Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) (6 page)

Zaki and Chisisi led the
way, and they could dimly see in the dark cave from the light coming in at the
opening. On the walls were elaborate patterns that reminded her of waves. It
gave the cave the sensation of movement, as if they were sliding toward the
darkness at the end of the tunnel.

Zaki stopped at a rough
doorway. Beyond it, the light from the entrance didn’t penetrate. He pulled a
lighter out of his pocket along with a bottle of fluid. He poured the fluid
into a groove in the wall, and then lit it.

Fire raced along the
wall and then curved back, illuminating a circular room inside a ring of
flames. When the ring was complete, the hum of power that had resonated at a
low frequency inside her mind suddenly increased. The effect made her pleasantly
lightheaded. The fire reflected off of a pool of water at the bottom, which had
steam rising from it.

“What is this place?”
she whispered, as if speaking too loud would shatter the incredible beauty of
the spot.

“Long ago, it was one of
the portals to the Globe. But someone stole a disc that channels the magic of
this place, and it hasn’t worked since. Several years ago, I used my
considerable wit and strength to recover it,” Zaki said, pulling out a stone
from his pouch with a flourish and handing it to her.

It was perfectly round
and smooth, other than a deep depression in the center. The disc itself was
humming with power, somehow synchronized with the humming in the room.

“How can you be sure
it’s the right disc?” Thai asked. “It doesn’t look special to me.”

“It’s not how it looks,
it’s how it feels,” Zaki replied.

She handed it to Thai,
and she knew when he felt its power by his sharp gasp. “It belongs here,” he
said.

“This hot spring isn’t
very deep. I need to swim to the bottom of it and put the disc in place. Then
Valerie and Henry’s magic will reactivate it, and at sunset they should be able
to travel to the Globe,” Zaki explained.

“Will it be like last
time, where we steer a bubble with our minds?” she asked.

“No, this portal uses
very different magic. No one has used it for hundreds of years, so I only know
that you enter the water and emerge in a pool on the Globe. Azra knows where
you will appear and will be waiting for you.”

With that, Zaki pulled
out a mask that would allow him to see underwater, struck a Superman pose, and
dove into the pool. He came up for air several times.

“I’m searching the
bottom for the right spot. I know where it should be, but underwater it is hard
to tell,” he explained.

When the disc was put in
place, the hot spring lit up, glowing from beneath. The sight took Valerie’s
breath away. The water was pure and clear, and if it weren’t for the light
reflecting off the water, she might have thought that there was no water at all.
She could see every rock, every groove at the bottom of the pool.

Henry’s jaw hung open
and Joe held his hand against his mouth. It was the first time that either of
them had witnessed magic. It was one thing to learn about it through stories,
but another thing to experience it.

“This is really
happening,” Henry whispered. His father gripped him in a close hug.

“I know this isn’t
really goodbye, son, but I will miss you all the same,” Joe said. Then he
hugged Valerie. “I can’t wait to know you better. Please take care of my boy.”

She gripped him tightly.
“I swear I’ll protect him with my life.”

“We’ll take care of each
other,” Henry said, with a trace of annoyance.

She laughed. “Agreed.
Though on the Globe, I could totally beat you in an arm wrestling match any day
of the week.”

“We’ll see.”

“How sweet,” Zunya’s
voice cut through the room.

Her heart rate
immediately sped up, but she forced herself to swallow her fear. “You’re too
late,” she said. “We’re going to leave.”

“My mistake. Is it
sunset already?”

The beating sound
Valerie had noticed earlier was much louder now, and wind swept through the
cave, kicking up dust and making her cough. Footsteps raced through the cave.
It was definitely more than a couple of people.

“Children, step back,”
Chisisi commanded.

“Yes, children, hide
like little mice,” Zunya taunted.

“We’re here to help,”
she said, straightening her spine.

“Val, do what Chisisi says,”
Cyrus said, appearing beside her. “Trust me, he can handle himself.”

Four figures dressed in
black burst into the room. Valerie barely had time to register that one of them
was the dark-haired woman who had attacked them on the highway before complete
mayhem broke out. She barely managed to follow the fight, because Chisisi and
Zaki moved so quickly that she couldn’t believe they weren’t using magic.
Expertly, they ducked and weaved away from blows from their attackers. Then,
with quick jabs to certain pressure points, first one, then another, dropped to
the ground, unconscious.

“Idiots, get up!” Zunya
hissed.

A sudden splash in the
pool alerted Valerie to the fact that the dark-haired woman had jumped into the
water. She swam straight to the bottom and pulled out the disc. The pool turned
dark as the magic was extinguished.

Zaki dove in after her,
and Valerie listened as they grappled in the water. It was difficult to see
with only the ring of fire lighting the room. Suddenly, the woman leaped out of
the water and began running down the hallway to the exit of the cave. Valerie
and Thai chased after her, and Thai caught the edge of the woman’s shirt. She
tripped, dropping the disc, but was quickly back up and running.

Outside on the ledge, Valerie
saw what was causing the noise and wind—a helicopter hovered unsteadily in the
canyon. The woman made an incredible leap off the ledge and into the
helicopter, which immediately rose into the sky.

“It’s not over,” Zunya
said, but the immediate danger had passed.

“You underestimated us—again,”
she said, and he vanished.

“Guys?” Henry called,
his voice wavering with emotion. Thai and Valerie picked up the disc and ran
back to the chamber. Chisisi was giving Zaki CPR, surrounded by the unconscious
bodies of their attackers.

“He has passed,” Chisisi
said, his voice trembling with grief. He rocked back on his heels, his hands
hiding his face.

“She killed him? That
can’t be. I don’t believe it!” Valerie said, and fell to her knees beside Zaki.
She held her hands against his heart and tried to reach for her magic, the
magic that saved Sanguina’s life, but just like when she tried to help Ming, she
couldn’t touch it.

“Someone has to help
him! What about Darling?” she cried.

“He’s already gone, Val.
No one can help him now,” Cyrus said softly.

Chisisi made a choking
sound as he tried to hold back a sob. Zaki was really gone.

“Young ones, you must
go, now. It’s what Zaki would have wanted,” Chisisi said, no longer trying to
hide the tears that coursed down his cheeks.

“We don’t know who else
might be coming. We can’t lose any time,” Thai added.

Chisisi took the disc
and dove to the bottom of the hot spring. The water glowed again, but a dark
stain of blood from a cut on Zaki’s head stained the pure water.

Valerie hugged Joe and
Chisisi, and then turned to Thai while Henry said a final goodbye to his father.

“I’m going to be with
you before you know it,” Thai said. “But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that life
will be hell without you by my side.”

He crushed her to his
chest and kissed her. It was quick but sweet, and when she pulled back, she saw
the determination in his eyes. He would come to her, no matter what it took.

“I love you,” she
whispered, and he pulled her into his arms one last time.

“Me, too—truly and
forever.”

Henry and Valerie held hands as they jumped
into the glowing pool. The warm water enveloped her like an embrace. Beneath
the surface, she opened her eyes and watched in astonishment as the water
turned gold. Without thinking, she inhaled, but instead of water rushing into
her lungs, a tingling warmth raced down her throat and circulated through her
entire body.

The magic spread down
her arms and legs and shot out of her fingers and toes. The terrifying thought
entered her mind that she would disappear forever. She had barely formed the idea
when the magic receded up her arms and back into her core. The water was no
longer gold. In fact, it was much colder, and she realized that she was deep
underwater.

She swam up, up, up, scared
that she would never reach the top. Was this how Zaki had felt when he drowned
in the pool? She kicked her legs in panic. Seconds later, she was gasping for
air. She saw that Henry had already surfaced and was staring up.

Above them was a sky
full of thousands of stars. It was a dazzling sight, but she couldn’t
appreciate it knowing the price that had been paid to get her here. It was a
debt she could never repay, but she promised herself that she’d never forget Zaki’s
sacrifice.

Welcome, Henry. And
welcome back, Valerie,
Azra’s voice
chimed softly in her mind. She was standing on the shore, her elegant silver
horn glinting in the starlight.

Valerie registered that
they were in the middle of a deep pool of water that looked black in the
darkness. She and Henry swam to the edge, and she wrung out her hair. In the
moonlight, the streak of silver at the back that she usually kept hidden in her
ponytail shone brightly. It had appeared after she had saved Sanguina’s life
with her vivicus power, and every time she saw it, she was reminded of what she
was capable of—and what she was giving up.

She gave Azra a hug and
buried her face in her mane, which smelled like lilies. “I missed you.”

And I, you.

“It’s an honor to meet
you in the flesh,” Henry said formally. Valerie could see that he was a little
dazzled to meet a real unicorn.

The feeling is
mutual,
she said with a kind twinkle
in her eyes. T
here are towels and clothes in my pack.
She pointed her
nose toward a brown bag hanging over her snow white back. They quickly dried
off and dressed.

“Where are we?” Valerie
asked. “And where’s Cyrus?”

I had to come alone.
The reason that this portal to the Globe was closed was because the entrance
here is in the heart of Dunsinane, which is crawling with Fractus. I suspect
their Black Castle is nearby.

“Isn’t Sanguina gone
from here now?”

Yes, but we know that
she didn’t act alone. At the very least, Zunya is still here, and we have
reason to believe an even more powerful enemy considers it home.

“Why doesn’t an army of
Conjurors go and take over the castle?” Henry asked.

It cannot be found
unless someone is invited. Now, we must quickly travel to a nearby wood on the
border of Dunsinane. I have a friend there who will help us get back to Arden.

“I have to tell our
friends we made it safely,” Valerie said. Azra nodded, and Valerie gripped the
crystal around her neck. With the Globe’s magic to power the charm, she saw a
little image of Thai inside, smiling at her. She gripped it tightly, and was by
his side, on the ledge outside of the cave where they had been only minutes
earlier, but which was now a universe away.

“You’re safe!” he said
when he saw her. “I had hoped you were, but you both just vanished and the
light went out, and we were worried you had drowned—”

“We’re fine,” she gently
interrupted him. She yearned to touch his hand, and even though he had held her
less than an hour ago, already it was almost physically painful to be separated
from him.

“Thank goodness,” Joe
said.

Chisisi nodded in
relief, but his face was drained of color. He was almost swaying on his feet.

“I can’t stay—we entered
into an area that’s a little dangerous, so we have to move quickly. I’ll visit
you as soon as I can.”

She was suddenly jolted,
and her mind came back to the Globe. Henry was shaking her. Zunya was only a
few yards away from them.

“You should have stayed
on Earth. You would have lived longer,” he said, his yellow eyes connecting
with hers.

The Laurel Circle was
very cold on her thumb. Zunya could take her magic, leaving her defenseless. He
raised his hand in the air, and her power began to drain away. She clutched her
chest, and next to her, Henry did the same thing.

But then Azra stepped in
front of them both, and Valerie’s magic returned in a flood. It was a sweet
relief, like she had a gasp of air after being underwater for too long. But if
Azra was shielding her, then she must be in incredible pain.

“Azra, no! It’s okay,
I’ll go peacefully. Don’t let him near you,” Valerie said.

His void cannot touch
me. Leave this place, Zunya,
she
commanded with a toss of her mane.

“Don’t test me. My
powers have grown since we last met,” he said, and his yellow eyes glittered
dangerously.

But Azra calmly stepped
forward, aiming her horn at his heart. Her pure white coat began to dim as she
walked closer, but she continued to approach him. Zunya held out his hand, and he
began to pant with effort. He was focusing all of his attention on Azra, and
Valerie saw an opportunity.

Grateful to have her
full strength and energy back now that she was on the Globe, she stepped back
into the shadows, and then quietly circled behind him. With a swift spin kick,
she knocked her heel against his temple, and he dropped to the ground.

Before she could give
him the final blow that would render him unconscious, he was back on his feet
faster than she would have thought possible. Valerie launched a punch on his
jaw, but instead of fighting back, he retreated into the darkness.

“Guess he’s not immune
to a good, old-fashioned punch in the face,” Henry said with satisfaction, and
brother and sister prepared to go after him.

But Azra dropped to her
foreleg, and her head touched the ground. Henry and Valerie hurried to her
side. Azra’s usually iridescent mane was streaked with dull gray. There were white
spots on her eyes, as though she was blind.

Children, I am sorry,
she said, and then stumbled, falling completely to the
ground.

“No,” Valerie said, but instead
of panic, she was filled only with determination. On the Globe, she was her own
mistress, and no more of her friends would be lost. Somehow she knew what to do
without thinking. Gently, she cupped Azra’s face and threaded her fingers
through her mane.

“Valerie? What’s
happening?” Henry asked, stepping toward her. She opened her mind to him, and
he gasped.

Her magic pounded in her
veins like a heartbeat. It threatened to flood her, devour her, but she
channeled it out of herself and into Azra. Electricity crackled in the air, and
Azra lit up in a blinding flash. With effort, Valerie tried to release her grip
on her magic before it consumed her, but it was as if a dam had burst inside
her. It was like she was being pulled to the bottom of a vast ocean by an
inescapable undertow. She had gone too far, and she wasn’t coming back.

Before she was lost, her resolve suddenly strengthened
as her brother’s mind joined hers. Together, they pushed back the flood of
magic, and to her relief, it receded. She registered the shock on Henry’s face
and Azra’s cool breath against her cheek before her mind went dark.

The dream was back, but
this time instead of Sanguina’s eyes, she saw Azra’s. They were filled with
resignation. She had traded a part of herself that she could never have back,
and with that trade came a choice—give into the oblivion or fight her way to
the light.

The darkness pressed on
her, as if she was deep underwater again. It was harder than ever to remember
what waited for her if she could fight her way to the surface. Family, friends,
love.

The pain this time was like
being torn apart from the inside of her mind to the tips of her toes. She
couldn’t repress her scream.

It wasn’t Thai who
waited for her when she opened her eyes this time, but Azra’s gentle, dark
eyes. Her warm breath blew against Valerie’s face and she revived a little.

“I’m here, too,” Henry
said, leaning over her. “We have to get out of here before Zunya comes back
with reinforcements. I’ll keep you safe; I swear it.”

As gently as he could,
he draped her across Azra’s back. Then he climbed behind her, holding her waist
so that she wouldn’t fall off. Azra’s hooves made a gentle clopping sound
against the stony ground.

Despite the
uncomfortable position, she slid back into unconsciousness. When she awoke, she
saw that they were approaching a grove of trees. Her vision was blurry, and she
was as drained and exhausted as she ever had been on Earth.

“I thought this wasn’t
supposed to happen now that I’m on the Globe and I can use my magic,” she
whispered.

Using magic,
especially the amount you used to save me, has a price. No one’s magic is
limitless, and you used up your store. It will take time for it to build back
up again.

“It was worth it.”

Thank you, Valerie. I
am glad my time here is not yet over.

“She’ll fully recover,
right?” Henry asked.

Yes. But being a
vivicus is a rare and powerful manifestation of magic. It is a power that must
not be used lightly. Valerie’s life, and even yours, could be at stake.

She stopped in front of
a giant tree. The trunk was five feet in diameter. After Valerie and Henry got
off Azra’s back, they looked up, amazed, at the endless branches and leaves
that blocked their view of the stars.

Azra touched her horn
against a knot in the side of the tree, and a door swung open, revealing a
wooden staircase that led up toward an orange glow. She ascended the stairs
with Valerie and Henry behind her.

At the top was a simple
room with a fireplace providing warmth and light, and a table covered with
fruit and other food that Valerie couldn’t name. Sitting in a chair by the fire
was an elegant man with dark skin, wearing a tunic made of soft white material.
When the light hit his face, she could see that his skin was brushed with gold,
just like the trees in Arden’s forest. It was unusual but beautiful.

“The People of the Woods
give you permission to pass through this land,” he said formally, rising to his
feet. He stood a little taller than she did, and his build was slight but
graceful. “You may call me Elden.”

Thank you for your
hospitality.

“I wouldn’t call it
that. I welcome you, Azra, but these two humans have not proven themselves. I
am here to guide you safely to Arden, it is true, but also to guard my people
from any danger they may bring.”

I have vouched for
both of these children. You may trust them.
It was the first time that Valerie had ever seen Azra’s eyes flash with
something approaching anger.
They are not a part of your feud.

Elden nodded, but the
alert way that he held himself told her that he was still wary of them. “What
happened to you, Azra? I sense that you have been through an immense change.
The afterglow of powerful magic is coming off of you in waves.” His eyes widened.
“You were touched by a vivicus! Who?”

Azra said nothing, but
his eyes were drawn to Valerie. He dropped to one knee. “I am at your service.
And so are all of the People of the Woods, once they know who you are.”

Her skin crawled and she
flushed with embarrassment. If Azra hadn’t warned her about the reaction of the
Conjurors to the news that she was a vivicus, she would have been sure that
Elden was mocking her. She saw Henry stare at Elden in astonishment, and then
he burst out laughing.

“Please get up, you’re
going to give her a heart attack,” he said.

Elden rose, but he
flashed an irritated glance at Henry.

What you say is true;
Valerie is a vivicus. But she is still a child. I ask you not to tell your
people she is here. She needs rest and safe passage.

Elden shook his head in
disbelief and turned to Valerie. “Is this what you want?”

She nodded. “This is all
a misunderstanding. I’m only beginning to understand what my powers are and how
to control them.”

He squinted, examining her.
She squirmed, feeling like a bug under a microscope. He shook his head. “I had
hoped you might help us to defeat Reaper at last. But I can see you are not the
person we need.”

“Reaper?” Henry asked.

The name tickled the
back of Valerie’s mind. She was sure she’d heard it before.

“He has old, powerful
magic and has ruled the Black Castle for a very long time. Once he kept to
himself, but now he has begun sending his minions into our woods, attacking our
people with powers we have never seen before.”