by Kristen Pham
“Be careful; it could be a trick,” Valerie said.
She thought she saw Juniper grin. “It’s killing you not to be here, isn’t it?”
“A little,” she admitted.
There was a noise in the background, and Juniper glanced over his shoulder. “I gotta go. Tell you more tomorrow.”
Chapter 24
Restless after her unsettling encounter with Thai and her failure with the Grand Masters, Valerie quietly avoided her friends for the rest of the day, instead deciding to wander around Silva alone to plan her next move.
She had left the edges of the city and was heading into the forest when Zunya stepped out from behind a tree. Her first instinct was to run, but he had already locked eyes on her. Even from a few yards away, he could take her power if he wanted to.
“No need to run, little rabbit,” he jeered. “I’m only projecting.”
“Like on Earth?” she asked, surprised. “I didn’t think you could do that on the Globe.”
“The rules binding the Globe are weakening, thanks to a little ingenuity by the Fractus. You might want to reconsider which side you’re on,” he said, his smile growing wider.
It was a disturbing sight, and she looked away. “What do you want?”
“To show you something.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He laughed. “Afraid the big bad wolf will eat you up? Don’t you know if that’s what I was after, you’d be dead already?”
The Laurel Circle turned cold on her thumb, a reminder to herself to reach down and find her little shred of anger and confidence. “Is that so? It didn’t seem like that at the Capitol when you attacked me and I escaped—twice.”
“Only because Oberon was there to protect you. You’re all by your lonesome this time,” he said, but she could hear the simmering rage underneath his words.
“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
“You’ll want to hear this. If you ever want to see Jet alive again.”
“What about Darling?” she asked, the worry she had been repressing for the little creature bubbling up uncontrollably.
Zunya quickly masked his surprise at her knowledge. “Nothing will happen to the little rat. He’s being treated like a guest.”
“In your dungeon? I hardly think so.”
“Is it that little brat, Shade, who told you all this? I knew that sniveling good-for-nothing would turn on us.”
“My brother and I sensed Jet’s mind and saw what you did to him,” she said quickly, not wanting to bring Zunya’s wrath down on Shade.
His face cleared a little at her explanation, and he almost sounded impressed. “Ah, brother and sister, joining forces. How sweet. Reaper knew that together you’d be a powerful tool.”
“Not for you!” Valerie spat.
“So you say, but we certainly appreciated your words at the Capitol today, even if the vote didn’t swing in our favor. Maybe we have more in common than you think,” Zunya said.
“I’ve known you for most of my life, and I know that we don’t have anything in common.”
He grinned at her. “Maybe you’re right. But we do have something you want. Come now. This offer won’t be repeated.”
He stepped into the woods, and after a second of hesitation, Valerie followed. She chased him through the trees, but she didn’t have to run far. He stopped in a clearing. Next to him was a portal like the one Chern created to take them to Ephesus, a window to another part of the Globe. Through the patch, she could see a wavy vision of the cell Jet lay in.
The wolf was white, as she remembered. He was skin and bones, but he lapped at some water in a bowl on the floor.
“Alive,” Zunya said. “He thought you’d want to see proof.”
“Who?” Valerie asked, barely able to process her enemy’s words while staring at the shell of the wolf that had once been so strong.
“Reaper. He’d like to propose a trade.”
“Jet…for what?”
“Nothing much, really. He wants to meet you. In person,” Zunya said, his yellow eyes narrowing as he examined her reaction.
“I see. And I’m guessing my chances of surviving this meeting are pretty minimal, given his attacks on me lately,” Valerie said, struggling to keep her calm mask from slipping.
“It’s true that Reaper wanted you dead before today. But now he thinks maybe your interests are aligned. He only wants to talk to you—your life will not be taken in this meeting.”
“I see. And if I refuse?”
“Jet dies, of course. And we’ll see about little Darling.”
She shuddered. There had only been one answer to Zunya’s request, but she didn’t want him to know how ready she was to hand herself over if that was Reaper’s demand for Jet’s life. She was glad she had kept her mouth shut.
“Fine, I’ll meet him,” Valerie agreed. “When and where?”
“All in good time. Reaper wants to make sure you’re alone, so we won’t be giving you time to prepare. For now, it’s enough that you accept and you keep your mouth shut. I’ll be in touch soon,” Zunya replied.
The sound of footsteps crunching against the leaves on the forest floor startled Valerie. Midnight appeared, and when her eyes settled on Zunya her power pulsed powerfully.
“He’s not really here,” Valerie said.
“Taking her to the woods to slaughter her? Not this time. Get away from her,” Midnight snarled, not listening. Valerie had never seen her so enraged. “Let’s finish what’s between us today.”
The hum of power that emanated from Midnight took Valerie’s breath away. Zunya’s lips formed a thin line, as if even at a distance the power of her hatred intimidated him a little. But he quickly regained his usual confidence.
“Still haven’t forgiven me for killing Aurora? I’m heartbroken,” he said, but his usual heartless sarcasm had a note of something that Valerie would have thought was regret in anyone else.
“I’ll kill you for that,” Midnight said, her voice quiet and far more frightening than when she had shouted a moment earlier.
Valerie could have sworn she saw Zunya flinch at the words. “That’s not how this will end.”
Zunya vanished, and the portal showing Jet collapsed. Valerie was left with Midnight, whose fists were clenched.
“I was alerted to someone illegally projecting in Arden and came right away. What did he want from you?” Midnight asked. The Guardian Grand Master seemed to sag, empty of the power that had lit her up when she confronted Zunya.
Valerie didn’t trust Zunya’s promise of her safety. But she did trust the repercussions if she didn’t meet Reaper, or if she told anyone what he planned. He was obviously done with Jet, whatever he had tried to use him for. It was the last chance to save his life. She couldn’t ruin it by telling Midnight the truth.
“He was trying to scare me into abandoning the search for Jet,” she replied, settling for a half-truth.
“But you never will,” Midnight said with a wry smile. “You never abandon you ideals. It is why you remind me so much of my daughter.”
“Aurora?” Valerie asked, but she already knew the answer. She could see the raw, beating pain of a loss that even Valerie couldn’t completely fathom.
“She tried to reform Zunya, convinced that he would turn on the Fractus and help the Knights to end their threat forever,” Midnight said, her voice sounding faraway. “I think she really came close to finding a shred of humanity in him. He had many chances to kill her, but it was years before he finally stripped her of her power, and then her life. He left her dead body on my doorstep.”
Valerie’s stomach churned. “He’s a monster.”
Midnight’s face was rigid. “Yes. Alive, he is a reminder to me of the importance of the work we do to keep the Fractus away from Earth. But I would still prefer him dead.”
Valerie swallowed, letting a dark hatred burn through her. “I’d prefer him that way, too.”
Midnight and V
alerie left the forest and their painful conversation behind, though Valerie couldn’t leave the knowledge of who was coming for her behind with it.
Chapter 25
Keeping her encounter with Zunya from her friends was easier than Valerie thought it would be. She had spent the majority of her life fending for herself, and slipping back into her old habits was oddly comfortable. She still had the benefit of their company without worrying that she was dragging them into more danger. Knowing that she had a promise to keep to Reaper freed her to do what she would prefer to do anyway—keep her friends as far from danger as possible.
Waiting for Reaper’s summons, on the other hand, was torture. She didn’t know if he’d contact her in an hour or a month.
“Val! Glad I found ya,” Cyrus said, surprising her on her way home to Midnight and Henry. She was so startled, she jumped a foot in the air.
“You scared me!”
Cyrus laughed at her. “Since when are you this jumpy?”
She punched him lightly on the shoulder and changed the subject. “What’s up?”
The smile fell from his face. “It’s Cara’s last day. She’s leaving tomorrow morning at dawn.”
“Back to Messina?”
“I don’t know. She’s being very mysterious about it all. I guess she’s on her own now. But I want to send her off in style, so I thought we could all surprise her with a little party.”
“Absolutely. How can I help?”
“Everything’s taken care of. It’s at my Guild. I came to pick you up.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t have plans!”
“You mean you wouldn’t break them for your bestest friend in the universe?” he teased. “I didn’t know she was leaving until this morning. Seriously, you don’t have plans, do you?”
“None I wouldn’t break for you, Cy,” she said, bumping his shoulder with her own. His responding smile was dazzling.
They collected Henry and then met up with Kanti and Ceru at the entrance of the Society of Imaginary Friends.
“What’s Cara been up to, anyway?” Kanti asked.
“She’s been working with Dulcea. Some kid on Earth needed help with science, and we’re really lucky she was here because it’s not a subject we’re strong in. You forget how much work everything is when you don’t have magic.”
“I’m surprised she agreed to do anything that involved magic,” Valerie said.
“She’s coming around to see the good that can be wrought with magic,” Ceru said softly.
“You two have been spending time together, huh?” Cyrus said, narrowing his eyes. “You’re 174 years old. Don’t you think you’re a little old for her?”
“That’s like, seventeen years old for his people, and you know it!” Kanti jumped in.
“Seventeen is too old! She’s a kid,” Cyrus said, getting red in the face.
Ceru rested a hand on the top of Cyrus’s head. “Don’t worry, my friend. Cara is a child, as you say. I helped her to embrace magic for your sake as much as hers. I knew what losing her would mean to you.”
Cyrus looked down, embarrassed. “Sorry, man. I should have known better.”
They had arrived at the Guild, and Cyrus led them to a room that was filled with all of Cara’s favorite foods that she had discovered since she had come to Arden. There were also a number of other Conjurors that Valerie recognized but didn’t know well. She hadn’t realized how many friends Cara had made during her short visit.
“Dulcea will bring her any minute,” Cyrus said to the collected group, and turned out the lights. “Grab a pocketwork and be ready for when she steps through the door.”
“A pocketwork?” Henry asked, picking up a little ball that glittered with silver flecks.
“You’ll see,” Kanti grinned. “Throw it in the air when she comes in.”
The handle of the door turned, and Dulcea stepped in, followed by Cara.
“Surprise!” everyone yelled.
Valerie threw a ball in the air like everyone else. She heard a sound like popcorn in the microwave, and then fireworks exploded inside the room. They lit up everyone’s faces with a silvery glow. Cyrus threw his pocketwork last, and it rocketed across the room, leaving a light trail that spelled “Farewell, Cara” in its wake.
Cara’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she hugged her brother tightly.
“I hope those are happy tears,” Cyrus said, sounding a little worried.
“They are. Thank you for everything.”
“I’m really going to miss you,” he said, sounding a little choked up.
“We all are,” Valerie added, giving Cyrus a second to pull himself together. She knew how much he hated anyone seeing him unravel.
“I guess I’ll have to come back often, in that case,” Cara said with a smile.
“You’re not going back to Messina?” Kanti asked.
“Not yet. There’s work to do here,” she said, her eyes connecting with Ceru’s.
“What’s the mystery?” Henry asked.
“Cara will be joining my people for a time. They have accepted her presence, but her work with them is a secret,” Ceru explained.
“Do Mom and Dad know?” Cyrus asked.
Cara nodded. “I didn’t want them to think I was lost or hurt. But I didn’t want to talk to them, so I sent a letter.”
“Chicken,” Cyrus said, putting his arm around his sister and leading her to the food.
Dulcea hung back from the group, biting her lip thoughtfully.
“Everything okay?” Valerie asked her.
“It’s a shame Cara doesn’t want to join our Guild. We could use her talents. She’d rise quickly to instructor level with the knowledge she has about science.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?”
Dulcea shifted uncomfortably. “Not exactly.”
“Then what is it?”
“There was an aspect of my thesis that I wanted to talk to Rastelli about in private—to try to explain what my research is showing. I know he has this favorite place he calls his ‘thinking spot’ not far from the Guild. I went there to find him, and I saw him talking to Zunya.”
Valerie’s eyes widened. “What would Rastelli have to say to Zunya?”
“I don’t know, but nothing good. I snuck closer trying to overhear, but Zunya vanished. I don’t know how he did it.”
Valerie had a pretty good idea, but she kept her mouth shut. “Do you think Rastelli is the spy?”
“It’s hard for me to imagine. He can be stubborn and a little strange at times, but I can’t imagine him doing anything that might hurt kids on Earth or the Globe,” Dulcea said.
Valerie didn’t get that vibe from Rastelli, either, but she didn’t know him well. “Still, it doesn’t look good.”
Dulcea nodded. “He’s been acting strange lately, too. He’s never fully approved of my work, but he’s always vaguely encouraged me to follow my own path. But lately, he’s been distant and dismissive. Not just of me, but of many of us who are studying to become Masters.”
“Maybe he’s threatened by you.”
Dulcea shrugged. “I never would have said that before but…” she trailed off as the rest of the group approached with plates of food.
“Let’s not worry the others—yet,” Dulcea whispered quickly.
Valerie nodded, and a little weight settled on her heart. Another secret. They piled up so quickly.
After the party, Valerie walked toward home with Henry, Cyrus, and Kanti, her mind whirling. Rastelli, Kellen, Sanguina…there were too many suspects, and none of them completely added up. But she had a nauseated feeling in her belly that told her she had better find an answer quickly.
Henry interrupted her thoughts by clearing his throat loudly. “I didn’t want to steal Cara’s thunder, but now that she’s on her way to her next adventure, I wanted to tell you guys something.”
He had their attention. “What is it?” Valerie asked, a little alarmed.
“I picked a guild,” he sa
id, turning a little pink. “I’m going to join Empathy.”
“That’s great!” she said, giving him a hug.
“Agreed! Nice going,” Cyrus said, slapping him on the back. Henry hardly seemed to notice, because he was staring at Kanti.
“I’m glad you found the right place for you,” Kanti said, her eyes beaming with her sincerity.
“You’re not disappointed? I know we always talked about working together at the Society of Imaginary Friends, but I don’t belong there.”
“No way. I’ll miss you, but it’ll give us more to talk about. We can trade Guild secrets,” Kanti said with a smile that could stop traffic.
Henry blushed. “My apprentice ceremony is tomorrow night. I hope you can all come.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Valerie said, happy that her brother was settling into his life on the Globe.
At home, Midnight was reading by the fire, and Valerie invited her to visit Thai and Tan with her. Midnight broke into one of her rare smiles, and together they shut their eyes and let their minds project to Earth. Thai was sitting next to Tan on Henry’s old bed, laughing. The black mark on Tan’s neck had faded to the point of being almost invisible. If she hadn’t seen it when he’d separated from Thai, she’d wouldn’t even notice the slight shadow.
“Tan! Welcome to the world of the living!” Valerie said happily. Tan’s smile vanished at the sight of her.
“What’s she doing here?” he said with a face like he’d tasted something sour. “I thought I told you to leave us alone.”
“I can’t have you talking to Valerie like that,” Thai said. “You promised.”
Tan nodded grudgingly, but her joy had dissipated. She’d hoped that when they separated, Tan would return to his happy-go-lucky self.
“It’s good to see you both,” Midnight said, filling the uncomfortable silence. “I hope you both have had time to process the implications of the Excision since we met last.”
“At least you’ll be able to make it to the Globe before anything drastic happens,” Valerie said.
