My glow radiated more fervently. It was vibrant gold, but hints of gray flowed around the edges. Fear whirred around my mind, flooding it with heaving emotions like a tidal wave. The stronger my emotions became, the more my magic seared the giant until …
What in the—
Morris started to disintegrate. Like literally. His green skin began to turn black like ash and dissipate into the air around us.
The giant dropped me and shouted. The thud of my body hitting the ground knocked me out of my emotional stupor. My thoughts sharpened and I was in control again. And that’s when I knew what I’d done.
No.
It was too late. The giant clutched his face and screamed once more before stumbling and falling flat on the canyon floor.
He didn’t make any more noise after that. The disintegration effect stopped and the energy that’d been surrounding him evaporated. He was dead. I could feel it. He lay there still as the rocks around us.
I got up slowly as SJ came beside me. We walked closer to the giant and saw how sections of skin across his body were charred while other parts were missing. There was no blood or exposed flesh. The parts of his limbs and face that had disintegrated had just disappeared, like an artist had come along and erased pieces of him from existence. I stood next to his face and knelt beside him, staring blankly at his lifeless form.
“Crisa …”
I looked up at SJ.
“What have you done?”
n this side of the canyon the shattered rock pieces created a rough stairway that allowed SJ and me to climb out. Once at the top, we stood for a moment. Our friends rushed closer when they spotted us. “You okay?” Blue called.
“Fine!” I responded.
SJ gave me a look.
“We’ll talk about it when we get down there,” I told her.
I observed the forest starting anew about a hundred feet away. With deep concentration, I brought a tall tree to life and had it come over. It took some effort, but despite my last action I wasn’t magically exhausted.
Height-wise the tree reached the halfway point of the canyon barrier. I commanded it to catch SJ and me then set us on the ground. Once the telepathic order was given, the two of us carefully sat and pushed off the brink. We slid down the side of the canyon until the tree’s branches gingerly caught us in a perfect cradle. It was a smooth landing, and the branches lowered us with great care. Once we touched the ground the tree went inanimate again, having done its duty.
After Jason consulted the map and confirmed our direction, our united group of five began to move through the forest and I finally proceeded to tell SJ, and the others, what had happened on the other side of the canyon wall and how it happened.
“It’s called crossing the Malice Line,” I said. “It’s what happens when someone with Pure Magic uses their powers to inflict mortal harm.”
“Have you done it before?” Blue asked.
“Not intentionally,” I responded. “Remember that wooden plank I brought to life last semester? Remember how I took away its enchantment because it was causing a nuisance flying about everywhere? It’s the same concept. I can take life just like I can give it, but I cross the Malice Line every time I use my power for taking life because that aspect of my ability literally translates to killing something.”
“So you’re not supposed to use your magic that way?” Jason clarified.
I nodded. “Liza said it was dangerous, that crossing the Malice Line would reduce my control over my magic and heighten my magic’s control over me, pushing me closer to the corruptive darkness of Pure Magic Disease. Hence why I wasn’t planning on ever using my powers that way again. Liza already taught me how to temporarily bring things to life so that once my commands have played out they can return to normal, like that tree back there. So there’s no need for me to actively take life.”
“Except for now,” Blue commented.
“Except for now,” I agreed sadly.
“How did you know you would even be able to do it?” Jason asked, pushing a branch out of his way. “A bit of wood is one thing. But taking the life of a living creature—you’ve never done that before.”
“Honestly, I didn’t know I could do it. I didn’t even know that I was doing it. It just sort of happened.” I shook my head dejectedly. “My magic wasn’t working on the stones—which I still don’t understand—SJ was in trouble, and I was about to get eaten. I remember this swell of fear and desperation, and then hearing this white noise, and then he was disintegrating. The magic reacted out of instinct, not my intent.”
“Crisa, that is not good,” SJ said. “You lost control. You lost control and you killed him.”
“Lay off, SJ,” Daniel said. “If she hadn’t, you’d both be dead. Besides, that thing wasn’t so much a he as it was an it.”
“Exactly,” Blue agreed. “It was self-defense. And it’s hardly the first time Crisa’s killed someone.”
I blinked at her. “What?”
“Oh, come on,” Blue said, swatting a fly that was pestering her. “On all the adventures we’ve been on, you’re telling me you haven’t offed somebody?”
“Of course not,” I replied.
“Really?” Blue stopped and crossed her arms. “What about in Alderon? When we were trapped in that antagonist castle and were fighting for our lives to get out?”
“I don’t think I killed anybody,” I replied. “I was just fighting to escape like you said. I slashed and punched and stabbed like you guys—and wounded a lot of people, sure—but I didn’t act with the intention of killing anyone. There was no moment when I thought ‘strike to kill.’ That’s not me.”
“What about on the magic train?” Blue asked.
We’d stopped walking. Sunlight leaked through the branches in different-sized rays and I felt like everybody’s eyes were on me.
“When those magic hunters attacked, you used the exploding necklaces to blast them off the train,” Blue said. “We were crossing over an enormous gorge at the time.”
“There was a lake below,” I argued.
“Would you have done things differently if there wasn’t?”
I hesitated. Thankfully Jason came to my defense.
“Look, I don’t think any of those instances count, Blue,” he said. “If you don’t know for a fact that any of the people you’ve fought are dead—and if you struck out against them in self-defense and not with the intention of taking their lives—then the slate is morally clean.”
“Agreed,” Daniel said. “And as far as today goes, that monster deserved to die and Knight is still plenty in control of her magic. So she slipped up for a second. Big deal. Considering the alternative was death, I’m glad her magic stepped in. It’s not like there’s any greater harm done.” He turned to me. “You don’t feel evil, right?”
“Um, no.”
“See?” He gestured at me as if the matter was completely resolved. “She’s fine.”
I didn’t know if I was fine, per se, but I did know I didn’t want to spend any more time talking about it. The dizziness and brain pain I’d been feeling had vanished once we’d left the canyon, but Blue’s assertions had knocked me off balance. What I’d done to that giant took a lot out of me both physically and emotionally, causing my head and heart to hurt in a new way.
It was only this morning that I’d wondered if I had it in me to kill anyone. And here I was, not even half a day later, with metaphorical blood on my hands.
Perhaps my friends were right. Maybe it didn’t count because Morris had been a monster, not a person. Maybe it didn’t count because it had been self-defense and he would’ve killed SJ and me. Maybe it didn’t count because I hadn’t actively chosen to kill him. My instinct had overpowered my control and stepped in.
Or maybe those were all just excuses and I needed to face facts. Whatever factors had been at play, I had taken an action and now I had to live with it.
After a couple giant-less hours of journeying through the forest, we emerged onto a great, fl
at valley. It was crowned by a mountain range miles to our right, and a dark line in the distance opposite us was likely another forest.
What caught our attention was what lay at the center of the valley. Rising up like a boil on smooth skin was a cluster of mountains that housed the citadel of Camelot. It was massive. It was impressive. It was intimidating. Structures were flawlessly woven into the rock. They rose and hid with the different levels of the terrain—wrapping around the sides of the mountains and delving into its folds.
While the majority of the citadel was seamlessly imbedded into the natural architecture of the mountains, a tall concrete wall had been constructed around the whole mountainous cluster about sixty feet from ground level. There was only one way through: a single uphill road that led to a main gate.
Hearts full of anticipation, my friends and I crossed the valley and began the climb to reach it. The sun beat down on us. The wall grew more menacing with every step. Its size alone was overwhelming, but I could also see guards walking along the top and cannons spaced out. I had no doubt that any approaching hostile would have a very high chance of being obliterated.
A muscular guard awaited us at the entry. He had a hard chin, tan skin, and a no-nonsense expression that reminded me of my teachers at Lady Agnue’s. He pointed a finger at me.
“Name? Where are you traveling from? What is your reason for being here?”
Crisanta Knight; another realm; to claim Excalibur.
“Yeah, hi.” Jason stepped forward. “We’re iron importers from the Red Lands. We’re here to discuss a deal with one of the local bladesmiths.”
“Which one?” asked the guard.
“Dalhan and Son,” Jason said without skipping a beat.
The guard raised his eyebrows suspiciously. “The Red Lands, huh? I hear those Graysnapper monsters can make travel very dangerous this time of year, what with mating season and all.”
“Graysnappers only mate in the fall, actually,” Jason replied. “And since they only come out at night, we didn’t encounter any trouble.”
SJ and I exchanged a look.
The guard seemed satisfied. “Very good,” he said. “You may proceed.” He motioned to another guard in a tower above the gate. In response, the weighty iron barrier rose up. Jason nodded and gestured for us to follow.
“Hey, one more thing …” the guard said.
Jason paused.
“Are you a first-time visitor, or returning?”
“First time,” our friend answered. “Why?”
“You kids look familiar,” the guard responded. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
Without further delay, the five of us hurried down the concrete tunnel that led through the wall and into the citadel. When we were safely out of earshot, Daniel gave Jason a pat on the back.
“Nice job, man. Quick thinking.”
Jason shrugged. “I spent a lot of time learning about these Wonderlands when we were making our maps. I remembered reading that the Camelot citadel does a lot of business with outside importers, and there’s a bladesmith on almost every block. Camelot folk love their weapons.”
“Meanwhile, the Red Lands are known for their iron product,” Blue chimed in. “Which is always in demand here.”
“Exactly,” Jason said. “That’s why I figured it was our best bet. And the Graysnapper thing was just luck. I didn’t know they were native to the Red Lands, but I learned about them in an Animals from Other Realms course last year. I guess the guard was posing a trick question because he wanted to make sure I was telling the truth about where we came from.”
“Impressive,” I commented.
“Not as impressive as that.” Jason pointed up.
We stood on the threshold of the citadel. All around us were bustling shops filled with drably dressed peasants and the occasional group of black-armored knights. The shops were decorated with colorful banners and streamers in shades of green, pink, and purple, probably in tribute to the Vicennalia Aurora.
Camelot flags and banners also hung from every balcony and tower. They were navy with golden accents in the corners to match the golden cross-and-ten-pointed-star symbol at the center. That symbol was popping up everywhere. I had to figure out what it meant.
“I’d presume the castle is on the other side of the mountains because we didn’t see it from the valley,” Blue commented. “We should find out exactly where it is.”
“This might help,” SJ said. In her hand she held a brochure titled “History of the Citadel Castle.”
“There are directions on the back that can take us right to it,” she said.
“Where’d you get that?” Blue asked.
SJ gestured at a nearby cart with a banner that read “Citadel Souvenirs.” There was an assortment of free maps and brochures at the front. SJ cracked a smile. “You know, the four of you are always ready to face any fearsome challenge that comes your way, but you never stop to consider the absurd chance that there could be an easy, logical alternative.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Blue huffed. “Open the brochure.”
SJ unfolded the document and gave a small gasp of delighted surprise. The map was designed like a pop-up children’s book, and the image that had leapt out was a 3-D rendering of the castle.
“Combining the different levels, the citadel castle is roughly 135,380 square feet,” SJ read. “It took seven years to build, and the structure has seen many renovations throughout its history, the most recent being the addition of the M.C. Escher intersection. The only direct entrance is across the Reflection Bridge. Tours are offered on the second Monday of every month.”
“Does it say anything about the Boar’s Mouth?” I asked.
SJ scanned the brochure. “No,” she said after a moment. “This is mainly information about the structure itself. For example, during the original construction a woodworking factory and kiln were built onsite to produce 30,000 bricks a day.”
“Well, that’s helpful,” Blue replied sarcastically. “I guess we could always wait for a tour and chuck a brick through the window to break in.”
“Calm your sarcasm, Blue,” I said. “The Boar’s Mouth is in the castle, which means one way or another, we’ll find a way in so I can get blessed and—” My nose caught a whiff of something delicious. I pivoted toward the source of the smell—a nearby restaurant. “Come on,” I said to my friends. “Let’s get some lunch and regroup.”
Weaving around mounted horses and vendors hawking their wares, my friends and I sat down at one of the tables outside the restaurant. A cute red-chested hummingbird flew onto the edge of the table and tilted its head at me. I smiled at it, but the creature flittered away a second later when a slender waitress exited the restaurant with a slam of the door. She wore a mustard yellow dress and had curls coming out of her bonnet. She brought us coffee, insisted that we try the house special Monte Cristo sandwiches, and then stepped back inside once we’d agreed.
Near our table, a man was hawking newspapers. SJ paid for a copy with some money from her backpack. She shrugged at my questioning glance. “It does not hurt to know more about your surroundings when you are on foreign territory. We should learn as much about the citadel as we can. It may help us conceive a better plan.”
She wasn’t wrong. We crowded around the newspaper.
On the front page there was coverage of the citadel’s Vicennalia Aurora festivities, or “Great Lights” festivities as they were called here. The citadel was loaded with events and celebrations this week—pubs with discounts on food and drink, performance venues with grand shows, even nightly fireworks. In addition, a different sector of the city hosted a special activity for the whole citadel each night. Yesterday there had been a jousting contest among some of the king’s guards. Tonight, there was going to be a big battle in something called the Mercy Pit.
The castle was also participating in a “higher class” form of merriment this evening. The newspaper described that King Rampart was hosting a grand party. All nobility acr
oss Camelot were welcome, so long as they paid the grandiose admission fee.
“I wonder how this Rampart guy got the gig of being Arthur’s successor.” Blue said.
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Daniel replied. “This party is our best way in. We still have plenty of ONC money, don’t we?”
“We do,” SJ responded. “It was a good plan to convert most of the money we brought from Book into Oz Neverland Camelot currency at that ATM in Neverland. But this gala will use it up. After all, we do not just need to pay the entry fee for the party; we need a change of clothes in order to look like nobility.”
“All right, fine. We’ll buy some new clothes.” I replied. “We’ve got that covered.”
“Do we also have this covered?” Jason asked. He had continued to flip through the paper while we were talking and pushed page six in front of me—the Wanted Ads.
“Crisa, if King Rampart was willing to help the antagonists by giving your brother The Pentecostal Oath in the first place, then we can assume they’re on the same side. He knows we’re coming.”
With SJ, Blue, and Daniel crowding around me, I looked at the page Jason had pushed forward. It featured pictures of all five of us alongside a call to action.
“Wanted by King Rampart of Camelot for questioning. Should be detained on sight. Volatile and extremely dangerous. Reward for capture,” I read aloud.
“Wait, why is there a caption under my picture?” Blue asked, pointing. I followed her finger. Sure enough, in tiny print below her name it read: If unable to detain, kill with extreme prejudice. Threat to QB mortality. See authorities for details.
“That’s bizarre,” Jason commented. “What do you think it means?”
A glassy look passed over Blue’s eyes like she was thinking about something, but she quickly responded, “I don’t know.”
She was lying. I’d known her long enough to tell. I would have pressed her if SJ hadn’t grabbed the newspaper. Her eyes lit up when she took in her picture in the Wanted Ads. She beamed.
“I made the list! They actually consider me a threat!” she said with delight.
Crisanta Knight: To Death & Back Page 7