Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  We nodded.

  “It’s time,” Lenore signaled us. “Everyone else move back.”

  Our friends and allies obliged, forming a semi-circle in front of us. Those who had elected to join a Midnight Law team were armed with various weapons and loaded backpacks. Chance and I stood in front of the collection of statues, their shadows draping over the floor as the grand clock in the room ticked dangerously close to midnight.

  Lenore opened the Book of Bindings. “I will need your chosen timepieces. At the stroke of midnight, both of you touch the blank page at the same time then read the spell in unison. Say ‘Crisanta Knight’ when you get to the space on the last line. Once you pick up your timepieces after that, the spell will fully activate. Four flames will appear for each of you wherever they’re meant to, and glowing trails will guide you to them once you step through their corresponding portals. Your first portal will materialize right here.”

  I took out my pocket watch. Chance removed his own pocket watch from his jacket. It was gold, as expected, and of much finer detail than mine. Lenore opened the watches and placed them on the floor. Then she held out the Book of Bindings in front of us.

  “Wait for it,” she said, nodding toward the big clock. The second hand ticked once, twice, three times, then—midnight.

  Chance and I put our hands on the blank page opposite the main spell. I cringed a bit as our hands touched when we did this. Together, we began to read:

  “To find the one who has changed my soul,

  I accept the magic to reach that goal.

  I choose Midnight Law to guide my hand

  With dangers and risks I understand.

  I’ll face four trials to find my way,

  And shall win or fail by end of day.

  I vow this with heart, body, and mind,

  So that Crisanta Knight I may find.”

  The Book of Bindings glowed powerfully. The words on the page shimmered like liquid metal then a sparkling lime green aura emerged from the text. It wafted into the air and formed the name “Crisanta Knight” over our heads. Then the energy split in two and speedily shot into our pocket watches. The timepieces glowed green for a moment before the light faded.

  Lenore nodded and Chance and I bent to pick up our watches. As I reached for mine, I noticed both clocks had sprouted two additional hands on their faces that were spinning in different directions. I grabbed my timepiece. The instant I touched it, the watch ejected another burst of green energy that swirled and expanded in front of me. It looked like a smoky version of a wormhole. Chance collected his pocket watch and a second green portal opened for him.

  “Once you go through, the trail of light that will guide you should be somewhere nearby,” Debbie said, moving beside Lenore. She turned to the rest of the group. “Daniel and Chance need to be the last ones through each portal, as the portals will close once they’ve stepped through. But remember, by crossing a portal you’re all entangling yourselves in the quest of each flame. It could come down to any one or more of you to pass the tests presented accordingly.”

  “Anything else?” Chance asked.

  Lenore and Debbie exchanged a look I didn’t like.

  “What?” I said.

  Debbie bit her lip. “Try not to find Crisa too close to your deadline if you can. You turn fully to stone when your watches strike midnight in Book time tomorrow. But . . . there’s a chance that you may start to partially petrify in the minutes leading up to that.”

  “What do you mean there’s a chance?” Lord Channing asked.

  “As you know, Percival, it has been a while since Midnight Law was enacted,” Lenore said. “But there have been varied accounts from the heroes who survived it of what they experienced close to the deadline’s expiration. And on that note . . .” she faced me and Chance again. “Boys, your clock is ticking. I suggest you get going.”

  I was kind of angry with Lenore for not sharing this info sooner. But she was right; we did have to leave. Even seconds mattered. Kai, SJ, and Mauvrey came forward to join me. Jason, Blue, and Girtha moved next to Chance. We looked at the friends we were leaving behind. We’d said our main goodbyes earlier and I was glad. Prolonged sendoffs now would be distracting.

  “Be safe,” Javier said.

  “And move quickly,” Divya added with a worried expression.

  Our two teams acknowledged them, then each other. SJ gave Blue and Jason a quick hug then stepped through my portal, followed by Mauvrey then Kai. Girtha went through Chance’s portal, followed by Blue who gave me a final salute. When Jason was up next, he paused and glanced at me. “Remember your promise.”

  “Back ’atcha.”

  We exchanged a last nod. Then Jason leapt through the tear in our dimension and it was just me and Chance. We locked eyes.

  I didn’t like the guy. I didn’t like what he was trying to be to Knight. But both of us were working toward the same goal. And at the end of the day, it didn’t matter which of us reached Knight in time. Someone just had to.

  “Good luck,” I told him, meaning it.

  “You too,” he said.

  With that, we jumped through our portals into the unknown.

  omph!

  I bumped into SJ the second I bounded through the portal. She, Mauvrey, Kai, and I stood under the shadow of an enormous green glass building. Armed guards in golden armor surrounded us. These two clues were enough to tell me where we were. The Emerald Tower.

  My portal had taken us to Oz, specifically the home of Julian, the Wizard of Oz, in the Emerald City. Unlike in Book, it was daytime here. I spotted a faint green trail of light arcing over the sky—that must’ve been the trail we were supposed to follow to the first flame.

  “Stop right there!” one guard said, which I found unnecessary since we hadn’t moved.

  SJ ignored the command and stepped forward. “I am Princess SJ Kaplan. I have been working with Julian. We are friends with him, as well as Ozma, Glinda, and Dorothy.”

  “Where did you come from?” a guard asked. “No one told us to expect visitors.”

  “It’s okay.” The guards stepped aside as Dorothy approached. The tall, lean brunette had a natural authoritative presence. I think her accent helped. I’d met people with Earth accents before, but she was originally from some place called England, and her tone of talk was particularly calming.

  “These protagonists are always welcome in Oz.” Dorothy beckoned to us. “Come inside.”

  We followed her into the glistening glass structure that resided at the heart of the city.

  “Julian and I saw the green flame shoot across the sky,” Dorothy said as we walked. “He knows about many types of enchantments across the realms, and suspected the trail may have something to do with Midnight Law. Is that why you’re here?”

  “Actually, yeah,” I said.

  We entered the Emerald Tower throne room. Thick marble columns holding torches lined the main walkway. The floor was gold tile. At the back of the room, spotlights illuminated fountains with various colors. Our allies—Julian, Ozma, and Glinda—waited for us there.

  In Ozian culture, the youngest sibling ruled while older siblings counseled and mastered potions and magic. Queen Ozma sat perched in a small, ornate throne and her older brother Julian, the land’s famous Wizard of Oz, had a larger throne beside her. Ozma was only thirteen and Julian was in his late twenties, but they looked a lot alike—black curly hair, prim noses, and similar facial expressions.

  Glinda the Good Witch stood beside them. Her hazel hair was slightly changed since the last time we’d been here—intercut with streaks of blue and black. “Good to see you all again,” she said. “Though I take it by the general questing look on your faces that this is business, not pleasure?”

  “Isn’t it always with them?” Julian mused. “Though I have to say, it’s weird seeing you like this. Your party is rather incomplete.”

  “At least there is one new addition.” Ozma gestured at Mauvrey. “You stayed with us here in Oz
for some time while you were under your sleeping curse. SJ told us you were awake. Glad to see you up and about.”

  “Um, nice to be up and about,” Mauvrey answered with a bashful smile.

  “Anyway,” Julian said. “SJ also told us about Crisa being missing. Seeing that green trail in the sky, and seeing you, I assume this is a Midnight Law scenario?”

  “It is,” SJ said.

  “Well then allow us to help you,” Julian said. He got up from his throne, as did Ozma. He walked and talked with her and Glinda following him. “Few people know this part of our story, but many years ago our father journeyed to your realm and sought the Book of Bindings to enact Midnight Law as a means to reunite with our mother, Queen Lurline of the fairies, when tragedy pulled them apart. Our father was successful, as I hope you are. Which of you enacted the spell?”

  “I did,” I said.

  Julian huffed in slight amusement. “Of course you did.” He veered to the side of the room and threw open a set of doors that connected to the outside. We followed and looked up. The trail of light was clearly visible from here—a hazy streak of lime across the blue sky that cut through white clouds in its way.

  “Based on the trajectory of the light trail, I am afraid your flame may have landed in the most dangerous place in Oz,” Ozma said, frowning.

  “After Eva betrayed Julian, she fled west as her namesake suggests,” Glinda explained, coming beside me. A flash of light caught my eye and I looked down. Glinda wore the magic silver slippers with ruby bows I’d previously seen Ozma wear.

  “She still has several lairs in the canyons,” Glinda continued, “and too many factors keep us from hunting her down.”

  “I am sorry, who is Eva?” Mauvrey asked.

  “The Wicked Witch of the West,” Kai explained. “And Julian’s wife.”

  “We’re separated,” Julian protested.

  “In more ways than one, I would say,” Kai replied.

  “In any case, I think you could use an escort to find this flame,” Julian said. He turned to me. “Eva knows how Midnight Law works. If she sees the trail of light, she’ll try to collect the flame, knowing that the hero pursuing it will do anything to get it back. I’ll come with you. I am quite familiar with the western part of Oz.”

  “Julian, I do not think that is a very good idea,” SJ said. “You still have a lot of . . . unresolved issues where Eva is concerned.”

  “And this is a great opportunity to resolve them. One way or another.”

  “I will come along as well,” Glinda said. “Eva is my sister. I know how to anticipate her moves. Ozma, may I borrow the Simia Crown?”

  “Of course, but be careful.” The small queen took the gold tiara off her head and passed it to Glinda. Mauvrey shyly started to raise a hand.

  “The two Simia Crowns control the flying monkeys in Oz,” SJ explained before Mauvrey could ask. “Eva has the other one. The two crowns cancel out each other’s magic, so Eva will not be able to use her flying monkeys to attack us.”

  SJ looked at Julian and Glinda. “Are you sure you want to escort us? We can find our own way. We have done it many times.”

  “Nonsense,” Julian said. “Crisa has been a savior to us all in some way, and we would be glad to contribute to saving her.”

  “A lot of people seem to feel that way,” Kai said. I looked at her. I couldn’t read the expression on her face.

  “I’m sure they do,” Glinda responded. “If it weren’t for Crisa then Ozma would likely still be prisoner in Camelot, Dorothy would be trapped in Neverland, Julian would be living with my sister the sociopath, and I would still have Pure Magic Disease instead of normal magic.”

  Kai didn’t say anything else. Julian clapped his hands together, excited for an adventure. “Well then, this is also a perfect opportunity to show you all my favorite toy.”

  Ozma and Dorothy put their hands to their foreheads, aggravated.

  Oz had an excellent underground train system that ran beneath the Yellow Brick Road. Regrettably, the train line didn’t extend to the part of the western region we were heading, so Julian had us use his personal transport instead. He had no shame expressing how much he loved it. We on the other hand . . .

  “I hate this,” SJ said next to me.

  I wasn’t nuts about it either. The six of us stood inside a large wicker basket attached to a hot air balloon. It was modeled after one that Julian’s father had used, and it covered vast distances fairly quickly. I was grateful for that. Oz’s time zone ran four and a half times slower than Book’s, so we had to spend minimal time here. We’d only been in Oz about forty minutes so far, which was great. However, that didn’t lessen the stress of this tradeoff. Flying several thousand feet above the ground in a basket powered by fire and an enormous balloon was neither comfortable nor comforting.

  “There!” Julian pointed below. Between the clouds that passed beneath us, our green light curved down into a canyon with a large river cutting through it. Black spots dotted the area. I only identified what they were when black dots in the sky started to get near us. Flying monkeys. The creatures flew toward our balloon—jagged large wings and sharp talons unsettlingly close.

  “They’re not attacking,” Kai said, on edge.

  “They can’t, remember,” Glinda responded, tapping the tiara on her head. “Even if Eva ordered them to assault intruders, the Simia Crown cancels out her commands. Pay them no mind. Julian, it’s time to land the balloon.”

  We descended into the canyon with an entourage of two dozen ugly, dangerous creatures flying alongside us. I stared at the fangs of a flying monkey barely a couple arm lengths away. It snarled when it saw me looking.

  “Fire!” Kai cried out.

  I spun around. A ball of flame arced toward us, puncturing our hot air balloon. The transport lurched, throwing us against the sides of the basket. I glanced over the edge. We were about a hundred feet from the ground.

  “Hang on, everyone!” Glinda shouted. A silver aura of energy came out of her as she activated her magic. Glinda had the power to generate force fields. She created a very large, flat one like a ramp that slanted beneath us. Our basket skated down as if on a giant slide. When we were thirty feet from the canyon floor, Julian began to glow with silver energy too. He used his power to control water to pull from the river and create a massive bubble to cushion our landing.

  SPLASH!

  I jumped from the basket and landed on damp gravel. Kai hopped out before I could offer her a hand, so I helped SJ and Mauvrey as our Oz allies climbed out of the basket. Tinted-red, high canyon walls surrounded us and the river glistened nearby.

  “Stupid,” Kai muttered to herself.

  “What is?” I asked.

  “Me. I have levitation powers. They may be rusty, but they’re strong. I should’ve been able to help just now.”

  “You got distracted. It’s fine. Everyone’s okay.”

  The green light trail stopped mid-sky a few dozen feet ahead and above us. There was no flame in sight, but there was someone waiting for us.

  “I can’t believe you’re still traveling in that thing.” Eva strode out from a crevice in the canyon, two flying monkeys trotting after her on all fours.

  We hadn’t seen Eva since she betrayed us and her Oz family a few months ago, stole the second Simia Crown, and ran off. She wore the tiara now, along with a black and navy sleeveless jumpsuit.

  I’d never admit this to Kai, or Knight, or any of my female friends, but Eva was crazy attractive. Her dark blue eyes were piercing and her black, wavy hair, which she wore in a half ponytail, made her look like she came out of my school’s Study of Muses textbook.

  “Just to clarify, did you try to shoot us down with your fire magic as a spiteful prank or were you actually trying to kill us?” Julian asked, stepping forward.

  “Can’t a person spitefully mess with you and try to kill you?” Eva replied.

  “If you were trying to kill us, you wouldn’t have been this merciful,”
Glinda noted. “You never are.”

  “You know me so well.”

  Kai cleared her throat. “Not that this exchange wouldn’t make a divorce attorney’s day, but we’re here for a reason.”

  Eva smirked and pulled something out of her pocket. Hm. So that’s what I was chasing.

  Imagine a piece of glowing, pulsing, lime green gift wrap tissue. Then imagine that you crumpled it up except for the top. And then imagine that this gift wrap tissue was actually made of pure energy that could shrink, grow, and contort based on the will of whoever held it.

  The Midnight Law flame hovered over Eva’s palm as she scanned our group. “Where’s the leader of your little tribe? No Crisa today?” She looked at me directly then a mock pity frown crossed her face. “I take it by the longing expression, Daniel, that this flame belongs to you? It takes a special kind of bond to drive a hero to Midnight Law. Don’t tell me you lost your Knight?”

  “What do you want for that flame, Eva?” I said bluntly.

  “Nothing from you directly.” She glanced around at us. “You know, I wasn’t sure who was going to come looking for this flame, but this is just too much. If I have you on my hook, Daniel, then I also have your friends who care so much about you—like SJ.”

  Eva nodded toward my friend, who had her slingshot gripped and ready.

  “And if I have SJ, then I also have Julian,” Eva continued. “I am well aware of how much he’s come to care for his potions protégé. And that gives me Glinda too—sworn to defend the Oz royal family and filled with too much guilt to ever consider doing anything else.”

  She pivoted toward her sister. “You know what I want.”

  “We’d never give you the other Simia Crown, Eva,” Glinda said.

  “Oh, I know that.” Eva shook her head. “What I want is what started our conflict.” She pointed at Glinda’s feet.

  “Dorothy’s shoes?” SJ asked, puzzled.