by Day Leitao
“The fact that they no longer had surprise on their side might have helped.”
That was good news. At least Karina had helped, somehow.
“But you have more questions, don’t you?” Lylah asked.
Well, yes. “The shoes. What were they? Did they have any power?”
“Well… They were magical objects. When people go to other dimensions, they have more power. It works for magical objects as well. That is why the shoes were so fascinating for you here, and you almost forgot about them when you got to our world. In my world, they worked differently. I used them to communicate with you. Don’t you remember I spoke to you sometimes?”
Karina forced her memory, but nothing came. “Uh, no.”
The woman nodded. “I see. That explains a lot. But at least I knew what was happening to you, and I was able to inform and make plans with my brother.”
“So… you could hear us?”
“I had access to your thoughts.”
Awkward. Karina had never felt her privacy so abused in her entire life.
Lylah then added, “Only in what concerned my daughter.”
Still, that was a lot. Karina would never, ever, call her mom nosy again. “Wouldn’t it be easier then for Cayla to carry the shoes?”
“No. They were too connected with me, and I was in a powerful prison. If Cayla touched them, she could be taken to the white castle, with no means to get out. Her sister would’ve had no problem, but that wasn’t something that could be easily explained.”
“I see.” But there was something else Karina had to ask. She still couldn’t really believe it. “But if the shoes had no power… Was it really me? I could teleport?”
“Everyone has some power. Not only did you teleport, you almost teleported from the yellow tower. That was impressive, although dangerous. You also made a lift explode.”
“What?” That didn’t make sense, unless… “Wait. Do you mean the lift that we were going to use to escape? You are saying I did it?”
“Yes. Lifts don’t explode by themselves.”
“No, no, no. You are saying I had some kind of superpower, and I used it to blow the vehicle that could have helped me escape?”
Lylah stared for a moment. “I also thought the choice was odd.”
Karina covered her face with her hands. “That’s the worst misuse of talent ever!”
“I wouldn’t say that. You are still young.”
Was that some kind of encouragement? Karina shrugged. “Well, I won’t ever have any magical power again, so I’m sure I won’t misuse it.”
“That depends on how you define magic. Or power.”
Perhaps the woman meant scientific knowledge or something? Karina didn’t want to waste that either, and didn’t want to think about that. She then wondered what happened to Cayla and Darian. She was about to ask when she remembered the woman was the girl’s mother, and Karina would be mortified if anyone talked to her mom about boys. She asked another question, “How’s Cayla doing?”
“She is slowly accepting things… as they are. She told me to say hello, and to tell you that she is doing well. Darian’s also fine.”
Of course, if Lylah had accessed Karina’s thoughts, she knew it all.
Karina then changed the subject. “Can you really grant wishes?”
The woman sat back, smiled, looked at Karina for a while, then said, “I don’t think you could have asked anything you could not achieve for yourself anyways. So I wasn’t lying. But, no, I wasn’t planning on buying the shoes, if that’s what you want to know.”
Of course, Karina knew that, but it was still nice to know she had been right, although she felt a little silly remembering her enthusiasm about making a wish.
The woman then smiled and said, “Don’t dismiss what you did. You helped my family, my kingdom and me. A lot. Someone had to carry the shoes. You never quit, never gave up, never returned.”
That was not really true because the only reason Karina had not returned is that she hadn’t been able to.
Lylah stared at her. “No, Karina, you could have returned, but you didn’t try it. At least not enough. You were not really trying to get back home. With the exception of a few difficult moments, the rest of the time you were focused on going forward, on finishing your task.”
Had she just read her thought? Better not think about it too much. Karina had a more important question. “Why me?”
“Why did you buy the shoes? Why did you agree to come? It could have been anyone, but it happened to be you.”
“Oh, I…” Karina didn’t finish the sentence, because she was embarrassed to admit she thought she had been some kind of “chosen one.”
“You don’t understand,” the woman said. “There are many things anyone could do. Each person is faced with infinite possibilities. It doesn’t matter why you choose one or the other, or why life draws you one way or another. What matters is not why, or what exactly, but your choices along the way. Perhaps any girl could have done it. But not all of them would have done it.”
“But I mean… there was no special reason then?”
“Maybe. Have you considered that perhaps the shoes called you? Or that you sought them? You can either think that everything happens for a reason or that everything is random. Both conclusions are identical.”
That didn’t make sense. “No. They are complete opposites.”
Lylah laughed a normal, happy laugh. “You can see it any way you want.” When she stopped laughing she became serious and thoughtful, then said, “I have something for you.” She had a large bag, from where she took a large book and gave it to Karina.
It had a green cover in leather, and some maps and pictures inside it. Karina opened it, and recognized a map. It was Whyland. Everything in images. “Is it so that I remember my adventure?”
“I think so. Darian sent it to you. He says it’s from his brother.”
Karina was surprised to hear that. Sian remembered her? Her stupid heart beat faster. But maybe it was just that she was glad for the brothers. “So they’re getting along now?”
Lylah shook her head “I’m afraid not. Sian has disappeared.” She looked at Karina. “He wouldn’t have faced any serious accusations. But now he’s gone.”
Karina hoped he was all right. But something didn’t make sense. “How could he send the book then?”
“To be honest, I didn’t ask. He must have met his brother before leaving.”
Karina looked down. “Now I can know more about Whyland, but…” She looked at Lylah, as a sadness suddenly filled her chest. “Am I ever going to visit it again?”
“It would be hard.”
As Karina feared. She felt sad.
Lylah continued, “The time difference is changing, and soon it will be reversed. The flowing tower was destroyed because it was connected to the white castle. But at least you won’t forget the places you visited and the friends you made.”
At least that was something. Karina had a sad smile. “I won’t.”
“I have to go now,” Lylah said.
“Wait,” Karina said. She wanted to change her mood, so she asked one last silly question, “How come you speak English?”
“Tu prefères français?”
That was odd. “No. I mean…”
Karina could not really word it. She was sure they would speak a different language in a different world. Or almost sure. Whatever.
“You understand things the way you understand them,” Lylah said. “That doesn’t mean that’s what they are. Interdimensional travel warps the logic you know. Thank you for helping me save my kingdom. Goodbye Karina.”
Lylah then disappeared, leaving only sparkly dust behind her. Karina was sure the dust wasn’t from blinking. It was real. She opened the book. Maybe it would be a good idea to learn about the place she visited. On the other hand, maybe it would be an even better idea to learn more about her own dimension. Whyland didn’t have to be her last adventure. There were so many places, so many countries sh
e didn’t know. Of course, she wouldn’t be a hero again, but maybe all she needed was to do the little she could, and to make good choices along the way. True that the one problem with going to different places was missing the people she met. She held the book against her chest. It was better than not meeting them. At least their memory would be with her forever.
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The Spell Speakers
Learn how Darian met Cayla, a little about Sian, and a little more about Whyland in this intro novella.
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Kissing Magic
Karina needs to return to Whyland. This time it’s not to save the kingdom, but to save Sian. Can she save herself, though?
Get more info at
dayleitao.com/books/kissing-magic
About the Author
Originally from Brazil, Day Leitao lives in Montreal, Canada, with her son. She likes to imagine worlds and characters.
To learn more, visit her at dayleitao.com
Afterword
Thanks very much for reading this book. I hope you enjoyed it. You can write to me at [email protected] if you have comments.
I’d also like to thank everyone who helped me with this book, by beta reading it, editing it, or just giving me advice and encouragement.
Super thanks for everyone in my mailing list, who encouraged me and gave me suggestions and support.