Edge of Pathos (The Conjurors Series Book 4)

by Kristen Pham

  “Agreed. If anyone in Plymouth is so much as contacted by the Fractus, never mind hurt, the deal is off. The Fist will attack you full force.”

  “I do not break my word,” Reaper said, his eyes flashing.

  “We have allies among the people of Plymouth who know secrets of that land you can’t imagine,” Valerie bluffed. “We’re almost hoping you attack us down there, because you will be decimated.”

  Reaper looked thrown by her words, and Valerie gloated inwardly. He didn’t have to know that she was lying.

  “After ten days, you’re out of there. You never learn the secrets required to enter. Gideon will let you in and out,” Valerie said.

  Reaper was glowering at her now, but he nodded. “Truce begins now.”

  “Good. Henry, let’s go,” Valerie said, glad that Reaper’s power wasn’t being a mind reader, which would have allowed him to sense her profound relief that the truce started now and she wouldn’t have to fight her way back to the relative safety of Silva.

  Because with Reaper’s powerful new weapons, she wasn’t sure she’d make it back.

  Chapter 6

  As soon as Valerie was confident that they were out of earshot, she turned to her brother.

  “Who were those guys? I’ve never heard of powers like theirs. Do you think that’s common in Elsinore?” she asked, stunned.

  Henry shook his head. “No. Those powers are new.”

  “This changes everything. Our weapons are useless once their power drains them of light,” Valerie said. “We’ll have no protection against their black weapons.”

  “I know,” Henry said miserably.

  But he didn’t look surprised.

  “Did you know about this?” Valerie asked.

  Henry’s jaw worked, as if he was trying to choke back the words. “Yes.”

  Before she could question Henry further, he turned and fled. Valerie could have followed but enough of his pain seeped through the defenses that he’d built around his mind to let her know that he couldn’t handle any more contact with her. But why?

  When Valerie visited Chisisi that night, he looked more rested than she’d seen him in a long time. He was at a safe house in India, deep in conversation with a man who had his back to her. His eyes crinkled in a real smile when he saw her.

  “Young miss must have sensed that we were speaking of her from across the universe,” Chisisi said.

  The man turned. It was her former physician, Dr. Freeman.

  Without thinking, she gave him a hug, and he returned it without hesitation.

  “Is it Commander Diaz now?” he teased her, his dark brown eyes twinkling.

  “Whatever you like, as long as you do what I say,” she joked back, surprised at how much the sight of her friends lifted her spirits.

  “We won’t waste these ten days of peace,” Dr. Freeman said. “I’ve been working on a rather clever way to identify other children who might be sick from the rules of this world binding their magic. I am a bit of an expert on the symptoms.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Valerie said. “Maybe we can find a way to bring them to the Globe.”

  “Perhaps,” he said. “But most of these children only suffer mild discomfort, not life-threatening illnesses like you did. Ripping them away from everything they know might not be the best solution.”

  “What are you thinking, then?” she asked, curious.

  “I told you that young miss doesn’t mind having her ideas overturned for better ones,” Chisisi said, his pride in her unmistakable.

  “What if they’re our backup plan? Hopefully, we’ll be able to protect the charm binding magic on Earth until the Fractus have been driven out. But if we fail, we would know the human children who have magic that will be set free.”

  “You can’t be suggesting that we’d ask these kids to help us fight the Fractus in a worst-case scenario?” Valerie asked, her back stiff.

  Dr. Freeman gave her a stern look that she recognized from her years as his patient when she didn’t take all of her medicine. “Of course not. But if magic is tied to genetics, then their families may have more magical potential than average. We can reach out to their parents and ask them to form a kind of reserve militia as a last line of defense against attacks.”

  “That’s brilliant,” she acknowledged. Dr. Freeman flashed her a smile. “But it’s terrifying to imagine the Fractus destroying enough of the Fist for those people to be needed.”

  “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” Chisisi said.

  “Dr. Freeman, will you lead a campaign to educate and train the families you identify as having magical potential?” Valerie asked. “You already know how to lead a team, and you’ve faced tougher problems than this one.”

  She could almost swear that he stood a little straighter at her words.

  “I won’t let you down.”

  “You never have before. I doubt you ever could,” she said.

  Her kitchen was still command central on the Globe, even though there were bigger offices in the various guilds in Silva. Somehow, working there tricked a part of her mind into thinking that her father was watching over her as she made plans, lending her his strength.

  “Cerise sent a contingent of the People of the Woods to Silva today with a new supply of water,” Gideon said. “But even with this stopgap, if we don’t find a way to win back the Stewardship Guild, we will lose the city.”

  Valerie’s mind worked through the possibilities.

  “Can you get me a meeting with Al?” Valerie asked. The Grand Master of the Stewardship Guild had sworn loyalty to Reaper, but Valerie hoped it was more from fear than from embracing his ideals.

  “Skye sent him a note, but there has been no reply,” Gideon said.

  “Then it’s time for me to visit him personally. Do we know where he’s located these days?”

  “You must not challenge fate too often. Reaper let you go when you went to his camp last time, but next time, he may decide to capture you instead,” Gideon cautioned.

  “What’s the alternative?”

  Gideon paused for a few heartbeats before replying. “Send an emissary he trusts.”

  “Who? He isn’t talking to Skye.”

  “Track down his friends, family,” Gideon said. “Perhaps they might be easier to convince.”

  Valerie considered his logic. “Okay. I’ll try that first.”

  The door opened and then slammed shut loudly, and Claremont stomped into the kitchen.

  “You’re not a queen. Do I always have to come visit you at your castle? It’s a great way to get me marked as a traitor and killed,” she grumbled, searching through Valerie’s pantry for food as if it were her own.

  “Make yourself at home,” Valerie said.

  “It’s the least you can do,” Claremont shot back, stuffing her mouth with chocolates that Dulcea had sent over.

  “Maybe you’re right,” Valerie said, barely able to hide her grin at the chocolate smeared all over her ex-enemy’s face.

  “You’re gonna love me soon, anyway. Guess who I convinced to see the light? Mira. He’s been on the fence a while, but thanks to me, he finally sees that Reaper is too nuts to follow,” Claremont said triumphantly.

  “Well done!” Valerie admitted. Mira was an influential Master Knight, and his power of shapeshifting would be invaluable. Her mind already raced through the possibilities.

  “Before you get any brilliant ideas, Mira can’t trick Reaper. His power has to do with affecting the mind, and Mira says Reaper has the best-protected mind he’s ever encountered,” Claremont said, guessing Valerie’s train of thought.

  “He could not penetrate my mind, either, to my knowledge. His power will be useful, but what is more valuable is his ability to rally others,” Gideon added.

  “And we’re going to need the help, because the rest of my news isn’t good,” Claremont continued. “A ton of soldiers from Elsinore showed up to support the Fractus.”

  Valerie nodded. Kanti
’s negotiations must not be going well. She wished that she could speak to her friend about what was going on in her country. Could Reaper be transporting soldiers from Elsinore through Plymouth? She wished that she’d asked Kanti for her advice before accepting this truce.

  Cyrus burst through her door then, out of breath and flushed.

  “Come now!” he said, out of breath. “There’s going to be a riot!”

  Without waiting for details, Valerie took off after Cyrus with Gideon on her heels. She was still half a mile from The Horseshoe when she heard the shouting.

  She cleared the trees and saw that a crowd of Conjurors was swarming two People of the Woods who had arrived with giant casks of water. They had both drawn their weapons, and were back to back, barely keeping the mob at bay.

  “What’s going on?” Valerie shouted, pushing her way through the crowd. “Are we allies or are we Fractus?”

  “They brought half the water they promised!” A man standing several feet taller than her shouted.

  “And they want to ration it out to us like we’re children,” screeched a woman.

  Valerie reached the center of the group and made eye contact with the People, who lowered their weapons at her approach.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to them. Then she turned back to the crowd. “The People of the Woods are our allies, and they’re doing us a favor. If they hadn’t agreed to cart water from the far reaches of Arden, we would all be forced to move. We owe these people our thanks.”

  “Barbarians. No more than I’d expect,” Valerie heard one of the People mutter beneath his breath.

  She decided not to try to change his opinion right then.

  “We thank you for your help,” Valerie said through clenched teeth. “Please leave with our gratitude.”

  The People of the Woods scowled, and the one who had spoken spat on the ground in front of the crowd before they turned and left.

  At the insult, the mob started to surge forward. Valerie, Gideon, and Cyrus shoved anyone back who tried to follow the People, forming a kind of human wall. The tall man pushed his way to the front of the crowd and shoved Valerie hard—or tried to.

  But on the Globe, with nothing binding her magic, he wasn’t a threat. Before Cyrus could overreact, Valerie pushed the man back, sending him reeling like a bowling ball into the people behind him, knocking them down.

  Valerie had to stop herself from wincing at her overly enthusiastic display of strength. Instead, she glanced behind her and saw that the People of the Woods had disappeared into the dry, brown forest.

  Robbed of its initial target, the mob turned its anger on her.

  “This is what comes of allowing a child to lead us,” the giant man said. “We should make our own rules.”

  “Maybe the Fractus are the better option. At least they aren’t thirsty,” said a centaur, pawing the ground and stirring up the dust.

  “And perhaps Reaper would send you to be slaughtered on Earth, fighting to consolidate power for him,” Gideon said. “In your dying breath, you may wish that your worst problem was having to bathe every other day instead of every day.”

  “Valerie and the Fist are devoting every ounce of their energy to save all of you!” Cyrus shouted, his eyes blazing. “Do you want to live under a dictator who decides that those with the most power should rule over those with the least?”

  The crowd began to disperse, and a few Conjurors even hung their heads. Cyrus squeezed her hand.

  “They don’t understand what you’ve sacrificed for them. But they will,” he said.

  “They are unused to hardship,” Gideon said. “This will not be the last of the unrest. Peace is a beautiful thing, but it makes the realities of war unfathomable for those who are distanced from it.”

  Valerie nodded. “They aren’t wrong. We’ve won some battles, but I’m failing to win this war. How many fewer soldiers will we have the next time we fight the Fractus on a grand scale? So many people are losing faith in the Fist—and in me.”

  “We have to rally them,” Gideon said. “We need a way to release their energy in a positive way.”

  “Are you talking about a party?” Cyrus said, a glimmer of humor sparking in his eyes. “Please tell me you’re talking about a party, Gid, because I am your man.”

  Gideon laughed. “Cyrus, I do indeed mean a party.”

  “You’ve got your mission, soldier,” Valerie said. “Let’s remind the Conjurors about the way of life we’re fighting to save.”

  Chapter 7

  Henry and Thai burst into Valerie’s bedroom the next morning. Luckily, she was dressed, and she drew Pathos from her sheath, ready to fight.

  “What’s wrong?” she said, her mind snapping into alert focus. “Did you find out what Reaper’s doing during this truce? Is it too late to stop him?”

  “Sorry, Val,” Henry said. “Everything’s okay.”

  “Better than okay! I’ve figured out my power!” Thai said, smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. “I can amplify other Conjurors’ powers!”

  “What do you mean?” Valerie asked, sitting down as her blood pressure returned to normal.

  “I was mentally searching for contacts in Arden who might know Al, the Grand Master of the Stewardship Guild,” Henry explained.

  “Good thinking,” Valerie interrupted, surprised. Henry rarely participated in the war effort, instead vanishing for hours at a time only to come home exhausted and sleep for days.

  “That’s not the important part. Thai came and slapped me on the back, and suddenly my mind became more focused than it ever had,” Henry explained. “It was like skimming a book, except that I was touching different minds, quickly looking to see if there was a connection to Al. I did it in minutes, and I thought it would take days.”

  “No offense, but are you sure it had to do with Thai? Maybe the effect is in your mind, and you imagined that Thai was helping.”

  Henry huffed impatiently. “I know what it’s like to tap into others’ powers. Remember when the whole Empathy Collective helped me search for my dad? We all joined minds. And you and I have shared magic before, too.”

  “It’s not only Henry,” Thai continued, speaking fast from his excitement. “Remember when Cyrus shot that fireball out of his hand? I was touching him.”

  “We ran super-fast together when we were holding hands, racing to the Society of Imaginary Friends, too,” Valerie remembered. Her joy and amazement at Thai’s power filled her up. “Thai, this is incredible!”

  “I know! I thought maybe my only power would be that I cloned myself and made Tan. But there’s more to my magic than that. Think how much I’ll be able to help defeat the Fractus now,” he said.

  “Your eyes are huge right now,” Henry said to her with a rare smile.

  “Thai’s right. This could change the game,” she said.

  Thai picked her up and swung her around, still exuberant. “Those Fractus are toast!”

  Even Henry was laughing now, and Valerie let herself be carried away in the moment, because who knew when they’d have another one?

  Still riding the high from Thai’s news, Valerie, Henry, and Thai went to track down the person Henry had found who was connected to Al.

  “So who is this friend of Al’s that you think we can convince to help us?” Valerie asked Henry as they walked to The Horseshoe.

  “Her name is Willa, and she’s a master in the Literary Guild,” Henry said.

  “Is she Al’s daughter? Friend?” Thai probed.

  “The only family of Al’s that I could find when I reached out with my mind was a sister in the Guardians of the Boundary who is firmly aligned with the Fractus. Other than her, Al knows a lot of other Grand Masters and, of course, Conjurors in his guild, but no one who I sensed had any power over him.”

  “I’m really curious now,” Valerie said. “How come you think he might listen to Willa?”

  Henry reddened a little. “I didn’t want to probe through her mind like a complete creep, but I t
hink Al has been trying to date her for a long time. And she finally accepted before everything went down with the Fractus.”

  “Love. No more powerful reason to change your mind,” Thai said.

  Valerie couldn’t miss the intensity in Thai’s gaze, and she forced herself to look away. “Is Willa sympathetic to the Fist?”

  “That’s the best part. Reaper imprisoned her dad for years, and the poor guy died in a cell in the Black Castle,” Henry said.

  “That’s awful,” Valerie whispered, remembering the bleak jail in the castle’s basement.

  “She may hate the Fractus as much as we do,” Henry said.

  They’d reached the building that housed the Literary Guild. It was white, like all of the buildings that formed The Horseshoe, but it had tall windows that rose a hundred feet high.

  Inside was a library with soaring bookshelves. Valerie moved to the center of the room and turned in a circle, taking in the millions of books that seemed to go on forever.

  “She’s up there,” Henry said, pointing up at a short woman on a floating platform.

  Willa selected a book from a dusty shelf and turned, riding her platform to the ground, where she stepped off. She was a little plump, and her face had deep wrinkles by her eyes and mouth.

  Willa was already reading the book in her hands, so absorbed that she didn’t see Valerie, Henry, and Thai watching her.

  “Excuse me?” Valerie said.

  Willa looked up, and her eyes widened before she turned and ran. Unprepared for her reaction, Valerie didn’t immediately start chasing Willa until Thai took off after her.

  Willa was agile, and she leaped on a platform and was zooming out the doors before Valerie had even reached a full sprint. She was shooting across The Horseshoe so fast that Valerie was sure they’d lose her, when Thai gripped her hand.

  How could she have missed it before? Her power surged in her, easy to access and pumping through her like the blood in her veins. She moved faster than she ever had, running with her hand in Thai’s.

  She spared Thai a glance, and his smile was wide as they sprinted together.