Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) (20 page)

Despite everything that had happened that
day, it was with a lighter heart that Valerie visited Thai that night. He had
survived the separation, and she hoped he’d soon be on the Globe by her side.

She was surprised to
find Chern with him. Thai sat on the bed, staring at the carpet.

“Thai? Chern? What is
it?” she asked, a deep dread in her stomach.

Thai shook his head, and
Chern spoke up, stumbling awkwardly through his attempt at an explanation. “I
thought perhaps—you see, I’d heard you were speaking tomorrow to the Grand
Masters and—dear me, I’d not expected you here.”

“What’s going on?” Valerie
asked, and her frustration must have leaked into her voice because Chern turned
red.

“I thought Thai here
might be able to convince you that the Excision is the right thing to do. I was
assuring him he could get to the Globe before it happens. It’s for everyone’s
safety!” Chern said, his voice high with panic.

“Why didn’t you tell me
about the Excision?” Thai asked, meeting her eyes for the first time.

“I was going to talk to
you tonight,” Valerie said, perplexed by the stony set of his features.

“But you’ve known for
days!”

“Weeks, really,” Chern
said.

“Shut up!” Thai said,
and Valerie’s eyes widened. She’d never heard him yell before.

“I’ll leave you two,”
Chern said, and vanished.

“Why are you so mad?
You’ve been kind of busy, remember?” Valerie reminded him.

“I’m not a kid! This
affects me and Tan, and we have a right to know. Not to mention—never mind,”
Thai said, visibly shaking with emotion.

“What?” she asked, for
all the world wishing she could touch him. She knew if she could hold him,
everything would be okay.

“I don’t have to tell
you. You’re not the only one who can keep secrets.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t
want to overwhelm you with everything you had going on.”

Thai took a deep, shaky
breath and seemed to pull himself together. “No, you’re right. I’d probably
have done the same thing in your place.”

“It’s going to be okay,
I swear. If I can’t convince them not to cut off the connection between Earth
and the Globe, I’ll get you and Tan here before that happens,” Valerie
promised.

“Is this Excision thing
truly the only way to prevent the Fractus from coming to Earth?”

“I don’t know about
that. But Midnight believes it is.”

“Midnight agrees with
Chern?” Thai asked. Valerie nodded, and he raked his fingers through his hair.
Midnight had been the one to help Thai understand what was happening to him
when he first experienced symptoms as an amoebiate, and Valerie knew how highly
he thought of her.

“Do you ever talk to Midnight?”
Valerie asked.

“She visits when she has
time, but she never mentioned this, either.”

“I’m sure she didn’t
want to worry you.”

“I guess I need some
time to process this,” Thai said, and then turned to Tan, who was still
unconscious. “What if he doesn’t wake up in time? I can’t leave him.”

“I’ll get you both here,
I promise.”

He nodded distractedly.
Inexplicably, he changed the subject. “Did you ever find out anything about
your dad?”

Valerie shook her head. “Only
that he isn’t Leo. I’m not sure where to look next.”

“Do you think—are
prophecies ever wrong?” Thai’s eyes drilled into hers, like her answer was life
or death.

“I haven’t heard of
false prophecies before, if that’s what you mean,” Valerie said, considering. “But,
from what I’ve been told, they don’t usually work out the way you think they
will. Why do you ask?”

“My mind is all over the
place.” Thai wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Can you give me some time? I think I need
to rest.”

“Of course,” she said uncertainly. Thai’s usual warmth
was absent, and a chill touched her heart. Something had changed, and her sense
of dread grew bigger.

Valerie didn’t dress up
for her meeting with the Grand Masters like she had last time. Instead, she
wore jeans, a T-shirt, and shoes she could run in. Just in case.

She met Azra in her
office. The unicorn was pawing uneasily at the ground.
Thank you for taking
the risk to come. The decision to vote on the Excision has been rushed. Many of
the Grand Masters are deeply afraid that the Fractus have found a way to return
to Earth at last.

“Do you think they have?”

I don’t know where
the Fractus stand in their quest to return. Cutting off all contact with our
true home is a mistake. We would waste away as a people without it. Even though
we are light-years apart, somehow it is our lifeblood, keeping us connected
with our past. Without it, we are a civilization cut off from the universe,
lost in the center of a black hole.

Valerie was ashamed that
she hadn’t considered any implications bigger than losing Thai if the
connection was closed. Kanti had worried about the children on Earth, and Azra
saw how Conjurors needed the connection. Her concerns were wholly selfish. She
could see why Gideon had been so disappointed in her.

I have taken extreme
precautions with our bubble when you meet everyone today. It has been
reinforced by several Grand Masters—the Chemistry, Empathy, and Levitation Guilds
have all triple checked it. And I have added some defenses of my own that I believe
will hold in a crisis. But failure is not impossible, and there will be those
who will not want you to speak.

“It’s okay. I’m not
afraid,” Valerie said, and for the first time in weeks the Laurel Circle was
warm on her finger. It was time to step up—Thai’s future was at stake, along
with countless others who might be born with too much magic.

This time, when she and
Azra entered the enormous hall packed with Grand Masters, it was very quiet,
with none of the pleasant bustle that had filled the room during her last
visit.

Valerie and Azra
ascended to the center of the room. When they were inside the spotlight, a
burst of adrenaline made her head spin. Among all those Conjurors was at least
one who wanted her dead. Her magic flowed through her in full force, ready to
protect her.

Today we’ll listen to
all arguments for and against the Excision. The first Grand Master to present her
case is Midnight of the Guardians of the Boundary.

Midnight floated to the
center of the room and presented her case for the necessity of the Excision.
Valerie had trouble concentrating on her words as she scanned the room for
threats. She found that many of the Grand Masters were sneaking glances at her,
and she couldn’t help trying to guess which one was plotting against her.

Before she knew it,
Midnight was replaced by a series of other Conjurors. She heard Rastelli make
his best attempt at explaining why the children of Earth needed the Conjurors,
Kellen bluster that the Knights were completely capable of handling any threat
the Fractus posed, and the Grand Master of the Empathy Collective talk about
the effect on the psyche of the Conjuror people. But most of the Grand Masters
argued in favor of the Excision, effectively ending the danger the Fractus
posed to humans once and for all.

“The people of Earth
will be on their own, it’s true,” Skye argued as the representative of the
Relations Guild. “But they will never again face the threat of enslavement or
worse, extinction, at the hands of Conjurors with more power than ethics. Such
a risk outweighs any of the costs presented here.”

Finally, it was Valerie’s
turn. She had practiced her arguments in her head ever since she had received
Azra’s scroll, but she didn’t need them. The logic of the situation had already
been debated. It came down to doing what was right. Before she began speaking,
their bubble jostled, like it had been hit by a missile. She fell to her knees.
Azra tossed back her mane, and Valerie could swear she saw light blaze through
her silver horn.

You’re safe. Speak
your piece now.
Azra’s words were
unusually commanding, and Valerie sensed that she didn’t have a lot of time.
But for once, her anxiety didn’t slow her down—it seemed to crystalize exactly
what she wanted to say.

“We’ve talked a lot
about what’s best for the people of Earth, whether the risks of contact between
our worlds outweigh the benefits. But that’s only half the story. I believe the
Excision is wrong for every Conjuror in this room. Earth is the cradle of this
civilization, and without it, we are orphans who can never return home again. I
know what it is to be lost, alone, and cut off from my past. It’s no way to
live. And despite the risks humans face from the Fractus, I can’t imagine a
world where Conjurors can’t reach back to make the home we left behind better
and pull the children who are brimming with magic to the safety of the Globe.
The connection makes us all stronger—let’s make it better, not eliminate it.”

There was complete
silence after she finished speaking. “Um, that’s all I have to say,” she said,
thinking they were waiting for her to finish. Their bubble was no longer
jostling.

Whoever wanted to
stop you from speaking is no longer attacking us. Perhaps it was not what the
Fractus were expecting to hear.
Azra
said to her privately. Then, to the room at large, Azra continued.
Thank you
for your powerful words, Valerie.
I’ll give you all time to deliberate.

“No!” Skye’s voice rang
out. “We vote now, as we agreed. There’s no time to waste if what Gabriel
shared is true.”

A low murmuring followed
his words.

“I second the call for a
vote!” called out a Grand Master with long, red hair that went to his ankles.

So be it. All in
favor of the Excision vote yellow. Those opposed vote blue.

Before her eyes, the
bubbles encasing the Grand Masters changed color according to their votes on
the issue. To Valerie’s surprise, she saw Midnight’s bubble turn blue, and the
Guardian nodded at her with respect. She had changed at least one mind with her
words. But it wasn’t enough. Almost two-thirds of the bubbles turned yellow,
and the rest blue.

“I failed. I’m sorry,” Valerie
said to Azra.

Before you entered
the conversation, I believe there were fewer than ten Grand Masters who were
going to vote against the Excision. You have convinced many with your words. I
knew it was a last, desperate hope, but I could never have forgiven myself if I
hadn’t tried everything in my power to stop it. You have exceeded my
expectations and shown everyone in this room that you are, indeed, a worthy
leader.

Before Valerie could
reply, the walls of their bubble turned opaque. They were moving swiftly inside
it, though she didn’t know where.

It’s programmed to go
to the valley in my office after the vote is complete.
Azra’s voice was calm in her mind.

The bubble popped and
they stood in the beautiful valley.

“Our bubble was attacked
before I spoke, wasn’t it?” Valerie asked.

Azra nodded.
The assault
came from all around us, both sucking away my magic and attacking it at the
same time. The power required to do such a thing is immense, greater than my
own. If the bubble had not been reinforced, we would no longer be with this
world.

Valerie’s earlier
courage eroded a little at Azra’s words. “Who hates me so much?”

She was startled by the sudden appearance of Azra’s
husband, Odysseus. Then his low voice filled her mind.
I’m afraid, for you,
it is only the beginning. Those who would lead by example are always attacked
by those who would lead by force.

Odysseus’s words
followed Valerie home that night. She couldn’t imagine a life constantly on the
run from people who wanted to hurt her. She fantasized about living on an
island with no one but Thai by her side. Surely, in a world so full of magic,
her dream was achievable. But she thought of her brother, Cyrus, Kanti, Azra,
Gideon…she now had ties to people all over the Globe that she wouldn’t sever. It
was hard to believe that only a year ago her closest friend was her doctor.

When she entered her
room, she saw the hand mirror that Juniper had left her glowing on her bed. She
picked it up and saw a fuzzy image of his face.

“Have you found Shade?”
she asked excitedly.

“No, but we’re close,”
he said, his voice coming through like a bad cell phone connection. “Chrome can
sense his trail. He’s taking a really weird route—he must be trying to avoid
being followed.”

“Be careful; it could be
a trick,” Valerie said.

She thought she saw
Juniper grin. “It’s killing you not to be here, isn’t it?”

“A little,” she
admitted.

There was a noise in the
background, and Juniper glanced over his shoulder. “I gotta go. Tell you more
tomorrow.”

Restless after her unsettling encounter
with Thai and her failure with the Grand Masters, Valerie quietly avoided her
friends for the rest of the day, instead deciding to wander around Silva alone
to plan her next move.

She had left the edges
of the city and was heading into the forest when Zunya stepped out from behind
a tree. Her first instinct was to run, but he had already locked eyes on her.
Even from a few yards away, he could take her power if he wanted to.

“No need to run, little
rabbit,” he jeered. “I’m only projecting.”

“Like on Earth?” she
asked, surprised. “I didn’t think you could do that on the Globe.”

“The rules binding the
Globe are weakening, thanks to a little ingenuity by the Fractus. You might
want to reconsider which side you’re on,” he said, his smile growing wider.

It was a disturbing
sight, and she looked away. “What do you want?”

“To show you something.”

“I’m not going anywhere
with you.”

He laughed. “Afraid the
big bad wolf will eat you up? Don’t you know if that’s what I was after, you’d
be dead already?”

The Laurel Circle turned
cold on her thumb, a reminder to herself to reach down and find her little
shred of anger and confidence. “Is that so? It didn’t seem like that at the
Capitol when you attacked me and I escaped—twice.”

“Only because Oberon was
there to protect you. You’re all by your lonesome this time,” he said, but she
could hear the simmering rage underneath his words.

“I don’t want to hear
anything you have to say.”

“You’ll want to hear
this. If you ever want to see Jet alive again.”

“What about Darling?”
she asked, the worry she had been repressing for the little creature bubbling
up uncontrollably.

Zunya quickly masked his
surprise at her knowledge. “Nothing will happen to the little rat. He’s being
treated like a guest.”

“In your dungeon? I
hardly think so.”

“Is it that little brat,
Shade, who told you all this? I knew that sniveling good-for-nothing would turn
on us.”

“My brother and I sensed
Jet’s mind and saw what you did to him,” she said quickly, not wanting to bring
Zunya’s wrath down on Shade.

His face cleared a
little at her explanation, and he almost sounded impressed. “Ah, brother and
sister, joining forces. How sweet. Reaper knew that together you’d be a
powerful tool.”

“Not for you!” Valerie
spat.

“So you say, but we
certainly appreciated your words at the Capitol today, even if the vote didn’t
swing in our favor. Maybe we have more in common than you think,” Zunya said.

“I’ve known you for most
of my life, and I know that we don’t have anything in common.”

He grinned at her. “Maybe
you’re right. But we do have something you want. Come now. This offer won’t be
repeated.”

He stepped into the
woods, and after a second of hesitation, Valerie followed. She chased him
through the trees, but she didn’t have to run far. He stopped in a clearing.
Next to him was a portal like the one Chern created to take them to Ephesus, a
window to another part of the Globe. Through the patch, she could see a wavy vision
of the cell Jet lay in.

The wolf was white, as
she remembered. He was skin and bones, but he lapped at some water in a bowl on
the floor.

“Alive,” Zunya said. “He
thought you’d want to see proof.”

“Who?” Valerie asked,
barely able to process her enemy’s words while staring at the shell of the wolf
that had once been so strong.

“Reaper. He’d like to
propose a trade.”

“Jet…for what?”

“Nothing much, really.
He wants to meet you. In person,” Zunya said, his yellow eyes narrowing as he
examined her reaction.

“I see. And I’m guessing
my chances of surviving this meeting are pretty minimal, given his attacks on
me lately,” Valerie said, struggling to keep her calm mask from slipping.

“It’s true that Reaper
wanted you dead before today. But now he thinks maybe your interests are
aligned. He only wants to talk to you—your life will not be taken in this
meeting.”

“I see. And if I refuse?”

“Jet dies, of course.
And we’ll see about little Darling.”

She shuddered. There had
only been one answer to Zunya’s request, but she didn’t want him to know how
ready she was to hand herself over if that was Reaper’s demand for Jet’s life.
She was glad she had kept her mouth shut.

“Fine, I’ll meet him,”
Valerie agreed. “When and where?”

“All in good time.
Reaper wants to make sure you’re alone, so we won’t be giving you time to
prepare. For now, it’s enough that you accept and you keep your mouth shut.
I’ll be in touch soon,” Zunya replied.

The sound of footsteps crunching
against the leaves on the forest floor startled Valerie. Midnight appeared, and
when her eyes settled on Zunya her power pulsed powerfully.

“He’s not really here,”
Valerie said.

“Taking her to the woods
to slaughter her? Not this time. Get away from her,” Midnight snarled, not
listening. Valerie had never seen her so enraged. “Let’s finish what’s between
us today.”

The hum of power that emanated
from Midnight took Valerie’s breath away. Zunya’s lips formed a thin line, as
if even at a distance the power of her hatred intimidated him a little. But he
quickly regained his usual confidence.

“Still haven’t forgiven
me for killing Aurora? I’m heartbroken,” he said, but his usual heartless
sarcasm had a note of something that Valerie would have thought was regret in
anyone else.

“I’ll kill you for that,”
Midnight said, her voice quiet and far more frightening than when she had
shouted a moment earlier.

Valerie could have sworn
she saw Zunya flinch at the words. “That’s not how this will end.”

Zunya vanished, and the
portal showing Jet collapsed. Valerie was left with Midnight, whose fists were
clenched.

“I was alerted to
someone illegally projecting in Arden and came right away. What did he want
from you?” Midnight asked. The Guardian Grand Master seemed to sag, empty of
the power that had lit her up when she confronted Zunya.

Valerie didn’t trust
Zunya’s promise of her safety. But she did trust the repercussions if she
didn’t meet Reaper, or if she told anyone what he planned. He was obviously
done with Jet, whatever he had tried to use him for. It was the last chance to
save his life. She couldn’t ruin it by telling Midnight the truth.

“He was trying to scare
me into abandoning the search for Jet,” she replied, settling for a half-truth.

“But you never will,”
Midnight said with a wry smile. “You never abandon you ideals. It is why you
remind me so much of my daughter.”

“Aurora?” Valerie asked,
but she already knew the answer. She could see the raw, beating pain of a loss
that even Valerie couldn’t completely fathom.

“She tried to reform
Zunya, convinced that he would turn on the Fractus and help the Knights to end
their threat forever,” Midnight said, her voice sounding faraway. “I think she
really came close to finding a shred of humanity in him. He had many chances to
kill her, but it was years before he finally stripped her of her power, and
then her life. He left her dead body on my doorstep.”

Valerie’s stomach
churned. “He’s a monster.”

Midnight’s face was
rigid. “Yes. Alive, he is a reminder to me of the importance of the work we do
to keep the Fractus away from Earth. But I would still prefer him dead.”

Valerie swallowed,
letting a dark hatred burn through her. “I’d prefer him that way, too.”

Midnight and Valerie left the forest and their painful
conversation behind, though Valerie couldn’t leave the knowledge of who was
coming for her behind with it.