Once Upon Another Time, page 14
“I don’t… know how, but… it’s made of… genie magic,” Jin lied again, trying to look his most sincere. “So it only responds… to other genies.”
The Golden King watched him for a moment, and Jin tried to prepare himself for whatever punishment might be next, knowing that there probably was no way to do that. If the king really wanted to hurt him, he could: ownership of Jin’s ring gave the king the power to do whatever he wanted to ensure that Jin fulfilled his wishes. He might even use one of his remaining wishes to make Jin cause himself damage somehow.
“Show me,” the king said finally, and Jin let out a huge sigh of relief. For the moment at least, he was safe.
Now all he had to do was figure out a way to bluff through his lies.
Jin raised a hand, and the king passed the Spark to him.
Okay, magic, he thought at the flame, hoping he’d figure it out very quickly. All you have to do is show off a little, and we can both get out of this. Help me out, and I’ll do what I can to free you, like you asked.
YOU MUST EMBRACE MY POWER TO FREE ME, the voice responded in his head.
Right, sure, that, Jin thought back, getting nervous as the king shifted impatiently. But in the meantime—
THERE IS NO “MEANTIME.” TAKE THE POWER THAT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT, JIN. DO NOT LET A LESSER CREATURE CONTROL YOU, NOT FOR EVEN ONE MINUTE LONGER.
Jin sighed, finding it hard to disagree with that.
Jin, you’ll regret doing this, the cosmic knowledge said in his head. You have no idea what you’re getting into here. I don’t even know. The Spark is hiding itself from me, and that shouldn’t be possible. I can’t sense its true nature.
Well then, you don’t know if it’s all that bad, do you? Jin thought back, realizing he’d made up his mind. However terrible the Spark might be, having its power meant he could free himself from the Golden King, and right now that seemed like the best idea in the world.
EMBRACE MY POWER, CHILD, the Spark repeated, and Jin took in a deep breath, then nodded.
Okay. I embrace your power. Let’s do this.
The flame burning in the bowl instantly ignited into a blazing inferno, rising a dozen feet in the air as the Golden King stepped away in alarm. “What are you doing?” he roared at Jin, holding up an arm to shield himself from the fire.
“Just what you asked,” Jin said, grinning slightly in spite of the pain still radiating through his body in several places. That’d be easy to fix in a moment, though, when he had access to his full genie magic. “I’m making the Spark work. Why, are you nervous?”
The flame leapt from the bowl to engulf Jin, and the light grew so bright that he couldn’t see past it. His whole body burned with power now, and he couldn’t help but laugh as he could feel the Golden King’s fear, even from a distance. It was almost as if the Spark was setting his old self on fire, the one that couldn’t access his real magic, the one who had to play by the rules.
And in return, it was making him complete, maybe for the first time ever.
He’d never felt so powerful, so able to do… anything. Was this what the older genies felt like all the time? Completely in control of the entire universe?
I could get to like this, he thought, rising into the air.
You have no idea what you’re doing, the cosmic knowledge said. This is far more dangerous than I suspected!
Eh, what do you know, sum total of all knowledge? You’re just annoyed I got my power before I was supposed to!
The light gradually faded, and Jin glanced at the king, curious to see what his newfound magic could do. While the Golden King’s nervousness was clear, Jin looked past it, down through the blackness within the king’s inner self, to even the molecules that made up the human. And the Spark within Jin gave him the power to manipulate those molecules, to cause the king just as much pain as Jin had felt a moment before.
This was the magic he’d been owed his whole life, the magic of a full genie. Every bit of Jin felt like it was ready to burst with power. He could remake the world in his own image or create a volcano inside this horrible little human, whichever he felt like.
Or maybe both!
And why stop with the Golden King? So many humans had irritated him over the years, getting in his way during wish fulfillments or just being annoying. Maybe they all deserved to learn a lesson too.
YES, TEACH THEM, the magic said in his head. THEY NEED TO LEARN THE TRUE POWER BEHIND THEIR MAGIC!
Jin started to agree, then paused. Sure, humans had been bothersome, but he didn’t really want revenge on them, beyond a petty prank or something. Where was all this rage coming from that he was feeling suddenly?
Was it really him, or had the Spark infected him somehow?
DOES IT MATTER? WE ARE ONE AND THE SAME NOW. TAKE YOUR REVENGE ON THE GOLDEN KING. SHOW HIM WHO HAS THE TRUE POWER IN THIS WORLD!
The Spark was hard to resist, and Jin lifted a hand to do just that, wondering why he was even fighting the magic. He hated the Golden King with all his heart, sure. But he also didn’t want a new master, telling him what to do and who to torture for revenge.
DO IT, the Spark commanded, pushing harder with its power, and Jin found his defenses weakening. He looked at the Golden King and felt hate flow from every pore. “You know what?” he shouted. “Let’s see how you like it!”
And then he closed two of his fingers together.
Only, nothing happened.
The Golden King blinked, then slowly straightened up and smiled. He quickly closed his own fingers, and Jin found himself choking once more, even with the power of the Spark.
You have the power now, the cosmic knowledge told him, but genie magic still binds you to the ring, to our laws, and you haven’t broken free from that. The king is still in control of you!
Um, whoops. Well, that wasn’t good. All this power, and he was still helpless before the king. And what was worse, the human knew it.
NO! the magic shouted. WE SHALL NOT BE MADE TO SERVE YET AGAIN. BREAK FREE OF THE GENIE BINDING AND YOU WILL BE THIS WORLD’S MASTER!
If you do manage to free yourself of the genie spell, the cosmic knowledge said, the power you’d have to unleash might destroy the world. Are you willing to do that?
IT WOULD BE WORTH IT!
Jin winced, still not able to breathe, then slowly floated down to the floor, knowing he was in for new heights of pain.
But if the choice was either destroy the world, and everyone in it, or submit to the Golden King again, there wasn’t much of a choice. Not when the idea of Lena getting hurt made Jin feel physically sick.
This isn’t selfless, by the way, the cosmic knowledge said, sounding a bit smug. You like her, so you’re really doing this for yourself.
For once, Jin didn’t have the energy to argue. Instead, he gritted his teeth and bowed low before the king, still not able to speak.
“Now, my genie,” the Golden King said, putting a hand on Jin’s shoulder. “You still have a wish to fulfill, don’t you? And your newfound power should make it easy. Now, I wish for you to bring me the Last Knight.”
CHAPTER 27
Before the Last Knight could say another word, Lena leapt straight at him and hugged him so hard, the metal of his armor creaked in warning.
“I’ve messed everything up!” Lena shouted as she released her hug, leaving slight dents in the Last Knight’s armor. “Everything! The giant king threw me out of the ritual because he knew I wasn’t the same size as the others, even with my Growth Ring, so I came down here looking for you and Mrs. Hubbard’s cauldron so I could use it to become my true size, but then this boy got stabbed by the Faceless, and to save him, I brought him back to the Spark for healing, only it turned out he’s not a human boy, he’s a genie, and he works for the Golden King, who took the Spark from me, and the giants want it back, so they’re coming to destroy the Cursed City because they think humans took it!”
The Last Knight tilted his head, listening carefully. “Huh! I’ve apparently missed some things. But there’s nothing there that can’t be fixed.”
“Really?” Lena said, stepping back in surprise. “You’re not worried about all that?”
“Oh, it’s concerning, of course,” the knight said, and she could almost hear him smiling. “But I’m sure we’ll figure it all out.”
Lena just shook her head, astonished at his confidence. Still, it did make her feel better, letting her relax just enough to notice the Faceless’s helmets in his hands. “Are you okay?” she said, nodding at them. “Did you get attacked?”
He shrugged, dropping the helmets. “Oh, I suppose you could call it that. But really, it was just some good exercise. I’m getting a bit out of shape, to be honest.” He patted the armor around his stomach. “Soon I might not even fit into my armor! Too many of Ralph’s cookies, probably.”
Lena smiled at that, though she personally refused to eat any of Mr. Ralph’s cookies, considering he was made of gingerbread, and it always struck her as weird. Before she could respond, though, the ground shook with more giant footsteps. “So what should we do? How can we stop the giants?”
“We, as in you, need to go back to the city and warn people what’s coming,” the knight said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Meanwhile, I’ll take care of the giants, the Golden King, and your genie friend, in that order. Trust me, I’ve been dealing with giants my whole life. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
Lena’s eyes widened. “But you’ll need my help! You don’t know the giants like I do, and the Golden King has the Spark! If he figures out how to use it—”
The knight gave her what she assumed was a kind look, even if she couldn’t see it through his helmet, which he never took off, to keep his identity a secret from the Golden King. “There’s no one I’d rather have fighting next to me, Lena—you know that. But you’ve been through enough today, and the Golden King wouldn’t even be involved if it weren’t for me. Don’t you worry, I can take care of all of this.” He reached over his shoulder and pulled his crystal sword with its swirling white light out of a dark blue scabbard. “This is all I need, really.”
“That’s just your ‘I’ sword,” Lena said doubtfully. “I know you said it’s powerful, but…”
“First of all, it’s the sword of the I’s,” the knight said, apparently just repeating what she had said, so making no sense. “And second of all, trust me, it’ll be fine. I swear, these aren’t the first giants I’ve faced.” He snorted. “Not even close. It’s just a thing with me, apparently.”
Lena felt her heart begin to slow, in spite of the ground still shaking. Even if he was exaggerating, just having the knight here and promising to take care of things made her feel so much better. Ever since she’d met him, on her first trip down the mountain, the knight had been such a calming presence to her, somehow instantly understanding what it was like to be a small Lena in a land of huge giants. Even Mrs. Hubbard hadn’t gotten it as well as the knight had.
And he’d been the first one to offer her the cauldron, and she’d almost taken him up on it, before worrying what she might turn into. He never judged her for saying no, either; he just wanted her to have the option, he said.
It was almost like the Last Knight had been a member of the family, right along with her parents. But unlike them, the knight was happy to help her fix things with the other giants instead of hiding her true size. That alone endeared him to Lena, even if he hadn’t been so great in other ways.
“Thank you,” she said, giving him another quick hug, which made him groan in pain this time. “I feel so much better just knowing you’re here.”
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” the knight said. “Now, I should—”
And then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
It took her a moment to even process that. “Mr. Knight?” she said quietly, reaching a hand out to where he’d just been standing. “Please tell me you just turned invisible with your ‘I’ sword?”
No one answered, and just like that, all the worry and guilt Lena had felt a moment before came flooding back, only now ten times as bad.
“The night left?” Rufus asked, sniffing at the air. “The smoke smells like the boy.”
Lena’s eyes widened. The genie had done this? Of course he had! Jin had probably been following her here to find the knight, after all. And now she’d led him right to his goal! He was probably here right now, invisible too!
“Jin, give him back!” she shouted, grabbing the compass needle from her pouch and swinging it around. But either Jin wasn’t there, or he wasn’t responding. Her compass did pull her to her right, back in the direction she and Rufus had come from, which made sense: Jin must have brought the knight back to the Golden King’s castle.
Without another thought, she leapt up onto Rufus’s back and pointed him in that direction. “We have to go back to the gold place, little man,” she whispered. “Can you take us there as fast as you can?”
Before he could move, though, several trees came flying in their direction, and Rufus had to leap out of the way. “You’re going the wrong way!” roared one of the giants at a second one, the giant who’d just kicked a bunch of trees at Lena and Rufus. “Why do you keep turning around?”
“I didn’t turn around,” shouted another giant. “You two got in front of me somehow!”
“There’s got to be a misdirection spell,” said a third, and Lena felt her body go cold. “That must be how the humans are hiding the Spark from us. Maybe we can overpower it?”
She bit her lip, even as Rufus slunk nervously to the side and out of the clearing created by the flying trees. If they went to rescue the knight, and the giants found a way to break the Cursed City’s protective spell, the whole city could be destroyed before they got back.
But if she didn’t help the Last Knight escape, the Golden King might turn him into a statue!
The guilt over causing all these problems for her friends felt like a wave, crashing over her head again and again until she couldn’t breathe, but she had to push past that: the longer she took to figure out what to do, the more likely it was that she’d be too late for either choice. She needed to do something. But what?
Don’t you worry, I can take care of all of this, the knight had said. And even if Jin had brought him back to the Golden King’s castle, the knight would still have his “I” sword, which he was always bragging could turn him invisible or make him move really fast. She didn’t exactly get it, but supposedly it’d come from some magical queen or another.
But even if he didn’t have his sword, Lena knew what he would tell her to do: save the Cursed City first, no matter what happened to him. Because that was just who the Last Knight was.
Ironic, since he absolutely hated being called that name to begin with and always told her to call him by his real name. She still found it awkward, calling him—
The ground rumbled again, interrupting her thoughts, and she shook her head, knowing what she had to do now. “Okay, little man,” she said to Rufus as the giants oriented themselves back toward the Cursed City and set about trying to break the spell. “We’re going to go back to Mrs. Hubbard in a moment, okay? We have to warn everyone in the city.”
“And treats!” Rufus said, looking up at her with excitement in his eyes. “Treats for all!”
“Let’s hope so,” she said. “But before we go, there’s something I need to grab from the cave here. Mrs. Hubbard said the Last Knight had it with him, so let’s hope she was right.”
CHAPTER 28
A man in silver armor holding a familiar-looking crystal-like sword appeared in the middle of the Golden King’s throne room, and though he had his helmet’s visor down, Jin could still tell the Last Knight seemed disoriented, at least more so than when he’d last appeared in the king’s castle.
Of course this time he wasn’t here by choice… and was here in person, instead of just his image.
Out of curiosity, Jin looked past the Last Knight’s armor to the magic within, only… he couldn’t find it. Was the armor itself deflecting his senses somehow? Or was there something else that Jin was missing?
“Ah, Your Majesty,” the Last Knight said to the Golden King, bowing low. He straightened up, then aimed his translucent sword directly at the king, and it began to swirl with some sort of black light. “I see you missed having me around. Honestly, it was nice of you to bring me all the way here, even if you could have just sent a message, and I’d have come right over. It does seem like the time to end this little war we’ve been having, doesn’t it?” The playful tone dropped from his voice, and he stepped closer to the king. “Now, give me the twins.”
“Genie!” the Golden King shouted, holding his golden glove up toward the knight. “You were supposed to bring him here captured, in chains!”
“Oh, whoops, was I?” Jin said, slowly smiling. “You didn’t mention that the most recent time you wished for it. Anyway, you’ve got one wish left if you want me to throw him in chains, though!”
“Don’t bother wasting that wish,” the knight said, after briefly glancing at Jin. “It won’t help you.”
And then he disappeared. Or he would have, if Jin had normal, human vision. Instead, Jin watched as the knight moved too fast for a human to follow, almost leaping between seconds, to sweep over to the king and put his sword to the man’s throat, slowing back down as he did.
“Oh, this feels familiar!” the knight said, the sword getting even darker now.
“What… release me!” the Golden King shouted, his face pale with fear against his golden clothes. He tried to grab for the sword with his gloved hand, but the knight slammed his fist into the king’s shoulder, and the Golden King shouted out in pain, his arm going limp at his side.
“Really?” the Last Knight said, then laughed. “Did you think that would work, honestly?” He nodded at Jin. “This guy, huh? I’m sorry you’ve had to serve him for so long.”
