by Kristen Pham
“This is my sister, Valerie, I was telling you about,” Henry said. “Valerie, this is Elle and Will. They’re twins, like us.”
The Empaths wore identical expressions of curiosity in their fluorescent green eyes. They both had skin that was covered in gold scales, and gills were embedded in their cheeks. Elle had long, gold hair and Will’s was cut short, but otherwise it would be hard to tell them apart.
“Fascinating. Her mind is much like yours,” Elle said, her voice gruff.
“She should join the Empaths,” her brother agreed. “The mind is the most powerful weapon of all.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Henry said, saving Valerie from awkwardly explaining why she wasn’t going to switch guilds. “Dasan promised to join us!”
Hope flared inside her. They were a true force to be reckoned with now. “I’m so grateful.”
“What were you here for?” he asked her.
“I need your help finding Chrome. I have to talk to him, and I thought we could sense him together.”
Henry nodded and his friends left without being asked, clearly intuiting that their presence would be a distraction. Valerie opened her mind to him, and they sent out a thread of magic into the atmosphere that quickly found its target. He wasn’t far, racing through the woods near the Lake of Knowledge. When their minds touched Chrome’s, Henry recoiled, pulling back.
“So much pain,” he gasped. “How can he live?”
Valerie’s eyes were filled with tears. “I don’t know. But at least I can go to him now.”
Henry nodded, but his eyes were troubled. “Be careful. I know you’ve got your own box of pain locked away. Don’t let yourself open it yet—we have to get through this mission first.”
She was surprised that Henry had sensed so much. He must be getting stronger in his abilities since joining the Empaths.
“I’ll be careful.”
Chapter 33
After glimpsing Chrome’s pain, Valerie found herself first jogging, then running to the Lake of Knowledge. As she came closer, images exploded in her mind of two wolf pups rolling in the grass, a battle where Jet saved Chrome’s life, and a sweet, private ceremony of promising to be true for life.
Chrome wasn’t sending the images specifically to her. He was broadcasting them into the universe, clearly not in control of his mind. Anyone who came near enough would see the images and know the depth of his longing for his lost mate.
“Chrome, it’s me. Please talk to me.” She called, but there was only silence. “I’m sorry!” Still she heard nothing, but there was a stillness now, as if he was listening to her. “His last thought was of you!”
The gray wolf emerged from the trees. He’d aged ten years in the months since he’d gone missing. His coat was streaked with white, reminding Valerie of how Jet’s coat had turned completely white during his time with Reaper. Chrome seemed to droop, and Valerie suspected it had been a long time since he’d eaten.
In her mind, she saw a campfire surrounded by a pack of wolves. Story time, she understood, and allowed herself to crack open the box of pain wide enough to let her last memories of Jet escape.
“His last thought was of your face. It was so bright in his mind, and his love was so powerful…” she trailed off, trying to slow the tears that slid out of her eyes one after the other. “Before that, he thought how sweet it was to be free, and that I had set him free by letting him choose an honorable death. Was I wrong? I could have forced him to live, I know I could have!”
The exact image Jet had shown her of himself howling at the moon filled her mind, and she gasped. “Yes! That was what he showed me.”
This time, she could see that it was not only a cry of freedom, but also one of thanks and farewell. Chrome showed her an image of himself running by her side through a battle. He would have her back for all his days to come. He was thanking her for letting Jet go and honoring his wish.
His thanks broke down Valerie’s defenses and she fell to her knees. Chrome nuzzled his head into her shoulder, and both of their bodies shook from the force of their sobs. She let go of the bitterest part of her guilt and grief, and it was replaced by an overwhelming gratitude that Chrome didn’t hate her for her role in his mate’s death.
It was a long time before Chrome pulled away. His eyes were no longer dull and lifeless. They were filled with a furious light. An image of Chrome tearing out the throat of a cloaked man filled her mind. He wouldn’t rest until Jet was avenged. The depth of his rage would have frightened her if she didn’t also know how righteous it was. But she hoped someday he could find peace. She hoped they both would.
Valerie was exhausted as she trudged home. She was empty, but lighter. The box in her mind had burst open, and it was more of a relief than she had expected. Her focus had sharpened, and for the first time she considered the possibility of ending the Fractus’s threat for good.
But a warm bed wasn’t in store for her yet. Midnight’s mind gently touched hers, conveying a muted wave of urgency. She turned her feet in the direction of the Guardians of the Boundary Guild and began to run. The closer she got, the more certain she was that the news wouldn’t be good.
She burst into Midnight’s office and found her surrounded by a group of Grand Masters, including Skye, Chern, Calibro, Kellen, and a few others she hadn’t been introduced to.
“The vote was final! Are you defying the decision?” Skye said, stomping a hoof in frustration. His hand was on the hilt of the sword sheathed at his side. “Even Kellen, who was against the Excision, is willing to enforce the law.”
“Rein yourself in,” Midnight commanded, her violet eyes almost sparking with repressed anger.
“Everyone’s replaceable,” a Grand Master with long, red hair said snidely.
“Perhaps you should replace me then. My second in command is Oleander. I wish her luck finalizing a spell with so many complications.”
“Midnight is the only one who can do it,” Oleander said, wearing an expression like she had tasted a lemon. The room fell silent.
“Are you saying you will defy the democracy?” Calibro spoke up, her grave voice never seeming more inconsistent with her young age. “The implications are anarchy, chaos. How can we spread the values of Arden throughout the Globe if we refuse to follow our own rules?”
Some of the fight left Midnight’s eyes. “I never said I wouldn’t perform the Excision. I’m only asking for time. There are two boys on Earth who need to be brought to the Globe first.”
“This isn’t reversible,” Valerie said, and everyone turned to the door of the room, startled by her presence. Kellen clenched his tiny fists like he’d love to strangle her, and she knew that he was already aware that Pathos had been taken.
“Why should we listen to this little girl? I’ve heard she’s a lying, stealing—”
“What basis do you have for such accusations?” Midnight interrupted sharply.
Kellen practically snarled, and he flew closer to Valerie. She stood tall, refusing to step back. If he admitted that an apprentice had managed to steal from him, he’d appear weak. And now that she thought about it, he couldn’t want the news about the hair he was accumulating getting out either.
“Yes, Kellen, what were you going to say? I had a few things I was confused about, too, that I wouldn’t mind clearing up,” Valerie challenged him.
He retreated, and his anger seemed to fizzle. “She’s only an apprentice. She shouldn’t even be here.”
“Let’s hear what she has to say,” Calibro said. “Both sides should have a chance to speak.”
“We’re talking about denying any humans the ability to travel to the Globe for any reason, including two boys we already know about. This is a huge decision,” Valerie said. “Give Midnight time, that’s all I ask.”
“Gabriel said the Fractus already have the power to return to Earth. Time is something we can’t afford,” Skye said. “These two humans won’t die from their type of magic, and many humans might if we don�
��t stop the Fractus while we still can.”
A murmur of agreement followed his words.
“It’s not only the two humans who will suffer, but also one Conjuror,” Valerie said. “Have you forgotten that Darling is trapped in the Black Castle? The Fractus must be using him in some way to help them return to Earth. Once there’s no way to return, he’ll be useless to them. The Fractus will never let him live.”
Chern shuddered dramatically. “Horrible creatures. I’m sure the girl is right. But Darling is only one person. We should save the many.”
The mood of the room had changed, and angry rumblings followed Chern’s words.
“Darling is a Conjuror, not another human,” the red-haired man said. “He deserves better treatment.”
It was on the tip of Valerie’s tongue to condemn the hypocrisy of how quickly the Grand Masters would dismiss the lives of two humans while the thought of doing the same to a Conjuror was much less acceptable. But Midnight gave her a warning glance. The tide was turning in their favor, and she shouldn’t interfere.
Even Skye pawed the ground, shaken. “Darling saved the life of a dear niece.”
“There are few whose lives he hasn’t touched,” Midnight added.
Arguing broke out then as the Conjurors debated the best plan.
Skye turned to Valerie. He bent down and whispered in her ear, his dark hair brushing against her cheek. “Is it true that another effort is underway to return to Dunsinane?” She nodded slightly. “Will this effort succeed?”
She looked straight into his eyes. “Yes.”
Skye stamped his hoof, and the sound echoed through the room.
“Enough,” Midnight said. “I will perform the Excision, even though I disagree with it. But I will give Darling a little more time to escape. You all know his abilities, and I trust that he is finding a way out of the Black Castle even now.”
“One week,” Skye said with troubled eyes. “No more. Darling would understand.”
The Grand Masters muttered their agreement and left. Once the door closed behind them, Valerie saw Midnight’s shoulders relax slightly.
“I’ll hold them off as long as I can,” Midnight promised.
Valerie nodded. “We’re going to the Black Castle soon, maybe even tomorrow.”
Midnight’s violet eyes pierced Valerie’s. “It won’t be enough to simply save Darling. Before he became a pure vivicus, his power was that he could travel wherever he willed, including back to Earth. It was never a problem, because the Guardians always knew that he only used his powers for good.”
Valerie’s stomach churned. “But now Reaper has him.”
Midnight nodded. “His magic is in his fur. They can strip him of it and use the strands to travel to Earth if they know how. Even if you rescue him, by now they’ve likely collected thousands of those strands.”
“So it isn’t enough to rescue Darling. I have to find the hair that they’ve taken as well.”
Midnight nodded. “They will also need an object to scry with—a way to view a true reflection of Earth. Like this,” she said, gesturing to the slowly spinning globe on her desk.
Valerie swallowed, her mouth dry. “Azra has a map that works that way, too.”
“Yes, it could take many different forms. I could easily identify it,” Midnight said.
Valerie shook her head. “They’re watching you too closely for you to join us. I don’t want to tip off Reaper that we’re coming.”
“I should be by your side. You’re fixing a problem that the Grand Masters ought to be solving,” Midnight said, her lips pursed in frustration.
“We’ve got help. We’re going to succeed,” Valerie promised, hoping that saying the words aloud would make them more likely to come true.
Midnight smiled. “You do inspire my faith, Valerie Diaz. I look forward to a thorough account of your adventure when you return.”
Midnight pulled Valerie into a quick, tight hug. Valerie didn’t think she’d ever seen the Grand Master so affectionate before, but the maternal warmth sparkling in her eyes was undeniable.
“Thank you,” Valerie whispered, not fully trusting her voice.
Valerie stumbled home through the darkness, her mind reeling at the implications of what had happened. Thai might never make it to the Globe now that the Excision was happening so soon. She thought she had begun to wrap her mind around the possibility that he might choose to stay on Earth, but she realized now that she had always believed that eventually, if she waited long enough, he would come to the Globe.
She leaned against the side of The Palace Hotel to catch her breath, and she gripped Thai’s charm, unable to wait until she made it home. The twisting streets of Silva were replaced by a huge, manicured lawn with imposing stone buildings.
Valerie tried to make sense of where she was, but she was distracted by a glint of blonde hair and a familiar tinkling laugh. Logan. Then she saw Thai. He was holding Logan’s hand, their fingers laced together. They were sitting on a pink picnic blanket and a feast was laid out before them.
Thai saw her and pulled away from Logan.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Valerie’s heart was still beating, so she knew that it hadn’t really been smashed into a million pieces.
Logan whipped around, triumph in her eyes. “Oh hi, sweetie. Good to see you. Want to join us? We’d love you to crash our first date.”
Thai winced at Logan’s words, but when she firmly reached out to hold his hand again, he let her. “Um, we should talk,” Thai said, not quite meeting her eyes.
“Yeah,” Valerie said, her voice hoarse but not hysterical, like the one inside her mind screaming at him. “I have to tell you something important, but it can wait till you’re…alone.”
Pain greater than any she had ever known seized her, and she quickly let her mind return to the Globe. But before Thai’s face vanished, he must have seen a flash of her heartbreak, because his eyes filled with tears.
Back on the Globe, Valerie reached for the wall of the hotel behind her. It was real and strong and not going anywhere. She leaned against it and slid to the ground. There was a buzzing in her mind that was shielding her from the full impact of Thai’s betrayal. She sensed it was Henry in her mind doing this, but she let him, unable to summon the strength to shut him out.
She heard his footsteps running down the street, and he was by her side. He didn’t say anything, but helped her to her feet. They walked home, and by the time she reached their door, she had begun shivering.
Kanti was sitting on their stoop, probably waiting to see Henry. But when she saw Valerie’s face, she immediately put a supporting arm around her. “What is it?”
Henry shook his head, and Kanti seemed to accept that she wasn’t getting an explanation right now. Instead, she helped Valerie to her room and wrapped a blanket around her. Valerie shuffled over to her bed and lay down. Kanti tugged off her shoes. Henry’s gentle presence in her mind turned up the buzzing somehow, sending her to sweet unconsciousness.
Chapter 34
The next day, Valerie was awakened by a deep ache in her palm. She was clutching Thai’s charm so tightly that it had cut into her skin.
The full impact of his betrayal tried to tug her back into the darkness. To blindside her like this, he could never have truly loved her. And she had fallen in love with an ideal of Thai instead of the reality—a guy who would cheat and abandon someone whom only weeks ago he said he loved.
Without realizing what she was doing, she ripped the charm off her neck and threw it across the room. She was startled by the ugly thoughts that came to her mind. She had the sudden desire to make him suffer as much as she was.
The thought sickened her. No matter what had happened, she wouldn’t be on the Globe now had he not risked his life to get her here. She walked to the corner of the room and retrieved the charm. She couldn’t bring herself to tie it around her neck, so instead, she slid it into her pocket.
Kanti peeked out from under the covers of Henry’s be
d. Henry was there, too, asleep in a chair in the corner. Her heart squeezed, but this time because she was touched.
“You okay?” Kanti asked.
“She’s going to be,” Henry said, rubbing his eyes. “I’m proud of you, sis.”
She wanted to tell him how much he meant to her, and how grateful she was. “Henry…”
“It’s okay, I can feel it. And right back at you.”
She nodded briskly, forcing herself to focus on the other big news she had faced last night. “Our timetable for attacking the Black Castle has moved up—we’ve got one week to save Darling and Oberon before the Excision.”
“Aren’t we close to ready?” Kanti asked.
Valerie nodded. “Can you two let Gideon know? There’s one more person I want to talk to before we leave.”
Valerie knocked on Azra’s door, hoping she wasn’t abroad on business. She was in luck, and the door opened at her touch. Azra stepped off the patch of grass in her office, and Valerie was stunned at her appearance.
It had been a few weeks since she had seen Azra, and something was different about her. She was always beautiful, but now she seemed to glow, as if a spotlight lit her from behind, turning the fine white hairs on her body silver. She radiated life.
At first, Valerie was so taken aback by the sight that she didn’t notice that Azra’s eyes had tears in them.
“What is it? Tell me what’s wrong and I’ll fix it.”
Azra dipped her head forward and her silver horn glinted. When she looked back up, her eyes had regained their usual peace. As always, you humble me with your pure, unselfish heart. I have had some surprising news of a personal nature.
Valerie waited to see if she would continue, but when Azra didn’t say any more, she decided it would be rude to push her for more information than she was ready to give.
“Would you like me to leave you alone?”
By no means. I welcome your presence. Gideon and I have consulted on the new effort to seek the Black Castle, and I believe with your leadership you will succeed.
Valerie shook her head. “I can’t be the leader. I’m bringing my magic and Pathos.”
