Crisanta Knight: The Lost King

by Culbertson, Geanna;

  “And what kind of leader are you exactly, Crisanta?” she returned calmly. “If memory serves, you continuously fail to protect the people around you and bring havoc wherever you go. You allowed your castle in Midveil to crumble, killing countless protagonists and commons. Your exploits cost the lives of Lost Boys and Girls in Neverland when the antagonists came to find you. You failed to save Paige Tomkins. And the topper? You unleashed a vicious dragon on your own capital city, killing who knows how many innocent people. You, Crisanta Knight, are no leader. You’re a terror in your own right and it’s only a matter of time before you realize it too.”

  I was using all my focus on not letting Nadia see how weak I felt, but her comment caused an involuntary shiver to travel down my spine.

  “You’re shattering,” she mused, gaze flicking over my magically fractured form. “Pure Magic is a burden, isn’t it?”

  “You would know,” I said. “You have magic hunter blood.”

  Nadia shrugged like the revelation was no big deal. “On my mother’s side,” she admitted. “I could sense you the moment you came on my carriage.”

  “Well, aren’t you full of surprises?”

  “As are you. You sucked life energy from thirty of my antagonists like it was nothing. You’re growing more powerful and more ruthless than I could have imagined.”

  I felt the golden cracks in my skin sear more from anxiety.

  “It’s not like I killed them.” I paused. “And anyway, that power was the Aurora. It made everyone with Pure Magic stronger and more unstable. That’s not me.”

  At least I didn’t think it was.

  At least I hoped that it wasn’t . . .

  “Perhaps,” Nadia mused. Then she reached into her satchel and pulled out something sparkly and navy. My eyes widened. It was Paige’s missing scarf.

  Nadia looked it over. “But then maybe you have more fire inside than you give yourself credit for.” She provided me a wicked smile then dropped the scarf to the ground. “I’d offer this to you as a souvenir of the day’s events, but I can’t pass anything through. So I’ll just leave it here to rot in the dirt and sand. A useless remnant of a dead and forgotten woman.”

  I was tempted to reach out and throttle her, which was exactly what she wanted. It ached to resist the urge.

  “Why kill her?” I asked instead. “If you were planning to sneak-attack me with your invisible magic hunters, you didn’t need to use Paige. While we’re on the subject of weird choices, what was all that with the Portalscape? Your people had already captured my friends. How come you didn’t want Arian or Mauvrey to simply kill them all there? Why make me resurrect the dragon when you probably suspected I’d take its life back? Why the theatrics?”

  “That’s a conversation for another day, Crisanta,” Nadia replied. “I am a planner at heart and a strategist by blood. I am not about to reveal my motives until the last domino has fallen. Don’t worry though—it’s coming for you quicker than you think.”

  Her cryptic response and self-assured tone made me nervous. Not wanting to let her see that she’d gotten in my head, I turned and stepped away from the force field. It was nearly invisible by then, only the tiniest glimmer left in the air.

  “Tell Arian thanks for returning Excalibur,” I shouted over my shoulder as I walked toward my friends.

  “Tell him yourself,” Nadia replied. “You’ll be seeing him again soon.”

  s I walked back across the plain, I was astounded by the red, sparkling comets that started taking off from the gound. Several Godmothers were spread out in the area and using their wands to absorb their fallen sisters in cocoons of magic light, which then bolted toward the sky and continued into the distance.

  “They’re transporting the dead back to their headquarters so they can have a proper Fairy Godmother last rites,” Blue explained when I joined her and my friends. They’d gathered together while the Gwenivere Brigade tended the wounded to our right and the rest of the Godmothers were having a huddle to our left. Blue pointed back at the In and Out Spell where I’d left Nadia. “What did she have to say for herself?”

  I glanced back. My enemy and her antagonists had started to drift away from the border. They were off to lick their wounds.

  “She wanted to mess with my head and rub Paige’s death in my face,” I commented wistfully. I pivoted toward Ozma, lifting the Simia Crown from my head. “Here. This belongs to you.”

  The Ozian gazed at it with wonder for a moment then slid it on. “Thank you. Truly.” She gestured at the pacified flying monkeys. “They’re dangerous creatures but only attack when given a direct order. So long as the people wearing these crowns mean no malevolence, the monkeys won’t pose a risk to the people of Oz or anyone else.”

  “What about the crown Eva took?” Jason asked.

  “The crowns were designed to counteract each other by dividing control over the flying monkeys. So long as I wear this one, I can easily foil Eva’s attempts to use her creatures against us with a fleet of my own.”

  “That takes care of one problem,” Daniel said. “What about this?” He gestured at my entire person.

  I cocked an eyebrow. “I’m a problem?”

  “You have problems,” Blue replied. “But I think what Daniel means is that you have more fissures running through your skin than a cliffside.”

  “Oh.” I looked down at my cracked, glowing hands and rubbed my neck sheepishly. This in itself took effort, but I was trying to underplay how terrible I felt.

  “It was a risky overuse of magic,” Merlin interjected, joining the group. “But it was necessary and I respect what you’ve done today, Crisanta. It looks like you’ve barely escaped Magic Burn Out though. You so much as transform your wand into a pin right now, and you’ll be kaput.”

  “Noted,” I said, eyeing my wand in my boot.

  “How do you feel?” SJ asked.

  Like death, but worse.

  “Not great,” I said. “But I’ll be fine.”

  “Crisanta Knight . . .”

  I turned at the sound of Lenore’s voice. She was approaching me with Debbie and a few other Godmothers in tow.

  “On second thought, maybe not.” I clenched my fists and backed into SJ and Daniel.

  Facing off with Arian, Glinda, and Nadia had been intense, but none of them had truly made me afraid. Lenore made me afraid. She was the only person who I knew for a fact could hurt me. By admitting to her that I had Pure Magic, I’d given her everything she needed to sentence me to Alderon. I didn’t even have the comfort of my magic or my wand. I had never felt so weak.

  Jason put his hand on my shoulder. “We won’t let her touch you,” he said supportively.

  I took a deep breath and steadied myself. “It’s okay,” I said. “I knew what I was doing when I told her the truth. I’ll deal with the consequences.”

  The Godmother Supreme stopped in front of me and looked me over carefully.

  “It seems I was mistaken,” she said.

  “How so?” I asked cautiously.

  “This realm existed just fine before you came along, but as it turns out, on this particular occasion, we did need you to save us.”

  I didn’t speak; I was too scared that I might say the wrong thing and cause this to go sideways. I stood there and took my judgment as the Godmother Supreme continued.

  “I do not regret my actions in keeping so many Godmothers stationed in other kingdoms,” Lenore said bluntly. “Now that the Aurora is over, the Mark Twos are working again, and I have just finished conversing with Godmothers stationed across the land. Five kingdoms were attacked by commons rebellion forces during the Aurora—Lernon, Eebi, Whoozalee, Sonora, and Gallant. Ebi and Sonora suffered heavy casualties, and Gallant’s king and queen were killed. Their castle has been overtaken by rebel forces and we must head there now to deal with the threat. We also need to stabilize the other affected regions, including Century City. My Godmothers received word that the dragon statue at the center of the citadel was
reanimated by the magic of the Aurora and tore half the city to shreds.”

  I gulped. The mere mention of the dragon I’d unleashed brought a swell of guilt and anxiety, especially since Lenore didn’t seem to know it had been my doing. And the news about the commons rebellion was even more horrible to digest. Maybe Lenore had been right; maybe I was coldhearted to suggest she pull forces from—

  “However,” Lenore added gravely, “I am still glad I listened to your last warning. The arrival of those extra Godmothers kept the spell from coming down at a critical juncture. If I had not heeded your plea, the barrier would have collapsed and we’d all be doomed or dead right now. So—hard as it may be for me to do—I acknowledge that you and your friends saved us on this night, despite how I fought against your assistance. And for that, I thank you.”

  Wow.

  There were a lot of ridiculous things I thought I’d never live to experience—having tea and cookies with Arian, winning a beauty pageant, discovering a recipe involving kale that tasted good. But having Lena Lenore thank me exceeded them all.

  Silence and shock hung in the air for a tense beat until I finally got up the nerve to ask her the great burning question.

  “So . . . what happens now?”

  “The Godmothers are going to the damaged kingdoms and will try to restore order as fast as possible,” Debbie responded.

  “No,” I said. “I mean, what happens to me?” I looked to Lenore, completely at her mercy. “You know I have Pure Magic. What are you going to do with me?”

  Lenore allowed the question to linger. I wasn’t sure if she was actually mulling it over or simply enjoying letting me feel helpless.

  Debbie stepped forward. “Godmother Supreme, you can’t—”

  “Not a word, Debbie,” Lenore interjected. “I am aware that she is your Godchild, but you know the rules. And you’ve seen what she is capable of. I don’t know whether I was more horrified or impressed to see her take down all those antagonists on the other side of the spell.”

  “You saw that, huh?” I said.

  “We all saw it,” Kai responded. “Did you kill them?”

  “Of course not!” I said. “I only sucked a little life energy from them. And anyway, it’s not like I can do that regularly.” I pivoted to Lenore. “The Aurora made carriers of Pure Magic way more powerful. I promise you I’m not normally that strong. I’m not a threat to you or the realm.”

  “Crisanta, your word simply is not enough to assure me of that,” Lenore responded.

  “Are you an idiot?” Daniel said.

  A dozen shocked faces turned toward him.

  “Young man,” another Godmother replied. “How dare you ask such a thing?”

  “What? It seems like a fair question,” Daniel said, pushing past the others and coming to stand next to me. “The way I see it, Knight has spent the majority of the last six months trying to protect Book and fight off the antagonists at an incredibly high personal cost. She’s saved all of us tons of times, and she was willing to reveal her Pure Magic to you so you’d do what needed to be done to protect this realm. After all that, only an idiot would think she poses any kind of threat.”

  It was an impassioned argument. And for some reason, it made me want to hold his hand. I fought back the ludicrous urge as Lenore and Daniel stared each other down.

  “I am not going to pass judgment on you, Crisanta,” Lenore finally replied. “Your friend is right. I might not like you, but I can appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made. Nevertheless, I cannot turn a blind eye. It is my sworn duty to maintain the order in this realm and act with its best interest in mind. People with Pure Magic get sent to Alderon. That is the law.”

  I gave her a sideways glance. “Always?”

  She knew I meant Liza. But the Author’s identity was a secret to many, including most of the Godmothers, so in order to avoid ticking Lenore off more I was playing it close to the vest.

  “Unless there are extenuating circumstances, yes,” Lenore replied with a narrow glare. “So,” she continued, “given yours, I don’t feel it would be just to send you there immediately. You are not just my problem, after all—you are the realm’s problem. And therefore, it should be up to the realm to decide what to do with you.”

  “What does that mean?” SJ asked.

  “It means I need to speak with the ambassadors of all the kingdoms,” Lenore said. “I will bring the matter to their attention as soon as an opportunity presents itself. But for now, we have more pressing matters to tend to.” Lenore turned to her Godmothers. “Ladies, we must join the others. Go give word that we’re coming and then report to your assignments.”

  The women hurried to regroup with the rest of their team. All except Debbie.

  “Debbie,” Lenore said. “Remember your place.”

  “I have more than one place, Godmother Supreme,” Debbie replied, unafraid. “I stand with you, but I stand with Crisa too. She is my Godkid and I will defend her.”

  “So noted,” Lenore said. “But for the moment, I mean her no harm. Tonight, we must continue to do our duty and protect the realm’s stability.”

  Debbie bit her lip and shot me a pained look.

  “I’m fine, Deb,” I said. “There are people out there who need your protection more than I do. Go. I’ll see you again soon.”

  Debbie still appeared troubled, but she nodded and dashed off to where the rest of the Godmothers were assembling. The ladies started dematerializing into balls of sparkling red energy then volleyed across the sky.

  “I’ll be in touch, Crisanta,” Lenore said ominously. She drew the ring from her finger and magically expanded it into a wand. With a wave, she transformed into a bright comet that shot through the night. I watched her vanish, my stomach filled with mixed feelings. She was going to present my case to the ambassadors. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it beat her passing judgment alone. On the other, the ambassadors didn’t know me. Anything could happen.

  My eyes turned down from the sky as Ormé and the Gwenivere Brigade joined our group.

  “What’d we miss?” Ormé asked.

  Blue sighed. “Whose turn is it to give the exposition?”

  I felt bad that the commons rebellion had done so much damage. I felt relieved that none of our Gwenivere Brigade allies had been killed in the flying monkey fight, though there were some serious injuries. I felt happy that Lenore had not thrown me in Alderon. And I felt scared about what came next.

  I felt many other things too, including hunger, exhaustion, satisfaction, and a lot of ache in my body, but there would be time for all of it—and hopefully a sandwich—later. My friends and I still had quite a few things to take care of.

  With the Vicennalia Aurora over, the magical surges throughout the realms were coming to an end. Wormholes were appearing with less and less frequency, and soon the dimensional barriers between our worlds would be as occasional as before. So, with three stops on our mission’s farewell tour, we had to hustle.

  The next nearest Portalscape Portal was set to appear twenty minutes after Lenore left, which provided an ample debriefing window as we walked into the desert to where it would open. One thing I shared was my revelation that Nadia was part magic hunter. I wouldn’t say anyone was shocked by the news; it was just interesting. I was way more intrigued with what had happened with Mauvrey and Tara.

  Unfortunately, despite our insistence, Merlin held firm that we would discuss it later. Then the Portalscape Portal opened, providing him with the ultimate out. That man was a master at dodging subjects.

  Our group followed him through the wormhole. Once I landed on the mattress at the end of the chasm, I was thrilled and surprised to discover a clan of White Rabbits, including our old friend Harry. He was chatting with my friends who had gone through the portal before me. The other White Rabbits were cool with our presence once he’d vouched for us.

  Harry was currently explaining that he and his kind were deShadowing the doorw
ays. According to him, Shadows outside of their origin realm, Dreamland, deteriorated on their own after a little while. Hence the doors that’d been free of them the last time we passed through. But the White Rabbits wanted to speed up the process and clear all the Shadows out before some unknowing sod came through a blocked portal and “bad things” happened.

  One look around showed eight Shadow-free doors already, the fruits of their good work. At the remaining doors, White Rabbits worked in teams of four. In each team, two White Rabbits injected syringes full of a bright-yellow substance into the Shadow’s interior. The third White Rabbit held an accordion-suction-cup tool, which pulled at the Shadow’s body. Meanwhile, the fourth White Rabbit continuously flung glittering sand at the Shadow’s face. It was a weird exorcism that was also kind of awesome.

  I glanced around the space. The entire area had stabilized now that the Aurora was over. As members of the Gwenivere Brigade entered the Portalscape after me, I directed our conversation to another question.

  “Where were the White Rabbits during the Aurora?” I asked.

  Harry shook his head. “All over the place. I don’t even know why the older White Rabbits insisted we work. They should have given us a PTO day. There were dozens of wormholes opening every minute in every realm. Our presence was as useless as it was tiny.”

  “Junior!” called an adult White Rabbit wearing a monocle and a red suit jacket. It was Harry’s father, whom I’d met before. “We need your help with the sleeping sand over here.”

  “Coming, Dad,” Harry responded. He sighed and gave me an apologetic look. “Maybe someday we can all hang out when I’m not working and you’re not on some crazy mission.”

  “When’s that?” Blue joked. “Three weeks from never?”

  SJ elbowed Blue while I squatted down to Harry’s level. “Get a Mark Two to call me on and we’ll make something work. In the meantime, duty calls for all of us.”

  Harry sighed again. “Yeah. Don’t go breaking into a million pieces before then,” he said, gesturing to the glowing cracks on my face, which my friends had shown me in a Mark Two mirror before leaving Book. “What is that anyway? Magic Burn Out warning?”