by Kristen Pham
Valerie had to project to several different locations before she caught a glimpse of Chrome, with an exhausted Chisisi and Elisabeth trailing after him. He immediately sensed her presence, and his eyes met hers. She caught an image of a forked path, and at the end of each lay a treasure.
“Master Chrome has found two trails,” Chisisi said. “One path leads to Zunya.”
“That must mean it also leads to Joe!” Valerie exclaimed. “Does Henry know?”
“Oh, he knows,” Elisabeth said, her tone loaded. “And he wants us to drop everything and follow it.”
“The other trail leads to the Byway,” Chisisi said. “We have to decide which direction to follow first.”
“Chrome, which one is closer?” Valerie asked, and an image of Henry’s face appeared in her mind. Then he showed her the image of the trail again, and she saw that it was a winding one. Zunya’s creepy vampyre magic was all over the city, which meant that they were close to Joe, but also that it would take time for Chrome to unravel the path.
“Of course, our priority must be the Byway,” Elisabeth said eagerly. “Your brother must see that we can’t sacrifice the safety of everyone on Earth for the sake of one individual.”
Though there was truth to Elisabeth’s words, they reminded Valerie of the argument that Reaper had made to her and her brother, to convince them to support his cause.
Valerie tried to think like a general, and not like a sister and someone who loved Joe. She knew she risked sending Henry to Reaper’s trap by not rescuing Joe, but she wondered how powerful Reaper would become if he didn’t have access to an easy way to send his entire army to Earth.
She tried not to let her struggle show on her face. It was time to behave like a leader and not a scared girl.
“This isn’t a democracy. We’re going to save Joe first,” Valerie said.
Elisabeth’s eyes widened in astonishment, but Chisisi’s face remained closed. Chrome, however, simply nodded his approval and began following Zunya’s trail.
Before Valerie left them to find Thai and Henry, she caught Chisisi looking at her and would have sworn that she saw doubt in his eyes.
Chapter 23
Valerie projected her mind back to the electronics store and found that Henry and Thai were both there, consulting with the other Guardians. Henry’s excitement at the new lead in finding Joe was palpable. He couldn’t stand still for a moment, restlessly pacing as they waited for Chrome, Chisisi, and Elisabeth to return.
“He’s going to need time to unravel the trails,” Valerie reminded Henry gently. “You need to eat and rest.”
“Yeah, yeah, I will,” Henry said, barely paying attention to her.
“Henry, I swear to you that our team will help Chrome around the clock until we find your dad. Go with Valerie for now,” Thai said, standing in front of Henry. “You can trust me.”
His words snapped Henry out of his trance.
“I know I can,” Henry said, and he took a step closer to Thai. His voice was low as he added, “I’ll never forget this.”
“You don’t owe me anything. You’re a brother to me,” Thai said, but he was looking at Valerie when he spoke the words.
“Come on,” she said to Henry gently. “Kanti will want to hear your news.”
Henry nodded distractedly, but when Valerie let her mind return to the Globe, she saw that Henry had returned as well. It was dark in Skye’s office now, and the centaur had left. In his place was Oberon, sitting beside two plates of food.
“It was hot when I brought it here,” Oberon said when he saw Valerie and Henry stretching, back from Earth at last.
Valerie had never spent such a long period of time mentally projecting on Earth before, and returning was like waking up from a dream.
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, and began shoveling food into her mouth.
Henry ate, too, but he didn’t seem to taste his food. Oberon examined his son and then gave Valerie a questioning glance.
“Chrome found Zunya’s magic trail,” Valerie explained. “We hope that means he’s close to finding Joe, as well.”
“He will,” Henry said, slamming his fork down to the table with emphasis. “He has to.”
“You both need your rest,” Oberon said. “Henry, tonight I will follow the search for your father, and I will wake you up if anything significant happens.”
Henry examined his father. “You would do that for me?”
“I would do much more,” Oberon said, and he squeezed Henry’s shoulder.
Valerie, Henry, and Oberon left Skye’s office and headed home in the fading light.
“I should talk to Kanti…” Henry said, trailing off as he stumbled over a tree root in his exhaustion.
“She is a determined young woman,” Oberon said, and Valerie saw the approval on his face. “She is waiting for you at our home. She wanted to come to the Relations Guild, but Skye didn’t want to attract any more attention with additional visitors.”
They had reached their garden, and Valerie saw Kanti asleep on the front stoop. Henry gently woke her, and they had a whispered conversation that Valerie couldn’t follow.
“I’ll stay on the couch tonight,” Kanti said.
“Nonsense,” Oberon replied. “Henry will stay on the couch. You can sleep in his bed.”
His words made them all chuckle. Valerie went straight to her room, in order to get the minimum amount of rest she needed before returning to the search on Earth and checking in with Elden and visiting the Knights and…
She’d almost drifted to sleep when a light knock at her window awoke her. She was on her feet and Pathos was unsheathed before she was fully conscious. When she saw it was Cyrus, she dropped her weapon and opened the window.
Cyrus was trying to stifle his laughter.
“You’re such a cute little warrior,” he said. “Pathos goes well with your pink pajamas.”
Valerie hauled him into the room with a little more force than necessary, so he tumbled to the ground. He grinned as she helped him stand up.
“Come on, is that any way to tell me that you missed me?” he said, and then pulled her in for a kiss.
It started as a teasing peck, but Valerie’s heart soon began to pound. It was as if all of the danger from the day had charged her up, and kissing Cyrus let her channel her energy in a much more exciting way. Cyrus’s hand was tangled in her hair, and he pressed her closer. He made a low noise in the back of his throat and Valerie reluctantly pulled back.
“If my dad finds you here, he’ll incinerate you,” she said into his ear.
“Literally. With lightning. But it might be worth it,” Cyrus replied. His breath against her neck made her shiver.
“You’re right,” Valerie said, smiling as she leaned back in for another kiss.
This time, it was Cyrus who pulled back. “I’d risk it, but I forgot one important thing.”
“What’s that?” Valerie asked.
“Leo’s waiting for us outside,” Cyrus said.
“There’s a lake that leads to Illyria around here?”
“No. He left Illyria,” Cyrus said, and the mood was broken.
“What happened?” Valerie exclaimed, horrified. It had to be serious, because if an Illyrian chooses to leave behind his immortality, he can never return. She immediately began pulling on her jeans over her pajamas. She made sure to strap Pathos to her side, as well.
“I think you need to hear it from him yourself,” Cyrus said. “Should we get Henry and Kanti, too?”
Valerie bit her lip, considering. “No. Henry has enough on his mind right now, and he needs his rest. With Dad projecting on Earth to watch Chrome, Henry has probably snuck in to sleep next to Kanti.”
Cyrus nodded and climbed out of the window with Valerie behind him. He led her a short distance away to a tiny clearing in the woods. Leo sat in the grass with his back pressed against a tree trunk. He was watching a handful of fairy children playing their game with the glowing ball.
Va
lerie’s eyes met Cyrus’s as they both remembered their first date. Even though it had been weeks ago, they hadn’t managed to have another.
“There’s never enough time,” Valerie whispered.
Cyrus’s charming smile dropped away, and his eyes filled with an emotion that Valerie couldn’t even guess at.
“Less than you know,” he said, and she saw him swallow. For a fleeting moment, she thought he was going to tell her something, but Leo had caught sight of them.
“It’s beautiful above the waves,” he said. “Illyria is so eternally quiet. I thought I’d love the peace, but I missed all of the life, the constant changing that occurs every day on land.”
“Leo, I’m so sorry that you’ve lost your immortality,” Valerie said, sitting near him on a fallen log. Cyrus sat next to her, his leg pressed against hers.
“I’m not,” he said. “It wasn’t the right path for me. I don’t think I’d ever find the answers I was looking for about my family. They’re gone, and I’ll only know for sure where they are when I pass into the ether myself.”
“Is that why you left?” Valerie asked.
Leo sat up straighter. “No. I had hoped to be a help to you as a conduit to knowledge in Illyria. But it became too dangerous. Gabriel began visiting Illyrians who opposed the Fractus, and then they wound up missing.”
“Do you think he killed them?” Cyrus asked, and his hand found Valerie’s.
Leo shook his head. “Not exactly. He evicted them from Illyria, so their lifespans are considerably shortened now that they dwell on land, as I do. But they won’t live long without help. After being among the Akashic Records for so long, they have forgotten the mundane details of how to survive above ground. They may perish trying to remember how to do simple things, like eat and find shelter.”
“Did he evict you as well?” Valerie asked.
“No, I left when I heard that I was on Gabriel’s list. I wanted to surface in a place of my own choosing. I was already considering leaving before this happened, and the reason has to do with your Cyrus,” Leo said, his eyes crinkling when he smiled at Valerie.
Valerie was mystified. Her expression must have shown, because Cyrus shifted away from her.
“What, you can’t imagine that I’d be important enough for Leo to consider leaving Illyria?” Cyrus asked.
Valerie wanted to deny the truth of Cyrus’s words, but her instinct had been exactly that. Cyrus was hers—her rock, her companion, her boyfriend. She didn’t want him to have an important role to play in this dangerous dance with the Fractus. She gripped Pathos’s hilt instinctively, and touching it reminded her that he already was a crucial part of it all.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. Not only have you saved my life more than once, but you’re one of the pillars. I wish I could protect you from that, but I can’t,” she admitted.
“I’m not a child or a damsel in distress for you to take care of,” Cyrus said, glaring at her.
Leo gave a little cough, clearly uncomfortable, and she saw Cyrus force himself to take a breath.
“We’ll talk about this later,” he said, and Valerie nodded. She reached out to squeeze his hand, but he didn’t reach back, so she dropped her hand.
“Tell me what made you leave, Leo,” Valerie said, tearing her gaze away from Cyrus.
“When I was chosen to go to Illyria, I left everything behind, including my Guild. I never wanted to touch a weapon again, much less create new ones. But when Cyrus showed me how he could inject light into existing weapons, I must admit it sparked my old fascination with the craft.”
“And I’m not the first lightweaver he’s met,” Cyrus added, and Valerie saw that the angry tension had begun to melt away from his tense stance. In its place was his usual confidence. “No one thought it was possible.”
“To wed existing materials, like metals, to light, is incredibly complex. I doubt other lightweavers considered it possible,” Leo said. “Cyrus’s ability could be the weapon that will enable you to defeat the Fractus.”
“Explain what you mean,” Valerie said, trying not to let herself get too excited.
“Until now, Zunya and the other Fractus like him have been nearly invincible. If anyone gets too close, their powers are stripped. It’s much harder to defeat your enemy without magic, unless you’re specifically trained.”
“Even most Knights aren’t trained to battle without using their magic,” Valerie agreed. She thought of her recent encounter with the young Fractus in Ephesus who had been able to suck away her magic. She and her team had no option except to run from them.
“Zunya is a vampyre, and his weakness has always been light, but he has been too strong and too clever for it to seriously impede him in the past. But if a drop of light were to enter his bloodstream through a weapon, it would be poison to his system,” Leo said.
“Like Sanguina,” Cyrus added, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. “The instant you nicked her with Pathos’s light, she was a goner. She would have been dead within minutes if you hadn’t saved her.”
“Are you sure it would work the same way for Zunya?” Valerie asked.
“He’s been the number one Fractus target for decades, so I have accumulated a large amount of data from Conjurors who have survived encounters with him. I have every expectation that this will work on Zunya and all Fractus who are derived of the same type of magic,” Leo replied.
“Tell her about the Fractus’s new weapon,” Cyrus interjected.
“I did not see the Akashic Record on the subject for myself, but a reliable source informed me that the Fractus have begun developing a weapon that harnesses Zunya’s power. In addition to being deadly, it would weaken the power of any Conjuror who was near it. However, the person holding the weapon would be immune to its effects,” Leo explained.
“That sounds a lot like those funnel things that Jack and his gang used when they worked for Zunya,” Valerie said. “And now all of Jack’s old comrades have been turned into human versions of that thing, which is even more powerful. Why would they need another weapon that does the same thing?”
“You don’t understand the power of the new weapon,” Leo said. “It isn’t something that can simply be run from, like when you faced the boys in Ephesus. It enters your system through an open wound and will follow its victim until all of their magic is stripped away. There are even rumors that it doesn’t stop at that, but continues to consume the victim’s life.”
Valerie repressed a shiver, suddenly aware of the chill in the night. “So you’re saying that Reaper could use such a weapon in addition to his magic. With it, he’d be unstoppable.”
“Unless the person fighting him had a weapon made of light,” Cyrus said.
“That’s only a theory,” Leo was quick to add. “Because the basic magic of the new weapon comes from vampyre power, it makes sense that light would be a powerful defense against it. But this is all a guess.”
“It’s the only theory that we have,” Valerie said. “And I’m afraid we’ll have to test it soon.”
“If he agrees, I will take Cyrus as an apprentice and train him in weaponry,” Leo said. “We can test the best combinations of light and various materials.”
“I’m in,” Cyrus said, and Valerie could hear the pride in his voice.
“How soon could you have the new, light-infused weapons ready?” Valerie asked.
“I could have dozens ready in a week,” Cyrus said. “Given a little time, we could equip everyone in the Fist with light weapons.”
“Simple weapons, yes,” Leo agreed. “But I think we should set our sights higher.”
“What do you mean?” Cyrus asked.
“I am sworn with a spell not to reveal what I know of the weapons of the People of the Woods,” Leo said. “But they have woven magic into their weapons that is many times more powerful than anything we have created in Arden. Your sword, Pathos, is one of the few examples that exists outside of the cities in the trees.”
Valerie wasn’t surprised to discover that her blade was forged from powerful magic. Sometimes, it guided her as much as she wielded it.
“First I’ll need to convince Elden and his people to share their secrets,” Valerie said, the idea of failing to secure an alliance with the People of the Woods already unnerving her.
“Yes. If we add light to the People of the Woods’ weapons, it will give us a distinct advantage in battle,” Leo added.
“What do you think?” Cyrus asked Valerie, his eyes searching her face.
Valerie smiled. “I think this is a game changer. Thanks to your power, maybe we have the chance to defeat the Fractus for good.”
After Leo left to return to his old home several miles away, Valerie turned to Cyrus, her stomach churning with nerves.
“All right, let me have it,” she said. “I know I deserve it.”
But all of Cyrus’s righteous indignation was gone, replaced with that strange expression she’d seen on his face earlier.
“You’re never going to see me the way you see him, are you?” Cyrus asked.
Valerie didn’t need to ask whom he was referring to. The memory of Thai’s intense gaze followed her around, and she could never completely banish it.
“Just because I see you and Thai differently doesn’t mean I see him as better. I’m with you, and that’s where I want to be,” Valerie insisted.
“For now, I know that’s true,” Cyrus said, but he didn’t sound comforted. “But admit it. You feel safer with him than you do with me.”
“Of course not. You’re more battle-tested than Thai. You’re probably a better fighter, too,” Valerie said.
“That’s not the kind of safe I mean. We all know that you can defend yourself, and you don’t really need a bodyguard to protect you,” Cyrus said, exasperated.
Valerie didn’t know what to say. Even though Thai had betrayed her, she still remembered lying next to him in his tent. They had been partners, and the world seemed less scary with him by her side. There hadn’t been a struggle for power, but a sharing of responsibility.
