Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  The anger turned icy as panic jabbed at my chest. “What?”

  “All potions for tracking people require a piece of the person being tracked—a sample of DNA, like a hair. The potion I brewed this afternoon did not accept the hair I pulled from Crisa’s hairbrush in our room, so I consulted Merlin.” Her straight shoulders lowered slightly. “Nothing we have of Crisa’s is going to work because she is not currently the same person.”

  “Sorry?” Kai said.

  “According to Merlin, when Crisa absorbed a Shadow, the energy of her entire being changed,” Marie said. “Julian in Oz confirmed it.”

  “SJ, that’s really bad news,” Blue said. “Why do you look so fine with it?”

  “I would not say I am fine with it, Blue, but Merlin and I have another plan in motion. When Merlin heard Crisa did not come through the wormhole, he began ingesting a new potion I invented from byproducts of the memory-retrieving potion we previously used on Mauvrey. This potion will allow us to see any dreams Merlin has of Crisa.”

  “Wait, what?” Blue said.

  “Merlin and Crisa have a Pure Magic connection. If and when he dreams about her, or is able to speak to her through his dreams, the potion will extract these visions so we can see them. Hopefully they will provide clues about where Crisa is. We are calling the potion the Dreamraker because the brew is raking through the subconscious to collect the dreams.”

  I blinked. Everyone around me looked stunned speechless. SJ was a genius. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure she fully realized how awesome she was. She talked about the crazy stuff she and Merlin invented like it was nothing, like she was talking about how she just finished pouring a glass of juice or something.

  “It has been two nights now,” SJ continued. “I am sure Merlin will dream of Crisa soon. I am optimistic about it anyway.”

  “The first ingredient to any successful endeavor,” Jason said with a knowing nod.

  “Let us continue with the research you all were doing in the meantime,” SJ said, returning the nod. “Hard work is the second ingredient.”

  “Yeah, we can show you what we have so far,” Chance said, waving everyone over to Girtha’s table.

  My brow furrowed. We’d been in this room together basically all day, and I needed some space. Working with Chance, let alone sharing my friends with him, was a greater practice in patience than reading our school’s ninety-page policy manual.

  “If you guys don’t mind, I need a break,” I said. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  I went for the doors; Kai followed me. “I’ll go with you.”

  We exited the restricted section and drifted through the main library, side by side. On impulse, I veered left and went up the stairs to the second level. Kai and I stopped directly in front of a massive circular window. I leaned against the railing of the balcony that overlooked the first floor, staring at all the books in the wash of orange and gray that flooded in through the glass behind me.

  “I feel like we haven’t been truly alone together in weeks,” Kai said eventually. “A castle full of people and guards, babysitting Mauvrey, the hours upon hours we spend with everyone else doing something or talking about something related to Crisa.”

  “They’re our friends, Kai. Would you rather be alone?”

  “Honestly, at times yes. Alone with you, anyway. It has always just been us—two people against the world.” She looked away, resting her forearms on the railing. “You used to prefer it that way.”

  “But it’s not just the two of us anymore, Kai.”

  “Yeah. I’ve noticed.”

  The resentment in her tone caught my attention. I studied her in the colorful dimming light that flooded through the window behind us—her dark, voluminous hair aglow like she was some kind of abstract angel. One who was disappointed and maybe a bit hurt.

  Had I insulted her? I hadn’t meant to. I never wanted to do anything to hurt Kai. I spent most of my life living and breathing for her. Lately though, I guess I’d taken her for granted. So much of my energy was focused on Knight and the problem at hand, but Kai deserved more than my attention when it was convenient.

  “I’m sorry there hasn’t been enough time for us, Kai,” I said, scooching closer to her on the railing so that my left arm pressed against her right one. She looked up at me hesitantly, her eyes full of strength, yet vulnerability. I met her gaze and offered her the best thing a guy ever could when trying to prove himself to a girl—the truth.

  “You are, and always have been, the most important person in my life. I love you. I’m sorry if I haven’t shown that enough lately.”

  Kai held my gaze. After a second, she gave me a small smile. “I love you too. Which is why I’m willing to make the sacrifice.” She tilted her head up to kiss me and I met her in the middle. I enjoyed it, but when she pulled away I realized what she had said.

  “Sacrifice?”

  She sighed, looking back at the library. “Being here. With all those people.” She frowned and didn’t seem to notice my perplexity.

  “You mean our friends?”

  She looked at me in surprise. “I mean your friends, Daniel. You must have noticed they’re not my cup of tea. But since you’re the most important person in my life too, I have tried my best to get along with them and meld into this world while it’s necessary.” She took my hand in hers and gave me a loving smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll always do whatever it takes to keep you safe and do right by you. No matter what.”

  aniel?”

  I stood in the white void again with Knight staring at me from a mere dozen feet away, much closer than before. She wore the same clothes and desperate, scared expression. Black snow fell around us and a buzzing sound persisted in the background.

  “Daniel!” she called as she banged against the invisible wall.

  “Knight!” I started to run toward her.

  “Daniel, I’m—”

  Her mouth kept moving though no words came out. I abruptly slowed to a stop in front of her when she placed her hand to show the location of the barrier between us. It was like an unending glass divider. Knight’s image started to fade away.

  “Knight, I—”

  She signaled me to stop. Knight exhaled a long breath on the barrier between us. The area fogged up. Then with her finger, she started to write letters—backward so I could read them.

  EARTH.

  I gasped for breath, sitting up in bed with a jolt. My t-shirt was drenched in sweat. Again. It felt like I had been punched in the chest.

  “Daniel?” Jason said from his bed across the room. He pushed away his covers and sat up on the edge of the bed. He looked at me seriously. “Were you dreaming about Crisa?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I said. Confused. Embarrassed. “Just another nightmare.”

  “Were you in a white void?”

  If I wasn’t fully awake before, I was now. I stared at Jason. By the silver moonlight coming through the balcony doors, I could see the concern, curiosity, and fear on his face.

  I nodded.

  “Me too,” Jason replied. “I woke up a while ago from the same kind of dream. It’s been happening for a few weeks. I thought they were nightmares like you said—manifestations of my concern and guilt. But I heard you call out her name a moment ago and I thought . . .”

  I nodded again. “What if these aren’t just dreams?” I finished.

  “Crisa said that she has communicated with people through her dreams in the past. Liza, Merlin, even Natalie a couple of times. People with Pure Magic can do that. What if that’s what’s happening now? What if she’s trying to contact us?”

  “This morning, SJ said she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep lately,” I thought aloud. “And I know Blue’s been having nightmares, too.” My heartrate quickened; worry seized me in a vice. “Knight could’ve been trying to reach out to us this whole time and we’ve been too stupid to listen or even notice. Now she literally spelled it out for me.”

  I jumped out of bed and stumbled to my closet
to grab some clothes.

  “What do you mean?”

  Jason’s compact started buzzing on his nightstand. He snatched the device and flipped it open. “Jason . . .”

  Blue’s voice.

  “You and Daniel need to meet SJ, Mauvrey, and me right now. We’re coming to the library.”

  “Why?”

  “Trust me. This is an in-person conversation.”

  The warm glow of a lantern appeared on the stairs, revealing the girls. Blue’s dark blonde hair was frazzled, but SJ’s bun and Mauvrey’s long, wavy locks somehow looked perfect; maybe it was a princess thing.

  Joplin—already eating the meat we’d ejected for him—glanced up and hissed. Jason typed the proper code and pulled the lever to deliver a second helping of food to mellow the reptile out.

  I was glad it was only the three of them. It felt more like old times, minus Mauvrey. Like this it would be easier for me to share the theory about our Knight dreams, which had me feeling exposed somehow. We could fill in the others come morning.

  “Did anyone ask you where you were going?” Jason asked Blue as she closed the secret entrance.

  Blue shook her head. “They don’t know we’re here. We snuck out.”

  “But Kai bunks with you,” I said.

  SJ waved an impatient hand. “Mauvrey and Kai switched places, which made both Girtha and Mauvrey more comfortable. They are quite awkward around each other given their past relationship. Mauvrey has been staying in Crisa’s bed as a result, while Kai has bunked with Girtha since we returned.”

  Jason nodded then got down to business. “So why did you want to meet?”

  Blue released a breath like she was trying to rally her nerve. “I think Crisa is trying to contact us through our dreams.”

  Daniel and I exchanged a glance. “We think the same thing,” Jason said. “Daniel and I were literally talking about this right before you called. We have both been having dreams about Crisa in a white void calling to us.”

  “Same,” Blue said. “We only realized the similarities by chance tonight. SJ came back to our room after working late on potions, and apparently I was talking in my sleep.”

  “You said Crisa’s name?” Jason guessed.

  “More than that,” SJ replied. “Blue was tossing and turning when I walked in, repeating the word ‘bear.’ Only after a few minutes did she say Crisa’s name.”

  “Bear?” I said.

  SJ nodded. “We do not know what that means, but I woke Blue and asked her about the dream in relation to Crisa. She told me what she had seen and I confessed that my recent dreams were strikingly similar. Given that Pure Magic has allowed Crisa the ability to communicate briefly with people in dreams before, we felt confident in our theory. Now I am sure. Two people having the same nightmare is a strange coincidence. Four people means this is actually happening. She is trying to talk to us. More importantly . . . it means she is alive.”

  It was hard to describe the feeling of having pain and joy at the same time. Maybe one day there’d be a word for it, something weird and complicated—because the feeling was weird and complicated—like, I don’t know, malderkeitz.

  I had always believed that Knight was alive. Having proof of it was the best news I’d heard in a long time. However, knowing that she’d been trying to reach out to me, to us, this whole time was like a kick to the stomach. We should’ve known. We shouldn’t have been so careless, so blind.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but our dreams haven’t been that clear or lengthy,” Blue said.

  “That’s to be expected, right?” Jason replied. “Crisa’s mentioned how communicating through dreams is one of the hardest things to do with Pure Magic. The wielder of the ability has to be super advanced and practiced in it.”

  SJ nodded. “Her power has not been developed enough for her to get a strong message across, but she is trying anyway.”

  “And she is succeeding,” I said ardently. “Dream time with her is getting longer and clearer. This last time, she spelled out the word Earth for me.”

  My friends’ eyes widened.

  “So that is where she is,” Mauvrey said.

  I glanced at her, realizing I’d forgotten she was there.

  Jason winced. “If she’s on Earth then I feel even worse that she’s been trying to contact us this way and we didn’t notice. Earth rejects Wonderland magic because they’re different dimensions. It has to be causing her pain to use the power necessary to do this.”

  “Magic can work a little before Earth rejects it,” I corrected. “I saw it happen when she and I were trapped in Germany last year. Maybe in small doses she is handling it okay?”

  I was wary, but optimistic.

  “Why would the antagonists take her there?” With our attention on her, SJ continued. “If there was ever any doubt before, we know for certain now that Crisa has been captured. She would never go to Earth of her own accord, let alone desperately be trying to call for help from there.”

  I shook my head. “The why doesn’t matter so much right now. We have to go find her immediately. Like, let’s go pack a bag, check our Hole Trackers, and leave as soon as possible.”

  “I get the urge, Daniel, but where would we start?” Blue said. She marched to the table where we’d left organized piles of books. She waved us over and pulled out the large text with a withered green cover she’d been reading most of the afternoon.

  “This is the only book I could find about Earth in either of our libraries,” Blue began. “Lady Agnue’s didn’t even have one. There was a section on Earth in our restricted section too, but its shelves are empty. Whatever books once existed there aren’t there.” She flipped through the pages, many of which she’d flagged with sticky notes. We leaned over her.

  “There is a full moon chart in this book,” Blue said. She stopped at a page and gestured at moon cycle renderings. “I did the math based on the time difference between Book and Earth, as well as the dates of our visit to Bermuda last fall. With that information I constructed a timeline for Earth’s recent full moons. Then I cross-referenced it with the dates and times from Harry’s black hole list. The result—there were six black holes that appeared on Earth since we left Dreamland.”

  “That’s not so bad,” I said.

  “The number, no. But the range of places, yes.”

  Blue turned to a page flagged with an orange sticky note, then pushed the book toward me. A large map took up the double-page spread—seven landmasses of varied shape and size, and a lot of bodies of water. Six smaller sticky notes across the map with coordinates written on them showed, I assumed, where full moons/black holes had appeared. They seemed very far apart. What was the scale of this map?

  “The place called Germany that you and Crisa went to is there.” Blue pointed. “The six black holes I mentioned that opened over the course of our full moon time window appeared here: Germany, Argentina, China, Finland, India, and the United States.” Blue dragged her finger across the map to show the different locations. “These black holes are separated by thousands of miles, and oceans, and mountains. If the antagonists took Crisa through one of these—which it seems like they did—with no way to track where they moved her after that, it would be easier to find a lost star in the sky.”

  I frowned. It looked like learning what dimension Knight was in was only the beginning. “There has to be a way to narrow down her location on Earth.” Desperation leaked into my voice. The malderkeitz was fading, the joy I’d felt slowly suffocated by concern. “We have to find her by any means necessary.”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  We all turned to look at Mauvrey. Dang, again I’d forgotten she was in the room.

  “Daniel,” Mauvrey said looking at me specifically, and with unusual intensity. “Would you truly be willing to find her by any means necessary?”

  I paused a second, then nodded once. “I would.”

  She took a step toward me. “Have you ever heard of Midnight Law?”
/>   “This is the Hall of Fallen Heroes,” Jason announced.

  We passed through the tall, arched entry to our school’s most impressive intersection. Here several halls connected to form a rotunda with a huge domed ceiling. Our footsteps barely sounded across the marble. The school staff had their living quarters in the left wing of Lord Channing’s and we were in the main building. That, combined with it being well past midnight, meant we should’ve been okay, but we tried our best to remain light-footed.

  Above the doorway we’d entered ticked an enormous silver clock. Two of its hands showed the time. Two additional hands were frozen at twelve o’ clock. I always assumed it was just an odd, artistic addition to the timepiece.

  The girls were wide eyed as they entered. I understood; my face probably made the same expression the first time I passed through here. The corridors that connected with the Hall of Fallen Heroes encircled a large display at the center of the room, like a traffic circle in a busy street intersection. This display featured twenty-two life size statues of men. They varied in age, appearance, attire, and the weaponry that they held. However, they all had the same emotions painted on their faces—fear and pain.

  I never liked focusing on them. It made me uncomfortable. Ironic, given that I had to go through here to attend a class called “Weakness Dissection & Destruction.” In the shadows cast by the few lanterns lining the walls, the statues were even more unsettling than usual.

  Jason looked at me. “On orientation day, tour guides explain to first years the history of each part of campus. I guess since you started so late, you had an abridged introduction to the school.” Jason gestured at the statues. “This is what happens to heroes who enact Midnight Law and fail. You should know the risks before trying to save Crisa by that route.”

  “I’m sorry,” Blue said. “But I don’t see how this place relates to some ‘magical law’ I’ve never heard of that can supposedly lead us to Crisa.”