’t kidnap her!”
“What would you call it?” she demanded.
“I’d call it saving the Dimensions,” he answered.
While Abigail was giving us her quizzical look, Darren cut in. “So, um, how do you three know each other?”
“Abigail is my best friend from Oakwood High and she knows Felix from the one day he was there,” I explained. “Long story short, I ended up in a broom closet during lunch and Felix had to come get me.”
“Who are you?” Abigail asked Darren.
“My name is Darren. Darren Tavello.”
“Like as in Principal Tavello?” Abigail inquired, surprised.
Darren threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Why do you people keep asking me that?”
I ignored him and told Abigail, “Yeah, Principal Tavello is his dad.”
“So you’ve heard the latest news about him, I assume?” Abigail said.
I shook my head. “Long story, but no.”
“That’s it,” Abigail decided. “I want an explanation. Now.”
“We don’t have time for this!” Darren said. “We need to find the Link! The challenge is tomorrow!”
“Valida, no one has seen you in weeks,” Abigail informed me. “You went through the glowing thingy, and you just came out of a similar one. Now you have these two with you. What is going on here?”
I looked around warily at the many people with us in Times Square, going about their business. “Find us someplace safe to talk,” I offered, “and I’ll explain.”
“Fine,” Abigail relented. She hailed a cab. “We’re going to my place.”
“Valida—” Darren began.
“Get in the cab,” I ordered.
He and Abigail did, followed by me and Felix. We reached her house without complications, but the moment we walked through the front door, Mrs. White started lecturing.
“Abigail, you know you aren’t supposed to bring boys—” She stopped, midsentence, as I walked through the door behind the boys. “Valida?”
“Hi, Mrs. White,” I said.
“You’ve been missing for weeks!” she exclaimed. “Your parents returned a few days ago, but you weren’t with them. How are you here right now? What happened? Have you spoken to your parents yet?”
“Mom, slow down,” Abigail told her. “You’re going to overwhelm her.”
Mrs. White apologized profusely, but I dismissed it with a wave of my hand. “It’s fine. Really. I promised Abigail an explanation, and I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have you here, too. But I’m warning you,” I warned. “I’m going to sound insane, like I-should-be-in-a-mental-institution kind of insane.”
I told them the overall story of what had happened and explained the task I was trying to accomplish with Felix and Darren.
“...so now I have to walk around Times Square, asking people what color my eyes are, so I can find the Link,” I finished.
“What color would they see with this ‘gift of perception’ thing?” Abigail questioned. “I mean, eyes that literally glow magenta are kinda hard to miss. How could they see anything different?”
“Yay! We don’t have to search Times Square now!” Felix cheered.
Abigail looked at him quizzically. “Say what?”
“Honey,” Mrs. White said gently, “Valida’s eyes are blue.”
“What are you talking about?” Abigail demanded. “Don’t you guys see it? Don’t you guys see the magenta eyes, or the hair the color and luster of gold, or the cream-colored skin?”
“You have the gift of perception,” Darren explained. “What you’re seeing is Valida’s true form. What you’re seeing is how she would look without heredity playing a part.”
“Seeing as your mother doesn’t have the gift,” Felix inferred, “I’d guess that you got the gift from your father. Meaning that his family was from the Dimensions and at one point in time, found favor with the fairies.”
“This is crazy,” Mrs. White stated.
“I know,” I said. “As crazy as it is, I need Abigail to find the Link and save the Dimensions.”
“I’m in,” Abigail said without hesitation.
“I’m not going to let Abigail walk right into danger,” Mrs. White said firmly.
“I’m finding an artifact from a different Dimension,” Abigail said with an eye roll. “I think I’ll be fine, Mom.”
“I’ll protect her,” Felix offered. “I’m the Legendary Keeper of the Copper Shield, which literally makes forcefields. So long as she doesn’t wander out of range, she’ll be fine.”
“Alright,” Mrs. White yielded. “Just come back as soon as possible.”
“Okay,” Abigail agreed. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
On our way out, I heard Mrs. White mutter, “Knowing you, I doubt that.”
Chapter 39
“So what does the Link look like?” Abigail inquired as we walked through Times Square, glancing at store windows as we passed.
“It’s a circle made of eight chain links,” Darren explained. “The links are made of a special kind of clay found in Zajahan, the Lost Dimension. Engraved in the links are Zajahani letters.”
“So I’m looking for a clay chain with strange markings?” Abigail summed up.
“Yep,” Darren confirmed.
“Easy,” she said. “There’s one hanging off Balto’s ear in Central Park.”
“Balto?” Felix questioned.
“He was a sled dog that played a major role in saving the children in Alaska from a diphtheria outbreak,” I explained. “There is a statue of him in Central Park.”
“Cool,” Felix said. “I don’t know what diphtheria is. Or Alaska.”
Abigail hailed a cab, and fifteen minutes later, we arrived.
“There isn’t anything on his ear,” Felix pointed out.
Felix was right. Balto looked the same as ever. Nothing hung off his ear, let alone a mystical chain that could save the Dimensions.
“What are you talking about?” Abigail asked, shaking her head. She reached up to Balto’s ear and closed her fingers around the air like she was holding something. A clay chain of engraved links appeared.
“Whoa, that thing just appeared!” Felix exclaimed.
“It’s been here the whole time, Einstein,” Abigail informed him with an eye roll.
“What’s Einstein?” Felix asked.
“How do you not know who Einstein was?” Abigail questioned. “He was a famous scientist!”
Felix looked at her blankly.
I sighed. “I need to get you an education, Potato Brain.”
“Hey!” he protested.
Darren brought us back on topic. “Okay, we have the Link. Now we just have to get to the Great Valley of Saviena before the battle tomorrow.”
“Just use one of your portal things,” Abigail said. “I want to travel through one of those.”
“Um, no,” Darren rejected. “You’re going back home so your mother doesn’t kill us. You are certainly not coming with us to a battle!”
“Too bad,” Abigail said, giving him her most innocent smile. “I’m coming anyway.”
“No, you aren’t,” Darren insisted.
“Aw, come on, Darren,” Felix pressured. “Let her come. She can see things that we can’t. She could come in handy. Besides, I have to protect her, remember?”
“Fine,” Darren yielded, “but I am not liable for her death. Got it?”
“Yep,” Feli
x assured him.
Abigail handed me the Link. “Since you’re the one who needs to use this, you may want to be the one to hold on to it,” she said.
As we continued to talk, all while I held the Link in my hands, a police officer stormed up to us. “What is that?” he demanded.
“It’s called the Link, sir,” Abigail answered.
“It looks an awful lot like an artifact that was stolen from the Museum of Natural History last week,” he accused.
“Actually,” Felix corrected. “This is an artifact from a Dimension called Zajahan. It has—”
The officer turned beet red. “Zajahan? As in The Legends and Tales of Zajahan? The fairy tale book?”
“How did you know about that book?” Darren demanded.
“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into by reading that book,” the officer warned. “I had a few classmates back in high school who read that. They literally went insane. They kept claiming that they fought a war in these fictional Dimensions. They claimed to have been there. They made up the most ridiculous names for the people in their little fantasy as well. Isacarona? Lono? Akezo? Avak? Who would believe in people with names like those?”
It was Darren’s turn to turn beet red. “One of those ‘ridiculous names’ belongs to my father, nala! Another to my uncle!”
“Who is your father, boy?” the officer questioned.
“His father is Principal Avak Tavello,” I piped up. “You know, the principal at Oakwood High?”
“He quit a few weeks ago,” Abigail added helpfully.
“Okay, so Roy didn’t make that one up,” the officer amended. “But he and Cynthia spun stories like spiders spin webs!”
“Roy and Cynthia Smith,” I cut in. “You’re talking about them, aren’t you? You’re talking about my parents. They weren’t insane, they weren’t making things up, and the Dimensions are real. I’ve seen them myself.”
“Forget it; you’re just as crazy as they are,” the officer said. “Give me the artifact. I’ll make sure it gets back to where it’s supposed to be and take you back home; I need to have a talk with your parents.”
I held the Link further away from the officer. “No,” I said sternly. “I am not jeopardizing both the Dimensions and my life because you can’t handle reality.”
The Magenta (The Legendary Keepers Book 1) Page 17