Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) (11 page)

Cool hands cupped her
face, and she stared into Midnight’s violet eyes. A pleasant sensation tingled
her mind as images from the fight raced through her consciousness. Midnight was
inside her head, watching what happened like a movie.

“You have psychic powers—like
Henry,” she remembered. Midnight nodded.

“Excuse my intrusion
into your mind, but I had to see what happened. This isn’t the first attack
we’ve had in these halls. I’m surprised no one warned you that the building is
closed to all visitors.”

“I’m okay,” Valerie
said. “That’s the second time you’ve saved my life.”

Midnight had protected
her from Zunya when she had come to the Globe the first time, even though
fighting him had weakened the Grand Master immensely.

“I don’t know about
that. Something tells me you would have rallied and taken those breakables down,”
Midnight said. “It was impressive to watch you fight. I can see why everyone wants
you to lead.”

Valerie groaned again.

“I’ll take you to the
Healers’ Guild,” Midnight said, helping Valerie to her feet.

“No, I have to go home.
My brother will know that something’s wrong and he’ll be frantic.”

Midnight’s eyes searched
hers, and then she sighed. “It’s your decision.”

Footsteps raced down the
hall and Valerie tensed for another attack.

“It’s only Oleander, a Master
Guardian.”

“I heard a noise,” a
low, musical voice said. A woman with long, pale hair that matched her gold
eyes stood beside Midnight. Her appearance was alien at first, but also
strikingly beautiful.

Oleander’s eyes widened
at the sight of the four breakables lying on the ground, and her amazement only
increased when she saw Valerie.

“You’re the vivicus,”
she said breathlessly. “You took down one of these men on your own? You’re only
a recruit!”

Valerie shrugged, and
Midnight noticed her discomfort.

“Contact the Knights and
have them apprehend these men right away,” Midnight commanded. “I’ll escort
Valerie back to her dorm.”

Oleander nodded, and
Midnight led Valerie toward a platform. They left the building, and she tried
not to hobble from the pain in her back. Her head would have a nasty bruise as
well.

“Thank you,” Valerie
said shyly. It was the first time she had spoken to Midnight alone. She had no
right to be taking up so much of her time. “I can get home from here.”

“I will see you to your
dorm, if not the Healers’ Guild,” Midnight insisted with a protective note in
her voice.

Valerie nodded. “Thank
you.”

“Did you come here
looking for me?”

“Yeah. It seems so silly
now, but I was trying to get a sense for who the spy might be.”

“That’s not silly. Azra
says you have a sense for people, and I am one who appreciates when someone
takes initiative. Did you discover anything?”

“Not a thing. I don’t
know where to start.”

“Perhaps the best idea
would be for you to sit in on the next council meeting and meet a few of the Grand
Masters.”

“I could do that?”

“With a special
invitation, yes, it is permitted. Azra will be back soon. Let me talk to her
for you.”

They stopped in front of
her dorm, and she saw Henry and Dulcea frantically flying down the side of the
building on one of the platforms. She gave them a little wave of assurance.

“Thank you,” she said to
Midnight.

“My door is always open. But next time, come visit me
at the Guild.”

“Bed rest? Is this some
kind of punishment?” Valerie complained as Henry and Dulcea fussed over her.

“Of course not!” Dulcea
said indignantly.

“The next time you have
a crazy idea like that, bring me with you,” Henry insisted.

“I can take care of
myself,” she said, grouchy.

“Obviously not,” he
snapped back.

“Enough! We have
decorations to finish,” Dulcea interrupted. “Valerie, why don’t you lie down
and visit some friends on Earth or something.”

With that, she and Henry
left, and Valerie slumped down in her bed. But after a minute, she sat up.
There was someone she had been meaning to visit. She concentrated, and opened
her eyes to see Ming’s room inside the Oakland Children’s Hospital. On the bed
was a little blue suitcase. She smiled—she wasn’t too late to catch Ming before
she left.

“You’re here! I thought
I might never see you again,” Ming said, and ran to her for a hug. She covered
her mouth with her hand when she went right through her. “More magic! I knew
it!”

Valerie couldn’t help
laughing. “Are you better now?”

“Much better, but no one
would believe me. They made me have so many tests,” Ming said, sticking out her
lower lip.

“But you’re going home
now?” she asked, nodding toward the little suitcase.

Ming’s smile was
dazzling. “Yup! Mom’s doing some boring stuff with papers and then I get to go
home. She made me a cake!”

“Yum!”

“I wish you could come
home with me.”

“I can visit, if you
tell me your address. And I’ll tell you all about the place I live now,”
Valerie said, wishing she could pull Ming onto her knee like she used to.

She and Ming chatted for
a while, and Ming filled her in on everyone’s amazement and joy over her
recovery. It was almost as good as getting to see it for herself.

“But what did Dr.
Freeman think?” Valerie asked curiously, remembering their last meeting.

“I questioned how you
knew,” his deep voice said from the doorway. She turned around in surprise and
saw him standing with his arms folded.

“Are you angry that I
ran away?”

“No, Ms. Diaz. I
understood. But you haven’t answered my question.”

“I already told you! It
was magic,” Ming interrupted. She stamped her little foot and turned to Valerie
for help.

Valerie sighed. This
wasn’t going to go over well. “It’s true, Dr. Freeman. And for that matter, I’m
not sick. I have magic, too.”

“See!” Ming exclaimed
triumphantly.

“Of course, you both want
something to explain this incredible miracle. But there is a scientific answer,
and if we can find it, who knows how many more children we can help?”

Despite his confident
words, Valerie could see that Dr. Freeman was shaken. It was within her power
to vanish before his eyes and prove that magic existed, but she didn’t want to
upend his entire world. Logic and science were the masters of his universe, and
it would be cruel to take them from him.

Ming’s mother came into
the room and scooped her daughter up in her arms. She didn’t see Valerie in the
corner of the room as she thanked Dr. Freeman profusely and gave him a hug,
which he returned awkwardly.

Valerie gave Ming a
little wave and put her finger to her lips. Then she slipped out the door into
hall, and let her mind return to the Globe. She opened her eyes, and even
though she still had a deep ache in her back, her bad mood was gone.

The next day, Gideon insisted that she
train despite her injury in order to learn how to fight when she was at a
physical disadvantage to her attacker.

“Picture the pain in
your mind—give it a shape and form,” he instructed.

She imagined that it was
a bright glowing ball like a little sun that was burning her from the inside
out. She nodded.

“In your mind you will
find a box. Do you see it?”

She envisioned a steel
trunk with a huge lock, and she nodded.

“Now take your pain and
wrestle it into the box. It may be slippery and strong, but you are stronger.”

Gideon’s suggestion
reminded her of how she’d learned to compartmentalize her pain after she’d been
attacked when she lived on the streets, or a few times when she’d been beaten
by her foster parents. She’d learned quickly that showing weakness only led to
being a target more often, so she became an expert at masking her pain. Over
time, it became more than faking stoicism. She learned to ignore that part of
her mind when she really needed to.

She concentrated, trying
to pick up the ball, but when she touched it, it burned her fingers. She was
annoyed with herself. Why hadn’t she picked something simpler to be the
embodiment of her pain? Frustrated, she kicked it, and it skittered toward the
box. She threw open the lid and grabbed the ball, but she couldn’t lift it. It
weighed a ton. She grunted and strained, getting sweaty in the process.

Someone laughed—it
sounded like Claremont, the other recruit who was close to her and Juniper in
age. She was seven feet tall and had a tendency to use her height to try to
intimidate the other recruits. “What’s taking so long? Are you showing off?”

“Shut it, Monty,”
Juniper said, using the nickname that Claremont couldn’t stand.

Annoyance flashed
through her at Claremont’s comment, and she channeled it. She heaved her pain
into the box and slammed it shut. Then she locked it. She opened her eyes, and
saw that the recruits were all staring at her.

“I can still feel the
pain, but I can move around it, somehow,” she said.

“Let’s see how tightly
you’ve trapped it,” he said.

Without waiting for her
to get her bearings, he drew a practice sword from the weapons rack and tossed
it to her. Then he grabbed a second practice sword for himself and began to
attack. Valerie’s magic pooled inside her and her response was automatic. She
parried with Gideon, stopping his first blow an inch from her shoulder.

She was surprised that
he was pushing her this hard, but she trusted that he had a reason, so she gave
it her all. Her focus sharpened and her magic raced through her veins. Their
practice swords flashed in the sunlight, moving so quickly that they were a
blur.

Amazingly, she landed a
light blow on Gideon’s stomach. He leaped backward, on the defensive now. She
faltered. It was the first time she had ever hit him with her sword. Was he
okay?

Her distraction cost her
the fight. Her hesitation was all he needed to knock her sword to the ground,
and she fell, her pain returning with a deep throb in her back. She stifled a
groan.

Gideon stood, watching
her, and then smiled proudly. “Well done, Valerie. You truly did trap your pain
inside your mind. I have never seen it done on the first try before.”

He shook her hand, as he
insisted that the recruits always do at the end of a sparring match. She could
see that he was sweating as much as she was. She was still stunned that she had
landed a blow, and when she turned around, she could see her surprise mirrored
on the faces of the other recruits. Even Monty gave her a grudging nod of
respect.

She was intensely uncomfortable
under their scrutiny until Gideon changed the subject.

“Tonight is the ceremony
where you will all officially become apprentices to the Knights. Go home and
get cleaned up, and be back here at your appointed time.”

The ceremony was secret,
so none of the recruits knew what was going to happen. They all had to pass
some kind of test, and then they would officially be a part of the Guild of the
Knights of Light. If they failed, they could test to join another guild, or go
on a quest to prove their worth.

She hadn’t let herself
overthink it. She was prepared that she might fail, since she had only been on
the Globe and using her magic for less than a year. She hoped that whatever
quest they gave her, if that happened, would be one she could succeed at.

The Laurel Circle was
cold and dark on her finger again.

“Don’t let your fear be your master,” Gideon said
quietly to her. She twisted the ring as she watched him walk away. If only she
could put her fear in a box with her pain. But somehow, she didn’t think there
was a container in the universe that was big enough for it.

“I don’t know what to
wear!” she complained to Henry back at her dorm room.

“Don’t ask me,” he said.
“I’m still wrapping my head around what a guild is, never mind what the dress
code might be.”

“I wish Kanti were here.
She’d know.”

“Me, too. But her
parents won’t let her leave. She’s going stir crazy. And I’m going crazy
waiting for her to get back so I can finally tell her that I’m in love with her,”
Henry said, chewing his thumbnail again.

“I guess I’ll go with
jeans and a nice top. My hands are starting to sweat,” she said.

“You’re going to ace it.”

“You have to say that.
You’re my brother.”

Henry left, and she
walked over to the Guild, gripping Pathos’ hilt tightly. She hoped they would let
her keep it during the test.

When she reached the
arch at the entrance to the Guild, she looked around, confused. It was
completely deserted. She knocked on several of the doors that led inside from
the courtyard, but there was no answer. Was this a part of the test, or did she
miss an instruction that she was supposed to go somewhere else?

“All dressed up but no
place to go.” Zunya’s voice made her spin around. His yellow eyes were slits,
and he stared at her with a triumphant grin.

He stood several yards
away, and her magic vanished like water down a drain. She knew that if he
touched her, it would be agony. Her best hope was to outrun him. She had barely
formed the thought when she saw Claremont lying on the ground behind him,
unconscious. Running wasn’t an option.

Once she decided to stay
and fight, her fear receded a little and instinct took over. She drew Pathos.
Zunya laughed.

“Even Azra can’t touch
me,” he said. “What makes you think that you’ll make it through my shield?
Here’s the deal. You come with me quietly, and she can stay here.” He gestured
to Claremont. “Fight me, and you’ll both suffer.”

She knew that the minute
he had her away from Arden, her chances of getting away were microscopic. Choosing
not to run was tantamount to a death sentence.

“Let’s go,” Valerie
said, refusing to let her voice shake.

“Drop your sword first,”
he commanded, and she did as she was told.

He gestured toward the
tree line behind the Guild, and she walked behind him. He didn’t even check to
see if she was following. When they were about half a mile away, Valerie
considered her options. Claremont was safe. But there was no one to save her
other than herself.

She could follow Zunya
to the Black Castle and hope that they had a reason to keep her alive, or she
could take her chances and fight him now, without magic or her weapon. The
inevitability of losing hit her like a hammer blow. She wasn’t strong enough to
fight him or smart enough to outwit him. She gripped the crystal hanging around
her neck and her mind returned to Earth.

Thai dropped the book he
was holding in surprise. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking your test?”

“I only have a few
seconds. But I wanted you to know why I was never coming to see you again.”

His face rapidly drained
of color. “What’s happening?”

“Zunya’s taken me
prisoner and we’re going to the Black Castle. Once we’re there, they’ll take
this charm, so I’m going to drop it along the way so they can’t find you. If
they don’t kill me, I’ll visit you if I possibly can.”

“No! You have to fight.”

“If I fight him, he’ll beat
me. I don’t have my magic or my weapon.”

“You’re giving up? Why
have you been training all these months without magic? For times like this!”

Thai’s confidence blazed
like an aura. He believed she could do it. Before she could reply, she was yanked
back to the Globe as her head hit the ground. Zunya had backhanded her.

She unleashed her anger.
It washed away her fear, and she let herself be carried away with it. From the
ground, she swept her leg under his feet, knocking him to the dirt. She jumped
up and stood in a defensive stance, ready for his attack. He got up more slowly
than she expected, but immediately threw a right hook, hard. She ducked and the
punch missed.

She grabbed his wrist as
it whizzed by and twisted. He howled in pain. She expertly head-butted him, and
he dropped to the ground. The air around him shimmered, and his shape changed.

Instead of Zunya, she
saw a little brown creature with big ears and beady eyes. He grinned at her.

“You pack quite a punch.
And you also passed,” he said, and reached out to shake her hand.

She took a step back. “W-what?”
It felt like the ground was tilting.

“Sorry. I’m Mira. I’m a
shapeshifter. Every recruit has to fight me in the form of their most feared
enemy. You passed the first part with flying colors when you didn’t abandon
Claremont. But it was touch and go there for awhile when you were following me
to your doom. Another half a mile and you would have failed.”

“Why?”

“It’s one thing to find
courage to defend others. But you also need confidence in yourself when it’s
your safety at stake. We can’t afford for our Knights to act like martyrs.”

“But my magic disappeared,
like it always does when Zunya’s around. Did you do that?”

He shook his head. “You
did it to yourself. Your magic was with you the whole time. Sometimes your most
powerful enemy is your own insecurity. What finally made you fight back?”

“My soul mate,” she
said, and then gripped Thai’s crystal and was by his side in an instant.

He had his eyes closed
and his hands clasped, almost as if he was praying.

“It was part of the
test. Zunya wasn’t real. I passed.”

He made a noise that
almost sounded like a sob of relief and stepped toward her. She could see the
longing on his face to hold her.

“I thought I lost you,”
he said.

“You’re my anchor. You’ll never lose me.”

Mira led Valerie back to
the Guild, which was now swarming with Conjurors.

“You were the last
recruit to be tested,” he explained. “Now for the fun part.”

Valerie saw Gideon, Midnight,
and Azra standing at the front of the crowd. All of the recruits from her class
were there, glowing. They had made it.

Henry and Dulcea grabbed
her as she headed over and both gave her hugs.

“Told you that you’d
kill it, dummy,” Henry said.

“Congratulations,
sweetie. I know Cyrus and Kanti will be so proud to hear about your success.”
Dulcea said.

“Thank you. This is
unreal.”

Gideon raised a hand,
and the crowd fell silent. “Today we welcome sixteen new apprentices to the
Knights.” The crowd burst into applause and whistling. Gideon turned to the
recruits. “Do you pledge to follow the values of the Knights? To use your Power
to protect, Courage in the face of danger, and Mercy to your greatest enemies?”
he asked them, stating the three tenets of the Guild.

“We do,” the new
apprentices chorused.

Cannons stationed around
the courtyard shot out glittering confetti. It flew through the air, sparkling,
and when some landed on Valerie, she tasted a flash of sweetness in her mouth
that made her whole body buzz with magic.

“Augury cannons,”
Juniper breathed in awe.

Before she could ask him
what that was, a scene flashed through her mind. She was kneeling next to
Henry, who was lying on his back on soft, green grass. She knew he was talking
to her, because his lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying.
She squeezed his hand, and a low boom echoed in her ears. A wave of light burst
from them both and made the ground ripple like still water that was hit by a
pebble. They both gasped at the same time, and she fell to the ground beside
her brother. All of her energy and magic were depleted. She had just enough
strength to turn her head to the left to look at her brother. He stared back at
her, smiling. Then his eyes closed, and she couldn’t sense his presence in her
mind, or anywhere. Somehow she knew he was gone forever.

The real world returned
in a rush, and Valerie blinked, trying to get her bearings. Tears were
streaming down her cheeks.