Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  The palace’s décor continued to use white, silver, crystal, and natural light to create a bright, airy space like a den for angels. The only off-putting feature was the mirrors that paneled the floor and ceiling in every part of the building, creating thousands of reflections that stalked us from below and above.

  We eventually turned into a grand room with a myriad of interesting things. An enormous, circular window composed of glass cut in a hundred different shapes and sizes took up two thirds of the opposite wall. Below the window, an elevated platform held many elegant people. Thick glass benches at the back provided seats for fabulously dressed courtiers with big hairdos, silk gloves, and hats accessorized with feathers. Meanwhile, at the front of the platform were three thrones. Two thrones sat empty while a dark-skinned twenty-something girl occupied the third. Her black hair flowed down to her elbows and she wore an elaborate white robe and a crystal tiara.

  When we entered, the girl and the courtiers had been focusing on the floor of the room. While the perimeter was still mirrored, the main part was checkered with white and gray marble like a giant chessboard. Crisa’s castle had a room like this, but the board before us was triple the size of the one at her home.

  Furthermore, the game pieces here were living beings. Instead of carvings of horses to function as the “knights,” actual knights sat atop miniature white horses. Men in long, silver robes with matching tall hats served as bishops. The classic castle or tower shaped rook pieces were represented by Daniel-sized, living rook birds—an offshoot of the crow family with silky, navy-black feathers, pointed gray bills, and whitish featherless areas on their faces and around their eyes. The pawns were the only inconsistent assignment on the game board—the roles filled by various creatures; for example, a bespectacled sheep, a purple anteater, and a large hound.

  As for the king and queen of the game . . .

  “Your Majesties.” Humpty Dumpty bowed. “We found these travelers in the East Den. They wish to follow the green light trail to its source.”

  Two pieces on the board turned toward us. The White Queen and White King—who had evidently been playing as themselves—wore elaborate white frocks with capes that spilled to the floor in rippling trains. On their heads shone beautiful crowns made of long, thin daggers of crystal that stood erect like porcupine quills around the band.

  The queen made a timeout sign with her hands. “Brief pause, everyone. Wonderful job so far.” She affectionately cupped the face of a miniature horse in her hand. “Please hold your positions.” She and her husband strode over to us.

  “Welcome Princess SJ, Princess Mauvrey, Daniel, and Kai,” said the queen. “I am the White Queen, and this is my husband, the White King. I was so looking forward to meeting you yesterday and tomorrow.”

  “You know who we are?” Daniel said in surprise.

  “I have and will,” the White Queen responded. “I live in reflections of time. This is the Looking Glass Kingdom, and as its ruler, I see backwards and forwards.”

  “I can never quite catch up with her,” the White King said amicably. “But isn’t that the case with all strong women, and all queens?” He gestured at the chessboard. “They’re always moving too fast and too many moves ahead of men for us to keep up.” He nodded at me, Mauvrey, and Kai before tilting his chin at Daniel. “I’m sure you understand.”

  Daniel shrugged in agreement.

  “I am afraid you have been through a lot later,” the White Queen said. “We saw the green trail you seek this morning in the gardens. It will cross Wonderland to the Crimson Line, which is the border of my twin sisters’ kingdoms.”

  “She means the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts,” Mauvrey said in response to Kai’s puzzled look. “Most Wonderland stories mistake them for the same person, but they are not.”

  “Quite right,” remarked the White King. “We would take you there ourselves, but as part of our peace treaty, we only meet once a week for a diplomatic meeting. This always concludes with a game of croquet against the Queen and King of Hearts, followed by a chess match against the Red Queen and King.” He waved at the board. “We have done quite well at the croquet competitions this month, but have lost at chess the last three times in a row so we are preparing extra. Weekly tallies may not matter in the moment, but if at the end of the year our total wins in both games are less than that of the combined wins of the Red Queen and King and the Queen and King of Hearts, we must surrender a slice of time to them. Meaning we magically take years off our lives to extend theirs. However, if we best our royal rivals, we are allowed to send a champion to try to kill one of their beloved monsters that regularly terrorize our land. Behold our most triumphant prizes!” He gestured at the area above the double doors we had entered. We pivoted around and my heart shriveled like toilet tissue in a river.

  Mounted above us on the wall were the heads of ghastly monsters. The creature at the center was the most impressive, terrifying thing I had ever seen. The pure black face—easily the size of a hippopotamus’s body—had dragon-esque horns and fishlike, bulging eyes darker than midnight. Several long whiskers extended from beneath its jaw while a crown of spiky ridges framed its head, much like a lion’s mane. The creature had been petrified with its mouth open, revealing huge square teeth.

  “The Jabberwock.”

  We turned to find that the girl with the crystal tiara had joined us. “It took my parents ten years of wins before one of our champions was able to behead the Red Queen’s favorite pet monster.”

  “Oh, Lily,” the White Queen said. “You are early to meet the heroes I am going to tell you about next week.” She put her hands on the girl’s shoulders. “Heroes, you’ve met my daughter Lily, the White Princess. Someday you will have great adventures together. Assuming you all survive. My sisters are a bit quick to kill and maim, and the land that separates us is hazardous.”

  “They should take one of our prized steeds,” Lily said. “They will travel faster and be safer from roaming monsters. The Bandersnatch has been particularly wicked recently. And the flocks of Jubjub Birds get exceptionally ravenous around this time of year.”

  “Good idea,” the White King said. “Off you go to the stables, Lily.”

  The princess darted out of the room, causing the soldiers who had escorted us in to execute rapid bows, which looked more comical than formal.

  I glanced up again at the intimidating Jabberwock. Letters had been engraved into the stone wall above its head. They were grouped in five parts, so I assumed they were words, but they did not spell anything I could understand. It looked like gibberish.

  The White Queen noticed me staring. She touched my arm and guided me back a few feet. She gestured down at the looking glass portion of the floor, then up at the mirrors in the ceiling. “It’s mirror writing, dear. It must be read through reflections.”

  I tilted my head and saw what she meant. Through the reflections, I could decipher the words. “Six Impossible Things By Breakfast,” I read aloud.

  “A saying that has been in our family for many generations,” explained the White King. “If you start your day believing that even your wildest dreams are possible, then you can approach the world and your life with great optimism. And if you repeat those six impossible things as a mantra in times of great strife, it makes seemingly insurmountable odds much more digestible. Perseverance is dependent on perspective.”

  The White Queen gave me a side hug—strangely intimate for a royal I had just met—then she patted my arm before rejoining her husband. “Lily will return shortly. Would you mind stepping in the game for us in the meantime? We could use a little perspective ourselves.”

  “You have been so accommodating; how could we say no?” I replied. “Which of us would you like to step in?”

  “All four of you actually,” the White King said. “Our trusted royal guardians have been standing in for the Red Queen and Red King’s side of the board. They could use a break.” He snapped his fingers and a petite golden lion and a tal
l white unicorn, previously hidden behind other game pieces, stepped forth. Both wore a series of crystal necklaces. The lion moved to stand beside the queen and the unicorn trotted next to the king.

  I thought the unicorn beautiful and reached out to pet it, but the unicorn took a step back and looked down at me condescendingly.

  “Nay,” it said. It spoke it like a statement, not a whinny.

  “Let’s see, assignments . . .” The White Queen carefully looked us over before touching Daniel on the shoulder. “The Red King. Important, but not a direct contributor to the moving parts about to cause a ruckus. Princess SJ, pure like snow, but a Red Queen for your talents and responsibility in defense of your counterpart.” She pivoted toward the other girls. “Kai, the White Queen seems appropriate given the days that come. Princess Mauvrey—more honorable than your kingly father is because of what he was and what he’s done. Please take my husband’s place as the White King.”

  Mauvrey tilted her head. “Pardon me?”

  The queen did not answer and both rulers strutted back to their thrones. Daniel gave Mauvrey a shrug, and then we moved to our positions, escorted by the unicorn and the lion. Once we were in place, the creatures returned to sit adjacent their masters’ thrones.

  “White side—Knight Two to Pawn Four,” the White Queen declared.

  Pieces moved.

  “Red side—Queen takes Bishop Two,” the White King commanded.

  My turn.

  I knew the rules of chess well. Following the movements of a queen, I stepped several tiles over and tapped the bishop on the shoulder. I expected him to simply leave the board. Instead, he grasped at his throat like he was being choked, then collapsed to the ground. The dramatic fake death put me off, but the courtiers clapped. A number of servants darted onto the chessboard with a wheelbarrow and lifted the bishop into it. He waved to the courtiers, who applauded once more, then was pushed off the board and taken out of the room.

  “White side—Rook takes Pawn Three,” the queen continued. The bird hopped several tiles and used his beak to delicately pick up the bespectacled sheep “pawn” in his path. The wheelbarrow men returned and the bird put the sheep in the cart to be taken away.

  After a few more commands the White King began ordering me to move against Kai. His strategy became clear from there; I was supposed to take Kai out of the game. The White Queen was clever though, and moved Kai to evade me, all the while easing her closer to Daniel, who had not moved.

  “Check,” the White Queen said when Kai was positioned with a clear shot at Daniel. The three of us exchanged a glance from our positions across the board. The White Queen pivoted toward her husband. “So what move will it be? Does SJ stop Kai or does Daniel save himself? Choose your next move wisely, dear. It may doom or reinforce you.”

  “Mother! Father!” Lily hurried into the room. “There’s been a Bandersnatch sighting by the West Gate. He must sense our guests.”

  The courtiers gasped and many of the women dramatically fanned their faces with their hands. The White Queen and King rose from their thrones and hastened toward us.

  “What’s a Bandersnatch?” Kai asked.

  “In one of our ancient languages, ‘bander’ meant leader,” explained the White King as he gestured for us to follow him and his wife to the doors. “The Bandersnatch is a monster that hunts leaders. It is familiar with the scent of our royal family and leaves us alone per the instructions of its masters—the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts. But the monster must have been in the area and has detected one or more of you. It is important that you leave before it gets too close to the palace, but you will not be safe traveling on foot. Once it has your scent, the Bandersnatch keeps hunting you until it finds you.”

  The White Princess took my hand and pulled me into the hallway. Her parents hustled the rest of my team out of the room along with us. “Our loyal air steed Tureen can take you as far as the River of Tears, the divider of Wonderland between my parents’ royal rivals and us.”

  We burst through the front door of the palace and speedily descended the steps. The pathway leading up to the property’s silver main gate had a garden on either side full of expertly crafted animal topiaries. Our green light trail arced over the sky into the distance. Halfway down the path, several knights held the reins of a familiar creature.

  “A Griffin!” I exclaimed.

  “I have already commanded it to drop you off near the divider, getting you halfway to your destination. I hope you are comfortable with such creatures.”

  I smiled. It was nice of the universe to toss us a bone this late in the game.

  “I am more than comfortable.”

  I picked up my pace to reach the magic creature first. This one was a boy, but he was identical to my pet Betsy in terms of build—body, back legs, and tail of a lion, immense size, eagle head with horse ears, gigantic feathered wings brushed with golden glitter.

  The creature knelt and then sat down to make it easy for us to climb on. I threw my leg over his body and gestured for one of the knights to pass me the reins. “Not my first rodeo,” I responded to his surprised expression as my friends mounted the saddle behind me—Mauvrey then Daniel then Kai.

  I glanced back to make sure everyone was situated securely, then almost gasped. The castle behind me was breathtaking—solid white marble with crystal turrets atop every tower.

  My gaze lowered to the royal family. “Thank you for your hospitality. And good luck with your game.”

  “Good look with yours too,” the White Queen replied.

  I tilted my head, confused and wishing we could stay longer so I might ask a few questions. However, the Griffin stood up and took off running toward the silver gate. Feeling the right momentum, I pulled back on the reins and the creature jumped from the ground, spreading his wings to soar over the gate and into the sky.

  Soon we were hundreds of feet above the ground. From that vantage point, I absorbed the majesty of the vast forests carpeting the land beneath us. Suddenly, in one section, a group of birds took off with startled squawks as the trees shook and trembled. Though we left that specific episode behind, the forest disturbance started moving in the same direction we did.

  The Bandersnatch.

  It was hunting us.

  The Griffin started to descend.

  I adjusted my pull on the reins to ease the Griffin’s landing to a steadier, slower pace. These creatures had a tendency for rough, jolting movements, but I had become adept at counteracting that with my driving technique.

  We flew over a thick canopy of azure leaves until we found a wide enough break in the trees to land. Touching down on sapphire grass, I realized everything in the vicinity was blue—navy tree trunks, powder blue rocks, etc. It was lovely. Once I dismounted, I brushed straight some of the Griffin’s rustled feathers. He cawed lightly in appreciation.

  “Will he be able to find his way back?” Mauvrey asked as the rest of my team dismounted.

  I nodded. “Griffins have telepathic bonds with their owners.” I patted Tureen on the side. “Thank you for the ride. You may go now.”

  The creature cawed again then crouched before leaping into the air.

  “I can kind of see the green trail through the canopy, but let’s try and find our way to more open ground,” Daniel said, pointing up.

  “Agreed,” I responded. We started to move forward but then my Mark Two began buzzing. I pulled the magic compact out of my pocket and flipped it open to find Blue’s face. I smiled. A blue forest seemed an appropriate place to receive a call from this particular friend.

  “Hey!” she said. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  “I am happy to see you as well,” I said. I glanced at the three members of my group then readdressed Blue. “Hang on.” I half closed the compact and covered it with my hand. “Do you mind if I take this alone? I have a few personal things to discuss with Blue.”

  “Fine,” Daniel said. “But hurry, okay? We didn’t ask the royals about the time con
version here, and every minute counts.”

  I nodded and moved out of earshot. I was so glad Blue had called. For many years it was me, her, and Crisa against much of the world. I valued them like people valued limbs; they were different parts of my makeup that allowed me to function at full capacity. In our time together, my dear friends had helped me plant the seeds of my self-esteem and strength. It had taken a long time, but now those seeds had grown and flourished into a hero-princess I was proud to be.

  And this hero-princess had a few major matters to address.

  My suspicions about Kai had me on edge and I had a gut feeling—something I did not often rely on—that as we drew closer to our Midnight Law deadline, a lot more bad things could happen if I did not act on those suspicions soon. Blue’s timing was therefore quite perfect. I desperately needed objective feedback about what to do when you suspect your friend’s girlfriend may have magically poisoned someone in your group.

  “What did Blue have to say?” Daniel asked.

  “She mainly wanted to say hello and ensure we are all still alive. Her team was just leaving Alderon.”

  “Geez, of all the places to end up,” Daniel said. “Are they okay?”

  “Fine. They have collected two flames, so they are a bit behind us. Though it would seem both our teams have plenty of time. Blue told me it is one o’ clock in Book right now.”

  Daniel’s brow crinkled. “Really? I thought it would be way later than that with all the hours we spent in Camelot.”

  “I did too,” I admitted. “Perhaps this realm is saving us time somehow? Anyway, I also updated Blue on our flame status and about curing Mauvrey of the Magic Mite.”

  “Still grateful for that,” Mauvrey chimed in. “I have been so worried that something may happen to me before I recover the memories you need. It is only a matter of time now before I remember what Paige knew about the genies.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Perhaps with further musical exposure those more important memories will come back. It worked in Xanadu.”

  “What’d you remember in Xanadu?” Daniel asked.