Crown of Crowns

by Clara Loveman

  “Oh, yeah. Can you?”

  “Yes.” Lordin sat on the stool and lifted the lid of the keyboard. “Shall we compose a song together?”

  Zawne beamed. “Yes, an original score that only the two of us will know.” His excitement was palpable. By the glazed look in his eyes, the sparkling affection in Lordin’s face, it was clear the two were already in love.

  “I’ll start.” Lordin softly stroked the keys, beginning a gentle melody for Zawne to sing to.

  “When I soar, we soar,” he sang, the music trickling through the room.

  Then Lordin came in. “I soar; we soar.”

  “I never yield; we never yield.”

  “We are forever one.”

  The music was reaching a crescendo, Lordin’s tiny fingers flittering across the keys as Zawne sang, “I soar; we soar, my love. I never yield; we never yield, my love.”

  Lordin stopped playing, and the chamber fell silent. Zawne blinked at her. “Hey, what’d you do that for?”

  “The lyrics,” she said. “They’re powerful. How did you think of them?”

  “It’s how I imagine we will be in the future,” Zawne said. “Together we will soar above the masses as the rulers of Geniverd. We will never yield for any man or kingdom or army. We will reach the heavens with our power and our love.”

  Lordin’s eyes grew wide. “Do you mean it?” She appeared dazzled by the idea, so excited she started to shake. “Do you really think we could rule the kingdom together?”

  Zawne chuckled. “Of course,” he said. “You are practically the new Grucken. The Crown of Crowns will surely pick you, no matter who your husband is. And I’m the son of the current rulers. My knowledge of politics and the six continents is greater than any of the other heirs’. We’d be unstoppable together.”

  Lordin wrapped her arms around Zawne, nearly choking him. “Then let us be together,” she said, her facial muscles twitching as if two different emotions were battling for control. Her jaw trembled, lips quivered, and tears bubbled at the corners of her eyes. She looked elated and terrified all at once. “Let’s be together,” she repeated. “I want you, Zawne. I want to be your queen.”

  Lordin’s memories fast-forwarded in a colorful blur, slowing and coming to a halt in Shiol, the axis of the universe.

  Lordin was speaking with the light forms Hanchell and Riedel. The Crown of Crowns was telling her, “But you must make the decision soon. Either become queen alongside Zawne, or perish and become a Min.”

  Lordin looked more serious than in any of the other memories. She looked like a person who had just been told the universe was run by spirits. She asked them, “And you say Min are free to roam Geniverd and do as they please, that Min can possess bodies?”

  “Yes,” Riedel said, “but this isn’t an invitation to become all-powerful. This is a serious choice you must make. Rule Geniverd with Zawne, or live a thousand years as a Min.”

  Lordin’s jaw had dropped. She licked her lips. “Let me think about it.” But judging by the look on her face, she had already decided.

  “I’ll tell you honestly, I’m not sure if Zawne has the heart to be king. I might have to refuse your offer to protect him from his own failure. I don’t want to become a Min, but I may have to. I mean, it would suck to give up my short human existence to become a spirit with superpowers and live for a thousand years with complete and total power over Geniverd.” She shrugged and shook her head sadly. “But I might have to do it.”

  “The choice is yours,” Hanchell said. “You’ve scored the best out of anyone we’ve seen in a long time. And not only in Geniverd. We rule multiple universes, dimensions, realms … and you are one of the most virtuous and kindhearted creatures we have ever seen. In any case, you’d do well as a Min.”

  “And you mentioned something about an election,” Lordin said. “Am I to believe there is a way to move up the universal ladder?”

  “Yes,” Hanchell said. She wasn’t very intuitive for an omnipotent, universe-controlling spirit. Either that, or perhaps Lordin had used the Grucken’s spiritual teachings to disguise the rotten part of her heart. Her intentions seemed pretty obvious. “Soon,” Hanchell continued, “there will be a chance to become the next Crown of Crowns. It’s only for Min with a partner.”

  Lordin nodded. “Okay, great. Good to know.” She was nearly salivating at the thought of all that power, the chance to rule a limitless galaxy. “I’ll give you my answer tomorrow,” she said.

  Evil!

  I paused the memory show and scowled at Lordin, hiding so shamelessly in Hagan’s body. She had wanted power. She had killed herself to become a Min. I could see it now. I could see it so clearly. Lordin may have loved Zawne, but she loved power more. She had thirsted for it her whole life thanks to the influence of her wretched mama. And now she was tearing the world apart to help Emell exact her revenge. But why? What was her scheme? Surely Lordin wanted something of her own.

  Then I heard Emell say, “And once you, Hagan, are savior of the world, we will blame the tragic loss of life on Kaelyn of Gaard. She’ll be cast out like I was, leaving Zawne lonely and hurt. Zawne is weak. We’ll pull some strings to get the Queen’s Council disbanded, then maneuver you onto Zawne’s new council using your well-earned title as Hero of Geniverd. It won’t take much for you to seduce the heartbroken king once you’re seeing him every day.”

  Emell laughed, spun her chair in a circle, and cried, “And then you will install me as your most loyal adviser!”

  If I had been in possession of a body, I would have gasped. It all made sense. Emell had put the pieces together for me. Sure, Lordin had killed herself to become a powerful Min and chase after the Crown of Crowns’ position. But in the meantime, she wanted to reclaim her place as Zawne’s wife.

  She really did love him, I supposed. She had fought her way from the frozen northlands to the capital, to Zawne’s bedchamber, then died. Within two years of her death, Lordin had helped Emell organize a plan that would plunge the world into chaos, all so that she could find her way back to Zawne’s bedchamber while at the same time securing her mama’s approval. Her resolve was astounding. Lordin was diabolical!

  I had to see more. I slipped back inside Lordin’s memories …

  And was instantly viewing the night of her murder. Lordin’s body lay cold on the walkway outside VondRust Palace. Her Valer floated above the path, the murderer standing stunned below. He looked a lot like Torio had in the moments after he had murdered me: lost, confused, stricken by what he had done. A Min must have possessed Lordin’s killer and then fled, leaving him vacant and afraid.

  Something bizarre happened. Much as I had accidentally experimented with my new gift, so too did Lordin. She formed her Valer into a little flaming hand and reached for the killer. He shrieked, but she wasn’t touching him. She merely pointed at him.

  “Bees!” he screamed, gripping both sides of his head. “The bees are everywhere! The bees killed Lordin!”

  The man ran off into the night, ranting about Ava-Surrvul Askas. I didn’t get it. I had to seriously think for a minute before it came to me. Oh, I realized. That’s great. Lordin must have altered his reality, made him think bees had killed her, instead of letting him live with the awful truth of being a murderer.

  It was a nice gesture on her part to save the man the emotional anguish of being a killer. But how was I supposed to battle Lordin if she could distort reality? All I could do was view memories and some of their past!

  I had been so distracted by my wandering thoughts that I hadn’t noticed Lordin get up and move into the hallway, and now she was watching me. Lordin stood right under me, eyes fixed on my flaming Valer, cursing me silently with her wrathful stare.

  Chapter 16

  I flew away. I zipped down the hall, squeezed under the front door, and took to the skies. My mind was racing. It seemed like every hour I was bombarded with new and disturbing information. Now I had Lordin’s elaborate history to dwell on, the innocent girl twisted
into a power-hungry lunatic. Plus she was still in love with my Zawne! There was Lordin’s ability to twist reality to consider. If that was the case …

  The photos!

  I stopped midflight, hovering somewhere above the ocean. If Lordin could change reality, it meant she could have shown me falsified photos of Roki with other women. It meant I had lashed out at him for no reason, calling him a creepy Min when he was anything but. It made sense now that I knew the whole story. I had been the queen after all, and Zawne’s wife. Lordin couldn’t have allowed me to continue consorting with a Min. It could have ruined her plan.

  Worst of all, I was nowhere nearer to finding the cure for the virus. Lordin must have disguised her memory of its location as a fail-safe against memory thieves. She really was prepared, much more than I was.

  I decided to fly to Nurlie. It was the only move I had left. My plan was to find Roki, beg for his forgiveness, and ask him to help me save the world. I could only hope that he would forgive me.

  Roki was easy to find. I could sense the other Min and see their fiery Valers from a substantial distance. They were like little red beacons, pulsing more brightly the closer I got. But even without the Valers, I could smell Roki’s toffee odor. I followed it to the scene of a great battle, Tomenistin, the port town that connected mainland Nurlie to the island.

  P5 Protectors had made a wall of armor against the rebel forces, blockading the government building against the mob of angry, laser-toting Gurnots, Surrvul rebels, and island forces. It was hard to believe the agitators had crossed the water and reached the mainland, and that Tomenistin was now under siege. The whole place was on fire. I wondered if the supposed Gurnot Dragon from the news reports was among the attackers.

  “Roki,” I said, flying down to where he had pulled a family from a smoking apartment building.

  He turned at the sound of my voice, then gasped when he saw my Valer. “Kaelyn, you’re a Min!”

  “And you’re a hero,” I said. “How many people have you saved today?”

  He sighed and said, “Not nearly enough.”

  The family Roki had saved were scampering off down the sidewalk. They hadn’t even thanked him. All they wanted was to escape the fighting, the laser beams, the desperate cries of the injured.

  “If you want to stop millions more from dying,” I said, feeling out of breath even though I had no lungs, “I suggest you help me. I know Lordin’s got the cure, but I don’t know where she’s hidden it. Will you help me search?”

  Roki didn’t so much as blink. “Of course,” he said. “Let’s start looking. We can go right now.”

  I had a sensation of crying—again, even though I had no eyes. I rammed my little fire cloud against Roki’s, which lived in his chest, and reveled in the sensation of our two spirit bodies rubbing together. It was like a hug, only euphoric and titillating. It was two balls of electricity warming each other with ethereal static. I wanted to stay like that forever.

  And that was when I cried to him, “I’m so sorry!” I couldn’t help it. I felt even more emotional as a Min. “I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you. I thought you were bad.” And even without a face, I felt wet with tears. “You were always the best thing that ever happened to me, Roki. Even after I was a total jerk, you still agreed to help me without another thought. You truly are amazing.”

  Roki laughed, which was weird to see, because his face was sooty and everywhere around us the world was burning. “I always thought you might return. I never lied to you, Kaelyn, but I can understand where your anger came from. I learned about Lordin’s gift shortly after our little incident in Shiol, so I knew why you had freaked out. I just figured I would respect your wishes and wait it out.” Then he squinted at me. “But how did you find out about her gift?”

  “Oh,” I said, “I forgot to mention, I can siphon memories from people and Min alike.”

  “Whoa!” Roki’s eyebrows raised in an arc. “That’s so cool! And pretty convenient, don’t you think?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you became a Min just in time to find a secret cure that can stop millions of deaths. Your power is to steal memories, which will help us to find the cure. And me, because of my power to mask presences, we can fly around the world unseen and look at memories without anyone knowing.”

  “It’s almost as if …”

  “The Crown of Crowns has known all along,” he finished. “You and I are destined to be a team.”

  “But that would mean they knew what was going to happen years and years and years ago.”

  “Yes,” Roki said with a smile. “Those guys … I don’t know if we give them enough credit. They may seem kind of blank and robotic, but they know what’s going on.”

  “Incredible.” I was at a loss. I had thought the Crown of Crowns was half at fault for this whole mess. Could it be that they had designed everything, that it was all part of some grand scheme?

  “We should go,” Roki said. “People are dying by the second. We must find the cure.”

  “And I need to find a body,” I told him. “I feel itchy all over. I feel hungry, thirsty, and in great need of a human host.”

  “We can do it in Gaard,” Roki said. “We’ll find someone who looks like you, the same age and everything.”

  “Okay, but I’d like to find someone who’s about to die from the virus. That way, at least I’ll be saving a life … kind of.”

  “Deal,” Roki said with a nod.

  “One more thing, Roki. I’m … I’m a little scared of Lordin. She caught me probing her mind. Do you think she’ll come after me?”

  “No,” he said. “Lordin has fully occupied Hagan’s body. It means if she uses her Valer to fly, people would be able to see a human soaring through the sky. It’s too risky. I can move across space at huge speeds because of my ability to mask myself. I’m invisible when I choose it. But Lordin and the other Min occupying human bodies have to travel the same as ordinary humans. Flyrarcs, trains, buses, cars, boats. That is, unless they’re certain that no human being can see them.”

  “Good to know,” I said. I felt safer knowing Lordin couldn’t easily show up unannounced and warp our realities.

  “Now let’s go get me a body!”

  A young girl lay dying in her hospital bed. She was easy to find—the dead were everywhere. She was about twenty years old. She had a shade of skin like mine, kind of a warm beige. Roki and I hovered above her body, admiring her.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “It’s sad,” I said. “It’s sad and horrific that these people are dying when a cure is being withheld. I hate that I have to do this, but I’d rather occupy a dying girl than a healthy one. Uh … how do I do it?”

  “Ease into her,” he said. “Lower your Valer into her chest, wrap around her heart, then spread throughout her body. It’ll just take a second.”

  I lowered myself into the girl’s chest cavity, immediately feeling her weakness and closeness to death. I caressed her heart, let my spirit flow into her veins, spread into her limbs, into her mind. Then I felt life bloom anew. Her sickness shed, and I opened the girl’s eyes.

  “Wow!” I sat upright, checked out my new hands, touched my new legs. I leaped out of bed and ran to the bathroom mirror. I felt alive, totally electric. It was like being in the best mood ever, a little drunk, and on the verge of a great pleasure. “This is amazing,” I said, poking myself in the face. It was insane to see through someone else’s eyes, yet I felt like myself. I felt powerful.

  “Do you like it?” Roki asked.

  “I absolutely love it!” I turned to face him, Roki grinning in the doorway. He had washed most of the soot from his face and looked handsome, rugged, like a lean street fighter.

  “Good.” Roki came and put his arm around me. The sensation was a thousand jolts, and I leaned into him, rubbing my face against his cheek like a cat just to feel the tingly warmth. For a second, I forgot all about our mission. I wanted to explore my new sensati
ons and my newly mended friendship with Roki.

  But then I remembered. I broke away from Roki and shouted, “Now let’s go save the world!”

  “Lordin’s a dead end,” I said as we hovered above the hospital. “She can distort reality, which probably includes her memories. Plus she’s dangerous. We need another way. We need to figure out where she would have hidden the cure.”

  “We need a clue,” Roki said.

  “Exactly. We need a clue, but from where?”

  “What about Zawne?” Roki asked. “Could Lordin have told Zawne of a secret place, a place so special she would feel safe hiding the cure there?”

  “It’s worth a shot,” I said. “And you don’t mind going to see him? I mean, he was the other man. Uh, maybe you were the other man. Either way …”

  Roki gently touched my shoulder. “I understand your love for Zawne. He was your husband, Kaelyn. Of course you will always have feelings for him. On the other hand, we have centuries to be together. I’m not jealous. Now come on, we have lives to save.”

  Roki led the way, the two of us streaking across the sky like comets. I kept thinking how lucky I was to have met Roki when I did. He was handsome, caring, unfazed by my craziness. He pulled people from burning buildings and fought to save lives. It was more than Zawne had ever done. Still, Zawne was my love too. Only, he was also Lordin’s love. I was finding it a bit tricky to figure out who belonged to who.

  I couldn’t dwell on it. We arrived at VondRust and snuck in through the back door while Roki masked our presence. We found Zawne in his apartment. He was on a call with … Raad!

  “I understand your reasoning,” Zawne said. His eyes were red and puffy. Raad’s were too. It was five o’clock in the morning, and they must have just discovered my body. “It’s just, I think that, as queen, she should be buried in the royal crypt behind VondRust.”

  “She should be buried next to our mother at her home,” Raad said into the screen. He was more imposing than Zawne. Both were Aska warriors, but my brother had been a warrior even before the training. He was stern and unflinching before the king. “Should you take my sister’s corpse from us, there will be consequences, Zawne.”