The journey back to the Portalscape went without a hitch. And when we entered Book after that, we found ourselves in my home kingdom of all places.
Midveil.
What are the odds?
Being home again after such adventure and change and heartbreak was weird. I knew this was my kingdom, and yet I felt somewhat like a stranger, an alien visiting a world similar to my own but one I didn’t belong to anymore.
It was dark when my friends and I left Oz, but the time difference meant that we arrived to a sunny and bright day in Book. My Hole Tracker adjusted to the time and confirmed that it was morning.
We’d entered the realm by a mountainous area outside a forest. I was able to instantly recognize we were in Midveil because I spotted a marker that Alex and I used to employ nearby. It signified the entrance to a secret tunnel that led to the outskirts of our castle grounds. It was a fitting place to return given this was where Alex and Mauvrey had accessed their escape wormhole after unleashing the commons rebellion attack on our castle.
This was also a great spot to end up because I’d left my pet dragon here with my oldest brother Pietro. Lucky would provide us with a fast ride back to school. Plus, I could see Pietro and the progress that had been made reconstructing our castle. I wished I could see my parents as well, but I figured they were probably still staying with Chance Darling’s family in the north while our castle was secured and rebuilt.
I showed my friends to the secret tunnel, which was marked by a ratty red rope tied to one of the branches of a crooked tree. Directly next to the tree was a pile of boulders, and if you looked carefully, there was a gap between two that you could squeeze through.
I found the opening and we shimmied through then stepped into darkness. I drew my wand from my boot. I may not have been able to use magic, but the wand still lit up on its own in dark spaces. I used its glow to find the spot where Alex and I kept matches and lanterns. I lit one for each of my friends.
“What is this place?” Kai asked.
“It’s one of seven secret passageways that are part of my castle,” I explained. “This one is an extension of a route from the grounds to the main city. Centuries ago it must’ve been a part of a large mining operation. Come on. It’s a bit of a walk.”
I soldiered ahead and guided them through the passageway. Metal tracks ran along the ground. There were some mining carts that could’ve gotten us there faster, but I knew from experience that they could be unstable, and I much preferred a low-key trek than a sketchy, shaking ride at the moment.
Some parts of the route were narrow while others opened into wide mouths of rock and moist, cold darkness. Those parts required care when crossing—the metal tracks ran over open space with big drops that would equal swift deaths if anyone tripped.
Finally, we made it to the ladder that would take us to ground level. An old fridge covered the exit. After three bangs in the right spot, a trigger was released and the contraption slid aside. We arose in my family’s hunting shed. I returned the fridge to its place, and then my friends and I forged outside into the forest at the edge of the castle grounds. The beautiful blue sky and soft white clouds couldn’t keep me from shuddering when we passed the mausoleum that Mauvrey had tried to imprison me in.
After winding through the hedge maze, we made it to the main lawn. There, in its full resplendent glory, was Midveil Castle—completely rebuilt.
I was astonished. I knew we’d been living in the ONC time zone, which ran four and a half times slower than Book, so weeks had passed while we were away. But it seemed like only yesterday that my castle was in ruins from the commons rebellion assault. To see it suddenly pristine again when I’d only been gone a handful of days was strange.
“Should we go around the front?” Jason asked. He pointed at the King’s Guard soldiers patrolling nearby as we peeked out of the hedge maze. “After what happened here, your security people might not be too keen on people coming up from—”
“Freeze!”
A half dozen guards appeared behind us. Six armed men were hardly a threat to our crew, but I stepped in front of my friends and held up my hands.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said.
“Stand down,” one of the guards said.
“No. You stand down.” I planted my feet firmly and crossed my arms, letting them take a good look at me.
All the guards’ faces turned red. They lowered their heads and bowed rapidly a few times out of respect, but also embarrassment. One dude even dropped to the ground.
“Princess Knight,” said the lead guard. I recognized him. His name was Jim and he was a friend of Pietro’s. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to collect my dragon and see my brother,” I said. “Which one’s closer?”
“Both should be back any minute,” Jim replied. “Pietro takes your dragon out for a ride every morning, afternoon, and evening to make sure the creature gets proper exercise. For a dragon, he can be a bit lazy. He sleeps for most of the day.”
I smiled a bit. “Yeah, he likes to nap. Are my parents back?”
“No,” Jim said. “They’re still staying with the Darling royal family. The interior of the castle is undergoing final reconstructions.”
“All right,” I said. “My friends and I are gonna head in. Tell Pietro to find us when he gets back. And, um, spread the word around the castle that we’re here. I don’t want any other guards going ballistic at the sight of us. Okay?”
“Yes, princess,” he replied with a bow. The guards saluted in unison before hurrying off to follow my commands. We hung back for a minute to allow them a head start.
“You’re funny,” Daniel said to me.
I cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”
“At school, you carry on as if normal princess stuff doesn’t come easily to you. But it does. And you like it. Giving orders and commanding respect comes naturally to you.”
“Please, Daniel,” I huffed dismissively. I moved past my friends and out of the maze, but I couldn’t stop a small smile that crept across my lips.
“So it’s decided,” Blue said. “We’ll sleep here tonight and fly back in the morning.”
My friends and I were in my bedroom. There were plenty of other places we could have congregated, but it felt cozier and more private here. I wasn’t in the mood to be fussed over by attendants or guards, which definitely would’ve happened if we were downstairs. I was their princess and, aside from Pietro, the only member of the royal family presently at home.
However, one thing I hadn’t taken into account until after inviting my friends inside was how I would feel about having everyone in my room. And by everyone, I meant Daniel. For some reason I felt slightly embarrassed and on edge to have him in the space where I’d slept every night growing up.
Was that weird?
Blue had plopped next to me on my bed. Jason sat on my crème-colored couch while Kai perched on the armrest. Daniel leaned against one of the blueish-gray walls. As we talked, I caught his eyes wandering the room. At the moment, they were taking in the assortment of jeweled tiaras on top of my vanity.
I didn’t know why I cared so much about what he was thinking. I shook away my anxiety and focused on the conversation.
“It beats arriving at school late into the night,” I responded to Blue. “Midveil to Lady Agnue’s is a good day’s ride. If we leave today, we’ll arrive well past midnight. If we leave at dawn tomorrow, we can arrive around dinnertime.”
Blue absentmindedly twiddled one of her throwing knives. The rest of my friends had disarmed. Daniel’s new sword from Avalon rested in its sheath on the floor of my bedroom beside Kai and Jason’s weapons. Evidently, they finally felt safe enough to take them off. But Blue still wore the belt that held her weaponry. That was less about security and more out of habit, though. Her knives were a piece of her in the same way my wand was a piece of me. I still had it stashed in my boot, despite how uncomfortable it was.
There was a knock at the door. I
t opened.
Pietro.
My face lit up like a chandelier and I leapt off the bed and ran to my oldest brother, tackling him with a huge hug. He could take it. Pietro was tall and strong from his years as a captain in the King’s Guard. He caught me as easily as if I were an elf.
When I pulled back, I beheld him like I hadn’t seen him in ages, freshly committing every detail about my brother to memory—his thick black hair, his warm dark-brown eyes, the glow of his naturally tanned skin.
“You remember my friends Daniel, Blue, and Jason,” I said, gesturing to them. “And this is Kai, Daniel’s girlfriend.”
“Hey, man.” Daniel stepped forward and shook Pietro’s hand.
Jason and Kai got up from the couch and did the same. Blue hopped off the bed and stowed her knife.
“’Sup,” she said with a tilt of her chin.
Introductions out of the way, I wrapped my arms around Pietro again with pure joy. I couldn’t believe how much I’d missed him. After everything that had happened with Alex, I appreciated my other older brother more than ever.
“The guards told me you’re here for Lucky,” Pietro said. “I just got back from flying him. He may need a rest before you take off again.”
“Not to worry,” I said. “We’ve decided to stay the night and fly back to school tomorrow.”
Suddenly, something occurred to me. “Pietro, what day is it?”
We’d been traveling through so many different time zones that I honestly didn’t know.
“It’s Thursday,” he said. “Thursday, May 7th.”
Yikes. The math made sense, but it still felt odd how much time had passed. So much for us trying not to miss any school. Spring break had ended days ago and classes were already in full swing.
“What’s wrong?” Pietro asked, seeing the expression on my face.
“We were gone longer than expected,” I said. “It’s a little confusing.”
“I can’t wait to hear about everything you’ve been up to,” he replied. “Assuming you want to talk about it, that is.”
I didn’t really. I felt like I’d been in storyteller mode for the last twenty-four hours. But I did want to spend time with Pietro while I had the chance. Once we went back to school, I wouldn’t see him again in person until the summer.
Assuming I don’t get tossed into Alderon before then.
The cynical thought made me shiver, but I let it pass. I had a good case building against Lenore. I refused to believe I was as powerful as everyone kept trying to make me out to be, and as long as Lenore didn’t find out about the dragon in Century City, she had no proof that I’d ever used my magic to do anything but help people.
“Um, yeah,” I told Pietro. “We can talk. I want to hear how you are too.” I pivoted to my friends. “Guys . . . Do you mind if I handle this retelling alone?”
“Yeah, you and your brother catch up,” Jason said, taking the hint. “We’ll chill out and get some rest. Do you mind if we snag guest rooms at random?”
“Go ahead,” I said. My eyes drifted to Daniel, who was currently looking at a shelf full of dolls and stuffed animals.
“They’re just for display,” I felt the need to say.
Daniel turned toward me. “What?”
“Never mind,” I said awkwardly. “I’ll see you later. Come on, Pietro.” I took my brother by the arm and directed him out of the room. We walked in silence for a minute as we proceeded down the corridor, a triangular construct of glass walls and sharp edges.
“Do you remember Evette?” Pietro asked as we waited for the lift at the end of the hall. With a soft chime, the glass doors slid open and we stepped inside.
“Your girlfriend.” I pressed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed. We began to descend with our reflections following us in the glass. “She was going to stay with you here during the remodel so you wouldn’t be alone. Is she still here?”
Pietro nodded. “She’s been my rock through this. Like I imagine your friends have been to you. We’ve been together a while, and I had strong feelings for her before, but after all we’ve faced—her sister being murdered, Alex betraying our family, surviving the commons rebellion assault, me having to act as a stand-in ruler while Mom and Dad are up north—I know the truth now. I love her. And I am planning on telling her so before Mom and Dad get back.”
I mulled over the proclamation for a moment. I didn’t really know Evette. I’d only met her the one time and it was on the day our castle was attacked—not the best time to absorb a first impression. But she seemed fine, and honestly if Pietro regarded her with this much affection and respect, she had to be a great person. My oldest brother was honorable, kind, smart, strong, and fantastic. If he found someone worthy of his highest praises, then it was fair to assume she also shared those qualities. I owed him the benefit of the doubt and the courtesy to see her in an equally esteemed light. After all, trusting someone meant trusting his or her judgment too. And I trusted Pietro tremendously.
“That’s a big deal,” I finally commented. “Especially since eventually she could be your queen.”
We reached ground level and the doors opened. I hadn’t thought my statement was complicated, but as we stepped out of the lift, Pietro paused.
“What do you mean?” he asked, genuinely confused.
My eyes darted between him and the grand hallway. It was in transition between the perfect grandeur that used to characterize it and the crumbled devastation that was its state after the commons rebellion attack. Support beams were rammed between the ceiling and the higher parts of the wall. Newly mounted panels of glass had paint protector tape around the edges. Fresh floor tile had been installed, but as work was still being done it was dusty—waiting to be polished only when the rest of the construction was finished.
“I mean that someday when you’re crowned king of Midveil, if you stay with Evette then she’d be your queen,” I clarified. “It’s not like Alex is in line to be king anymore. Mom and Dad basically disowned him after everything he did. I don’t blame them. He’s lost.”
“Crisa,” Pietro said seriously. “Without Alex, the throne doesn’t pass to me—it passes to you. You know that. I’m not a blood Knight. That’s why I was never in line even though I’m older than Alex.”
“That’s a technicality,” I rebutted. “After everything that’s happened, Pietro, I hardly think you being adopted matters. You’re way older than me, and for years you’ve earned a reputation as a valiant fighter, a commanding captain in the King’s Guard, and a loyal son. You have the respect and trust of this castle and this kingdom. Blood may not make you a Knight, but your heart does. Your honor. Our parents surely see that.”
“They do,” Pietro said. “We’ve been in constant contact and they’ve been passing orders to me while ruling from afar. I have visited them a few times on your dragon too. During my last visit, they talked to me about the line of succession. They told me they wanted to officially document me as next in line for the throne.”
“See. I told you,” I said.
“I turned it down.”
My eyes widened. “Come again?”
“Crisa, sit with me.” Pietro gestured to a cushioned bench against the wall. I sat and clasped my hands together, listening carefully.
“Most people would never believe me, but there was not a moment growing up that I envied Alex for being next in line to be king,” he said. “I never wanted the role. I was not right for it. I am a great captain in the King’s Guard. The men listen to and trust me. But I have no desire to rule a kingdom. The responsibility of looking after so many lives, the pressure coming from a myriad of fronts, the necessity to be so many people at once yet still preserving your core identity . . .” He shook his head. “I don’t have the knack for it. I know myself well enough to accept that. And I am not proud enough to pretend otherwise. Which is why I turned Mom and Dad down and intend to stand beside the person who deserves to be heir—you.”
My eyes glaz
ed over as the seriousness of Pietro’s choice set in. The moment he said he’d turned down the offer to be next in line, I knew what that meant. And yet, throughout his ensuing explanation, I’d searched for a lifeline that might save me from it.
From the day that Alex betrayed us, I understood he would never be king. But I didn’t honestly believe that meant I would be queen. Although I knew how succession typically worked, I figured my parents would make an amendment to the inheritance laws. Where Pietro was older, wiser, already had the admiration of many people in Midveil, and was a good-hearted, honest person who would wield power with compassion and intelligence, I was a teenager with a propensity for getting in trouble, a hot streak for making risky choices, and—frankly—way too sassy a persona to be in politics.
What Pietro had just presented me with was ludicrous. My parents had offered him the successor role as I’d expected, but I hadn’t betted that he would turn it down. I wasn’t ready for that! Not even a little!
Being the youngest child in our family—and with Alex always being such a perfect prince—it had never crossed my mind that I could rule Midveil. So, naturally, I hadn’t prepared for it. Furthermore, it also never crossed my mind that I should rule this kingdom. I barely had my own chiz figured out. It was a terrible idea to suggest that someday I should manage everyone else’s. I was just one girl. I did not want the world. Nor did I deserve it. My choices clearly reflected that. Century City was the crowning example. What kind of worthy ruler sacrificed the well-being of a city for the life of one acquaintance and the heart of one friend?
I refused to believe that my magic would win and turn me completely dark in the end, but I also knew I’d lost the battle to be completely good and heroic. Right now I was a mix. I was a product of light and dark, selflessness and selfishness, heroism and cowardice. And those were not the ingredients of a queen.
“You’re wrong,” I said to Pietro. “I don’t deserve to be heir. My Pure Magic Disease makes me a liability. And . . . my heart makes me a liability too.”
Crisanta Knight: The Lost King Page 40