Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) (17 page)

“Thank you, sir,”
Valerie said.

“Sir, now isn’t that
sweet as pie. But you can call me plain old Al. After all, someday hopefully
you’ll be one of us! Henry, too, if he rises to the top of whatever guild he
chooses.”

“As he no doubt will,”
Skye said, nodding approvingly. Skye’s enthusiasm for Henry puzzled her. Her
brother was grinning a little, clearly up to something. She opened her mind to
him and saw that he was sending waves of happiness in Skye’s direction whenever
they made eye contact.

“Trying a little operant
conditioning,” he muttered. “Something they told me about at the Empathy
Collective.”

“I don’t know what that
is but cut it out,” she said. He shot her an annoyed look but stopped.

Calibro of the Justice Guild
came last. She wasn’t more than ten years old with long, curly golden hair and
light brown eyes. Valerie couldn’t hide her surprise.

She is a prodigy, the
youngest Grand Master in the history of the Justice Guild. But don’t
underestimate her.

“Welcome, Valerie and
Henry,” Calibro said in a high, sweet voice. She nodded at them coolly.

Before they could have
any further discussion, Chern tripped and fell in the pool. He flailed around,
trying to get out, but his long robes were weighing him down. Without a second
thought, Valerie jumped in and helped him to the edge.

“You are a special girl,
indeed,” he said, spluttering a little as he climbed out awkwardly. “S-so sorry
to get you wet.”

“Please don’t worry
about that. Are you okay?”

“Yes, please let’s not
dwell,” he said, turning beet red.

Luckily Gabriel swam up.
He seemed subdued compared to the last time Valerie had seen him, and he was
rubbing his temples as he swam. But as soon as he surfaced, he was all business
and confidence.

“There isn’t much to
share with you,” he said.

He always starts that
way.
Azra explained in her mind. Then,
to the group as a whole, she continued.
Can you tell us of one called
Reaper?

“Reaper has the ability
to lead the Fractus to Earth before the year is done. That is clear,” Gabriel said.

Valerie glanced around
at the Council members, but all of their faces were equal masks of shock.

“But it isn’t too late
to stop him,” Midnight said, sounding shaken.

“Only an extreme measure
can stop him now. You know the step that must be taken. If it isn’t, war will
follow.”

What else can you
tell us? Do you have any clues as to who Reaper is? Or who his agent among the Guild
Masters could be?

“Yes, there is one thing—”
but before Gabriel could continue, he put his hand to his head and winced. He
started to speak again and then grunted with effort. “I am mistaken. There is
no more to tell.”

Henry gently probed
Gabriel’s mind, trying to see what was blocking him from speaking. But it was
like a sealed box, and even with their combined magic they could sense nothing.

Gabriel’s face relaxed,
and he gave Henry a wry smile. “That is a nice try, young man, but no one may
see into the mind of an Illyrian. Even one as powerful as you.”

“You were about to say
something important,” Calibro said with a trace of impatience.

“Yes, yes, about this
Reaper fellow,” Chern said eagerly. Spit flew from his mouth in his excitement.

“I have no more to say,”
Gabriel said.

“Hey, now, you must—” Al
began, but Gabriel vanished beneath the surface of the water without another
word.

“That was singularly
unhelpful,” Skye said with more than a touch of annoyance.

Not necessarily. I
noticed that Gabriel referred to Reaper as a “he.” It is a beginning.

“I think what’s clear is
that it’s time for the Excision,” Midnight said.

“What’s that?” Valerie
asked.

“When we created the
Globe and left the link to Earth, we always knew that a time might come when we
had to shut down all movement between the worlds completely for the safety of
the humans. If I activate the spell that is in place for this purpose, no one
can cross between planets ever again—in either direction.”

That is a drastic
measure, and one we cannot take lightly.

“What would happen to
kids like me or Henry or Thai? I would have died if you hadn’t brought me here.”

“Many more will die if
we don’t stop the Fractus now, before they make it to Earth. You heard Gabriel.
Reaper already has the means,” Midnight’s violet eyes flashed with her passion.

“I agree with the Guardian,”
Skye said.

“Are we calling for a
vote?” Al asked.

Not yet. We need to
take a breath, consider, and reconvene.

“Very well,” Midnight
agreed, cooling somewhat. “But I see no other way. We must say goodbye to Earth
at last.”

Valerie was shaky as she and Henry walked
out of the Capitol building with Midnight.

“What if Thai and Tan
don’t make it to the Globe in time?” she asked, almost hysterical. And beneath
that was the guilty knowledge that the far more serious problem was the other
children who would suffer or even die from their magic. But she could only
focus on Thai.

“We won’t let that
happen,” Midnight promised, her violet eyes serious.

Valerie forced herself
to calm down. “Besides Thai, I know that it isn’t right. Maybe someday we can
find a way to make things more open between Earth and the Globe. But that can
never happen with this Excision thing.”

“I always thought
somehow, someway I’d get to hug my dad again,” Henry said.

“Henry, I’m more sorry
than you can imagine,” Midnight said. “But given your past, if the Fractus make
it to Earth, he could be a target. His life might be in danger.”

“Would Henry even be
able to visit him after the Excision?” Valerie asked, afraid of the answer.
Midnight shook her head.

“He’d be lost without
me. That can’t happen,” Henry said, and confidence and certainty poured through
their bond. She was never happier that she had her brother, her ally, at her
side.

“Our best chance is to
find Reaper and stop him,” Midnight said with vehemence. “If the Fractus can be
defeated before making it to Earth, the Excision won’t be necessary.”

Her resolve to find the
spy and end the Fractus’s threat turned to steel, reminding her of how alike
she and Henry could be. She turned to her brother. “Did you sense anything
about who the spy on the Council could be?”

“No. They’ve all been
trained to keep their minds closed, I think. And they were all strong enough to
keep me out.”

“Even Chern?” Valerie
asked with a little laugh.

“Well, he slipped up a
little. He was really agitated about falling into the pool in front of
everyone. I was sorry for him.”

“Blocking your mind
against Conjurors with psychic powers is a basic part of an apprenticeship at
most guilds,” Midnight explained. “It doesn’t surprise me that the members of
the Council chose to block their thoughts. They must suspect that one among
them is the spy.”

“If you and Azra can’t
figure out who can’t be trusted, I don’t know how Henry or I will,” Valerie
said, her earlier confidence slipping.

“We’ve known the Grand
Masters for too long. And you both see things that others miss. Don’t
underestimate your powers of deduction,” Midnight said, her hand briefly
squeezing Valerie’s shoulder.

Valerie was surprised
and comforted by the sudden contact. She noticed for the first time that they
had walked to the outskirts of Silva, to a little house near the edge of the
woods.

“Is this your place?”
Henry asked Midnight.

Midnight nodded. The
house might be cozy if it was lit up from the inside. But in the dark, it
seemed lonely. No wonder Midnight was happy for the company.

Midnight unlocked the
door. “I want you both to treat this as your home. Explore any rooms you like,
enjoy the food in the kitchen, and leave me a note if there is anything missing
that you would like. I made up the bedroom down the hall for you.”

Valerie stepped inside
and the house immediately lit up, as if it recognized that someone was inside.
The decorations were simple and homey, very different from the quiet dignity of
Midnight’s office. She could imagine conversations by the fireplace and
evenings reading in the window seat that looked out over the forest.

“I love it,” Valerie
said quietly, and Midnight beamed. She had never seen such a happy expression
cross the Grand Master’s face before.

“I’m so glad,” Midnight
said.

“Thank you,” Henry said
formally.

Midnight’s eyes were softer than Valerie ever imagined
they could be. “Welcome home.”

Valerie and Henry slept
in a quiet little room with two twin beds. There were delicate lace curtains on
the windows, and the walls were painted in a mosaic of bright patterns. Who had
lived in the room before her? She hoped that Midnight would share more about her
past when she was ready. The Grand Master’s eyes sometimes flickered with deep
pain, and Valerie knew that sharing a burden like that with others could be
harder than carrying it alone.

Henry and Valerie’s
first night was uneventful, and Valerie found herself more at ease now that her
brother was closer to her, where she could watch over him. It reminded her of when
they had camped in neighboring tents on Earth.

The next morning,
Midnight was gone, but she left a note telling where she would be for the day,
along with a breakfast of pancakes.

“Earth food,” Henry
groaned, digging into his stack.

Valerie agreed with a
nod, her mouth full. She swallowed. “I could get used to this.”

“We should stop by the
dorm and let everyone know how we’re doing,” Henry said.

“Let Kanti know, you
mean,” Valerie said, but Henry didn’t respond.

Within the hour, they
left a note for Midnight and took off for the Imaginary Friends dorm. Cyrus was
waiting for them, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

“What is it?” she asked
when they reached the doors at the entrance.

“I got a message from
Leo. He wants to meet tonight!”

The trickle of Henry’s
emotions that had been open all day suddenly slammed shut. Valerie gave Cyrus a
nudge and then changed the subject. But throughout dinner, her excitement rose.
Something extraordinary was about to happen. As of tonight she might have a dad.

“He might not be your
dad, you know. Don’t get your hopes up too high,” Henry said to her before she
and Cyrus left for the Lake of Knowledge. She nodded and then gave him a quick
hug before leaving. She didn’t bother to ask him if he wanted to come.

It was a quiet walk as
Valerie struggled to rein in her excitement. They reached the lake, which was
at its most beautiful at night when the billions of stars above the Globe were
reflected on the surface. Cyrus ran his fingers through the water, sending a
little beam of light into the dark liquid.

A few bubbles rose,
followed by Leo. He looked exactly the same as when she had seen him last time,
except wetter. He had bushy gray eyebrows that matched his gray eyes. In them
was the kindness she remembered.

“I was so happy to
receive your message,” he said, shaking first Cyrus’s, then Valerie’s hands. “I
must confess, it is hard to be so disconnected from the rest of the world.”

“Don’t they let you
visit the surface, like Gabriel?” she asked.

“They try to keep you
underwater as much as possible for the first few centuries. It’s supposed to
help you adjust. But I miss the sunlight. I am so grateful for your gift,” he
added, turning to Cyrus. He had brought the little lion made of light that
Cyrus had created for him.

“Let me recharge it for
you while you’re here,” Cyrus said. He held it for a moment and it glowed
brightly. “You can also put it in the sun for a couple hours. But this should
last you another year.”

“Thank you, son. But
surely this isn’t why you asked me here.”

Cyrus turned to Valerie,
clearly expecting her to take it from here. “Well, you see, um…recently I went
to Ephesus. I received this prophecy…about my father.”

Leo nodded, urging her
to continue.

“I’ve always thought he
was dead, but an Oracle told me he was alive,” she said in a rush. “And that I
know him already, and I thought, well, Cyrus thought, actually, that maybe—”

“Oh for goodness’ sake.
Could you be Valerie’s dad? Do you have any missing kids that you don’t know
about?” Cyrus interrupted bluntly. Valerie anxiously watched Leo’s reaction.

Leo passed a hand over
his face. When he finally looked up at them, she saw the infinite grief in his
eyes. “If only that could be. But no, my children are both dead.”

“But how can you be
sure? What if they lived, and it’s Valerie and her brother?” Cyrus pushed.

“I saw my wife and
daughters die before my eyes. And I buried them with my own hands. There could
be no mistake.”

Silence engulfed them
all. Somehow any words of regret seemed hollow in the face of such an immense
loss. Instead, Valerie stepped into the water and hugged Leo. He seemed surprised
at first, but then hugged her back.

“I’m sorry we wasted
your time, man,” Cyrus said, his voice sounding a little rough, like he was
fighting back tears of his own.

“Seeing you children is
the best part of my year. This isn’t a waste of time. I will ask the Akashic
Records about who your father might be, but it may take years to find an
answer. Time moves differently in Illyria.”

“Thank you, Leo. Even if
it’s decades, I’d like to know him,” Valerie said softly.

He nodded. “I’m sure
he’d give anything to hold you again. I know I would if you were my little
girl.”

Suddenly his attention
was drawn to the sword strapped to Valerie’s side, which glittered in the
starlight.

“Where did you get that?”
he asked, his voice suddenly sharp.

“Have you seen it before?
It’s kind of a long story how I wound up with it,” she said, confused at his
interest.

“I have time. Please
start at the beginning,” he said. So she told him about her trip from Earth to
the Globe, and how she found it in the launch chamber inside the Great Pyramid
before she was rocketed through space. She later learned that the sword
belonged to a Master in the Guardians of the Boundary Guild named Adelita.

“That part I know. I was
the one who gave it to her,” Leo said. “But I can’t imagine how it ended up on
Earth, of all places.”

She was stunned. “You
knew her? What can you tell me?”

He sighed deeply,
clearly about to wade into waters he would rather leave untouched. “Before I
joined the Illyrians, I was the Grand Master of the Weapons Guild. Your sword,
Pathos, was passed down from Grand Master to Grand Master. It is very old, and
has been studied by many in the Guild to see how so much power had been woven
into a weapon. As Grand Master, the sword was mine to use—and give away if I
saw fit.”

“Why would you ever give
it away?” Cyrus asked.

“Adelita and I partnered
to study which weapons would be most effective against the Fractus, maybe even
creating a new one that could prevent them from mentally visiting Earth. The
Fractus found out—I don’t know how. They sent a group of men made of rock to
attack me. They would have killed me if Adelita hadn’t shown up and saved my
life. After that, I decided that Pathos should belong to her.”

“That’s a pretty nice
thank-you gift,” Cyrus quipped. Valerie gave him a quick shake of her head so
that he’d tone it down, and he cleared his throat. “Sorry, go on.”

“Maybe I should have
kept it. Maybe if I had Pathos, I would have been able to protect my family
when…” he swallowed, struggling to keep his emotions in check. “When Zunya came
with more of the rock men, I wasn’t prepared. He robbed us all of our magic,
and my wife and daughters were crushed by his men. They made me watch, but
didn’t kill me.”

“Why would they let you
live?” she said, her hands clenched in fists at her sides to contain her rage.

“I only found out later.
I was visited by a man who called himself Reaper. He said that if I would lend
my skills to the Fractus, that he had a way to bring my family back from the
grave. Claimed he knew of a vivicus who would soon be coming to the Globe who
he would force to do the deed. But he needed my help to get to her first.”

Valerie took a step
backward. Cyrus gripped her hand. “He must have meant you,” he said, squeezing
her fingers so tightly that they stung.

Leo’s eyes widened. “You’re
a vivicus? I thought your power was fighting.”

She shifted
uncomfortably. “Yes, it’s true. But I can’t bring people back from the dead, I
don’t think.”

“It’d probably kill her,”
Cyrus added. “Just saving lives completely wipes her out.”

Leo nodded. “I had also
never heard of a vivicus bringing someone back from the dead. But even if it
were true, I knew my family would never want me to make a deal with such a man
to save them. I have to believe that was the right decision, and wherever they
are now, they’re happy.” But there was no peace in his eyes. Valerie guessed
that he questioned his decision every day.

“That’s the deed that
got you into Illyria, isn’t it?” Valerie asked quietly, and he nodded. “That is
a true sacrifice. Thank you, Leo. It’s possible that if you helped him, Henry
and I would both be in the Black Castle doing who knows what for him.”

“Though I am not your father, I feel a kinship with
you both. I hope we can see each other again.”

It was a quiet walk back
to Midnight’s—and now Valerie’s—house that night. When she saw Henry, she shook
her head at the question in his eyes and went to their room. More than ever,
she wished that Thai were by her side. But when she checked on him, he was
resting. She was on her own to wrestle with her disappointment.