Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  “Jason?” I looked to my heroic friend. “Where is Crisa?”

  His pale blue eyes held my gaze for a moment before they dropped to the ground. I looked to Daniel then Blue. Both seemed distraught and neither said a word. The note of concern within me reverberated far, far deeper.

  Pietro froze. He lost interest in Alex and turned to face our Dreamland friends as a whole. Panic rose in his expression as the wormhole remained still. “Where is my sister?”

  That is when I saw the wand in Blue’s boot. Crisa’s wand.

  The portal snapped shut and my heart stopped.

  ’d never been fond of green vegetables. I wasn’t crazy about the way Daniel let his laundry pile up in our room at school. And I considered it irritating when people were needlessly unkind to others. But I didn’t hate a lot of things. Hate required a profound combination of your darkest emotions. Something you hated had to leave a scar.

  I hated the look of fear on SJ’s and Pietro’s faces.

  And I hated even more the bombshell we had to drop on them.

  Daniel, Blue, Chance, Kai, Girtha, Alex, and I had just desperately charged across Dreamland in order to reach the exit portal. We were tired, hungry, and beaten up. But explaining why the seventh member of our original group hadn’t returned would zap the remainder of our spirits and energy completely.

  “Pietro . . .” Chance started to say.

  SJ stepped in front of him. Despite the glassy terror in her eyes, my friend spoke evenly. “Is she dead?”

  “No,” Chance replied quickly. “But . . . we couldn’t save her.”

  “Because you two screwed her over,” Daniel said, glaring at Chance and Girtha.

  Girtha’s face sank with sadness and the prince glared back at Daniel. The two had never gotten along. Chance had been a jerk to Daniel when they’d first met—though, to be fair, Daniel wasn’t Mr. Congeniality in return—and the guys were from completely different backgrounds. But arguing about whose fault it was wouldn’t solve anything.

  I found the courage to step forward and be the bearer of bad news.

  “After we took the Shadow out of Mauvrey with the magic sand that Sandman gave us, Arian and Tara and their antagonist henchmen attacked.” I looked at Chance then Daniel. “On accident, Chance damaged the second dosage of sand that we needed to extract the Shadow from Mark. Without it, the only way to get the Shadow out of him was for someone else who is compatible with being a Shadow Guardian to take it instead.”

  “Let me guess—Crisa took the Shadow,” Divya said. She crossed her arms but there was only sadness on her face as she shook her head. “Of course she would sacrifice herself.”

  “Why didn’t you take it?” Gordon asked Alex crossly. “You were a Shadow Guardian before Crisa exorcised that thing from you a few months ago. You could’ve become one again.”

  “I was,” Alex said solemnly. “But being a Shadow Guardian is a one-off thing. You can’t do it again. Otherwise, believe me, I wouldn’t have let things play out this way . . .”

  I didn’t like Alex. He was a traitor and not to be trusted. Still, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the guy. Despite the bad things he’d done, I honestly believed that if he could have taken the Shadow in Crisa’s place, he would have. You could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Maybe I was naive to think that, and to believe such an awful person could be capable of good, but that’s what my gut told me. Looking at my friends’ faces, I was probably the only one who felt that way.

  “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here and she’s not,” Pietro said accusingly to Alex.

  “It’s because of me,” Girtha said. We all turned to her. Girtha was one of the most physically intimidating people in our crew. I didn’t doubt that she was as strong as any of the heroes at Lord Channing’s, including me, Daniel, and Chance. The girl was built like an ox. To see her defeated expression was a shock to the system.

  Girtha brushed her choppy brown bangs out of her eyes and looked right at Pietro. “I didn’t know Crisa had taken the Shadow. I activated a trap designed to keep all Shadows in the realm of Nightmare from escaping so we could lose the antagonist Shadow Guardians that were after us and make a clean break for home. Crisa got trapped in Nightmare as a result.”

  “So now what?” Marie asked. “She is stuck there?”

  “Until the next portal opens to Book . . . yes,” Chance said.

  “But the antagonists are there!” Divya exclaimed.

  “I know,” I said. “She insisted she would be able to avoid them until another portal opens. It’s not impossible. Time in Dreamland is weird. What was twenty-six days to you guys felt like hours to us, and she’s Crisa. If anyone can outrun those guys for a few hours, it’s her.”

  I tried to put on a brave face. I was ninety percent confident Crisa could make it, but that didn’t change the fact that she was in danger. And we had left her there.

  “And what if you’re wrong?” Javier said. “What if they catch her?

  “She has her magic, right?” Daphne said. She supportively put an arm around her little brother’s shoulders, but he pulled away and shook his head.

  “Her magic doesn’t work in Dreamland because it’s a different dimension.”

  “So if the antagonists catch her and kill her, that’s it?” Gordon said. “She won’t be able to bring herself back to life.”

  “They won’t kill her,” Kai said plainly.

  I turned in surprise to look at Kai. Neither she nor Blue had said a word since we’d split with Crisa in Nightmare. With Blue, I knew it was because she felt heartbroken. I recognized the same pain in Daniel; I felt it too. We’d abandoned our best friend. Kai, on the other hand, had only known Crisa for a few months and, based on what I saw and what Blue told me, they hadn’t exactly clicked. Was she really taking leaving Crisa behind that hard too?

  Kai tucked a strand of wavy black hair behind her ear and addressed our friends. “The antagonists all but assured us they weren’t interested in killing Crisa anymore. They’re sticking with their plan to try and turn her dark by corrupting her Pure Magic. They feel confident that she’ll inevitably give in to the disease, and that will help them take control of Book.”

  Daphne crossed her arms. “Is the word of a bunch of villains worth believing though?”

  “Seriously,” Javier agreed. “I mean, it’s not as if they are going to leave her alone if they’re stuck in Dreamland with her. If they catch her, they won’t pass the time playing cards until the next portal opens.”

  “Why assume they are going to catch her at all?” Marie asked meekly, attempting to be more optimistic. “She has plenty of skills apart from her magic. As Jason said, perhaps she can avoid the antagonists long enough . . .”

  A quiet moment passed.

  “I can’t believe you guys just left her,” Divya said flatly.

  “You weren’t there,” Daniel snapped. “You don’t get to comment on it.”

  That was my cue again. Daniel was an honorable hero and a good friend, but he could be cruel without meaning to, and I didn’t want him to say something he’d regret. His dark brown eyes had turned hostile, ready to pick a fight.

  “While they weren’t set on killing Crisa, the antagonists had no hesitation trying to kill the rest of us,” I explained to Divya and the others. “Crisa knew that, and she insisted that there was no reason all eight of us should be trapped in Dreamland for several more weeks of Book time. She wanted us to come back so we could help you with the antagonists and be there for Mauvrey and Mark.” I paused. “They did wake up, right?”

  SJ nodded and spoke quietly and evenly. “Mauvrey is with Merlin and Peter at Darling Castle. I spent the afternoon with Mark in Dolohaunty today. Both of them have a lot of information you will want to hear.”

  “The information I want to hear starts there,” Pietro declared, pointing at Alex. “You still haven’t said how you wound up involved in all this.”

  “We found him in Dreamland,
” I said, intervening again before anger could rise and ruin the conversation. “He was lost in one of the realms and Crisa freed him.”

  “Why?” Daphne asked with a quirked eyebrow.

  “I really don’t know,” Alex admitted.

  “I do,” Blue spoke suddenly. I turned to her, startled to finally hear her voice.

  “It’s because she can’t leave well enough alone,” Blue said. “She always has to be the hero, constantly putting herself in harm’s way because of the relentless compulsion to help others. The princess who always wants to save everyone and save the world but doesn’t always think things through.”

  Chance’s expression softened. “Blue, Crisa always thinks things through. You’re right about her constantly trying to save others, but she never does anything without a reason. It’s what makes her special—the way she combines logic and strategy with emotion and gut instinct. She was adamant that we needed Mark to find Natalie Poole, and removing his Shadow was our one chance to wake him from the sleeping curse. She took a gamble, betting on herself that she would be able to handle the consequences.”

  “Yeah, but she didn’t know the extent of those consequences when she made that decision, did she?” Blue glared bitterly at Girtha then Chance.

  “Sorry, changing the subject back,” Javier said. “This guy’s a huge traitor.” He gestured at Alex. “What are we supposed to do with him now?”

  “I have a few ideas,” Pietro said. “Does prison in Alderon sound fair to everyone?”

  “The antagonists imprisoned Alex in Alderon after Crisa took the Shadow out of him,” Kai intervened. “They didn’t need him anymore, but they wanted to hang on to him in case he became useful again. We can’t send him back there. After he helped us escape from Nightmare, the antagonists would probably kill him.”

  “I don’t see how that’s our problem,” Pietro said coldly. “He’s lucky I don’t kill him.”

  “I’d like to see you try.” Alex tilted his chin up defiantly. His grip tightened on the hilt of the sword he’d taken from one of the antagonists in Dreamland.

  Pietro started to move toward Alex.

  “Pietro—” I protested.

  “Don’t defend him, man,” Daniel said. “He’s not worth your mercy.”

  “Crisa wouldn’t have saved him if that were true,” I said evenly.

  “Crisa’s not here,” Blue countered.

  SJ raised both her hands. “Can everyone please stop. No one is killing anyone.” She strode up to Alex, stopping a foot away from him. The two were the same height, so my princess friend was able to look the prince directly in his eyes. “I was not in Dreamland, Alex, but what happened in that dimension bears no weight on what happened in this one. You are a disgrace to your kingdom, your family, and to all main characters. To humor you would be an insult to all three. However . . . the antagonists may have been on to something.”

  She moved away from Alex and addressed the rest of us. “Alex spent a great deal of time with our enemies; he may have information that we can benefit from later. He could be useful.”

  “So you’re suggesting we imprison him somewhere other than Alderon?” Javier said. “Some place we can keep an eye on him, like Darling Castle?”

  “I am going to have to forbid that,” Daphne said. “My parents have been quite lenient with the amount of risk we have brought to our castle hosting the lot of you and Mauvrey. Taking on certain amounts of risk is courageous, even strategic. Taking on too much risk is foolish. Send Alex to Midveil.” She looked to Pietro. “I am sure your parents would have no qualm keeping him in your dungeon after everything he has done.”

  “That’s a nonstarter, Daph,” Pietro replied. “First off, Alex knows our castle like the back of his hand; I wouldn’t put escaping past him. Plus, I can’t do that to our parents. For now I’d rather they not even know he’s back. His betrayal was only a few months ago. Seeing him so soon, especially with Crisa not here and the recent turmoil in our realm, would be too painful.”

  “Then where are we supposed to keep him?” Marie asked.

  “Hold on,” Alex said. “You all must be crazy if you think I’m going to let you lock me up in the cell of your choice. Who made you my judge and jury?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Blue said. “Did we fail to provide you with a lawyer and your one phone call when we saved your butt from eternity trapped in another dimension?”

  Alex drew back, sword raised slightly—threateningly. “I’m not going to be your prisoner. Let’s make that clear.”

  Chance stepped directly in front of Alex this time, only feet of space between them. “You are going to be our prisoner, Alex. Let’s make that clear.” Then he rushed at Alex, not even drawing his sword.

  “Chance!” Daphne protested.

  Several of us hastened forward, but it was needless. Alex swung out with his weapon instinctively, but Chance dove into a forward roll beneath it. He landed crouched at Alex’s feet. In half a second he snapped the fingers on his right hand and touched Alex’s shoe.

  Gold instantly spread up Alex’s leg and consumed every inch of his body. I was familiar with Chance’s ability to turn things to solid gold by snapping his fingers and touching them—a perk of being the grandson of King Midas—but I had never seen him do it to a person before. In two seconds, Alex became a gold statue, holding up his sword with a freaked and confused expression on his face.

  The entire group went silent as Chance stood.

  “Is he dead?” I asked.

  “No,” Chance said. “He’s frozen in time.”

  “Well that’s just great, Chance,” Blue said. “So much for getting information out of him later.”

  “I can unpetrify what I turn to gold too, Blue,” Chance replied. “I just have to snap the fingers on my left hand and touch them again. Alex is preserved until we need him now.”

  “And where do we keep a solid gold statue of an infamously treacherous prince without anyone asking questions?” Divya asked.

  “I have an idea,” SJ replied. She pulled out her magic compact. “Lena Lenore.”

  The compact buzzed.

  “SJ,” Blue started to say. “What are you—”

  “Hello.” The Godmother Supreme’s voice came through loud and clear.

  “Godmother Supreme, my friends and I have captured and neutralized Alex Knight. I do not suppose you would be willing to store him at Fairy Godmother Headquarters? He could be quite useful in our conflict with the antagonists, a valuable card would you not agree?”

  A pause. Then:

  “Where are you?” Lenore said.

  “The spot I told you the Dreamland wormhole would open tonight.”

  “I’ll be there soon. Good work, SJ.”

  SJ closed her compact. Daniel gave her an incredulous look. “SJ, what the heck?”

  “Fairy Godmother Headquarters is always moving and is a magical stronghold; it is one of the safest places in the entire realm, and therefore the perfect place to store Alex until we need him. We cannot trust the Godmother Supreme in all areas, but we certainly can with this. Alex is a potentially valuable pawn she can use too. This was an offer she could not refuse.”

  “I don’t know if I agree with this, SJ,” I said. “I get that Alex is useful, but Lenore is unpredictable and kind of ruthless when it comes to maintaining her version of what’s right. Leaving Alex in her custody seems like an iffy call.”

  “It would be if he were conscious,” SJ replied, approaching Alex anew with a pensive look on her face. “Keeping him petrified until we need him solves that problem.”

  No one said anything for a beat. Eventually Girtha nodded. “It’s a good plan.”

  “I agree,” Chance said.

  Most of the team gave some kind of approval.

  “Well, that is settled,” Daphne declared firmly. “But there are many other matters to discuss. As soon as the Godmother Supreme arrives we should get back to Clevaunt. It saves time to share exposition with as many pe
ople as possible at once.”

  Daphne was right. As devastated as we were about Crisa, I was dying to know about Mauvrey and Mark. It was time to finally talk to the people my friend had sacrificed herself for.

  “How long do you think it will take the Godmother Supreme to get here?” Kai asked SJ.

  Our attention was suddenly called up to a red streak of magic sailing across the sky.

  “She moves fairly quickly,” SJ replied.

  “Merlin explained that Crisa is now wearing genie cuffs, which connect her to Lena Lenore and a genie bottle,” Mauvrey said. “Can the Godmother Supreme use that power to summon Crisa back to the bottle from wherever she is?”

  Our group had gathered in the ornate library of Darling Castle. Luckily, Chance had an unfathomably large number of siblings and every room was equipped to host a lot of people. I sat at one of the round tables, straddling the simple wooden chair from behind as I faced the group.

  “Unfortunately, that’s not possible,” Merlin replied. “The powers of the genie bottle only extend to our dimension. If Crisa were in any of the Wonderland realms, Lena could summon her in an instant, but other dimensions play by their own rules.”

  I stared at Mauvrey. I had been doing that periodically for the last hour while our crew exchanged information. I get how that could be rude, but I found her fascinating. We were meeting an entirely new person with the same face as an enemy we’d faced in battle many times. It was weird and yet, I don’t know, encouraging? Like the ultimate reminder not to judge a book by its cover, or that people could change.

  “So, now what do we do?” Divya asked.

  “Now we wait,” Chance said. “And we hope. That’s all we can do. We have to maintain faith that Crisa will be okay and that she will come out of Dreamland safe and sound during the next full moon.”

  Daphne supportively put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. Daphne’s twin Cereus stood behind them. Daphne had asked him to join us for the recap. The pair of heirs was second in command at the castle after the king and queen.

  The dark-haired prince stepped forward and spoke to his younger brother. “Your friend is strong, Chance. She will be fine.”