“I’ve got some bad news here,” announced Sharon as she walked into the student council office.
“What?” asked Stephen. “We’re going to do a fundraiser for the school again?”
“No,” replied Sharon. “It’s about something a thousand times worse. The school’s asking us to host the prom next Friday.”
“Seriously?” Complaints filled the air.
“What about our rehearsal fight?” said Marcus. “We can’t afford to lose another day of practice.”
“Can’t we quit?” Felicia groaned. “We’ve got better things to do than host some school event!”
“I don’t think anyone’s going to take that for an answer,” replied Sidney. “Everyone knows the prom’s the crowning event of the school year.”
Turning a deaf ear to their complaints, Sharon scrolled through the messages from Cynthia on the tiny screen on the moonstone device.
Life’s been terrible here, Sharon, one of the earlier messages read. Icarus and Isla make the Dragon Emperor look tame. They’re the most dreadful tyrants imaginable. The Vanquishers are no better. They go around Chelvicerra demanding people cough up their valuables and murder anyone who refuses to obey. Life is getting harder for everyone, and I really want this to end.
Another message said: We found out Icarus and Isla are planning an attack on your school on April twentieth, the day before Easter. Start rehearsing for it immediately. You must protect the innocent mortals no matter what. I reckon the Vanquishers will force their entrance into the school through the ecology lane, so that’s where you should set up your defenses. Plant all sorts of traps and everything there. I’ll keep you updated with the latest news. Meanwhile, try to come up with some pragmatic ideas to help defend the school.
April twentieth was next Saturday. The invasion would take place next Saturday. And they would not be able to rehearse for the major event on Friday because of the prom.
“This is the worst I’ve ever felt in my life,” Sharon muttered to herself, burying her head in her arms. There, she saw nothing but darkness.
***
“Have fun dying, Icarus!” Sidney yelled, crossing swords with Marcus in midair. “Whoops, sorry about that,” he muttered, acknowledging the fact that he had just knocked Marcus’ sword into Clyde’s punch bowl. Shooting him a dirty look, Clyde emptied it into the portable sink in front of him and started making a new one with the pineapple and oranges Maisy handed him.
“Can’t you two sit still for just a second?” snapped Sharon. “Pitch in and make yourself useful, will you?”
Sidney and Marcus stopped horsing around and zoomed over to Stephen to help him with the streamers, their sequined suits becoming two shimmering blurs of red and yellow.
All of them were now congregated in the gym, preparing for the upcoming prom. Sharon had insisted they bring their fighting gear just in case any anomalies occurred.
Everything had changed drastically during the past few weeks since they had discovered Samuel’s betrayal. An aura of defeat pervaded the atmosphere. The Chelvicerrans were a lot grimmer than before. There was less laughter nowadays, thanks to the looming terror of the invasion. Felicia, Stephen, Maisy, Eva, and Clyde seldom hung out or chatted. Even Sidney and Marcus had stopped causing mischief. It was hard to enjoy pranks when their entire lives felt like one.
Sharon had it the worst among all of them. She had been having frequent headaches, for it was impossible for her to get rest. Visions and nightmares haunted her dreams every time she managed to fall asleep. She would have the same nightmare over and over again. Every time she did, she would find herself standing in the dark burial chamber in Icarus’ castle. Ogres and fairies stood guard at the door, daring her to leave. No matter how many times Sharon tried to fight her way out, she never succeeded. And then the door would open, and a simpering Samuel would saunter over to her, pressing a knife to her throat. Recently, Sharon’s nightmares worsened. Giant tarantulas with glowing red eyes wove in and out of her dreams. Then, the illusion of her hometown ravaged by war would flicker before her eyes. Many times, she was whisked to a gruesome cemetery in her sleep. Bloody corpses that resembled her friends were scattered on the ground, plaguing her memories.
“They’re not nightmares,” she said to Eva, who seemed immensely alarmed after Sharon confided this to her. “It’s more like a compilation of my fears.”
She said this, of course, to relieve Eva’s worries. Sharon suspected she was catching glimpses of the future, though she hoped she was wrong. Sometimes, she wondered if she would be traumatized forever by her misadventure three weeks ago. Forever.… That would not be long for her. With Icarus and his determination to rid her, she could be dying anytime.
Sharon sighed at those thoughts. Why? All she yearned for was an ordinary life as an ordinary student, but why would her past not let her go? She wanted to shun the glamor of being a hero. She was Sharon Gale, an ordinary high school student who simply wanted a mundane life like her mortal classmates. Never had she aspired to save the world, even if it made her a prominent figure in the course of history. She gazed at the gym, her eyes staring out of focus. Although she wasn’t in the mood to enjoy a dance, she had to admit her friends did a wonderful job decorating the venue for the prom.
To her right stood a long table with an assortment of fruit tarts, peach cobblers, and punches. A tray of petite sandwiches and another with sugar cookies flanked a huge chocolate fountain. Sharon would have felt happy and proud of herself had she not been so anxious about the attack.
“I can’t believe tomorrow’s the fight, and we’re all busying ourselves with irrelevant stuff, decked out in ridiculous getups,” said Maisy, who had donned a green gown with puffy sleeves for the occasion. She cursed when popping a balloon by accident.
“Totally,” agreed Sharon. Her dress was purple and strapless, a design she had chosen long before the dance was scheduled. She had gone shopping with the other girls in her coterie, and she remembered having fun with them back then. It was a time when they had no Chelvicerran-related worries. Sharon and Samuel had promised to be each other’s dates to the prom. Now that she thought about it, she was shocked at how much could change in one short month. How fast their relationship could dwindle, deteriorate, and dissolve. As if nothing had ever happened between them.
“I can’t believe I’m making strawberry and kiwi tarts on the eve of the major invasion,” growled Eva. “As if they’re more important than our lives.” She chucked a used tissue paper into the nearest trash can.
“Well, it could be, at some point,” Sidney muttered. “Anything could come in handy in an attack.”
“Nonsense. Are you expecting Icarus to jump out from the chocolate fountain in the next five minutes?”
Marcus caught Sidney’s eye, and both fought hard to keep a straight face.
“Not really, but who knows? Perhaps he will. In that case, you’ll be singing a different tune. You’ll be able to defend yourself by tossing fruit tarts at him as ammunition!” Sidney burst into a peal of laughter.
“And Clyde can drench him with his punch bowl. Won’t that be great?” Marcus added, howling with laughter.
“Way to go, bro. Chocolate-coated-punch-flavored Icarus!” Sidney exclaimed, guffawing like a maniac. “The kids would love that, wouldn’t they?”
Clyde glared daggers at him. “I’ll drench you if you don’t shut up.”
Eva did not know how to react to that statement, so she took a swig of water and choked on it.
Sidney and Marcus were now screaming with ecstasy.
“Enough!” Sharon hollered at them, slamming her microphone into the podium.
“Why’re you being so cranky?” Marcus frowned at her. “It’s been such a long time since we had a good laugh.”
“Tomorrow’s the invasion, and you’re all joking like kindergarteners.”
“Relax, Sharon,” Clyde replied in an obvious attempt to conceal the uncertainty in his voice. “We’ve been plugging away at training for the last couple of weeks. Hey, where have Stephen and Felicia gone?”
“They’re on duty,” answered Maisy, busying herself with the balloons. “Sharon asked both of them to stand guard at the ecology lane.”
Although the invasion would not begin until tomorrow, Sharon had considered it safer to have the entrance monitored at all times.
“Gosh, I envy them,” remarked Sidney. “Can I skive off as well?”
“No. And stop badgering me,” Sharon ordered.
“Fine,” he snapped. “Your temper’s worsening day by day, in case you don’t know.”
The boiling anger and frustration accumulated in Sharon’s mind finally exploded. “You’re just sitting there laughing your heads off instead of contributing to our plan! Have you any idea —?”
“Well, like Eva said, we aren’t expecting Icarus to jump out from the chocolate fountain and attack us in the next five minutes!” Sidney replied, looking rather indignant.
Marcus burst into a fit of giggles at that hilarious fact.
“So what? I’m not going to let anybody kick back or take it easy before the battle!”
“I see some students coming this way,” said Maisy. “Sharon, stop shouting. You’re scaring them. Marcus, Sidney, get down from the air at once.”
Glowering at each other, Sharon, Sidney, and Marcus went back to their work.
***
Thirty minutes later, the gym was filled with loud music and the cacophony of students chattering and laughing. Colors swirled around them as the kids spun and twirled to the tune of the melody. The atmosphere was cheerful, but Sharon’s merry surroundings did little to combat the loneliness and sadness in her. She found it impossible to enjoy herself at that moment.
“Is this ever going to end?” She sighed, turning on her device and checking her inbox for the one-hundredth time today.
“Look on the bright side. The dance will end after another hour,” Eva replied.
“Yeah, just what I need, another hour.” Sharon browsed through her notes on battle plans in the memorandum in her moonstone device.
At that moment, a deafening shriek tore across the air.
“What’s that?” screamed one of the kids.
“It’s.… Holy cow!” shouted another voice. “A flying ant the size of a car! Hey, let’s take pictures and post it on Instagram!”
“That ain’t no real flying ant, stupid,” a girl joined in. “It’s a prop the student council prepared—”
The ant bellowed at her, got out a fire extinguisher, and dived for her. With a scream, she zoomed up the stage and took refuge behind the curtains.
Lightheaded and unsteady, Sharon felt as if the ground had been yanked out from under her feet. Fear penetrated her like an icy blade. Her palms were clammy with sweat, and she could hear her heart racing in her chest, almost fleeing from it. “Clyde, evacuate all the kids now,” she commanded, trying to preserve her composure. “I don’t care what excuse you give them. Just get them out of here right now! Eva, go call for help. Message Cynthia and Alan and tell them to bring as many people as they can. Sidney, fly to the ecology lane and check on Stephen and Felicia. Maisy, Marcus, stay here and fight with me!”
This was it. The invasion had begun a day early.
Hiss….
Sharon hurried to the entrance. What she saw almost gave her a heart attack. A quartet of flying ants with human faces greeted her, sending a stream of silver arrows hurtling towards her. Sitting on the backs of the ants were eight Vanquishers—six ogres and fairies each.
A throb of panic assailed Sharon. She berated herself for not putting her guard up. Now the Vanquishers were here, and they had not even a single decent weapon to defend themselves.
“We’ve got to make the most of what we have!” Maisy shouted the one and only solution they had.
Without hesitation, Sharon grabbed a handful of fruit tarts and chucked them at the flying ants. Marcus flew outside and returned with two fistfuls of stones. Imitating him, Sidney burst two balloons and used the tattered remains as sacks and hauled more stones into the gym.
An ogre got engaged in a sword fight with Marcus, who hurled his sword like a javelin and had the former immobilized in a matter of seconds. Eva, who was done calling for help, got into a duel with another fairy.
Maisy combatted the ogres three-on-one. They shot arrows and fired jinxes at her, but she zoomed out of the way and dodged every strike. As for Sharon, she charged towards an ogre she recognized as Alexander, her old enemy. Astonished at her courage, he took a step backwards. Sharon seized her chance and dived at the monster, knocking him off his feet and assailing him with sparks.
At that moment, Marcus swooped down on Alexander and seized his leg. He flew higher and higher with the ogre screaming nonsense below him.
Seeing that her enemy was out of the game, Sharon surveyed the war zone to offer assistance to anyone in need. Sure enough, Maisy, who had overtaken two ogres, was having trouble fighting the third one. A sea of flames erupted from the monster’s mouth, scorching a tuft of Maisy’s hair.
Grabbing a glass of punch, Sharon catapulted it at the ogre. The yellow liquid invaded his eyes, and the fragments of glass flew in every direction. However, instead of getting rid of the ogre, the sudden attack seemed to intensify his fury and determination to seek revenge. He hissed at Sharon, smoke wafting from his nostrils when an excruciating scream saved her life.
Sharon looked up, and so did the ogre. Marcus was circling the assembly hall, an ogre and a fairy dangling precariously below him.
“Let go of them, or I’ll kill her,” a fairy behind Sharon snarled. The fairy’s partner was supporting Maisy, who appeared to be unconscious. The first fairy held a golden dagger against Maisy’s wrist.
Meanwhile, it took the combined efforts of four ogres to pin Eva to the ground to stop her from retaliating.
Marcus, don’t!” a voice thundered.
Sharon looked over her shoulder. Cynthia, Alan, and hundreds of Chelvicerrans came pouring into the gym. They split into several groups and charged at the enemies. The giants slammed ogres to the floor as they howled in pain; cupids and angels flung vials of potions at the fairies, causing the victims’ skin to swell uncontrollably; the werewolves pounced and bit the enemies, while the vampires embedded their fangs into their throats. Soon, the opposing camp, with less than five survivors, fled the battlefield.
“Thank goodness you arrived,” said Eva, breathing a sigh of relief. She got up and smoothed the pleats of her long red dress.
“Why are you all wearing those crazy costumes?” said Cynthia, eying them with a funny look. Her auburn hair was much longer than before, and she was garbed in a dove-gray cloak trimmed with silver.
“Long story,” sighed Sharon. “The Vanquishers attacked us during the prom.”
“Oh my,” Alan said. “Talk about bad timing.”
“Well, at least none of us got hurt,” Eva replied. “You’ve brought the entire Anti-Icarus League here?”
“Yes. Recruitment’s thriving because of Icarus and Isla’s reign of terror in Chelvicerra. We’ve got three hundred members now. There used to be more, but many died in battles, and the others.…” Cynthia sighed. “They joined…. Well, you know, our enemies. But still, we’ve got so many leaguers our headquarters is getting crowded.”
“Yes, yes, but now’s not the moment to chat,” Alan reminded her. He turned to Sharon and the others. “That was a close call. One of you almost got killed.” Alan shot a worried glance at Maisy, who was being supported by Clyde.
“All kids evacuated,” he reported to Sharon. “I sent them to Mrs. McDougall, who’s contacting their parents and sending them home.”
“But what about—?” Sharon started.
“Don’t worry. I hexed them all into believing it was a terrorist attack.”
“Very well,” Sharon turned to Cynthia. “I thought the invasion was tomorrow. You gave me the wrong date.”
“How was I to know it got shifted to an earlier date? Adelaide told me it was April twentieth.”
“It certainly was,” confirmed Adelaide. “Hello, everyone. We meet again.”
Adelaide, I almost didn’t recognize you,” said Eva, beaming at her. “You’ve grown legs!”
“All thanks to a potion Cynthia helped me with. The brewing process was rather difficult but traveling on foot is tons better than swimming in the moat with only my tail to keep me company.”
“Right,” said Cynthia. “I know you have stuff to catch up on with each other, but now there are more important things that need our attention. Let’s focus on—what’s the matter, Clyde?” she asked, for he had just slapped his hand to his forehead.
“Of course, how could I have been so stupid…. The A-listers. That’s why we’ve been receiving fake information.” Seeing the perplexed expressions on everyone’s faces, he explained, “Icarus’ always been worried about his followers betraying him, so he started this small group called the A-listers several months ago. The members are the most trustworthy Vanquishers selected by Icarus himself—including his wife, Isla. I used to be a part of it myself, too. I’m willing to bet anything he got suspicious of his entourage and fed them false information. He must’ve revealed the real invasion date to the A-listers. Yes, this explains everything.”
“That’s terrible,” said Alan, his eyebrows joining in the middle. “It’s getting more and more difficult for us to find out what those blokes are thinking and plotting.”
“The benefactor’s not helping matters,” Cynthia pointed out. “Perhaps he or she isn’t an A-lister. Enough about those monsters. Let’s confer on our plans.”
“Hold on, we’re waiting for—what took you so long?” Sharon hollered to Stephen and a parrot, undoubtedly Felicia, who barged into the gym at that moment. Sharon’s temper was reaching boiling point. “Stephen, Felicia. I assigned you two the most important jobs, and you let—?”
“We had no idea how they got in,” Felicia retorted. “We only know they didn’t enter through the ecology lane.”
“Are you suggesting they entered Misthills from a different passage?” Cynthia inquired, raising her eyebrows in skepticism.
“Absolutely,” asserted Stephen.
“He’s right,” Sidney zoomed towards the arguing pair. “Sorry for being late. Stephen sent me to the students’ affairs office to check the surveillance cameras. It turns out the Vanquishers somehow gave the guard a sleeping potion and forced entry through the front gates.”
“Nonsense,” Maisy, who had got her consciousness and temper back, scoffed.
“Cameras don’t lie,” Sidney defended himself while Stephen and Felicia bobbed their heads up and down in agreement.
“But—” Sharon argued back.
“Are you aware,” Cynthia said, managing to restrain the cold fury in her voice, “that you’re all making a big stink about an unarguable fact in front of three hundred leaguers? What do you think was the reason they all agreed to come? Was it to support you guys or to listen to your bickering? The first invasion has already taken place, and stop blaming Felicia, Stephen, or Sidney. Can’t we all stop fighting amongst ourselves?” Then, in a calmer tone, she went on. “Since we’re now familiar with Icarus’ fatal flaw—his distrustfulness towards his entourage, our best approach is to use his drawback against him. We have something the Vanquishers don’t—camaraderie. We can only fight them by uniting ourselves. So, no more squabbling and down to business.” Cynthia nodded at Sharon, yielding the floor to her.
Sharon swept the crowd of leaguers with a quick, cursory glance. “Thank you all for coming. Your participation means the world to us.”
The faces of numerous enchanters, enchantresses, angels, cupids, giants, werewolves, vampires, and even a few mermen and mermaids (who had sprouted legs) gazed back at Sharon. “We need to fight Icarus and his army. And to do that, we need all of you present. Every one of you matters more than you think you do. We,” her voice increased in both strength and volume, “will never surrender. This is not just a slogan; it’s a spirit everyone should have. The Vanquishers may outnumber us in people but not in unity or concordance. Only by building mutual trust and respect can we overcome them.”
An enthusiastic round of applause greeted Sharon’s speech as she finished.
“Best pep talk of all time,” Stephen whispered to Sharon.
Sharon gave him a smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for another few moments? You will be split into several troops now. I guess Icarus will be starting the real war very soon, and we must be well prepared.” She got out the moonstone device and browsed through the map of Chelvicerra. “Clyde and Eva, lead the enchanters and enchantresses to Castle Boulevard. Keep an eye on who’s entering or leaving the castle, and keep me updated at the same time. Maisy, lead the cupids. Orbit the castle and shoot arrows at the guards to keep them distracted. This way, we’ll all be able to enter and leave the castle at will. Sidney—”
“Acro-beings have an innate talent for brewing potions,” cut in Sidney. “We can manage a variety of draughts and concoctions.”
“All right. Angels, please follow Sidney and Marcus to the school basement. The history teachers’ offices and all the other classrooms are at your disposal. Brew potions of all kinds, fill them into tiny vials and distribute them to the leaguers. You may hoard your ingredients in classrooms 701, 702, and 703. Now, back to the plan. Vampires, split into two teams. The first team will stand guard at the school gates. The second team will keep watch over the ecology lane. Maim any Vanquisher who dares to invade our campus. Werewolves, follow Cynthia’s lead and head straight to Icarus’ castle. Fight every single Vanquisher you come across—”
“But Sharon,” Alan interrupted. “What about the benefactor? What if we accidentally hurt him or her?”
“We don’t have time to worry about that! It’s our school and our leaguers’ safety that matter most. Adelaide, lead the merfolk to the castle moat. Tackle basements one to fifteen. Stephen, take half of the giants to Chelvicerra and leave the other half here at school as healers. The ground floor will serve as the infirmary. By the way, everyone, Misthills High will now be serving as the new headquarters. It’s big enough to fit all of us. Anyone who is in no shape to fight may come back and get some rest. You may all use the second and third floors as the lounge. Finally, Alan and Felicia, assist anyone on our side who needs help. Fly back and forth between Chelvicerra and the school.”
“Hear, hear,” said Felicia, shifting into her parrot form and ready to take flight.
“Look, defeating Icarus isn’t just pie in the sky. Like Cynthia said, we have camaraderie and, more importantly, the knowledge and skills to win.” Sharon exhaled, steeling herself for the next order. “Take your positions, and let the battle begin!”
Everyone, following their leaders, bustled out of the gym and into the cool evening.
Cynthia, however, approached Sharon. “Do you know a forest called Tempora Forest?”
Sharon looked at her, taken aback. “No. Why are you asking?”
“You mesmerized the Snow Giant into a good fairy using a magic staff of hers last year, right? Icarus hid the staff in the depths of Tempora Forest after murdering the Snow Giant.”
“What? Why are you telling me this now?”
“Adelaide told me this last week when she was spying on the Vanquishers. I kept this secret to myself because I’m sure you’ve got quite a lot on your plate already.”
“So, what are you suggesting?”
“I think it’s worth making a trip to Tempora Forest to find the staff. Having a powerful magical artifact on our side is definitely an advantage. What say you?”
“Well—”
“Did somebody mention Tempora Forest?” boomed a voice. It was Stephen.
“Do you know where it is?”
“I know that place inside out. You going there?”
“Tell me where it is,” said Sharon. “I’m taking off right now.”
“We,” Cynthia corrected her. “We’re both coming with you.”
Stephen smiled and nodded.
A surge of relief, warm and calming, flooded Sharon as she saw and heard their reactions. “Off to Chelvicerra we go, then.”