CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:

THE THIRD WISH

The palace had been taken in a heartbeat.

Most of the servants had fled, but one stood helplessly beside the golden, elephant throne, her wrists bound together by magic rope.

Lady Nathalie reminded herself to be brave, knowing that all was not lost so long as King Gabriel and Prince Adrien were alive. But the news of Marinette's execution had come as a shock to Nathalie, more than she thought it would. Despite being a peasant, the girl always had a certain proclivity for staying alive.

Marinette had been the last one standing the last time Volpina took over... and now she was the first to fall.

Volpina, unsurprisingly, found that quite humorous.

Nathalie just glared at the cackling sorceress as the latter paced in front of the throne, gloating on and on about how her enemy was finally vanquished. I still see much of the old Lila in her, the royal steward thought with disgust.

The clanking of armour got her attention, and Nathalie saw D'Argencourt – or Darkblade, or whatever his name was now – stepping up the dais and seating himself on the throne. Gabriel's throne.

Darkblade leaned back with a blissful sigh as he adjusted himself. "Hmm... Needs a few modifications," the swordsman muttered. "More plush, less gold, a new colour... Maybe a nice obsidian..."

Nathalie's blood rose. "You have no right to sit in that chair," she told the knight flatly.

Darkblade craned his neck at her, his mustache twitching but his smile still showing. "Au contraire, Madame," he purred, patting one of the armrests tenderly, "this throne rightfully belongs to me, my father, and his father before him. At long last, my ancestors have been avenged. All shall now bow to King Darkblade!" He raised his arms triumphantly above him and let out a maniacal laugh.

To the knight's disappointment, Nathalie was more displeased than terrified. Her mouth lifted up at a corner. "You are an even bigger idiot than I remember. You actually believe Volpina will let you rule at all?"

Volpina giggled, but she didn't turn around. "Oh, he will, Nathalie – I'm a kwami of my word," she said. "But first... there is one little matter left to resolve."

Those words made Darkblade perk up like a boy getting served cookies, and he leapt off the throne. "Yes!" He pulled out the glistening, citrine amulet off his neck and held it out in front of him. "My third wish!"

Volpina finally turned to face the swordsman. "Indeed..." she said with a slurring voice that hinted at something devious. Her eyes changed from green to glowing red, like the bleeding sky peeking out between the grand, marble pillars.

Nathalie cautiously stepped back as the witch approached Darkblade.

The traitor, apparently, didn't seem to notice Volpina's frightening demeanour until she was standing right in front of him. Only then did his gleeful smile fall.

Then the sorceress spoke, her voice clapping across the chamber like thunder: "You will wish me free from this cursed amulet!"

Darkblade recoiled, pulling the amulet close to his chest. "No!" he snapped like a spoiled child.

For once, Nathalie felt sorry for him.

Volpina said nothing as she stared perplexedly at Darkblade, and her eyes returned to their normal colour.

The swordsman drew himself up, his eyes narrowed and twitching with irritation. "You cheated me out of my last two wishes!" he stated. "You have what you wanted, and now it's my turn!"

Nathalie glanced at Volpina, wondering how she was going to take her anger out on the traitor. But to her bewilderment, the sorceress seemed to be taking it nicely.

Volpina smiled with that devious sweetness again, kind of like how Nathalie used to look whenever Adrien wouldn't eat his vegetables.

"But you don't need to waste your third wish," Volpina insisted.

Darkblade blinked. "I... I don't?"

Nathalie rolled her eyes. How Adrien learned anything from him is beyond me, she thought.

"I hold phenomenal cosmic powers, remember?" Volpina said. "Anything you can think of, I can summon. You still want the sunken treasure of Coeur du Mer?" She pointed away at the ceiling just as her fingertip began to glow. "It's yours!"

A jet of light shot from the witch's finger, and Nathalie almost fell over when a massive shipwreck appeared in the centre of the chamber and crashed onto the marble floor with a resounding shudder.

Gold coins and colourful jewels exploded from cracks in the broken hull, scattering along the floor in broad waves. A few rolled all the way to Darkblade's feet before coming to a stop.

The sight was so bedazzling, it made Darkblade squeal with delight. Then, he was racing towards the treasure. Well, skipping would be a more appropriate word. He let out girlish cries of "Whoo-hoo!" and "Ha-ha!" as he pranced about the shipwreck, his blue eyes wide and his smile broad.

Nathalie tried not to groan. We're doomed.

Needless to say, Darkblade was so preoccupied with his new horde of treasure, he didn't notice that the mermaid figurehead on the shipwreck had moved.

Through the wooden eyes of the mermaid, Alya saw the giggling knight swooning over a pile of pretty diamonds right below her.

Keeping her focus, Alya willed the mermaid's hand to ease off the hull.

The figurehead's salt-ridden, wooden fingers reached out towards the amulet dangling from Darkblade's hand.

Closer, Alya said, squeezing her temples, closer...

The mermaid obeyed, and lashed out at the prize.

Too late. Darkblade caught sight of a golden sword sticking out of a nearby pile and made a mad dash for it right before the mermaid could grab the amulet.

Cursing, Alya ended the spell and came back into her body on the entrance to the grand balcony, leaning against Nino for support as she gathered herself up.

She looked to see Marinette and Adrien staring at her with anticipation from behind the neighboring pillar.

Alya shrugged, giving them an apologetic look.

Nino patted her on the shoulder. You did your best, the gesture said.

Marinette nodded once to Adrien. The prince nodded back and slipped away like a shadow.

At the same time, Alya felt Nino pull away and vanish with padded feet behind her.

Adrien crouched behind a mound of treasure, peering out as far as he could.

Then, in the barest whisper, he called to the person a few feet away from him, "Tcht – Nat!"

His former governess stiffened and looked for the source of the sound, only for her face to light up upon seeing the prince.

Adrien quickly put a finger to his lips, and Nathalie clamped her own lips shut with a firm nod. Then the prince pointed towards the great pillar directly behind Nat and made a sweeping gesture with his hand.

For once in his life, he was grateful that Nathalie was observant. She began stepping back, slowly and carefully so that Volpina wouldn't notice the big difference.

Thankfully, Volpina was more interested in Darkblade than she was in Nathalie.

Like a cat waiting to pounce, the prince waited for the right moment, the keen senses he inherited from Plagg on high alert.

Darkblade finally stopped dancing around and turned eagerly to Volpina, his eyes blazing with greed. "Um... more?"

A grumble from Volpina, and her finger glowed again.

POOF! A red ruby the size of a cantaloupe appeared on a bejeweled pedestal.

Darkblade gasped with awe and, without even looking, set his amulet down on the throne before striding up to the ruby.

Adrien grinned... and dashed for the cover of another treasure pile.

He heard the swordsman squealing, "I always wanted one of these."

Adrien rolled his eyes. And he used to be my mentor, he thought with annoyance.

He peeked out again, and he caught a blur of green moving towards the throne from the other side: Nino.

Adrien re-devoted his attention to the Miraculous, which sat upon the flat cushion of his father's chair, so bright it put the gold around it to shame.

The prince moved closer.

At the same time, Darkblade called out, "More! More!"

Several shadows fell over Adrien.

The prince snapped up and held back a cry as he dodged a falling chest filled with gold.

More and more treasure appeared and fell about the throne room: chests, statues, and bags of gems. Soon, the entire room shook from the force of the heavy debris.

Nathalie finally took the hint and hastened for the safety of the pillars.

Meanwhile, Adrien was only two feet from the chair – and the Miraculous – when something shook the ground so hard, Adrien stumbled and fell onto his stomach.

That's when an even bigger shadow engulfed him.

This time, Adrien didn't have time to get up. A giant, golden statue of a desert goddess came down towards him, leaving him no choice but to roll along the floor.

The great thing came down, almost crushing the prince underneath. Thankfully, he slipped out of the way of the goddess's face in the nick of time.

Adrien came to a stop, trying hard to control his breathing. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, the prince thought, his mask outlined heavily with sweat.

He hoped Nino was having better luck.

He wasn't.

Since he was trying not to get caught, it was harder for Nino to manoeuvre around the falling debris. More often than not, his path would be blocked and he had to find a way around it without catching Volpina's attention, or Darkblade's.

Geez, Nino thought irritably, even with my new abilities, I'm still as slow as a turtle. Oh, no offence, Wayzz.

None taken, the kwami replied telepathically. Watch out – above!

Nino rolled away before he was crushed by a large chest. Pounding his fist on the ground, Nino got back to his feet and crept further towards the throne.

At long last, he reached it and slipped silently along the side. Then, making sure Darkblade and Volpina were still preoccupied, he reached over to the seat of the chair.

The Miraculous was just within reach when...

WHACK!

Nino clamped his other hand over his mouth to stop himself from yelling in pain. A golden statuette had fallen right on top of his outstretched hand.

The hooded boy yanked it back, swearing and cursing in every language he knew in his head.

Oh, dear... I do hope Alya doesn't hear you talking like that.

Who asked you, Wayzz?!

Breathing through his nose and shaking his throbbing hand, Nino peered back beyond the side.

But by then it was too late: Volpina was now glancing between Darkblade and the amulet, as though debating whether or not she should grab it herself.

Nino quickly concealed himself, and swore under his breath again.

Language.

Oh, shut up.

Nathalie gasped for breath as she emerged onto the grand balcony.

When she looked back, the last of the treasure had stopped falling. Now the whole chamber floor was nothing but a sea of gold, jewels, large statues, and an old shipwreck.

Nathalie scoured the field for Adrien, sighing with relief when she saw him scrambling away from a fallen statue unscathed. Only now, he was cut off completely from the throne... and Volpina's amulet.

Oh, Astruc save us, Nathalie prayed to the red sky above.

Her prayer was answered when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

The steward spun around, almost screaming, but it got stuck in her throat when she beheld the masked face of her rescuer.

Unable to help it, Nathalie gasped.

"Shh!" Marinette instantly covered the woman's mouth. Then she whispered, "Stay quiet and stay close to me."

Normally, Nathalie didn't take orders from anyone but Adrien and the king. But... the girl was alive! And real! Nathalie nodded, and sighed when Marinette removed her hand.

"But... you..." she mouthed breathlessly. "Are you immortal?"

The girl grinned at her. "No. Just extremely lucky."

Volpina wiped the bit of sweat from her face and brushed her hair-tails aside briskly before walking over to Darkblade.

The lunatic's face was frozen in joy, his mustache actually going straight as he smiled giddily at his newfound fortune. He never once acknowledged the sorceress's presence.

"Now," Volpina growled with impatience, "if that's exceedingly excessive enough, perhaps you would care to..." She cleared her throat in Darkblade's ear. "... grant my freedom?"

The knight blinked, still smiling, but this time Volpina detected no trace of resistance in his eyes.

"What?" Darkblade said dreamily. "Oh, yes. Right. Wish you free. Of course."

And as he strode back to the throne, a warm but dark grin appeared on Volpina's face.

Finally...

Darkblade snatched up the amulet, which glowed brightly at his touch, and held it up by the chain.

"I wish for Volpina to be...!"

Marinette gasped with horror.

Alya covered her mouth with her hands.

Adrien's oblong pupils thinned.

Nino looked ready to spring out of his hiding spot.

Then... Darkblade paused, and that happy gleam in his eyes faded away instantly.

"Wait..." he murmured, his mustache curling again as he looked at a stunned Volpina with a suspicious gaze. "How do I know all this treasure won't disappear once I set you free?"

Something like fire erupted along Volpina's irises.

Then, like a wraith in a nightmare, she zoomed forward and rose up to stand higher and taller than Darkblade, making him cower back. "The more pressing question is..." the sorceress said with that ominous, universal tone, "how will you stay alive if you don't?!"

Steaming, she turned away from Darkblade and set out onto the field of treasure, reminding herself to keep her cool. Patience, Volpina, she thought. Patience. This idiot is obviously less than reliable.

Besides, Marinette was gone, and all others who would oppose her were behind bars. Volpina had nothing to fear.

Darkblade, on the other hand, did. He lowered his hand, the amulet dangling from it until it almost touched the ground.

"B-B-But..." the knight stammered, his armour clinking as he shook uncontrollably. "You... You said a kwami can't kill anyone! You said that!"

Volpina snorted, recalled Tikki's words, and glanced back at Darkblade. "You'd be surprised what you can live through," she stated slowly with the hint of a hiss.

She looked back at his clenched hand... only to see another hand sticking out towards it.

Volpina spun around, eyes wide. "What?!"

Nino stiffened... and then he rose out of his hiding spot and grabbed the amulet with both hands.

Unfortunately, Darkblade had a good grip.

"Hey!" the knight cried angrily as he pulled at his part of the chain with both hands as well. "Let... go... you... insolent... servant!"

Nino grinned. "Should've said please," he sang.

Then, in one swift move, he turned around, lifted Darkblade's arms over his shoulder, sank to the ground, and heaved the swordsman right over him.

Darkblade's surprised cry was silenced when his back slammed onto the treasure-ridden floor... and his grip loosened.

Nino pried the amulet free and stood up with a "Yes!"

ZAP!

He cried out when something like a lightning bolt shot him in the chest and sent him flying. He felt the Miraculous slipping from his fingers before he collided with the floor. Nino dug a line through the field of coins until he came to a stop.

Get up, Nino! Hurry!

Wayzz's voice made Nino come to a bit sooner. He rose up just as Volpina stepped towards him, a fireball in each hand.

At the same time, Darkblade fished something out of the treasure and lifted it up. The Miraculous!

"Here's a new lesson for you, Darkblade," the sorceress shouted while sneering at Nino. "What do you do when you can't kill anyone?" Her eyes blazed yellow. "You make them wish they were dead!"

Nino had heaved his shield off his back just as the pillar of flaming magic engulfed him.

"NINO!" Alya shrieked.

"No!" Adrien cried from somewhere in the chamber.

But all of their cries were drowned out by the roar of the fire baring down upon their friend.

Volpina laughed... until she realized that her victim wasn't screaming. In fact, she couldn't hear anything.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she stopped.

The fire dissipated into smoke, and something was glowing bright-green in the spot where Nino was standing.

Rage and confusion rippled through Volpina. "That's impossible..." she breathed.

The fumes cleared, revealing the green-hooded boy with his magical shield, both of which were still intact and perfectly unscathed. Not a single scorch mark or burn lay upon the shield.

Nino peered over with surprise... and then he smiled proudly at Volpina. "I guess I do learn, don't I?"

The sorceress growled. This was the work of that ancient, turtle kwami. She could smell his power all over this boy. "You really think that fancy new toy of yours can protect you from me forever?" she spat at him heatedly.

A new voice entered the scene: "We certainly will."

Volpina blinked, but she wasn't at all surprised to see Adrien rushing to his best friend's side.

The black-clad prince crouched into a fighting stance, his staff slung over his shoulder and his green, cat-like eyes narrowed at Volpina.

Once upon a time, the sorceress had found that attractive. Now she just found it annoying.

Then, another person stepped in to stand beside the new, hooded hero.

Volpina reeled.

It wasn't Alya that surprised her – it was the fact that the girl's hands were glowing orange, as was the necklace around her neck.

"My pendant?!" the sorceress shouted. "How did you...?" The answer came to her instantly, and sparks ignited from her fingers. "Trixx... I should've known she had grown soft around you."

Alya shrugged with smirk. "I guess a fox can change her stripes, can't she?" she mused.

Volpina harrumphed. "No matter. After I deal with you three, I'll take care of that long-tailed rodent myself." She cocked at her head at Adrien. "And what about you, Adrikins? You seem quite composed for a boy whose one true love has just been ruthlessly murdered."

The prince's face darkened. "You are never going to hurt anyone I love ever again, Volpina," he declared, rising and pointing his staff at the witch. "It ends tonight."

She giggled. "I couldn't agree more," she said before glancing sidelong at her partner. "Darkblade, get rid of that pesky prince for me, would you? I'll deal with the copycats."

"Hey, there's only one cat in this band," Adrien said, crouching again, "and that's Cat Noir!"

Darkblade slipped the Miraculous over his head and drew his rapier. "Then that's how they'll remember you in the history books," he growled before charging forward. "En garde!"

Marinette tried not to look back into the throne room as she hoisted Nathalie's arm over her shoulder and pulled out her yo-yo. "Hold on tight," she whispered.

The steward went pale in the face and grabbed her arm. "We can't leave them!"

The blunette looked her dead in the eyes. "I have to get you to safety first," she said firmly. "Prince's orders."

And with that, Marinette spun her yo-yo and swung it high to the top of the tower before Nathalie could question her further.

The pair of them went flying off the grand balcony and into the red, thundering expanse.

All the while, Marinette whispered with all her heart: Just hang in there, guys. I'm coming.