Samuel remained rooted to the ground, motionless. But why? Sharon did not know. There were too many unanswered questions, and she would never be able to find out all the answers. She was dying right on the spot because of her boyfriend’s betrayal. Samuel, once shy but sweet; Samuel, her best friend who had grown up with her. What exactly had turned him into a monster she no longer knew or understood? Sharon did not want to face the truth, nor did she believe the old Samuel she had known was gone forever.
“Samuel, please,” was all she could say.
“You heard me, Samuel Johnson. Kill her,” Isla commanded, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Sharon closed her eyes, waiting for the thing she dreaded the most to happen.
“No.” Samuel’s voice was small, but it carried an absolute firmness.
Sharon’s eyes flew open in astonishment, just in time to see him drop the knife.
Isla raised her eyebrows. “Say that again.”
“This is beyond the scope of what I’m willing to do,” replied Samuel, uttering one word at a time.
“So what?” shouted Isla, her chest heaving with anger. “I didn’t ask for your opinion, nor do I care. I ordered you to kill them, so do as I say.”
“But I said no!” It was Samuel’s turn to shout. He picked up the knife and pointed it at his mistress. “Isla Bones, I shall serve you and Icarus no more.”
“You are a Vanquisher,” Isla snarled in his face. “How dare you betray us?”
“I was brainwashed to join,” Samuel went on. “You remember perfectly well what happened a month ago, don’t you? Your disgusting monster of a husband attacked me on my way home and mesmerized me with the staff he’d stolen from the Snow Giant. When I tried to run away, he threatened to kill me if I stopped helping the Vanquishers. I may have worked for you for a month, but my loyalty to my friends never died.”
Isla’s pale face tightened. Her eyes flashed murderously at him. “You’ll be dead before tomorrow. Why does it matter where your loyalty lies?”
“It doesn’t,” said Samuel. “Because I’m done faking. I’m done pretending to be a Vanquisher. Do you remember that time Alexander Robb lured Sharon and the others into our castle and tried to kill them with chlorine? And how Alan the vampire appeared just in time to save them? It was me. I was behind everything. When Alexander Robb told me to leave, I hurried off to send an anonymous magic letter to the leader of the Anti-Icarus League, Alan Welkins.”
“You? You were the benefactor?” Sharon gaped at him, dumbfounded, unable to perceive what she had just heard. A million epiphanies swirled in her mind like a vortex of clouds. Suddenly she felt as if she had found the answers to all the questions she didn’t know.
Samuel nodded. “I wrote to tell him what happened to his fellow leaguers and how they were lured to the dungeons and sent the letter via air mail since it’s mostly used by werewolves and vampires. I wanted them to believe their secret helper was a werewolf or vampire.”
Isla could only glare at her. Words seem to fail to convey her boiling fury.
“Brute force can never take you anywhere. Pity you never understand this, huh? You should’ve let me go back when I begged you. But you arrogant Vanquishers only care about yourselves and never the people you deem inferior. Your plan backfired, Isla.”
Wrath sizzling in her eyes, Isla grabbed a knife lying on a desk, prepared to stab him—
“Now, are you really sure you want to attack anyone on our side?” came a voice from the doorway. Alan sashayed into the classroom, followed by Cynthia and Felicia.
“You lost, Isla,” Felicia smirked. “Who else would have thought to do something as ingenious as Samuel did?”
The party closed in around the fairy, cornering her. Sharon and Samuel caught each other’s eye, and both sent a sea of sparks sailing towards her. Sharon raised the staff and opened her mouth, but Isla had thrust the window behind her open and jumped, using it as a makeshift escape route.
Silence drew upon the Chelvicerrans. They looked at one another, at a loss for words.
“Samuel,” said Cynthia slowly. “We heard your confession.”
“What on Earth happened?” Alan asked. “Was it really you? The letter, and…and everything?”
“It was Icarus. It was him through and through. He was behind everything. The day before you came back to Chelvicerra with Cynthia, Icarus tracked me down and forced me to join the Vanquishers.”
“You? Why you?” Eva said. “Why not Stephen, Felicia, or me?”
“Sharon is—” he snuck a glance at Sharon and corrected, “She was my girlfriend. Icarus thought I knew her the best. He assumed I had more information about her than you all did. When I refused to go quietly, he—he mesmerized me with the Snow Giant’s staff. There’s been a huge gap in my memory after that. The next thing I remember was standing in the Vanquishers’ headquarters.”
Sharon and Eva exchanged looks. A question bubbled on Sharon’s lips, but she dared not let it escape her throat in fear of the answer she might receive.
“And then?” Alan pressed on.
“And then he threatened to kill me if I didn’t join him and his army. So I pretended to. I had no choice.” Samuel’s gaze came to a rest on the staff in Sharon’s hands. “Where did you get that thing?”
Sharon tightened her grip on the staff. “We went to Tempora Forest to—”
“It’s a fake,” interrupted Samuel. “A very convincing one.”
“What?” Sharon exchanged a look with Cynthia, then looked back at Samuel.
“Icarus Bones crafted a fake staff and placed it in Tempora Forest in case anyone wanted to steal it.”
“But Adelaide told us she heard—”
“They release false information to the non-A-listers, Vanquishers they don’t trust that much.”
“Were you one?”
“An A-lister? I was.”
“You? But why would you be trusted to that extent?” said Sharon, completely baffled.
“Icarus mesmerized me with his staff, and when I finally pretended to comply with his plans, he stopped controlling me with magic. He thought I was on his side now. And because, like I said, he knew I had crucial information on you all, so he began to pamper me. Even made me an A-lister to make me feel important.”
“Why didn’t you warn us they were going to attack our school during the prom?” Eva questioned. “You nearly got us all killed.”
“I had to keep a low profile then. If I alerted you and gave you the heads-up, Icarus would suspect me.”
A million notions shot through Sharon’s mind like comets. She looked down at the staff, then up and Samuel, not knowing whether to believe him.
“Use it,” he urged. “Mesmerize me with the staff and see if you can succeed. It’s the only way to test whether it’s the real one or not.”
Sharon directed the staff at him and traced her finger over the six-star symbol on the hilt.
But nothing happened. Unlike the last time when she activated the real staff, Sharon did not feel its magic calling out to her.
Samuel raised his eyebrows. “Well?”
“It’s a fake. Do you know where the real one is?”
Sharon deflated as he shook his head. “I swear I’m being honest, but I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”
“So, the things you said to me last time, did you mean it?” Sharon, no longer able to contain herself, blurted out the question she cared about the most.
“Not the least,” replied Samuel. He devoted his attention to the off-white tiles on the floor. “Sharon, I’m sorry. I don’t expect you to forgive me.”
Sharon took his hand. “I do. In fact, I did ages ago.”
“I never should’ve said those words to you last time. I only did it because I had to fake obedience in front of Alexander. Look, if you want to break up with me, I understand. I deserve it. For the past month, I’ve been a coward, a pawn of the Vanquishers. All because I wasn’t brave enough to stand up to them and fight back.”
“That’s not true,” Sharon defended him. “You are brave. And you never betrayed us. Should you have stood up to Icarus or defied him openly, you’d be dead by now. You did the best you could in a tough situation.”
“So, we’re—you’re…. You’re not…leaving me?”
Sharon heard the hint of anxiety in Samuel’s voice. She pressed her lips to his, engaging his mouth in a soft kiss. Samuel responded with the passion of a hundred flames. For a few seconds of pure oblivion, the world around them melted and dissolved.
Gently, Sharon pulled back. “This is my answer.”
Samuel beamed, his thin face and angular features alive with joy. He wrapped his arms around Sharon. “Thank you so much.”
Cynthia cleared her throat. “I know we’re happy to have Samuel back, but listen, there’s a war raging on out there.”
“Right.” The bliss of having her childhood sweetheart back drained as fast as it had filled Sharon. Their fight wasn’t over yet. Retracing her thoughts, she recalled the orders she had given the leaguers. “Alan, Eva, I remember telling you two to find Icarus. Were you two successful or not?”
The answer was clearly etched in their glum expressions. Disgruntled, Sharon sighed. “You could’ve done a better job, you know.”
“We’ve looked everywhere, from the basement to the roof floor, but no Icarus,” Eva replied. “I’m sorry, Sharon. We’ve done terribly—”
“It’s not our fault,” Alan chimed in. “Sharon, Icarus has gone into hiding. He must’ve run away. There’s no better explanation. Eva and I have done our best.” There was an edge of reproach to his voice.
“Nobody’s denying what you’ve done for us,” Sharon said coolly. “Anyway, let’s all pitch in and work as a team. Yes, Alan,” she shot him a look of warning, “You heard me. I don’t want anyone causing friction in this team. Okay, now back to my revised plan. We’ll now be searching for Icarus in groups. Samuel and me; Eva and Alan and Cynthia. Samuel and I will be in charge of the school building. You three are going to check the school grounds. We’ve got to find that son of a—I mean, that monster—no matter what this time. It’s the only way to end this war. To get the leader of the Vanquishers. Any questions? No?”
“It’s go time, baby,” muttered Samuel in her ear.
“Hear, hear,” said Sharon.
Exiting the classroom and flying down the nearest staircase, the quintet found themselves face-to-face with Clyde.
“Sharon, I was worried sick! Where have you been?” Clyde, completely neglecting everyone else’s existence, asked.
“Well, I—”
“Have you seen Samuel? I’ve been looking all over the place for—oh, there you are, Sam. Listen, a wonderful plan just crossed my mind, and I need your help. Good seeing you all, but we got to go,” Clyde bid farewell to the rest of them with a brisk nod. Then, dragging Samuel behind him, they left in a hurry.
“How weird,” said Eva, throwing a skeptical look at Samuel and Clyde’s retreating forms. “Sharon, I’ll come with you then, so you won’t have to go alone,” she volunteered,
“Hang on,” said Cynthia. “Don’t you think it’s strange Clyde’s looking for Samuel? I mean, they’ve both betrayed us in the past, and—what if—?” She closed her eyes as if praying for courage to continue.
Sharon knew she would not like what was coming next.
“What if Samuel and Clyde are plotting against us?”
“Cynthia, be sensible. Samuel never betrayed us. He was on our side all along.”
The truth was, Sharon could not help but feel unnerved and insecure at hearing Cynthia’s assumption. However, she had to believe in Samuel and Clyde. They are my friends, Sharon told herself sternly, ignoring the voice nagging nonstop in her mind.
“But—” Alan started.
“I trust them,” Sharon cut across him.
“I can only hope you’re right,” sighed Cynthia. “Goodbye, and good luck.” They descended the stairs, leaving Sharon and Eva alone again.
“All right. Now—”
A loud series of thumping neared them. Sharon braced herself for an attack, ready to release her magic to fight whoever or whatever was coming for them, only to see a throng of giants hurtle across the hallway in front of them, making such a racket their footsteps could be heard on the other side of Earth. Among the crowd was Stephen, who had returned to his original height. He didn’t seem to notice Sharon and Eva, however. Gripping Sharon’s hand, Eva ascended a flight of stairs to avoid getting trampled by the ferocious giants.
“Good to know one of us is also safe,” remarked Sharon. A glance at the window on her right told her a large green parrot was swooping down on a pack of ogres. Sharon smiled at the sight.
“Ouch!”
Sharon whirled around. “What’s wrong?”
Eva winced and dabbed the cut on her cheek with her finger. The gash had now turned scarlet. “It’s killing me,” she moaned.
“It looks nastier than before,” Sharon noticed.
“An enchanter zapped me when Alan and I were searching for Icarus,” Eva said, grimacing. “I’d better get this thing cured before it triggers an infection.”
“I wonder if a potion can mitigate the pain?”
“Did anyone mention the word ‘potion’?” sounded a jolly voice. Standing before them was Marcus, who was wearing a chef’s cap and an apron.
“What crazy getup is that?” Sharon asked, not knowing whether to laugh or not. “We’re in the middle of a war, and you’re pulling off some sick prank?”
“Shh, not that loud. This,” Marcus’ voice dropped to a whisper, “is my disguise.”
“Your disguise for what?” Sharon replied, utterly bemused.
Eva groaned. “Could I have the potion first? It’s stinging like mad!”
“Ah, how could I have forgotten. Here you go, Eva.” Marcus handed her a vial with limpid contents.
“Thanks. What have you and Sidney been up to recently?”
“Oh, we had the time of our lives experimenting and brewing all sorts of draughts and potions. We’ve delivered most of them to the leaguers, the good ones, that is.” Marcus looked as excited as a child who was promised a jar of candy. “Sidney and I also invented some toxic refreshments. Come with me if you want to see our remarkable creations.”
Sharon and Eva followed Marcus up the stairs, along the length of a hallway, and into the cafeteria—a wide room that yawned at the end of the corridor. An array of dishes and desserts were exhibited on the counters.
“See? We put on a convincing play and pretended Icarus sent us here to prepare some snacks for the Vanquishers. There are about fifty cupids and angels working in the kitchen right now. We’ve been making lovely desserts for them. Look at this one here, Bleeding Bean Bagels,” Marcus pointed to a plate with bagels dotted with red jelly beans.
“Bleeding Bean Bagels? Why is it called that?” Eva asked.
“It’ll cause a nosebleed we haven’t bothered to come up with a cure for. And those Illusion Eclairs, our latest invention, will drive the eater totally insane. You see that tower of cream cakes over there?”
“You mean the ones in the shape of commas?” Sharon asked.
“Yes. Comma cakes. Coma cakes, to be precise. The comma-shaped cakes put the eaters into a coma. It’s a pun, get it?”
“Cool. Anyone tried those yet?” said Eva.
“Oh, ever so many! Those Vanquishers, see? The ones asleep on the chairs and tables over there, they gobbled up three slices each in less than a minute. Ha, somebody ought to punish them for their greediness!”
“Any drinks?” Sharon said, amused by his creativity. Although she had ordered them to stay in the basement and brew and distribute potions to the leaguers, she couldn’t help feeling a surge of appreciation for their clever plan, which increased their efficiency to eliminate more Vanquishers.
“Of course! You name it, we have it.… Uh oh, I see an ogre coming this way. Get down here, quick!” Marcus shoved both Sharon and Eva under the flowery tablecloth.
“Hello, what would you like, sir?” Marcus said cordially to the approaching Vanquisher.
Sharon caught a glimpse of his face and gasped, earning her a nudge from Eva. It was Gregory, who had tried to murder them in the dungeons three weeks ago.
“Do you have any spaghetti?” The ogre snapped at him.
“Nope.”
“What about some steak?”
Marcus shook his head.
“Well, don’t just stand here like an idiot. Tell me what you have, not what you don’t.”
“Sure.” Marcus plastered an even phonier smile on his face. “Fancy some doughnuts with blue sprinkles? And a slice of cake?” He snatched a piece of comma cake with a pair of tongs and placed several doughnuts on a huge plate.
“Yeah, fine. Give me something to drink, won’t you?”
“Pineapple juice, that’ll do,” Marcus answered in a singsong voice. He poured a flask of yellow substance into a cup. “Here you go,” he fetched a tray and set both the plate and cup on it.
Gregory grunted and tottered to a table. Sharon and Eva, peering from under the tablecloth, watched with fascination. The ogre took a swig of his pineapple juice and stuffed the piece of cake and doughnuts into his mouth. Marcus dived under the tablecloth and grinned at the two enchantresses.
“They’re not doughnuts or pineapple juice, are they?” Eva whispered, staring at Gregory and waiting for something to happen.
Marcus had a difficult time overcoming his silent giggles. “Of course not. They’re actually Diarrhea Doughnuts and a glass of Vomiting Vinegar. Oh, I just can’t wait to see what happens!”
The ogre let out a belching noise and puked all over the floor. “Hey, you! Bring me a basin!”
“Why don’t you try going to the bathroom?” Marcus shouted back, unable to suppress a grin. “I daresay you’ll be having diarrhea soon.”
Moaning, the ogre staggered toward the exit. Then, he slumped to the floor with such force the whole room quivered.
“The Comma Cake’s working its magic,” said Marcus, howling with laughter.
“Just the comic relief we needed,” said Eva, giggling. “Attaboy, Marcus!”
Marcus’ face was so red one might have mistaken him for a grapefruit in a wig. “Great show, wasn’t it? Just wait till you see what else we have. Prankenstein, got the Poisonous Pumpkin Pies ready?” Marcus screamed to the kitchen.
In the blink of an eye, Sidney zoomed from the kitchen, a plate piled with hamburgers in hand.
“Here goes nothing. Wait, Sharon, Eva, is that you?”
“It’s us, Sidney. How are you doing? Everything all right with you?”
“Never better,” he answered with a wicked smile. “Wonderful to know you’re still alive.”
The four of them summarized and exchanged their versions of events.
“That sounds like a crazy adventure,” said Sidney. “But then where’s Icarus?”
Sharon’s heart sank. The razzle-dazzle and comedy in the cafeteria had temporarily banished her worries. Now they came surging back into her mind like tides.
“Are you going to find him?” asked Sidney.
“I have to, haven’t I?”
“But hold on for just a moment,” Marcus chimed in. “What if that was Icarus’ intention? What if that’s what he’s playing at? We all know for a fact the Vanquishers are notorious for their dirty schemes. What if Icarus went into hiding just to have you distracted? To have you searching for him when he’s somewhere out of limits to intruders?”
“Like where?” Eva cut in.
“How am I supposed to know? At Misthills, in Chelvicerra, in his castle, anywhere. This can’t go on, Sharon. You’ll have to reorganize your plans and stop looking for him. Focus on looking for the real staff instead. As long as you have it, you’re basically unstoppable.”
“That’s a good suggestion. Thank you,” breathed Sharon, taken aback at the fact Marcus, the prankster, had proposed such a clever strategy.
“Goodbye,” Sidney said, bobbing up and down in the air. “All the best to you.”
“Kill some Vanquishers for me, won’t you?” asked Marcus, winking.
Waving to the boys, Sharon and Eva made their way through the doors and back into the hallway.
“I’m glad we checked on them,” said Sharon. “At least we know they’re safe. Samuel, Clyde, Felicia, Stephen, Alan, Cynthia, Sidney, Marcus…. You seen Adelaide and Maisy?”
“Adelaide, yes. I saw her moments ago before you came up the staircase and met me. But Maisy…. Have you—?”
Sharon shook her head. “I haven’t heard from her since I dismissed the leaguers at school. What if she—?”
“Maisy’s stronger than she looks,” Eva said consolingly. “She’ll survive. Plus, she’s the most sensible one among all of us.
Sharon pursed her lips, still unconvinced.
“Where’s our next stop?”
“No idea,” said Sharon. “But I’m going to do whatever it takes to find the staff. Let’s head down to the sports field first.”
Eva inhaled sharply. “But...it’s a total war zone there! What if we get trampled by giants? What if we get attacked by Vanquishers? What if we—?”
Sharon silenced her with a stern look. “Ask yourself, Eva. Would you be standing here if Samuel and I hadn’t rescued you from the Snow Giant last year? Would we have succeeded if we’d been like, ‘well, what if we get gobbled up by the Snow Giant? What if we get ambushed by a cupid? What if we get killed in Isabella’s laboratory?’ Worrying can do nothing to change the outcome. Sooner or later, we’ll have to find the staff.”
Knowing Sharon had a point, Eva nodded and followed her down the dimly-lit corridor.
There were more than a hundred things to fret about, but they were all pale next to the whereabouts of Maisy. The only reason Sharon was so determined to head to the sports field was to find out whether she was safe…or not.