“Thank you,” Alex said, looking up at me.
“Don’t thank me yet,” I said.
In one swift motion, I ripped off my gold bracelet with my free hand and pressed it firmly against his wrist.
The moment the bracelet touched him, a fierce and fiery glow lit up his skin like a burn with steam erupting from the contact point. Shouting, he tried to pull away, but the bracelet somehow weakened him and I wouldn’t allow him to get free. I clutched his arm mercilessly with one hand while the other firmly pressed the bracelet against his wrist. I cemented the burn into him deeper and deeper until so much steam came off him that it clouded the space between us.
That’s when the exorcism started.
Alex’s body shook with sharp, jagged movements like a puppet having a seizure. His eyes turned black and a shadowy essence began to rise out of him—a ghost-like creature clinging to his form as if its life depended on it. The creature expanded and rose higher until it formed eyes of its own. They were slits, and the Shadow’s mouth was crooked and blood red. The shady monster released a massive screech.
Last time Alex had made contact with our bracelet, the Shadow had only exited his body partially then sunk back in. But that was because Alex had stopped touching the bracelet. Not this time. I pressed the metal harder into him. The steam grew and so did the Shadow’s screams, a distress call almost subterranean in pitch. It rattled in my head like a silent dog whistle, painful and impossible to block out. I fought the instinct to release Alex and cover my ears. I saw Ozma and Merlin doing just that but I did not give in and held onto my brother.
At that point, the Shadow had grown as large as a Giant of Geene and still clung on to Alex. Its mouth was big enough to swallow us both. For a moment, I worried it might. Then, at last, it released my brother. It rose above us—its form contorting like a shifting, floating inkblot until a bright white light formed at its center, spun outward like a wormhole, and eviscerated it entirely in one big burst.
Alex’s eyes lost their black shade and returned to aqua blue right before they rolled back in his head and he fell unconscious. His arm went slack and at last I let him go.
Merlin rushed to me as my brother collapsed to the ground. The wizard’s expression was shocked and amazed. “Did you just—”
“I forced the Shadow out of him,” I said plainly.
I was surprised I didn’t feel more. I should have felt something great and grand, but I didn’t. Yes, I was glad that my idea had worked and that I’d destroyed the Shadow. However, I wasn’t worried about Alex’s state in the slightest. He looked half-dead, but it barely caused me to bat an eyelash. Logically I knew this was cold, but it was how I felt and I couldn’t make myself care. Maybe so much had happened between us that I was carved out where he was concerned.
I looked at the bracelet in my hand, which gleamed brightly. Without hesitation, I set it on the floor next to my brother. I was finished with it as much as I was finished with him. I’d done all I could for Alex now. Honestly and truly.
“You saved him,” Merlin commented.
“No,” I responded. “I drove the monster out of him. But I don’t know if that makes a difference. He may still be a monster without it. That Shadow didn’t force him to do all the terrible things he’s done. Those were his choices. He forged himself into this antagonist. To blame the Shadow would be making excuses for him, which he doesn’t deserve.”
“If you believe that, why bother with him at all?” Merlin asked.
I released a deep breath. “I’m not totally sure,” I admitted. “Maybe after all this, I’m starting to be more generous with second chances.”
“Guys,” Ozma called from the top of the rock pile. “You coming? We’re close now.”
“Yeah.” I turned away from the ledge and my brother.
“What about him?” Merlin asked, throwing a thumb back in Alex’s direction.
“Leave him,” I said, picking up my spear. “Whatever comes next in his story is not up to me anymore; it’s up to Alex. I wash my hands of him.”
t was exactly as I remembered from my dream.
After traversing the mound of rocks, we dashed uphill through a tunnel before we emerged from an elevated opening in a cavern roughly the size of the Lady Agnue’s school library. In other words, it was enormous. The ceiling was home to a dense congregation of stalactites, their pointy tips coated in magic dust like spears dipped in glimmering white frosting. An elaborate reef of rock zigzagged over most of the cavern floor—thin, jagged ridges that varied in height and made the battleground super tricky.
Arian still had one invisibility-powered magic hunter with him, so Merlin made us invisible again. By that means we spotted our semi-shimmering foes in the rock reef.
Our higher vantage point was partially blocked by some of the bigger rock ridges, but we couldn’t miss the battle in the center of the cavern: a horde of flying monkeys versus Arian, Mauvrey, the last invisibility magic hunter, and four antagonist soldiers. As we watched, Arian and company flickered in and out of visibility. Clearly the magic hunter was struggling with his new powers. Lucky for him, the other members of his party were skilled with their weapons, as noted by the flying monkey carcasses scattered across the cavern.
My team and I descended the stone steps leading from our ledge and ducked behind one of the rock ridges, lest a flying monkey spot our sparkly silhouettes.
“Where’s Glinda?” I whispered to Ozma.
“She’s been watching us this whole time,” Ozma replied. “Haven’t you noticed the camera crows?”
“Yeah, but where is she?” I pressed.
“She’s not going to show herself unless we best all her monkeys,” Ozma answered. “Fighting the non-magical is beneath her. Pure Magic wielders can be kind of stuck-up like that.”
Merlin and I exchanged a look.
“Not you guys, of course,” Ozma corrected herself. “Just in general.”
“Right . . .” I said. “Well, we need to get the Simia Crown from her, but in the meantime, this is our chance to find the memory stone before she intervenes.”
“You spotted it?” Ozma asked.
“No,” I admitted. “But I know this place; I’ve had visions of this cavern. The memory stone is by a back wall. We need to get to the center of the cavern. There’s a river there and the rock reef opens up to give a clear view of both sides. From there I’ll be able to see it and head in the right direction.”
Ozma’s eyebrows shot up. “There’s a river in here?”
“Um, yeah. I get how that’s weird, but I think it might be more of a runoff. The water must be spilling in from some—”
SCREECH!
Two flying monkeys had spotted us. Turning, I saw the battle had shifted so that our hiding place was now in full view. I made eye contact with one of Arian’s soldiers.
“Arian! We’ve got company! It’s Crisanta Kn—”
Ozma chucked her knife at the soldier and the blade plunged straight through his chest. Merlin thrust potion sand at the pair of descending flying monkeys. The sand blasted back the first creature; Merlin launched his spear-drill at the second and it plowed into the creature’s heart.
I transformed my wand, ready to engage, but Merlin grabbed my wrist. “There’s no time. Find that river. I’ll cover you both.”
He nodded to Ozma, who was retrieving her knife. I started to run, Ozma hot on my tail. We darted through the rock reef maze. Merlin was never too far behind; he kept our invisibility activated in case we ran into more camouflaged antagonists and defended us whenever a flying monkey zeroed in on our forms.
Unfortunately, like in the first huge cavern where we’d left my friends, this one had wide fissures that additional flying monkeys continued to enter from. For every monster that we took out, it seemed like two more replaced it. We needed another way to fight back, but without using my magic, our options were limited. Until we got to the river.
When we spilled into the center of the cavern, t
he rocky labyrinth became a wide-open area split down the middle by a runoff of water. It was precisely how I recalled it from my vision. To my right, the water streamed from the rear wall like a pressurized fountain—curving into a deep recess of the stone floor and running toward me. Which meant that . . .
I whipped my head to the left. Downstream the water flowed into a large pool at the opposite end of the cavern. And in the center of the pool sat the very stone this whole quest had been leading toward. The memory stone was an immense, opaque-looking crystal the size of an adult buffalo. It glistened like a promise, full of certainty and the lure of fulfillment.
I was in awe but without time for appreciation. Our exposed position made us terribly vulnerable. Six monkeys circled above, screeching their excitement as they prepared to dive-bomb us. Merlin was busy with several other monsters further behind. I prepared to combat the ones threatening us, but Ozma stored her knife and pushed me back. Her hands lit up with silver energy and with one strong movement, she swept her arms out, in, and up.
Now I remember what Ozma’s power is.
A giant rush of water surged up from the river in the form of a powerful right hook that punched the troop of monkeys out of the way. Ozma pivoted and sent another blast at the creatures behind us, wiping them out as well.
“My brother and I have many things in common,” she said, releasing control of the water. “For starters, we share this power.” She cracked her knuckles. “It’s normal magic, and I can feel the constraints of the Vicennalia Aurora like an anchor, but it’ll help.”
“Great,” I said. “Aim it at that guy.” I pointed to the last of the invisibility magic hunters who had emerged in the split of the cavern. “No more advantages for antagonists.”
Ozma couldn’t agree more. The Ozian channeled her strength and sent a colossal tidal wave at the magic hunter. He never saw it coming. It washed him away until his body banged against a ridge. When Ozma released the water, he was sprawled face down on the floor, completely visible. I wasn’t sure if he was dead or unconscious, but his powers were out and that’s what mattered.
Merlin grunted. I wheeled around as our glimmer of invisibility faded too.
“If the antagonists are visible now, I am going to give my magic a rest,” he said, slightly out of breath. “With my recent death, I’m weaker than usual despite the Aurora’s Pure Magic boost. If I keep this up, I’ll tempt Magic Burn Out.”
Two figures appeared from the rock reef labyrinth farther down, closer to the memory stone. Arian and another soldier. Arian held Excalibur, which explained why so many flying monkeys had been slaughtered. It was infuriating to see the sword’s pale blue glow in his hand. I was about to charge him and take it back when my shoulders were clenched in a powerful, rough grip and I was abruptly scooped up.
Eeep!
The flying monkey lifted me higher as its brethren assailed my friends and enemies with renewed vigor. We were all visible now, which meant happy hunting.
Unable to maneuver my arms thanks to the monkey’s deathgrip on my shoulders, my spear and any other weapon I could think to transform it into were useless. There would be no stabbing at this angle. Ozma attempted to launch a punch of water at us, but my flying monkey zagged left and she missed, and then she had more immediate problems to deal with.
As the monkey ascended, I got an eagle eye view of the fight. A swarm of monkeys was going after Arian and that soldier, which was nice. A red wormhole was randomly opening at the back end of the cavern. Another soldier was running through the rock reef as two beasts chased him, claws outstretched. I spotted the last of the soldiers dead on the floor. Which left only one person unaccounted for.
A swell of electricity flashed and a monkey’s screech was cut short.
There she is.
Mauvrey, electric gloves up, was in the rock reef defending herself against three flying monkeys. A fourth lay smoking and motionless on the ground about ten feet from her.
Ugh, I hate how good she is at fighting. And how fast she is. What I wouldn’t give to see her splattered across one of these rocks. After what she made me do in Century City, if I got my hands on her right now, I swear I would—
“Whoa!”
My monkey flew though a fissure in the ceiling and we zipped up the narrow, jagged space before emerging in a cavern with a wide mouth on the right that revealed the overwhelming mystique of the Aurora. The stalactites and stalagmites framing the opening looked like the teeth of a giant monster. Not to be mistaken for the actual salivating monsters in the vicinity. I had found the flying monkeys’ central hub which, based on the proximity of the Aurora, was at the peak of this mountain.
There were hundreds of monsters in here, screeching at me from nests. I now understood why our battles kept getting resupplied with fresh monkeys. There were tons of these creatures and there was nothing stopping them from continuously flying down fissures like the one I’d just come through, or soaring out the gaping opening to the right back toward the mountain where they could no doubt reenter from somewhere else.
As I was carried into the cave, the eyes of any monkey I passed locked on me. Many flicked their tails excitedly and widened their mouths as if to say “dinner time.”
Oh, heck no.
We weren’t far from the ground yet. I glanced up at the beast carrying me.
Abs, don’t fail me now.
Wand.
I swung my feet up and kicked the flying monkey hard in the face. The monster dropped me and I fell hard too, but managed to adjust into a roll and land by the big opening. I stole a quick glimpse outside. Below, a massive basin had formed in the rock because of the way the mountain curved. The resulting structure had collected a magnificent amount of rainwater like a mega birdbath. That must’ve been where the runoff in the cavern was coming from.
SCREECH!
Axe.
I ducked as the flying monkey I’d kicked swooped at me, then followed it with a swing that hacked off one of its wings. The other flying monkeys howled with rage as their comrade plowed to the stone floor. Panic pitched through me.
Crud!
For the first time, I noticed the cave was also riddled with tiny red dots—the blinking lights of more camera crows. I wondered how many birds Glinda had in her collection. I also wondered what she must’ve thought of the show we’d put on for her thus far, and of me as I was about to get mauled by a hundred monsters. I envisioned a sparkly woman with her feet up on a couch eating popcorn.
A silver wormhole opened at the top of the cavern—too far away for me to escape through. I glanced at the wand in my hand. One weapon was not enough to stop these creatures from not only killing me but also from descending to the other caverns and attacking my friends.
Just kill the monkeys, my inner voice suddenly urged.
The notion was startling but appealing.
You have the power. Suck the life from all that you see.
I shook my head as a battalion of flying monkeys bounded off their perches and dove toward me. I would not let my Pure Magic take over, not in that way. No Malice Line. I was too afraid. Unfortunately, I did have to use my powers, despite Blue’s warnings. This was a do-or-die situation.
You can do this; you are in control.
With complete focus—not Magic Instinct or emotion—I erupted in gold. Inspired by Ozma’s wave, I shot my magic into a nearby pile of rocks and formed them into a fist that plowed through a dozen oncoming monkeys.
Alas, this only got the attention of more creatures.
Double crud.
Magic struggled against my control and it became physically painful to restrain it. My power was hungry and with the swell of the Aurora, almost stronger than I was.
But I was not going to falter. And I was not going to kill.
Control, I urged myself. Control.
As the monkeys drew closer, I commanded a cluster of stalagmites to rip themselves free and transform into a deadly sharp rock monster—an easy feat after contort
ing full buildings into an obedient creature in Camelot. On my order, the stalagmite monster engaged the flying monkeys. While they were occupied, I concentrated on another move that was way more challenging. I decided to bring part of the mountain to life.
I visualized the cave’s opening as an actual mouth. Magic glowed around the stalagmite and stalactite edges. The top and bottom of the opening then crunched together like teeth, biting down and sealing the cavern shut. Rumbling from overhead indicated I may have started an inadvertent rockslide, but that didn’t seem relevant at the moment. With access to the outer world blocked, while my stalagmite monster defended me, I stretched my magic muscles even further.
I had to close the fissures in the floor, which involved giving life to a much bigger part of the mountain. To help with this, I tried to think of the terrain in more relatable terms. I imagined the stone of this cavern as skin and its fissures like wounds—openings that could be healed, closed.
My golden life energy flooded into the stone and seeped into the innards of the mountain. The cracks in the stone started to pulse like mutant veins. Soon after, they began to close.
To my right, flying monkeys screeched as they clawed at the wall where the grand opening had once been. They were stronger than I’d anticipated, and light from outside begain to peep through holes they were widening.
Fight back, I told the mountain. Don’t let them out.
More golden light. More power.
Obeying my will, the cavern shook and rocks fell from the ceiling—raining on the monkeys and squashing those that weren’t fast enough to get out of the way.
My heart pounded. This would have to do. I had no time to fine-tune any of the magical commands I’d given. The power in me was raring and roaring; I wasn’t sure if I could contain it much longer. I had to stop. And I had to get out.
Crisanta Knight: The Lost King Page 25