Transcription
Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Part 11.
To say the Mud Men were a surprise wouldn't quite be correct. The evidence of their existence was plentiful. First, Lucy had attempted such a thing before. Second, Lucy had entered the office covered in mud. Your honor, the prosecution rests.
Going outside, Arthur was unsurprised to find the rest of the children standing next to Lionus, his hands on his hips, head cocked as he frowned at the sight before him. Lucy pacing, jabbering away at a mile a minute, hands thrown up as he moved back and forth. It was quite the sight to see, especially when Lucy stopped his explanation to shore up the left leg of one of several six-foot mudmen.
"There," he said, pulling his hands away. "That should hold for a little while."
"You made mud men?" Lionus asked, eyes narrowed.
Miss Marble Moff started coughing roughly when the mud man looked down at Lucy and said, "Mud?"
"That's exactly right, Janet." Lucy said, "Papa is being rude by not respecting your pronouns." He looked up at Lionus, shaking his head. "For shame, Papa. Janet is a mudwoman. Barry and Turnup are mud men."
"Mud?" Janet said, voice thick and wet.
Mud, mud, mud, Barry said.
I say chaps, Turnup said, facing, face running with filth. There I was, lying in my bog, minding my own business with the worms and microbes, when all of a sudden I found myself tall and thinking of things I can't quite explain. What is happiness?
A piece of his head slopped off onto the ground with a wet splat.
"I love you, Turnup," Lucy said, swaying side to side.
"This is unacceptable," Miss Marble Moss snapped, pushing her way through the children. "You can't just give dirt life."
"Actually," Talia said. "Dirt is teeming with life, so you can trust me on that because I'm an expert."
"That's right," Fee said. "Everything has life in it," she sneezed. Strangely, it sounded like, "Except Dcomi Inspectors."
"Semantics," Miss Marble Mos said with a ferocious glower. "I can't believe I have to be the voice of reason here. Can't you see how how blasphemous this is?"
"Your definition of blasphemy is very different from ours," Talia said.
"That's an understatement," S said.
"You're they're just mud," Chanty said, gazing adoringly up at Barry, who poked his own face. Muddy fingers slinking all the way in.
"There's nothing wrong with mud. There is when it's given sentience," Miss Marble Maw retorted. She glared at Arthur. "Are you just going to stand there and let this happen? For someone who claims to want to be a father, you sure are doing everything to keep that from happening."
The fire rose again within him, insistent, furious at the temerity of this person, but it did not burn as fiercely as it had even a few days ago, which was why he said, "Madam, I am already a father. Not even one such as you can take that away from me."
"Hello there," Turnup called, looking at David. "You seem like a fine fellow. Can you help me? Why is it that a goose can be geese, but a moose can't be me?"
"No one knows," David said. In a lower voice, he whispered. "Turnup talked to me."
"I love this place. Can't I?" Miss Marblemma asked. "Because I thought that's exactly what my position allows." She pulled herself to her full height as the mud men and women stared, turned toward her. "You think yourself so smart, Mr. Parnasses, and you are, I'll give you that. However, your intelligence has blinded you to the reality of your situation. You see these children as nothing but that, children. And while they certainly are young, it is becoming abundantly clear that your control over them is nothing but an illusion. Children running a muck without supervision."
"I'll give her that," Lucy said. "I'm a muck all over the place. And that doesn't even begin to cover what you're teaching them. How could they possibly hope to have any success in life when you fill their heads with fanciful talk of a future that will never be? You are doing them a disservice. You and Miss Chapel White and Mr. Baker, you flout diccomy guidelines as if they don't pertain to you. You insist on including classroom materials and studies that aren't sanctioned. In all ways that matter, you are an employee of the department in charge of magical youth. Or have you forgotten that?"
"I haven't," Arthur said as Turnup exclaimed over the color of the sky, saying he'd never seen anything so blue.
"Thank you for bringing that up. I've been meaning to speak to you about it." Zoe squeezed his arm, a silent gesture of support. "I hereby tender my resignation as a mad master for the department in charge of magical youth."
Miss Marblemma gaped at him. "You what?"
"He quits," Lionus said, marching by her to stop in front of Arthur. "Well played, my love. Let me be the first to congratulate you on such a tremendous decision." He kissed Arthur soundly as the children hooted and hollered.
"I don't like her," Turnup said to Barry and Janet. "She reminds me of that raccoon who won't stop defecating in our swamp."
"Mud?" Barry said asked.
"I agree," Turnip said. "She might even be that raccoon in disguise. I'm not quite sure if raccoons can take human form. She certainly looks like a raccoon pretending to be human."
"Mud?" Janet said, punching a fist into her palm.
"You pooped in their swamp?" Chanty asked Miss Marble Maw. "Can I tell you a secret? I pooped in the ocean and pretended it came from a dolphin. So, don't feel too bad."
"I knew it," Fee yelled.
"You did not," Chanty yelled back.
"You can't quit," Miss Marble Moss snapped.
"Funny then that I just did that," Arthur replied. "I am not beholden to Daikcomi. None of us are."
"And that's where you're wrong," Miss Marble Mos said. She shook her head. "I've seen enough. From the moment I stepped foot on this island, all you've done is lie and obfuscate to hide the truth behind your pretty words."
"Papa?" Talia asked, tugging on his hand. "Why is Miss Marble Moff flirting with Dad? Doesn't she know he loves you almost as much as he loves us?"
"Your dad is quite the catch, Lina said. It's the socks, you see."
Miss Marble Maw's face was the color of an overripe tomato. "I'm not flirting. I'm trying to—"
"No, I won't be pulled into your ridiculous word games again. You can't trick me. None of you can. I see you for what you are. You are an infection spreading unchecked, sullying the hearts and minds of those you claim to care for, filling their heads with ridiculous nonsense. When are you going to tell them the truth? When are you finally going to be honest with the children?"
The Phoenix awoke, offended by this woman who continued to breathe their air as if she had any right to. Arthur was in control, but it was close. But the response did not come from him. It came from S.
"Honest," he said, stepping forward. Theodore growling on his shoulder. "You're going after him for honesty? Who the hell do you think you are?"
Miss Marblemma turned her head slowly toward him. "Excuse me."
"Arthur Parnasses was the first person in my life to be honest with me," Said, "He was the first person who made me believe that I could be anything I wanted to be."
"And that is a lie," Miss Marblemma retorted. "Bell hops and riders and whatever else you all think you are. Do you believe the world will accept you outside of your little bubble? If so, you're in for an extraordinarily rude awakening. No, you must know the truth."
"You can't. I'm already a bellhop," Chanty said. She blinked. "What? You said whatever we think we are," Chanty said patiently. "But I don't think I'm a bellhop. I am one at a three-star hotel."
"He's right," Sodor nodded. "Chanty's the best bellhop I've ever seen. Fee is smarter and stronger than the rest of us put together. Talia's gardens have appeared in magazines across the country. Theodore probably has the largest collection of buttons in the entire world. Lucy made mud people. Mud people? Do you know how awesome that is?"
"Ain't nothing to it," Lucy said, blowing on his knuckles and rubbing them against his chest.
"And what about David?" Miss Marble asked. "Shouldn't you talk about him?"
"Oh, wait. That's right. He's not a child, but a man, a short man who doesn't act his purported age."
"Why are you so obsessed with me?" David asked. "I mean, I get it. Look at me. I'm fluffy and a world-class actor. But still, you're going a little overboard. I'll have to call my agent and see about a restraining order."
S continued to stare at Miss Marblemma as Theodore snorted.
"How many orphanages have I been to?" Miss Marblemma blanched as she began to rifle through her pages on her clipboard. "I uh— I have it. Five."
"S. What does Lucy love most in the world?"
"I don't."
"Come on, Miss Marble M." He said, "You say you know what's best for us. So surely you know about us, right? Because knowing what's best implies you know the important things about us." And hell, I'm practically giving you this one since Lucy already mentioned it. You know it. No, the answer is dead people music. What do gnomes call their communities?"
"This is pointless."
"A donzi," Sal said, cool as gull. "Get out."
"How many languages can Theodore understand?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Four, English, Nomish, Wyvern, and Spanish. And how about Chanty?"
"I have many secrets," Chanty said.
"How many books did he read about the art of being a bellhop?"
"67."
"What's Fe's favorite kind of tree?"
"Dragon blood. Because they have red pitch and originally only grew in Yemen and along the Arabian Sea," Fee said. "I'm going to try and grow one here. They look so creepy. I love it."
"You ever get the feeling you become sentient right in the middle of something?" Turnup whispered to Barry and Janet, who both nodded.
"You don't know the first thing about us, S. You claim to, but you don't. Even when you first met us, you tried to get us to say something we didn't like about living here. You showed your hand before you even knew the game had started."
"This isn't a game," Miss Marble Mos said.
"Then stop treating us like pawns on a chessboard," S countered. "You were never going to let us stay here. Admit it. You talk of honesty, but you don't know the first thing about it."
"Oh snap," Lucy said. "Felt that right in my chest."
"I know enough," Miss Marble Mos said. "More than you to be sure. You are a child and don't know any better, so it's to be expected."
"Okay, Fee said. So we're kids. Why have you never asked what we want?"
"Because," Miss Marble Ma said condescending and smug. "You can't know. You are far too young to understand the ramifications of being abused."
S asked, "Getting locked in a room without food or access to a toilet? Finding a way to sneak out to try and get something to eat only to be slapped across the face for doing so? Biting my attacker because I was scared? Being told that I was a monster for spreading my magic? Being forced to stay in my shift and wear a muzzle. Tell me, Miss Marblemma, tell me what I'm too young to understand. Tell me exactly what I'm missing. Because all I see is a person trying to take us away from the only place we've ever felt safe."
"Because you don't know any better," Miss Marblemma cried. "This place, this farce is not the real world. There is nothing. This is nothing but an illusion created by a man with a personal vendetta. What happens when you age out? Do you really think you'll be prepared for what you find in the real world?"
S shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, I know I'll always have a home to come back to."
"Take us right now. See what happens when you try." Miss Marblema took a step back, only to bump into Turnup, who said, "Pardon me, ma'am. Got some of me on your back." She jumped at least three feet in the air. She craned her neck to see her mud-coated back spinning in a slow circle. She must have realized she still had an audience because she whipped back around to face them.
"It won't only be me," she said. "Not here, not now, but soon. That's a promise. And there's nowhere you can run that we won't find you."
"I've had quite enough," Arthur said, stepping forward. "Lucy, be a dear, would you? I'd like all of Miss Marble Moss's possessions brought from the guest house. Her time with us has been cut short, and she will be departing immediately."
"I'm not going anywhere," she snarled. "I'm here until Wednesday, whether you like it or not."
Lucy said, "Ella Fitzgerald, Skippy Bip." The front door to the guest house burst open, and Miss Marblem's suitcase and metal briefcase came rolling out, tumbling end over end, kicking up dust and bits of grass. They came to a stop next to the inspector, who ignored them. Her gaze trained firmly on Arthur. "This won't end well for you. Surely you see that."
Arthur tilted his head. "So I've been told my entire life, and here I am, still standing." He spread his arms on either side of him. "You want to take from me? See how far you get. I am many things, a man, a phoenix, pawn, survivor, husband to be, former master. Those pale in comparison to the title I hold above all else."
"And what's that?" Miss Marblemma asked, a nasty curl to her voice.
"A father," Arthur said, "and you have caused my children distress, fear, and pain. I warned you when you arrived. What would happen if you didn't abide by my rules? You chose not to listen. Now it's time to reap your just rewards."
"You have no authority over me," Miss Marblem said coldly. "Even if you somehow force me from Marcias, I will return in greater numbers. And by hook or by crook, your dream will die in death. The death it should have mercifully received years ago."
"By crook," Lionus said honestly. "It's as if she doesn't hear herself," Arthur replied. "We certainly heard her, didn't we?"
"That we did." Zoe glanced at Miss Marble Maw and beyond. "Turnip, would you like to help? It's okay to say no if you don't want to."
"What would you have of me, your majesty?" Turnup asked, bowing low. Barry and Janet did the same, dripping bits of themselves onto the ground.
"Majesty," Miss Marblemma exclaimed. "She's nothing but a sprite."
"Harriot Marblemma has come to our home with nefarious designs," Zoe said. "It's high time. She departed. Take her to the docks."
"Verryy Janet, please grab her belongings and follow me." Miss Marblemod didn't have time to escape before Turnup wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground. She bellowed furiously, kicking her legs to no avail. Turnup's hold on her was far stronger than she could ever be. Janet picked up the metal briefcase and Barry hoisted the suitcase.
"Children," Lionus said, "Let's go see about your afternoon snack, shall we?"
"Everyone waved goodbye to Miss Marble M."
"I'd like Lucy to come with us," Arthur said, "just in case."
"Yep, yep," Lucy said, rushing past Arthur to catch up with the mud people and Zoe.
"Miss Marblemoth threatening anyway anything and every thing?"
Arthur nodded at Lionus as he herded the other children toward the house, all of them talking excitedly. The mud people proved to be light on their feet, strides long and sure. However, Arthur noticed that if they got too far ahead of Zoe, not Lucy, they'd slow down, letting her catch up.
"Your majesty," Turnip had said. He knew somehow he knew. Be it the magic of the island itself, or the light that emanated from Zoey Chapel White, somehow Turnip knew what Arthur himself had only learned shortly shortly before.
Miss Marblemma continued her threats as they made their way down the winding dirt road, Lucy picking up piles of mud that had fallen off his creations and slapping it back on while jogging to keep pace. By the time they reached the docks, the salt road to the mainland had already formed. Nearly two miles of solid ground around across the sea. As he reached the end of the dock, Turnup carefully set Miss Marblemma on the road. She reached up to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist mid-flight, leaning over the dock as he pulled her closer.
"I do not like being struck," he said before letting her go. She stumbled onto the road, the salt creaking beneath her feet. Barry and Janet tossed her belongings after her. They skittered a few feet away onto the road. The briefcase almost falling into the ocean as Arthur and Lucy joined them.
"You have made a grave mistake," Miss Marble Moff said, raising a trembling finger toward Zoe. "People will suffer because of your war against decency."
Lucy cocked his head as he looked down at her. "Why do you hate us so much? What did we ever do to you?"
She scoffed. "Hate? Hate? It's not about hate. It's about ensuring the future of humanity, something you are destined to destroy. She took a step toward the dock. Lucy didn't blink. You, boy, surely you see that. In that withering husk you call a soul, you know as well as I do that it's only a matter of time before you decide to install yourself as the supreme ruler."
Lucy laughed. "Why be supreme when you could listen to the supremes instead?" His shoulders and hips began to wiggle. "Stop in the name of love before you break my heart. Think it o over." He bowed. Zoe and Arthur and the mud people applauded. Miss Marblem did not. She growled and attempted to climb back up onto the dock, only to have Zoe wave her hand, sending her sliding back along the road. She stood with Turnup, Janet, and Barry on either side of her.
"Harriot Marble Maw," she said, voice deep. "You are hereby banished from Marcus Island. No longer will you be able to step foot on our slow shores." She lifted her hands near Tipup's mouth, wings fluttering. "Spit, please."
Turnip did as asked, spitting a glob of mud into Zoe's hand. She closed her fingers around it, and when she opened her hand once more, a small seashell sat on her palm, orange and white. Bringing her hand to her face, she blew on the shell. The surface rippled before it hurtled from her hand toward Miss Marblewma. The shell struck the inspector in the forehead, sinking into her skull. She blinked once, twice, three times, dazed, eyes unfocused. The shell reappeared out the back of her head and disintegrated, the powder blowing away on the wind.
"With that," Zoe said, "you will be unable to come to our island again. You have 45 minutes until the salt road collapses back into the sea. If I were you, I'd make use of that time. Unless you feel like going for a swim."
Miss Marblemma did not listen. As if she had all the time in the world, she pulled herself upright, smoothed out her clothes, and then attempted to climb up the side of the dock. The moment she touched a support post, she snatched her hand back as if it burned. She tried again. Same result. Zoe crouched down on the dock above her.
"Banished permanently. Any attempt to breach the island will result in unimaginable pain. You may think you can push through it, but let me assure you that wouldn't be in your best interest. You'd be dead before you stood on my sands. The government will."
"43 minutes," Zoe said. "Tick-tock." The last they saw of Miss Marblemma Maw was when she picked up her luggage and began marching down the road. They waved. Miss Marblemma did not wave back. Eventually, she was nothing but a smudge on the horizon.
"Lucy," Zoe said. "I think it's time we let the mud people go."
"But why?" Lucy said. "I love them."
"Mud," Janet said, cupping his cheek with one hand. "And we love you," Turnup said. "In my short, albeit eventful life, I have seen things that defy imagination. For example, why is your mud pink and not wet? Do not tell me. I wish to ponder this until I arrive at an answer." He turned toward Zoe and bowed, "Your majesty, the mud has proven its loyalty. We ask that you allow us to live in the forest. Janet, Barry, and I will tend to the bogs and swamps, and they will be the muddiest in the entire world. Our gift to you."
Zoe smiled. "Perfect. I accept and with my gratitude, I hereby give you and Barry and Janet the titles of the official mud representatives of Marcaias Island. Should you require anything to see your dreams realized, all you must do is ask."
"I think I'll miss you most of all, Barry," Lucy said with a sniff. "You always know the right thing to say."
"Mud, mud, mud," Barry said.
"See, like that, brother," Turnip said, taking Barry's hand. "Sister," he grabbed Janet's hand. "It's time for the mud people to do what we do best. Create more mud. Onward. Avenger waits for us all." The mud people walked down the dock. Hitting the tree line. Turnup glanced over his shoulder. Well, he tried to glance over his shoulder, but he missed the mark and his head turned completely around.
"Lucy," he called. "Thank you for never giving up. You will always have a friend amongst the mud people." With that, they disappeared into the forest.
"Can I go visit them?" Lucy asked, wiping his eyes.
Arthur ruffled his hair. "Anytime you wish. All you must do is ask. Come, let us see what the others have gotten up to." Eyes dry, Lucy shouted, "Hooray! Can I have seven?"
"No, wait. 30 biscuits when we get home. The peanut butter kind that Lionus makes with the little fork marks on the top."
"I believe that can be arranged. You've earned it." He took off down the dock, his little feet smacking against the wood. Just when Arthur thought they'd seen the last of him without biscuits in his mouth, he stopped and turned around.
"You know," he called to them. "I always hated the word master. Maybe it's time we left it behind." And with that, he took off once more. Visions of warm biscuits undoubtedly in his mind. Zoe bursting out laughing.
"Your children."
Arthur smiled. "Aren't they wonderful?" He extended his arm toward her. "Your majesty."
She punched him gently on the biceps. "Shut it, Parnasses. Call me that again, and I'll banish you."
"I believe that." She took his proferred arm.
Chapter 15.
Word spread and spread quickly about the banishment of the Dcomi inspector from Marcias Island. This was not unexpected. Arthur, Lionus, and Zoe thought that would be the case. Regardless of the shroud of silence the government believed it acted under, it was not immune to springing a leak. A small one, but in Arthur's estimation, it functioned as a crack in a great stone dam, a weakness that would only grow stronger. He wondered if it had been Dorene Bodwell's doing, wherever and whoever she was. As such, reporters returned to the village with a vengeance, all but demanding access to the island. Per Helen, Merurl flatout refused to ferry anyone across, saying the children had had enough interruption. The Baker Parnasses family had emerged victorious over Miss Marblemaw, but it was a temporary win. Routder had shown she was willing to do anything to get her claws on Lucy. She wouldn't let Miss Marblem's banishment stop her. With such a thing hanging over them, Arthur thought the mood on the island would be muted, heavy. It was anything but. The children, the children, bless them, were proud, excited, full of vim and vigor, the likes of which Arthur hadn't seen before. In the days that followed the departure of the inspector, summer-warm mornings and afternoons seemed endless, the children spreading their wings, the paw of the diccomy inspections falling away. They laughed and ran and learned and played and created and made comments that would cause even the heartiest men to shiver. Chanty asked if he could clean the guest house as practice for the hotel. Lionus volunteered to help only to have the blobby boy ask if he was trying to get him fired. Lionus was not and therefore agreed to let Chanty handle it on his own. Theodore nearly wept when Lionus returned a familiar brass button, taking it gently in his claws. He immediately went to his horde under the couch, tail sticking out and thumping against the floor as he chirped and clicked happily to himself. Talia, ever the hard worker, decided that the scene on the dock needed to be replicated in shrubbery form. She spent the weekend growing and molding the bushes until she got them exactly as Lucy described. Granted, she only had Lucy's telling to go on, so Arthur was not surprised when she revealed her work, only to have the shrub version of Lucy eating Miss Marblem, bits of leaves and sticks poking out of his shrubbery, shrubby mouth. It was quite the sight, and everyone agreed it was the best bit of garden art they'd ever had the pleasure to witness. Fee and Arthur took to the skies, a sprite and a phoenix crisscrossing high above the island. Before long, they were joined by Theodore, who alighted upon the phoenix's back, laughing in that lovely way he had, tilting his head back, he let loose a stream of green fire, and Fee swirled around it, her wings glinting in the sunlight. Salah decided he wanted to learn more about the day-to-day operations of the island. Joining Arthur in his office, they poured over records and books. S learning about the significant investments Arthur had made over the years with the monies he'd been awarded and everything else needed to keep the island well afloat. S kept Arthur on his toes with clever questions. And as they worked late into the night, S asked if they could keep going for just a little longer. Who was Arthur to refuse? David was as relaxed as Arthur had ever seen him. The few days before the inspector had arrived, had only offered them glimpses into the yeti. Now that she was gone, he blossomed even more. An inquisitive boy with a mind like a steel trap. Nothing got by him, and they spent a glorious afternoon watching David carve an ice sculpture with nothing but his claws. Granted, he did so as part of a play he'd written, directed, and starred in. A bittersweet tale of an ice sculptor/retired master thief who gets involved in one last job. The play itself was breathtaking, full of twists and turns. The true villain, greed, and when David finished, thunderous applause followed, none louder than Arthur's. Lucy was the exception, proving to be quieter than normal. When asked if anything was amiss, he was quick with a smile and an off-color joke. But Arthur, who perhaps knew him best, wasn't fooled. He kept a close eye on Lucy, making sure he was ready and available if and when his son decided to give voice to his thoughts. It felt like healing in a way this for all of them. None were so foolish as to think they'd heard the last of Daikcomi. But in the days following Miss Marble Maw's banishment, a peace returned to the islands that had gone missing these last weeks. The suffocating weight of her presence receded like the waves listening to the moon. Arthur and Lionus themselves kept busy, one eye trained on the horizon, watching, waiting. Zoe spent her days navigating the shores of the island from dusk until dawn. When S asked what she was doing one evening as she was visiting him in his room, she replied, "Relearning, listening, planning." Arthur stood outside S's room, a tea tray in his hands, not yet having made himself known.
"Lucy said, 'Turnup called you your majesty'," S said.
Zoe hesitated, but it was brief. "Yes, he did."
"Of all the questions S could have asked, 'What, how, why?' He went in a direction Arthur should have expected, especially from S. 'Is that what you want?'"
Zoe said, "I then for centuries I've hidden myself away. I've allowed my anger to define me, to mire me in cynicism. It wasn't until," she chuckled quietly. "It wasn't until your dad came back that I realized I wasn't living. I was in stasis, frozen. And he brought the fire."
"S murmured. He did," Zoe agreed. "But it was more than that. He brought all of you. And I finally understood what life was supposed to be like. Color, joy, togetherness, knowing people are there to have your back even when you're at my your darkest."
"You haven't answered my question."
"No, I don't suppose I have. And even yesterday, I don't know what answer I'd have given you. Being forced to hide changes us in ways we don't always realize. But that time is over now. For you, for the other children, for Lionus and Arthur, for Helen, and for myself, too. I needed healing the same as you. Though our history is different. I don't know that I'm quite there yet, and maybe I'll never be, but that doesn't mean I can't try. And I'm going to be going to because you have all taught me how."
"We had a pretty good teacher," S said. And as Zoe laughed, Arthur closed his eyes and smiled.
The end, for it could not be described as anything but, came on an early Sunday afternoon toward the end of June in the tiny seaside village of Marcias. Deciding they needed a day in town after surviving the previous day's adventures, Talia's turn and she'd wanted to rehome the group of feral pixies who had been eating their village through her garden. They piled into the van for a day in the village, the children's pockets full of their allowance, waiting to be spent on whatever caught their eye. The group of reporters immediately swarmed them as the Baker Parnasses van drove off the salt road onto the beach. Cameras flashed and shuddered. Questions shouted, most asking if there was any truth to the rumor that Arthur Parnasses and Lionus Baker had defied the will of Daikcomi. David slid open the nearest window, leaned his head out, and roared loudly. The reporters scattered as the children laughed hysterically.
"See," David said. "Scared them, but didn't hurt them. It's not that hard."
"That you did," Lionus said. "Well done, you." David preened as the others reached over to the seat to pat him on the shoulder. Given the events of the past few weeks, Arthur and Lionus didn't let them separate as they normally did. Instead, they parked behind Helen's shop, Zoe and Helen inside, where they'd meet up later for lunch, and moved as a single group, the children leading the way. The reporters kept their distance, obviously wary, but that didn't stop them from following the family around town, taking picture after picture. Talia and Lucy posing dramatically. Every now and then, one would shout a question, but it always went ignored. They weren't allowed to follow the group into any of the shops. The staff locking the doors behind them, letting the family peruse at their leisure. It was a good day, a quiet day, a day they all needed without even realizing it. The sun was bright, the sidewalks crowded, people laughing and waving as they shopped or headed for the beach. Before they headed to Jbone shop, he'd apparently found a rare copy of Elvis Presley music, a demo with the songs "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heart Ache Begins." Lucy had practically lost his mind when JBone called him.
Arthur stopped at the ferryman's dock. "Ohoy." The others gathered behind him a moment.
"Mr. He smiled. Hello, my good sir. How be the seas?"
"Good and calm," Merl called down. "Need a ride back?" He scowled at the reporters gathered at the end of the dock. "They bothering you."
"Won't be that won't be necessary," Arthur said. "And we're not ready to return quite yet. But when we are, I think I'd like to trip on your ferry a trip on your ferry if you have the time."
"For you, I have the time." He peered down at them once more. "And the kiddos, they all well."
"I made mud people," Lucy exclaimed.
"And now they live in the forest," Merurl shrugged. "Don't know about all that, but good for you," he frowned. "If you don't need a ride back and you don't want me to deal with the vultures, what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to say thank you," Arthur said. "It's a long time in coming, and you have my most sincere apologies for not seeking you out sooner."
Merl reared back, gripping the railing. "You want to thank me? What the hell for?"
"That I do," Arthur said. "I've heard you've been very particular as to whom you gave passage to the island. Without you, I fear we might have been overrun. Your kindness has not gone unnoticed, and for that, you have our gratitude."
Merl spat over the railing into the ocean. "Yeah, well, your kids aren't as scary as some people make them out to be. Why, I've never been frightened of them in my life."
"Oh, boy," Lionus muttered.
"Duly noted," Arthur said. "And with that, we're off. We'll return later this afternoon. Come, children. I expect Jbone isn't a man who appreciates being kept waiting."
"I doubt he even knows what time it is," Fee whispered to S. "Think we can get the machete this time?"
"He says he's the best at crazy aids," S whispers back. Whispered back. "So yeah, we're going to get that machete, right, bud?" Theodore spread his wings and agreed that the machete was all but theirs. They walked down the main thoroughfare of the village toward the record shop, David and Lucy leading the way. As they came to a stop at an intersection, a small crowd of vacationers amassed around them, all heading in the same direction. No one whispered about the children, nor did anyone look down upon them with anything but amusement, even as reporters, still keeping a somewhat respectful distance, continued to shout questions, their cameras clicking and flashing. A boxy van filled with frozen treats pulled through the light, tiny music streaming from the speaker attached above the windshield.
"Fee!" one of the reporters shouted as cars moved through the intersection. "Who are you wearing?"
Fee rolled her eyes and said, "What a weird question to ask a kid. I'm wearing clothes from my bedroom. Obviously."
"It's hard being famous," Talia said with a sniff. "Why can't they realize that celebrities are people, too? I have dreams and feelings just like everyone else."
"This must be how Jesus felt before they put him on the cross," Lucy said, surrounded by paparazzi and sex workers.
"I beg your pardon," Lionus said with a frown.
Lucy tilted his head back to look up at Lionus. "I didn't make that up. It's in the Bible. Like for a book about God and trying not to sin. There's a lot of stuff in there that makes me look like an angel. For example, Lot's daughter wanted to have a kid of her own, so she got her father drunken."
Lionus covered Lucy's mouth with his hand as the strangers around them snorted in laughter. "I think that's quite enough. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but we might need to consider removing all Bibles from the island. Too many things in its pages children should not have access to."
Lucy's eyes filled with red as he pulled his head away. "We could have a good old-fashioned book burning."
"Something to consider," Lionus agreed. "But we'll talk about it at home. For now, let's focus on Ah, the light has changed. Onward."
David stepped off the sidewalk first, glancing back over his shoulder to say something to Lucy. He didn't get far before Lucy's arm shot out, keeping David back. David almost fell, tripping over the curb as the other vacationers moved on around them.
"Why did you do that?" Lucy ignored him. He took a deep breath. He took a step down the sidewalk, head cocked. Arthur tried to see what he was looking at, but all he saw was the road leading out of town toward the train station. Dunes of white sand rose like shifting hills. Marram grass swaying in the salty breeze. It looked the same as it always did as far as Arthur could tell. And then in the distance a flash of light as if the sun had reflected off something metal or glass. A black smudge appeared on the horizon followed by another and then another and then another. At least a dozen in all, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt, giving the appearance of an approaching storm.
"Arthur," he heard Lionus ask from somewhere behind him. "What is it?"
"They're coming," Lucy whispered. That broke Arthur from his stupor. He scooped up Lucy in his arms, taking a step back. He startled when he bumped into someone whirling around. Lionus stood there, hands on his hips. "What's happened? You look as if you've seen a ghost."
"Dcomi," he said as the rumble of approaching engines grew louder. "They're here."
Lionus didn't hesitate. He turned toward the others. "Change of plans," he said quickly. "Back to the van, children. We'll come to the village another day."
"What's going on?" Fee asked, standing on her tiptoes as she tried to see what Lucy and Arthur had. "I thought we were going to the record store."
"We were," Lionus said gently but firmly, pushing the children back the way they'd come. "However, something has come up that needs our immediate attention. We'll return to the village another day. You have my—" And then they were surrounded by a different set of black sedans, ones they hadn't noticed approaching with large sharp tail fins and metallic grills that looked like gaping mouths filled with fans fangs. They screeched to a halt on the street in front of them. Two from the left and two from the right. The doors flew open and large burly men climbed out dressed in black suits with white dress shirts and black ties. Each wore a pair of glasses, sunglasses, the lenses mirrored. On their right biceps, a white armband with the word DICCOMI printed around it. Leaving their car doors open, the men didn't approach. Instead, they formed a semicircle around Arthur, Lionus, and the children, their arms behind their backs as they stood at parade rest. None of them spoke.
"What are they doing?" Chanty said, sounding worried. "Are they going to take us?"
"Let them try," Fee said in a low voice.
"What is the meaning of this?" Lionus demanded, stepping in front of the children. "Who are you?"
Silence only broken by the sound of approaching engines. A persistent buzzing like a hive of furious wasps. In the shops around them, people peered out through the windows. Beyond the men, more people stepped off the sidewalk and stared in their direction, including the gaggle of reporters. They tried to get closer, only to have two of the men break off from the semicircle to stand in front of them, arms folded. The reporters shouted questions, but the men did not answer, nor did they move.
"You there!" Lionus snapped, stepping toward the closest man. Arthur could see Lionus's reflection in the man's sunglasses, his face stretched as if on the surface of a bubble. "Explain yourselves."
Rather than answering, the man lifted a finger to his ear, waited a beat, then said, "Yes, ma'am. We have them." He paused. Then, "Understood." He dropped his hand and stared straight ahead.
"Now see here," Lionus said sternly. "I don't know who you think you are, but it's quite rude to appear out of nowhere and harass citizens going about their day. I suggest you remove yourselves immediately."
The man said nothing. "Bloody gits," Lionus muttered, turning around and stomping back to the sidewalk. "All of the— How dare they? We were going to the record shop. That's it. We've done nothing wrong, and I refuse to allow anyone to suggest otherwise." When he reached Arthur, still holding on to Lucy, he didn't face the men surrounding them. Instead, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Arthur, facing the opposite direction. In a low voice, he said, "It's almost time."
"I know," Arthur murmured, the sound of the engines getting louder and louder.
"Still, I'm frightened."
"I am too," Lionus said. "But we are not letting them win. We must have hope because hope is the thing with feathers," Arthur whispered.
Lionus surprised him then, and Arthur loved him more than he could put into words. "That perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson."
"Yes, Arthur. It never stops," he puffed out his chest. "You hear that?" he called to the men around them. "It never stops."
The children gathered closer as the other vehicles approached, and Arthur could barely keep himself from snatching them all up and taking to the sky in a tornado of fire. David hid behind S and Theodore, both of them glaring at the men before them. Talia and Fee stood on either side of Chanty, each holding one of his tentacles. Lucy lifted his head from Arthur's shoulder, frowning.
"Do you feel that?" he asked Arthur.
"What?" Arthur asked.
Lucy shook his head. "I don't know. It's empty."
Before Arthur could ask for clarification, the oncoming vehicles reached the intersection and stopped. At least a dozen in all. The sedans were uniform, black with silver door handles and little flags attached to the front on either side of the hood. Only one car was different. Fifth in line. It was white with heavily tinted windows. A man wearing the same suit as the others climbed out of the driver's seat and without looking at them went to the rear passenger door. He opened it and a short pale leg poked out, the foot wrapped in a sensible heel. When Janine Routder stood upright, blinking against the bright sunlight, Arthur felt the phoenix lift its head in his chest, eyes narrowed. While still not as strong as it had been before the explosion above the island, it was champing at the bit to get at her, to blacken her skin until it cracked and broke off. Arthur won out but barely. Router wasn't dressed as if she were on vacation in a tropical paradise. Instead, she wore a mauve pants suit, her coat unbuttoned, revealing a white blouse underneath. Tilting her head toward the driver, she listened intently as he spoke quietly. When he finished, she didn't reply, merely nodding her head. The other passenger door opened and Harriet Marblema Maw climbed out. It appeared she had somehow freed her upper lip from the mustache Lucy had gifted her in Arthur's approximation she'd done herself no favors.
"Boo!" The children bellowed at the side of her. Marble Maw glared at them, her lip twitching into a sneer.
Router's heels clicked and clacked against the pavement as she walked down the street past the vehicles. Her steps were careful. She moved as if she had all the time in the world, and the outcome had already been decided. When she stepped out into the intersection and saw the reporters behind behind, held back by two of her men, Routder shook her head.
"The press, Parnasses, really? I would have thought you'd want nothing to do with them, especially after the coverage you received from the hearing."
"Last I checked," Arthur said evenly. "They're allowed to gather same as anyone else. Unless, of course, the government has decided to interfere with journalistic freedom."
Most people came into the street. More people came into the streets, pouring from the shops and the restaurants, all of them eyeing the government officials wearily. Parents held their children close. Friends whispered behind their hands. Vacationers, residents, human and not all gathering into a rumbling crowd. He recognized some, but not all. Merl, rubbing his dirty hands with an even dirtier rag. Martin Smi, Helen's nephew, who had once attempted to exercise Lucy in a locked room, now glaring at the backs of the officials. Mr. Swanson, Chanty's boss and idol, a bellhop of great renown, followed by the hotel's cleaning staff, the cooks, the concierge, the managers, the desk attendants, the maintenance workers. Jbone, wearing a tie-dyed shirt with lettering on the front that proclaimed, "Don't panic. It's organic." Employees of the businesses, the ice cream parlor, the restaurants, the bookstore, the library, the antique shop owner, the mechanics who'd once worked on the van after Talia accidentally grew flowers through the engine. It's performance art. Magical people, a family of banshees, their hair white as snow. Two brunies, short elf-like creatures with crinkly smiles and wisened eyes. A trio of niads, water nymphs, towels wrapped around their torsos. A dryad, a slender, tall fellow made of aspen with a crown of yellow leaves that grew from branches not dissimilar to antlers. He carried a metal detector along with a tote bag that read, "Beach better have my money."
Router eyed them all with barely disguised disdain. "Disperse," she said loudly. "This is official government business. It does not concern you. Go about your day."
"We are," Jbone called out. "This is the time of day when we all come outside and bask in the glory that is the village of Marcias."
"That's right," Mr. Swanson said, crossing his arms. The master bellhop cut an imposing figure. "Coming outside to enjoy everything our home has to offer. Isn't that right, lads?" His co-workers nodded behind him. Merl spat on the ground. "And it's our right to peacefully assemble where we see fit. It's the law."
Router's eyes narrowed briefly before she smiled a politician smile, condescending, knowing and more than a little smarmy. "If that's how it's going to be, fine." Raising her voice so it carried over the crowd, she said, "My name is Janine Routder. I am the interim head of the department in charge of magical youth and adults. I am here to complete the inspection of the Marsas Island Orphanage. Please do keep in mind that if anyone decides to hinder me, they'll be arrested immediately and charged with whatever I can think of up to and including interfering with a government official, which carries a hefty fine and potential imprisonment."
Silence only interrupted by the call of seabirds.
"Now then," Routder said, turning back toward Arthur, Lionus, and the children. "Mr. Parnasses, Mr. Baker." She tilted her head in an approximation of a bow. "I'll make this as simple as I can." She held out her hand, snapping her fingers. Marblemma hurried toward her, pulling out a folder from her coat, handing it over. Router snatched it from her without acknowledgement. "In my hand, I hold—"
An order. This order, based upon the report from Inspector Harriet Marblema and signed by me, mandates that you, upon receipt of said order, remand the children known as Lucifer, Talia, Chanty, Fee, Theodore, and S into the custody of Daikcomi.
"No, thank you," Chanty said.
"If you would like to challenge the validity of the order to the courts," Router continued, "you have 30 days to do so in writing. In the meantime, the children will be moved into foster care until permanent accommodations can be made."
Arthur said, "No."
"Non plus," Router replied. "No. Unfortunately, you do not get to say no, Mr. Parnasses. From all I've heard from the inspector, the children are not safe in your hands. Not only is the island apparently run without structure or purpose, you continue to ignore the requirements of someone who is employed by Dcomi."
"I am no longer employed by Daikcomi," Arthur said. "Surely you received my letter of resignation sent after Miss Marblemma left the island."
"I didn't leave," Miss Marble Mos snapped. "I was threatened and then forcibly removed."
"Actually," Lionus said, "you were permanently banished after you declined to follow the rules we have in place at our home. Semantics, to be sure, but a formal former employee of Daikcomi, I know management can be a stickler for details. Be that as it may," Routder said, speaking around rather than to them, "until we can be sure that Arthur Parnasses and Lionus Baker aren't harming and/or weaponizing children, we'll do what we must to protect the populace."
She smiled down at the children. "There's nothing to be afraid of. We'll be going on a train trip to the city. Won't that be fun?"
"We don't talk to strangers," Chanty said. "Even if they offer us candy, because Dad and Papa said that's how they'll get you."
The skin under Router's left eye twitched. "But I'm not a stranger. My name is Janine Routder. I work for the government. I'm here to be your friend."
"See something? Say something," Arthur said coldly.
Routder cracked. And though she covered it up quickly, Arthur saw the flash of anger, black and severe. She was on edge, and Arthur thought it had nothing to do with him or Lionus. When she smiled again, Arthur couldn't stop himself from taking a step back. She looked like a predator on the prowl.
"Yes," she said. "Funny you should mention that. Did you ever hear who came up with that particular bowont?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "An intern. An unpaid one, even. Why am I bringing this up now? Let me tell you." She looked at each of the children in turn, then Lionus, and then Arthur.
"Have you ever wondered why these children, why out of every magical child in the world, you were given these six?"
"Because they needed a home," Arthur said. Exactly what he'd said when asked the very same question in the hearing.
"It was a test," Router said with no small amount of glee. "An experiment, one in which you were all subjects. The purpose of said experiment was to see if the antichrist was capable of learning from others, and what that would look like. All of this, your entire lives, cooked up by a middle manager during a quarterly meeting upon receipt of your written request. Nothing more, nothing less."
"I knew I was famous," Lucy crowed.
"We're never going to hear the end of this," Talia muttered.
Arthur paused, cocking his head. Then, "Oh, well, thank you."
Router stared at him. "Come again."
"There appears to have been an unintended result from the experiment. I seem to have found myself with a family."
"Children, please thank Miss Router and the government for bringing us together."
"Thank you, Miss Router and the government," the children all said at the same time, "neat as you please."
"More games, Mr. Parnasses?" Router asked, red spreading across her cheeks. "I should have known you'd."
"Why do you want me?" Lucy said, and Arthur looked down to find him looking at Router.
Routder flinched, glancing around at the large men standing on either side of her. Once she was certain she wasn't alone. She smiled at Lucy. "You are very special. There is no one like you in all the world."
He shrugged. "There's no other Talia or Chanty or David or S or Theodore or Fee. Why don't you care about them?"
"I do," Routder said. "But with you, it's different."
"Why?"
"Because of what you are. The Antichrist."
"Yes," she said as her men shifted uncomfortably, Marblema Ma pulling a face, the tip of her tongue sticking out between her teeth. Lucy nodded slowly, brow furrowed. Though everything in Arthur screamed to stop him, he didn't move when Lucy took a step toward her.
Given the hundreds of people standing in the streets, the near silence was extraordinary, only interrupted by the distant crash of waves. Router did her best to appear unafraid, but even she couldn't keep it hidden. Her mouth thinned, her hands trembled before she flattened them against her trousers. Her gaze darted side to side as she bumped shoulders with the men she'd brought with her. Men who undoubtedly would grab the child if and when she gave the order. But she didn't. Eyes growing wider and wider as Lucy stared up at her. The silence stretched on for ages.
Then a remarkable thing happened. As Arthur looked on, Lucy bowed his head, sniffling as a single tear tracked down his cheek. When he spoke, it was soft, quiet, barely carrying beyond the semicircle around them. "I see things," he said, voice cracking. And it was then Arthur knew this wasn't for show. "I don't mean to. It just happens, I guess. Good things, like knowing my dad was a phoenix before he told us. I knew the first time I saw him, waiting for me on the island. I knew because I saw something magical. Two sons, one in the sky and one on the beach." His eyes welled and he brushed the back of his hand over them. "But sometimes I see other things, bad things, like not the sun, the opposite, darkness, a black hole. Papa taught us about them. You can't see them with the naked eye, but even the smallest of them can suck in all the light." He looked up at her once more. "That's what I see in you. Your insides don't have light. It's all dark."
Routder laughed, but it sounded harsh, forced. She pointed at him, a long red nail at the tip of her finger. "I don't know what game you think you're playing, but I'm sorry about what happened to your dad." Router's finger began to tremble. It worked its way to her arm. Her hand, her arm, her shoulder. It was as if the very muscles under her skin had turned to tectonic plates, rumbling awake after an ancient slumber. It spread through her, and her face turned white as her bottom lip quivered.
"It shouldn't have happened," Lucy told her. "The person who hurt him didn't do it because—no, that's not fair. She had spiders in her brain and she couldn't make them sleep. It wasn't him, your dad. He didn't do anything wrong. It was an accident. She lost control of her magic. And he sighed a long, breathy thing that sounded like the wind. You get to be mad and sad and anything else because that's what it means to be human, to have."
Arthur couldn't move in time. For all that he was, he was bound to the seconds and minutes and hours, just the same as anyone else. Router's hand flew up viper quick, fingers extended and pressed together. She swung, meaning to slap Lucy across the face. Only Lucy disappeared into thin air, the momentum spinning her around, causing her to strike the man next to her in the stomach.
Lucy reappeared next to Arthur. "Holy crap," he breathed. "I can teleport." His arms went up and over his head as he jumped up and down. "Yes! Yes! This is the best day ever! I can't wait for puberty. I bet I'll be able to create universes and a delicious, happy, burnt breakfast without making a mess of either."
Arthur felt the fire in him explode. The phoenix spread its wings in his chest and screamed to be let out to end this once and for all. With all his strength, he kept the bird at bay, not wanting to give the satisfaction.
"Easy, old boy," Lionus murmured, touching the back of his hand. "And we're in the endgame now. Make no mistake, router," Arthur said, his molten fury bubbling just beneath his skin. "That near miss still counts. That is twice an employee of the department of mag in charge of magical youth has abused one of my children in the last week, and I'm done with you and your ilk. All of you."
"So David is a child?" Marble M shrieked. "I knew it! They lied! He's not a 47-year-old whose growth was stunted after being trapped between rocks for seven years."
A beat of silence and then everyone in the crowd burst into laughter. "What are you, brand new?" Jbone called. "Who would ever believe something like that?"
"Right?" Said. "What are you even talking about? Miss Marblem. David's just a kid."
"Yeah," Fee said. "We told you that a thousand times. Remember when I inked on you?" Chanty called. "That was on purpose. Ha."
"Okay. No, it wasn't. But I didn't know what else to say. So, uh, Ella Fitzgerald, scatterilly doo dippity bip."
"Whoa," Lucy whispered with stars in his eyes. "That was so righteous. Look at you, Scatman."
"Enough," Rder thundered, a vein popping in her forehead.
"Yes," Arthur said. "I quite agree. Enough. Here it is, Router. At last, an offer that you should not refuse."
"I will have the children," she snapped. "You have nothing else to give."
He nodded. "You see, that's where you're wrong. The children will not be leaving my side or the side of my husband-to-be. We are a family, you see. The Baker Parnasses."
"Bit of a mouthful," Earl said with a sniff. "Still, family discount and all that."
"My offer is this. Here now, we can make a difference. All of us together. It won't be easy, but you have my word that I will do everything in my not-so-inconsiderable power to ensure we come together in the spirit of unity and the desire for change. To break that which is already broken counts for naught. It must be rebuilt from the ground up by all of us." He looked at the people around them, the residents, the visitors, both magical and not. And to the reporters, all of whom watched breathlessly, cameras trained in their direction. "As you can see, the world is watching. What will you do?"
"You planned this?" Router whispered.
"All of it."
"Did I?" He asked. "Here I was thinking I was enjoying a day out with my family. Even if I had planned this very moment. It should come as no surprise to you. After all, I did warn you that a war against me was one you're not prepared for. Will you accept my offer?"
"Never," Router spat. "You played your part, Parnacus, and you played it well. But this fanciful future that you dream of is just that, a dream. We live in the real world where people—"
"Huh," Arthur said, glancing at Lionus. "Gave it my all."
"So you did," Lionus said with a huff. "Quite impressive, if you ask me."
"You flatter me, my dear. Though I must admit, I really thought I had her with the bit about breaking that which is already broken."
"Delivered with a finesse even the greatest orators in history wouldn't have found fault with. I myself was moved," router snarled, and the men started forward only to be met with the might of the crowd around them, people moving closer, eyes narrowed, arms folded across their chests. Mr. Swanson and Jbone moved on either side of Arthur and Lionus and the family. Merurl brought up the rear, backed by dozens of people, including Martin Smi. His aunt, one Helen Webb, appeared at Arthur's side as if by magic.
"Say the word," she whispered in his ear. "She's ready."
Arthur nodded as Mr. Swanson said, "You want them, you'll have to go through us."
"Damn right," Jbone said, people in the crowd nodding along. "You don't get to come in here and break up a family."
"You will all be arrested," Router shouted. "If you do not stand aside now, I will make it my mission to ensure this village and its inhabitants will never again know a moment's peace, especially when you're harboring monsters."
"If," Arthur said, "you won't take a proffered hand in good faith, then perhaps you'll bow before royalty."
Router gaped at him and then began to laugh. Before long, her men started to chuckle, and even Marblemma looked amused.
"Royalty?" router said, her mirth evident. "You—I know you're a phoenix, Mr. Parnasses, but it would seem being the last of your kind has given you delusions of grandeur."
"Nah, you got it all wrong," S said, stepping forward to stand next to Arthur. He leaned his elbow on his father's shoulder, resting comfortably as he crossed one shoe over the other, toe pointed against the ground, but he never looked away from router. "Dad wasn't talking about himself. See, that part's over. You had your chance." S grinned, wild and beautiful. And in it, Arthur saw the man he would become. "Now it's her turn."
She descended from above in a cascade of shimmering sparks, her wings buzzing ferociously. As her bare feet hit the ground, the pavement cracked, verdant grass shooting up. A tiny daisy sprouted between the toes of her left foot, little white petals resting against her brown skin. Zoe Chapel White was a vision. Her dress appeared to be a living oil painting. The swirling blue and green and yellow crossing along the fabric, streaking like shooting stars. Her arms and legs, hands and feet, still exposed, were covered in thin metal that looked as if it had been fashioned specifically for her. The metal itself was barely visible as dozens of multicolored seashells were stuck to it, each about the size of a button. It took Arthur a moment to see it for what it was, a suit of armor. On top of her head, white afro styled around it a crown, silver with dangling chains that hung onto the sides of her head. The top of the crown was dramatic. Ten pearl spikes rose across the front, five on either side of a large pink and white conch shell that rested in the center of the crown. In the opening of the conch shell lay a glittering cerulean blue gemstone the size of Lucy's fist.
"Holy freaking crap," Fee breathed. "Look at her."
Oh, he did. Arthur remembered the woman in the forest when he was a child. The island sprite who had hidden herself away, the woman who had come for him when he'd returned, unsure, her guilt weighing heavily upon her shoulders. The woman who had picked up a piece of sandpaper and gotten to work building a home out of the remains. The woman who had been with him every step of the way, seeing his plan come to life before his very eyes. His friend, no, his best friend, his sister, this extraordinary queen who had welcomed the children to her island with open arms. She'd laughed with them, she'd cried with them, she'd lifted them up, carried them when they could no longer walk, helped them feel alive for the first time since they could remember. And now here she was, standing tall and proud between her people and those who had deemed themselves superior.
She took a step toward Router, leaving behind a perfect imprint of grass in the shape of her foot on the street. When she spoke, her voice was clear. Crisp. "You are not welcome here."
Router recovered first, looking side to side to confirm her men hadn't fled. She nodded and cleared her throat. "And who might you be?"
"Zoe Chapel White," Marble Ma called, still standing away from them as if she knew something the others didn't. "The unregistered island sprite."
Router snorted. "Of course she is. Then Miss Chapel White, as required by law put forth by the department in charge of magical adults, you are hereby ordered to register with."
"No," Zoe said.
"Ah," Routder said, clapping her hands. "I see where the mistake came from. You thought that was a request. Rest assured, it was not. Stand aside before you do something you'll regret."
"I have many regrets," Zoe said. The colors on her dress swirling brighter and faster, the shells on her armor beginning to spin with a low whir. "But one rises above all the others." She turned in a slow circle, looking at everyone standing around her. "At least 200, with more coming every minute. We were happy," she said. "Here, all of us, my friends, my family. I was happy for thousands of years. And then we were told we were dangerous."
Silence, even from the reporters, all watching with bated breath.
"Lies!" Router cried. "Slander! If this were true, there would be documented evidence of—"
Zoe shook her head. "No, you can't deny me my history. I lived it. I don't know what game you're playing, but it won't work," Routder said shrilly. "If what you say happens, then how are you here standing before us? How is it that you, out of all the sprites, managed to escape unscathed?"
"Unscathed?" Zoe repeated. "Unscathed? I hid myself under the body of my grandmother. I held my breath when your government stood above us, checking for any signs of life. I tasted her blood on my lips. When they were distracted, I fled to the farthest reaches of my forest and closed it off behind me. I was—" It was then I made a promise to myself. I would never again concern myself with the horror that is humanity."
"Do you hear that?" Router said, raising her voice to the crowd. "That's what they think of you. Even though none of us would have been alive when this occurred, we're still supposed to pay the price of those who came before us."
"Bollocks," Lionus muttered. "Mistakes were made? Yes, of course. But that doesn't mean we're not in the right now. It's like they can't hear themselves talk."
"But life found me again," Zoe said. "And though it could be argued I was dragged, kicking and screaming, into it, my time of hiding away was over. It was then I made a new promise to myself that no matter what happened, I would do everything I could to ensure the magical people who found my shores were safe. I would do for them what was not done for me. I would give them a chance to live."
"This is all well and good," Router said, "but it changes nothing."
"It does," Zoe said, "more than you realize. My grandmother, she was the sprite queen. And since I'm the last one left, that title now falls to me. I'm Queen Zoe Chapel White." Without looking away from Router, she added, "And you are standing upon my land without my permission."
Router's eyes bulged. "Your land? Your land? Oh, that crown seems to be a little tight on your head. It's making you believe things that certainly aren't true. Here, let me clear this up for you. This is the village of Marcias. You are from the island of Marcias. There is a considerable difference."
"That's where you're wrong," Zoe said. "Have you ever wondered why the village and the island are called by the same name?"
"I don't see what that has to do with anything. You're stalling."
"They are called the same name," Zoe said, "because once Marcus was not an island. Once it was a peninsula, a single stretch of land that the sprites called home. In a last-ditch effort to keep the humans from advancing, my grandmother, one of the most powerful sprites in the world, the world has ever seen, flooded the peninsula, creating the island. They are one and the same."
"And yet you call yourself an island sprite," Router said.
Zoe cocked her head, the chains of her crown dangling next to her ear. "I lied. I'm the sprite of oceans, the queen of Marcias, and I have grown tired of your presence in our home."
"Bollocks," Marblemma bald. "If I'm banished from the islands, then that would mean I'm banished from the village."
"Yes," Zoe said. "And you will be." She smiled. "I just need to wake it up."
Suddenly, she dropped to her knees, her hands flat against the pavement. She breathed in. She breathed out. A ripple of rainbow crossing her wings. And then Arthur felt a tsunami of magic crash into him, greater than anything he'd ever felt before. It knocked the breath from his chest as every hair on his arm stood on end. The ground rumbled beneath their feet, people gasping as pavement started to crack underneath the queen's hands. But it wasn't destruction Zoe was after. Instead of the street breaking completely, a design formed on the road, the rushing lines connecting and creating a large shape that was at least 6 feet long and 3 ft wide. A nautilus sea shell carved into the pavement, curved lines creating the many chambers that made up their interior. As Zoe stood, the cracks filled with blinding white, and balls of blue light began to rise up around her. Her wings buzzed as she rose into the air, the nautilus growing brighter.
"I'm done hiding," Zoe said, her voice deep, echoing. "I'm done letting others decide who we are allowed to be. You have been warned again and again, but you do not listen. This land is not yours. It belongs to a free people, stewards, and caretakers who will ensure that the might of Marcas will never again falter."
"You don't have the rights," router snapped.
"I do," Zoe said. "And as queen, I do. But perhaps this will help change your mind." She clapped her hands together, the palms pressed together. She exhaled and spread her hands. A space where there had been nothing now held a wrapped scroll tied off with a string of shells. Zoe snatched it out of the air and flung it toward Router. As the scroll flew toward her, the shells disintegrated, the parchment unfurling. It stopped and hovered two feet in front of Router's face. She squinted at it, the blood drained from her face.
"Is—is that?"
Zoe chuckled. "A decree from one of your former kings, relinquishing all rights to the land of Marcias, to the sprites, signed in the year 1332?"
"Yes. Yes, it is. Not that we needed his legitimacy, but apparently you do. As such, when humans came and destroyed my people centuries later, they went against their own king's ruling, and I will not stand for it any longer." She turned to look at the crowd gathered below her. "The government has come here to take one of our own. Though they claim to be after all the children, there is one in particular they are desperate to get their hands on. This woman wants to use a child to control everyone and everything. And she has threatened the safety of the other children to see her plan through. She has come for Lucy," Zoe thundered. "A seven-year-old child. And if she thinks she'll lay a single hand on him, then she is mistaken."
Below her, the shell carved into the street pulsed three times in quick succession.
"Ah, good," Zoe said. "The magic has awoken. Let's see about that banishment, shall we?"
Almost quicker than Arthur could follow, she plucked shells from her arms and legs, her hands a blur of movement. It took only the space between heartbeats for a large pile to appear on her extended hand, extended palm. As her wings wrapped around her, Zoe sucked in a great breath, spinning in a furious circle, blowing on the shells. They shot out with perfect precision. The men in suits stumbled back as shells passed through their heads and came out the other side before disappearing in a puff of powder. Marble moss stood frozen, a stunned expression on her face. A single shell, a tiny cream and white in color, floated in front of Router's forehead. She took a step back, raising her hands in front of her face.
"Don't—don't you dare."
"I dare," Zoe said, eyes narrowed. "I dare for every child you have hurt. I dare for every adult who is forced to hide their true self because of 'see something, say something.' I dare for all of them. I do this for them. For Helen and Arthur and Lionus, for every single person here and around the world who has had enough. Janine Routder, you have proven to be an enemy of magical people. My family. It is within my rights as queen of Marcus to order your head removed from your body."
"Hooray!"
"Then we can find out if she has rabies," Lucy cried.
"Alas, that would make me no better than you," Zoe said. With that, she flicked her hand dismissively. The shell hurdled through Router's head without leaving a mark, shooting out the back and rising in the air above her where it shattered, particles raining down on Routder.
"Lucy," Zoe called without looking up from router, who was slapping her forehead repeatedly. "Come here, please."
"The queen has summoned me," Lucy whispered. "Hell yes." Without hesitation, he skipped toward Router and Zoey. "At your service, Majesty. What would you ask of me? Are you going to knight me? Or will you give me a country estate where I can let the government people run free in a five-minute head start before I hunt them all down? Either way is good for me."
Marblemma looked around wildly, as if searching for an opening to flee. Zoe's lips quirked. "A knight? I do suppose Marcias will need protection. Yes, that will do just fine. Lucifer Baker Parnasses, I hereby name you as a knight of Marcus. If you are ready, I have your first order."
Lucy snapped to attention. "Yes, my queen."
Zoe nodded, tapping her chin. "Since you are now capable of teleporting, I wonder if that extends to teleporting others, say a group of people who have come uninvited and have overstayed their welcome."
"I can do that," Lucy said, obviously excited. "Where do you—uh—where do you want them to go? The moon? Inside an active volcano? Wait, I got it." His eyes took on an ominous glow. "Burning coals in endless pits. When he grinned, he seemed to have far more teeth than any other seven-year-old. I can send them to meet my real dad. I'm sure he'd welcome them with open arms." He giggled as two locks of his hair flipped up almost like horns. "And when they see his true face, everything that makes them who they are will be gone. Or," Zoe said, "we can teleport them directly to where Prime Minister Herman Carmine currently is. Let them explain how they have failed and that the might of Marcas will rise once again."
"Oh man," Lucy said, scuffing his toe against the pavement. "I never get to send anyone to hell. It's so unfair," he sighed heavily. "Fine, I guess we can do it your way. You're the queen, after all. We will return," Router snarled, "and in greater numbers. You think this will stop us? You have made a powerful enemy this day, and I will spend every second of the time I have left on this earth making your lives miserable. Remember, your majesty, that you were given a chance. From here on, any blood spilled will be on your hands."
Zoe nodded toward the reporters, hanging on every word. "I can't wait to see tomorrow's headlines."
"Lucy," Router cried. "Don't. You can't."
Lucy raised his little hands toward her. As the great Cab Calloway once said, "Skilat up the day." Tiny explosions, little pops that sounded like stomping on bubble wrap. One of the suited men disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke. And then another, and then another. Some tried to run, but they could not make it far. Marblemma let out an anguished wail before she too popped and vanished. Router, now alone, her hair hanging in wisps around her face, panted, mouth hanging open.
"This means war," she snarled.
Arthur Parnasses stepped forward, moving until he stood next to his son and his queen, who landed on the ground next to him, taking his hand. Lucy did the same on his other side, and Arthur felt as strong as he ever had. Fire and feather, the phoenix lifted its head in Arthur's chest, clacking its beak. "Bring your war," he told her. "Whatever else has happened here, take your banishment, knowing this. We will no longer hide. We will not stop. We will remake this world into one it should have been. Welcome to all. And since you're not with us, you're against us."
Lucy. Router opened her mouth once more, but before she could speak, her forehead began to bulge. Then she too exploded in a cloud of shimmering dust.
When the cheers started, Arthur wasn't quite sure what was happening. Later, he'd think that Mr. Swanson was the culprit, followed swiftly by the other employees from the hotel. Regardless, it was infectious, unbridled joy that spread quickly, becoming a roar unlike anything Arthur had heard before. He turned in a slow circle, skin a-buzz, heart in his throat as the people of the village, humans and magical alike, hugged one another, shook hands, jumped in the air, their fists pumping. Martin Smi high-fived Jbone, both of them talking excitedly, and even better, though perhaps a little stranger, Merl dancing a jig in the street, his ornery, bright smile. Arthur startled when someone took his hand. He leaned over. Lionus, watching him with a quiet smile.
"It's starting," he whispered. "I'm so proud of you."
"Lionus," he said. "You and Zoe and Lucy, the other children, all of you. This Arthur, this is what you've been working towards. This is what you've been building. Can't you see? You have changed minds."
Lionus was right. They had. Perhaps it was on a small scale, and its reverberations might not be felt outside the borders of Marcias. But as he taught their children, even the smallest things can change the world if only one is brave enough to try. It wasn't unlike the seeds they planted at Lionus's former dreary home. Darkness and shadows, neverending rain, and yet color persisted, bursting through and rising, rising toward a blackened sky.
But the queen wasn't finished yet. As Arthur looked on, she walked through the crowd, the people parting in hushed reverence, some bowing. A child from the Cyclops family performed a neat curtsy, causing Zoe to laugh in delight and squeeze her shoulder as she passed. It did not take her long to reach her destination. Standing in front of the reporters, their cameras flashing, microphones extended toward her, Zoe raised her hands to quiet their shouted questions. They fell silent. Everyone did, except for Zoe.
"Thank you for coming to our home. It's not normally this exciting, but we do have many things to offer. Which is why I will say this, and you can quote my every word. As Emma Lazarus wrote, 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.'" Her wings spread as cameras clicked and shuddered. "To the world outside our home, know this. Marcias will be for all magical people who seek shelter, who need a place to rest their heads. We will welcome you with open arms and help you as best we can. Be your stay short or permanent. But," she added, "should anyone attempt to come to my home with despicable intentions, well," her expression hardened, "I'll remind you I'm a queen, and I'll do what's necessary to protect my kingdom." She blinked. "Oh, that sounded ominous, didn't it? Good thing I have my lady, Helen Webb, who has agreed to continue her role as mayor."
"They're a power couple," Fee breathed with stars in his eyes.
"What about the land?" a reporter called. "How can you possibly tell the magical community they can come here when there isn't enough room?"
"I'm glad you brought that up," Zoe said. "If you could be so kind as to follow me, I'll be happy to show you what I have in mind." With that, she spun on her heel and walked back toward Arthur, Lionus, and the children. Halfway, Helen fell and stepped beside her, taking her hand and kissing the back with a loud smack.
"How'd that feel?" she asked as they approached.
Zoe shook her head. "Strange, unreal." She paused. "Right. The crown wasn't a bad touch. Not too much."
Helen laughed. "Ask me that again later when we're alone. Bring the crown."
"Yes, ma'am."
When the women reached their family, Zoe went to the children first. They gathered around her, all speaking at once, aside from S, who stood at the rear, head cocked. Zoe looked at him and said, "This was because of you." S's forehead bunched up. "What do you mean?"
"You," Zoe said gently. "And the strength of your convictions." She looked at each of the children in turn. "The way you stood up for David, refusing to let us conceal him. The way you have each other's backs, even when the odds are stacked against you. I may be a queen, but it is you who have the true power. Never forget that."
Queen Zoe Chapel White bowed before them, the chains from her crown dangling around her face. It wasn't Arthur who bowed next. No, it was Lionus. One hand across his chest, the other behind his back. Then Jbone, Merl, Helen, Mr. Swanson, the employees from the hotel, the girl who sold kites, the man who owned the antique shop, the new ice cream parlor owner, the librarians, the guys, gals, and non-binary pals from the bookstore and coffee shop. It was all of them, every single being, be they human or something else entirely, bowed for the children. The wide-eyed, astonished look on each child's face as the village of Marcus honored them. This was hope. The children. Love letters to a future that had yet to be decided.
Yes, Arthur thought as S grinned shyly, hoping. Hope was the thing with feathers, but it was also in the hearts and minds of those who believed. All was not lost, no matter the odds. Which was why when Zoe said, "I'll need you. I'll need all of you." Arthur wasn't surprised they had come this far together. It made sense that they would all see this through to the end.
"What are we going to do?" Fee asked as Zoe took her hand.
"Something I should have done a long time ago," Zoe said. "We're going to change our world."