Crisanta Knight: Eternity's End

CHAPTER 1 THE AWAKENING-1

t’d been a while since I’d seen Lucky and yet it felt like no time had passed at all.

“What if he’s not the same?” I worried. “What if he is the same, but doesn’t forgive me for betraying him? He trusted me and I did this.”

I stared into the stony eyes of my lifeless pet dragon, the September sunlight highlighting his fearful expression even from where we stood at the bottom of a canyon.

In July, after the antagonists had ambushed us down here, I’d had to drain the life from Lucky, turning him back to the statue he used to be. My pet still wore the enormous saddle we’d constructed to carry us all. Now I stared up at him with a slew of feelings, his spread wings casting a giant shadow almost as consuming as the one that marred my memory of this place.

“Crisa,” Jason said, putting his hand on my shoulder, “Lucky may have bonded to you because your magic gave him life at the start, but you’ve loved him and cared for him since then. Maybe he won’t be the same, but I’m sure he’ll still care for you too. You can’t keep beating yourself up about turning him to stone. You did what you had to do to protect him.”

I met Jason’s empathetic blue eyes and gave him a small nod.

“Besides . . .” Blue added as she stroked one of the Pegasus horses we’d flown here. “You’ve broken our trust before and we forgave you. Taking action that seems bananas-crazy but is actually done in the name of love and the greater good is kind of your thing.”

I raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Thank you, Blue.”

“Any time.”

Blue was as brazen and unapologetic as Jason was compassionate. Something they shared was that each had a famous sibling they couldn’t be more opposite to. Jason’s brother Jack (of Jack & the Beanstalk) was legendary for being a self-absorbed jerk. And the only thing that intense, ruthless, fierce Blue had in common with her passive sister Little Red Riding Hood was they each wore a cloak the color of their namesake.

That being said, there was something else way more important Blue and Jason shared. They were both incredibly loyal friends, and two of the people I loved most in the world. I was glad they were here with me now.

I’d only been saved from the antagonists about three days ago and coming all the way out here to retrieve Lucky was a big trip for me. I needed their emotional support. I probably should’ve still been under a blanket holding a mug of hot cocoa as I tried to deal with the trauma of being imprisoned and tortured for so long. Alas, there was no time for that. Lucky meant a lot to me and with school starting tomorrow, today was my only chance to make the journey to awaken him. Whether my mind and body had properly healed or not to perform such a task remained to be seen.

I glanced down at my hands. The silver genie cuffs bonded to my wrists caught the sunshine. These cuffs that our realm’s Godmother Supreme, Lena Lenore, had put on me to keep my magic partially under her control always looked so cruel no matter how warm the light of day. Although I’d gotten used to them, the new dark golden fractures running on my skin from my fingers to forearms were another story.

The antagonists had pushed me so hard on Earth that, as my power forced past the world’s block on Book magic, I’d literally started to crack. The magical fissures that’d formed on my neck and face had vanished since my return home. Sadly, these golden fractures had not. They’d faded, but it looked like the scars were here to stay. Tattoos to commemorate my kidnapping experience.

As if there was any chance I was going to forget.

I shook my head and took a deep breath, meeting Lucky’s eyes once again. His neck had been arched when I’d taken his life, so his head hung within reaching distance.

“Hey, guys,” I said, glancing at Blue and Jason. “Take the Pegasi back a bit; they may freak out when I do this. Also, I’m not sure how Lucky is going to react, but I think it’s best that this reunion is just between the two of us.”

As my friends moved away with our steeds, I exhaled and stepped forward. It’d been a while since I used magic without the pressure of a ticking clock, perilous threat, or persecution of enemies pushing me. These were all strong motivators and yet, despite my recent wear and tear, I knew I didn’t need them. The power within me was alive and itching to be used.

“Life,” I said simply.

My hands ignited like kerosene-drenched torches. Golden magic pulsed around my body as the cracks along my fingers and forearms shone. The rush of power made my spine tingle and my ego awaken. It was intoxicating to feel this strong, this potent. Then gray energy began to swirl within the gold, a reminder not to enjoy this too much.

My magical aura had originally been pure gold, utterly light like my heart. The gray had increased over time the more I’d used my ability to take life and lost control to my magic when my emotions and instincts overran me. That gray was almost always present when I used my powers now. I’d even seen it fluctuate to black. My heart had dabbled too much in darkness.

I placed my hands on Lucky’s head. Energy spread from me to him, consuming his entire form until he started to crack. The statue fractured, spider webs of light spreading from enormous snout to mighty, ridged tail. Golden light shone from the breaks until—

FLASH!

The statue detonated with a blinding boom of light like an exploding star. A huge blast of wind tossed me back and I rolled to the ground as my power extinguished.

After a moment, I cautiously got to my hands and knees, trying to peer through the massive cloud of dust that’d been kicked up. As I rose to my feet, two piercing golden eyes became visible through the smoke.

Lucky.

He flapped his wings and I shielded my eyes as dust and debris were blown away from us. When the air cleared, I got my first good look. Silvery skin glimmered in the afternoon sun as Lucky shook his head and rolled his shoulders like a sleepy teen who’d just risen from bed on the weekend. He tucked in his wings, glanced up at the sky, then zeroed in on me. My dragon’s irises glimmered pure gold—no gray in sight. He was pure, unlike me.

Lucky took several weighty steps forward, causing the stones around us to quake. I felt the urge to tremble as well, but I held my ground and stood tall to his judgment.

He bore over me before lowering his head so his eyes were level with mine. Smoke trickled from his nostrils. Then, like he’d done a hundred times before, he closed his eyes and nudged his head forward so it was inches from me, waiting for a pat. My heart swelled with joy and I threw my arms around his titanic face and hugged him, a tear of happiness escaping.

“I missed you, boy.”

Lucky released a small huff of smoke like he echoed the sentiment.

I stepped back and my dragon straightened to his full height. Jason and Blue began to approach, leading our pair of hesitant Pegasi. Lucky snorted, tail wagging when he saw my friends. He lowered his head in greeting for them.

“Looks like he remembers us,” Blue commented, petting his face.

“And he forgave me,” I said with relief.

“Well, of course he did,” Blue replied. “You could mess up a hundred times—and you probably have—but you’re still you. And life with you, no matter the circumstances, is better than life without you.”

I glanced over at her, touched and mildly surprised. “Blue, that’s so—”

She waved me off. “You know sentimentality isn’t my scene, but after so much time with you missing . . .” She swallowed slightly. “Sometimes I still can’t believe you’re here.”

I smiled at my friend. Sometimes I couldn’t believe it either.

As I said, Blue was intense, ruthless, and fierce. Intense in her devotion to what mattered. Ruthless in her defense of the people she loved and the ideals she stood for. And fiercely steadfast regardless what the world threw at her.

“I guess you have your own ride back to campus,” Jason said, scratching Lucky on the side of his face.

“Oh, absolutely.” I signaled my dragon and he crouched down. While Lucky’s saddle was for passengers, the driver’s position was on the back of his neck. I settled into the familiar spot as Jason and Blue mounted their Pegasi. On their tap-kick the creatures’ eyes ignited with color and their previously hidden holographic wings opened—radiant things composed of magic energy. My friends took off and soared for the sky.

As they reached the edge of the canyon, I leaned forward. “Let’s do this, boy.”

I gave Lucky gentle kicks behind ridges of his neck and his wings spread with a snap. They began to flap and we made a mighty leap into the air. I hung on firmly, fondly, and full of excitement as the sky opened around us.

For years I’d considered the In and Out Spell around Lady Agnue’s to be a prison. But it sure was a pretty prison.

Normally invisible, the magical dome that encompassed our school rippled as we passed through—fluxing a flamboyant display of pink, purple, and tangerine in contrast to the dusky sky that characterized today’s final act. Our school’s version of the spell only allowed animals (dragons and Pegasi included) to pass through. However, a handful of my friends and I could get by because of an enchanted loophole we’d exposed during our original quest to find the Author.

Ahead, the crème-colored, castle-style main building beckoned to me. It was covered with vines and beautiful purple flowers that crawled up its walls and towers. Silky violet and mauve curtains framed our dormitory balconies and the vibrant purple flags at the top of the twisted bronze turrets rustled in the breeze. Even in the dimming light, the institution’s gold crest emblazoned on the flags sparkled vividly.

Girtha and Mauvrey waited for us on the front lawn of the school. Given that this was move-in weekend for students, I was sure the campus had been aflutter with activity earlier. Now though, the area was empty. That was for the best. The school staff and students knew about Lucky, but some of our more delicate classmates still weren’t keen on having a dragon on campus. Girtha was not one of those classmates. She hustled over enthusiastically as Lucky’s massive talons touched the grass.

One of the tallest and toughest girls I knew, Girtha Bobunk did not intimidate easily. She had been a bully in our early years, but we’d all grown a lot since then and this younger sister to the famous Hansel & Gretel twins was now one of my closest friends.

Mauvrey and I on the other hand . . . Well, I didn’t know what we were. We’d really only just met.

While Girtha immediately began petting Lucky, the goldenblonde princess hesitantly held her position on the lawn. Although this wasn’t technically the first time our classmate and daughter of the famed Sleeping Beauty had encountered my dragon, it was the first time doing so as herself. For roughly eight years—unbeknownst to anyone but the antagonists—Mauvrey had been possessed by a villain named Tara Gold.

Having one of their own inserted within our fairytale ranks had given our enemies access to the world of protagonists they hoped to destroy in an up-close-and-personal way. Mauvrey’s consciousness had been aware of everything throughout that time; she’d just been riding shotgun, a passenger to her own life. We’d broken the spells that kept her in that state months ago, and Tara had fled to regroup with our foes, but Mauvrey was still adjusting to her new reality. It was a rough ride to say the least.

For starters, during the possession, Tara-Mauvrey had tried to assassinate Mauvrey’s parents, the king and queen of Tunderly. Tara had also been the resident “mean girl” at Lady Agnue’s, she’d manipulated my brother Alex into taking up villainy, and had tried to kill me many times.