Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) (14 page)

He sat down and closed
his eyes. “The first thing I have to do is absorb the light,” he explained. “It’s
like I’m breathing it in.”

As he spoke, Valerie
could see Cyrus begin to glow as streams of light were attracted to him like a
magnet.

“Then I channel it out
of my hands and imagine what it is I’m trying to create. I can shape the light
like it’s clay. Of course, it’s way more flexible than clay, so I can make it
do many more things.”

His hands worked
quickly, moving through the light. “When I’m done, I release my hold on the
light and—”

There was a bright flash
and a tiny horse was in his hands. “For you, sis,” he said to Cara.

Her eyes were wide. She
touched the horse tentatively. “It looks like Brownie.”

“Duh, that’s what I was
going for. I know how much you miss that horse,” he said.

Cara threw her arms
around him. Cyrus paused in surprise, but then he hugged her back. When she
pulled away, she was glowing. At first, her face broke into a huge smile, but
as it sank in that she was channeling magic herself, she jumped backward.

“Get it out of me! Make
it stop!” she cried.

“Relax, release your
hold on your magic and it will go away,” Cyrus said.

She wrung her hands, and
Valerie could see tears in her eyes. She let out a little grunt, and the light
left her. Cara sagged in relief, sobbing. Cyrus patted her shoulder awkwardly.

“Don’t touch me!” she
said. “I can’t believe I used magic. I’m broken; there’s something wrong with
me. I don’t deserve to go back to Messina. Mom and Dad will be so disappointed
in me.”

“Magic is a gift,”
Valerie said gently. “You’re lucky to have it. You can use it for good, like
Cyrus does.”

“Leave me alone!” Cara
said, and ran away from them both.

“You don’t understand,”
Cyrus said quietly. “We’re raised to think of magic as evil. I never really
believed it, but I got away when I was still young. Cara has had that hammered
into her for fourteen years. As much as she may like to see magic in others, seeing
it in herself is like finding out she has an incurable disease.”

Valerie shook her head. “That’s
so sad.”

Cyrus shrugged and
sighed. “I had this tiny hope that she’d decide to stay. I really miss her, ya
know?”

“Sorry, Cy.”

The next day, when Valerie checked in on
Thai, he was sleeping. But luckily Chisisi had made it to his bedside.

“How’s he doing—really?”
she asked, a little afraid of the answer.

“I have read of this
happening to others, but I have never witnessed the separation myself.
According to my texts, this separation is quite early. But other than that,
there are no anomalies.”

“Have you talked to Tan?”

“Indeed. He is most
anxious to be separated.”

“He told me never to
visit him.”

Chisisi nodded solemnly.
“He is still very underdeveloped. He will grow in maturity with time. We must
all have patience.”

“Thank you for coming to
him, Chisisi,” Valerie said, wishing that she could reach over and brush Thai’s
sweaty hair off his forehead.

“There is no need for
thanks. This is the duty I have chosen—to help those cursed with magic on
Earth.”

“How can I help?”

“For now, we need to
keep both Thai and Tan as calm as possible. So I suggest you leave before he
wakes. You can visit without appearing, so check in first to make sure Tan is
not in control before making yourself known.”

“I wish I could come
back and be there in person to help you.”

“No, young one. You are
where you are meant to be. And I will take care of two ill from their magic instead
of three.”

Valerie returned to the
Globe with a lighter heart. Chisisi would keep both Thai and Tan safe, she sensed.
And maybe in a few days or weeks, Thai would join her on the Globe. Her heart
raced at the thought of picking up where they left off.

Checking the time, she
hurried to the Capitol building to report to Azra. This time, she came through
the front doors and was relieved to see that a patrol of Knights was on duty to
protect the Guild Masters from any more attacks by the invisible men. She
nodded to a couple she recognized, and she saw them nudge each other. It was
impossible not to notice how much they all stared at her, like they expected
her to break out into a song and dance routine.

She hurried to Azra’s
office. She had been there once before and was relieved when she found her way
without having to ask anyone for directions. She knocked softly, and the door
opened on its own. Inside was as she remembered, with vaulted ceilings and maps
everywhere of the countries that made up the Globe.

I’ll be there soon,
Azra’s voice chimed in her mind from somewhere else in
the building.
Make yourself at home.

Valerie paced around the
office as she waited, examining the maps closely. She touched one and
immediately she saw a birds-eye view of a beautiful city nestled in the hills.
The roofs of the houses were silver and glinted in the sun. She concentrated. She
could move the view in her mind closer or farther away.

She dropped her hand and
was suddenly back in Azra’s office, disoriented. The maps must work similarly
to how the globe in Midnight’s office worked, except this was a map of the
Globe instead of Earth.

She continued to walk
around the room. It was strange for an office. There was no desk and only a
couple of chairs for visitors. In one corner was a patch of grass. She stepped
on it and was transported to a valley filled with lilies. It was beautiful.

Welcome,
a voice filled her mind like the low note of an oboe.
You must be Valerie. I’ve heard many wonderful things.

A beautiful unicorn
several hands taller than Azra with a golden horn stepped toward her across the
meadow.

I see you’ve found my
valley,
Azra said, and Valerie jumped
backward, off of the grass, startled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t
mean—”

Do not worry, child.
You made yourself at home, and I am glad.

“Who was that? I thought
you were the last…” her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to be rude, but Azra
was the only unicorn in the universe. Her race had died out long ago.

I am. My husband,
Odysseus, made that as a gift for me on our two hundredth anniversary. It is
only a memory of him, which he imbued with his essence. Sometimes it is a great
comfort to me to see that echo of him.

“Other times it must be
torture,” Valerie said softly, imagining how the loss of him must sting every
time she stepped away. It would be like the pictures she used to keep of her
friends in the hospital who had died. Seeing them was a sweet, sharp pain, and
in her rage at the universe, she had thrown them all away. But now she wished
she hadn’t, so that there was a piece of them left.

You see more deeply
than most. It’s true, his echo cannot compare to the reality, and it can be a
bitter reminder of what I’ve lost.

Valerie was embarrassed
as tears of empathy tried to fight their way to the surface. Azra nose dipped.
Her mane obscured her eyes, but not before Valerie saw the tears in them. But
suddenly she lifted her head and her eyes were filled with an emotion that
Valerie couldn’t name, but was infinitely beautiful.

She studied Azra
carefully, and realized that she looked different. Her coat and mane were
glossier, if that were possible, and her eyes sparkled with something hopeful.
Something profound had happened to Azra, she suddenly knew with certainty. But
it wasn’t her place to ask what it was.

Azra tossed her mane
briskly.
Let’s turn to more urgent matters. As you know, I believe there is
a spy among the Grand Masters. Usually I can see into others’ hearts, but this
time, the source of all the trouble is masked from me. Whoever it is wields
powerful magic, which only strengthens my belief that it must be a Grand Master.

“It could be someone who
a Grand Master confides in,” Valerie said thoughtfully, and Azra nodded. “Do
you think that Reaper person Elden told us about and the spy are the same
person?”

Perhaps. Or maybe as
you say, it is an informer for Reaper.

“Why do you want me to
help you? I don’t think my fighting abilities are going to be of much use here.”

You have a sense for
people that you underestimate. And you will be in a unique position to meet the
Grand Masters without arousing their suspicions.

“Why is that?”

Because you have been
named my successor.

Valerie sank into a
chair, lightheaded. Her hands shook uncontrollably. “It’s like everyone’s out
of their minds except me. Don’t I get a say in all this?”

Of course you do. There
will be time for you to formally refuse the position if you wish. In the
meantime, if you play along, I will be training you in the management of the Guilds
and the Globe. You will meet everyone who could be a suspect, and can ask any
questions you like of them.

“So it would be like I’m
undercover?” she asked, her heart calming down a little.

Azra’s laugh was like
tinkling bells in her mind.
Indeed. And it will also give you the chance to
see if this role is something you might actually want.

Valerie shook her head doubtfully.
“I’ll help you find your spy. I can’t make any promises about the rest.”

We will see.

“There’s something else
I wanted to ask you about,” Valerie said, her face heating with embarrassment.
She hated asking for favors. “I need a new place to live. Any corner will do. Rastelli
doesn’t want Conjurors from other guilds taking up space, which I understand.”

Azra’s eyes flashed,
first with anger and then compassion.
You never need worry about a home, my
dear. You could always stay with me in the woods, but I do not think that would
be the most secure place for you. I will find you somewhere safe to live.

“Thank you,” Valerie whispered, and hurried away
without meeting Azra’s eyes. Soon she’d find a way to fend for herself, so
she’d never have to beg for a bed again.

The next few days were a
blur for Valerie. She checked in on Thai several times a day, but he was
usually resting or Tan was in control. Chisisi explained that Tan’s dominance
was a natural part of the separation, but not being able to speak to Thai left
her hollow. As much as it had been sweet torture to be separated by a universe,
unable to touch, not being able to communicate with him at all was far worse.

She tried to talk to
Henry about her new role at the Capitol, but he was so withdrawn that she
didn’t want to burden him with her worries. Kanti wasn’t much help either.
Trying to fend off her new admirers and win back Henry’s friendship left her
grumpy at the end of the day.

Even Cyrus, usually her
touchstone, wasn’t his typical enthusiastic self.

“Azra’s successor, wow,”
he said, but his smile was forced. “I hope you’ll remember the rest of us once
you’re in with all of the Grand Masters.”

“Are you kidding? The
last thing I would ever do is put myself in Azra’s position. I’m undercover to
help her right now, but as soon as we smoke out this Reaper guy, I’m outta
there.”

Cyrus relaxed a little. “Sorry,
Val. I know you’re not one to get a big head. If you have some time later
today, I thought we could try to send Leo the message.”

“Yes! How about tonight
after dinner? We could send it from the Lake of Knowledge.”

“Exactly the spot I was
thinking of. Great minds think alike. Hey, maybe I should be Azra’s successor,”
he joked.

She spent the rest of
the day studying a book that Azra had given her with pictures and some
information about each of the Grand Masters. There were over five hundred
guilds, so there were too many Conjurors for her to memorize each one. But a core
group of seven formed an inner circle called the Council that organized votes
and finalized decisions. Azra was sure that the spy was part of this group.

Most of the Council
members were known to her—Midnight, Kellen, and Azra were all members. Chern
was recently elected to join the group, though Valerie was a little mystified
as to why the History Guild would be so essential to running Arden.

The remaining three she
had never met. Skye represented the Relations Guild that managed diplomatic
interactions between Arden and the other countries on the Globe, Al was from
the Stewardship Guild that made sure the planet’s weather and physical systems
were functioning as they should, and Calibro was the Grand Master of the
Justice Guild.

She would meet them all
the next day when they interviewed Gabriel about what he had found in the
Akashic Records. She was intensely nervous about her new role, so she was glad
that tonight, she would have something to take her mind off of what was coming.

She gladly tossed aside
her book a few hours later to meet her friends for dinner. She hurried down to
the cafeteria and smacked into a boy that she didn’t recognize at first.

“Well? Let’s have it,”
Henry said. She shut her mouth. His hair, which had been streaked with gray,
was now entirely dark brown.

“I like it,” she said. “You
look more like...you.”

It must have been the
right thing to say, because Henry gave her the first smile she’d seen from him
in days. “I don’t want to be reminded of Sanguina and Zunya every time I look
in the mirror. And I don’t have to dye it or anything. The Glamour Guild
changed the color permanently for me.”

“That would be worth a
fortune on Earth,” she said, as they grabbed a table.

“Yeah,” Henry said, but
he wasn’t paying attention. He was staring across the cafeteria at Kanti, who
had two guys fighting over who would carry her tray.

“Are you talking to her
yet?” Valerie asked tentatively.

“I was never not talking
to her,” he replied.

“You know what I mean.”

He sighed. “I can’t compete
with all these guys.”

“You don’t have to—she
wants to be with you.”

“Maybe before she had
all these options. But now she has the opportunity to see if she can do better.
Which she can.”

“Glad to see I didn’t
miss the pity party,” Cyrus said, dropping into the chair next to Valerie. “Nice
glamour on the hair, man.”

“Thanks,” Henry said,
fighting back a pleased smile. “Get me out of my own head. What’s going on with
you guys?”

Valerie and Cyrus
exchanged a glance.

“We’re sending a message
to someone in Illyria who might be our dad,” she said. She waited for him to
shut down the conversation, but instead he nodded. Valerie hoped he was
starting to adjust to the idea.

“Let me know what
happens.”

Kanti walked toward
their table with the two guys from earlier still in tow. She turned around and
snapped, “A little space would be great. Thanks.” She glared at them, but it
didn’t have the same effect that it would have before she was beautiful. The
guys grinned and shuffled off.

“I need one of those
things they have on Earth that shocks people,” she said grumpily.