The Society of Imaginary Friends (The Conjurors Series)

by Kristen Pham

  Then he surprised her by breaking the silence with an urgent whisper. “Look,” he said. “We got a score to settle, you and I. And I plan to collect—but this ain’t the time for that.”

  Hearing the tone of his voice, Valerie felt hope. “Will you help me? I have to stop Zunya and Sanguina! They’re trying to hurt—or maybe even kill—my brother and my best friend!”

  “Shut up! They got amazing hearing.”

  “Please?” she begged quietly.

  Shade looked uncomfortable. “Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn’t. They’re too strong.”

  “You could try! Tell them that I escaped,” Valerie said. Shade’s gang edged closer, not about to let her go anywhere.

  “You escape and we answer for it,” he said. “Now shut up and listen. I can’t let you go, but I can give you some info that might help you. First off, don’t let Zunya touch you—ever. You’ll lose your power for good after a few minutes of contact. It’s way worse than my power-eater. You gotta avoid it at all cost, or you’re done for.”

  “Gee, thanks, that’s really helpful,” she said, not quite managing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  “You want to hear what I gotta say, or you want me to throw you in a dungeon cell that’s infested with snakes?” he said, towering over her threateningly.

  She was still weak, but she was tempted to take him on anyway. Then Cyrus’s and Henry’s faces flashed through her mind, and she thought better of it. If Shade had information that could help her, she owed it to them to listen. “Sorry, go on.”

  Shade nodded, satisfied with her apology, and continued. “Zunya’s not the worst thing in this castle. There’s this crazy lady who’s the boss of him, and you got to stay on her good side. If you don’t, you’ll either wind up in a cell until the end of time or you’ll disappear forever. Even Zunya obeys her.”

  “Is it only the two of them? I mean, if we all attacked at once, we could defeat them for sure!”

  Shade snorted. “Not likely. Besides all the invisible guards they have with all sorts of powers, there’s another guy who comes here, too. I don’t know anything about him, except that whenever he’s here, there’s always lots of screaming. I get me and my gang outta here then.”

  “Is he here now?”

  “Nah, I don’t think so. It’s too quiet,” he said as he opened a tall arched door. He led Valerie down a long hall lined with cells on either side. Inside, silent shadows hunched in the corners of the cells, barely moving. They were the prisoners, she realized. It was eerily quiet for a prison, and she sensed that terrible, unspeakable things had happened to make these prisoners so silent and motionless.

  “I know this is a lot to ask, Shade, but my friends are coming to help me. When they came before, they couldn’t find the castle on their own.”

  He nodded knowingly. “It can only be found if the person coming has permission, or someone who does have permission shows them the way,” he explained.

  “Would you show them the path if—when—they come?”

  He glanced around nervously, and her heart sank. But then, to her surprise, he said, “I’ll do what I can. No promises. I’m not gonna do anything that gets me or mine killed. All right, we’re here,” he said, leading her to a cell. Then he whispered, “It’s the cell next to your friend, the lightweaver guy. I’m not sure what happened to him, but he don’t look so good.”

  If she didn’t know better, Valerie would almost swear that Shade looked worried. Looking into his eyes, she said earnestly, “Thank you, Shade.”

  “My real name’s Jack. And, uh, good luck or whatever,” he said, and then closed her cell with a clang. He and his gang scurried down the hall, clearly eager to be away from the eerie, dark prison.

  “Cy?” Valerie called, wishing more than ever for a little light. There was no response. “Hello?”

  Not a single prisoner responded. She suddenly wondered if Jack had lied, and she was alone here, buried underground, forgotten, forever. Her friends would never know what happened to her, and eventually they would forget about her while she rotted down here. She thought the darkness would eat her alive, and it would be as if she had never existed.

  Chapter 41

  Panic rose inside of Valerie, and the Laurel Circle grew noticeably colder on her thumb. But before her fear could swallow her up, she heard the sound of someone moaning softly in the cell next to her. She went over to the bars that separated her from the cell next to her and called, “Cy, is that you? It’s going to be okay.”

  “Val?”

  She looked down to see Cyrus curled into a tight ball, shivering. Tears filled her eyes, and she knelt down. “It’s me.”

  She touched his cold hands through the bars. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?” he asked. His voice sounded lifeless.

  Rage rose up in her. Whoever had taken away the light and life from his eyes would pay. Fury infused her with energy, and the magic that had disappeared when Zunya was near welled up inside of her. She allowed herself to relish the feeling before she turned back to Cyrus. “What happened to you?”

  “That woman, Sanguina, asked me questions about you. When I wouldn’t answer, she hurt me,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I tried to fight back, to use light to scare her away like I did last time. I did my best, Val, I swear! But there is so little light to pull from inside of this place… not nearly enough to hurt her. I’m sorry.”

  Without realizing it, she clenched her hands into fists. She had never yearned to make someone suffer before, but now there was nothing she craved so badly as to make Sanguina beg her for mercy—and then to deny her plea. The darkness inside of Valerie frightened her a little, and she forced herself to breathe slowly. She needed to channel her anger and adrenaline as Gideon had taught her, not waste it on her hate.

  “You didn’t fail. This is my fault—she never would have kidnapped you if it weren’t for me. But one way or another, I’m going to stop her, I swear.”

  “No! Stay away from her and Zunya! They’re too strong, and the more scared you are, the more pain you’re in, the more they love it. Fear and pain are like food to them.”

  Hearing Cyrus sound so defeated made Valerie feel physically sick. “It isn’t over yet,” she said softly.

  “I wish there was a little light in here, something to drive the darkness away. It feels like I’m going to disappear inside it.”

  For the first time, she remembered the flower of light that she always kept in her pocket. Gently, she took it out and held it up to the bars. Cyrus’s face, streaked with dirt and blood, appeared in the soft, golden light. He looked exhausted and scared, but a small smile appeared as he took the flower in his hands. As she watched, the light seemed to put life back into Cyrus’s blue eyes, and he looked more like the mischievous boy she knew. She could hear the other prisoners stirring in their cells, aroused from their silent stupor by the little flower of pure light.

  “I know it seems hopeless, but I have a plan. Zunya captured me, but before he did, I sent my sword back to the callbox. This time, when I face Sanguina, I’ll be ready. I’ll be armed, and if I can channel my magic, I know I have a chance.”

  Cyrus’s face became thoughtful. “Call the sword. I have an idea.”

  “Pathos!” she said, and it instantly appeared in her hand.

  “Hold it here, next to the bars,” he said. Then Cyrus concentrated, staring at the flower that he held gently.

  She watched, mesmerized, as the flower melted into a pool of light in his hands. Then he poured the light from his hands onto the blade, and Pathos glowed from hilt to tip. “Now send it back to the callbox. With your powers, a weapon, and a little light, I think you can beat her, I really do.”

  By the glow of the sword, she saw that hope had returned to his eyes. “Pathos!” she said, and the sword disappeared. She heard Cyrus sigh softly, already missing the light. Then they sat back-to-back in their cells, whispering to each other about the best strategy to use when she fought Sanguina.r />
  The sound of her cell door being wrenched open interrupted their whispers.

  “Sanguina is asking for you,” a strange voice said, and someone grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the cell.

  “Val!” Cyrus cried.

  “I’m okay—I’ll see you soon, I swear!” she said, trying to sound brave.

  In the dim light, she saw that it was a transparent Conjuror who was yanking her down the hall. He was much more difficult to see than Blake had been, so his power must still be new.

  By the sound of the scuffling of feet all around her, she guessed that at least ten other transparent Conjurors were also guarding her to make sure she didn’t escape. She tried to calm her thumping heart and concentrate on her plan—call for her sword, channel her magic, fight Sanguina.

  If Valerie could take her down, chaos would ensue, and with a little luck, she would be able to rescue Cyrus in the mayhem. But she had trouble collecting her scattered thoughts, and her terror of facing Sanguina again seemed to choke her magic, making it feel like a trickle running through her body instead of the flood that she needed to win.

  Suddenly, Henry pulled on her mind. She desperately tried to resist his call, but his terror was so great that she had no choice.

  Venu stood out like a dark shadow against the verdant green grasslands of the African landscape. He loomed over Henry, who was curled in a ball on the ground, his entire body shaking. Venu lifted his boot and kicked the boy in the back. The sharp pain rippled through his body, and tears streamed down his face.

  “Please, no more. I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”

  Venu pulled back his leg, preparing to kick him again when Sanguina appeared.

  “You miserable cretin, what are you doing? You have disobeyed me! I don’t have time to deal with your incompetence now!” Sanguina seethed at Venu. Valerie was shocked. Why was she helping Henry? She had to have some sinister reason for intervening.

  For the first time, Valerie saw fear flickering in Venu’s eyes. “I’m sorry, mistress. But the boy refused to follow my orders! I had no choice—”

  “I heard him agree to do what you asked,” Sanguina replied icily. “You’re wasting time. You should be at the Devil’s Pool by now! Go!”

  Henry looked up from the ground through swollen eyes, and for the first time, Valerie saw where he was. The longest, most magnificent waterfall she had ever seen stretched out for miles. The water rushed over the edge so hard that the spray rose up like a cloud when it crashed into the pool below, creating a mist in the air even though they were still far away from the falls.

  “Don’t give up, Henry! I’m sending help,” Valerie thought, hoping he could perceive her message. Then she let herself be pulled back to the Globe.

  “What’s wrong with you?” the guard standing nearest to her said, shaking her roughly.

  “Sorry,” she said, realizing that she was slumped on the ground.

  “I’m not falling for your tricks,” the guard said, and without another word, Valerie was slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It was an awkward position, but she was able to reach into her pocket and clutch the charm she had made for Thai. She pictured his face, and instantly she stood next to him in a busy airport. Thai looked at her questioningly.

  “Can’t stay—go to the biggest waterfall in Zambia. Ask anyone—it’s enormous; it can’t be hard to find.”

  “Victoria Falls, of course!” Thai exclaimed.

  “Venu’s taking Henry there—somewhere called the Devil’s Pool!”

  Chapter 42

  Valerie’s body was thrown on the stone floor. She hit the ground hard, but despite how disoriented she was from her vision and her whirlwind visit to Thai, she had the sense to immediately leap to her feet and assume a fighting stance, though she doubted that she could take on all of the guards in addition to Sanguina.

  It didn’t help that she couldn’t even guess how many people were surrounding her. She was in total darkness. Not even one of the dim balls of light was near to give her a sense of the layout of the room and the location of her enemies. She was defenseless without the use of her sight. How could she possibly fight Sanguina when she couldn’t even see where she was standing?

  “Glad you’ve come out to play,” Zunya’s voice slithered through the darkness. Valerie’s power dipped, and a hopeless fear gripped her heart. She would be completely defenseless in the battle to come with Zunya present to subdue her power.

  “Leave us,” Sanguina’s raspy voice commanded. Valerie heard the light tread of the guards’ footsteps as they left the room. “You, too, Zunya. I don’t need your help with this.”

  “I should stay, in case—” he started to say, clearly annoyed at her order.

  “Get out—NOW!” Sanguina’s voice exploded. Zunya opened the door to leave, looking back once at Valerie with his vicious yellow eyes.

  Then the door slammed closed, and she was alone with Sanguina and completely blind. She took a few practice kicks, preparing herself for Sanguina’s attack. But the onslaught of blows never came.

  “I didn’t bring you here to fight me. I’ve already proven that I could kill you without making much of an effort,” Sanguina whispered in Valerie’s ear, the threat of violence in her voice. Valerie’s chest tightened as the fear that she couldn’t hold back gushed through her.

  “Then why am I here?” she asked. She was ashamed of how childlike her voice sounded in the darkness. The Laurel Circle was freezing, reminding her that it was only her fear holding her back now—not her skills. She forced herself to breathe more slowly and fight back against her terror.

  “To answer some questions for me. If I like the answers, maybe your little lightweaver friend will see his family again. And if I don’t…” One of Sanguina’s long, sharp fingernails raked across Valerie’s arm, cutting into her skin. She cried out in pain and she felt a thin trickle of blood on her arm where Sanguina had sliced her.

  Valerie punched the air wildly, but in the darkness she could make contact with nothing. “What do you want to know?” she asked, desperate.

  “What did you mean when you asked me about haunting your dreams?” Sanguina shouted from somewhere nearby. “It means something; I know it. And you’re going to tell me.”

  “I don’t know!”

  “Liar!” Without warning, Sanguina landed a fierce punch across her left cheek. Sanguina’s fist was a rock, and Valerie’s brain rattled in her skull and the skin on her cheek split open. Her ears rang from the blow and her head throbbed, but she managed to stay on her feet. She was already losing her tentative hold on her magic. She knew that if Sanguina tried to control her mind right now, she wouldn’t be able to fight her off.

  “I saw you in a dream or a vision, and you were always really angry, that’s all,” she relented, knowing she had to give some kind of answer.

  There was a short pause, as if Sanguina didn’t know what to make of her answer. Switching tactics, she said, “How do you know the boy, Henry?”

  “Henry? Never heard of—” Valerie broke off in a scream as Sanguina threw her to the ground by her hair.

  “You’ll tell me everything you know about Henry, or I swear I will kill that boy in the dungeon!”

  “Kill me,” Valerie begged. “Let Cyrus and Henry go.”

  “I will never let you go—or Henry. You are both mine,” Sanguina’s voice was low and deadly.

  But instead of terrifying her, the confidence in Sanguina’s voice awoke something in Valerie. She was still afraid, but overwhelming her fear was her explosive anger. This monster would never own her—or her brother. The Laurel Circle suddenly blazed hot on her thumb, and Valerie knew that her fear wouldn’t swallow her up this time as it had done before.

  Her rage was uncontrollable inside of her, and she almost hurtled herself toward Sanguina so that she could finally feel her fist connect with flesh. But she forced herself not to attack wildly. Instead, she contained all of her energy and power inside her, and prepared
to channel it into a more intelligent assault.

  “Fine, I give in. I’ll tell you what you want to know,” Valerie said quietly, remembering her lessons with Jet and Chrome. She needed to gauge where Sanguina was standing in relation to her in order to launch an effective attack, and the only way to do that in the dense darkness was by listening to Sanguina’s voice.

  “Yes, you will,” Sanguina replied, and this time, Valerie’s heightened senses told her that Sanguina was two feet behind her.

  “Pathos!” Valerie yelled, and immediately her blade was in her hand, glowing brightly in the black room.

  Sanguina screamed in agony when the light hit her. Valerie immediately lunged toward her, bringing the blade down forcefully toward her shoulder. But despite her pain, Sanguina managed to dodge the blow with astonishing speed. She darted across the room, and Valerie raced after her.

  Sanguina grabbed something hanging on the wall, and this time, when Valerie wielded Pathos, aiming for Sanguina’s heart, she heard the sound of metal meeting metal as Sanguina blocked her with a long, curved rapier of her own. For several long minutes, the air was filled with nothing but sparks and the sound of their swords crashing against each other.

  Valerie’s arms moved faster than they ever had before as she deflected Sanguina’s blows. She felt as if she were in a trance, and nothing existed except for the fight. The flow of magic inside of her was only a small stream, as her fear kept gnawing at her mind, trying to steal her attention away from the fight. By the glow of Pathos, she could see Sanguina’s confidence in her ability to defeat her. Sanguina’s mouth turned up in a cruel snarl of victory. In that instant, Valerie’s fear flared, interfering with her concentration, and Sanguina managed to slash Valerie’s leg with the tip of her sword.

  “How many times do I have to prove to you that you aren’t good enough to defeat me?” Sanguina jeered.