Guardians of the Boundary (The Conjurors Series Book 3) (30 page)

“Right back at you,” Valerie
said. Then she pulled back, and eyed Kanti closely. “You look like you need a
distraction. Want to guess who showed up on my doorstep tonight?”

And for the next
twenty minutes, Valerie got to be a normal teenage girl.

“Excellent,” Gideon said,
tucking away the prepotent crystal in his pocket after attempting to attack
Valerie’s mind for the third time that morning.

Valerie was sweating but
triumphant. With her new locus, her mind was safe from attacks, she hoped.

“Do you think Kellen’s dust
would still work?” she asked her mentor.

“It may paralyze you, and the
dark dust could even kill you, but he will never be able to control you again,”
Gideon said. “I think we can adjust our lessons now to focus on battle
strategy.”

Valerie bit back a groan.
Between Gideon and her father, every waking moment was dedicated to shaping her
into a leader.

I do not wish to interrupt.
Azra’s gentle presence in
Valerie’s mind was a welcome escape from more lessons in war.

“You’re not! How are you
feeling?” Valerie asked.

Azra looked as radiant as she
had since she becoming pregnant, but Valerie noticed little wrinkles of pain
around her eyes.

“Something’s wrong,” Valerie
said, instinctively gripping Pathos’s hilt.

Azra smiled, and it was like the
sun rising.
Something
is very right. My little one is coming soon. Summer is already preparing the
site where I will give birth.

“Your foal is coming today?”
Valerie said, simultaneously thrilled and terrified. The battle with the
Fractus could start at any minute, and the last thing she wanted was Azra and
her baby anywhere near it.

The birth of a unicorn does not
happen in a day. Almost like your friend Thai, it is a separation process that
happens over time. But now that it has begun, I must retreat to a place of
safety.

Valerie let out a breath of
relief, and she saw that Gideon had relaxed slightly as well.

“When will I see you again?”
Valerie asked.

Very soon.
Azra gently
nudged Valerie’s shoulder with her nose.
Only a trusted few know where they can find me,
and I wish you to number among them.

“I’m so honored,” Valerie said.
“I hope you’ll let me help in any way I can.”

You are creating a better world
for my child. What more could I ask?

Gideon started to move away, but
Azra nodded to him, her silver horn glinting.

You also number among those I
trust, Gideon. You will both find me if you follow the silver path that leads
away from the Lake of Knowledge.

“I’ve never seen a silver path
there,” Valerie said, trying to remember the layout of the forest around the
lake.

That is because it is hidden
with powerful magic. It is a short trail that will lead you to a remote part of
the mountains of Messina.

“Messina? But no magic is
allowed there, and besides, it’s an island. Don’t you need a boat to get there?”
Valerie asked.

Gideon and Azra exchanged
glances that hinted at laughter, and Valerie smiled, as well.

“Right, powerful magic. Got it,”
she said.

“A safe choice,” Gideon said.
“The Fractus are not as interested in conquering Messina because its people eschew
magic. You and your foal will be safe for a time.”

That is my dearest hope.
Azra’s mane fluttered in the
breeze, reminding Valerie of a rainbow. When her voice chimed in Valerie’s mind
again, it held an element of sadness.

Know this, Valerie. If I could shoulder
the burden of this war for you, I would. Failing this, there is naught that
could stop me from fighting by your side other than my own incapacity. My faith
travels with you, though I cannot. I have seen many wars begin, but when I see
the battles ahead of you, I see light, not death. You will lead us to a better
world, a brighter future.

An urgent tingling in Valerie’s
pocket that could not be ignored made Valerie tear her eyes away from Azra’s.
She pulled out the seed, and saw that a single green shoot had emerged. When
she looked up, Azra and Gideon were also staring at it.

The front door of her house
opened, and Valerie saw that Henry and Oberon were both emerging.

“There is a new bud in my
garden,” Oberon said, eyeing Valerie sharply.

“I felt a burst of magic,” Henry
said. “Is it time?”

Valerie held out her hand.
Before her eyes, the tiny shoot seemed to grow a fraction.

“Send up the signal, Dad,”
Valerie said. She thought she’d be terrified when it was finally time to fight
the Fractus, but instead, the tangles in her mind unraveled, leaving her
strangely calm.

Oberon held his fist to the sky.
A spear of energy shot from his hand, and Valerie saw the image of a white
flower, lit up in blinding detail.

“The white poppy is an ancient
symbol of peace,” Oberon explained. “If you were a flower, that is what you
would be, my daughter.”

Valerie stared at the poppy,
letting the reality of what was about to begin wash over her.

“Let this day be full of more
beginnings than endings,” Valerie whispered, her words a wish to herself.

No matter the outcome, today is
a beginning. You are our beginning. My blessings are upon you.
Azra’s last words echoed in
Valerie’s mind long after she vanished.

Valerie expected to find
pandemonium when she reached The Horseshoe, but instead, the Knights who had
defected from the Guild to stand against the Fractus were keeping everyone
organized as they traveled to the rendezvous point.

After Rastelli had escaped from
the Justice Guild, Valerie had quietly instructed the Knights to move the
location of where they would meet from the Lake of Knowledge to the tree in the
woods that led to Arbor Aurum. She told them not to reveal the location to her
army until the day that the seed began to grow, in case there were any Fractus
spies in her ranks.

Valerie had no illusions that
the Fractus would have any trouble finding them at the new location, but she
hoped that they wouldn’t be lying in wait for them to arrive. Reaper wouldn’t
hesitate to slaughter them if they weren’t prepared.

Oberon, Gideon, and Henry all
traveled with her, and Kanti, Thai, and Cyrus silently joined them in The
Horseshoe.

“Cyrus brought me up to speed on
the plan,” Thai said as he walked next to her. “I have a suggestion. You
shouldn’t be with the wave of Conjurors on the ground level. You should be in
the trees, in Arbor Aurum.”

“Why, so I’ll be safer?” Valerie
asked, unable to hide her annoyance.

But Thai only grinned. “No. I’m
not stupid enough to suggest that. It’s so that you’ll have a better view of
how the battle is unfolding. You’ll be able to direct it better from that
vantage point.”

“You will also be more protected,
which is not a sign of your weakness,” Oberon added. “Do you think your army
will find it motivational to see you wounded, or worse, to fall?”

An uncomfortable heat made
Valerie remove the light jacket she wore. Her instincts told her that Thai and
her dad were right, but the idea of being removed from the front lines of
battle led to an almost overpowering guilt.

“Separate yourself from the
decision,” Gideon said quietly, so only she could hear him. “Imagine that Henry
were directing the battle. How would you advise him?”

“I take your points,” Valerie
said, pushing her discomfort aside. “I will begin the battle in the trees, but
will come down if the ground fighters of the Fist need to be rallied. If I’m a
symbol, as you say, Dad, then my army needs to see me fighting.”

“They need to see you winning,”
Oberon corrected her. “But your strategy is sound.”

They reached the large tree that
led to Arbor Aurum, and Valerie’s eyes widened as she took in the crowd of
Conjurors who had gathered there.

“It’s more than two hundred, isn’t
it?” she asked no one in particular.

“It’s two hundred and fifty on
the ground, and we’ll send up another fifty to the trees, in case the Fractus
break through our ranks. I’ll start sending them up as soon as the seal around
the cities breaks,” Dulcea said. Her curly hair was pulled back in a severe
bun, and even with a smudge on her cheek, she was more businesslike than
Valerie had ever seen her. Jack was by her side, helping her organize.

“This is excellent,” Valerie
said to her friend, who beamed in response.

Skye galloped through the trees,
and the Grand Masters who had opposed Oleander followed him, visibly relaxing
as they noticed the turnout.

Skye approached Valerie and gave
her a low nod before speaking.

“We will spread out to the
battle stations we discussed,” Skye said, speaking for the group.

Valerie had met with Skye and
Calibro twice in the past few days to discuss the powers that each of the Grand
Masters possessed. Valerie then carefully integrated the knowledge with her
strategy to ensure that they would be located in the places where they would
have the most impact during battle.

“As the battle progresses,
please tell the Grand Masters to realign as needs emerge according to their own
judgment,” Valerie said. She shook his hand, and he immediately turned to pass
on her orders.

“Before the Fractus arrive, you
must speak with your army. The Fist needs to hear from its leader,” Gideon said
and handed her a mint to amplify her voice.

Valerie took a deep breath and
planted her feet, hoping that would make her sound more confident. She cleared
her throat experimentally, and a hush fell over the Conjurors who had gathered.
The sight of their expectant faces made Valerie’s heart squeeze. How many would
die today?

She forced those morbid thoughts
from her mind, knowing that they needed a rallying cry.

“Friends, your presence here
today marks a new beginning for the Globe and Earth. We come here not to end
lives or destroy Reaper and the Fractus, but to turn to a path of peace and
light.

“I hope that, if not today or
tomorrow, someday soon, the threat of the Fractus will be defeated, and we will
come together to discuss a new future for our world. Those thoughts bring me
hope, and my heart peace. It is with that hope that I stand with you today, and
will stand with you always.”

Unlike her speech to the
Knights, there was no hesitation in the response to her words this time.
Everyone burst into cheers. Oberon and Gideon wore identical expressions of
pride on their faces, and even Henry smiled at her. The fact that he could be
proud of her in the midst of his pain almost made tears come to her eyes, but
Valerie fought them back. She doubted anyone wanted to see their leader cry
before a major battle.

“Everyone to their stations!” Juniper
shouted after the cheering had died down. He’d taken easily to his role of
organizing the Knights, as Valerie had known he would.

The tree that led to Arbor Aurum
released a gasp of magic that was so powerful it blew everyone’s hair back. The
air sparkled for a moment as the magic expanded outward in a giant wave.

“The seal is broken,” Gideon
said, staring up at the branches of the trees.

Valerie pulled the seed out of
her pocket and saw that it had bloomed into a yellow rose that looked a lot
like the Byway.

“I thought it would take longer
to bloom,” Cyrus said.

“We’ll find out what happened
soon,” Valerie said.

She climbed up the tree to Arbor
Aurum, along with her father, Henry, Kanti, Cyrus, and Thai. Gideon remained on
the ground to help Juniper organize the forces there.

At the top, Elden was waiting
for her. He met her expectant glance with a worried frown.

“The People of the Woods have
voted to keep the Byway alive, but protected,” he said.

Valerie made her face blank.
“That will make this fight harder. The Fractus won’t stop coming until they get
the Byway. Otherwise, we’d only have to fend them off until you figured out how
to destroy it. This is exactly what Reaper was hoping for.”

“My People are aware. They stand
by to fight,” Elden said, his back straight. She sensed he was delivering news
that he didn’t agree with again, and she knew that there would be no debate.

“It will mean a more decisive,
long-term victory,” Oberon said, and his words broke the tension of the moment.
“We will fight our enemy until they are truly crippled beyond recovery.”

“The People of the Woods have
lookouts near Dunsinane who sent word that the Fractus are close,” Elden said.
“We rushed the voting because we wanted to be ready when they arrive.”

“How close?” Valerie asked.

Elden glanced down and waved one
arm slowly over the foliage that hid the ground from their view. At his
gesture, the leaves vanished, allowing Valerie to see for a mile in almost
every direction.

“Neat trick,” Cyrus said, as he
began handing weapons to the People of the Woods who had gathered nearby.

They were dressed in tough brown
battle gear, and Valerie saw many bows and arrows, a few swords, and some
weapons that she didn’t have names for.

She saw that Leo was also
distributing weapons that glowed with light to the forces on the ground.

“We didn’t have time to give
everyone a weapon from the People of the Woods that is infused with light,”
Cyrus said. “But even the regular weapons have light woven in their
structures.”

“You did all this to hundreds of
weapons in the past few days?” Valerie asked, staring into Cyrus’s eyes with
amazement.

“Elden sent some of his People
with lightweaver powers to help,” Cyrus said, trying and failing to appear
humble. “I directed them. But I personally infused light into the weapons of
all of your generals.”

Valerie’s eyes were scanning the
trees as Cyrus spoke, and she saw movement at a distance. From so far away, the
Fractus looked like ants scurrying through the woods.

Even though she was in the
trees, she unsheathed Pathos.

“The Fractus have
arrived,” she said. “Stand ready to fight.”

Before the Fractus reached
Valerie’s army, she saw her people begin to fall. The Fractus who formed the
front lines of the charge were invisible.

“Dad, kick up some dust,”
Valerie said, and Oberon raised his arms. Wind blasted through the trees, and
particles blew through the air.

The Fist had been warned of the
invisible Fractus, and as the enemy became slightly more visible covered in
dirt, they raised their weapons and fought back. The next few minutes were
filled with the sounds of the grunts of Valerie’s army and the crunch of glass
meeting steel.

Too soon, the second wave of
Fractus was upon her army, as well. This group included Knights Valerie
recognized from her Guild, a few Fractus who could throw electricity, and an
assortment of others Valerie didn’t recognize. She assumed they were from other
countries around the Globe.

Her eyes scanned the battle to
identify patterns. At first, it all seemed random, like the Fractus were trying
to charge through her lines with brute force. Then she noticed that specific
individuals were being targeted.

“They’re going after the Grand
Masters who are on the ground,” Valerie said. “We need to make sure that they
have extra protection.”

She moved to Henry’s side, where
he stood with Dasan, Elle, Will, and the rest of the Empaths. They were
focusing on disorienting the enemy’s minds, but when Valerie told her brother
and Dasan what she’d noticed, they diverted their attention to use their
telepathy to send messages to specific Conjurors to protect the Grand Masters.

It was an effective
communication system, and Valerie saw Conjurors forming rings around the
leaders of Arden.

“I should have thought of that
earlier,” Valerie grumbled to her father. “They are some of our most powerful
allies, of course they need extra protection.”

“It is impossible to anticipate
every variable,” he replied, his eyes flicking over the battle as well.

As if to prove the truth of his
words, Valerie heard a strange sound, like something being unzipped. Above her,
dozens of Reaper’s portals opened in the sky.

“What the heck?” Cyrus said, not
registering what he was seeing.

Fractus dropped through the
portals onto the decks of Arbor Aurum. The answer to how the Fractus would
break into the cities in the trees if they couldn’t climb the trees was
answered in a way that Valerie hadn’t anticipated.

The People of the Woods released
battle cries, and Valerie raised Pathos, ready to fight. She couldn’t help
glancing at her friends. Their faces were determined, not terrified. She
wondered if they were hiding it, or if they had more courage than she did.

The Fractus who dropped onto the
decks were mostly unknown to Valerie, and they all carried weapons that were
utterly black, as if they’d been dipped in ink. The hum of magic emanating from
those weapons confirmed what she had already guessed—they were laced with
magic.

“Their weapons bear the magic of
my people, but it is twisted with darkness,” a warrior from the People of the
Woods exclaimed with horror.

Valerie remembered that the
Fractus had kidnapped several of the People, and now she knew why.

“Henry, Dasan, let everyone know
that the black weapons will rip away their powers. Our first priority is to
destroy them if we can, but to avoid contact at all costs,” Valerie commanded.

Before they could confirm that
they heard her words, Valerie was set upon by two tall Fractus. One wielded a
spear and another a sword. Magic shot through Valerie’s veins without her
having to call it forth. The tug of the magic from their weapons pulled at her
power, but the light from Pathos kept it at bay.

Her focus narrowed to the fight
at hand, and she dodged the swipe of a black sword, rolling onto the ground and
sweeping her feet beneath the Fractus wielding the spear. He tumbled, and she smashed
her blade into his weapon. Cracks of light appeared in the spear, and then it
shattered before her eyes.

She barely registered her
victory before a sword came hurtling toward her head. She raised Pathos to
block the blow, which glanced off her blade. She leapt to her feet in a single
move and parried with the Fractus who held the black sword.