Edge of Pathos (The Conjurors Series Book 4) (16 page)

It took three hours
for Valerie to track down Sanguina. She found the ex-vampyre asleep in a hostel
on Earth. Valerie shook her awake.

“You have to help
us,” Valerie said, and her desperation must have shown in her eyes, because
Sanguina was instantly awake.

“Anything,” she
said.

Valerie told her
what had happened, and a dawning look of comprehension replaced Sanguina’s
initial puzzlement.

“He reversed your
polarity,” Sanguina said. “I’ve seen him test the theory on small animals on
the Globe. He was successful, but it took so much of his magic that it was
never practical to try it on a Conjuror.”

“What does that
mean?”

“Think of it like
magnets. In a natural state, you and Henry are drawn together by the force of
your blood tie. By reversing your polarity, the very blood that pumps through
your veins rejects that connection and will not allow you to be near your twin.
Your body is rebelling against your mind, protecting you against what it
perceives as an enemy.”

“How do I fix it?”

“I don’t have an
answer for that,” Sanguina said, regret making her voice low.

“Surely Henry, with
his psychic powers, can find a way to repair this polarity thing inside him,”
Valerie said.

Sanguina shook her
head. “From your description of your symptoms, I think Reaper reversed your
polarity, not your brother’s. It’s you we’ll have to find a way to switch
back.”

“I don’t have time
to figure this out! I’m trying to plan and fight a war on two fronts!” Valerie
said, lowering her voice when she realized she was shouting.

“That’s what
Reaper’s counting on,” Sanguina said. “He knows that when you combine your
power with Henry’s, you are more than a match for him.”

“Henry’s not a match
for anyone right now,” Valerie said, sitting on Sanguina’s bed. All of her
energy had abruptly left her.

“True. But I know
you can defeat Reaper on your own. That’s your secret weapon, because Reaper
doesn’t believe that. If he did, you’d be dead. You’re alive because he still
wants to use Henry’s power, and he knows that if he killed you, Henry wouldn’t
survive it.”

“I don’t know what
to do anymore,” Valerie said. “I wish there was someone here to tell me.
Midnight, Gideon, my dad…”

“Your mother was
always wonderful in these kinds of situations. When things were at their worst,
something more powerful than magic rose within her to face it. You have that in
you, too,” Sanguina said. “Now go find it.”

“Seven of our people
have vanished this week alone,” Chisisi said when Valerie came in for her daily
report. “We don’t know if they were captured or killed by the Fractus. But our
enemies are no longer simply searching for clues to Earth’s magic-binding
charm. They are actively seeking out the Fist to engage in battles to weaken
us.”

Dr. Freeman was also
present. He’d become a close adviser to Chisisi since Thai was spending more
time at the Healers’ Guild, and Valerie was glad that Chisisi had someone he
could trust.

“There’s another
problem. Someone must be following me,” Dr. Freeman said. “I’ve identified
three families with a high potential for latent magic, and each of those
families was targeted by the Fractus after I met with them.”

“Do you think they
know what you’re doing?” Valerie asked.

“Perhaps,” Dr.
Freeman said. “At a minimum, they know that I am with the Fist, so they would
clearly assume the humans I contact must be Fist supporters, as well.”

“Was anyone killed?”
Valerie asked, dreading the answer.

“No. They were all
told to be on the lookout for the Fractus, and we had teams come to protect them
in time,” Dr. Freeman assured her.

“But our resources
are spread thin,” Chisisi said. “We cannot assign bodyguards to every human the
Fractus targets.”

“Those humans may
have to protect themselves sooner than we thought,” Valerie said, and then
explained the clue that had been uncovered on the floor of the Pantheon.

Chisisi and Dr.
Freeman wore identical frowns as they listened to her story.

“What comes next
will be a slaughter,” Chisisi said. “Right now, humans are at a disadvantage,
but they still have weapons and can fight back. But with the Fractus’s full
magic unleashed, humans will be no threat to them.”

“Even humans with
magical potential won’t have learned how to harness it in a meaningful way
yet,” Dr. Freeman said.

“We need to start
bringing more soldiers of the Fist to Earth,” Valerie said.

She knew that Skye
was already strapped for soldiers on the Globe, but if more Fractus would be
flooding Earth, this was where her forces needed to be.

Cyrus appeared at the
doorway. Valerie drank in the sight of him, relieved that he looked healthy and
had his usual glow, even if he wasn’t wearing his typical grin.

“Henry wanted you to
know that the symbols have been deciphered,” Cyrus said. “He’d have come
himself, but he couldn’t travel to Earth anywhere within half a mile of you.”

“He solved it
already?” Valerie asked. It was about time for some good news.

“It wasn’t a code at
all. It was ancient Sumerian, and a master in the Language Guild was able to
translate it right away,” Cyrus explained. “It said that there is an eternal
flame burning in the heart of the Atacama Desert in Chile.”

“That desert is
huge,” Dr. Freeman said. “You’ll have to narrow the location down. It’s not a
place you want people wandering around, magic or not.”

Chisisi folded his
hands. “I will assemble a team to quietly search for this flame. We have local
contacts in coastal cities in Chile who can help.”

“Good.
We’re less likely to attract attention if we actually find this flame that
way,” Valerie said. “Let’s not do the Fractus’s work for them.”

When Valerie
returned to the Globe, she found Kanti waiting on her front stoop. Her hair,
which was pinned back in a complicated pattern, was coming loose. Her clothes
were wrinkled and dusty.

Kanti’s eyes
brightened when she saw Valerie. “Took you long enough. I was scared I’d run
into Henry while I was waiting for you.”

“We had to agree on
which days we’d be home, now that we can’t be in the same location at the same
time,” Valerie said. “It’s my day today. But you should see him, Kanti. He
needs support, and I literally can’t be there for him right now.”

“I know,” Kanti
said. “That’s why I’m here. I’m going to make things right with him tonight at
the fundraiser.”

“Fundraiser?”

“The Glamour Guild is
raising magic for the Fist, remember?” Kanti said. She stood up and gripped
Valerie’s shoulders. “This is a big deal, Val. You have to be there.”

“I need to talk to
Skye about sending more soldiers to Earth, check in with Willa on the water
situation, and if I have any free time after that, sleep,” Valerie said.

“The magic that gets
raised is the pure kind, currency in Elsinore. There are a lot of ways you
could use it—you could hire soldiers who won’t fight for free, or give it to
Conjurors to shape into potions and charms that humans can use to protect
themselves. At the very least, it keeps the magic out of Reaper’s hands,” Kanti
insisted.

“Back up to the part
about hiring soldiers,” Valerie said.

“I wanted to talk to
you about that. Conjurors in Elsinore think differently about magic than
Conjurors in Arden. No one is going to sign up to fight to protect a bunch of
magic-less humans,” Kanti said. “Changing that attitude will take years,
decades even. But if we could pay soldiers, it’s a different story.”

“How much of this
currency would you need to hire a few hundred soldiers?” Valerie said.

“More than you’ll
raise tonight, but it’s a start. I’m going to use my family’s savings, as
well,” Kanti said. She held up a hand when she saw that Valerie was about to
interrupt. “I’m not asking you for your permission, Val. There’s no better use
for our fortune than this war.”

“Your parents
agree?” Valerie asked.

“I’m the Reigning
Royal now. They’ll do what I say. But they’re starting to come around,” Kanti
said. “I’m trying to make it trendy to live simply and not show off your
wealth.”

“How’s that going
for you?” Valerie said with a small smile, trying to imagine Kanti’s parents
downsizing from their ice palace.

“Not especially
well. But you never know,” Kanti said, returning her grin.

“We really need more
soldiers for the Fist on Earth,” Valerie said, thinking of kids like Ming who
didn’t have a Chrome to protect them.

“So you’re coming?”

Valerie nodded.

“Good.
Let’s start with what you’re going to wear.”

An hour later,
Valerie was scrubbed, groomed, and zipped into a blue dress that came to her
knees.

“What do you think?”
Kanti said, turning Valerie so she could see herself in the mirror.

Valerie slid on her
battered sneakers and strapped on Pathos. Kanti rolled her eyes. “Guess you
have the accessories covered.”

“Last time I wore
high heels, someone tried to kill me. I promised myself I’d always wear shoes I
could run in and have Pathos at my side,” Valerie said.

“So you’re saying I
should be grateful to have you in a dress at all,” Kanti replied.

“Yes. And I love it.
Thanks, Kanti.”

“There’s one more
thing,” Kanti said.

A low hum of magic
came from Kanti’s hands. She threaded her fingers through Valerie’s hair and
pulled gently. As she did, Valerie watched in awe as her hair became longer and
longer, until it hung down the middle of her back, like it had two years ago.
Its familiar weight felt right, grounding her, and the streak of silver that
wound through it was hidden.

“Guess there are
some side benefits to the flowers-and-hearts brand of magic,” Kanti said. She
placed a wreath of flowers in Valerie’s hair as a final touch.

“Will Thai be at the
party?” Valerie asked, blushing as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
“Never mind.”

Kanti burst out
laughing. “I’ll drag him myself if I have to, okay?”

Valerie had yet to
confide to Kanti that she wasn’t going to date Thai, ever. She hadn’t had a
memory lapse in a few weeks, but only because she hadn’t healed as many
soldiers lately. But she decided not to ruin the closest thing to a normal
afternoon that she’d had in a long time by telling Kanti that.

 ”No letting
Thai steal you away until you’ve given a toast to say thank you to the Guild
and everyone who donated.”

“Yes, Mom,” Valerie
said.

“Go make
your entrance, Cinderella. But don’t lose your slipper. It would be cruel to
make anyone other than you touch those ratty sneakers.”

In spite of Kanti’s
instructions, Valerie insisted on sneaking into the party through a side entrance
of the Guild. The ballroom was easy to find, because people were pouring into
the giant room. It was lit with an enormous, golden chandelier, and the floors
were covered in shiny marble.

Kanti peeled off
from Valerie to go in search of Henry, so Valerie forced herself to mingle with
the Grand Masters and Conjurors of the Fist. She immediately knew that Kanti
had been right. Her soldiers needed to see her. She had to be no more than a
ghost on the battlefield with them.

The food was
incredible, but it reminded her of Dulcea’s culinary creations, and turned to
dust in her mouth.

The Grand Master of
the Glamour Guild, Roza, glided over on eight long tentacles. Her upper body
was human, and very beautiful, though Valerie knew that she could choose to
look any way she wanted.

“Skye assured us
that you wouldn’t miss the fundraiser, but I admit I had my concerns,” Roza
said.

Roza handed Valerie
a glass of something bubbly that would temporarily increase the volume of her
voice, and she took a sip. She cleared her throat, and the room went quiet.

“Seeing you all
here, selflessly giving your time, your lives, your blood, and your power,
gives me hope not only for this war, but for what comes after. Thank you all,”
Valerie said.

Everyone cheered, and
Valerie raised her glass. She saw Skye across the room, and he nodded his
approval at her words. Then she drained her drink, and relief worked its way
through her as lilting music began to play.

As people started to
dance, she headed toward the door to make her escape from the party, stopping
every few feet to shake hands with soldiers who wanted to meet her.

She’d reached the
door and was about to make her getaway when she saw Thai hurrying up the steps
of the Guild. He saw her and stopped moving.

“Kanti said…you
needed me?” Thai asked, still staring.

“Oh, sorry, did she
pull you away from your work? I don’t know what she was thinking,” Valerie
said, vowing to give her friend a good shake when she saw her next.

“I’m really, really
glad she did,” he said. He’d reached her side then. “I hear music in there.
Want to dance?”

Valerie knew that
the right answer to give was no. She had a million things to do, and this would
only give Thai false hope.

Before she could
shape an excuse, Thai pulled her back inside. The ballroom was less
overwhelming when he held her hand. Valerie was able to appreciate the
fairytale lights, and the fact that everyone was smiling for a change.

A heavy beat melted
into a slow tune. The Conjurors began a couples’ dance that had moves Valerie
didn’t recognize. Thai watched for a little while and then pulled her to the
dance floor. He effortlessly guided their movements. He was so sure on his feet
that she didn’t stumble, didn’t even have to think about what the right steps
were.

She looked up and
saw that he was staring down at her, his dark brown eyes intense. Every place
their bodies touched tingled. Her hands, her waist, her shoulders… They had
never been more sensitized.

Thai fiddled with
the ends of her hair, and Valerie remembered the nights in their tent back on
Earth when she’d lain next to him and he’d played with her hair.

“You rocked in short
hair, don’t get me wrong. But I missed it like this,” he said.

Valerie let her hair
fall forward to hide her blush. Another benefit of having long hair again.

Then he tipped her
chin up so she couldn’t avoid his eyes. The yearning in them made it almost
impossible not to lean forward to see if his kisses were as good as she
remembered. But the little part of her mind that was still capable of logic was
screaming at her. She couldn’t have this, have him, even if she wanted it.

Valerie forced
herself to look away from Thai’s eyes before she changed her mind. That was
when she saw Cyrus watching them, his lip turned in utter disgust. Valerie pulled
herself out of Thai’s arms. He followed her gaze and saw Cyrus.

“Go ahead and talk
to him,” Thai said, and Valerie saw only sympathy in his eyes.

Cyrus ran out of the
party, and Valerie chased him down the steps of the Guild.

“Cyrus, wait!” Valerie
said.

He turned on her,
his eyes flashing. “I have actual news about the war we’re fighting, the one
you’re supposed to be leading. But maybe you’d rather play dress up and dance
with your boyfriend.”

“Of course not, I
was—” Valerie began.