by Kristen Pham
“That dude has some serious energy to burn,” Cyrus said, staring after Chrome with wide eyes.
“Things didn’t go as planned, but we are all accounted for?” Gideon managed to mumble.
“Yes, we’re all okay. But what about you?” Valerie asked her mentor.
“The magic will wear off in a few days. What happened?” Gideon asked.
“I’ll tell ya,” Cyrus said with a big grin. “These slackers all hid in a corner, and I took on all four of the Knights and Kellen myself. Naturally, they were quickly defeated.”
“Yeah, they didn’t stand a chance against all that bright light. It was terrifying to behold,” Kanti quipped.
“If you’ve found your sarcasm, then you can’t be that hurt,” Cyrus retorted.
A knot of tension melted in Valerie’s lower back as her friends all laughed. Aside from some bruises, the first part of the plan had been a success. Everyone was alive, and Sanguina was free.
They reached the fountain, where Sanguina waited for them. Gideon pulled the stem of one of the jeweled roses, and the staircase leading to the underground city of Plymouth opened.
The residents of Plymouth had chosen to be shut off from the world above, and in return for secrecy, they allowed Masters of the Guilds to travel using the Shortcut, which was a series of clear tubes that had been enchanted to reduce the distance of every one hundred miles to one mile.
The group sped on a plush platform through the clear tubes toward Dunsinane. The familiar uneasiness that always haunted Valerie when she was trapped inside turned her knees to jelly. After all of the things she’d faced, why did this still bother her? She twisted the Laurel Circle on her thumb, as if she could make it warmer from the friction.
Traveling through the clear tubes would allow them to get to Dunsinane in a matter of hours, but she wished that she were aboveground with Chrome and the rest of their little army. Ceru had arranged for their travel with the People of the Woods. He knew of another ladder that would send them close to the border of Dunsinane, and if all went according to plan they would meet in the morning.
“You’re allowed to relax now, you know,” Cyrus said to her.
She scanned everyone’s faces. Kanti was snuggled against Henry, and her cut was shallow. Gideon was asleep, but he appeared peaceful. Even Sanguina appeared calm as she stared over the edge of the platform, watching the city cut into the bedrock with wide eyes, more human than Valerie had ever seen her.
“I can’t relax until this is all over,” Valerie replied. “Even though we’re all okay for now, everyone will be waiting for me to tell them what to do.”
“It’s what you were born to do, I think,” Cyrus said.
The Laurel Circle was a little warmer on her thumb. Maybe Cyrus was right. She must have nodded off in spite of herself, because before she knew it, the platform was slowing, stopping in front of a staircase that was in much worse shape than the one they used when entering the underground city in Arden.
“We must proceed with caution,” Gideon said. “The entrance to Dunsinane hasn’t been used in centuries and upkeep has been neglected.”
“I’ll go first,” Valerie said, leaving no room for debate in her voice.
To her surprise, no one, not even Gideon, argued with her. It was simultaneously terrifying to see how easily they accepted her authority and comforting to know that she had the power to put their welfare ahead of her own.
Valerie climbed off the platform and examined the staircase. There was a very low hum of magic emanating from the top stair.
“I think it might be booby-trapped,” she said.
She tossed a rock at the step, but nothing happened. Carefully she climbed up, testing each stair for stability before putting her weight on it.
“Be careful!” Cyrus said, the usual thread of humor absent from his voice.
The final stair was very old and weak, and she realized that the magic wasn’t coming from the step itself. She touched it with her finger, and it crumbled, leaving a gaping hole. She could hear water flowing far below, and the hum of magic was louder. It also had a strange quality to it, something dark and slimy. Whatever magic was in the water had been left by the Fractus.
From where she stood, Valerie reached up to slide away the rock that blocked the exit. It took all her strength to push it open, and the stone made a terrible groaning noise as it slowly slid aside.
She jumped up, using her power to give her an extra boost, and clung to the edge of the exit, right above the hole where the last stair had been, for a heart-stopping second. But magic and adrenaline quickly enabled her to pull herself up and out of Plymouth.
Valerie peered back down at the anxious faces staring up at her. “Give me a minute and I’ll help you all up. I want to do a quick check for threats.”
She also needed to get her bearings. She had emerged in the middle of an eerie purple canyon. There were strange black tracks that led away as far as the eye could see, and cut into the side of the canyon were crumbling buildings. One was an old mansion, with pillars and a huge porch on the outside, while the rest of the home wasn’t visible, and must be cut into the rock face. The tracks and buildings were as old as the exit from Plymouth.
It was almost dark outside, and the air was dusty, making it hard to breathe easily. The filth settled in her pores, and Valerie knew that whatever place this was, it had been the cradle of something evil. It seemed like a fitting reception to the land where the Fractus lived.
Chapter 36
As much as no one wanted to camp in the canyon, they all had to get rest while they had the chance. Still, no one even suggested exploring the buildings or sleeping anywhere other than outside in the beds made from houseplants that Kanti had packed in a callbox back in Arden.
Even after everything was set up, no one wanted to leave the tight circle that they had formed to eat the dinner that Dulcea had left for them in the callbox.
“What is this place?” Cyrus asked.
“It feels…wrong,” Henry said, pulling Kanti closer to him.
Even Gideon shook his head. “I knew this was the only exit from Plymouth into Dunsinane, but I didn’t know exactly where it would take us.”
“It’s the former capital of the Globe,” Sanguina said, speaking up for the first time since they had helped her escape.
“What happened?” Cyrus asked, fascinated.
“The Fractus were a powerful political group then. But they tried to overthrow the elected government and marshal the magic needed to return to Earth. It was a war.”
“But the Fractus must have lost,” Henry said harshly.
Sanguina shrugged. “They didn’t get back to Earth. But thousands of people were slaughtered, and everyone fled to different corners of the Globe. We haven’t been a unified people ever since.”
Silence followed her words.
“And now…there’s no capital for the entire Globe?” Valerie asked.
“Each country has its own government,” Kanti said. “But I never knew that things used to be different.”
“The Fractus are many things, but they do keep history faithfully alive,” Sanguina said. “Even I didn’t know many of these stories until I became one of them,” she said, her voice distant.
“So is this place totally deserted now?” Cyrus asked.
“The last group was driven out three-quarters of a century ago,” Sanguina replied.
“Maybe someday, we’ll all find our way back to each other,” Valerie said hopefully.
Sanguina didn’t say anything, but she walked away from the group, choosing to sleep on the hard ground rather than one of the plush beds. The mood was broken, and everyone went to sleep.
Valerie didn’t think that she would be able to rest with everything that had happened and was about to happen, but to her surprise, she fell asleep quickly and slept soundly for the first night in a long time.
Valerie was the first one up the next day, but in Arden, Dulcea must have already been
hard at work, because a breakfast of neon-colored pastries that tasted like they had been baked in heaven were waiting for them. There was also a funny sketch of herself fighting a frazzled Zunya, who was peeing his pants in fear. She was still giggling over it when Cyrus joined her.
He looked at the drawing and started laughing, too. “He really does have the weirdest hairline. Did Dulcea draw this?”
Valerie shook her head. “I think it’s from Jack. If his sense of humor is returning, he must be doing better.”
“Maybe that little creep isn’t a total loser after all,” Cyrus said, his cheeriness taking the sting out of his choice of words.
“I slept too long,” Gideon said, sounding a little disoriented. “I’ve never done so before.”
“Do you think Kellen’s magic is still affecting you? What was that stuff, anyway?” Valerie asked him.
“Fairy dust. It can be charmed to do many things, but this time to befuddle and paralyze me, I believe. A common use,” Gideon said with a little of his old confidence.
“Befuddle?” Cyrus asked, confused.
“Confuse, genius,” Kanti said, rumpled but still gorgeous as she rubbed her eyes.
Henry was beside her. “Sorry, she’s not a morning person.”
“No, you don’t say,” Cyrus said with exaggerated shock, earning a growl from Kanti.
Sanguina was nowhere to be seen, and Valerie had a panicky moment when she thought she had been betrayed—again. But then she saw Sanguina’s red hair in the distance. She was staring down the length of the canyon. Valerie grabbed a pastry and joined her.
“Thank you,” Sanguina said in surprise when Valerie gave her the treat.
“Will we make it to the place where we’re all supposed to meet up on time?” Valerie asked.
Sanguina nodded. “We aren’t far from the Oasis. And it isn’t typically patrolled by Fractus because a spell that wards off evil lingers there from one of the old battles. It isn’t as powerful anymore, but it has the effect of making those with bad intentions very ill when they are near.”
“Gideon chose the perfect spot.”
“I’m surprised he knew about it. Few do.”
“Elden shared the information with Azra, because it is near one of the homes of the People of the Woods,” Gideon said, joining them. His color was a little better now that he’d eaten.
“How do we get there?” Valerie asked, trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice as she eyed the old black tracks. What did they do? She loved traveling on the Globe. “Rollercoaster? Wind tunnel?”
Sanguina and Gideon exchanged a smile, and then they both looked a little surprised at themselves.
“We walk, I’m afraid,” Gideon said. Then he turned to Sanguina. “Unless you know of another way?”
Sanguina shook her head. “These tracks used to support a public transportation system of platforms, but they were broken long ago. Also, Reaper has placed powerful wards in Dunsinane to limit magical travel. He wants plenty of notice when people are visiting.”
“I suspected as much,” Gideon said. “That explains why we were going around in circles when we visited here last time.”
“He can bend space and time, among other things,” Sanguina said quietly. “I don’t know all of his powers, but I have never encountered anything like it before.”
“Let’s get this show on the road!” Cyrus announced, and Valerie saw that he, Kanti, and Henry had packed up their supplies and sent them all back to the callbox.
“Hope you brought comfy shoes,” Valerie said. “It’s going to be a hike.”
The travel turned out to be easy for the most part, since they walked on a gentle slope upward through the canyon. What was harder to deal with was the eerie emptiness of all the homes and shops that they passed in deep disrepair. It had obviously been a thriving city, and it was spooky now that it was empty.
After a few hours, Valerie noticed that Gideon was pasty. But his face was set with determination, and she knew he’d never allow them to slow down for his sake.
“Do you mind if we stop for lunch?” she asked the group. “I’m starving and my feet are killing me.”
“Finally! Let’s not be martyrs,” Cyrus agreed.
Kanti checked the callbox, and Dulcea had left them a delicious lunch from the dorm’s cafeteria. They all feasted on the porch of a home that was slightly less rickety than its neighbors.
A prickle on Valerie’s neck made her shift position right before an arrow whistled toward her head. Her magic surged, and she deflected it with a quick swipe of her hand, sending the shaft clattering harmlessly against the wall. She heard a cry of rage, and a very dirty centaur with long, scraggly gray hair charged toward her.
“Get back!” she shouted to her friends.
Valerie braced herself to meet the centaur’s charge, and they collided with a force that pushed the air out of her lungs. She grabbed the creature’s arm and twisted, and she knew she could break the muscular arm with one blow. But up close, she could see the crazed fear in the centaur’s eyes, and her instincts told her that this wasn’t a trap.
“Please,” Valerie gasped. “We aren’t here to hurt you—but I will if I must.”
Without second-guessing why she knew it was the right thing to do, she released the centaur’s arm and stroked her back with a firm, calming touch.
“Who are you? Something about you is familiar,” the centaur said, and her voice was that of a very old woman’s.
“I’m Valerie. We’re here to fight the Fractus,” she said.
“Wanna tell her your life story while you’re at it?” Cyrus muttered, obviously more suspicious than Valerie was.
She ignored him and introduced the rest of the group. She spoke softly, like she had with the children at the hospital. “What’s your name?”
The centaur had to think the question over, as if she hadn’t thought about her name in a long time. “Summer,” she finally said.
“You’re alive,” Sanguina breathed. “You’re a legend. Reaper said he destroyed you.”
Summer bared her teeth. “He didn’t lie. He killed every family member, every friend. He ripped my muscles to shreds so I can never run free with my people. It would have been better if he’d killed me.”
Valerie saw the way that Summer’s skin sagged strangely, not just from age, but from whatever torture Reaper had subjected her to. “You’ll come with us, to Arden. There must be a way to help you heal.”
Summer shook her head proudly. “I will never leave here until I die and rejoin my people. I will do nothing to slow that process. If I could kill myself and still be admitted to paradise, I would have already done so long ago.”
Valerie shuddered at the emptiness in her voice. She knew what it was to be alone. “I can’t leave you here with nothing but ghosts.”
Summer’s eyes softened. “You are very different from others I have known. I cannot leave, but knowing you fight the Fractus gives my heart peace.”
“Can you give us any advice?” Kanti spoke up. “What are Reaper’s weaknesses?”
“If I had a good answer to that, I wouldn’t be standing here,” Summer said, her head hanging. But then a spark of a thought lit up her eyes.
“Tell us,” Valerie pleaded softly.
“My family and I scoffed at this notion, but an elder once visited the Oracles and was told that Reaper’s powers weaken against an incorruptible heart—one that has overthrown evil, selfishness, and fear.”
“There is no person that pure,” Sanguina said.
Summer bowed her head again. “No. But those who come closest are less affected by his power.”
“Like you,” Valerie said.
“If that was once true, it is no more. I am filled with hatred, a selfish craving for revenge, and—though it is a weakness to admit it—fear of more pain.”
“It is not a weakness to admit fear,” Gideon said. “Only to give in to it.”
Summer was quiet for a time, but then met his ey
es. “Be that as it may, my help to you must end here.”
“Of course,” Valerie said. “You’ve endured so much. I only wish you would let us take you somewhere safe.”
The harsh, despairing light in Summer’s eyes dimmed and was replaced by something gentler. “Perhaps one day, if you succeed, you will return and tell me so.”
“I will,” Valerie swore.
Chapter 37
The rest of the trip to the Oasis was quiet. When they saw the patch of green against the bleak purple landscape in the distance, the oppressive weight of the ancient, abandoned capital lifted. The spell surrounding the Oasis made Valerie feel as though she was breathing unpolluted air for the first time since they had left Arden.
“The rest of our troupe made it!” Henry said with a little excitement. “I can sense their minds.”
“Our plan is working,” Cyrus said, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
“Of course it is, dummy,” Kanti said, but she was fighting a relieved smile of her own.
“But the hard part is still coming,” Valerie said, and then immediately regretted putting a damper on her friends’ mood.
Sanguina nodded. “Against such an enemy and his army, victory will be difficult.”
“It is no small feat that we have made it this far. You should all be proud,” Gideon said. Valerie made a mental note to herself that if she was going to be forced to lead, it was part of her job to keep up everyone’s spirits like Gideon did, even when things didn’t look good.
The group waiting for them at the Oasis were relieved to see them. Peach rushed forward and gave Kanti a big hug, which her sister returned with considerable embarrassment. One of the Knights, a tall man with curly black hair, came forward and shook Gideon’s hand. She remembered that his name was Galahad.
“We were worried that your travel to Dunsinane didn’t go as planned,” he said. “But I see you’re all intact.”
“As we told you,” Elle said, sounding exasperated. “I began mentally connecting with Henry as soon as he was above ground, but these apes doubted me.”
