Guardians of the Boundary (The Conjurors Series Book 3) (9 page)

Valerie shook her head, trying
to clear her mind. Everything she planned to say had been about Azra’s fitness
to lead, but clearly she needed to think bigger.

As she and Azra entered the
great hall and ascended in their bubble, Valerie saw that their usual place, in
the center of the room in a spotlight, had already been taken. Oleander saw
them arrive and began to speak before they could stop her.

“Before we say anything else, I
want to congratulate Azra on her news. No one could be more deserving of this
miracle,” Oleander said, a sickly sweet note in her voice that gave the lie to
her words.

But the other Grand Masters must
not have noticed the falseness in Oleander’s tone, because they all cheered,
long and loud.

When they quieted, Oleander
continued. “Today isn’t about stripping Azra of her title or casting her out.
She has served us long and well, and we are grateful to her. But the time has
come to set aside outdated ideas. Azra has long clung to how things have always
been, but the universe is changing. Earth is finally ready for us to return.
They need us, and we need our home.”

There was muttering among the
Grand Masters. A voice, young and high, rang out above the rest. Valerie saw
that it was Calibro, a girl who was the Grand Master of the Justice Guild.
Despite her age, she had a thoughtful gravity that made people listen.

“We never even considered
another leader of the Grand Masters until Reaper’s visit. This is the first
we’ve heard that some consider her ideas to be outdated. Why do you call for
her to step down now?” Calibro’s words elicited nods all around her.

“Because it is time in more ways
than one. Time to elect a Conjuror who can see that the Fractus have evolved
their strategy and deserve our support. But also time because Azra needs to
focus on herself. Did you know that her magic has now been passed to her child?
All of her gifts are gone. She is no longer the most powerful of us all. She is
as devoid of power as a human,” Oleander said, and Valerie heard a note of glee
in her voice.

Valerie turned to Azra in
surprise. Azra had mentioned her powers being absent, but she thought it was
temporary.

It is the way of unicorns. We
pass our magic to our children. And when my child is born, I will finally age
and eventually will join my Odysseus among the stars.

Valerie was thrown by Azra’s
words. She had always seen the unicorn as a constant on the Globe, but after
centuries of living, now she was going to die. The surprise of Azra’s news nearly
robbed Valerie of her words, but she knew she had to force herself to say
something before Oleander took complete control of the gathering.

“It seems pretty convenient that
you want Azra to step down now, when the Fractus want our support. Who do you
think should lead instead? Yourself? You helped murder Midnight. You shouldn’t even
be walking the streets!” Valerie shot at Oleander.

Valerie realized too late that
she hadn’t heeded Gideon’s advice. She needed to change the story, not exchange
insults.

Oleander’s eyes sparked, seeing
her chance. “I won’t even dignify your accusation with a response. This child
thinks she knows what is best for our people? I don’t understand why she has a
voice among us. I grant that her vivicus power is unique, but clearly it has
gone to her head, if she thinks she knows what’s right better than we do.”

Skye gave her a sharp glance, as
if telling Valerie to be quiet and let him handle this.

“The vivicus has a point,
Oleander. Azra has not steered us wrong in the many centuries of her rule. To
change captains now, when we are encountering a storm, seems foolhardy,” Skye
said.

“Don’t you see? It’s in a storm
that we need our strongest leaders. That person is no longer Azra,” Kellen
jumped in, fluttering in a bubble next to Oleander. “And I will vouch for the
fact that this vivicus child is not living up to her promise as a Knight. She
is no leader. She is one who is easily manipulated and controlled.”

Valerie had almost forgotten
that Kellen, as a Grand Master, would be present at this meeting as well. She met
the eyes of the Conjurors in the room, and the force of their doubt in her
matched her own.

“We’re not here today to discuss
Valerie,” Skye said.

“Except to rule her out as a
successor to Azra,” Oleander agreed, and the Grand Masters murmured their
assent.

“But isn’t she the one who
enabled this miracle of Azra’s pregnancy? That should count for something!” a
stubby grand master that Valerie had never met shouted.

His words were met with gasps
and a rising clamor that didn’t sound entirely friendly. Valerie didn’t think
she was imagining the fear that flashed in the eyes directed at her.

“Her powers are irrelevant. She
didn’t even know she was doing it!” Oleander said, lifting her lip in an
unsightly snarl that showed her irritation at the direction the conversation
was going. “We’re here today to vote out Azra, not gossip.”

“Yes, let’s vote this dinosaur
out of her position and give it to someone with enough magic to command some
respect,” Kellen said, earning a grateful nod from Oleander.

“What does Azra have to say?”
Calibro’s clear voice cut through the rumblings again.

It is true that my magic has
been passed on. But I have seen many centuries of conflict, and the birth of
this world. I am not afraid of change. As the universe evolves, so must we. But
if my time here is at an end, then I will bow to your decision.

“I say we vote!” called Al, the
Grand Master of the Stewardship Guild.

“Red to remain mired in the past
with Azra as our leader, Green to move to a new future with a new leader,”
Oleander said, effectively cutting off any more interruptions.

Before Valerie’s eyes, the
bubbles containing each Grand Master changed color. She anxiously scanned the
room, trying to see which was greater, the red or the green. Her stomach sank
as she saw bubble after bubble turn green.

Words crossed the perimeter of
the bubble she shared with Azra. Green, 61%, Red, 39%. They had lost. Azra no
longer led the Grand Masters.

Emin was waiting on the lawn
outside the Capitol building, doing cartwheels on the grass while Henry watched
over him. Kanti and Cyrus were with them, and she saw Oberon trimming the
hedges nearby, probably to discreetly keep an eye on her. But even the sight of
Emin’s joy couldn’t lift the heaviness from Valerie’s heart, and it must have shown.

“Azra’s been voted out? I don’t
believe it,” Kanti said, her beautiful face a mask of disbelief.

“Let’s all regroup tomorrow on
next steps. Sweetie, why don’t you and I show Emin your Guild?” Henry suggested
to Kanti.

Kanti grinned and held out her
hand to the boy. “There’s waterslides!” she said, and he squealed as they
headed toward the Society of Imaginary Friends.

Cyrus gave Valerie’s hand a
squeeze. She hadn’t seen much of him over the past few days, and she hadn’t had
the energy to address what was bothering him with everything going on.

“Let’s walk,” Valerie said, and
Cyrus nodded.

They wove through the winding
streets of Silva, and Valerie told him everything, how her words had slipped
away and that the Grand Masters were as unsure of her as a leader as she was
herself.

Cyrus listened, his usually
expressive face serious. “You’re not a god. You won’t always know exactly what
to say. Sometimes you’ll try, and people won’t listen. But that doesn’t mean
you’re a failure.”

Valerie nodded, knowing he was
right. “But of all the days I wish I’d found the right words, today was the
most important. I doubt I’ll ever be able to sit in on a meeting of the Grand
Masters again without Azra to back me. And can we take on the Fractus without their
help?”

“You said that 39% of the Grand
Masters voted for Azra to continue leading, and it’s a safe bet that those same
people are wary of the Fractus. You don’t need to win the hearts of every
single Grand Master. Maybe those 39% will be enough,” Cyrus said.

Hope reignited in Valerie’s
heart. “You’re right. And many of the Grand Masters who agreed that Azra should
step down would never support attacking humans on Earth. Once they know the
truth about the Fractus, they may change their minds.”

“We need to stay on their radar,
keep reminding them of our message,” Cyrus said.

“Cy, you’re a genius,” she said,
and he flashed her his usual smile.

They had wandered outside the
city into the woods to the Lake of Knowledge. Standing on its banks, she turned
to face her best friend—and boyfriend, she reminded herself. Cyrus’s eyes
searched hers.

“Tell me what’s been bothering
you,” Valerie said, resting her forehead against his.

Cyrus flushed and then tried and
failed to give her a cocky smile. “Who says anything’s wrong?”

“It’s me. We know each other too
well to hold back,” she said.

“I can’t stop thinking about how
incredibly powerful you are. As if being the great hope of the universe and
beautiful and smart and an incredible fighter isn’t enough,” Cyrus said, and he
let out a breath of frustration. “How can I ever be more than your clumsy
sidekick? I’m selfish and jealous and my power is useless in a real fight.”

“You know that’s not true—your
power has saved my life more than once,” Valerie reminded him.

Cyrus shrugged, unconvinced. “I
want to be your hero, not the other way around.”

Valerie wound her arms around
his neck and whispered against his lips. “You stayed by my side, watching over
me, my entire life. When everyone else in the world abandoned me, and I didn’t even
believe in you anymore, you still remembered me. You are more than a hero to
me. You are my best friend, my family, knit into my heart forever.”

Cyrus crushed his mouth against hers.

“Traitors! The both of you!”

Cyrus and Valerie jumped apart
at the sight of Rastelli walking out from the trees. His eyes glinted with a
mad light, and his clothes were tattered, as if he hadn’t changed them for days.
He held a staff at his side, which he gripped so tightly his knuckles were
white.

Cyrus pushed Valerie behind him
and hissed, “Let me handle this. He knows me.”

Rastelli moved to shove Cyrus
aside, but Cyrus fought back, shoving him hard in the chest. Rastelli stumbled,
and Cyrus pushed his advantage, keeping the Grand Master from getting too close
to Valerie.

“There’s no way I’m letting you
hurt her,” Cyrus said.

Rastelli growled, and Cyrus
moved faster than Valerie had ever seen him, blocking him from reaching her by
driving his shoulder into Rastelli’s gut.

“You’ll die for your betrayal!”
Rastelli screamed.

“Betrayal? Rastelli, what are
you talking about?” Cyrus held up his hands, using his softest voice.

Valerie trusted Cyrus’s instinct
that Rastelli could be calmed, like he had when she’d encountered him at his Guild.
Which was why she never saw his response coming.

Rastelli aimed his staff at
Cyrus and lightning shot out, slamming Cyrus in his chest. Cyrus rocketed
through the air, landing several feet away flat on his back.

“Cyrus!” Valerie screamed,
running to his side.

Before she could even check for
a pulse, Rastelli’s staff hit her temple with a force that made her vision go
black. She fell to the ground beside Cyrus.

Rastelli’s face was grim. He
pointed his staff again at Cyrus, but it didn’t shoot lightning. Rastelli shook
it, frustrated. Valerie remembered the Fractus she had fought at the Black
Castle who had staffs similar to Rastelli’s. Those Fractus shot lightning
straight from their hands, but she wouldn’t be surprised if Reaper had found a
way to weaponize their power.

Before Rastelli could regroup,
Valerie kicked up with all her strength. Her foot connected with the staff,
which flew back and hit Rastelli in his head. She regretted the move, because
it allowed Rastelli to retain possession of the staff, but the Grand Master staggered
backward a few steps, and a trickle of blood drew a line down his face.

Valerie was on her feet now,
magic pulsing through her body like a heartbeat. She cursed Kellen again for
taking Pathos, but knew her rage and magic would be enough to take Rastelli
down.

She leapt at him, and time
seemed to slow down. Not time—it was her. This must be Rastelli’s power. She
moved like she was surrounded by sludge.

Rastelli easily avoided Valerie’s
attack, and his staff connected with her chest. It had recharged enough that it
gave her a jolt, not as strong as the one that had hit Cyrus, but enough to
land her on her back.

Rastelli then cast the staff
aside and leapt on top of her, punching her again and again in her face and
chest. Every time Valerie tried to counter his moves, she was too slow.
Satisfied that she was subdued, Rastelli picked his staff back up and turned to
Cyrus.

Her sheer panic must have
touched Henry’s mind, because she could sense his presence with her. The force
of his magic joined with hers, and she could move again. Magic gushed through
her veins, and she tackled Rastelli to the ground. His head struck a rock and
he groaned. With a quick elbow to his head, her enemy’s eyes closed.

Valerie hurried to Cyrus’s side.
She put her head to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. There wasn’t one.
Valerie didn’t have to consciously decide to use her vivicus power. It was like
a reflex that she couldn’t stop even if she’d wanted to. She clutched Cyrus in
her arms, gripping him so tightly she’d probably leave bruises.

It wasn’t as scary as it had
been when she’d saved Sanguina and Azra. She gave herself up to her power,
letting her magic rush through her, pervading every space in her body and mind
with light. Then she poured the light of her magic into Cyrus, letting it fill
him and heal him, and he lit up brighter than anything Valerie had ever seen in
her life.

Her magic kept
flowing and flowing, burning her from the inside out with a pain so intense she
couldn’t help screaming. Henry helped her push against it, stopping the flood
of her power. Finally, it ceased, and she slumped over Cyrus, unconscious
before she had the chance to see if he breathed.

“You’re all right, you’re okay,”
Henry chanted, as if saying the words would make them true.

Valerie struggled and succeeded
in opening her eyes, and there was Henry’s face, filled with relief.

“Cyrus?” she croaked.

“He’s okay,” Henry said, and
Valerie saw through blurry vision that he was resting against a tree with his
eyes closed.

Next to him was Gideon, who was
binding Rastelli’s hands with a magical rope so he wouldn’t be able to escape.

“What have I done? Poor boy, I
am so sorry, I know you can never forgive me,” Rastelli said, pulling at his
already wild hair and rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Cy? Can you hear me?” Valerie
asked weakly.

Cyrus’s eyes opened, and his
blue eyes met hers. As her vision focused, she could see that Cyrus was glowing
more than usual. She could almost swear she saw sparks coming off of him as he
walked over and sat beside her.

“You saved my life. Again,” he
said, tenderness mixed with bitterness in his voice. “Someday it will be me
protecting you. I swear it.”

“Protect my heart, because it’s
yours. That will be enough,” Valerie rasped.

Then Cyrus clutched her close.
She saw Henry look away, like their conversation was too personal for him to
intrude.

Cyrus pulled back as Gideon
approached them.

“We will take you to the Healers’
Guild,” Gideon said, gently lifting her off the ground.

“I can walk,” Valerie insisted.
“And I’m going home. There’s nothing a Healer can do for me.”

Gideon nodded, trusting her
decision like he always did. Then he turned to Cyrus. “I will need you to
escort Rastelli to the Knights of Light where you can testify as to what
happened.”

Cyrus nodded and turned to Valerie.
“I’ll come straight over to your house after.”

Valerie nodded, too tired to
even speak. Henry slung her arm over his shoulders, and they began their walk
home, parting with Gideon, Cyrus, and a blank-eyed Rastelli when they reached
The Horseshoe.

“How do you feel?” Henry asked
when they were alone.

“Grateful. Without my vivicus
power, Cyrus, Azra, and Sanguina would be dead. Whatever the price of this gift,
it’s worth it,” she said.

Henry shook his head at her
words. “I meant physically. Are you in pain?”

Valerie assessed herself. She
felt empty, with the knowledge that something had been traded, lost, that she’d
never get back. Azra had told her once that using her power would rob her of
her mind eventually, and she’d be nothing but a creature like Darling, acting
on pure instinct and emotion, her true self lost. “I’m burned out. And I can’t touch
my magic. Other than that, I’m fine.”

Her brother barked out a laugh.
“Only you could say all that like it’s nothing. I saw how much pain you were
in. I don’t know how you survived.”

They were in a grove of trees
near their house now, and she felt an uneasy tingle that made her think that
some trace of her magic remained.

“Something’s not right,” Henry
whispered.

Reaper stepped out of the trees.
He wasn’t dressed in his symbolic black robes, and Valerie sensed that meant he
hadn’t come to kill them. Henry moved in front of her, his entire body tensed
for an attack.

“You’ve done it again. Saved a
life,” Reaper stated, examining Valerie over Henry’s shoulder. She tried to mask
her exhaustion from his gaze, but she couldn’t hide the weakness in her
bearing.

Valerie’s body went cold with a
rage that was bigger than anything she’d ever known. The memory of Midnight’s
scream as Reaper had torn her friend apart was seared into her memory.

“What do you want?” she spit
out, forcing herself to stand straight so he wouldn’t guess the depth of her
defenselessness.

“I can guess who lives, since
you have expended your power. Cyrus is lucky,” Reaper said.

“Leave us alone. Now,” Henry
commanded. His voice didn’t waver even though Valerie could feel his abject
terror through their mental connection.

“Let’s dispense with the
pretense that you are a match for me. I forced Rastelli to attack Cyrus so that
Valerie would be empty of power, as a precaution, though the two of you would
still be dead by now if I wished it, despite your combined power,” Reaper said
with a quiet confidence. In his mind, he was stating a fact. It wasn’t even a
threat. “I’ve come for a reason, and it isn’t to kill either of you.”

Henry’s eyes narrowed.
“Rastelli’s one of yours. I should have known.”

“Rastelli is not Fractus, if
that’s what you mean,” Reaper said, and Valerie thought she saw a hint of a
smile at the corner of his mouth, like he was looking forward to his next
revelation. “Rastelli is an example of what I’m capable of doing. Like you two,
he was too stupid to grasp the ideals of my mission, so I drove him to madness
for his defiance.”