Crisanta Knight: The Lost King

By Geanna Culbertson

Oh what a difference a day makes.

When I was back at Lady Agnue’s School for Princesses & Other Female Protagonists, I used to wonder how I would make it through an entire day of classes, magic training, and homework.

As the legendary magic flux known as the Vicennalia Aurora emerged, I wondered how I could possibly overthrow the evil king of Camelot, defeat Glinda in Oz, and get back in time to stop the antagonists from breaking out of Alderon and invading my world of Book—all in one day.

I guess that’s what good friends are for. Good friends, and magic. My epic powers to give life and take it away were getting stronger and being heightened by the Vicennalia Aurora, so I had the ammunition to challenge every obstacle and villain that came our way. However, one problem remained: How could I unleash my magic to achieve our goals and defeat our enemies while keeping the power from corrupting me?

From Merlin to the Fairy Godmother Supreme, everywhere I’d gone in recent days I’d been supplemented by powerful people who all thought they knew what I was capable of and how my morality should develop. But they didn’t understand my burden. I wanted to save all the realms that needed me; I wanted to save everyone. But could I do that and save myself from succumbing to the disease ingrained in my magic? I didn’t know.

I sure missed the days of homework though.

READERS LOVE CRISANTA KNIGHT:

“LOVE this series. Can’t wait for the next one to come out. The characters are constantly growing throughout the books as they traverse through whatever life throws at them. It feels like you really are there on their quest due to amazing writing.” – Goodreads

“I love how all the books connect through Crisa's visions in a way that flows beautifully and unexpectedly! Great book!” – Amazon  
“The remarkable way fairytale literature is woven together in this series grows deeper and more intricate. And I find it incredibly compelling how each character in the group of heroes brings a unique perspective and personality to the table.” – Barnes & Noble

"I passionately recommend this series to all ages and all walks of life. Fantasy readers will be deeply engrossed in the story which Harry Potter or the School of Good and Evil fans will be entertained by. Without a doubt, this book should be considered as a must-read alongside other books in the series. You have to read this.” – Amazon

THE CRISANTA KNIGHT SERIES:
Book 1 - Protagonist Bound
Book 2 - The Severance Game
Book 3 - Inherent Fate
Book 4 - The Liar, The Witch, & The Wormhole
Book 5 - To Death & Back
Book 6 - The Lost King
Book 7 - Into The Gray
Book 8 - Midnight Law
Book 9 - Eternity's End

• Language: English
• Publisher: BQB Publishing
• Release date: Nov 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781945448461

Book preview

Prologue

Oh, what a difference a day makes.

You’ve probably heard that saying before, though you may not be able to pinpoint where it came from. I get that. As the daughter of Cinderella, and a girl who lives in a world full of fairytale characters who are constantly being adapted in new stories, I’m used to being surrounded by things that feel familiar but have foggy origins. The latest turn in my adventure, for example, has been a hodgepodge of recognizable characters and concepts, but also one mindboggling surprise after another.

It all started last semester when my friends and I discovered that the antagonists of our realm were plotting to break out of their magically sealed-off kingdom of Alderon, overthrow our world, and eliminate its protagonists.

To give a little background, the citizens in my world of Book are divided into two main groups—protagonists and common characters. Common characters are the ensemble cast of our reality.

What do I mean by that?

Well, have you ever been in a coffee shop surrounded by people and thought to yourself: Is everyone here meant to make a difference in the world, or are some people just fillers—everyday folks who don’t cause ripples, but form the masses that cause the unique to stand out? That’s the mentality in Book. Common characters (commons) are the horses that allow the unicorns to stand out, and protagonists are the unicorns.

Protagonists are destined to be the main characters of their own stories and attend special academies in their youth to prepare for those roles. My roommates, SJ and Blue, and I are protagonist students at Lady Agnue’s School for Princesses & Other Female Protagonists. Meanwhile our close friends Jason and Daniel are protagonists enrolled at our brother school, Lord Channing’s School for Princes & Other Young Heroes.

Our realm’s Author selects Book’s main characters and her choices are manifested in the form of physical texts called protagonist books. These volumes are inevitably filled with her visions for our futures, but all start with a prophecy that summarizes the gist of the plot that will define each of our lives. Once your protagonist book appears, you are sent to the appropriate school to learn how to be the type of main character the Author intends for you to be. If you don’t receive a book, then you go on living an ordinary life as a common where nothing spectacular is expected of you.

This was our land’s system—rigid, but orderly—for generations. Too bad the whole thing was riddled with deceit. Last December, my friends and I discovered that the Author wasn’t some all-controlling, all-knowing prophet. She was actually a former Fairy Godmother with Pure Magic Disease, which gave her the ability to see glimpses of the future. Our realm’s Godmother Supreme and the rest of our higher-ups had been using her visions and propagating her legend for a long time to control our land and its people.

My friends and I had planned to expose this sham, but we had more immediate problems to address first. Starting with retrieving Paige Tomkins’ memories.

Paige was a Fairy Godmother who’d disappeared from Book a decade ago. Because of her former position in the Fairy Godmother Agency, she was the only person who knew where Book’s mega-powerful genies had been imprisoned. Fearing that people would eventually capture her and force her to share that mighty secret, she’d fled the realm and gone into hiding. Book was only one of fourteen magical worlds in our dimension, known as the Wonderlands, so the odds of her being found were slim.

Regrettably, Book’s antagonists (commons gone bad, if you will) were undaunted by these odds and set on tracking Paige down so they could find out where the genies were being kept. They wanted to use the magical beings to further their plans of conquest over Book. Thus, SJ, Blue, Jason, Daniel, and I had embarked on a quest to foil them. We were a few of the only good guys out there who knew about the antagonists’ wicked intentions, so we had a responsibility to stop them by locating Paige first.

Lo and behold, we’d actually succeeded (yay!) but the win was not so simple.

In order to really protect her memories, Paige had gone to Oz and gotten herself turned into a brainless scarecrow. Brainless scarecrows were victims of Glinda (the formerly good, but recently turned wicked witch of Oz). When victims were transformed into scarecrows, their memories were stored in Glinda’s all-but-impenetrable memory stone, which she kept in her lair in the North Mountains of Oz. The only weapon that could pierce this memory stone and thereby retrieve Paige’s memories was the legendary Camelot sword Excalibur. So, off we’d gone in search of the famous blade so we could achieve our goal.

This was a demanding challenge on three fronts.

For one, traversing Camelot and its many formidable monsters, dangerous lands, and treacherous traps in pursuit of Excalibur was a lot to ask of anyone, let alone five (admittedly feisty) teens.

Second, the main antagonists we were competing against were even more formidable, dangerous, and treacherous. It was hard to say which of them I hated more: Arian, Mauvrey, or Alex.

Arian, under direction of the antagonist queen Nadia, was one of the main villains leading the charge against Book. Our paths had been intertwined since my protagonist book prophecy declared I was going to be the key force responsible for either stopping the antagonists’ plot or helping them accomplish it.

Arian was smart, ruthless, and an impressive fighter. I’d learned to respect that and be wary of it. He was also a constant threat to us because he could get past the defensive force field surrounding the antagonist kingdom of Alderon, called an In and Out Spell.

In and Out Spells are enchanted barriers that keep people from getting in or out of the locations they protect. There were several in Book, and the one around Alderon worked at half capacity so villains and monsters could get tossed in but wouldn’t be able to escape. Unfortunately, some antagonists like Arian were not limited by the spell because they were Shadow Guardians—people who allowed dark creatures called Shadows to live inside them. It was a symbiotic relationship because while the Shadow fed on the soul of the host, that very lack of a soul let the host pass through In and Out Spells undetected. Luckily, most people were not compatible with Shadows, so there were only so many antagonists from Alderon running freely around the Wonderlands. Which was fine by me because there were plenty of bad guys out here already. Like Mauvrey.

Daughter of the famous Sleeping Beauty, Mauvrey was a protagonist turned Shadow Guardian and villainess. She had gone to school with me, SJ, and Blue since the start; however, girl decided to go all evil and disregard her princess lineage for a life of wickedness. I still didn’t know why she’d changed; I’d met her a few times before attending Lady Agnue’s and thought she was perfectly nice. But she had turned malicious at school and fully leaned into the villainess role. Now, like Arian, she had no problem trying to kill us and was working with the antagonists on their nefarious endeavors.

I loathed the blonde for many reasons, but the greatest was that she had brought Alex into this. Alex was one of my two older brothers. He used to be heir to the throne of our kingdom of Midveil, but after getting romantically involved with Mauvrey, he had joined the antagonists and helped launch an attack on our kingdom and castle as part of the commons rebellion gaining traction in Book.

Ugh. I can feel myself grinding my teeth just thinking about it.

Before all this came to light last week, Alex and I had been really close. Now it felt like he was dead to me. He was a Shadow Guardian, an antagonist, and a traitor. All but a tiny ember of love that remained deep within me was sure that he could never be redeemed. As such, I would not hold back whenever or however he opposed me. The time for mercy had passed. I already had enough things going on without being distracted by affection for someone who was so lost.

Anyway, aside from our cruel foes, the third main threat working against my friends and me in our quest to retrieve Paige’s memories was time. This issue was arguably the most daunting.

At the start of our quest for Excalibur, we only had a few days to get it and get back to Oz. Now we had less than one day to return there and cross the In and Out Spell around Glinda’s lair during the Vicennalia Aurora.

I know, it feels like we’ve been building toward this climax forever, right?

For those of you who missed the last two story arcs, or would like a little reminder, the Vicennalia Aurora is this great magic fluctuation event that takes place simultaneously across all Wonderlands, despite time differences in each realm. For us in Book, it happens every twenty-five years. Other worlds, like Oz, Neverland, and Camelot, experience it every five-and-a-half. Either way, at exactly 7:30 p.m. tonight, for just one hour, all the skies in the Wonderlands were going to be streaked with beautiful colors as magic throughout the fourteen realms went bananas.

While the greater populace of the Wonderlands was excited about this because of the pretty lights and celebratory parties, my friends and I were gaming up for the magic instability caused by the Vicennalia Aurora. We had learned that this year’s Aurora was going to make ordinary magic weaker. Which meant In and Out Spells were going to become weaker too.

Oz’s rulers had blocked off Glinda’s domain in the North Mountains with an In and Out Spell to protect the realm from her. It was a bit of a weird hybrid spell because it combined different forms of magic, but it worked like the one around Alderon: beings could go in but they could not get out.

Though my friends and I had become immune to certain types of In and Out Spells through past ventures, we were not immune to Glinda’s. Therefore, the only night we could enter the North Mountains in pursuit of Glinda’s memory stone was tonight, during the brief hour of the Vicennalia Aurora when the spell would be weak enough to allow us to pass back out without a problem. If we didn’t exit in that window, we would be trapped there just like Glinda.

This brings us to the here and now.

Throughout our journey the antagonists had been one step ahead, but for once we finally had the advantage as we raced against the ticking clock of the Aurora. After a harrowing journey across Camelot, my friends and I had beaten our enemies to Excalibur and I now had it in my possession. It was literally in my hand and we had seven and a half hours to get to the North Mountains and use it before the Vicennalia Aurora struck and a whole bunch of climaxes collided.

What, did you think getting Paige’s memories was the only thing at stake here?

Don’t you know me better by now?

images/img-15-1.jpg

images/img-15-2.jpg y entire world flashed and I found myself standing six feet in front of Blue.

You’re back! my friend exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.

She’d been sitting on the sandy embankment of the lake that surrounded the mystical Isle of Avalon. While she and the others needed to stay behind, Jason, Daniel, and I had gone over to the isle to find and retrieve Excalibur.

Blue threw her arms around me. Then she abruptly pushed past me to hug a surprised Jason, who had appeared behind me alongside Daniel.

How’d we get here? Daniel asked. We were just in that cave battling the antagonists.

The Lady of the Lake, I replied. It was part of our reward for successfully claiming this. I raised my arm and proudly held up Excalibur. The sunshine reflected off the glorious blade, which glowed light blue.

Oh, my word! You did it! SJ gasped. Our princess friend was standing high on the bank near the treeline, on the lookout for enemies. Her long black braid swung behind her as she cantered toward us. You actually did it! she said, her gray eyes full of wonder.

Was there ever any doubt? I asked sassily.

Yes, my friends replied in unison.

Fair enough. I shrugged and smiled.

SJ gave me a hug as Kai embraced and kissed Daniel. Kai was Daniel’s long-time girlfriend from their hometown of Century City, the capital of our realm. She wasn’t a protagonist like the rest of us; we’d only met her recently. But through a bizarre turn of events and a potion that the wizard Merlin had given us, she’d ended up in Camelot.

Ordinarily I would have welcomed all the help we could get. Kai was courageous, fierce, and an amazing swordfighter. Unfortunately, Daniel’s prophecy complicated things. It dictated that I would be a key ally to him and Kai, but it also said I had the potential to destroy her.

Daniel had entrusted me with this information last semester, assuring that he didn’t hold it against me. We both believed we could take fate in our own hands, so he was going to do everything he could to ensure his prophecy had a favorable outcome and he ended up with Kai. Meanwhile, I had promised to do everything in my power to help him protect her along the way. While Daniel may not have held me responsible for his prophecy, I felt responsible for him, at least his happiness. The hero had been my ally and friend throughout this journey and he meant something to me. As for Kai . . . we’d gotten off to a rocky start, but I liked her. I just hated that she was in the thick of it with us because protecting her was about to become much harder.

Blue took the sword from my hand and examined it with awe. The blade gave off a pale blue glow from every angle. It’s incredible, she marveled as she passed it to Jason so he could have a closer look.

The antagonists can suck it, he commented.

Kai gestured for the blade and Jason handed it to her. She and Daniel admired it together. I watched them. They were a handsome pair—him with his tall, muscular physique, brown hair, and deep brown eyes, and her with her chocolate eyes, wavy black hair, and light olive skin.

It’s the greatest sword I’ve ever seen, Daniel said.

Kai nodded in agreement. "Your new sword isn’t half bad either, she said. Where did you get that?"

I glanced at the sword Daniel was carrying. I didn’t recognize it.

Avalon, he answered. He looked over at Jason and me. It’s the other sword that kept magically popping up on the isle.

I thought we decided not to touch that, Jason said, raising an eyebrow.

We had. Avalon was full of enchanted traps. Moreover, the Lady of the Lake had appeared to me while crossing to Avalon and cautioned that if Daniel continued his journey with us to the isle, an unfavorable obstacle would be brought upon his fate. I’d chosen to forego this warning because we desperately needed him in the fight against the antagonists and because I felt sure that together we could handle any twist fate threw at us. However, there had been a brief period when Jason and I had been separated from Daniel on Avalon. What had Daniel gotten into in our absence?

When the antagonists caught up with me in the cavern where Excalibur was, this sword showed up again, Daniel explained. I needed to defend myself, so I grabbed it.

I gave you my spear before we got separated, I said.

I’m not that experienced with a spear; it’s way more formidable in your hands, he replied, gesturing to the weapon in my other grip. And it was three against one. I thought I was a goner. Luckily, this sword appeared and I was able to use it to fight back.

I transformed my spear back to its true form—a magic wand. The wand had been given to me when I was seven years old and was enchanted to change into whatever weapon I willed it into. It could also be converted into a clandestine state. I used the telepathic command Lapellium to morph it into a hairpin and then clipped the wandpin to my bra strap.

You shouldn’t have done that, I said to Daniel.

Would you have preferred if they killed me?

No, I just . . . We don’t know what that sword is. It could be dangerous.

Relax, Daniel said. Nothing bad happened and no traps were sprung. Considering I lost my old sword in quicksand, I’m calling it a lucky break.

Speaking of lucky breaks, Blue interjected. Where are Arian, Mauvrey, and Alex?

Ah yes, our three least favorite villains.

After I claimed Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake temporarily froze them and brought the three of us back here, I replied to Blue. That means we have a head start, but I doubt it’ll last long. You know those guys. We need to decide our next move fast.

I actually have some thoughts on that, Blue said eagerly. Since we previously took care of the three guards traveling with Arian, Alex, and Mauvrey, we can use all of their rides. She gestured at the half dozen horses tied to the trees atop the bank. There are six horses and six of us. We have five hours before we need to rendezvous with Morgan and Gwenivere’s army. With the help of Merlin’s magic map, and if we don’t get held up by any more magic hunters or monsters, we can make it. We’ll help our friends take back the citadel and kick Rampart off the throne of Camelot. Then we should still have plenty of time to use one of those nifty interdimensional wormholes to get to Oz, take down Glinda, and free Paige’s mind from the memory stone just as the Vicennalia Aurora hits.

That is an optimistic plan, SJ commented wryly, raising her eyebrows.

We are inbound for several colossal battles with enemies across multiple realms, Blue retorted. Would you prefer me to be cynical?

Definitely not. Blue’s summary may have been concise, but it by no means lessened the scope of what we had to do. Getting back to Oz to retrieve Paige’s memories and save her from her scarecrow state like I’d promised was only one thing we had to accomplish today. We had made commitments to people in many realms, particularly Camelot.

In our original search for Paige, we’d spent time in Neverland. There, we had befriended the legendary twelve-year-old Peter Pan and his band of Lost Boys and Girls, as well as several other important characters, one of whom was King Arthur.

Yes, the ruler-of-Camelot and head of Knights of the Round Table King Arthur.

Stories told that the king had perished years ago, killed by his half-brother Mordred. But this was not the complete truth. The king had been mortally injured in battle by Mordred’s poisoned blade, however before Arthur’s demise he’d gone through a wormhole that led to Neverland. This saved him—at least in a way. Biological time magically stood still in Neverland, which meant that people never aged and non-instantaneous wounds that would normally progress and worsen to kill the afflicted over time were frozen as well. As such, Arthur’s wound would not finish him off so long as he remained in Neverland.

No one in Camelot had known the truth about what happened to the king until we made this discovery. During our search for Excalibur, we’d teamed up with Arthur’s wife Gwenivere and his half-sister Morgan La Fay and told them of Arthur’s fate. They could not have been more thrilled he was alive, but were dismayed that he could never return to their realm because of his wound.

These conflicting feelings aside, the news gave them an extra boost of motivation to carry through with their plan to overthrow Camelot’s current ruler and son of Mordred, King Rampart, in order to restore Gwenivere to the throne. With the help of the trusted order known as the Gwenivere Brigade and the royals’ other allies, this was happening tonight. The distraction of the Vicennalia Aurora was the perfect opportunity. The plan had been set for a while, but the morale boost of Arthur being alive mixed with my powerful friends and I showing up to aid the cause was a bonus. Again, we just had to get from Avalon to the Camelot citadel within the next five hours in order to do it.

Blue removed an empty sword sheath from one of the horse’s saddles and tossed it over to SJ. Here, make yourself useful, Princess Doubty. You’re the only one without a weapon. Put Excalibur in that and carry it for the team.

SJ caught the sheath but glowered at Blue. The pair sometimes clashed. It came with the territory when two close friends were so different—SJ was a graceful, logical princess, and Blue was a blunt, bold protagonist who relied on gut instinct. But the teasing was generally amicable as the two cared for each other deeply.

Daniel passed Excalibur to SJ and she firmly secured the sword then swung the sheath over her shoulder.

Not to be cynical either, Jason interjected, giving SJ a supportive pat on the shoulder, "but I have to say, this seems too lucky. I mean six horses and six of us? That’s a bit convenient."

Have we been on the same quest, man? Daniel asked. Nothing is ever convenient. Maybe the universe feels like it owes us one. Let’s take this stroke of luck and get on with it.

I instinctively moved to check the time on my watch and remembered the other prize I’d brought back from Avalon—the Hole Tracker. Hole Trackers were magical watches that showed when and where wormholes were about to open, thus allowing you to navigate from one Wonderland to the next through the interdimensional tears.

I think we should split up, I said suddenly.

Why’s that? Kai asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Because Blue’s right, I responded. With the horses and Merlin’s map, we should be able to get to the Gwenivere Brigade’s rendezvous point outside the Forest of Mists by five o’clock. But things almost always go wrong for us, and if we get side-tracked by more monsters or whatever, we won’t make it, and the domino effect will be disastrous. If we don’t leave Camelot in time, then we won’t reach Oz in time. If we miss that deadline, then we may not make it to Book to help the Godmothers and all the antagonists could break out of Alderon . . .

I took a breath. That last impending climax had me the most worried. Threats in other realms (no matter how great) did not sting as much as those on your home turf. That’s where our families were, our homes. And they were all in grave trouble.

Our realm’s Fairy Godmothers knew that the Aurora would affect the In and Out Spell around Alderon, and many had been assigned to reinforce the magic in the spell throughout the evening. Unfortunately, the numbers assigned weren’t high because the Godmothers were also responsible for safeguarding Book’s kingdoms against more commons rebellion attacks that were rumored to occur this evening as well.

The commons rebellion in Book was a growing problem that had recently taken significant shots at our realm. Because Book separated its classes and showed favoritism to protagonists, those who were not chosen by the Author were typically given less attention and opportunity. And while many commons were okay with that (people could certainly succeed in life without the advantage of being chosen at birth for a higher calling) others had grown discontent.

I could understand this frustration, however I had no sympathy for the commons at this point. The rebellion had turned violent as of late and was waging war against my kind. Furthermore, one of the rebellion’s recent targets had been my castle in Midveil. They’d attacked my home and killed a lot of innocent people. That had no excuse. I condemned the rebels for the action and worried about their violence spreading across the realm for the sake of my main character friends, family, and classmates, as well as the sake of the innocent commons caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were all in danger now.

So considering what could go wrong, I continued, I think it’s a good idea to split up and have half our team find another way to the citadel as a back-up plan.

I held up my wrist with the Hole Tracker on it. I took this from Alex. The magic instability of the Vicennalia Aurora is causing wormholes to appear more regularly by the hour. While three of us can take the horses the normal way to the Camelot citadel, I propose the other trio try using portals to realm hop and get there faster.

I pressed the buttons on the Hole Tracker to project the map of Camelot. It was vague overall, but what was strikingly evident was the large number of wormholes scattered across it in the form of bright splashes of swirling energy. Wormholes were magical gateways that lead to different realms. And these portals to Neverland, Cloud Nine, and the Portalscape were appearing much more frequently than usual.

The rest of the group considered the plan. It’s a good idea, Jason said. The team that’s going by wormhole can take our original map of Camelot while the team trying to cross Camelot the regular way should use Merlin’s magic map.

I shall go with the team that is portal-hopping, SJ said, as I have access to all our other Wonderland maps too. She patted her magic potions sack, which was enchanted to allow SJ to retrieve anything so long as it could fit through the sack’s opening and she knew precisely where it was. She had all of our aforementioned maps hidden at school and had been pulling them out as needed during our adventure.

All right then, Jason said. How about if I go with Daniel and Kai across Camelot the normal way, and you, Blue, and Crisa take the wormholes? Everybody good with that?

Wait, Kai interjected. We all turned to look at her. I know I’m new to this adventure and I’ve only gotten a recap of the stuff you guys have been through, but if there is really so much at stake with getting to the memory stone in Oz and defending the In and Out Spell around Alderon, why are we taking the risk of stopping at the Camelot citadel at all? We have Excalibur. Why not make a run at Oz right now?

My friends and I exchanged a look.

Kai had a point. Coming to Camelot had never been about helping Gwenivere or Morgan or dethroning the realm’s wicked King Rampart and his witchy grandmother Morgause. We came to get Excalibur, and we had it. It would be much shrewder to forget our ties to this realm and go to Oz while we had a head start.

But then . . . this wasn’t just about shrewdness. It was about doing what was right.

No, I said decidedly. The Gwenivere Brigade rescued us in the citadel. Arthur gave us the guidance we needed to find Excalibur. Gwenivere and Morgan took us in and provided shelter, money, and directions. Morgan’s sister Elaine even saved Jason’s life when she healed him with her magic. They’re our allies and we made a commitment to them. We need to follow through.

Blue nodded finitely. They’re our friends and we can’t abandon them. They took risks for us. We need to be brave enough to do the same.

Jason stepped forward. Agreed?

Everyone nodded, including Kai. It was the right thing to do. The risk made it a scarier choice, but not a harder one. I may have been the one that Arthur had sworn in as an official Knight of his Round Table when we met in Neverland, but we all had a high dosage of that most precious and rare quality of a knight—honor. We would always put what was just before self-interest and convenience.

Having made our decision, Daniel consulted Merlin’s magic map as Jason and Kai said their goodbyes to us. We exchanged simple good luck wishes with Kai (we didn’t know her that well) and Jason gave each of us a hug. I could tell Blue was a bit reluctant about being separated from him again.

See you in the citadel, she told him in a serious tone, tucking a wavy strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear then gripping her lucky blue cloak like a security blanket.

See you in the citadel, he replied.

Jason and Kai readied their horses. Blue took a step back and joined me and SJ, putting her hands on her hips. Well, I guess we’re getting the band back together. The original three musketeers are off on an adventure.

Jason had just finished saddling up when he turned to me with wide eyes. Crisa, I just realized we didn’t search for the waters!

What waters? Kai asked.

The Four Waters of Paradise, I replied with a sigh. It’s the only known way to cure Pure Magic Disease.

I wished we could go ten minutes without mentioning something to do with Pure Magic. Alas, the topic was as tied to our adventures as the magic itself was fused to my blood.

Magic could not be destroyed; it could only change forms or change hands. Normally it passed easily from one person or object to another, but every once in a while a mutation occurred where magic bonded to a person in a very permanent way. This was called Pure Magic, and it allowed the carrier to wield great power with one specific ability. It also gave the carrier dreams of the future.

This was a condition that Liza (our realm’s Author) and I shared, along with our new wizard friend Merlin. Since meeting Liza on our quest last semester, she had become my magic mentor because she was the only person in Book who suffered from the disease and had not been corrupted by it. An impressive feat considering that people who carried Pure Magic were almost always doomed to be overtaken by its hungry power and turn dark.

I hoped she could help me develop enough control over my magic to avoid turning dark too. The idea that I could fail and succumb to the disease loomed over me like a personal storm every day, although the specific abilities Pure Magic had granted me were rather helpful.

As mentioned, all Pure Magic carriers could see the future through dreams. My ability was more scattered, unlike Liza’s and Merlin’s, which had been honed for decades. But my foresight could come in handy at times, despite being exhausting.

Where I really benefited though, was with the one specific ability that Pure Magic had given me. While Liza’s Pure Magic had caused her to develop great teleportation magic and Merlin had invisibility powers, I had something much cooler.

I had the power of life.

This meant I could bring inanimate objects to life and they would follow my commands and will. I also recently learned that if I used enough magic, I could bring people back to life, myself included. This was super awesome; regrettably such resurrections required huge amounts of power that I couldn’t always rely on. My magic worked like energy and I could run out, fall short, or even burn up and be destroyed if I used too much.

Those limitations aside, my magic had been incredibly useful thus far and I loved it, even if it put me in a never-ending state of danger. As mentioned, every person who’d ever had Pure Magic, except for Liza and Merlin, had succumbed to the disease’s corruptive effects. And although Liza had been training me to control my magic rather than letting it control me, those odds remained.

So that’s why learning that the Four Waters of Paradise could cure a person with Pure Magic and leave them with regular magic had seemed like a dream come true. It would mean retaining my power (though in a diminished capacity), but not having to worry about turning dark. The timing had even been perfect, what with the waters only being able to work during the Vicennalia Aurora. Unfortunately, it had not been in the cards for me to claim them.

The waters were supposed to be in a spring on Avalon, I explained to Kai before pivoting toward Jason. "And I did find them. The Lady of the Lake took me there. But the spring had dried up. The waters are gone."

My whole group gave me a pitying look that I did not appreciate.

I’m sorry, Crisa, Blue said.

Don’t be, I replied solemnly. It was a long shot to hope for a cure in the first place.

A small flock of red-chested hummingbirds flew by. They were one of Camelot’s indigenous species, and we’d seen them everywhere. I took that as my cue to change the subject, turning away from my friends to compare our map of Camelot with the Hole Tracker’s map.

The Hole Tracker map flashed with red, orange, and silver wormholes. Red and orange indicated Pop-Up Portals; they took you to the next world in the Wonderland sequence of fourteen realms. Red was a counterclockwise jump in that sequence and orange was a clockwise jump. Silver wormholes were Portalscape Portals that led directly to a Wonderland called the Portalscape, which was the great intersection of all these magical realms.

There’s a counterclockwise wormhole to Neverland opening shortly about a quarter mile away, I said. If we hurry, we can make it before it closes.

Then let’s go, Blue said. We’ll take our horses that far at least and then see what environmental conditions we run into on the other side of the portal.

SJ handed Daniel, Jason, and I back our SRBs. The lanyard bracelets had been enchanted by SJ via potion to keep us clean throughout our adventures. We’d taken them off before going to Avalon, as the isle didn’t allow outside enchantments of any sort. SJ also redistributed our remaining Mark Two magic compact mirrors, which we used for communication. Daniel’s team received two and my team got one, which SJ kept in her backpack.

SJ and Blue exchanged swift hugs with Daniel before leaping onto their horses. If I hadn’t known SJ had spent the last year working on getting over her fear of horses, I wouldn’t have thought she had any problem with them. I was super proud of her. Like the rest of us, she was adapting to the changing world and becoming a better, more confident version of herself.

I met Daniel’s eyes. Good luck, he said.

You too, I replied.

We hugged. I didn’t think it was weird, or awkward. He and I were good friends and that’s what good friends did, especially when they were worried about each other. But when I pulled away, I noticed Kai giving me a strange look. I took a step back and mounted my horse as Daniel did the same. It was time to split up.

I felt a slight pang in my heart like something was tugging on an artery. We’d split up before—many times in fact—but it never got easier. The people around me were some of the most important in my life. I’d been to death and back with them and I knew so long as I had their support, I could go much further. As individuals we were strong, but as a team we were infinitely more powerful. Not because of combat skills, or weapons training, or even magic, but because we cared so much about each other. I knew my friends would do anything for me, and I felt the same about them.

With a final wave, Jason nudged his horse and cantered toward the forest. The others followed. Daniel gave me a final glance over his shoulder before he disappeared into the trees.

I turned to Blue and SJ and put on my most confident expression. Back to Neverland we go. Who’s ready for an adventure?

images/img-27-1.jpg

images/img-27-2.jpg J, Blue, and I rode to the counterclockwise wormhole. When we got there, we dismounted and Blue stuck her head through the red portal, then pulled it back out.

We’re going to land in the water near Neverland’s port, she said. It’s about a six-foot drop. We should leave the horses in Camelot and go on foot. Better chance of keeping a low profile.

SJ and I agreed. We’d made a serious enemy of Captain Hook the first time we visited Neverland, and he was the boss of most of the pirates there. It was best to stay under the radar.

We set our horses free and leapt through the portal, landing on sloped sand in fairly shallow water. Only Blue managed to stay on her feet. Both SJ and I fell on our butts in the tide. A clan of tiny minnows skimmed away from us in retreat.

SJ made a disgusted face as she pulled a chunk of seaweed from her arm.

When we stood, the water was up to our thighs. The SRBs dried off our upper halves, including SJ’s backpack, with a flurry of silver sparks. I looked up. The portal seemed to be swirling in the middle of the wooden pier above us. Two seconds later it closed, disappearing without a trace.

I turned to SJ and Blue, ready to get out of the water, but paused when I saw Blue’s eyes were creepy, glowing green. She was out of breath and seemed wobbly.

After destroying Camelot’s legendary Questor Beast monster—a creature with five heads that could spit acid, produce fog, track prey by its fear and adrenaline, and shoot poisonous teeth—Blue had acquired its powers. We didn’t know how said powers would manifest inside her long term, but for the meantime they’d been making her constitution weaker. Throughout the morning she’d broken out in cold sweats, her hands had been shaking, and her eyes were periodically changing color.

You okay? I asked. When the boys and I came back from Avalon, I thought you seemed better.

"I am better," she insisted, green eyes flashing aggressively. Her body shuttered despite the assertion. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes anew, they’d returned to their normal blue shade and her body stopped shaking.

I feel these waves of energy going through me, she explained. That’s what’s causing the shaking—not cold or weakness, but strength. It’s as if there is too much energy inside of me; like there’s a swarm of bees buzzing around. I think it’s starting to settle now though.

Good, I said. Let us know if anything changes.

Yeah, I will. Though my state isn’t the biggest point of interest right now. She gestured to the distance. "Didn’t we burn down half the Jolly Roger a few days ago?"

I pivoted to stare across the water. The Neverland ocean stretched before us like a thick, rustled blue bedspread. Upon the sea by the horizon line sat at a familiar vessel. The Jolly Roger sat proudly on the water with its black skull-and-crossbones flag swooshing in the wind.

Neverland must have a lot of good boat contractors, I commented.

My lighthearted comment didn’t diminish the spur of agitation that tingled through me. The last time we’d been in Neverland, Captain Hook of the Jolly Roger had tried to kill my friends and me. He was far from the first villain to try, but it had definitely been one of our closer calls. If Peter Pan and the Lost Boys and Girls hadn’t shown up, we may well have drowned out there.

Peter . . .

I know what you are thinking, SJ said, looking at me.

Oh, and what’s that?

You are wondering if the Gwenivere Brigade was successful in rescuing Peter and Arthur after they were captured by the antagonists, SJ replied astutely. And if there is anything we can do to help them while we are here.

On our quest to retrieve Excalibur, my brother and I had gotten further mixed up in the Camelot storyline thanks to a prophecy uttered by the realm’s most famous and powerful wizard, Merlin. The prophecy declared that a Knight of royal blood was destined to claim Excalibur and return it to the rightful king of Camelot. But first he or she had to pledge a renowned vow of service to the king of Camelot called The Pentecostal Oath.

Rampart may have been in power in Camelot, but since Arthur was alive he was still technically the king of the realm. So a few days ago Alex and the antagonist lot had come to Neverland to force Arthur to give the pledge to my brother just like the king had given it to me. Arthur and Peter had been captured in the process and were being held somewhere in Neverland. Rampart said he wanted to keep Arthur alive to witness our failure at preventing Excalibur from falling into the evil new king’s hands.

Some of the top members of the Gwenivere Brigade had gone on a mission to rescue Arthur and Peter a couple days ago. We’d provided the female warriors with a Hole Tracker and hadn’t heard from them since.

All right, guilty, I admitted to SJ. But I suppose you’re going to tell me that we don’t have time for that and we need to find the next portal.

Quite the contrary, SJ responded. Yes, we are on a deadline, but we still have roughly seven and a half hours before the Vicennalia Aurora. So if there is something we can do, we should do it. She reached into her backpack, pulled out our Mark Two compact mirror, and tossed it to me. "Contact the Gwenivere Brigade and see if they need our assistance.

And do not look so shocked, SJ added at my surprised expression. I am practical, not coldhearted. Your plan to portal-hop theoretically allows us more than enough time for a detour. Past that, Peter, Arthur, and the Brigade looked out for us and we owe them the same favor. It might cost us some time, but if I have learned anything from you, it is that we should always seek the path that is right, not the path that is easy.

SJ’s words stirred inside my conscience, reminding me of something Merlin had said.

Considering what’s at stake, I would think Crisanta would have sought the path that’s right, not the path that’s easy.

He had made the comment after Daniel and I explained why I didn’t use one of my recent visions of the future to convince our realm’s Godmother Supreme, Lena Lenore, of the oncoming danger with Alderon’s In and Out Spell. See, while some people knew that regular magic was going to become weaker because of the Aurora, my vision had shown that Pure Magic was going to become stronger. Which meant that all the Pure Magic wielding witches and warlocks in Alderon—people with Pure Magic Disease who’d turned dark and been locked up—could have the power to bring down the destabilized In and Out Spell.

The limited number of Godmothers assigned to protect the spell made this almost a certainty. However, to make matters worse, I’d also foreseen a flying monkey attack.

The rulers of Oz had two special crowns called Simia Crowns—one that controlled male flying monkeys and one that controlled females. The crowns were designed to counteract each other so that no person could have full power over the creatures. At the moment, Glinda was in possession of one crown. The rightful ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, used to have the other. But Rampart had imprisoned her in some kind of sleep state within his castle and taken it.

Arian wanted one of those crowns, and based on my vision of flying monkeys attacking the Godmothers during the Aurora as they tried to reinforce the In and Out Spell, I assumed he’d get one. I hoped we could stop this assault by getting the other crown, but that was just a plan. A theory. What I saw in my vision—the attack and the strength of Pure Magic—was a fact. But I didn’t want to tell Lena Lenore that. Revealing I had visions of the future would be the final piece of evidence our realm’s most revered higher-up needed to prove I had Pure Magic, which she’d been trying to do for a long time. Once she had that, Lenore could instantly sentence me to Alderon like the other carriers of the disease. In other words, telling her meant I’d be putting myself at her mercy, and goodness knows she didn’t have a lot of that.

Sigh.

I hadn’t been willing to do this before. But Merlin and SJ were right. I wasn’t about easy choices; I was about the correct ones, even if that meant putting myself on the line. Given what was at stake, I solemnly accepted that it was time for me to play my last card.

We’ll contact the Gwenivere Brigade, I said. But first there’s someone else I need to talk to. I took a deep breath and flipped open the compact. Lena Lenore.

The Mark Two buzzed a few times before Lena Lenore’s elegant face filled the mirror. I’d always found it fascinating that such a mean woman could look so radiant. Her dark skin, hazel eyes, and strong features stared back at me.

Crisanta Knight. I was amazed at how much disdain she could pack into my name. I have no time for you right now.

Lenore, you were right, I said bluntly. My heart shied away but I forced the words out, each syllable searing the inside of my throat like acid. You were right about me all along. I have Pure Magic. I can see the future.

It was the most surprised I had ever seen her. The calm, cool, collected Fairy Godmother Supreme may have known the truth about me this whole time, but she certainly never expected me to admit to it. Before she could condemn me with her response, I continued with my own agenda.

I’m telling you this because I had a vision that during the Vicennlia Aurora, regular magic, like yours and the other Godmothers’, is going to weaken and Pure Magic is going to get stronger. I have already felt the power growing in the air since this morning. The witches and warlocks of Alderon are going to take advantage of this when the Aurora hits by trying to take down the destabilized In and Out Spell with their powers. I realize many of your Godmothers are stationed in other kingdoms to protect people from the predicted commons rebellion attacks tonight, but between the Aurora’s magic flux and the flying monkey attack I’ve also foreseen coming, you need more help at the Alderon border.

The sound of the tides washing against our submerged legs was agonizingly loud compared to the silence as I waited for her to respond.

You do understand what you’ve just given me, Crisanta, Lenore said evenly, studying my reflection. I own you now. You’ve just sealed your fate.

Whatever. Do your worst, Lenore, I said. This isn’t about me. This is about the rest of the realm. I know the commons rebellion is a serious threat and that moving some of your Godmothers may give the rebellion a leg up, but that is better than the entire realm falling to the antagonists if they break free. Please call for reinforcements before it is too late.

I stared hard at the woman in the mirror. Her expression was unreadable. Then she turned away. Muffled sounds in the background told me that someone else was talking to her.

Lenore—

I have to go. And with that, she closed her Mark Two and severed our connection.

Crisa . . . Blue said grimly.

I looked up at the shock

Reviews for Crisanta Knight

[lcarter11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Faint tendency towards harping on a subject (reminiscent of the essay pattern: say it, repeat it, say it again, lol), but it's quite an interesting story. Crisanta is Cinderella's rebellious daughter. As in, she thinks it's unfair that protagonist's stories aren't a record of their life choices but rather the story "the author" lays out for them. (When you put it that way, I agree!) She's got two best friends, one snarky high-school type enemy, and a wild idea that she can change her future. Along the way, she rides flying horses, occasionally uses a word incorrectly, finds Fairy Godmother headquarters, and...well, the story is just getting going when it ends and I realized it was a series. Lol, not quite a whiplash-vertigo class cliffhanger. I wouldn't mind reading more of this series.