Guardians of the Boundary (The Conjurors Series Book 3) (26 page)

“All of you?” Valerie asked. It
was hard to believe that they could all agree.

“It can be a blessing or a curse
of this Guild, but because we all are so connected, we are usually of one
mind,” Elle explained. “Even so, this was not a difficult decision.”

“Dasan is forming a plan of
attack that will best utilize our psychic powers,” Will said.

“Can you ask him to speak with
Gideon when you form your plans? I want to make sure that the Fist’s defense
against the Fractus is coordinated,” Valerie explained.

Elle and Will nodded
and then left.

She made her way back to the
dorm of the Society of Imaginary Friends. Henry’s grief seemed slightly muted,
and she knew that Kanti must be the reason.

As she approached the door to
Kanti’s room, she shut her eyes and allowed herself to wallow in her own panic
and grief before taking a breath and forcing her mind to seem calm so that she
wouldn’t further agitate Henry.

She opened the door without
knocking and saw Henry’s head in Kanti’s lap. Her long, shiny hair almost brushed
his forehead as she looked down at his sleeping face. When she saw Valerie, she
put a finger to her lips.

Valerie sat next to Henry and
put her hand on his. Even though he was asleep, he must have sensed her
presence because he relaxed by a fraction.

“Is he going to make it through
this?” Kanti asked her, and Valerie had never seen such fear in her friend’s
eyes.

“I don’t know,” Valerie said, bound
by the oath she had made on Pathos to tell her friend the truth. “But I intend
to hang on to him no matter what happens.”

“Me, too,” Kanti whispered, and
then leaned down and brushed her lips against his.

Valerie fell asleep on her old
bed in Kanti’s room, waking up when the light in the window fell across her
eyes. Kanti and Henry slept next to each other, forehead to forehead. Even in
his sleep, Henry’s face was tense, but Valerie could see that his initial
horror had faded a little.

The events of the day before
crowded Valerie’s mind, and the knowledge that she had given the Fractus an
advantage by failing to convince the Knights to fight them added to the
emptiness within her from Joe’s death. The possibility of succeeding in driving
back the Fractus had never seemed more remote.

At the softest of knocks on the
door, Valerie ran her hands through her messy hair and got up. Cyrus stood at
the threshold and released a breath of relief when he saw her.

“Even Oberon wasn’t sure where
you and Henry had gone,” Cyrus said.

Valerie stepped into the hall so
she wouldn’t wake her brother.

“I’m sorry. It was a long,
horrible day,” she said.

“I thought you might need me
after what happened,” Cyrus said, but his voice held no accusation, only a kind
of resigned sadness. “But maybe you needed someone else.”

Valerie didn’t respond, knowing
that if she admitted that she’d seen Thai after Joe’s death, it would only hurt
Cyrus. It wasn’t as if she’d gone to him for comfort. Had she?

“I’m sorry I worried you.
Henry’s grief was so absorbing that I lost track of myself,” she said.

Cyrus pulled her into his arms,
and she laid her head on his shoulder. Valerie let herself rest, absorbing the
warmth and familiar comfort that was purely Cyrus. Then, remembering the duties
that awaited her, she abruptly pulled away.

“The People of the Woods’ voting…
It must be done by now!” Valerie said, and began hastily strapping on Pathos.

“They’ve been known to take
weeks to vote on important matters,” Cyrus reassured her.

Valerie nodded and forced her
scrambled mind into a semblance of order.

“I’m glad they’re still safe,
but I hope this doesn’t take weeks. Even without an army on Earth, Reaper and
Zunya are capable of causing some major damage. We need the People of the
Woods’ weapons so we can take on the Fractus,” she said.

“About that,” Cyrus said. “Elden
left Arbor Aurum this morning to find you, which is another reason why I’m sure
that the voting isn’t done yet.”

“I thought the cities were
sealed during voting,” Valerie said, confused.

“To everyone else. But the
People of the Woods can freely come and go,” Cyrus explained.

“What message was so important
that Elden came to find you?” she asked.

“He wasn’t looking for us, he
was trying to find you. When you weren’t at your home, he came to Leo and me.”

“What’s so urgent?” Valerie
asked.

“He says he’ll only
talk to you about it,” Cyrus said, his mouth pursed in annoyance.

They left the dorm and quickly
wove through the streets of Silva and into The Horseshoe. She guessed where
they were heading before they arrived. The Weapons Guild was the second largest
building next to the Capitol building. The lawn was adorned with massive
statues of warriors, and the doors stood twenty feet tall.

Cyrus led Valerie around the
side to a smaller, less imposing door. The inside of the Guild resembled a
medieval castle, with torches mounted on stone walls that cast strange shadows
through the corridors.

“I know, it’s creepy,” Cyrus
said. “And I’m going to have to do something about the lack of light when I
join the Guild.”

“You’re leaving the Society of
Imaginary Friends?” Valerie asked, more surprised that she didn’t know that
Cyrus was contemplating such a major change than by the fact that he was choosing
to leave. She hadn’t been as involved in Cyrus’s life as he’d been in hers for a
while now.

Cyrus walked a little faster. “I
don’t need a lecture. When Leo brought me to this Guild, I knew it was where I
belong now. He thinks I could be the Grand Master someday.”

“I think you’d be a great Grand
Master, Cy,” she said, and Cyrus slowed to a normal speed and met her eyes.

“Nobody’s ever seen potential in
me before,” Cyrus said. “My parents think I’m a disappointment, and my friends
think I’m comic relief. Leo says that I’m gifted and have the right mindset to
be a leader. He’s sure I’m meant to do important things.”

Valerie’s heart ached at the
neediness in Cyrus’s voice. She’d always known that he had a good-sized ego,
but she could see now that it was more than that. He wanted to be destined for
greatness.

They reached a small room that reminded
Valerie of the biology lab at her high school on Earth, except the walls were
covered with dozens of weapons, many of which Valerie had never seen before, instead
of periodic tables.

But the high tables, beakers,
and sink were familiar, and Leo presided over a glowing, bubbling concoction
that he was gently stirring. Next to him, Elden was completely absorbed in
observing the process and didn’t even notice her enter.

“What do you think, Elden?”
Cyrus asked.

Elden straightened, masking his
fascination. “The work has potential. Even my own people have never tried such
advanced techniques with light.”

Cyrus beamed at Elden’s words.

“Cyrus said that your people are
still voting. What made you leave?” Valerie asked, now that she had Elden’s
attention.

“I wanted you to have word of
the decisions that have already been made so that you can prepare for battle,”
Elden said. “Several items have already been voted on, and you need to know the
outcome.”

“Will your people destroy the Byway?”
Valerie asked.

“That is being debated as we
speak, and it promises to be a lengthy discussion. We allow any who would speak
on the matter to have a chance to be heard, and it will take time before
everyone has had their say,” he replied.

“Two other items were more
quickly decided than even I had hoped,” Elden continued. “The first is that the
People of the Woods have agreed to an alliance against the Fractus, as long as
you meet two conditions.”

Valerie nodded.

“First, you must be the one to
lead the Conjurors for as long as this war lasts,” Elden said. “They believe
that only your heart is immune to corruption because of your power as a
vivicus.”

Elden held up a hand as Valerie
moved to interrupt him.

“It will help no one for you to
disagree with their assessment. If it weren’t for your status among us because
of your gift, the People of the Woods would never support the Conjurors, even
against so powerful an enemy,” Elden said.

“I agree to that condition,”
Valerie said, not allowing her fear to enter her voice. “What’s the other one?”

Elden looked out the window as
he spoke, as if he’d rather not meet her eyes. “The People of the Woods want to
send a contingent of people to Earth.”

“Their help would be welcome.
We’ll be waging a battle there, too,” Valerie agreed.

“The representatives would stay
on Earth after the war with the Fractus is over,” Elden added.

Valerie abruptly sat down on one
of the stools in the room. “I don’t know if I can promise that.”

“Then the People of the Woods
will withdraw their offer of an alliance,” Elden said firmly, though Valerie
suspected that he did not agree with this condition. But he wasn’t a king or
even a president. He had to abide by the wishes of his people.

“Without the People’s numbers
and weapons, the war with the Fractus won’t last long,” Leo spoke up. “We’ll be
annihilated in a single battle. I’ve studied war long enough to know how to
recognize a lost cause.”

“How do we know that the People
of the Woods won’t become as corrupt as the Fractus if they’re left long enough
on Earth? Ideals change, crumble, and we could be saving humans today only to
doom them tomorrow,” Valerie said, thinking aloud.

“What we need is a contingency
plan,” Cyrus said. Everyone’s eyes turned to him. “A measure in place to ensure
that the People who are sent don’t abuse their powers.”

Elden nodded slowly. “I think
the People of the Woods could agree to that.”

“They would have to regularly check
in with an unbiased council that monitors them,” Valerie said after some
thought. “And we’d need to have a device in place that could force them to
return to the Globe if their behavior didn’t meet certain conditions.”

“That magic existed when the Globe
was first created,” Elden said. “It could be established again.”

“If those conditions are met,
then I agree,” Valerie said. “The People of the Woods can send representatives
to return to Earth.”

Even Elden couldn’t keep the joy
from his usually serene face. “The People of the Woods will never forget this
gesture. Watching our mother planet wither under the rough ministrations of its
current occupants is a source of pain to us.”

“I hope that there will be lots
of ways that we can open up communication between the worlds once the Fractus
are defeated,” Valerie said. “Earth could really benefit from the Globe’s
magic. The environment, the medicines… We just need to do it right, so that
power doesn’t get abused.”

For once, the ideas tumbling
through Valerie’s mind inspired her, rather than filling her with dread. Once
the horror of the war was all over, the possibilities of how to help humans
with magic were endless. She thought of Dr. Freeman and all of the children at
the Oakland Children’s Hospital.

“What about the People’s
weapons?” Leo asked, interrupting Valerie’s daydream.

“That is the other item the
People of the Woods voted on. As allies, we will share our weapons with you for
the duration of the war,” Elden said. “However, we will not reveal the secrets
of how we weave magic into our weapons except to you and Cyrus, so you can
marry them with light. You must both swear to take this knowledge to the grave,
and never to use it again after the battle is over. We will bind your promise
so you may never break it.”

“Where’s the trust? You’d think
you guys didn’t like Conjurors or something,” Cyrus joked.

Leo smiled and even Elden had a
glint of humor in his eyes.

“I will begin sending weapons to
you within the hour,” Elden said. “For now, I must return to the voting.”

“Can you send us a message when
you’re within a few hours of being finished?” Valerie asked. “We want to have
our forces on hand to protect you against the Fractus.”

Elden removed a small seed from
his pocket and placed it in Valerie’s hand. “When you see this seed begin to
grow, it will mean that the final voting is beginning. By the time it blooms
into a flower, the shield guarding the cities in the trees will have fallen. It
should give you about a day’s notice.”

Valerie examined the little seed,
which was brushed with gold, with awe. “Where should I plant it?”

Elden smiled
indulgently. “That won’t be necessary. Keep it with you, and the proximity to
your magic will be enough to nourish it.”

Valerie left an elated Cyrus and
Leo at the Weapons Guild and turned her steps home. It was time to begin
planning for the battle in earnest, and she knew she was lucky to be able to
consult with a master at fighting difficult wars, her dad.

The walk home cleared Valerie’s
mind, and it was too soon when she passed through the garden and into her
house.

A strange sight met her when she
entered the kitchen. Oberon and Gideon were bent over the kitchen table, which
was covered in maps and pages of paper with strange writing. She was startled
to see them working together, without even a hostile glance between them.

Oberon immediately stood and
gave Valerie a hug. “Your loss is my loss.”

“I love you, Dad,” she
whispered, and his grip on her tightened. It was the first time Valerie had
said the words, but seeing Henry lose Joe had reminded her how lucky she was to
have Oberon in her life.

“And I love you, Daughter,”
Oberon replied, and he rested his head on top of hers for a moment.

He released her from his grip
and turned to Gideon and the table overflowing with papers.

“Gideon and I began creating a
battle strategy last night after we discovered what had happened to Henry’s
father. We weren’t sure if either of you would want to lead, that is, you are
both children…” Oberon trailed off.

But the gesture touched Valerie.
“I wish I could hand this over to the two of you,” she admitted.

“The war will be waged best
under your direction,” Gideon said, and the confidence in his voice bolstered
Valerie’s own. “Oberon and I are both battle-hardened, and our experience can
be an encumbrance.”

“What do you mean? Surely
experience is exactly what we need right now,” Valerie said.

“We have both won and lost many battles,
and made many mistakes. We have stopped seeing new possibilities, mired in what
has and hasn’t worked in the past. Much of what we know is common sense, but
what we can’t bring is a new perspective,” Oberon said.