Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  “Geez, and I thought I had girl problems.”

  “Crisa has been captured by villains in another dimension, Chance. You definitely win the girlfriend troubles competition.”

  Chance blinked. “Crisa’s not my girlfriend, Jason.”

  “But you love her, don’t you?”

  Embarrassment streaked Chance’s face.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, standing. “That’s not my place. You and I haven’t been friends that long. I shouldn’t ask such personal questions.”

  Chance stood also. “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind you asking, I’m just not used to having friends who care enough to ask personal questions. Until recently Crisa was really the only person to care about me in that way; she genuinely thought about my feelings. The fact that I had a huge crush on her combined with our close friendship makes me want to be around her all the time, so I’d like her to be my girlfriend. And maybe I’ve had the strong feelings you mentioned. But we’re not there yet. SJ made that painfully obvious before we left—she didn’t want me to go on this quest for the wrong reasons. Honestly though . . . and I didn’t tell SJ this at the time, I’ve also had my doubts about the future where Crisa and I are concerned.”

  “And yet, you’re still here,” I said.

  Chance nodded. “I know things may not work out that way for us, but I am and would always be willing to risk my life for her. Not because she is my girlfriend, but because she is my friend. It may not be written in the stars for her to be my true love, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love her in another way, right? I mean, isn’t that exactly what you have with Blue, which makes your relationship so strong? You love her as a friend first. Anything else that does or doesn’t happen between you is just an extra layer on top of that.”

  “Guys!” Girtha called. She was running up the hill while pointing to our left. “Where’s Blue going?”

  Wait, what?

  We turned to see Blue storming off.

  “Blue!” I called. She didn’t stop so we chased after her.

  “Where are you going?” I asked when the three of us caught up with her.

  She didn’t break stride as she responded. “That soldier came from Nadia’s castle. That means it can’t be too far from here. I’m going to use my powers to break in there, grab the girl by the throat, and choke Crisa’s location out of her. Forget this flame chasing nonsense. Nadia is the queen of Alderon, the mastermind of all the antagonist’s plans, and the architect of the plot against us, and Crisa specifically. Why not go straight to the source and finish her? That’s what we should have done last year when we were in her castle and had the chance. Now we’re paying the price for holding back.”

  “Blue.” She still didn’t stop, so I grabbed her wrist and turned her to face me. “Blue. Stop. We didn’t take Nadia out then because we had no shot and would have been killed. Just like we’ll all get killed now if we go charging in blindly full of fury.”

  “I didn’t ask you guys to come with me,” Blue retorted. “I don’t need Girtha’s or Chance’s kind of help. It comes at a price. And I certainly don’t need you to protect me like you keep trying to.” She glanced down at where my hand clasped her wrist. Sadness flickered across her face and she softened her tone and volume. “This is exactly the kind of thing I am trying to avoid between us.”

  I let go and raised my hands in partial surrender. “Okay, why don’t we all calm down and think this through. I get where you’re coming from, Blue. And none of us expect you to trade your name to Rumpelstiltskin. But the whole point of us taking some time to regroup was so that we could form a creative plan of attack like . . .”

  My voice trailed off.

  “Like Crisa would?” Blue finished. She sighed and held my gaze. The anger had left her face. Her eyes—so blue they put the sea to shame—only held sorrow and remorse. “I’m not good for planning, Jason,” she said. “I’m fire and force and kill first, ask questions later. I can’t think my way out of this alone.”

  “You don’t have to.” Chance stepped forward. “Look, however you feel about me and Girtha, we all want the same ending to this quest. So can we please work together to defeat Rumpelstiltskin and hash the rest out later?”

  A long moment passed before Blue nodded.

  “Okay good,” Chance said. “Now, Crisa may not be here, but we’re four heroes with assorted weapons, powers, and skills. Let’s talk strategy. What do we know for sure?”

  “There is no way to get the Midnight Law flame without Rumpel giving it to us of his own volition,” Girtha said.

  “But if Blue gives Rumpelstiltskin her name in exchange for the flame, we can’t kill him because she’ll die too,” I said. “Which means she’d be under his control forever. That’s not an option. Giving him her name can’t be on the table.”

  “Wait,” Blue said.

  We turned to her.

  “I’m giving him my name,” she declared. “That’s the only thing on the table.”

  “You’re crazy,” I said in a huff. “You honestly think I’m going to let that happen?”

  “You honestly think I need you to let me do anything?” she replied, eyes narrowed. “Geez, Jason, this is part of the whole problem with you and me—” She stole a glance at Chance and Girtha. “Those issues I mentioned for why we can’t pursue the path you proposed—it’s rooted in this very issue. No matter how close we are, or how much you care for me, you will always try to be the hero of the story. As a result, I’m just the girl, the damsel, the sidekick, or all three. Either way, I end up consumed in your story instead of my own.”

  She sighed, aggression melting and replaced by what seemed like genuine regret. “Why can’t you fully respect me?”

  I think my brain partially ruptured. “Blue, of course I respect you. I’ve done nothing but try to prove that since we got back from Dreamland!”

  “By always rushing to protect me and speak on my behalf?” she asked, eyebrow cocked.

  I opened my mouth but had no words.

  “You’ve been trying,” Blue said, shifting her tone to be a bit more caring. “I have noticed. I like it when you keep your opinions to yourself even when you think I’m wrong or being bull-headed. I can see it in your face when you want to say something but hold back, and I appreciate it. Keep doing that, and maybe we can revisit the situation. For now, show you respect me by accepting that I want to give Rumpelstiltskin my name, despite the risks. And keep your issues with that to yourself. This is what I want to do; please support my decision without trying to protect me.”

  I felt my blood boil. Every part of me wanted to fight Blue on this—tell her how stubborn and stupid she was being and get her to see reason, or at least consider a better option. But I also wanted her to know I respected her. If this was what it took . . .

  “Fine,” I grumbled.

  “So . . .” Girtha said.

  Blue and I tensed and turned slowly. I think we’d both kind of forgotten the others were there. Now it was my turn to feel some humiliation.

  “Can we, uh, try to come up with a plan or do you two need a few more minutes to handle whatever this is?” Girtha said.

  I huffed bitterly and shook my head, trying to pretend like that didn’t just happen. “Um, okay, when Blue gives Rumpel her name, we’ll end up with the long-term problem of her being his magical slave for the rest of her life. We need a plan to deal with that.”

  “Yes,” Blue said. “But that’s not the most important issue to address. You’re overlooking the short-term problem. Rumpel is a sociopath. He’ll have to keep his word and give us the flame once I give him my name, but there’s nothing to stop him from using me as a weapon to kill you guys immediately afterward. That’s what I would do if the tables were turned.”

  “It might be what you would do, but why are you so sure that’d be his first move?” Chance asked.

  Blue’s face hardened into a scowl. She disliked being questioned by Chance. Her grudge flared beneath the surface at all times
, even when she was calm. Before she could make a snarky comment, I coughed awkwardly into my fist.

  “Same team,” I muttered.

  Blue glanced at me and released a breath, unclenching her fists. “Because, Chance, Rumpelstiltskin is clearly motivated by three things: power, his multi-dimensional abduction scam, and taking joy in other people’s suffering. If he has me, he has power. If he uses me to kill all of you, then he can turn your bodies into Nadia postmortem and earn her favor, which he needs to continue his operation, especially after she catches wind that he murdered one of her soldiers. That takes care of his business. Lastly, if Chance is dead, then Rumpel can make King Dominique and the entire Darling family suffer.”

  She crossed her arms. “Rumpel knew I was right when I asserted he couldn’t take out all four of us, but with me under his command every option I just mentioned is possible because he and I could take out the three of you. You’re great fighters, but my powers combined with the little man’s easily outmatch you. Frankly, on my own I could kill the three of you. That’s not intended to be an insult.” She looked in my direction as if to convince me she meant no malice with the comment. “It’s just the truth.”

  “So in sum,” I said, holding up my hand and counting off on my fingers, “we need a plan that gives Rumpel what he wants, doesn’t get us killed by Blue, protects her from Rumpel’s indefinite influence, and saves all those kids.”

  “The kids?” Girtha repeated.

  “You didn’t think we were going to leave them here, did you?” I looked at her.

  “Couldn’t we come back for them?” Girtha suggested. “I know they need our help, but even if we do save them, how are we supposed to take them with us? I’m not trying to be mean, but I don’t see how several dozen small children can accompany us on this quest.”

  “That’s a fair point,” I replied. “But that doesn’t change what’s right here. I feel bad enough that we let that soldier get mutilated. That was one guy, and he was a villain, but these are a bunch of innocent little kids. We can’t let Rumpel continue to keep them captive. We’re not the type of heroes who leave people behind.”

  “Except when it came to Crisa . . .” Blue muttered, eyes on the ground.

  We stood awkwardly for a moment until I eventually nodded.

  “Then let’s not repeat history.”

  “Red Nose! Yo, Red Nose!” I whisper-yelled.

  Blue and I hid behind a bush a few hundred yards from Rumpelstiltskin’s cottage. We’d been stalking the children sent out to gather firewood and had been waiting for one of them to wander away from the pack. The boy we’d run into earlier was the first kid we managed to catch alone. He had choppy brown hair and wore a gray hat and cherry bandana that made the color of his runny nose stand out even more. I didn’t feel right referring to him by this characteristic, but as I didn’t know his actual name, this would have to do.

  The kid jumped when he saw us and dropped his bundle of kindling again. I held my hands up. “Don’t run. Don’t shout. We’re here to help. We’re heroes.”

  The kid took a couple steps back. “What are heroes?”

  Blue and I exchanged a confused glance. “Uh, you know. Good guys?” Blue tried.

  “What are good guys?” Red Nose asked.

  I saw the fear and confusion in his brown eyes. He genuinely didn’t understand. Rumpelstiltskin had probably taken Red Nose from his mother when he was a baby. Had the wicked dwarf never let any of these kids leave his property or learn anything about the world outside this gold-spinning factory?

  I knelt so I was the same height as the kid. “What’s your name?”

  “Um, Red Nose.”

  “No, your actual name.”

  “Red Nose.”

  I blinked. “Seriously? That’s what Rumpelstiltskin named you? Those other kids you were with earlier who ran off when they saw us, what are their names?”

  “That was Scratchy Bum, Freckle Face, and Whiner Baby.”

  I looked at Blue. “I didn’t think I could hate that guy any more, but here we are.” I shook my head and turned my attention back to the kid. “Okay, Red Nose, the world has bad guys and good guys. Bad guys are people like Rumpelstiltskin, who make you scared and hurt people for no reason. Good guys are people like me and my friends. We stop the bad guys and are there when others need help.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Red Nose said, shaking his head adamantly.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “I’ve needed help for a long time. So have the other kids. If heroes are real, where have you been?”

  The question hung in the air. Then Blue stepped toward the boy in a hypnotically calm, steady manner. I’d seen her approach deer and other wildlife in the woods that way. Growing up near the Forbidden Forest, she was great at reading animal instinct and adjusting her body language. Woodland creatures never ran from her; Red Nose didn’t either.

  “Heroes are human too, Red Nose,” Blue said in a soft voice. “We want to help everyone, but we can’t always get there in time. My friends and I are sorry we’re late, but you know what? I think you can be an even better hero than we are. How would you like that? How would you like to save the day and help all the kids yourself?”

  Red Nose stared at the ground. “I can’t do that.”

  “Of course you can.” She took a knee in front of him and looked into his eyes. “Heroes don’t have to do big things to make a difference. Sometimes small things matter so much more. I’m Blue, this is Jason, and the other people you saw with us earlier are Chance and Girtha. If you do a few small things for us, we can all escape Rumpelstiltskin.”

  Red Nose shook his head. “No, there’s no way to escape. Master Rumpel kills any outsider who challenges him. He tears them in half! I’ve seen it. And if his children wander too far, he just has to say our names and we come back. He has power over us with his words!” He started to hyperventilate.

  “Hey, hey.” I hurried over and put my hands on the kid’s shoulders. “It’s okay. Look, Rumpel will never even know you helped us. All we need is for you to pass a message to all the kids and get us a few things from Rumpel’s kitchen. Bring them down to the river in an hour and a half and Rumpelstiltskin will never be able to hurt any of you again. I promise.”

  Red Nose sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “What’s a promise?”

  Really? This poor kid.

  “It’s the most powerful word there is,” Blue said. “It’s brings people together who want the same thing, and they commit themselves to each other to see that thing become real. A promise is good and strong and formidable against bad people, even Rumpelstiltskin.”

  Red Nose glanced back at the cottage for a second. Then he gulped. “What do you need exactly?”

  “How’d your mission go?” Chance asked me as he and Girtha approached.

  “We found a kid to help and he’s going to meet us at quarter past ten with the rest of the supplies we need for the explosives. How were your errands?”

  “Stakeout went fine,” Chance reported. “There are twenty-nine kids working the factory floor. Stairs on the outside of the building lead to the second-level dormitory and nursery. It’s the only way up. There was a lock on that door, and all the windows were barred.”

  “Girtha?” Blue asked.

  “I collected all the plants and flowers we need to make the bombs.” She pointed her thumb at her backpack. “It’s lucky that there are so many growing along the river.”

  “It’s lucky that Lady Agnue’s offers a class that teaches you how to make explosives,” Chance retorted.

  “Explosives, archery, dancing, homemade facemasks—our curriculum is complex because girls are complex,” Girtha replied with a shrug.

  Blue smiled sadly.

  “What?” I said.

  “Nothing. I just . . . I was remembering joking to Crisa and SJ about Lady Agnue’s giving us the tools to blow up Nadia’s castle while maintaining clear skin.”

  I
tried to think of something comforting to say to her, but an eerie moan-howl shook the trees. It sounded like a wolf crossed with a wild spirit.

  “That’s our cue to get a move on,” Blue said. “We have an appointment with Mark on top of the mountain in about forty-five minutes and I feel like we’re pushing our luck being in Alderon this long without a monster attack.”

  We proceeded on our hasty uphill hike. Moan-howls pierced the air a few more times. Their sounds echoed across the land so we couldn’t tell what direction they came from, or how far away the creatures making the noises were. I remained ready to grab my axe at a moment’s notice.

  Our Hole Trackers started flashing with light as we neared our destination. At 9:35 a.m., a black hole swirled open among a collection of boulders. Seconds after that, our friend Mark stepped through onto Alderon soil.

  “Glad to see you’re all still alive,” Mark said, a rolled-up piece of parchment in one hand and a Hole Tracker on his wrist. “I’ve explored a lot of dimensions, but even I’m not crazy enough to go on a hike in villain country.”

  Blue gave him a quick embrace, as did I. He nodded to Chance and Girtha.

  “But you’re crazy enough to risk your life by helping us when you’re sick,” I replied critically. I glanced at my friends. “For the record, I am still not on board with this part of the plan. He’s not supposed to be using wormholes anymore.” I turned to Mark. “Do you have to be this stubborn? I can literally see the Portal Acid on your neck. You’re going to get yourself killed before SJ has a chance to figure out how to cure you.”

  Mark shook his head. “First of all, I could get killed in my secure castle just as easily as out here on a quest. Full disclosure—this morning around quarter to six, I had another one of those suicidal nightmare spells.”