Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  “Midnight Law is an ancient kind of magic,” Mauvrey explained. “The kind found in our realm’s sacred Book of Bindings, which does not require special powers or potions to activate. Anyone who reads the spell can utilize its enchantment.”

  “The Book of Bindings,” I repeated. I glanced at Blue. “That’s the same text the higher-ups used to swear Knight in at her Pure Magic trial so she’d magically tell the truth.”

  “Okay. But how have I never heard of Midnight Law?” Blue asked. “I’m the most well-read person here. No offense.”

  “Midnight Law is not actively taught anymore,” Mauvrey replied. “It has been forbidden for over two decades, and I believe any mention of it has been redacted from most fairytales. I only know about it because my father was the last hero to enact Midnight Law. He used it to save my mother when she was imprisoned in a tower and placed under her sleeping curse. I felt reminiscent yesterday, and found an unabridged version of my parents’ fairytale in the restricted section of the Lord Channing’s library. That is what made me think of this idea for helping Crisa, but I was reluctant to say anything because of the risks. I did not know whether it was the right thing to put that on any of you.”

  She seemed hesitant to say more, so I turned to Jason. “What do I have to do? We take risks all the time. Let’s get to the point.”

  “Honestly, Mauvrey probably knows more about Midnight Law than I do. Lord Channing’s only provided us with a brief explanation during our orientation tour to get the idea across. All I know is that these statues are representations of heroes who enacted the spell to find their lost true loves. Unfortunately, they failed to save those girls in time and were turned to stone. Lord Channing’s keeps their statue representations here as a warning and a reminder that even if we go to this school, we’re not invincible.”

  “It seems I do know more, Jason,” Mauvrey replied. “For your understanding of Midnight Law is not completely accurate. The spell is not about true love. My father told me that Midnight Law must be enacted by a hero whose heart has changed from knowing the person he or she is going after. There is a simple test in the Book of Bindings to know if you fulfill that requirement. But as noted, the stakes are dire. Midnight Law begins at midnight and gives you until the stroke of the next midnight to reunite with the person you are looking for. If you fail, you turn to stone. Forever. All these heroes . . .” She stepped forward slowly and gazed around at the statues. “Jason, I am sorry, but they are not representations; these are the fallen. Look at their faces. These are heroes who have enacted Midnight Law and failed.”

  The silence felt heavy as we studied the stone faces. A new horror festered in my gut, but I shoved it down. That wouldn’t happen to me.

  “I can call the Godmother Supreme in the morning,” SJ said slowly. “I am sure she will lend us the Book of Bindings to try this preliminary spell as long as she can supervise. We should all check if we are eligible to enact Midnight Law. Crisa has affected all of us in some way. One or more people in our group must fit the requirement.”

  “Perhaps,” Mauvrey mused, staring hard at the statues. Then she glanced over her shoulder at me. “But would they really be willing to assume the consequences?”

  “The Godmother Supreme will be here in an hour,” SJ declared to our assembled group. It was dawn, and all members of our crew were present in the main part of the library. “She has agreed to supervise while we perform the preliminary test in the Book of Bindings. If one or more of us passes this magical test, she will go into the full details of what enacting the main enchantment would mean.”

  I stood at the rear of the group, back straight despite my growing fatigue. We’d woken everyone else at four in the morning to explain what we’d learned and prepare for what was coming, but sleep may have been better preparation. It was clearly too early. Mr. Brody and Elkie hadn’t even clocked in yet; we’d had to pick the lock on the library. And the ghosts were asleep too. Chagrin and several other phantom library aids floated above bookshelves, snoring.

  Marie sat in a chair across from me; every time she blinked her eyes closed for a little longer. Gordon stared off into space. Kai stood next to me but her shoulders slumped. I put my arm around her and rubbed the side of her arm, trying to support her and get her to wake up more. Only SJ seemed chipper. She removed an orb from her pocket and held it up so our entire group could see. It looked like a large portable potion. “While we wait, I thought we could watch this. Merlin contacted me an hour ago. He finally dreamed about Crisa and he used the second part of the Dreamraker potion to crystallize his memories into this form. I retrieved it through my magic sack.”

  “That’s great, SJ,” Blue yawned. “Let ’er rip.”

  We nodded in agreement.

  “A warning first,” SJ said. “I do not know how the potion will manifest, but as it is a product of the potion we used to see Mauvrey’s original memories, I assume the visions will be very in-your-face. Is everyone ready?”

  Nods all around again.

  Instead of using her slingshot to fire the potion, SJ smashed it on the table with her bare hand. The orb crushed like rock candy and gray smoke immediately shot up in a geyser. It tornadoed around us like an angry wind. Ghosts in the area were startled and blown away as they woke up. As the gray gusts settled, they wrapped into a focal point above the table. A large cloud formed a few feet overhead and began to display images.

  Knight.

  Seeing her face was a shock to the system. Malderkeitz all over again in a much more visceral way.

  In the vision she paced a stone room, a blinking security camera in a high corner and a tattered jacket over her dress. Her hair was longer than I remembered, and she wore a wild expression—resolute, but worn down and nervous. Shackles covered the genie cuffs on her wrists; they attached to lengthy chains with a lot of slack that dragged on the ground behind her as she moved. The chains’ other ends connected with the wall at about her eye-level, seeming to go through the wall. Strange dark golden marks glowed vaguely on Knight’s hands and fingers.

  Suddenly the sound of a door creaking caused Knight to whirl around, body tensing. The vision widened to show Arian descending a flight of stairs into the room. He held something small and metallic in his hand that I couldn’t identify.

  I half expected Knight to rush him, chains be danged, until three more people came down the stairs—two guards dressed in black pushing a prisoner forward. The captive had his hands shackled behind his back and a sack over his head. He struggled and made muffled noises. I assumed he was gagged underneath.

  “Who is that?” Knight asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Arian replied, his black eyes void of pity. “Just kill him.”

  “It does matter and I’m still not going to do it, Arian.” Knight paused. A flash of fear crossed over her green eyes. “No matter the consequences.”

  “You’ll get tired of those consequences eventually. Your moral compass will break, just like you will.” He glanced at the prisoner. “You know what, on second thought, why don’t we try a new incentive today.” He nodded to the guards. They quickly escorted the prisoner out of the room. A moment later, different guards brought in a woman. She was gagged and her wrists were tied behind her back too, but there was no sack over her head. She looked familiar—something about her fluffy black hair.

  Knight gazed at the woman with concern . . . and maybe some guilt?

  “I don’t understand,” she said. “Why is Mary here now? You don’t usually bring her in until after you’ve . . .” She gulped.

  Arian sighed. “We’ve been at this for a while, Crisanta. Like I said, I thought we’d mix it up today. I’m actually embarrassed I did not think of this sooner, given your bleeding heart. You’re willing to sacrifice your own well-being for the sake of defying us, but I doubt you would do that when other people are at stake.”

  Knight’s eyes darted from Arian to Mary and back again.

  “I have to say, I’m almost impres
sed by how good a job you’ve done thus far keeping your Shadow’s darker impulses under control,” Arian continued. “But today is the day we crack that pattern.”

  He nodded to one of his men. The guard drew a knife and rapidly plunged it into the woman’s side. They pushed her forward and she fell to the floor of the stone room, blood staining her shirt and pooling beneath her.

  Knight lunged forward, rushing Arian in a burst of anger. She didn’t make it far. Arian raised his hand and pressed a button on the device he held. Both of Knight’s chains instantly reeled in like fishing line, yanking her toward the wall. Her back slammed against it.

  “Good try.” Arian smirked. “You took four whole steps toward me that time. Don’t worry; the slack will come back once I’m gone so you can revive Mary. Listen, after she’s awake, let her know not to bother trying to escape again. It’ll only drain her energy, and she needs to save that for you. We’ll be back to collect her later.”

  He started to walk away.

  “Arian!” Knight’s face was livid.

  He turned. She looked like she desperately wanted to make a threat, but her mouth just opened and then closed after no words came to her rescue. Arian smiled again. He took slow, purposeful strides toward her until they were barely a few steps apart.

  “Your morality will give in eventually.” Arian shrugged. “We both know that. Your Shadow wants it, and so does your Pure Magic. These exercises will entice and feed both, and soon one or the other will corrupt you. Accept that. Know that in your heart. And maybe this doesn’t have to be so painful.”

  The rage continued to be embedded in Knight’s face, but sadness had now taken up equal real estate. She looked . . . defeated. I hadn’t seen her look that way in a long, long time.

  “See you tomorrow, Crisa.” Arian climbed the stairs with his guards.

  Knight struggled against her restraints. It wasn’t until the door shut that slack returned to them. With effort, Knight pulled the chains out of the wall as she dashed toward Mary. The woman wasn’t breathing or moving. Knight hesitated, remorse filling her face, but she placed her hands on the woman. Then the golden energy came.

  Knight’s Pure Magic poured into Mary. She’d gotten used to using vast amounts of power before our trip to Dreamland. What once had taken so much effort seemed a lot easier now. Like any skill practiced enough; it had become second nature. However, this was Earth. And that came with painful repercussions.

  My stomach twisted as Knight shouted in agony. The dark golden marks on her fingers filled with light. Matching lines appeared on her neck, as if her body was cracking like an egg.

  Knight ejected a final burst of power into Mary. The release flung my friend backward and she rolled to the floor. Mary started to move almost immediately. Knight struggled onto her hands and knees and stared at her glowing, cracked fingers. There were tears in her eyes.

  The viewing cloud that had been showing us this blurred over. Then the picture faded and the cloud dispersed into the air, gone in seconds. Merlin’s vision was over.

  Our entire group remained silent for a minute. I couldn’t summon a single word to describe the horrors that we’d witnessed. My entire body felt numb.

  Pietro was the first to speak. “Why was her magic hurting her like that?”

  “It’s because she’s on Earth,” Jason replied sadly. “Remember it rejects otherworldly magic. Small amounts of Book magic may be tolerable on Earth for someone as practiced in power as Crisa. But big acts of magic mean big consequences.”

  “I can’t believe she can even resurrect someone on Earth at all,” I said in shock. “When we were in Germany, just activating the Hole Tracker on her wrist caused her too much pain to sustain for long.”

  “She’s become really powerful,” Javier said. “Remember the attack on Darling Castle? She killed dozens of rebels while wearing Stiltdegarth cuffs. Using any magic with those things on is supposed to be impossible. Although it obviously hurts, she’s strong enough to do more now, if she really wants to.”

  “That is why Arian’s lackies stabbed that girl,” Marie said, face pale. “Crisa would not kill random people, like that prisoner the antagonists brought her, but she would fight past Earth’s limitations to save an innocent person.”

  “That wasn’t any innocent person,” Blue said. “That was Mary Roberts Inero—Ashlyn’s daughter. Didn’t any of you recognize her from Bermuda?” She looked at me, Jason, and SJ.

  That’s where I know her from!

  “You mean, Ashlyn, the daughter of the Little Mermaid?” Divya clarified.

  I nodded. “You’re right, Blue. I wonder why the antagonists captured her specifically.”

  “Her magic,” Jason said, snapping his fingers. “Mary has healing powers. You saw those glowing scars on Crisa’s hands. If Arian is forcing Crisa to use her magic on Earth persistently, as his comments alluded, then no matter how powerful Crisa is, eventually the dimension’s magical rejection will cause her a lot of damage. I bet Arian has Mary there as a means to heal Crisa if she gets too torn apart. He did say he wants to break her morality, right? Not her body.”

  We stared at him.

  “Hold on, what?” Kai said.

  Jason’s brow furrowed. “Arian said they’d been ‘at this for a while.’ I get it now. Why the antagonists captured her, and why they took her to Earth. They’re playing the same game they were before Dreamland—trying to get her Pure Magic to corrupt her. But now that game is heightened because the Shadow inside her brings out a person’s dark impulses, weakening Crisa’s restraint. Using large amounts of magic and magic fueled by emotion are triggers for Pure Magic carriers to lose control. The antagonists are trying to force Crisa to bend to the darkness of her Shadow and Pure Magic by pushing her to unleash a ton of power in spite of Earth’s magic resistance—both by taking life (like they wanted her to do with that prisoner) and giving life (like with Mary).

  “That’s . . .” Chance was aghast.

  “I believe the word you are looking for is evil,” Mauvrey said quietly from her chair. “Do not look so surprised. Arian, Tara, their antagonist queen Nadia, and every one of her followers are villains. Evil is the headline on all of their resumes.”

  “We have to help her!” Girtha’s fists were clenched.

  “We’re going to,” Chance said adamantly. “We just need the Godmother Supreme to bring the Book of Bindings.”

  Everything was happening so fast and I had to get some space to think away from all these people. I bent to whisper in Kai’s ear, “I have to get some air.”

  “I can go with you,” Kai said, turning to me.

  I shook my head. “I won’t be good company. I need . . . I don’t know what I need right now.” She gave me a weird look. I tried to mask my internal conflict. “Listen, Mr. Brody has a coffee machine in his office.” I pointed with my chin. “I know you’re tired. Drink, rest, recuperate. I’ll come back in a few.”

  She nodded, eyebrows still crunched together in confusion. I gave her a quick kiss atop her head and strode away. “I’ll be back.” I waved to the others.

  SJ’s expression tightened. “Daniel, where—”

  “Bathroom,” I said.

  I exited the library, grateful to be out of there and that Kai hadn’t pushed to come with me. Yesterday she’d followed me when I needed headspace, but had only made my head spin more. I’d always thought she was happy here, that she liked all the people I liked. To learn she thought of my friends as only my friends, that being with them was a sacrifice . . . It hurt. And it bothered me. I didn’t realize how good she was at pretending. Also, why didn’t she like them? Did it go back to her frustration with how we never got to spend much time alone together, how our relationship had turned into a group activity? Did that make this my fault?

  I would have to deal with that later. The point was, I couldn’t face that issue with Kai at the moment. Right now all of my thoughts, all of my feelings, belonged to Knight.

  I walked aiml
essly up the halls in a shocked trance, marinating on Knight’s anguished face, the golden marks searing her hands, and her agonized shouts. It wasn’t until I saw the sunrise streaming in through a hall of windows that I stopped, my thoughts temporarily placated. The light fell against my face as I stared out the window. The gold over the thick forest ahead seemed so peaceful. How could the world look this tranquil when so much was wrong?

  “Nice bathroom.”

  I pivoted, body defaulting into a defensive posture before my brain registered Blue’s voice. She was excellent at stealth; I hadn’t noticed her approach at all.

  She stood beside me, gazing out at the trees. Her hair almost glowed with the dawn light—the golden strands rivaling the streams of sunshine breaking across the sky.

  “That was hard.” she said after a minute, continuing to stare at the forest, not me.

  I nodded.

  “And knowing how long she’s been suffering . . .” Blue shuddered.

  I pivoted, alert. “What do you mean?”

  Blue turned to face me. “Daniel, Earth moves twenty times faster than Book’s timeline. One day for us is equivalent to twenty days on Earth for Crisa. I don’t know how long she’s been there for sure, but her hair was definitely longer than when we left her.”

  And here I thought I couldn’t feel any worse.

  “Merlin has visions of the future, not the present,” Blue continued somberly. “Between that, and the Earth time change, who knows how long Crisa has been Arian’s prisoner. How long she will continue to be his prisoner before we can get to her.”

  My muscles tensed and I scowled. “Blue, that’s the last thing I want to hear right now.”

  “It doesn’t mean you don’t need to hear it. SJ is the logical one, Daniel, but that doesn’t imply she is always going to tell you the hard truth. The same goes for Jason. They’re too kind for that, too optimistic. You and I, we’re the realists. And however this Midnight Law test plays out, the team needs to be realistic as we proceed. Accepting the depth of the stakes pushes you more than faith does if you ask me.”