Crisanta Knight: The Liar, The Witch, & The Wormhole

y dreams had never been more indiscernible. Every neuron in my mind must’ve been churning, for the only vision I could recall once I woke up was of a pair of feminine hands wringing out a glistening sponge in a river. A purple energy oozed out of the sponge. The energy condensed slightly and then went with the current. My subconscious found enough clarity, and widened enough to reveal that the water actually belonged to the narrow river in the mountains I’d envisioned before, which led up to the large stone filled with purple and green lights.

The purple energy flowed downstream and when it reached the pool around the rock, the mystical stone glowed bright purple too. I think it was absorbing the energy. This thought hung in my head as I drifted back to the world of the awake.

According to the infirmary clock it was late afternoon. My injured shoulder was bandaged, and it hurt terribly. I sat up slowly. When I saw the people lying in the cots beside me, I leapt from my bed with the speed of a jackrabbit. SJ and Blue were both asleep. It didn’t look like normal sleep, though. Their breathing was too thin, their bodies too still, and their arm veins too sickeningly violet.

Like a cross between a worried parent and a curious scientist, she put her hand to my forehead to check for a fever, then to my neck to take its pulse. Finally, she took my good arm into her hands and studied it.

“The same thing that happened to you, my dear,” my professor admitted, shaking her head. “When those magic hunters broke into the school, they released a very potent Poppy Potion in your bedroom to keep you and your friends unconscious so that you wouldn’t fight back.”

Madame Alexanders removed a sealed plastic bag from the pocket of her lab coat. Inside the bag, beneath the “Hazardous Waste” label, were shreds of red flower petals that, even now, still emanated a light fog.

“The school’s guards and I completed a sweep of your room this morning. We found a canister that suggests the hunters deployed the potion through some kind of silent grenade device, which filled the room with the concoction. Your suite is safe now. It seems all the potion’s gases seeped into your skin the moment they became airborne.”

Madame Alexanders gestured to the plastic bag. “Based on these trace particles we were able to scrape up, and the tests I’ve run on them thus far, this was a very powerful potion with high toxicity levels that could have done some very serious harm.” There was a smile on her lips as she spoke.

“You say that like it’s a good a thing,” I commented, surprised at her reaction.

“Well, it is,” she replied. “I mean the fact that the three of you are okay despite the poisonous nature of this potion is an extremely good thing. Blue and SJ will be fine. When the staff took roll after the fire, we discovered they were missing. They were found in your room like this shortly thereafter. Had they been left there untreated, the Poppy Potion could have done permanent nerve, respiratory, or even brain damage. Since we caught it in time, I was able to whip up an antidote that will allow them to sleep off the effects. They will wake up in a few hours feeling as if they have come out of a very deep sleep. As for you . . .”

“Considering the outcome if you hadn’t overcome the Poppy Potion on your own, I would say that it is also a very good thing that you have been lying to me about the results of our experiments together. Wouldn’t you?”

“Just since this morning when I was treating you and your friends,” Madame Alexanders replied. “I thought I’d need to give you the same antidote as them, but discovered that you had none of the same symptoms. When the guards told me that they found you by the stables and your friend Girtha explained to me and Lady Agnue what happened, I figured it out. A potion of this magnitude should have knocked you out as surely as it did Blue and SJ. Based on the work we’ve been doing together, there was no outlier to suggest otherwise. Which leads me to believe that you have not always been truthful with your results. Am I right?”

“Sort of,” I replied begrudgingly. “I mean, it wasn’t all a lie. Some of the potions really did affect me, but others didn’t. I know I should’ve told you, but I felt weird admitting it.”

“Crisanta, different potions affect different people in different ways; that is nothing to feel weird about.”

“Honestly, I don’t think it was the potions we were making that I was immune to at all; it was the Poppies themselves. A few weeks ago, I accidentally touched one and nothing happened. I held one of those stupid flowers in my hand for a solid minute and was basically fine. That is what I was hesitant to admit. I didn’t want to call more attention to the matter, or to me. People around here already treat me differently. I didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire.” I met my professor’s eyes. “Are you mad?”

“Yes and no,” she said. “I am angry that you lied to me, and that you have skewed our experiments’ findings over the last few weeks. However—whatever the reason you are immune to Poppies is—I am glad it is so. Otherwise . . .” My professor swallowed hard and put her hand on my shoulder affectionately. “Well, let’s just be thankful that we don’t have to discuss the otherwise.”

I nodded and went back to stand between Blue and SJ’s beds. I studied my friends with concern.

“Really, Crisanta. They will be all right,” my professor assured me. “And you will be too. I’ve given the nurses a special antidote to apply to your shoulder that will heal you good as new over the next few days while you stay in the infirmary.”

“Thanks,” I replied, “but I’ll take it to go. I’ve spent more than enough of my days in this place.”

“I’m sorry, my dear, but that was not a request. Those are the headmistress’s orders. She says you are to stay here for at least the next three days.”

“For one, bed rest. You were dosed with some pretty powerful toxins and took a shot in the shoulder, Crisanta. You have been through a trauma.”

“Maybe so,” I said. “But I’m fine now. I don’t need to be isolated in here.”

“Perhaps not. Nevertheless, this is not only for your benefit. It is also so that Lady Agnue can try and diffuse the situation outside these walls.”

“Crisanta, magic hunters broke into the school. While the rest of the students and staff do not know the specifics that Girtha shared with me and the headmistress, they are aware that it had something to do with you.”

“Nothing for certain,” Madame Alexanders replied. “They can only guess at wild theories. So for now, your secret is safe. Despite that, I think you can appreciate why Lady Agnue and I believe it is for the best that you keep your distance from your classmates for a few days until this simmers down. We wouldn’t want to call any more unwanted attention to your situation by, as you say, ‘adding more fuel to the fire’.”

I rubbed my arm anxiously. “I guess so. But I don’t know how much of a difference three days will make. The other girls aren’t stupid. They’re bound to put two and two together with or without our confirmation. Magic hunters hunt magic. If they were hunting me, then it’s kind of obvious that I have—”

The infirmary door creaked open again. Madame Lisbon stuck her head into the room. She gave me a slight nod, then looked at Madame Alexanders.

She turned back to me briefly. “Don’t worry, my dear, we shall figure something out. In the meantime, stay here where you are safe. There are guards at the door. The other students have been asked not to bother you.”

“Um, thanks,” I said. I dropped my gaze to the floor, but Madame Alexanders lifted my chin up with the ridge of her hand.

“Take heart, Crisanta,” she said. “While things may look bleak, if the events of last night proved anything, it is that you are not so easily defeated.”

With that, my professor departed the room with Madame Lisbon—leaving me alone to worry over my friends. Their faces were as pale as the infirmary’s linen. As I watched the Poppy’s purple glow pulsate steadily in the veins of their arms, guilt rose in my throat, forcing me to turn away.

The door opened once more. Much to my surprise, Jason and Daniel entered. Before I could open my mouth, they dashed over to where I stood. Jason threw his arms around me. I stifled the pain in my shoulder and felt heartened by his embrace.

“Lady Agnue told us what happened!” he said. He drew back quickly and rushed over to Blue and SJ, concern weighing down his expression. “Are they okay?”

“Yeah,” I responded. “They will be. The effects are supposed to wear off in a few hours.”

“Oh, you know, how’s studying for midterms going?” Daniel rolled his eyes. “What do you think, Knight? I mean, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said as I nodded toward the bandaged wound on my shoulder. “A little worse for wear, but I’ll get over it. Madame Alexanders hooked me up with some quick-healing potion that’ll have me back to fighting shape in no time.”

“But besides the shot,” he continued, “are you actually okay? We talked to Girtha. She said you were almost taken, that those hunters almost—”

I didn’t care what kind of trauma had just happened. Daniel couldn’t talk to me like this, as if he was genuinely worried about my feelings. He was the one that set boundaries and pushed me away. I wasn’t going to pretend like he didn’t. Not even for a second.

“Nothing,” I replied, glancing at Daniel. “In fact, it’s nothing that matters at all. Isn’t that what we agreed on, Daniel?”

“Yeah,” Daniel responded, shooting me a glare. “That’s what we said, all right.”

The infirmary door screeched for a fourth time. One of the school’s nurses came in and almost blew a gasket.

“What are you doing out of bed?” she cried. “Young lady, if you want to get better you need rest. As for you two heroes, I understand that the headmistress has given you permission to be on the grounds while the In and Out Spell is lowered, but visiting hours are over for the day. You don’t have to go back to Lord Channing’s, but you do have to get the heck out of here.”

Jason looked pained as he left. Daniel appeared slightly angry. I was simply relieved. There were bound to be a lot of unpleasant, awkward conversations regarding this incident over the next few days and I was in no hurry to get started. Maybe Madame Alexanders and this bossy nurse were right. Maybe I did need rest.

The nurses had closed all the windows. When I attempted to open one, I instantly understood why they had been shut. The air outside smelled of smoke and burnt wood, making me cough and feel sick from the memory of the destruction of my most beloved part of campus.

By the time SJ and Blue woke up, I still hadn’t found the words to express how sorry I was for having put them in harm’s way. All I could do was hug them both fiercely, even SJ. The fighting between us and the hurt she’d inspired didn’t change the fact that I loved her. She was one of my best friends and she’d almost died. I couldn’t feel any anger toward her today. I was only relieved she was alive.

When they were clearheaded enough, I went straight into recap mode. I explained what happened—how the magic hunters drugged us, how Girtha saved me, how my immunity to Poppies allowed me to overcome the potion’s effects, and how the practice fields had burned down in the process.

“It’s hardly the first time,” I sighed in response, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

“It is the first time that anyone has gotten past the In and Out Spell around the grounds,” SJ replied. “Excluding us, of course. Does anyone even know how the hunters gained access?”

“So far, no,” I said. “But I think they may have gotten in before last night.”

“Earlier in the week a shipment of Poppies went missing from the school storage,” I explained. “Madame Alexanders told me yesterday afternoon. She goes down there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays before our sessions. Since the hunters used a Poppy Potion to knock us out, I think it stands to reason that they broke in at some point between Wednesday and Friday and have been biding their time waiting for the right moment.”

“To the flowers, not the potions mixed with them,” I corrected. “It’s like I was telling Madame Alexanders; some of the brews she and I made did affect me, just in different ways than the other students. While the Poppy itself might not affect my system, depending on what it’s combined with, a potion could still drop me. That’s why the hunters were able to get me as far as the practice fields before I woke up. The stuff they brewed the flower with was strong enough to knock me out, but not strong enough to keep me out.”

“That was lucky, Crisa,” SJ said. “You do realize how close you came to—”

“I do.” A shiver went up my spine, setting me on edge. “And I’d rather not relive it.”

“I never thought I’d say this,” Blue said then, “but thank goodness for Big Girtha.”

“It’s just Girtha,” I said. “And yeah; you’re absolutely right. I feel like I owe her my life. But for starters, I know I owe her a thank you.”

Even as I slept I could feel my body tossing and turning from the angst my nightmares wrought.

Again I was plagued by visions of fire and crumbling buildings. Given my most recent trauma, these images were incredibly unpleasant to endure.

I was sprinting through a structure with long columns and glass raining down. Roof and wall gave way to the flames of explosions. Before I knew it, I was crouching on rubble and pulling out a Midveil flag. I looked up as the column came crashing like it did before. Then I was running again. A mirror burst. Debris crunched beneath my boots. My heart beat hard. Every ounce of me wished I could understand where I was or what was happening.

I shut my eyes as I faltered. When I opened them anew, I was no longer trapped in the place of destruction. I should have been thankful. However, what I saw next was five times more terrifying. I was looking up at Mauvrey.

It felt like I was lying in something small and boxy. I couldn’t move or speak. The blonde hair of the homicidal princess spilled around her face as she smiled down at me.

With a sarcastic blow of a kiss and a small wave, she slammed a lid overhead—sealing me in confined darkness.

Arian’s and Nadia’s faces filled me with hatred and dread whenever they crept into my dreamscape. But my loathing of Mauvrey was far more visceral. Having known her my whole life, her betrayal and subsequent antagonism felt so much more personal.

As I stared up at the ceiling, I registered it was a new day. I rolled onto my side and saw Daniel. He was sitting in one of the infirmary chairs reading a leather-bound book with Peter Pan written across the cover—an exact replica of the book currently on my nightstand.

He noticed I was awake but didn’t look up. “Bad vision?” he asked as he turned another page.

After they’d woken from the Poppy Potion last night, the nurses had asserted that SJ and Blue return to our room. As they bore no other side effects from the poisoning, there was no reason for them to stay.

Of course, my friends had immediately cited my still being in the infirmary as a reason to stay. But the nurses disagreed. They insisted that it’d be best if I had some space to recover and get my head right. As it stood, it seemed neither part of that plan was working out so well. Nightmares clogged my mind, my shoulder continued to sear, and the boy sitting across from me only aggravated both.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Daniel as I scooched myself up to a seated position.

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? Contrary to popular opinion, Daniel, I’m not in constant danger and do not need someone to constantly watch over me.”

“That’s debatable,” Daniel scoffed. “But it’s also irrelevant. I’m not the one to pick that bone with, Knight. Me being here wasn’t exactly my idea; it was Blue’s. Her take on the subject has been pretty clear. Guards posted outside or not, so long as the In and Out Spell is down while guards search the forest, we should each take turns watching you. No exceptions unless we want to see how she reacts when people cross her, which, based on the throwing knives she’s always carrying, involves the direct approach. I just picked the morning shift because I know you’re not a fan of getting up early so I figured if I was lucky you might be unconscious for the duration.”

“More like preemptive,” he replied. “Given . . . everything, I thought it’d be better if we didn’t hang out one-on-one more than necessary.”

“Ah, good, you are awake,” Lady Agnue said as she abruptly came strolling into the infirmary. My headmistress turned to Daniel—her scary badger eyes contradicting her cordial smile. “Mr. Daniels, I would like a word with Crisanta in private. Be a dear and go familiarize yourself with the hallway, will you?”

Daniel shrugged, closed his book, and left without giving me another glance. The door shut behind him with a thump, and I felt myself instinctively sit up straighter as my headmistress stalked over to me. She reached out and handed me the crisp, white envelope she was holding.

I started to open it, but I inadvertently ripped the seal at an odd angle and the top of the envelope began to tear. I’d always had trouble opening envelopes properly. It was an embarrassing quirk I was not proud of.

“Oh for goodness’ sake.” Lady Agnue snatched the envelope away and opened it herself before handing it back to me. I took out the letter and read.

Your Royal Highnesses King Jeremiah Knight and Queen Cinderella Knight,

This past week, an incident occurred on our campus that involved magic hunters attempting to kidnap your daughter, Crisanta Katherine Knight.

The kidnapping was foiled but, regrettably, Lady Agnue’s School for Princesses & Other Female Protagonists is no longer able to provide adequate care for Crisanta under these circumstances.

Steps are being taken to improve campus security. However, until they are completed, we believe that it is in the best interest of your daughter, and the rest of the student body, to send her home.

She will be arriving by week’s end via a secure method of transportation. Please direct any and all questions to me through my assistant, Linda Mammers. Thank you, and my condolences.

Sincerely Yours,

Lady Cornwallace Agnue

“I can and I have,” Lady Agnue replied. “A messenger departed this morning. The letter should reach your parents by tomorrow evening. This is merely a copy for my records.”

“Alas, no,” Lady Agnue said. “You can calm down, Miss Knight. I am not expelling you. I am simply ordering a temporary but mandatory leave of absence while this business of the threats pursuing you is sorted. What I said in that letter is true. For now, while we attempt to wrangle any hunters and make the campus safer, it is in your best interest to go home where your own castle and security can protect you properly. Furthermore, while those hunters may have been looking for you, their presence put the whole of my student body at risk. Until our security is tightened and the danger is completely eliminated, you being here continues to put them at risk. And I cannot allow that.”

I wanted to argue but couldn’t. I actually agreed with Lady Agnue—a realization that made me nauseous.

The hunters, the fire, the near asphyxiation of the entire student body—they may not have been my doing, but they were definitely my fault. So long as I had this target painted on my back, every person in proximity to me was in danger. Which meant that I had to leave.

My castle in Midveil had huge walls and a small army of King’s Guard soldiers to keep me safe. But just as importantly, those resources would protect anyone I was close to from external harm as well.

“Now you write to your parents and tell them the truth,” Lady Agnue responded. “I thought I would at least give you that. Tell them what really happened and why you are coming home. I shall have your letter sent so that it reaches them just after mine does. This way, they shall be fully informed and can understand that your return is not so much a punishment as it is a preventative measure. On another note . . .” Lady Agnue sighed. “You should know that I informed the student body about your magic.”

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Lady Agnue raised her hand to silence me before the questions burst out. “Before you say anything, I did not share any information that was included in our initial deal of silence—the Author, the antagonists, the ambassadors’ influence on protagonist selection. However, because magic hunters broke into the school, I recognized there would be no way to lie our way out of this. I decided it would be simpler to address the issue head on so none of the security, staff, or students will question why I sent you home. They can accept what happened at face value.”

Past the initial shock, I genuinely didn’t know how I felt about everyone being aware of my magic. I wasn’t upset about it, but I hadn’t been prepared either. Everything was going to be different now. Magic was rare and special. The only non-antagonists who typically possessed it were Fairy Godmothers.

The other students already treated me like I was an admirable outlier; I could only imagine how they would react to this. A princess with magical powers . . . If SJ was annoyed about people giving me extra attention before, she was in for an unpleasant escalation of the problem.

“I did not exactly hold office hours to discuss feelings on the matter, Crisanta, but the general consensus is that the students are amazed and curious. I did not tell them your specific power, but I assume you will do that at some point. It is all everyone is talking about. It seems the mystique your classmates have been regarding you with has reached a new level.”

“This is another reason why I have forbidden anyone you do not approve of from visiting you here in the infirmary,” Lady Agnue added. “If I had not, this room would emulate a rave right now.”

My headmistress rolled her eyes like she found the whole thing ridiculous and then turned to leave. “I will have Ms. Mammers come for your letter later today. Rest well, Miss Knight.”

Lady Agnue thought for a moment before responding. “Two months,” she finally said.

“Two months! You really think it’ll take that much time to catch a few magic hunters?”

“Not exactly,” my headmistress replied. “Two months because that is when the next Vicennalia Aurora is scheduled to strike.”

“The Vicennalia Aurora,” she repeated. “It is an event that sweeps the land every twenty-five years. I realize you were not born yet when the last one occurred—why, I was just a girl myself. But as it approaches, I am sure you will become quite familiar with it. Kingdoms across the realm will be participating in the festivities.”

“Simple,” Lady Agnue said. “The main hullaballoo with the Vicennalia Aurora is that it causes a massive flux in magical energy—destabilizing all forms of enchantment and making some forms of magic weaker while others get stronger. Even if we catch the hunters from last night, on the day of the Vicennalia Aurora there is a chance that the In and Out Spell around the grounds will not be capable of keeping others out.

“Since we have no way of telling in advance how the Aurora fluctuation will affect different magical entities, most Fairy Godmothers will be assigned to watch over the In and Out Spells surrounding Alderon and the Indexlands. That way, even if the spells’ magic is destabilized, the Godmothers can compensate by using their powers to keep the force fields up. With this task being so important, the Godmothers’ attention cannot be devoted to anything else during the Vicennalia Aurora, not even the In and Out Spell around our school. Ergo, if something were to go wrong on campus, we would not be able to call on them for help. Meaning—”

“Meaning unless I want to put myself and the other students in even greater harm’s way, I need to be as far away from here as possible when this thing happens.”

“Precisely,” Lady Agnue responded. “After that you can return to school. Or not. If you decide against coming back or something unspeakable happens to you before then, I would not call it a loss.”

“Thanks,” I scoffed. “But ill-willed well-wishes aside, Lady Agnue, I’ll be back here in two months on the dot. You can count on it.”

Just as she was exiting the infirmary, SJ entered. She had her beige leather book bag slung over her shoulder and was carrying the same Peter Pan book Daniel had been reading.

“Fine,” I replied. “A bit claustrophobic due to all the unwanted visitors I’ve been getting, but fine nonetheless. What happened to Daniel? I thought it was his turn to watch me?”

Sunday? Where would Daniel, Blue, and Jason all be on a Sunday? The only thing the four us do together that SJ doesn’t partake in is . . .

SJ came over to my bedside and stopped me from getting up. “Crisa, I am sorry but you are in no shape to participate in the match today. Even if Lady Agnue had not grounded you to the infirmary, your shoulder has yet to properly heal. If you do not rest and let the antidote do its work, you could permanently damage it.”

My heart sank to a level so subterranean I felt like it would turn into a fossil before I completely dug it out again. All that hard work, all that drive, all that love for something I was genuinely good at. None of it mattered. The bright spot in my life had been blotted out.

“No,” I sighed. “There won’t be. Not for me anyway. Lady Agnue is sending me home.”

I told SJ what had transpired before her arrival. She seemed sad to hear the news, but I wasn’t sure how much of her reaction was genuine.

“Yeah. Bad news for me, but good news for you,” I said carefully, testing for her reaction. “Two months without me here should give you a chance to recover some of that protagonist limelight you claim I stole from you.”

“Crisa, I would never wish for you to be removed from the school,” SJ said defensively.

“Right.” I rolled my eyes. “You just wish I had never stepped out of my place and out of your perfect princess shadow.”

SJ narrowed her expression. “You see, this is why I tried so long to keep from saying anything to you all those weeks during and after winter break. I did not think you would understand.”

A bit of the anger I’d been suppressing since the hunter incident came through. “Well, your intuition was spot on with that one, because I definitely don’t understand.”

“All right. Fine. We shall let it be then,” SJ responded bluntly. “To paraphrase what you once told me, there are bigger things happening right now than you and me. We still need to find Paige Tomkins before Arian and the antagonists. We still need to decide what to do about the kingdoms’ ambassadors and their manipulation of protagonist selection. And we still must figure out how to stop Nadia and keep you from getting killed or magically corrupted.

“Therefore I think it would be best if we leave this matter between us alone. For while I may not be like you, Crisa—the mighty, magical chosen one—or as heroic as any of our true protagonist friends, I am committed to doing everything within my power to see all three of the aforementioned missions through. And I have the good sense to know that continuing to bicker like this will only get in the way.”

“So, what then?” I asked. “You want to pretend like everything’s okay between us? That nothing’s wrong?”

“Fine. I can do that.” I shrugged. “But just to be clear, your stance on everything that was said between us . . .”

SJ sat down and opened her book, effectively ending our conversation. I watched her for a moment.

I hated what she’d done to us. We’d been the closest of friends for years. We were practically like sisters. Last semester I’d damaged our friendship for a time by pushing her away. I was grateful that I had come to my senses so we could return to the way we were before. But it seemed we couldn’t. I was not the only one who’d come back to school a different person. She had too. Only while my character had changed because I’d found myself along the way, hers had changed because she’d lost herself. This was not the girl I once knew.

I could pretend like everything was fine between us. I’d done it before. And SJ was right; if we wanted to go on with our plans (and not cut our friendship to further ruin) this was the best option. I just loathed that this was what we’d come to.

“Did you borrow that book from Daniel?” I asked, trying my best to extend the fake olive branch and show her that I accepted her terms.

SJ glanced up. “No. This is my copy. Poppy poisoning, massive fire damage, and near kidnapping or not, we still have our midterm on pirate ship structural design coming up. In fact . . .” She reached into her book bag and pulled out my own copy of Peter Pan. “Here. I brought this so you could get some studying in while you are just lying there.”

“Hey, I thought I was supposed to be recovering. And anyway, I’m leaving school. Why should I have to prepare for a test?”

“Because you are leaving at the end of the week and midterms begin tomorrow. What about your relationship with Lady Agnue or any of our professors would lead you to believe that they would allow you to skip midterms?”

“See,” SJ nagged. “This is where not provoking all of our teachers would come in handy.”