Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) (15 page)

“You mean a Taser?”
Henry said.

“Yes! Ingenious,” she
said, and smiled when he laughed. She reached up, like she was going to touch
his hair, but then pulled back. “I like it.”

“Thanks,” Henry said
lightly, trying and failing to seem as if he didn’t care.

Kanti changed the
subject. “Are you getting any closer to picking your guild?”

“I toured the Empathy
Collective. It’s very new-age hippie,” he said. Cyrus and Kanti stared at them,
a little baffled at the Earth cultural reference. “They’re a little spaced out,
but the way they channel their mental powers is pretty cool.”

“What’s your next step?”
Kanti asked.

“Their process is to
have you go through an orientation and then commune with nature for a few days
before you make your final decision.”

“Do you have to pass a
test?” Cyrus asked curiously.

“No, they accept anyone
who really wants to join. But they’re very interested in me because of my
abilities. They say I have a ‘powerful psychic connection with the universe’—whatever
that means.”

“That reminds me, would
you come to the Knights’ Guild with me to talk to Chrome, the wolf I told you
about?” Valerie asked. “I thought you might be able to use your psychic powers
to help with finding Jet.”

“I don’t see how, but
I’m happy to try.”

“Thanks, bro,” she said. A deep measure of relief filled
her. He seemed to be finding his equilibrium again.

That night, at the Lake
of Knowledge when she and Cyrus sent his message of light for Leo into the
water, it was like she was sending a wish into the universe. There were so many
things to hope for, and to fear for. As she watched the light steal away into
the depths of the lake, she said a little prayer for her brother, her friends,
her father, and Thai. Without saying a word, Cyrus held her hand and squeezed.

When Valerie got dressed to meet with the Guild
Masters, she was relieved that this time Kanti was there to provide her input.

“Just because I’ve
changed on the outside doesn’t mean I care about fashion all of a sudden,” Kanti
said defensively.

“You have got to relax.
I’m asking because you’ve lived on the Globe your whole life. This is about me,
not you,” Valerie said, half teasing.

“Thanks for that
refreshing dose of honesty,” Kanti said, her lips quirking in a rare smile. But
she seemed to snap out of her bad mood, and started searching through Valerie’s
closet. “The Globe government is different than what I remember about your
government, where everyone dresses in suits and stuff. The Grand Masters are
into creative expression, so you need to wear something that feels like you.”

“Jeans and a T-shirt it
is then,” Valerie said.

“I think maybe a little
nicer than that,” Kanti said, and pulled out a dress from the back of the
closet. It was simple and beautiful. Dulcea had sent it up when she first
designed Valerie’s half of the room, and though Valerie admired it, she
couldn’t imagine wearing something so nice.

Kanti saw the doubt on
her face. “If there was ever a time to dress up, this would be it. I’m not
putting you in a ball gown.”

Valerie nodded and put
the dress on. It was light blue and fell to her knees. She took out the elastic
that held her hair in its usual braid and shook it loose.

“Wow,” Kanti said. “If
only Thai could see you now.”

She turned away from the
mirror quickly. “Done. Thanks, Kanti.”

Her friend gave her a
quick hug. “You’re going to blow them all away, I know it.”

“I don’t care about
that. I’m trying to find the spy, that’s all.”

“If you say so. But in
the spirit of honesty, I think you were born to be Azra’s successor.”

Valerie shrugged so that Kanti would change the
subject, but inside, she was touched.

At the Capitol, Azra
escorted Valerie to a chamber in the center of the building where all the Grand
Masters met.

I will introduce you
to the group, and then there are a few matters up for a vote. Afterward, we’ll
join the Council for our meeting with Gabriel.

As they approached large
double doors that were ornately decorated in a geometric gold design, Valerie’s
stomach clenched. But she steeled herself. This was no time to fall apart. She
had a part to play, and people were counting on her.

Azra touched the doors
with her horn, and they slowly swung open, revealing an enormous room filled
with hundreds of bubbles. Inside each one was a Grand Master. The sight was
chaotic and beautiful as the bubbles whizzed around the room and their
opalescent colors flashed.

She barely had time to
register the scene when she and Azra began to rise in a bubble of their own. It
was perfectly steady, and from the inside, she could see that the surface of the
bubble had words and pictures on it detailing different issues that were being
discussed.

If you have any
questions about who a certain Grand Master is or details about a bill that’s
being voted on, touch the edge of the bubble and think about your question. The
answer will appear soon if it is available.

“How come some of the
bubbles have more than one person inside?”

Whenever two people
join in conversation their bubbles combine. And if you want to move around on
your own, steer the bubble with your mind, and we will separate.

“I think I’ll stick with
you,” Valerie said quickly.

Perhaps that is best.
Azra steered their bubble to a center point in the
room. Once they were there, it glowed, like a spotlight was shining on it.

Shall we begin?
Azra’s voice seemed a little amplified in her mind, because
the unicorn was talking to everyone. Like a concert, the bubbles quickly
organized into neat circles around the center of the room.

As our first order of
business, I would like to introduce you to Valerie Diaz, a Knight of Light and
the Grand Chair Elect.

She hadn’t anticipated
the response. Cheers rang in her bubble and seemed to echo and bounce around
inside. On the walls, messages of welcome and congratulations flowed so quickly
she could barely absorb any of the words.

You might want to say
a few words,
Azra said softly in her
mind.

She expected to be
completely overwhelmed by all of the attention directed on her, but instead, a
thrilling buzz of the combined energy and magic in the room filled her.

“Thank you all for your
kind welcome,” she said. “I’m here to learn, so please tell me if I’m making
mistakes, or if there’s something important you think I should know. I want to get
to know you all, and I appreciate the faith you’ve put in me. I’ll try to be
worthy of it, and I promise to only accept this position if I think I’m the
right person for it.”

The cheering resumed,
leaving her with a pleasant feeling of hope. But before she could fully process
what had happened, she heard a strange clicking sound, and suddenly she was
falling down, through the bubble. She registered the horror in Azra’s eyes
before she was hurtling through space, bracing herself for the inevitable crash
into the ground.

But instead of a hard
surface, her descent suddenly slowed, and she was deposited gently on her feet.

Run. The Grand Master
of the Empathy Collective used his telekinesis to slow your fall, but I don’t
know who released you from the bubble or how they accomplished it. Go to the
valley in my office. You will be safe there until I return.

Valerie was already racing
away before the first syllable had reached her mind. She could sense the danger
hovering over her, and she knew that whoever had tried to hurt her wasn’t
finished.

She inwardly cursed herself
for allowing Kanti to convince her to wear nice shoes, because her sneakers
would have been far more effective at getting her away as fast as possible. She
kicked off her shoes and bolted out of the double doors barefoot, leaving the
roar of confusion behind her, and ran down the hall toward Azra’s office. She
was less than halfway there when she saw Sanguina.

Her magic surged inside
her, ready for battle. Sanguina was talking to someone—Oberon. Everything
inside her screamed that danger was near.

Instead of running
toward them, she ducked into a side hallway.

“Wait!” Sanguina called
after her. “Not that way!”

It was too late. Zunya
was there, and she slammed into him. When they made contact, she collapsed in
agony. Her magic evaporated like a plug had been pulled inside of her, and
intense pain brought her to her knees.

The only thing that
saved her from being captured was that Zunya looked as surprised to see her as
she was to see him. By the time he regained his composure, she had rolled to
the side, out of his immediate grasp. The next instant, Sanguina led Oberon as
they barreled down the hall.

Oberon’s face was dark
with rage, and lightning crackled between his fingers. Behind him, Midnight’s
violet eyes blazed, and Zunya flinched as her magic hit his brain with a high
note of pain.

“What are you doing?”
Zunya hissed to Sanguina. “Get rid of them so I can finish with the girl.”

“No,” Sanguina said, and
whispered something to Oberon. Then she ducked, and over her head, a giant bolt
of lightning flew from Oberon’s hands straight at Zunya’s head. It hurtled
toward him, and he held out his hands, straining to grasp Oberon’s power and
rip it from him the way he had done to Valerie.

The bolt fizzled inches from his face. Zunya snarled,
but he turned and swept down the hall to escape. The last thing she saw before she
passed out was Oberon sending another bolt of lightning after him.

“Get away from her!”
Henry’s panicked voice ripped her from the darkness.

Valerie managed to open
her eyes and saw that he was glaring at Sanguina with pure loathing.

“Valerie was being
attacked and you were somehow involved,” Henry said venomously.

“It’s not what you think—”
Sanguina started to say.

“You don’t know what I
think. Get out of here or I’ll—I’ll—kill you!” He concentrated, and Sanguina
flew backward as his mind pushed her back the way he had done when Ani was
attacking Kanti.

“Lydia, maybe it would
be best if you left,” Midnight said quietly, using Sanguina’s name from before
she had become a vampyre.

“Henry, she tried to
help,” Valerie said weakly.

It was as if he didn’t
hear her. “You, too! Don’t come near us!” he screamed at Oberon.

She reached out to
Henry’s mind and almost recoiled at the fear and pain that was flooding him.
All of the trauma Sanguina had inflicted on him was near the surface, raw, and
it was enough to make her choke.

But she forced herself
to stay calm and send him thoughts of what had happened—how Sanguina had helped
and Oberon had saved her. His rage wavered, and his fear receded enough for him
to let logic return.

“I can’t believe it,” he
whispered, turning to her for the first time. He squeezed her hand. “When I saw
you lying there, I thought I didn’t make it in time.”

She struggled to sit up,
and he helped her. They were still in the hall. Valerie didn’t sense the danger
as she had before, but she didn’t know if that was because her magic had been
drained by Zunya or because they were truly safe.

“We have to get to
Azra’s office,” she said.

“I’ll help,” Oberon said
gruffly.

“No—that is—no thank
you, sir. Please let me take care of my sister by myself,” Henry said, his
voice still shaking with emotion.

“I’ll keep them safe,”
Midnight promised.

“As you wish,” Oberon
said, and his voice had a quality to it that she had never heard before. It
almost sounded like sympathy or tenderness at Henry’s obvious distress.

“Wait,” Valerie said
weakly, her eyes connecting with Oberon’s. “Thank you. I know you weren’t
supposed to use your magic, and I’m sorry if you get in trouble because you
were helping me.”

“It was my honor,” he
replied formally, his sightless blue eyes flashing with an emotion that Valerie
couldn’t place before he turned away from her, racing down the hall.

Midnight and Henry
helped her to her feet, and they made their way to Azra’s office. Inside, Azra
was waiting, her usually calm eyes filled with worry.

I sought to keep you
from danger, but instead led you toward it.

“This means we’re on the
right track—that I really can help,” Valerie said, trying to sound strong.
Henry gently pushed her into a chair.

“I was by the door when
you raced out, but I didn’t see what happened. Was Zunya waiting for you?”
Midnight asked gently.

Valerie shook her head. “He
seemed surprised to see me.”

“I saw what happened
through Valerie’s mind. Maybe Zunya didn’t plan to attack her, but someone did.
She didn’t fall out of that bubble by accident.”

You are right, Henry.
And only the Council knew she would be there today. We must hide you both until
this is resolved.

Valerie remembered how
Azra had tried to hide her in Messina when Sanguina had attacked her all those
months ago. It hadn’t worked—somehow Zunya had found her as he always did.

“I’m not running
anymore. I’ve been looking over my shoulder my entire life, and I won’t do it
ever again.” As she said the words, Valerie realized that it was the first time
she had really felt this way.

Midnight gave her a
brief nod of respect, but Henry just stared at her. She let him into her mind
so he could feel her resolve.

“You’re right. We can’t
run. We’ll face this together,” he said.

Azra’s face was weary.
You are children. We should
be the ones protecting you, not asking you for protection.
She gently
nudged first Henry, then Valerie with her nose.
But it is your decision to
make and I will not stop you.

Valerie and Henry were
trudging back to the dorm when they heard light footsteps behind them.

“I wanted to catch you
before you returned home,” Midnight said, and Valerie and Henry stopped.

“Is something wrong?”
Valerie asked, her earlier tension returning.

Midnight’s face softened
into a smile. “No, this is welcome news, I hope. Azra told me you need a home,
and I wanted to invite you both to live with me. I thought you might like to
stay together, and my home is very empty.”

Valerie became a little
choked up at Midnight’s generous offer. Her first instinct was not to impose,
but she knew she didn’t have much of a choice. She’d stayed too long at the
Imaginary Friends dorm as it was. “We wouldn’t be in the way, I promise.”

“I actually really miss
doing chores, like my dad always made me do on the weekends,” Henry added
eagerly. “We could cook breakfast, weed your garden, wash your car.”