Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  The dog paused by the servant’s shoes and we heard the loud click of his leash attaching to the top of his collar. Conqueror started moving again. Chance and I kept clinging with all our might as the dog trotted out of the room and down the hall.

  “The treasure room is coming,” Chance whispered soon enough. “Disembark in three, two, one—”

  We released our grip on the collar and slid down the dog’s chest, landing on the purple carpet. Conqueror kept walking—his underside passing over us—and we were left behind as he and the servant continued down the corridor.

  The gap between the treasure room door and the floor was big enough that we simply had to get on our stomachs and crawl beneath the frame. When we emerged on the carpet of the room beyond, I practically had to shield my eyes from the glare. Aside from the walkway down the center, the space was entirely covered in tall piles of gold.

  Podiums amid the high tides of treasure held up glass display cases. Chance and I walked closer and I read aloud the massive placards on the nearest podiums. “ANIMAL. BIOLOGICAL. MUSICAL.” I stopped and pointed. “It must be that one.”

  The podium was as high as a skyscraper. Equally tall piles of gold coins like ski slopes surrounded it.

  “How the heck do we get up there?” Chance thought aloud.

  “I think we have to hike,” I said, gesturing at the coins. “Unless you have a better idea.”

  “I don’t. Let’s do it. We’re definitely going to get our recommended steps in for the day.”

  We proceeded up the unsteady hill of carriage-wheel-sized gold coins, taking care with our footing. A few times a coin slipped when we placed weight on it and skittered down the slope to ground level. A couple times we slipped with those coins and had to hastily roll ourselves sideways before we were taken back to the base of the pile.

  When we reached the summit, we were about five feet from the side of the podium and eight feet from the top where the glass display case sat.

  I studied the podium. The material it was made from was textured. To the giants this would mean nothing, but at my current small size, I looked at it and saw bumps and grooves we could use to our advantage.

  “How good are you at climbing?” I asked.

  “How good are you at climbing?” Chance retorted.

  I grinned. “Race you to the top.”

  Chance and I ran for the edge of the gold pile and bounded off. We gripped the textured edges of the podium and started to climb up, using the bumps and grooves like boosts and holds. This would’ve been a super tough climb from the ground, but from here it was a quick ascension and kind of fun.

  Lo and behold, Chance and I pulled ourselves to the top at the same time. I was fairly competitive but weirdly glad it had been a tie. After everything we’d been through, that felt right.

  The perimeter that bordered the glass case was wide enough for us to stand on. We peered inside. Various human-sized instruments were positioned on individual stands. It didn’t take long to spot the sparkling silver flute that Magdalin had requested.

  “I’ll use my acid spit to create a hole in the glass,” I said. “It’ll be more subtle than us cracking it open.”

  “Do it at the back of the display,” Chance suggested. “That way it may be a while before anyone notices.”

  “I love it,” I said.

  We edged around the perimeter. When I was in position, I breathed in, channeled my energy, and hacked acid spit at the case once, then again. A human-sized hole formed in the glass. As soon as the acid settled, Chance and I stepped through and I grabbed the flute, stuffing it into my backpack beside Crisa’s wand. We slipped out of the display case and stood on the edge of the podium again, looking down at the pile of giant gold coins.

  “You want to make this a little more fun and a little more dangerous?” Chance asked.

  “That usually means the same thing to me. And I think I know where you’re going with this. It’ll be a great way to save time.”

  “Race you to the bottom,” Chance said.

  We leapt off the podium, aiming for the coin pile. Each of us landed neatly on a coin, which was shaken loose on impact and began careening downhill. Chance rode his like a snowboard while I crouched low and gripped the sides of my coin, treating it like a sled. The carpet approached fast. When we hit it, the coins stopped abruptly and we went tumbling forward. We rolled to a stop, laughing. Because what else could you do after that?

  We got up and headed for the door.

  “Why do you think the Giant King collects magic artifacts that are human-sized?” I asked, taking one final look at the room.

  Chance shrugged. “Everybody needs a hobby.”

  We ducked under the door again and crept along the edge of the hallway. When we reached the sitting room, we crawled under the door frame and lay on our stomachs to make sure the coast was clear. The Giant King’s face remained hidden behind his newspaper. Chance and I sprang to our feet and sprinted around the side of the room, periodically taking cover behind furnishings until we reached our friends. They looked exhausted from filing, but glad to see us.

  “One flute stolen,” I said, giving them the thumbs up.

  “Oh yay,” Jason said dryly.

  We finished the Giant King’s pedicure at seven o’ clock. I was weirdly proud of the final product. The Giant King’s toes were primped and polished like he was a teenage girl on the way to a school dance.

  I majorly respected Grandma Hilde’s youngsters for their positivity and work ethic. The pay for this singular job must’ve been extraordinary if they put up with giant feet and the long travel time on a daily basis.

  Work shift done, the servant girl escorted us downstairs and we took the TRAM back to Dashi Valley. After thanking Grandma Hilde and family, we traveled on foot for a while and eventually arrived outside Magdalin’s cottage at quarter to nine. I was happy, but surprised. Our last two Midnight Law flame missions ended with massive battles, so I was stunned by how this adventure had played out. Frankly, if you were mixed up in a storyline involving a Giant King, a witchy old woman, and a grudge with a former fairytale character, how did that not lead to a battle?

  But hey, stories can surprise you. And patterns can break to allow for better flow. Just looking at Jason, Chance, and Girtha beside me, I knew this was true.

  “Come in, come in,” said Magdalin as she opened the door. “How did you do?”

  Wordlessly, I took the flute out of my backpack and held it up. She clapped her hands together. This woke the Guilt Hounds in the corner. They got up and trotted over, but after a quick sniff of Chance, Girtha, and me, they moved on. We exchanged a knowing look. Forgiving each other, and forgiving ourselves, had freed us of the guilt that’d been suffocating us.

  “As agreed?” I said, turning my attention back to Magdalin.

  “Of course.” She reached into her apron and drew out the flame. She lobbed it at us and Chance caught it. He took his watch out and absorbed the flame into the timepiece, the penultimate quarter filling in.

  “Forgiveness” flashed across the face of the watch.

  “Well, if that isn’t right on the nose,” Chance mused.

  He took the words out of my mouth. The Midnight Law quest, while about Crisa, had become about us in a way too. The quest’s challenges were insightfully testing and healing us. Each pivotal relationship aspect that we needed to collect was something that one or more of us needed to understand, and in coming to terms with that, our own relationships were strengthening. I was grateful for this. It was very rare that the universe gave you a break. So while Midnight Law was a burden, I had to appreciate that facets of it had brought gifts.

  I handed the flute to Magdalin and with our business done, we turned to head for the door. That’s when I noticed that all six Guilt Hounds surrounded Jason. We all noticed it.

  Oh, crud.

  Chance, Girtha, and I had resolved our guilt, but Jason—who had been free of such weight yesterday—now appeared to be filled
with guilt.

  “Jason? You all right?” I asked.

  He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I just feel bad about stealing from the giant, especially after everything Jack did.”

  A bright flash of green light shone through the windows. We looked out and saw the Midnight Law portal appear. Jason opened the door and walked outside. We scampered after him. Magdalin had to order her dogs not to follow our friend out.

  “Jason!” I called. We caught up with him. “Look, your brother Jack was a jackwagon, there’s no denying that. But we needed that flute and you didn’t hurt anybody by stealing it.”

  “And Jack needed money,” Jason countered. “Needing something isn’t a good enough reason to wrong someone or go against your morals. I’ve hated my brother for most of my life, and I literally followed in his footsteps today. How would you feel if a wolf ate you and some hunter had to cut you out of its gut? You’d be a victim to the very same fate as your sister, something you look down on her for. You’d feel like you’re no better than Red, just like I am no better than Jack.”

  “You obviously need to either forgive Jack or forgive yourself for what your brother did, man,” Chance said. “Holding on to this isn’t healthy. Look at how those Guilt Hounds reacted.”

  “This isn’t about forgiveness like it was for you guys,” Jason said. “Not everyone needs to be forgiven. If that were the issue, then the portal wouldn’t have appeared. It showed up the second you absorbed the flame, Chance, because the three of you already passed the test of forgiveness last night. My issues are about failing to break pattern and repeating history because I wasn’t smart enough to find another way.”

  Silence hung in the air. Then I stepped forward. “So, break the pattern.”

  “What?”

  “Jason, you’re probably one of the smartest, kindest, most honorable heroes to ever attend Lord Channing’s. Stop for a minute and think. What can make this situation okay? What do your brain and heart say you should do to make this okay? I know the answer is in there. Listen, and we’ll follow your lead.”

  We stood there for a long moment as Jason stared at the portal. All of sudden, he marched back toward the cottage. We tailed him.

  He knocked on the door and when Magdalin answered, the Guilt Hounds swarmed our friend excitedly and wagged their tails. Jason took his axe out of its sheath and held it up to Magdalin. “Trade me.”

  “I’m sorry, honey?”

  “You like unique magical objects that you can sell, right? Check this out. Protect.” The axe’s force field activated and a shimmering dome appeared around Jason until he extinguished it telepathically. “This axe can create an indestructible safety shield that you can operate with your thoughts . . . and it is the same axe that Jack used to cut down the beanstalk that killed the Giant King’s brother.” He turned over the weapon and showed Magdalin the initials carved into the base of the handle—JS.

  “I’m Jason Sharp, but the JS stands for my brother, Jack Sharp. I want to trade you his axe for the flute we brought you.”

  “Oh my! Yes, yes, I will make that trade.” Magdalin rushed inside to retrieve the flute.

  “Are you sure?” I asked Jason.

  He nodded. “If a person gives up their morals and principles to get a job done then that person isn’t a hero; they’re barely a person. And anyway, this axe was my brother’s. I’ve always considered it one of my most valued possessions because Jack made it when our family was poor, and it is my only link to who he used to be before he lost himself to greed. But I don’t need to carry it, or that memory of him, around with me anymore.”

  “But it has magic,” Girtha said. “That’s special.”

  “I earned that magic. If the circumstances are right, maybe I’ll earn something else in the future. Who knows? And if I don’t, who cares? I don’t need an axe to be enchanted to make it special. I have skill and training and faith in myself. That can make any weapon I wield special.”

  Magdalin returned and presented Jason with the flute. Without hesitation, Jason passed her the axe and took the musical instrument in trade. The second the items changed hands, the Guilt Hounds lost interest in our friend and ambled back to their basket. Magdalin waved us goodbye and we turned back to where the portal still glowed.

  “That was one of the most surprising things I’ve ever seen,” Girtha commented. “And since we started this quest, I’ve seen a mermaid get a haircut, monster cats with eel tails, and a village made of giant shoes.”

  We stopped by a large pine tree at the edge of the clearing where the portal gleamed.

  “It was the right decision,” Jason said. “Now we just need to find a way to persuade Grandma Hilde’s grandkids to take this flute back to the Giant King’s castle tomorrow. They can return it the same way you two stole it, but it’ll be hard to convince them. It’s a big ask.”

  Chance snapped his fingers and touched the grand tree, which turned to solid gold. “I’m sure we can find something to offer them in exchange.”

  he portal from Camelot let out in a rather precarious spot. I stepped onto a white marble ledge that I quickly realized—when I almost fell off it—was the mantle of a colossal fireplace. Had I any less grace, I would have toppled off the moment I stepped through the portal. Which, on glancing over my shoulder, had formed in the middle of a looking glass the size of a barn door.

  I moved to the side and held my arm out in front of the portal as I glanced around the spacious white room, decorated with accents of gray and silver. Across from me, two wide double doors were closed. Three long rectangular windows on the left allowed daylight to stream in like angelic rays. The floor was composed entirely of mirrored panels.

  At that point Mauvrey stepped through and my arm prevented her from falling. She gasped then nodded her thanks, swiftly relocating to the other side of the portal.

  We both reacted when Kai came through next, putting our arms out to keep her from tumbling off the mantle. Regrettably, Daniel followed too fast. He emerged before Kai could move out of the way and rammed into her. The two of them fell to the mirrored floor, which cracked from the impact. I hoped neither of them was superstitious. That was a lot of bad luck.

  “Ow,” Kai groaned.

  Daniel made a similar sound of discomfort.

  A few black feathers floated over them. The Swan People had let us keep our magic garments as a thank you, though we had shortened the cloaks to hip-length so they would not be so cumbersome.

  Mauvrey and I swiftly sat down on the edge of the mantle and hopped off to help. “Are you injured?” I asked, offering Daniel a hand as he slowly rolled over. He did not need to answer. There was a scrape on his forehead, not bleeding openly, but it had released a couple of drops.

  “I’m fine,” he grumbled.

  “Not entirely.” I reached into my magic sack and summoned a handkerchief. “Hold still a second.” He tried to swat me away, but I moved in despite that and wiped off the small straggles of blood. When I finished, I looked at the dirty handkerchief in my hand.

  If only Kai had gotten cut. It was a dark thought, and very unlike me, but my suspicions about her were mounting. Unfortunately, I could not act on them in any wise capacity. The spot on Kai’s knuckle was not enough to embolden me to take a slice at her to find out whether or not she had the black blood Wang Shu said characterized the carrier of a Magic Mite. Plus, even if I were that bold and aggressive, if I cut her and I was wrong, Daniel may never forgive me. We had literally just gotten to a good place in our relationship. I did not want to risk that and make a big move until I had more proof.

  “Thanks,” Daniel said to me. The he turned to his girlfriend. “Kai, are you good?”

  Kai waved off Mauvrey’s help and stood, glaring at Daniel. “I’ve been better. What forsaken realm are we in this time?”

  I activated my Hole Tracker. “Another new one. Wonderland.”

  “Which one?” Mauvrey asked.

  “Oh, pardon,” I replied. “Al
l realms in this dimension are considered Wonderlands, but I am referring to the actual realm of Wonderland, which the protagonist Alice made famous.” I shut off the map function but frowned as the hands of my timepiece began spinning rapidly and changing directions erratically, inhibiting me from telling what time it was. I held up my Hole Tracker to show the others.

  Daniel took out his pocket watch and compared it. His timepiece malfunctioned the same way mine did.

  “Strange,” I mused. “Time here must move uniquely. We will have to hustle, as we cannot know how that will affect our Book timeline.”

  The double doors opened; my team and I stood at attention. Two lines of knights in single file marched through, paused, and pivoted to face one another—creating a passage for someone to pass between them. An egg the size of a preschool child strode up the aisleway. He wore military regalia on his uniform and a fancy feathered hat. The visible portions of his shell bore a series of cracks.

  “Hello there,” the egg said. “I am General Humpty Dumpty, emissary to the White Queen and White King. We heard a noise and came to see the cause. What is your business in the White Castle and how did you find yourselves to be here?”

  “This may sound strange,” I answered. “But we are travelers from another realm. We are seeking a magical green flame, which leaves a green trail of light in its wake. A portal dropped us here to begin our pursuit of it.”

  “That sounds reasonable,” the egg said. “My majesties have seen the trail you speak of. Come, I will take you to them and get you anything else you need—provisions, reliable transport, perhaps some medical attention?” Humpty Dumpty looked at Daniel, noticing the scrape on his head. “Had a great fall, did you?”

  Without waiting for an answer, the egg turned on his heel and walked back up the aisle of soldiers. We trailed behind him. The knights pivoted once we had passed through and from there marched behind us, their steps in perfect sync. Any pair of them would have made a formidable team in a three-legged race.