Guardians of the Boundary (The Conjurors Series Book 3) (16 page)

An image of a dark, shabby hotel
room that seemed vaguely foreign appeared in her mind, followed by the lightest
touch of Joe’s mind. He seemed barely conscious, like he’d been drugged.
Someone opened the door to the room and threw a bottle of water and a container
of food on the bed.

Joe’s fingers trembled as he
tried to open the bottle, until a girl’s hand reached out and did it for him.
Valerie bit her lip as she recognized Logan. There was no spark of pity in her
eyes for Joe’s obvious discomfort.

“Drink up, old man,” she said.

Henry desperately tried to
connect with his father’s mind, to let him know that he was there. But Joe’s
thoughts flickered in and out, and she doubted that he knew that his son was
near.

Valerie tried to force thoughts
of what had made Joe so weak from her mind, and instead looked for clues as to
his location. The room was dim, and the light came through a small opening in
the blinds. Outside, Valerie saw the sign of a store in another language, all
Asian characters. It was attached to a tall, graceful skyscraper. Were they in
Chinatown in New York or San Francisco? Or maybe a major city in Taiwan?

“I love you, Dad.” Henry sent
his thought quietly and hopelessly. Her brother’s despair coursed through her,
and her knees almost buckled.

Logan turned to Joe and spoke
roughly. “You need to eat. It isn’t time for you to die yet.”

Logan’s callous
words made Henry’s mind reel, and abruptly the connection to his father was
broken.

Valerie opened her eyes and saw
that Henry was slumped over. The other Empaths were limp with fatigue, too.

“Thank you,” he said, but his
tone was defeated. “Because of you, I was able to be near my father today. Even
if I never see him again, at least I could tell him I loved him one last time.”

Kanti gripped Henry in a tight
hug, and the Empaths trickled away, leaving Henry to his grief. Valerie caught
a glimpse of Tan leaving, his expression unreadable. She briefly wondered how
he had known to come today, and she was touched that he had made the effort to
support Henry.

Finally, only Dasan remained. “Today
you are closer to finding your father than ever before. Did you understand
anything of what you saw?”

Valerie’s mind was working
furiously. Tall skyscrapers, Asian characters, a foreign hotel room. The
revelation of where Joe must be dawned on her.

“He’s in Japan,” Valerie said
with certainty. “We’re not the only ones getting closer to finding Earth’s Byway.”

Henry sat up then, hope warring
with doubt in his eyes.

“Even if they’d figured out the Byway
is in Japan, why would they take Joe with them?” Kanti asked.

“Because Zunya is probably
leading the search, and he wouldn’t let his most valuable prisoner out of his
sight. Reaper would kill him,” Valerie said.

Next to her, Dasan nodded
thoughtfully. “Your words ring true. It narrows your search, Henry. The building
out the window tells us another clue.”

“They’re in a big city,” Kanti
said excitedly. “We don’t have to scour the whole country. After all, how many
cities in Japan have skyscrapers?”

Henry’s face had
regained its determination. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll search every single one.”

While Henry, Dasan, and Kanti
discussed the best strategy for methodically searching Japan, Valerie reached
into her pocket for Thai’s charm. She had taken to carrying it with her again
since the last time she’d contacted him.

She touched it, and in an
instant, she was at his side in a small sushi restaurant. Chisisi sat next to
them, and his eyes lit up when he saw Valerie.

“Your information has proven to
be most helpful!” Chisisi said. “Thai and I have found many Fractus since we
arrived in Japan, crawling over Tokyo like vermin.”

“Chisisi thinks it’s a sure sign
that we’re close to something important, whether it’s the Byway or maybe where
the Fractus are hiding Joe,” Thai translated to a confused Valerie.

“He’s right,” she confirmed.
“Henry and his Guild used their power to try to locate Joe today, and we saw
that he was in a hotel room in a major city. I saw some writing on a building
outside the window of his room, and I think it was Japanese.”

Thai’s face split into a smile.
“Tell Henry I’m here and ready to search wherever he needs me. Chisisi can keep
looking for the Byway. My priority is finding Joe.”

Valerie could have hugged him in
gratitude, but Chisisi frowned.

“Young sir has been most helpful
in our search for the Byway. He has a mind made for solving puzzles. If his
focus is split, we may not find it before our enemy. As our leader, how would
you advise us to proceed?” Chisisi asked Valerie respectfully.

Valerie forced away her instinct
to pass the decision to someone else. She thought about what was best for the
mission and not just what was best for Henry.

“Thai’s first priority must be
finding Joe,” she said. “Aside from being Henry’s dad, he’s a valuable asset to
the Fractus. Eventually, Henry will give in to Reaper if his father’s life is
threatened, and with Henry’s power, the Fractus will be unstoppable. We can’t
let them have that kind of leverage.”

Chisisi nodded. “You have a
better understanding of the universal impacts of the battle ahead, so I yield
to your judgment.”

Valerie saw a grin on Thai’s
face at Chisisi’s deference to Valerie. His eyes met hers, giving her a little
jolt of connection.

“Does this plan work for you,
Thai?” she asked.

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Thai said,
and she couldn’t help hearing the note of pride in his voice.

As Valerie, Henry, and Kanti
left the Empathy Collective, they saw a huge group of Grand Masters leaving the
Capitol building. Their voices carried over The Horseshoe, many shouting.
Valerie spotted Skye and made her way through the throng to his side.

“What happened?” she asked him.

Skye gave her a warning glance
and led her away from the bustle toward the streets of Silva.

“The Grand Masters have elected
Oleander to temporarily replace Azra,” he said gravely. “It’s understood that
this means the Grand Masters are also supporting the Fractus.”

The knowledge that one of the
accomplices in Midnight’s murder was now the most powerful Conjuror in Arden made
Valerie clench her fists.

“The vote was close,” Skye said.
Then he lowered his voice. “There is already a group of Grand Masters that opposes
the new leadership and direction. We will have to operate in secrecy, because
Oleander will punish those who do not follow her direction.”

“You work fast,” Valerie said,
impressed, and secretly a little relieved that Skye was taking the lead in
organizing the Grand Masters.

But her relief was short-lived.

“Those of us who denounce
Oleander and the Fractus are meeting in a week in Calibro’s home in Elsinore,”
Skye said. “You need to be there. They will all expect you to provide
direction.”

“Me?” Valerie asked, hoping
she’d misunderstood. “You’re the most powerful Conjurors on the Globe. Don’t
you want to elect your own leader?”

“We did, and we decided on you.
We’re calling ourselves the Fist, because we are your weapon to use to fight
the Fractus,” Skye said.

Valerie’s head spun. She tried
not to let her panic show on her face, but Skye’s shrewd eyes assessed the rising
color in her cheeks, and he pawed the ground with one hoof and gave a snort of
impatience.

“You are the general in this
battle, the only one with close ties to Earth and the Globe. We don’t have your
knowledge. We can advise, but ultimately you must set the path. The group will
trust no one else.”

Valerie bit back any further
comments and nodded. “I’ll be there. I’ll bring my team with me.”

Skye’s eyes brightened with
approval. “Many say you are too young for this, but I judge others by the age
of their souls. Yours is ancient.”

Before Valerie could
ask what he meant, Skye trotted away. It was for the best, because she was
supposed to meet Gideon for training in the woods behind her home.

By the time she got there, quite
a little crowd had gathered for the lesson. In addition to Henry and Tan, Kanti
and Cyrus had joined, as well. When Gideon arrived, he had Juniper with him,
and Valerie considered the group with mounting hope. It was good to know that
her friends were learning how to protect themselves. Even Oberon worked in the
garden, pretending not to be watching what was happening.

Gideon began the lesson,
demonstrating how to use the prepotent crystal to test each other’s mental
defenses. Valerie dreaded her turn. But when Gideon reached her side, he didn’t
immediately attack her as he had in the past.

“I never got to thank you,”
Valerie said awkwardly. “Not only for saving me. You also returned Pathos to my
side.”

“It was my honor,” he said, and
his voice was more tender than Valerie had ever heard it. She wondered if
Gideon was thinking of her mother as his eyes traveled over Pathos’s hilt.

“I’m ready to get to work,”
Valerie said, trying to focus on the task before her.

“There may be some leftover
fairy dust in your blood from Kellen’s overdose. You must rest your mind a
while longer,” Gideon said.

Valerie refused to give in to
such a tempting option. “The enemy won’t care if I’m weakened by fairy dust. Go
ahead and attack.”

“Gideon is right, Daughter,”
Oberon said, brushing dirt from his hands. “You must rebuild your reserves of
magic, not deplete them.”

“In a battle, knowing when to
fall back is even more important than knowing when to advance,” Gideon said.

Oberon’s eyes flicked over
Gideon sharply, but he nodded in approval. “I’ve seen the truth of those words
in action. They are wise.”

“All right,” Valerie said,
letting herself relax.

“Have you learned what happened
to Ani, Rastelli, and Kellen?” she asked Gideon.

“Rastelli is in jail in the
Justice Guild,” Gideon said. “He confessed, and the trial will be soon. Kellen
has been disciplined in fairy court, but they were lenient. They clipped his
wings and set him free.”

Valerie shuddered. “Clipping his
wings actually sounds pretty awful. Will he survive?”

“Fairies’ wings are broken and
torn all the time by accident, Val,” Cyrus piped in. “They grow back in a few
months.”

“Until then, he won’t have
access to fairy dust,” Gideon said.

“It’s a temporary reprieve,”
Oberon added. “Though I would be willing to make it permanent if you so wish.”

Valerie squirmed a little under
her father’s blazing eyes. “Um, thanks. But let’s not tear anyone apart just
yet.”

“Vengeance will not lead to a
better world,” Gideon said, and Valerie saw his jaw tighten. She knew he was
thinking of her mother.

But Oberon’s expression was
faraway, not angry. “You sound like Adelita. You were always like two buds from
the same plant.”

Valerie saw a spasm of pain
cross Gideon’s features before he turned away.

“And yet she chose
to be with you,” Gideon said, his words so soft that Valerie almost missed
them.

Several hours later, everyone
was sweaty and drooping. After Gideon’s lessons, Oberon had drilled them on the
best techniques to collect and harvest their magic. Ever since Valerie had been
attacked in the woods, the sense that a storm was about to burst had hovered
over her. Seeing her friends working so hard on their magic made her realize
that they shared her premonition.

Oberon used his power to call
forth a bonfire as night fell. Azra and Summer joined them, bringing strange,
ripe fruit that they roasted in the flames and ate. Tan sat next to Valerie and,
after devouring a purple fruit the size of his head, turned to her, wiping the
juice from his mouth with his sleeve.

“So what’s the grand plan, Captain?”
Tan asked.

His words made her smile as she
remembered Thai calling her
Captain
earlier that day.

Tan raised an eyebrow. “I know
you’re thinking of Thai when you get that look. Don’t let Romeo see.”

Tan glanced at Cyrus, but he
wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. Still, Valerie could have
smacked him.

“You don’t know anything,” she
said.

“Sure I don’t. But I do have a
right to know what your battle plan is, if I’m going to risk my life for you,
right?” Tan asked.

His words took her aback, and
she remembered what Gideon had said to her. “Don’t fight for me. Fight because
you believe it’s the right thing to do.”

“Stop avoiding the question. You
don’t have a plan, do you?” he persisted.

Valerie opened her mouth to
contradict him, and then shut it. “You’re right. I’ve got all of these goals—find
the Byways, rescue Joe, keep the guilds from supporting the Fractus, get the
Fractus off of Earth—but that isn’t really a strategy, is it?”

“Don’t beat yourself up. I
wouldn’t know what to do, either,” Tan said with a little smile.

“You’re right, though, Tan. I
have to make a plan and execute it. If I don’t, the Fractus will destroy us
because everyone who opposes them is scattered,” Valerie said.

“You need to build your army,”
Oberon said, and Tan jumped.

“This is a private
conversation,” Tan said, his eyes narrowing.

“No it isn’t,” Valerie said,
confused at Tan’s sudden change in demeanor. “What do you mean, Dad?”

“The problem isn’t that you have
so many variables to control. It is that you need to build a group of people
whom you can call upon when the need arises. The Fractus will make a stand on
Earth and the Globe against those they consider a threat. Like you collect your
magic inside of you, ready for battle, so, too, must you gather your allies to
your cause, where you can call upon them when you need them.”

She nodded slowly. “I have to
convince the People of the Woods, the Grand Masters who oppose the Fractus, and
any other Conjurors who don’t want to see two worlds plunged into the dark ages
to be ready if we need them to fight.”

“Your army needs a proper name,”
Oberon said.

Valerie smiled. “Skye told me
that the Grand Masters who oppose the Fractus are calling themselves the Fist.
As in, my fist to use against the enemy.”

“It is a worthy banner under
which to unite your allies,” Oberon said with approval. Then his face changed, and
the lines in his face were deeper than usual in the shadows. “I have seen too
many battles in my lifetime, but I hoped my children would never experience
any,” he said.

“Maybe we can make that a
reality for your grandchildren,” Valerie said, and then blushed when she saw
that Cyrus was listening.

Before she could interpret his
expression, the flames in the fire flew higher, and Oberon yanked her backward
so that sparks wouldn’t land on their clothes.

“What the hell?” Tan said,
moving to stand behind Valerie.

“It’s a message from an Oracle,”
Oberon said. “They use fire and water as a channel when they need to contact
those outside of Ephesus.”

“It’s like I’m always saying,
cell phones,” Henry grumbled. “No crazy magic required.”

The flames danced, and as they
did, they formed the slight figure of a long-haired fairy that Valerie thought
she recognized.

“Sibyl?” she asked tentatively.

Two eyes of flame connected with
hers. “Yes, Valerie. At last, I’ve found you. You have to come to the Roaming
City right away.”

“What’s happened?” Valerie
asked.

Fire Sibyl glanced behind her
for a moment, her hair streaming. Her words were rushed as she spoke.

“The split in the prophecies has
caused a rift among the Oracles. Fighting has broken out on the streets, and
Putrefus and his friends have seized the major buildings in the city. They are
refusing to let those who do not follow their rules to prophesize. Worse,
they’re turning away Conjurors in need who cannot pay the price they demand.”

Putrefus was one of the most
powerful Oracles in Ephesus, and Valerie had met him several times. He’d always
been obnoxious—and greedy, but it was hard to imagine him leading a revolt.

“Is he working with the
Fractus?” Valerie asked.

“I’m not sure. I’m hiding with
others who won’t bow down to Putrefus, and it’s difficult to understand what is
happening. There is no one else I can ask for help in this.” Sibyl’s form grew
fuzzy in the fire. “Come. Hurry.”

The fire dimmed, and her form
vanished.

“I guess we’re packing,” Cyrus
said after they were sure that Sibyl was gone.

“This is the right move for a
lot of reasons,” Henry said, his jaw set. “Maybe the Oracles can help me narrow
down where in Japan my dad is being held.”

“They might be able to give us a
clue to the Byways,” Kanti added. “Every day that goes by that we don’t find
them is another chance for the Fractus to beat us there.”

Valerie was barely listening to
her friends as they spoke. “I’m certain that the trouble in Ephesus is at
Reaper’s instigation. He wants to control the prophecies that the Oracles
deliver.”

The last time Valerie had seen
Sibyl, the young Oracle told her of a split in the prophecies. Some led to a
path of peace, and others to war. Reaper had been with her when she’d learned
of this, and she knew which path he would want to encourage.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s
go,” Henry said.

“We can’t rush into this. It’s
our chance to strike out against the Fractus when they won’t see it coming,”
Valerie said.

“Explain what you mean, Daughter,”
Oberon said.

“Reaper doesn’t know that we’ve
heard from Sibyl. He’s letting Putrefus and his little gang cause trouble,
trusting that, given enough time, they’ll be able to steer the prophecies
toward war on Earth and the Globe. But if we bring some serious manpower with
us, we can crush Putrefus’s little rebellion, and I doubt Reaper and his army
will be there to stop us.”

“Maybe we can turn the tide so
that the Oracles deliver the prophecies of peace. We’ll control the message,”
Kanti said, her eyes sparkling.

But Valerie shook her head. “I
don’t want to force the Oracles to prophesize one way or the other. Then we’re
no better than the Fractus. We need to create room for both sides to have a voice.”

“Are you sure this is the right
path?” Oberon asked, examining her like a general instead of his daughter. “In
my experience, crushing the enemy so there is no chance of resurgence is the
most effective technique.”