I shook my head. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“What was it you once told me?” she said dejectedly. “‘Join the club.’”
I stared at Lady Agnue, the headmistress who I’d spent years hating but having to show reverence to. I thought there were only enemies and allies, but here she was—the woman in between.
My soul had been fractured, my mind blown, and my body drained by the events of this night, but this interaction with Lady Agnue quieted my fear, regret, and shock with a humble understanding that I didn’t know what came next for us. She’d always been wary of me for being something new; it was a remarkable twist of fate that I now felt the same way about her.
closed the door to our suite and leaned my forehead against it. The events of the last few hours weighed on me like emotional sandbags.
At least I was grateful to be free of physical pain. Madame Alexanders’s potion was a doozy in terms of weakening me and doing it quickly, but I had very resourceful allies. Lady Agnue and the school nurses had called our resident potions expert SJ while I had been unconscious, and my friend had conferred with Julian. Given the terrain surrounding the Emerald City, he was an expert in Poppy Potions. Between the two of them (and the information that the school guards “extracted” from Madame Alexanders), they were able to come up with an antidote to restore my strength and then coach the infirmary staff on how to make it. The nurses had administered it to me while I rested.
Now I felt no aches or soreness. I was just traumatized. Madame Alexanders had tried to kill me. She’d helped magic hunters to kidnap me. Again. And I’d killed someone with my Pure Magic.
That last one was still the worst.
Explaining it was even more excruciating. Lady Agnue had kept my friends out of the infirmary for our one-on-one, but when we were done, she’d let them in and I’d had to tell them everything. It had been brutal to explain the events out loud. Although my friends tried to console me, they didn’t seem to know how to process my first magic kill either.
I could barely look any of them in the eye, so I told them the best thing for me right now was space. Once my antidote fully kicked in, I insisted that they return to the ball so I could go back to my room to rest.
But I couldn’t rest. I felt like I had abandoned all the control that Liza had tried to instill in me. How was I going to face her?
As if Liza had read my mind from across the realm, my Mark Two began to buzz on my desk. My magic mentor had a bad habit of calling precisely when I needed to confess something.
I didn’t know if I was more afraid of what I was going to tell her or what she was going to tell me. With a reluctant sigh, I plucked the compact off my nightstand before plopping down on my bed. I rested my head against the pillow and closed my eyes as I flipped it open.
“Look, before you say anything, Liza, there’s something I have to tell you. Something happened and, well, please don’t open with I told you so because I am really freaking out.”
“Aw, what’s the matter, Crisa? Magic running away with you already?”
That wasn’t Liza’s voice. I opened my eyes. Nadia’s reflection smiled at me through the Mark Two’s looking glass.
In shock and panic, I abruptly threw the compact across the room. It hit the far wall and fell to the floor—closing itself and ending the call. A moment later, the thing began buzzing again. I let it ring for a few seconds before crossing the room and picking it up. I probably shouldn’t have, but I was more entranced by curiosity than by dread.
I flipped open the compact.
“Crisanta, the common courtesy of a ‘hello’ is expected whenever being called upon,” Nadia said wistfully. “Even when the caller is an enemy. As always, you shock me with your poor conduct.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Nadia, I’ve had a rough night and I have nothing to say to you.”
“Oh, but I have something to say to you, Crisanta. I am finally ready to provide answers to your questions.”
“What questions?”
“You asked me why I had Paige killed. You asked me why your friends were left alive in the Portalscape. You asked me why I would want you to bring that dragon to life only to fulfill the fair assumption that you’d put it down again. As I said when we last met, this was a conversation for another day and I was not going to reveal the truth to you until the final domino in the plan came down.”
I didn’t know why I was even humoring this conversation. Nothing good could come of it. But I remained on the line—driven by the compulsion to know the truth.
“It was Arian’s idea, you see,” Nadia continued. “And it was Rampart who inspired the plan with his tale of Sir Balin, The Knight of Two Swords. The notion was simple—turn a hero into a villain. Flip the script to cause one half of your prophecy—not prevent the other.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Have any magical outbursts lately?” she replied, smugly.
My heart stopped. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Nadia sighed. “Crisanta, when are you going to learn that I have eyes and ears everywhere. I know perfectly well what transpired between you, your potions professor, and the magic hunters this evening.”
How the frack did she find out so fast?
I didn’t break her gaze. “What do you care about that? It’s none of your business.”
“Considering the amount of time and effort my friends and I took to ensure you got to this point, I would say it is very much my business,” Nadia responded.
“What are you talking about?”
“What I am talking about is the Rampart-inspired trap that my allies and I set for you—the trap that you so easily fell into and are now beginning to experience the consequences of.”
Confusion must’ve been all too visible on my face because Nadia rolled her eyes. “Honestly, for a smart girl, you certainly can be dense.”
Yeah, I’m getting that a lot today, I thought bitterly.
“As we all know, you are fated to be the person who will either stop me from conquering the realm or help me achieve my goals,” Nadia said. “Like you, and anyone else with sense, I believe your Pure Magic will ultimately influence which of those paths you take. I know you have been training to enhance control over your magic as a means to rein in your abilities and counteract the unfavorable course your disease typically takes. And to my displeasure, until recently it seemed you’d been succeeding. You have kept a handle on your magic despite its growing power. Which is why Rampart’s suggestion to turn the tables was the best course of action for my people to take.”
“The Sir Balin story . . .” I thought back to the dream I’d had of Rampart giving Arian advice on how to handle me.
“Instead of seeing this girl as a problem who must be eliminated, why not consider her power as untapped fuel for your cause? Why not turn her strength for heroics into a tool for devastation?”
“I am quite familiar with the traits and attributes of Pure Magic, Crisanta,” Nadia said. “After all, Alderon is home to many Fairy Godmothers who have turned dark as a result of it. So I know that the best way for people with Pure Magic to begin their descent into darkness is by removing any barricades of restraint they may be attempting to hold. And the best way to do that is to play at the three Pure Magic vulnerabilities—utilizing large amounts of magic, harnessing magic via emotion, and crossing the Malice Line.”
Oh no.
“While I had planned to destroy Century City eventually,” Nadia continued, “the truth is, waking the dragon had nothing to do with that; it was all about you.”
Oh no, oh no.
“Once I learned what you did to the snake in the Temple of Malbona, I knew you were primed for losing control of your powers. It just had to be done carefully—pushing you hard enough to bend, but not break. I was able to play on all your vulnerabilities by getting you to use your magic to raise that enormous beast in Century City, resurrect one of your friends in the Portalscape, and drain the life from the dragon to save the
capital. This triple combination was the perfect trigger for you. That much magic and emotion combined with crossing the Malice Line in a big way weakened the walls of restraint you’d built around your magic. Then I had Paige killed to widen the cracks even further. You resisted the urge to destroy those magic hunters, which was a setback, but tonight you put yourself back on our schedule.
“Your actions this evening proved that you are on course to fulfill our revised plan for your destiny. We are no longer interested in killing Crisanta Knight, the hero. We’re planning on converting Crisanta Knight, the villain.”
My throat was tight with shock. Her words were horrifying.
“You have been triggered, Crisanta,” Nadia said. “If there is any doubt as to what I am saying, consider what you just did to Madame Alexanders and that magic hunter. Your recent emotion-driven and darker magic actions have made you susceptible to Pure Magic corruption. Tonight was just the beginning of what you have set loose. You’ve woken a monster that can’t be lulled back to sleep. So it is no longer a question of if, but when you will turn dark. Once that happens, we both know where fate will lead you and, more importantly, where it will lead me.”
In all my life, I’d never felt so speechless. Fear quaked my lungs and paralyzed my vocal chords.
It had been a set up. All of it. The dragon, killing Kai, putting the capital in danger, murdering Paige . . . The antagonists had laid a trap for me and it worked.
Had my fate been sealed the moment I woke that dragon in Century City? The Lady of the Lake appeared to me then, signifying that I had made my fate-altering poor choice. Was this why? Was I actually doomed beyond repair?
No.
I refused to believe that. I couldn’t believe that!
“You’re wrong, Nadia,” I said suddenly. The statement came out of me like a fact because I felt that it was. I didn’t care about the domino effect this trap had unleashed or what the Lady of the Lake symbolized. I had to believe I could still fight. Everything strong about me was built on the idea that I could take charge of my destiny. No aquatic ghost or antagonist queen was going to convince me that this part of me was lost.
“Maybe your groupies managed to trigger my Pure Magic. Maybe I fell into your trap in Century City. And maybe my powers got the better of me tonight. But just because I lost control of my magic once doesn’t mean I won’t be able to control it tomorrow, or the day after that, or the day after that. I am nobody’s puppet, least of all yours. So wipe that cocky smile off your face, Nadia, because as long as I’m still me, I won’t stop fighting my magic and I definitely won’t stop fighting you.”
Nadia looked at me carefully through the looking glass. I wasn’t sure if she was sizing me up or simply biding time to think of a retort that would properly rattle me. Based on her response, it was a combination of both.
“I don’t disagree, Crisanta. You have, after all, proven to be a worthy adversary. I have no doubt that as long as you are you, there will be nothing that can prevent you from fighting against me and the unfavorable version of your fate. The problem is that you are neglecting to ask the most relevant question.”
“And what’s that?”
Nadia smiled. “With the way that magic is beginning to rage inside of you, how much longer do you actually think you will still be you?”
A beat passed as her words set in.
“I’ll be checking in on your progress,” Nadia said brusquely. “Best of luck, Crisanta. I look forward to seeing how your story plays out.”
With that, she hung up the call and her image disappeared. I closed the compact on my end. I remembered my Mark Two conversation with Tara in Camelot last week when I’d asserted that I was smarter than her. She’d been so amused and now I knew why.
“Hang on to that assertion, Crisa. Remember that you made it. That will make the next turn in your adventure so much harder to choke down and so much more fun for me to witness.”
She was right. Knowing how well I’d played into Nadia’s hands did make this turn in the story much harder to choke down. I was as much at fault for this twist of fate as anyone. Accepting that, I sank to the floor and closed my eyes. Then I cried.
To my great surprise, my favorite tree behind the barn had survived the magic hunter fire and the remodeling of the Lady Agnue’s campus.
The sides of the trunk were charred and scarred with memories of that dark episode, but it still stood. The people who’d redone the practice fields must’ve decided to leave it alone and give it a chance to come back on its own.
The branches of the tree were relatively bare, though some new patches of green were forming. On this solemn morning, it symbolized a great stubbornness for renewal that I desperately needed to be reminded of. I sat down beneath the defiant wonder of nature and nestled against its trunk. All was quiet and peaceful on this hazy Sunday morning. Following the events of last night, it was a welcome change of pace.
I’d gone to sleep before Kai and Blue had returned from the ball. At least I’d pretended to be asleep. In truth, my eyes had been open while I’d lain beneath the covers. I just didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was too ashamed.
This morning I had woken up ungraciously early due to a torrent of dream flashes. When I’d gone out on the balcony for some air, I’d discovered the school was covered in rolling fog but sunlight was touching the tops of the towers, giving me the promise of brightness. I’d grabbed my wand and slid on some clothes, trying not to wake my friends. However, before slipping out, I’d left a note on my desk telling Blue and Kai where I had gone, lest they freak out about me being captured again. Now I was here. As I rested against the tree trunk, gazing up at the branches, I was uncertain about what to do next.
My friends didn’t know about Nadia’s call. I would tell them later, but I didn’t know what I would tell them in regard to how I was handling it.
I had felt so sure about the assertion I’d made to Nadia that I would fight my Pure Magic, but her last counterpoint had been like a slap. What if my fight wasn’t enough to counteract the writing on the wall? I lay there and meditated on that for a while. Time passed but seemed irrelevant as the decisions I’d made, the options I had, and my magic danced across my mind.
“Hey.”
I sat up, startled to see Daniel walking toward me. I was surprised he was awake, and also that he was on our campus. I was glad that he was though. The warmth of his voice was a welcome alternative to the wicked silence. I had always liked being alone, but lately I found that I liked being with him more. He sat down beside me.
“Hey,” I said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “How’d you find me? And what are you doing over here this early on a Sunday?”
“Blue and Kai called me on the Mark Two and told me about your note. They were worried. I said I’d come find you. I took the main road and the guards let me in through the gate.”
“That’s a long walk. I’m sorry if the girls woke you.”
“I was already up anyway. Couldn’t sleep. It’s hard to when your best friend keeps almost dying on you.”
“Best friend?” I repeated.
Daniel blinked like he hadn’t really thought about the words before he’d said them. Then, much to my surprise, he nodded decidedly. “Yup, I’m sticking with it.”
Hm. Okay.
I was flattered and a bit taken aback. Daniel had confided in me and shared personal things he hadn’t told anyone except for Kai, and we’d been through the wringer together. Kai actually mentioned that I was Daniel’s best friend the other day, but I’d been arguing with her at the time so I hadn’t really thought about it. Hearing the words from Daniel now made them impossible to overlook.
I considered SJ, Blue, Jason, and Daniel all to be my best friends. Each relationship was special in its own way. I was certain Daniel viewed things the same. He cared for all of us. But there was a slight difference between your best friends and your best friend. It was a subtle distinction, but I think it came down to who had se
en you at your best, worst, and most vulnerable, and had not only been there for you when you wanted them to be, but also when you didn’t want them to be. If I was that person to Daniel, then I was honored.
“So what were you thinking about?” Daniel asked, changing the subject.
“Um, well, let’s see—the fate of the realm, murdering a magic hunter, almost killing a teacher, and how I might have doomed myself to turning into a dark-hearted, mega-powerful witch.”
“So, the softball subjects then?” Daniel said.
I laughed. “Yeah, exactly.”
A hum of quiet floated between us as a raven flew over and landed on one of the branches.
“You’re going to be okay, you know,” Daniel said.
“Oh, yeah?” I said absentmindedly. “How do you know that?”
“Because people are like trees,” he said. “Not the evergreen ones—they’re too pretentious—but deciduous ones like this.” He gestured upward. “They remind us of how nature really works. And how people really work. They change. Sometimes they change so much that they can become ghosts of their former selves. But even under the pressure of the harshest winters and flames they never saw coming, when they find themselves stripped bare and without hope, they still have the potential to come back. They can hang on, weather the storm, and stand tall no matter how the winds change. And then they can grow strong again, maybe even stronger and better than they were before. If anyone can weather the storm and come out the other side—not only still standing, but also even better than before—it’s you, Knight. Anything else just wouldn’t make sense.”
He didn’t even blink then—his expression was as genuine as his words.
“You really believe that don’t you?” I said.
“As much as I believe that I owe you for what you did back in Century City,” Daniel replied. “What you went through and risked to save Kai . . .” He shook his head, unable to finish his thought.
“I gave you my word she would be safe, Daniel. I told you that I would help you protect her and I kept my promise just like you’ve been keeping yours to be there when I need you. Like right now, for instance.”
Crisanta Knight: The Lost King Page 49