Crisanta Knight: The Lost King

by Culbertson, Geanna;

  “No way are we letting Chance Darling in on this,” Daniel said adamantly over the Mark Two. Blue, Kai, and I were in our room. My magic compact sat open on my desk so that all three of us could see him.

  “Daniel, I thought you were coming around where Chance was concerned?” I said. “You saw what he did for me and Lady Agnue’s.”

  “The practice fields and the new arena are impressive, but I don’t think you should mistake what a guy does to prove himself to a girl he likes for actual character.”

  “Daniel,” Kai said sternly. “I have to side with Crisa. We’re looking to bring in people we can count on. If this prince is that committed to her, he fits the bill and then some.”

  “I agree he’s been a major tool in the past, man,” Jason added. His face was in Blue’s magic compact, which we’d positioned next to mine so we could have a group call and look at both our friends. “But you have to admit that he’s changed this semester. The guy is trying to be different. In the name of moving forward, we should look at who he is now and not hold the past against him.”

  “Jason is right, Daniel,” SJ chided from the third compact in the line-up, which belonged to Kai. We had conferenced her in as well. “People who earn it deserve a second chance. Just look at how Girtha has become a respectable ally and friend since we let her prove she could be different. Chance could be equally as valuable.”

  Daniel frowned. “Do you really trust him, Knight?”

  I thought on this for one last moment and was sure of my decision.

  “I do.”

  “Fine then,” Daniel said. “Jason and I will meet with the guys later and tell them the truth. See you.” He hung up the call.

  Jason—who evidently was not in the same location as Daniel—stayed for another beat. “Chance and Daniel didn’t hit it off when Daniel started school last semester,” he explained. “Like, at all. I never really liked Chance either, but I’ve gotten used to him. I think that first impression is still a little raw with Daniel. Don’t worry. I’ll mediate. Later, guys.”

  “Later,” we echoed.

  Jason hung up and I mulled over Daniel’s feelings about Chance. I could empathize. Until very recently, I hadn’t liked the prince either. But people could change. I was beginning to learn that they never stopped.

  I looked forward to hearing how the boys’ talk went when I met up with Daniel at Twenty-Three Skidd practice tomorrow. But as important as that step was for us, I looked forward to the actual practice even more. Since Sunday, all my extra time not devoted to grading Madame Alexanders’s papers had been spent training for Twenty-Three Skidd, either solo or with my friends. As a result, the few cobwebs I had on my game had been wiped away. Tomorrow when I reported to our final practice before the game this Saturday, I felt confident I would be promoted back to my first-string spot.

  “Gotta go,” I said, swiping my Mark Two off the desk and sliding it into my backpack. “I have a TA session with Madame Alexanders. SJ, wanna talk later? I’d love to hear how things are going with Merlin and Julian.”

  “I am pretty busy, actually. Working with both of them is rewarding but exhausting. Can we possibly talk later in the week?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said.

  “Great. I will call you when I have some time,” SJ promised. “Miss you!”

  “Miss you!” we all resounded.

  I hastened out of the room. I’d told Madame Alexanders I would be a few minutes late, but a few had turned into fifteen and I needed to skedaddle. I slid down the banister, dashed down a couple of hallways, and burst into the potions lab. Madame Alexanders was sitting at her desk. It was exactly the same as the student lab desks spaced throughout the room in two rows. The lab desks were black, thick, rectangular, and sturdy like building blocks. Each one probably weighed a couple hundred pounds.

  My professor was busy journaling when I entered. Lab equipment was spread out across her work area. It was organized madness combining vials, forceps, notes, beakers, a cauldron, and a couple of Bunsen burners. Sunlight washed over her from the twin floor-to-ceiling windows next to her desk.

  “Crisanta,” she said, looking up and brusquely shutting her journal. “Nice to see you. How is the paper grading going?”

  “Tediously,” I replied, setting my bag down. “But I’ll have them done for you by Saturday like we agreed.”

  “Excellent,” she replied. “You can bring them by the classroom right before the ball. I’ll be in here finishing up some things.”

  “All right, that works. So what’s on the schedule for today? Are we going to finish the Poppy Potion experiment we started on Monday?”

  “Correct. Now come, we have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it.” Madame Alexanders opened one of her lab cases. Attached to the top half within were carefully sealed, catalogued, and secured vials filled with potions. I connected the dots.

  “Professor, are those the samples of the different Poppy Potions you and I have made together this semester?” I asked.

  “Yes, dear,” Madame Alexanders responded. “I keep a sample of each one we concoct and test in our TA sessions. I keep notes on our reactions to them too. It helps with my long-term research for this course.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Neat. You planning on keeping them forever?”

  “No, dear. Actually, I don’t think I will need them after this week. I have gotten all I can from their results.” She picked up her journal. “They—and you—have provided me with sufficient research. I just need to test a few more things for this week’s Poppy Potion. Then I can call it a term well spent and forge ahead into something new.”

  Oh good. Can’t wait to grade papers on that too.

  THWACK.

  The basket end of my lacrosse sword slammed into Dillain’s chest, sending him toppling off his Pegasus. I deactivated the extender grip function on my staff and dove after the ball. Sadie, my Pegasus, flapped her purple and green holographic wings. When we moved at high speeds, they were dazzling.

  I’d been practicing on various Pegasi that Lord Channing’s had given Lady Agnue’s these last few days, but Sadie was my favorite ride for Twenty-Three Skidd. I wished she could have been donated to my school too; sadly, Chance explained that she was from a bloodline of Pegasi specifically belonging to the headmaster’s family.

  That was okay. I simply requested her from Redwood for all practices and matches. I was better with her. And this being the last scrimmage before Saturday’s match, I could use all the extra awesomeness I could get.

  The glowing, lime-green Twenty-Three Skidd ball dropped through the sky. Daniel was in a better position to reach the goal, especially as I was being pursued by two opposing teammates. So once I’d snatched the ball out of the air I flung it to him. He caught it and bee-lined for our goal post—a massively tall thing that stretched six hundred feet into the air.

  Daniel scored, but the match was not over. Those of us still in the air—unlike poor Dillain who’d fallen to the safety net draped over the field—had five minutes left to prove ourselves, so prove ourselves we did. At least Daniel and I did. We were so in sync that it was all anyone could do to keep up with us.

  Sadie snorted with adrenaline and a puff of orange and cobalt smoke exuded from her nostrils. We took off as the ball was newly launched into play, mounting another successful offensive that allowed me to score the final goal of the practice match.

  Javier blew his whistle signaling that time was up, and all remaining players in the sky descended to the field. We huddled in a group holding our Pegasi reins in our hands and our helmets under our arms as Javier and Gordon provided feedback.

  “Given what we’ve seen today,” Javier said, “we have decided that Mirosavich and Bailie will be on the bench for this match. Crisa, congratulations. You lived up to your word and earned back your first-string spot.”

  I grinned ear-to-ear and Daniel gave me an encouraging pat on the shoulder. As the captains finished up their closing remarks, Dillain s
hot me a sour glare. I matched it with a triumphant, smug smile. Sadie—whose magic wings had disappeared now that she had landed—nuzzled my arm and I petted her in gratitude for her performance.

  “Everyone be on time Saturday,” Gordon concluded. “That means you gotta be here twenty minutes before the match starts. Good work, people. Dismissed.”

  Most of the boys headed toward Redwood to return their Pegasi. Before I could do the same, Javier and Gordon approached Daniel and me.

  “So, we had an interesting conversation with Daniel and Jason last night,” Javier said.

  “I’m aware,” I replied. “How do you feel in the aftermath?”

  “It’s a lot to digest,” Gordon commented.

  “I’m aware of that too,” I said. “But . . . are you okay with it?”

  Javier nodded. “One hundred percent. Gordon and I just wanted to tell you that in person. And we also wanted to tell you that we respect you, Crisa. You and Blue and Daniel and SJ and Jason. Most people couldn’t do what you guys have done. We consider it a privilege to be let in on it. This is the kind of stuff we spend our lives training for at school after all—the chance to be a hero. Seems like the best way to do that going forward is to stick with you five.”

  “Six,” Daniel corrected.

  “Oh, right. I forgot about your girlfriend,” Javier said. “Can’t wait to meet her at the ball on Saturday.”

  “I’m looking forward to touching base with Marie about all of this too,” Gordon said. “Thanks for trusting us both.”

  “It was the right decision,” I said. “And I’m seriously excited about the match this weekend. Thanks for giving me a chance. Reclaiming this first-string spot means the world to me.” I paused. “This new circle of trust thing between us didn’t have anything to do with you moving me up, right?”

  Gordon huffed. “Crisa, you scored five goals today and are one of the most creative, skillful players we have. You earned your position fair and square.”

  “Okay, good,” I said, affectionately putting my hand on Sadie’s snout. “And don’t worry; I’m going to do you guys proud. This has been a long time coming.”

  “No, don’t!” Dream me shouted in the background as Girtha reached for a melon-sized purple gem upon a podium.

  A swell of additional vision flashes rushed through my mind immediately after. Natalie Poole and me in a living room. The Capitol Building completely rebuilt and standing proudly. Arthur clutching his stomach and doubling over in pain. A dining room with a long, solid gold table surrounded by ebony chairs.

  Then I woke up.

  It’d been ten days since I’d had dreams of the future. Which meant it’d been ten days since I’d last used magic. If my visions were coming back, I reckoned my magic had finished rebooting too. I stared at the canopy over my bed and thought deeply on how I felt about that.

  I missed using my wand, which had been hidden in a secret compartment in my closet for over a week now. I missed my powers too; they’d become a part of my regular life. Nevertheless, once I’d gotten used to it, it had been liberating to not be weighed down by my visions of the future. That was a gift I only fully appreciated now that it was gone.

  Morning sunlight streamed in from the open balcony doors. With perfect timing, a finch flew in and began to chirp our wake-up alarm. Ordinarily SJ was charged with securing birds to wake us up. Like most princesses who weren’t me, she was very skilled at using her singing voice to compel woodland creatures to do her bidding. However, with SJ away and my voice perpetually out of key, Marie had been kind enough to offer her princess song talents to generate our wake-up calls.

  Blue and Kai both groaned as the bird chirped. I got up swiftly and went to the finch, which had perched on Blue’s desk. “Thank you,” I said, patting it on the head with one finger. “You can go now.”

  The finch blinked at me then flew through the doors. I followed it and took in the splendor of a beautiful Saturday morning. I leaned over the balcony to spot the room two floors down and three rooms over. Marie was standing on her own balcony in her nightgown. The finch I’d dismissed flew over to her happily and landed on her finger. She waved and I waved back.

  When she returned inside, I looked right and left to make sure no one else was around, held up my hand, and concentrated. Sure enough, golden sparks that matched the rising sun danced around my fingertips.

  My magic really was back.

  I decided not to mention this to Blue or Kai. I would not use my powers for the rest of the weekend either, even if they were recharged. Today was not about magic. Today was about fulfilling a commitment. A commitment I’d made months ago to earn my place on the Seven Suns and fiercely represent my team, my school, and myself in front of everyone.

  I journeyed inside and made for the bathroom and my toothbrush. Despite my dreams, I was in a particularly good mood. Most mornings I rose thinking about the many plots we were entangled in, the mysteries left unsolved, and the battles we still had to fight. But today was different. I had a lot of new friends on my side, I was caught up on all my homework and only had a couple dozen more papers to grade, and I was about to make my long-awaited debut in a Twenty-Three Skidd match.

  I had trained so hard to achieve this dream earlier in the semester only to have it robbed from me at the last possible second because of the magic hunters’ attack. Not this time. This time nothing could stop me.

  I met my reflection in the mirror. Today I would have my something good.

  “Daniel, dive!”

  We were halfway through the Twenty-Three Skidd match. I lobbed the ball low and Daniel’s Pegasus tucked its wings and nose-dived.

  Projection orbs darted around as fast as we did, projecting our real-time maneuvers on gigantic holographic screens in center arena for the cheering audience. The stadium was full and the crowd was going crazy. I loved all that energy; it made me fight harder.

  “OOOH!”

  I looked up as the audience cried out. One of the players on my team—Sal, juding by his armor—had been knocked from his steed. His Seven Suns armor glinted as he toppled down to the safety net below.

  Unlike the communal armor we used during practice, our customized game-time armor was done up with team colors and unique player numbers. I was Number 17. This was the first time I’d gotten to wear my armor; putting it on had given me such a thrill I couldn’t stop smiling. This armor was mine. This lacrosse sword and helmet were mine. This moment was mine.

  Sal was out now. One of the in-flight referees took off to wrangle his loose Pegasus. However, this by no means deterred my valiant team. It didn’t even slow us down. Sadie circled back up while Gordon scored a goal. The crowd went wild. Players repositioned themselves as the ball was launched into play again.

  The score was now 16-14 with our team in the lead, but our opposing team, the White Dwarves, was fighting hard. We’d been at this for an hour and my team had lost two players so far, leaving only seven Seven Suns players in the sky. Meanwhile, the White Dwarves still had their full team accounted for.

  I would change that.

  “Argh!” I grunted as I collided lacrosse swords with a boy from the opposing team.

  We fenced with the blade ends of our weapons as we flew. I saw the boy’s fingers go for the extender grip function as he swung toward my head. I ducked, then signaled Sadie to fly up slightly to the side. We rammed into the White Dwarves player and the energy of Sadie’s bright wings got in his eyes, temporarily blinding him. I heaved the end of my lacrosse sword into a forward swoop. The basket whooshed underneath the boy’s arm and knocked him off balance. I finished him with a kick that threw his body the rest of the way off his Pegasus and he plummeted into the sky.

  I was about to join Daniel and a couple of other teammates in their current run of a new play Gordon taught us earlier in the week, when the groan of the audience alerted me. Another player was falling. Another one of ours. I saw the Number 9 flash on a projection orb screen and realized it was Javier.<
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  I stowed my lacrosse sword in its holster and drove Sadie into a straight, daring dive. We pursued Javier at lightning speed. He was barely a hundred feet above the net when we caught up with him. Sadie and I approached Javier at a swooping angle and I stretched out my hand. He grabbed hold just before it was too late.

  The crowd went bananas. Outside of the arena, plenty of these people bore distrust and fear toward me. Here, though, they seemed to forget the girl underneath the armor and were thrilled by the exhilaration of a game well played.

  I managed to pull Javier onto the back of my saddle.

  He lifted his visor. “Thanks!” he said.

  “No problem!” I called back. “Where’s your Pegasus?”

  “Back that way!” He pointed at our high two o’clock. We caught up with the runaway steed right as the refs were closing in on it. I flew above the brown Pegasus.

  “Go, now!” I shouted. Javier swung his leg around and leapt, landing perfectly. Since his lacrosse sword was still in the holster on his saddle, he could get back in the game immediately.

  More applause. The Seven Suns had secured another goal. The score was now 17-14. I grinned and rejoined my team.

  The next half hour was intense and brutal and so much fun it was almost unbearable. The score reached 22-20 with the Seven Suns in the lead (five players left on our team and six on the White Dwarves). I was exhausted, but high on applause and self-satisfaction. I’d scored three goals thus far, which was great, but I was about to close out the match.

  I wished somehow that I could save this moment for later when I needed a morale boost. As I swooped after the ball in the final play, I found my spirit to be stronger than it’d been in months.

  I caught the ball in the basket of my lacrosse sword. There were two White Dwarves inbound on my left, but Daniel was moving wide on their left. I didn’t need to confer with him to know what play to run. It was simple, reliable monkey in the middle. Just as the White Dwarves drew closer, I hurled the ball to my left and Daniel caught it. The White Dwarves changed direction and went after him, but the second they got close, Daniel threw the ball back to me.