by Kristen Pham
“Thank God you escaped with your life,” Thai said, his voice raw. He stepped closer, raising his hand to her face, and then dropped it, realizing that he couldn’t touch her. Valerie was conscious of that familiar, warm feeling churning inside of her that always erupted when she stared into his eyes.
Feeling herself blush, she changed the subject. “How is the woman Venu attacked?”
“Her name is Mrs. Leeds, and she’s fine – at least, now she is. Some of Venu’s slime got in her lungs, and she starting coughing up all this blood mixed with poison. Luckily the paramedics listened to me and were able to save her. She’s resting comfortably now, and has no memory of what had really happened. I think that Venu attacked her accidentally, or maybe to steal her money – she’s a local schoolteacher.”
“Any luck finding Venu?”
“No, after leaving the hospital, I went back to the place where we found her, but there was no trace of him.”
“I guess it’s been lousy luck all around.”
“I’ll find Henry. He can’t be far, with Venu here.”
Valerie didn’t know whether that was a comforting thought or not, knowing that Venu was so close to two people whom she cared so deeply about.
“I wish there was a way for me to stop Sanguina and protect you both. But she’s too powerful; she’ll crush me again,” she said with despair in her voice.
“Listen to me,” Thai said earnestly. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that you’re a fighter. Life has thrown a lot of obstacles in your path, but no matter what happens you’ve always come out swinging, ready to meet the next challenge. I know you’ll beat Sanguina, like you’ve beaten down everyone else who tried to stop you from doing what’s right. We’re coming up to the final lap – hang in there.”
“You’re right; I know you’re right,” Valerie said, feeling some of her energy return. With so many people on her side, she would find a way to save Henry – she had to.
The next day, Valerie awoke to a strange green creature bustling around her room. He was about half her size with enormous ears, long, tapered fingers and sharp, fanged teeth. At first, his appearance frightened her, reminding her of an evil goblin in a fairy tale.
But the creature’s demeanor was all business, and when he saw that she was awake, he walked briskly to her side. “I’m Nightingale, Master Healer,” he said in a low, soothing voice. “I’ve been watching over you for the past two days, and it’s high time that we got you up and out of that bed. The only way you’ll completely heal is if you stretch your muscles.”
“It’s nice to meet you. And thanks for taking care of me.” Without thinking, Valerie sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Her body ached, protesting the quick movement.
Nightingale winced in sympathy. “Sorry, I should have warned you. Though your broken bones and muscle tears were healed, there is still some bruising. You’ll have to tread carefully for the next couple of weeks,” he said, handing her a glass of bubbling liquid. “You’re from Messina, right?”
“Um, yeah,” she replied, uncomfortable with the lie.
“Well, then this is probably your first time drinking Elixir. Think of it as a kind of magical painkiller. One that will not just make you feel better, but will also accelerate your body’s healing process.”
Valerie gulped the drink down, trying not to gag at its bitterness. Even on the Globe, medicine tasted terrible. But seconds later, she felt the stiffness in her muscles ease and she was able to stand with Nightingale’s help.
“There are some Conjurors hovering at the door who have been waiting to see you all morning. Shall I let them in?”
She grinned and nodded. When Nightingale opened the door, Kanti and Cyrus burst through.
“Sheesh, sleep late enough, Val?” Cyrus said.
“I’d think you’d be up at dawn, ready for our adventure! We’re already packed – I put some clothes and your sword in the call box for you,” Kanti added breathlessly, her eyes sparkling. “I can’t believe you get an armed guard! This is so cool.”
“Back up a sec. What’s happening?”
“Keep your voices down, this is a place of recovery,” Nightingale said warningly before he slipped out of the room.
“Azra’s sending the three of us to Messina to hide out at my parents’ house. We’re going to get a Knight escort and everything! It will be almost impossible for Sanguina or anyone to find you in Messina, because if anyone uses their powers anywhere on the island, an alarm goes off and the police are there within seconds to arrest them,” Cyrus said. Then he rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately, I know that from personal experience.”
“They take the whole not using magic thing really seriously there, huh?” Kanti said, intrigued. “I mean, I knew that using magic was taboo, but they actually arrest you?”
“Oh, yeah. I had to spend a night in jail once after I used my power to impress this gir-um, I mean, when I used my power,” Cyrus said. He glanced at Valerie. “Not an experience I want to repeat.”
“I don’t get it – why do they hate magic so much?” Kanti asked.
“My parents say that using magic only leads to war and violence, and that if all Conjurors had repressed their powers, they would never have had to leave Earth in the first place. So they have tried to make Messina as much like Earth as possible – a country of science instead of magic.”
“It sounds so different from any place I’ve ever visited. I can’t wait to see it!” Kanti said.
But Valerie wasn’t paying attention. “I don’t understand why Azra is sending me away,” she said, bewildered. What about their conversation the night before about finding a way to save Henry?
“She didn’t have a choice,” Cyrus explained. “She’s leading a team into Dunsinane to try to capture Sanguina. She didn’t want to leave you in Arden without being here to guard you herself. It’s too dangerous.”
Valerie was surprised how relieved she felt at the news. Azra would take care of everything – she’d find Sanguina and get the charm that was blocking her from finding Henry. Valerie wouldn’t have to fight Sanguina again. It felt strange, but comforting, having someone look after her. She never thought she would like having someone swoop in and save the day for her, but for the first time, she felt her fear ebb away. Someone was going to take care of her and keep the monsters away.
“Cheer up; this is gonna be great! Do you know how hard it is to visit Messina? You have to get special permission to enter. I’ve never been there before! There was no way I was gonna miss out on this trip. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Think we’ll have time to visit the science museum?” Kanti wondered, her enthusiasm infectious.
Valerie felt herself growing excited for the journey ahead, and she sprang to the bathroom to quickly get cleaned up, ignoring her aches and pains. She groaned when she saw her reflection in the mirror, finally understanding Thai’s reaction last night. Her face was various shades of mottled yellow and brown from her bruises, making her look like a walking corpse. She tried to comb through some of the knots in her hair with her fingers, and then just gave up and put her hair in her usual ponytail.
As she turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of something silver in the mirror. She looked more closely and saw that a streak of gray now wound its way through her dark brown hair. It started at her neck, and she could only see it with her hair up.
“Just like Henry,” Valerie thought with a shiver. She wondered what Sanguina had done to him – his hair was at least half gray already. She pulled the elastic out of her hair so that no one would see the gray streak yet. She wasn’t ready to talk about it – even with Cyrus.
But even that couldn’t get her down when she returned to her hospital room and saw that Gideon was one of the Knights who would escort her to Messina. With him were two wolves, one jet black and the other a pearly gray.
“Gideon! How can they spare you?” Valerie asked, secretly thrilled that her teacher would be coming on the
journey with her. Knowing that he was coming blew away the last cobwebs of fear from her mind.
“It’s an honor to be a part of this mission. I volunteered,” Gideon said in his quiet, commanding voice. “And these are two Master Knights, Cam and Chrome,” he added, gesturing to the wolves at his side. They both nodded silently, and Valerie noticed the intelligence in their eyes. She nodded back, respectfully returning their greeting. She was starting to understand that judging Conjurors by their appearance didn’t make any sense on the Globe, where no one was what they seemed.
“If you’re comfortable with it, they will communicate with you by sending you mental images,” Gideon said. “It’s tradition for wolves to ask permission to talk to you this way, because touching minds is a very personal experience.”
“Um, sure,” Valerie said, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, images of a pack of wolves gathered around a fire filled her mind. Somehow, she understood that this image meant safety and protection, which the wolves were promising to provide her with as long as they were her guardians. “Thank you for watching over me,” she said, touched by their gentle offer to her, even though she was a stranger to them.
“Cam and Chrome are famous Trackers, Val!” Cyrus said, excited. Then he turned to the wolves. “I’ve heard of you guys – you tracked down the hideout of three of the Fractus living right in downtown Silva!” Valerie could almost swear that the wolves were grinning at Cyrus’ enthusiasm, and images running across open fields and through forests, following a strange scent, filled Valerie’s mind.
“They can follow magic trails,” Gideon explained. “Magic leaves behind a unique signature every time it’s used. Trackers can sense where magic has been used and trace it back to its source. They will ensure that no one evil is using magic near us on our journey. And once we’re in Messina, they’ll be able to sense if anyone on the entire island is using magic.”
“How will we get there?” Kanti asked, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.
“It would take us days to travel by foot or even rollercoaster to the Illyrian Ocean. But Azra gave us special permission to use the Shortcut. It’s a tunnel that goes straight from Silva to the ocean. A powerful spell placed on it reduces the distance so that every 100 miles is cut down to 1 mile, so instead of taking days to get there, we’ll be there in hours,” Gideon replied.
“Almost no one gets to use it – the Shortcut is only for emergencies, so this is a real privilege,” Cyrus added reverently. But Valerie shuddered inwardly at the thought of being cooped up in a dark tunnel for hours and hours. She’d definitely had enough of that when she had taken the tunnel from the Sphinx to the Great Pyramid.
“Then we’re taking a boat to Messina, because there’s a law against arriving on the island magically. So thankfully, no magical rollercoasters or bending space to get there. We’re traveling Earth-style – for the most part,” Kanti said.
“Enough talk. It’s time to leave before this location is discovered by someone unsavory,” Gideon said firmly.
Chapter Fifteen
While Cam and Chrome scouted ahead, Gideon led the Valerie, Cyrus and Kanti to the middle of the horseshoe of guilds, where an enormous fountain of oversized, gem-cut flowers and stone fish spouting interlocking streams of water made a fantastic display. Gideon muttered a strange word, and the air around them became blurry.
“We have only a few moments before the spell that is preventing people from seeing us disappears,” he said.
“Most people don’t ever learn the entrance to the Shortcut,” Kanti whispered excitedly in Valerie’s ear.
Before Valerie could ask any questions, Gideon pulled on the stem of a beautiful giant rose that looked as if it had been cut from a single ruby. Then she heard a grinding sound and the middle of the fountain swung aside, revealing steps that led down into darkness.
It was with a certain amount of trepidation that Valerie approached the entrance to the Shortcut. Imagining the small space and close walls that were waiting for her below, she felt her fear swell, threatening to upset her stomach. But before she became overwhelmed, she forced herself to get a grip. The last thing she wanted was for Gideon to think she was weak.
When Valerie reached the bottom of the stairs, the sight that met her was a surprise. The steps opened up to a platform that looked over an enormous, glittering underground city a few hundred feet below them. Lights twinkled inside of little buildings made of granite, and Conjurors traveled down the streets in what looked like shallow, round buckets that whirred quietly as they swiftly took their passengers to their destinations. It was like entering another world.
“The Stone City,” Cyrus said breathlessly. “It’s real.”
“Its true name is Plymouth. And of course it’s real. What are they teaching you in school these days?” Gideon asked.
Valerie looked questioningly at Kanti, who explained, “Plymouth is the name of the first city created on the Globe, before Conjurors created the weather system and all of the land masses you see today above ground. I was taught that the city had disappeared over the ages, but here it is.”
“These Conjurors – the Groundlings – chose to stay and live beneath the surface. They asked to be sealed off from the struggles for power in the world above. In return for hiding the entrance to their city, they allow guild Grand Masters to use these tunnels to travel in times of great emergencies,” Gideon explained, gesturing to the network of clear tubes above their heads.
As spectacular as the underground city appeared, Valerie cringed at the thought of always living below the surface, never seeing the light of day. She noticed that she wasn’t the only one who was more uncomfortable than impressed with Plymouth. Cam and Chrome’s eyes darted around, and their ears lay flat against their heads, ready to run at any second. Images of the rock ceiling crumbling, crushing them all and trapping them underground forever, flashed from the wolves minds to Valerie’s, and she shuddered.
Noticing their discomfort, Gideon led the group to a circular platform like the ones the Groundlings were traveling on in the city below. The vehicle was several feet deep and filled with bright red cushions. They climbed in, and the platform immediately began to speed through the clear tubes as if it knew exactly where it was going.
Valerie, Cyrus and Kanti huddled together, peering over the edge to look at the city whizzing by. They marveled at the underground world built entirely of stone, and they smiled as they passed an aquamarine river where children splashed joyfully. For hours, they pointed out different landmarks to each other, like a life-size rainbow made of gemstones, and a castle cut out of the side of a sparkly pink and black granite mountain. But after awhile, the stone buildings began to blur together, and Valerie sank back against the cushions, yearning to be back above ground.
Cam and Chrome dozed on the floor, and images from their dreams occasionally flickered in her mind. The gentle rhythm of their breathing eventually put Cyrus and Kanti to sleep also. But not Valerie. She was restless. The image of Sanguina hovering over her, in complete control of her every move, kept her awake.
“That fear – I see it in you even now – is why you lost when you faced Sanguina,” Gideon said, his voice interrupting her thoughts. “You are strong enough to defeat her."
Valerie immediately felt defensive. “Do you think I want to be afraid? That I wouldn’t stop if I could?” she snapped. After all, what did Gideon know about what she had been through? He was an incredible fighter, even without any magic. He didn’t understand what it was like to be powerless, to be forced to submit to someone else’s will.
“No one wishes to be afraid,” he replied quietly. “But not everyone is strong enough to fight their fear. I think you are.”
“How?” she asked hopelessly.
Gideon hesitated for a moment, and then slid a golden ring off of his third finger. He handed it to Valerie, and she took it, surprised by how heavy it was. The moment she touched it, the ring, which had been warm and bright, suddenly
turned cold and black in her hand. She almost dropped it in shock.
“What happened to it?” she asked, looking up at Gideon.
“This ring is very special. It was given to me by a teacher when I was an apprentice knight. I was the only apprentice without a power, and many of the other students tried to pick fights with me, saying that I didn’t have a right to be in the guild. For a long time I thought they were right, and I was so afraid that I would be asked to leave. But one day one of the apprentices – a bully – insulted my parents in an attempt to pick a fight. His words inflamed me, and instead of being afraid, I felt angry. The rage seemed to burn away my fear, and I fought as I had never fought before.”
“Did you win?” Valerie asked, remembering her fight with Venu at Stonehenge. Her rage had saved her from a bully then, just as Gideon’s had.
“Yes,” he said with a small smile. “He never bothered me again. But a teacher saw me fight that day and realized my potential. It was my fear holding me back, but when I let go of that fear, all of my skills and training emerged. He gave me that ring so that I would always know when I was being held back by my fear instead of my skills.
“He called it the laurel circle, and explained that the temperature and color of the ring changes in relation to how much fear is ruling the person who touches it. Fear makes it cold and dark, and it becomes warmer as the wearer learns to control, and eventually overcome, their fear.”
Valerie looked more closely at the laurel circle, fascinated. It was still cold and black in her hand, because she was still so afraid of what Sanguina could do to her, and what her future held. The words etched on the inside of the ring caught her eye. “Power, courage, mercy,” she read aloud. She remembered reading those words somewhere before.
“The values that every knight lives by,” Gideon explained.
“These are the words on the arch of the Knight’s guild!” she suddenly remembered.
