PART I

 

Chapter 1

It's Senior year, and Lisa rides home with Jenny Kim after school. Jenny Kim brings up college, and Lisa mentions how Odette wants her to go, but Lisa doesn't because of her magical life. She is stressed about school, the future with her and Cal (he's busy helping rebuild Boolavogue and hasn't seen her much), and telling her mom the truth.

When she's home, her mother arrives, but Lisa's doppelganger isn't there. She runs outside when she sees her, and the chapter ends before they are able to recollide.

 

Chapter 2 (that morning in the magic world)

Back in Boolavogue, Lisa is helping rebuilding a home due to the Glory Spar's aftermath. She runs into Rongo, and she explains how she enjoys being a Hunter. She meets with Ekron at his office, and he gives her her new schedule. A blynks soars in from Gaius. He patiently waited a full year until he requested use of Lisa again, per Ekron's request.

 

Chapter 3

Lisa meets with Gaius (they haven't spent much time together since she's been a Kingdom Hunter). He takes her to an island where his pirate ship and sailboat are moored (Lisa is surprised he was a pirate centuries ago). As they sail, Gaius mentions how he wants to teach Lisa gaulders and the ingredient is on an island filled with Mekkatikki. The island is a fantasm (a place where a monster has fused it's heart to a land-like realm), and if you slay the monster, the fantasm will be destroyed.

 

Chapter 4

They land on the island and meet Dink. He's in the Wright stage (half monster, half human). Following through with Gaius' plan, Lisa talks with Dink to try to get him to give her some of his white blood. He eventually does but invites Lisa to see his treasure trove. K

 

Chapter 5

As they go to see Dink's treasure horde, Lisa is wary of the treasure, sensing something is off. Gaius interprets them and tells Dink that he went against his one rule: Gaius wouldn't slay him if he didn't kill any more humans. Down the hall, a Mekkatikki girl comes through. She is half monster, still in her bathing suit, proving Gaius' theory that Dink broke his promise. Gaius and Lisa attack Dink and aim to flee, but his death ensured the collapse of the fantasm. The island starts to collapse. They barely make it out and through the Mekkatikki hordes. On the boat, they reconvine, and Lisa makes the gaulder with the white blood. 

 

Chapter 6

As a reward, Gaius takes Lisa to Luca's in Calendula. He gives her a sword he made, saying how he's proud of her. They have a heart-to-heart, and Lisa thinks about Cal and what their future holds (she doesn't see herself as Queen, nor does she want to be one). Their conversation ends with Lisa wishing to cut Gaius way too long hair, claiming its one of the many reasons he doesn't have a lady.

 

Chapter 7

Gaius succumbs to Lisa's desire and lets her cut his hair short again. Lisa forgets about her doppelganger back on Earth. She evanesces back to New Jersey, but just as she is running up the hill, time is up. The doppelganger disappears, and Lisa's memories crash back into her. She falls, quickly gets back up, and rushes inside as her mom enters the kitchen.

 

Chapter 8

Lisa goes on a patrol with Celine (Princess Celine has been having nightmares ever since Nero attacked her during the Glory Spar, and Lisa guards Celine and sleeps with her in the castle). Celine makes a deal with Lisa: talk to my brother about letting me train with you, and you'll get a Royal Promise in return. They meet up with Erin and Sana as more Hunters return from jobs, and six blynks come flying in. One lands in Lisa's hands. It's from Cal, and he mentions a meeting with his Royal Court. He also has a gift for her in the morning.

 

Chapter 9

Lisa has breakfast with the Queen and Celine. Cal shows up, and Lisa has missed him so much. She knows he has missed her, too, because of their connected hearts. In the hall, he sneaks a kiss before leaving to get ready for the royal meeting.

 

Chapter 10

During the meeting with Hunters and the Royal Court, King Caelum mentions vanishments are happening around neighboring towns, and monster spawnings are rising. He wants to find out why people are disappearing, and he gives jobs to his Hunters. Lisa's is different. She, instead, has a date with Cal to meet with a magitechnician on Planet Crater.

 

Chapter 11

Lisa meets Cal at EverWake to board the citiship. On board, Cal mentions how he'd like to date Lisa, but "Kings typically skip that part". Lisa is nervous about marriage, as is Cal (he senses the worry in her heart because they both don't want to keep moving too fast; they want to stay young despite being King and a Hunter). They secretly hold hands on the magical subway ride through space.

 

Chapter 12

They land on planet Crator, a small asteroid with shops and Verisweet trees. At the end lays a magic shop where they meet Gemini, the old magitechnician. Surprisingly, Kamari is there with them (they are friends). Cal tells Lisa to enjoy the day off, but Lisa refuses. So, he tells her to visit the local glint shop and see if they can strike a deal on products. Kamari tells Lisa she can handle it instead.

 

Chapter 13

Lisa waits outside for Kamari, nervous about her negotiating skills, when her heart picks up pace. It's Cal's emotions, she believes. Kamari returns and tells Lisa the Agapéd is strong within her and also made Cal strong, too. Lisa thinks Kamari can see their shared Twynkling and becomes worried, but soon, Kamari evanesces away when Cal and Lisa meet up again to leave planet Crater.

 

Chapter 14 

Cal and Lisa board the citiship instead of evanescing so they can sit and hold hands a while longer. Cal asks why Lisa's heart picked up pace during her time with Kamari. Lisa says, "No, it was your heart that was worried, not mine." Suddenly, the lights go out, the citiship stops, and the gravity in the cabin turns off—everyone floats to the ceiling. A haunting monster appears. It's mist-like, and Lisa can hear it whisper her name. Her and Cal fight the monster inside the cabin (it can only be slain with moonlight magic, and Lisa applied a salve to her dagger before killing it).

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They go to check the other cabin (they heard more noise). Another monster is there. In the center aisle, Emunah appears, and Alona shows up outside in space. They use their Guardian magic to gather the specters (there were many more outside the citiship) and destory them.

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Chapter 15

The citiship lands on a nearby Stellarlegion terminal, and Lisa notices Emunah and Alona standing in the distance. She and Cal talk with them. They inform her the monsters were scáths, dark specters that feed off of fear and eat ones insanity. Lots of dark Illusionary magic—Phrenic Magic—are behind the scáths, and many of the same/similar mosnters are spawning across the planets, and the Guardians are trying to find the cause. They believe a fantasm is formed somewhere where the scáths are coming from.

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Out from behind them, the Chairman of the Magic Embassy—Abdom Aurelius—shows up. He tells them the culprit is caught, the man who sent the scáths, but Lisa is suspiscious because the Guardians just told them the mosnters most likely came from a fantasm. The Chairman is downplaying the Guardians' involvement in the heroic citiship rescue. Cal is angry he is lying, and the Chairman tells him to stay out of his business. Cal snaps back, reminding him of his hand kidnapping his Hunters in Marboone. The Chairman ridicules King Bolthor and tells Cal he is just a child in a crown. He then leaves.

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Lisa tries to soothe Cal, reminding him how much he has done for the Kingdom. She succeeds. Cal then asks when he will be able to meet Lisa's mom. Lisa mentions her mom doesn't know anything about her being a Hunter or the Agapéd. Cal insists Lisa tell her because he really would like to meet her (Lisa doesn't know why he wants to meet her so badly). She loosely promises to tell her mother the truth soon.

 

Chapter 16

Lisa visits Gaius for gaulder lessons and finds him in a secret cellar in his home. The proceed to make a flame gaulder when Lisa says the wrong word and messes up. She's distracted and admits she is nervous about taking her mom to meet Cal because she doesn't want anything bad to happen to her mom. Gaius tells Lisa she needs to have Cal meet her mother if she is serious about staying in the Kingdom

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On Earth, Odette is super excited about Drew, her new boyfriend, and she wants Lisa to meet him and his son.

 

Chapter 17

Odette and Lisa go to Drew's house. When his son (Skylar) arrives, he shows Lisa his room while Odette spends time with Drew downstairs. As Lisa assesses Skylar, she notices that his room smells odd. She then sees peculiar bags of "grass" and inappropriate magazines at the edge of his bed. She also doesn't like his attitude or the way he speaks of his father or Odette. When the date is over, Lisa doesn't have the guts to tell Odette about Skylar because Odette seems to really like Drew.

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Chapter 18

Lisa is on her hunting mission to discover the vanishings in nearby towns. She goes to Falkirk, the last of the three. She meets with Thane Carhartt, and they visit Mr. Finway Elis because his wife went missing, and he hasn't been the same since. Lisa talks with Elis, and he whispers to her that his wife is still here. Lisa theorizes that there is a scáth in his home, mostly like of Mr. Elis' deceased wife, and the scáth version of her is trying to take him, too, starting with his sanity. Thane Carhartt also mentions that animals disappeared. Lisa knows a scáth doesn't eat blood and believes another monster is nearby. She goes into the forest to search.

 

Chapter 19

Sunset arrives, and a woman visits the farm. She introduces herself as Tyne. Tyne says there were rumors that a Keeper and the Agapéd came to her home and never returned. Lipa denies it… but Tyne recognizes Lisa from the Paragon Games. Lipa says she’s training Lisa and not to tell Geofri. Lipa explains that Tyne is her daughter-in-law, Hull’s wife. As they talk, firebellies  (blue fiery moles) start storming over the field. Tyne begs Lipa to get Geofri, but she says no. Lisa then takes action and fights off all the firebellies. She returns, and Tyne thanks Lisa. Just as Tyne leaves, Lipa admits a truth she has been hiding: she knows Lisa is a Hunter, and she wants to discuss it.

 

Chapter 20

Lisa is freaking out. She thinks Mrs. LaRue is going to kick her out for lying to her. Lipa tells Lisa not to worry and that she isn’t upset. She recognized Lisa’s Restricted Hunter Licenses chain on her belt when she arrived. Lipa says everyone doesn’t trust Hunters, believing the Hunters to be kidnapping people. Lipa saw how Lisa treated her animals and knew she was different and that Lipa actually liked Hunters because she married one. She was actually a Hero for only a year because she married a hunter named Sorin LaRue. She explains she only got the Hero title because she defeated three ice behemoths, and then she met Sorin. She was his Charmer, then wife, and then got pregnant with Geofri. They soon settled down in Marboone, the first people to do it because Sorin and she slayed all the creatures. By the time Lipa had her fifth son, Sorin caught black rot. They used a magiblood stone to heal him, but it ate up his magic, too. With Sorin magicless, the Hunter guild he was with didn’t want him anymore. So, Sorin had every single Hunter removed from his town. He taught his sons how to wrangle the buffalo and the residents to care for good magic creatures.

Lipa said ten years ago, a Hunter guild came by, and they wanted an alliance, but these Hunters were killing the good magic creatures. They even killed the buffalo. Sorin and Lipa invited the Hunters home. The Hunters explained all creatures should be killed, and that made Lipa mad. She burned one of their ears, and they stormed and left. They never returned again. Lisa then asked what happened to Sorin (since he left). Lipa says good magic creatures started disappearing last year. Then, the Water Buffalo started disappearing. Eight months later, the rain just stopped. Sorin went out to look for it, but that was six months ago. He still hasn’t returned. Lipa’s sons think he left her, but Lipa knows he didn’t walk out on her. 

Lisa says she believes Sorin didn’t leave her either, and that he is looking for the rain. Lipa clutches Lisa’s hand and thanks Lisa for knocking on her door yesterday.

 

Chapter 21

Back on Earth, Garrett hasn’t talked with Lisa at all. He is avoiding texting her, and Lisa doesn’t want to be pushy. Lisa is shy and too nervous to find him in the hallway. In art class, Lily asks if Lisa even likes Garrett. Lisa couldn’t answer honestly because of Cal. He would return soon, and she just has hope that maybe he likes her, too.

School ends, and Lisa is outside with Mary. Mary says she’s going to have to move away again but wants to have one last summer with Lisa. She asks if Lisa wants to go to the lake house with her mom’s new boyfriend. Lisa said she’d love to. Lisa is excited because now she’ll have a summer with Cal and a summer with Mary as the doppelganger.

 

Chapter 22

Back on Lipa’s farm, Geofri arrives. Lipa rushes to Lisa and tells her to make herself look like a boy (she throws Lisa a baggy T-shirt and hat). Geofri has a southern drawl accent like his mother and is with his flying darner. Geofri questions his mother about the firebellies and the man and girl who came to his home and never returned. Lipa claims those are rumors that there is only a boy here (Lisa in disguise) and that the “boy” stopped the firebellies. Geofri insists on this “boy” to introduce himself. When Lisa says a boy’s name, her girly voice gives away her identity. Lipa admits that she is training Lisa to learn flames. Suddenly, one of the globbit creatures scares Geofri’s darner. Lipa goes to take the globbit back to its pin behind her home. Lisa and Geofri talk near the horse, and Geofri finally recognizes Lisa as the Agapéd. Geofri is upset with his mother for lying, especially since Lisa is from Boolavogue—the Kingdom of Hunters. Lipa begs Geofri not to tell his brothers because if the whole town found out Lipa housed a Hunter, they’d kick her out. But Geofri doesn’t want Lisa here but Lisa says she isn’t leaving until Sorin returns. This time, Geofri gets upset and tells his mother Sorin left for good, bitterness attached to his words. He says Lisa can stay but not go into town. 

 

Chapter 23

During dinner, Mrs. LaRue tells Lisa Sorin is alive and that she’s sorry for what Geofri said. Lisa sees a little scar on Lipa’s chest and asks why she always grabs her chest (she has done so everytime she talks about Sorin). Lipa says she and Sorin did a Twynkling together known as the Heart Tvilling Blessing, but her sons think it’s fake and don’t believe her. This Twynkling is old, and its magic splits the hearts of the casters. Half of Lipa’s heart is inside Sorin, and half of Sorin’s heart is inside Lipa. If Sorin is very scared, Lipa knows. If Lipa is very happy, Sorin can feel it. And if Sorin were dying… Lipa would know. That’s why she knows Sorin is still alive. Lisa knows that a Twynkling is a maalison, and maalisons have a cost. Lipa says the price is just love. The Twynkling only works if both hearts truly love each other, and she explains that another price is death. If the other were to die, half of you would die as well. Lipa says she’s fine, but Lisa can tell she misses Sorin desperately… and then she releases why she is so distant from her sons. Lisa knows that if Mrs. LaRue were to show too much emotion, her sadness would reach Sorin, and Sorin would come home and never discover what happened with the rain. Lisa asks why Lipa hasn’t told her sons. She said she tried, but she also had a fight with Sorin the day before he left. Her sons saw the argument, so in their eyes, things looked rough. Lisa believes Mrs. LaRue even more and wishes to find love like she has with Sorin someday.

 

Chapter 24

It’s the Dawning ceremony—the day Caelum returns. Lisa is gathered with the guests and Hunters in the Throne Room. When the graduating Hunters enter, Lisa sees Cal… and she is so enamored with him, more than ever before. She begins to wonder if he feels the same. After the ceremony, Lisa is with the Hunters in Ekron’s tent. Cal shows up. They mention how Lisa has been training with Lipa. Cal wants to challenge Lisa to a traditional spar. He and Lisa go to the practice rink and battle. Lisa uses Lipa’s kicking technique to deal a blow to his chin, allowing her to bind his hands and steal his bandana. Cal says he’s glad to be back. Ekron returns and tells Cal to clean up his lip before his father sees.

 

Chapter 25

Lisa hasn’t heard from Garrett at all, and Prom is this week. It’s consuming her thoughts as she walks the castle Courtyard with Brightbeard and Erin, hoping her duplicate self gets her act together. Down the colonnade, they are stunned to see the King in a rush. He looks angry as he is heading toward the Caregiver’s Wing. As Lisa wonders why His Majesty is heading that way, Erin mentions that a hunt failed. Beside them, Celine appears in the bushes, eavesdropping. She speaks with Lisa privately and says that Cal did come back injured. Celine wants Lisa to come with her to try a magical version of a root beer float. Lisa agrees to help as long as Celine takes her to the medic wing.

Celine and Lisa sneak through the walls to the medic wing and eavesdrops through the vents. Cal is on the bed with gauze wrapped around his stomach. Leonora is with him. The King bursts through the door and begins to degrade Cal, telling him how he can’t fail. He is also upset that he lost a match against Lisa. Bolthor is angry with Cal because he is appearing weaker while Lisa is appearing stronger. He is upset that Lisa has saved him multiple times and he’s done nothing as a Prince. Bolthor tells Cal that if he cannot step up and prove to those here, he can protect the Kingdom as Bolthor has done, then Cal will not train with Lisa any longer.

When Cal leaves, Bolthor slumps on the bed. It’s just him and the Queen, and Lisa sees a side to the King she never has before. Bolthor thinks he pushed Cal too early into becoming a Hunter. Bolthor just wants the Kingdom to rely on Cal, not the Agpéd. He his concerned about them spending so much time together, saying that the Agapéd is meant to be a Hero, not sit on the throne (Lisa freaks out at what this implies). Bolthor ends the conversation by telling Leonora that once Lisa’s Dawning is through, he is sending her away to another guild. Back in the secret tunnels, Celine tells Lisa she needs to stay.

 

Chapter 26

Prom is tomorrow. Lisa is at school—not the duplicate—and is ready to talk to Garrett about prom. She goes to his locker and asks if he wants to wear purple since she is. Garrett apologizes and says he actually has a girlfriend now, Camila, and he is taking her. He says he would’ve told Lisa but he got a new phone. Lisa knows it’s a lie because she saw his phone before he put it away. When he leaves, Lisa rushes into the teacher’s bathroom. She cries, hating the way she looks. She and Garrett had a lot in common, but Camila was far prettier with curves, beautiful tan skin, and everything a boy could want. She thinks herself stupid for ever thinking he would like her… and even more stupid for thinking Cal, a prince, would ever think of her for more than a friend. Lisa evanesces back home.

Odette comes home and finds Lisa on her bed. Odette had a bad date, but when Lisa explains what Garrett did, Odette can’t stand for it. She says if they are to talk boys, they need to go to the right place.

 

Chapter 27

Odette and Lisa go to Jimmetra’s, a very old-school diner. Odette tells Lisa about her horrible dates, making Lisa laugh. Odette encourages Lisa, saying that any boy would be lucky to have her, listing reasons why Lisa is amazing and beautiful. The night ends with the two of them singing karaoke at the diner.

 

Chapter 28

It’s the end of April. Lisa is with Ekron’s Hunters in the Laze, and they are discussing the Hunter’s Ball that is happening tomorrow. Hunter Kingdoms and nations from around the world are invited, and only the best of the best get to go. None of them were invited, but Kelm was asked by Nole (an elite Hunter from the Men’s Troop). Cal is with them, and he’s also invited. Erin teases him and says he should ask Lisa to be his date. Lisa’s heart raced. This is all she ever wanted. But then Cal says Lisa wouldn’t be into that sort of thing and won’t ask her to go because he doesn’t want to go. Lisa is struck with disbelief, upset that he didn’t even want to take her as a friend. She abruptly evanesces away.

Angrily stomping in the Veradome, Lisa returns to Gaius’ home. She is so angry with Cal, refusing to talk to Gaius as she is making a potion. Finally, Gaius asks what’s wrong and Lisa explains everything. She asks him if she is ugly. Gaius, as sweetly as possible, says she’s as pretty as a sword. This doesn’t help Lisa. Gaius is about to explain when someone comes to his door.

 

Chapter 29

The Queen arrives at his domain with Celine. She asks to borrow Lisa and visit Mantene. Lisa joins. They arrive at the Aquanaeum, and when Inna arrives, Queen Leonora explains she wants Lisa and Inna to try to encourage Celine to use magic. Inna tries, but Celine gives up instantly. Lisa tries, and this time, Celine can make the water-glinted glove work. During the conversation, Lisa explains she isn’t going to the ball. Celine says Lisa can be her date. Lisa subcombs to the invitation of a nine-year-old, but says she’s not pretty enough for a Ball (she barely felt pretty enough for prom). Inna says she will help.

 

Chapter 30

The Hunter Ball is beginning, and guests are arriving. Inna is fixing Lisa’s hair in the Queen’s guestroom. She tells Inna about Gaius’ “compliment.” Inna tells Lisa Gaius used to be a ladies’ man (Lisa doesn’t believe it), and proceeds to tell Lisa about how she became a Keeper. Inna grew up rich with an unloving family. She had pushed marriage aside for too long, and her father finally put her into an arranged marriage. The night of her wedding, she was clipping the roses off their stems in the garden when Ariela showed up and gave her the role of a Keeper. Inna just wanted to get away and start a life without reading books and pampering. She wanted to create and explore. Gaius wanted to teach her how to fight, but Inna thought he was flirting with her. One day, Inna went off by herself and was attacked by a dark magic jellyfish. She woke up to find herself in bed with Gaius beside her. He saved her, and ever since, she has trusted him wholeheartedly. 

Lisa puts on the dress, stunned by how pretty Inna made her. Inna tells her, “Beads and jewels can only enhance what’s already there.” Before Lisa leaves with Celine, Inna wishes her a happy birthday.

 

Chapter 31

The ballroom is extravagant with golds and blues and tables full of food and dessert. Lisa feels very out of place as she doesn’t see anyone she knows. She soon sees Ayker—draped in a red suit—and he kisses her hand. Lisa freaks out (this was her first kiss). Lisa is relieved when he kisses the Princess’ hand, too. In the next moment, Caelum arrives, and Lisa is starstruck to see him dressed up with his crown. Ayker leaves, and Cal explains he didn’t want to make Lisa come to this if she wouldn’t like it. He then properly asks her to be his date, and she tucks her arm in his as they mingle.

Lisa finds Ekron with a few other Captains (Cal went to get drinks for them). She hears them gossip. The Enclave near Boolavogue, Ementera, was supposed to host the Hunter Ball, but Boolavogue was chosen instead. Not a single Ementera Hunter came tonight. They have been reported stopping monsters after Boolavogue Hunters didn’t find any, taking their profit and threatening their Hunters. Their King, Menezzar, doesn’t like Boolavogue (something Lisa knew). But what she didn’t know is that Bolthor came from the enclave and married Leonora. Lisa wants to ask more questions but Cal returns with drinks. Music starts playing, and Ekron tells Cal he should ask Lisa to dance. He subcombs, and Lisa and he dance the night away.

 

Chapter 32

Cal invites Lisa to the balcony to get the best view of the Wishing Stars. Cal is surprised Lisa doesn’t have any scars on her body (he had been giving her weird looks all night). Lisa takes off her Eternling bracelets and shows off her scars. She explains where she got them, but Cal isn’t impressed. He is concerned. He never knew she was hurt this much since she always came back smiling. Lisa never told him because she didn’t want to burden him. Cal gets upset, saying that she could never burden him. He thought they were friends. He says he cares about her and that he wants to stay alive for him. They are about to kiss when the King shows up, asking for Caelum to see his mother. They push away from each other, and Bolthor says he will walk Lisa out. It’s just the King and Lisa now. After a few steps along the top of the castle’s balcony, Bolthor tells Lisa that the Agapéd wasn’t meant to stay here and that no one will look to his son as long as she resides in the Kingdom. He tells her he will send her away once her Dawning is finished… and that she will stop any future indulgences with his son. He then leaves (she still has to walk all the way back to Gaius’ home).

She finds Inna and Gaius near the Veradome secret entrance. Gaius gives Lisa a birthday present. It’s a crumpled piece of paper, a discarded entry from Vilmad that praises Lisa. She loves it.

 

Chapter 33

It’s the end of May on Earth (Spring in Boolavogue), and Lisa goes to Ekron’s Laze. He tells her that twenty Hunters have gone missing. One of them is Erin. Not even the Gora bears can trace their scents, so they have no clue where they’ve gone. Because of the missing Hunters, the Kingdom needs more Hunters to pick up the hunts. He tells Lisa her Dawning is being pushed to now. They have a meeting tonight at the castle with the King and Captains.

Lisa gets dressed in royally-approved hunter attire and attends the meeting. The Royal Court is there (Clover, Ekron, Iliad, Yaeger, and Uylesses) as well as the invited Hunters and Cal. The King sits at the table’s edge. He informs them of their predicament and that they need to hurry and finish their Dawnings soon so they can slay monsters while other Captains and higher-ranked Hunters can find the missing men and women. Each Hunter is given a paper with a list of hunts/jobs for them to choose from. If they accomplish the goal, they will receive their Hunter License. Lisa notices Marboone is listed. Boolavogue wants an alliance with them. She asks to take it, but everyone discourages her. Cal stands up and says he will accompany Lisa to Marboone. The King says no, but Cal disagrees and signs his name next to Lisa anyway.

After the meeting, Lisa and Cal are surprised to see the King approve it. Lisa and Cal leave in just a few days to try and convince Marboone to make an alliance with Boolavogue. Lisa just had one problem: her summer trip with Mary. She’s not allowed to go to Earth during the two months she’s stationed in Marboone.

 

Chapter 34

Vilmad laughs at Lisa after she explains her reasoning for using her doppelganger for 2 months instead of a week at a time. Dayasheel explains it’s not safe for her because they don’t know what will happen when all her memories recombine.

At school, Lisa tells Mary a lie: Odette (Lisa’s mom) says Lisa can’t go anymore. Lisa is shocked when Mary gets angry. Mary accuses Lisa of not wanting to go because she would rather spend her summer with Jenny Kim and Lily. Mary mentions how Lisa wanted to go to prom with them so badly rather than her. Even though Mary hated prom, she wouldn’t gone if Lisa asked. Mary tells Lisa she was enjoying school after Lisa came along, but it didn’t matter. Mary leaves, and Lisa tries to hide her tears when her mom picks her up.

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PART II

 

Chapter 35

Cal comes by Gaius’ house to pick Lisa up for their 2-month-long stay in Marboone. Cal and Lisa tell Lipa LaRue that if they make an alliance with the Kingdom to offer their magical trade, they will receive Hunters. Lipa LaRue is very apprehensive about the Kingdom’s deal because the town would hate them. Cal convinces Lipa he wants to do all he can to help them, especially with Sorin gone. Lipa agrees, but it’s her sons Cal and Lisa who have to convince. She sends five blynks out the window to each son, though Lisa and Cal couldn’t see what she wrote.

 

Chapter 36

The front door swings open, and a family enters Lipa’s home. It’s Hull LaRue (the third son who only has one arm because a Lightning Behemoth struck him), Tyne (his wife), and their little toddler. Hull and Tyne believe Lipa was hurt. Before they can ask any more questions, the front and back door open at the same time. Skender (the fourth son) and Rod (the fifth and youngest son) arrive next, thinking their mother is dying. The front door again swings open, but it almost flies off the hinges. The second oldest son enters, and he is as big as Gaius. He saunters in and holds up the note his mom sent. “Help, Mo,m” is all the note said, and Lisa now realizes why the sons were freaking out. The last to arrive is the oldest son, Geofri, and Geofri’s son, Lake. Lisa explains that their Kingdom wants to make an alliance with them. Lisa knows they need Hunters and just wants to help. Skender and Rod are against it, but Hull thinks it’s a good idea. Geofri tells her it’s going to be difficult and gives her a time limit: Lisa and Cal have four weeks to convince the town and the brothers they are a Kingdom to be trusted. Lipa is glad and is about to show Cal to his room. All the brothers are against Cal staying with their mom, believing he can’t be trusted. 

 

Chapter 37

They come to a compromise: all the brothers will take shifts at home to ensure Cal doesn’t try any dangerous Hunter tricks on Lipa. That evening, after they made Cal work all day on the form, Lake joins Cal and Lisa to release the Water Buffalo. Lake thinks Lisa is amazing, and Cal is getting jealous (Lisa finds it funny and cute). When Lisa leaves to get the ropes for the Buffalo, she overhears Lake talking down to Cal. Lisa interrupts and takes Cal back to the side of Lipa’s house. Lisa says she’s sorry for dragging Cal into this. Cal says he’s glad he came. He just wanted to spend more time with Lisa. They sit beneath the Manolo tree beside Lipa’s home, and Cal asks Lisa if she’d let him protect her. He knows she’s strong, but he doesn’t want any more scars added to her body if he can help it. They are about to kiss when the front door slams open, and Geofri stomps out of the house, angry at Lipa about something. He sees the two beneath the tree and tells them they are going wrangling tomorrow.

 

Chapter 38

Geofri, Lake, and Iulian take Cal and Lisa flying on the darners. Lisa rides with Lake, and Cal is quite jealous again. They watch Iulian wrangle a buffalo in the skies very flawlessly. Lake explains they have to save the buffalo before they dry out since there isn’t any rain anymore. Suddenly, three typhahawks attack. Cal and Lisa—despite Geofri’s command to remain saddled—jump off. Cal runs on his Fysiks shield while Lisa flies. They take down the giant dark magic birds. They land on the ground, where a farmer and his wife thank Lisa and Cal for killing the beasts. They are eager to have them kill more… until Geofri tells the farmer and wife they are Hunters. The couple cringe and walk away. Lisa is beginning to doubt this will work, but Cal encourages her. “It’s just the first day,” he says.

 

Chapter 39

Four weeks go by, and nothing has worked. Marboone still hates Hunters, though the brothers didn’t seem to be helping (Hull was the only brother who favored the idea). The brothers are having a meeting in the living room, and when they call in Cal, Lisa, and Lipa… Geofri says the alliance won’t work. Lipa gets upset with her oldest son, and the spat about Hunters turns into a full-blown argument. Lipa spits on his face and tells him to swallow his pride. Geofri claims that the only reason Lipa wants Hunters is so they can find Sorin, and he wants his mother to accept the fact, “Dad is gone. He left.” He wants his mother to see reason, but Lipa is not relenting. When he raises his voice, all of a sudden, Lipa grabs her chest and collapses to her knees. Iulian rushes to her side. Lipa looks to Lisa and says, “Sorin. He’s… he’s hurt.”

 

Chapter 40

The brothers finally believe the truth about the Twynkling. Lisa has an idea of how to find him if he is still in Marboone. Geofri gives Lisa a map of the entire province and has Lipa use the Guidance charm on the map (the Guidance Charm shows a person’s location). Since half of Lipa’s heart is inside Sorin, it should show him on the map, too. There is only one glowing dot on the map, but when they flip it over, there’s another. Lisa believes Sorin is here but stuck in a realm or an area closed off by magic (like how Calendula doesn’t exist on any map except on the one Gaius has). Cal says he can use Honey to track Sorin’s sent to help search. To this, Geofri agrees to help and that if they find their father, he will consider an alliance with Boolavogue.

 

Chapter 41

All the brothers (except for Hull), Lake, Cal, Lisa, and Mrs. LaRue go on a venture to find Sorin. They travel Marboone on horses and on Honey. Night approaches with no luck. They try to stay at a nearby billet, but after showering, the owners kick Lisa and Cal out. Lipa joins Cal and Lisa though her sons insist she stays inside and not camp out. Lipa doesn’t listen, leaving with a smirk.

 

Chapter 42

No one stayed at the billet, all camping outside. Lipa and Tyne make food for them, and Lisa is surprised at how well everyone is getting along. Iulian, Rod, and Skender all have Duplication Magic and create instruments. Rod and Skender sing a song, impressing Lisa with how well they sing. As Lisa is daydreaming about Cal, Geofri asks if they are betrothed. Cal and Lisa stuttered and say they are just friends. The conversation turns to the sons when Lisa asks if they have any ladies in their lives. None of them do, though they wish they did. She asks Geofri, but he gets upset and takes Lake with him to wrangle more night-flying buffalo. Lipa explains that Geofri was married for 15 years, and just last year, his wife walked out on him. The brothers don’t know why… but Lipa admits that his wife came by her home the day before she walked out. Geofri’s ex-wife complained about her life and that Geofri worked too hard. She wanted a man who wasn’t so involved with his family. Lipa slapped her across the mouth and told her to get her act together and make their marriage work. His wife didn’t, and Lipa feels she had a part to play in it. She threatens her sons not to tell Geofri… but it bothers Lisa.

 

Chapter 43

A week goes by with no luck finding Sorin. Hope is fading. While Lisa and Lipa are riding Honey, Lipa knows Lisa likes Cal. She tells Lisa not to let a boy like that go away—to tell him how she feels about him before he becomes a King someday. That night, Lisa joins Cal beneath the stars, lounging in sleeping bags. They talk and talk, and Lisa tells Cal about Valhalla’s death and how Gaius gave up his immortality to save her. Cal admits to knowing his father wants Lisa to leave the Kingdom. He doesn’t want it, and he also doesn’t want to be King. He tells Lisa that his father is so serious and scary all the time because he doesn’t want to lose the trust of his people. No one liked Bolthor when he became King, and it took years for them to finally trust him. Lisa encourages Cal and tells him he’d make a great King. Lisa accidentally falls asleep and misses something Cal says. She then feels him grab her hand, and they hold hands until they both fall asleep.

 

Chapter 44

Lisa wakes to a nightmare about Cal dying by Setzyr. She is relieved when she sees Cal sleeping soundly next to her. She gets up and sees Lipa and Geofri go to the woods. She flies and eavesdrops. Geofri tells her to give up, but Lipa refuses. She tells Geofri to just leave and that she doesn’t care if he joins them anymore. Lisa goes and talks with Geofri after Lipa leaves. She notices he has metal screws at the base of his wrists. Geofri says his father put those in so he could channel his Lightning Magic better. Lisa tells Geofri what Lipa said about his ex-wife. Lisa says that even if Sorin did leave, Lipa just wants to know the truth. Geofri goes back to camp, and Lisa goes to find Lipa. As she and Lipa walk, Lipa urges Lisa to go a different direction. When Lipa sticks her arm through a random spot in the air, her arm disappears. She retracts it, and it’s soaking wet. They have found the portal to a realm.

 

Chapter 45

Skender and Rod wait outside the portal while the rest go in. Inside, it’s pouring rain, and on the map, they see Sorin’s green dot not too far ahead. They travel through the realm, only seeing trees and rain for a while. Geofri has them stop when he senses something, and they all see a huge building in the distance. Lipa doesn’t fight Geofri when he says for him and the rest to stay behind. It looks like a fort or prison. Cal turns Geofri and Lisa invisible, and they all go inside. It’s very quiet inside, and Geofri only kills a few guards with a stun from his lightning. They soon hear guards talking—all drunk—and the voices sound familiar to Lisa. They beat up the guards and see a prison cell. Inside are the Boolavogue Hunters that went missing a month again—Erin is there—and with them are a few farmers. And Geofri drops to his knees when he sees an old man.

 

Chapter 46

It’s Sorin LaRue, imprisoned with Erin, and Erin tells Cal and Lisa how he stumbled upon the hidden land and couldn’t get out. He eventually found Sorin inside, too, and they tried to sneak into the giant facility. They were stopped by guards, and a man in a red cloak took away any Mage or Mystic. They believed the man in the red cloak to have done experiments on their friends, turning them into monsters, because one of them escaped and had the eyes of a farmer’s wife (he’s imprisoned). All that’s left are the magicless. Erin told Sorin how Lisa trained with a woman named LaRue, and since Erin paid attention to when Lisa trained with Lisa, they aimed to hurt Sorin’s heart at the right moment so Lipa would alert Lisa. He’s glad Geo and Cal came, too. An alarm goes off, and the building shakes. Lisa, Geo, and Cal help them escape. They get out and run into the heekling monsters—tons of them. Erin and Sorin help fight. The building then blows up and two giant monsters appear.

 

Chapter 47

The monsters are two Lightning Behemoths. Lisa and Geo fight them, working together. Lisa forms giant stakes in the ground for the lightning to tether to, and Geofri is the fifth stake, using his power to diffuse the lightning so Lisa can charge through their chests. Lisa forms a rock cocoon around her and plunges through both chests at the same time. With her last bit of strength, she and Geofri send their power to the sky. The sky cracks, and the magical protection over the hidden land is destroyed. Lisa is glad Geofri is alright, but Geofri soon turns worried. A gunshot rings beside Lisa’s ear.

 

Chapter 48

The bullet misses when a guard falls down. He’s alive and an arrow is through his hand, thanks to Sorin and Cal. The others reunite, and Sorin sees Lipa for the first time in months. They hug and kiss. Cal sends a blynk to his father. The King, Queen, Ekron, and his men arrive in an emership. A lone huntress jumps off before they land. It’s Sana, and she runs straight to Erin. Erin hugs her back. The King recognizes the man as an Ementera Hunter with an Embassy symbol on his hand and wants to know what King Menezzar is working with the Embassy. Bolthor cuts off the foreign Hunter’s hands and keeps him alive and captive. He is going to visit Menezzar in Ementera now. Geofri says he wants to come, too, and that they are happy to make an alliance with Boolavogue.

 

Chapter 49

After cleaning up and getting a nap, Lisa goes to the Emership’s deck and stands beside the Queen. Leonora is happy Cal and Bolthor are getting along. She tells Lisa how Bolthor was glad to see Cal make his own decision and stand up for himself at her Dawning. She tells Lisa how she met Bolthor. Leonora’s father was crude, awful, and horrible. She hated him, and her other sisters escaped the Kingdom through marriages, but Leonora stayed because she wanted to give the Kingdom a good ruler one day. One day, the King fell ill due to magical poison. Leonora was happy until he made the decree that she needed to get married before she turned nineteen, or else she’d marry Ekron. Ekron was and is her dear friend, but he loved another. Leonora went to the suitors her father recommended and went to Menezzar in Ementera. He was awful and sent her to look at his Hunters instead. Leonora stumbled upon Bolthor and asked him to marry her. Bolthor left, and Menezzarr hated it. Leonora is worried as they approach the Enclave.

 

Chapter 50

They arrive at Ementera’s castle and sit with Menezzar in his black Throne Room. The man with the red cloak, Nero, is there, and Menezzar’s son, Draven (Lisa notices he is very pushed aside). Menezzar hates what’s become of Boolavogue and how Bolthor has followed the Light and chosen the Agapéd. He believes Hunters should destroy all magical creatures and that man is in control of magic, not Guardians. When he calls Leonora a dog who bore a mutt, Bolthor slams the table. Crystallian shards burst, but Menezzar stops them with his lava magic. Bolthor tells Menezzar he is swine upon the throne. He tells him how powerful love is and that love makes a Kingdom prosper. Lisa is surprised to have heard love spoken of in such a powerful way. Bolthor makes a deal with Menezzar and summons a Glory Spar in a week. Everyone stills, but Lisa has no idea what a Glory Spar is. The conditions are: whichever King is left standing wins. They do a magical handshake and leave, Menezzar laughing smugly. Lisa asks Ekron what a Glory Spar is. Ekron explains that in their world, instead of going to war, two Mystics can battle instead—two Warriors—and Bolthor chose himself. The Glory Spar is bound by magic, and if someone intervenes during the Kings’ battle, they die. If the king refuses to fight, they die. Bolthor bet his life to win, and Ekron is worried because Bolthor has never won a battle against Menezzar before.

 

Chapter 51

Back at the castle, it’s just Cal, Leonora, Bolthor, Lisa, and Ekron. Leonora asks why he did this. He tells her he promised her a land of peace, and there won’t be peace as long as Menezzar sits on his throne. Lisa asks to be Leonora and the Princess’s bodyguard. Cal says no because he’ll do it. Bolthor tells Caelum he is to be by Bolthor’s side the entire time. For some reason, this worries Leonora. Bolthor tells Lisa she is to guard the Queen and Celine with her life and for Lisa to tell Gaius to protect Calendula. Bolthor leaves with Ekron, and Leonora shows Lisa the room she’ll be using when she starts guarding them tomorrow.

Lisa goes to Cal’s room before she leaves. She has something to tell him. He invites her inside and admits he’s worried about the spar. Lisa comforts him and finally asks him the question she wanted to ask on the Emership. She asks if he will do the Heart Tvilling Blessing with her, the same Twynkling Lipa did with Sorin—to split their hearts so that half of their heart is inside the other. Lisa wants to be able to protect him if something goes wrong. Cal immediately says yes. They do the Twynkling, and two scars burn beneath their collarbone, right above their heart. It’s in the shape of a half-heart. Cal asks if they need to seal it with a kiss. Lisa says no… but Cal asks if they can anyway. They kiss and kiss again until a blynk thuds against the window. It’s from Gaius, asking when Lisa will be home. Before Lisa leaves, Cal hugs her and says he will do all he can to protect her.

 

Chapter 52

Lisa returns to Gaius’ home. She tells him about the Dawning—forgetting she technically completed it—and about the Glory Spar. Before she says anything else, she gives Gaius a birthday gift. He doesn’t have a birthday, so she picks today—July 3rd. The gift is a drawing she made of him and her when she was trying to move the rock and weed from the first day they met (the official meeting, not when Vilmad was with her). Gaius knocks everything off his wall and hangs it up. She then tells him that she will be guarding the Queen and Celine and staying at the castle now. Gaius wraps an arm around her, and they sit in his room for a while, wishing time would stop before the Glory Spar arrives.

 

Chapter 53

Lisa is daydreaming about Cal while she’s teaching Celine how to make blynks. Leonora shows up with Arond, and as they four are walking, a big boom erupts outside. They run into the King and Cal, and Ementera forces are arriving—an army, not just Menezzar. Menezzar shoots up an emblem of a mountain lion into the sky. Bolthor shoots up the Boolavogue Crest. He kisses Leonora passionately before telling her bye. She tells him to stay alive before running off with Celine, Lisa, and Arond.

 

Chapter 54

Lisa goes through the plan Bolthor set for the Queen and Celine, heading to the Weaponry Forge. Inside, they run into Amos, and all the lights go out. Ementera guards attack. Leonora splits up with them, and as Lis is with Amos and Celine, Amos gets stabbed in the stomach. It’s the red cloak man, Nero, who killed him. Lisa flies Celine to the back wall and hands her the potion. Leonora escapes the thugs who tried to capture her while Lisa is holding off Nero. Celine and the Queen get through the portal, but Nero doesn’t go after them. He wants Lisa instead. He uses his Storm Creation powers to confuse Lisa until she is hit in the head and passes out.

 

Caelum

Caelum feels his heart stop. He knows Lisa is hurt and takes Honey and rushes to the castle. We finally see his point of view and realize he cares for Lisa just as much as she cares for him, and he will do anything to bring her back. He finds Tuff at the castle and follows the glainie. Nero is riding a mountain lion, heading for the emership docks behind the castle, Lisa strapped to the back like luggage. Cal battles and stops him just as he boards his galasi ship. He feeds Nero to Honey, but with Nero’s last bit of breath, he shoots lightning at the ship. It spins in the air. Cal tries to grab Lisa but can’t. Lisa falls out of the ship, and Cal jumps after her. He grabs her, begging the Agapéd to save them. Crystallian again bursts from Cal’s hand and forms a skyscraping slide that slides them back to the earth. Cal rolls and lets go of Lisa, and more of his heart is battered when she clatters against the castle’s wall. Cal crawls over to her. She isn’t moving, and too much blood is coming from her head. He wishes he told Lisa how he felt, how she made his life so much better. She was his first friend and gave him courage. He regrets never telling her how beautiful she is and how she changes his life. He mutters, “Please, stay with me,” and after a few still moments, he feels warmth in his chest again.

 

Chapter 55

Lisa wakes up and kisses Cal. Ekron arrives and tells Cal Bolthor that he needs him. Ekron scoops Lisa up and holds her while they ride his Gora bear. Both Glory Spar emblems in the sky are fading, but Bolthor’s is fading faster. At the Inner Kingdom town square, Bolthor is very wounded. He is missing an arm (now replaced with Crystallian magic), and is splayed against a wall of Crystallian. Menezzar is weakly standing and spitting blood. Cal rushes to Bolthor, and Bolthor tells Cal he is proud of him and that he will make a great King. Bolthor palms Cal’s neck. Magic marks a signet that soon disappears, and the Glory Spar emblem for Boolavogue is back to being pristine. Bolthor just gave the title of “King” to Cal with his last dying words, and since the conditions of the Spar were “Whichever King is the last standing” Cal can fight in his father’s place. Cal fights Menezzar, his chest beaming brightly, and uses his Fysiks and Crystallian magic to win. Menezzar begs his son Draven to take his hand, but Draven refuses and lets Cal stab his father in the chest.

 

Chapter 56

Gaius arrives with the Queen and Celine. Gaius scoops up Lisa as they watch the Sonon family mourn over Bolthor. Draven approaches the new King Caelum Sonon, and asks for peace. Gaius takes Lisa back to his home to heal her head. Lisa says she’s sorry for not staying safe. As she’s going to her room, she can feel the hate and anguish in Cal’s chest. It’s so overpowering that she starts crying and falls to the floor. Gaius comforts her and lets her cry on his lap until she falls asleep.

The next morning, she is still on the couch with Gaius next to her. Gaius tells Lisa she should go and see her mother. Odette doesn’t expect Lisa to be home yet, so Lisa asks if she can just stay with Gaius for a while longer. Gaius says she never needs to ask.

 

Chapter 57

The Kingdom is in ruins, so they don’t have a grand funeral. They have one for the Hunters and then Bolthor. The Captains stake their swords at his grave, and Cal makes a Crystallian sepulture. 

Lisa goes to see her mother. She is about to tell Odette about magic but changes her mind. Odette is the only person in the whole universe who doesn’t look at Lisa with pity. She doesn’t see a scar-tattered Mage or the Agapéd Bearer. She only sees her daughter. So, Lisa doesn’t tell her mom because she just wants to be treated normally at home and relax.

 

Chapter 58

It’s been a month, and it’s the Dawning ceremony for Lisa and the other seven Hunters. King Caelum Sonon stands at the throne and knights Lisa, commanding her to stay in Boolavogue and serve as a Kingdom Hunter. Cal gives a speech about reinvigorate and peace and how he will do his best to lead the Kingdom alongside the Court and his mother. When dismissed, Gaius gives Lisa a bouquet of purple roses. Lisa then heads off to find Cal in the King’s study. They both encourage each other and know their lives will be very busy in the next year. They share a few kisses before they leave to restore their Kingdom.