by Kristen Pham
“Long ago, it was one of the portals to the Globe. But someone stole a disc that channels the magic of this place, and it hasn’t worked since. Several years ago, I used my considerable wit and strength to recover it,” Zaki said, pulling out a stone from his pouch with a flourish and handing it to her.
It was perfectly round and smooth, other than a deep depression in the center. The disc itself was humming with power, somehow synchronized with the humming in the room.
“How can you be sure it’s the right disc?” Thai asked. “It doesn’t look special to me.”
“It’s not how it looks, it’s how it feels,” Zaki replied.
She handed it to Thai, and she knew when he felt its power by his sharp gasp. “It belongs here,” he said.
“This hot spring isn’t very deep. I need to swim to the bottom of it and put the disc in place. Then Valerie and Henry’s magic will reactivate it, and at sunset they should be able to travel to the Globe,” Zaki explained.
“Will it be like last time, where we steer a bubble with our minds?” she asked.
“No, this portal uses very different magic. No one has used it for hundreds of years, so I only know that you enter the water and emerge in a pool on the Globe. Azra knows where you will appear and will be waiting for you.”
With that, Zaki pulled out a mask that would allow him to see underwater, struck a Superman pose, and dove into the pool. He came up for air several times.
“I’m searching the bottom for the right spot. I know where it should be, but underwater it is hard to tell,” he explained.
When the disc was put in place, the hot spring lit up, glowing from beneath. The sight took Valerie’s breath away. The water was pure and clear, and if it weren’t for the light reflecting off the water, she might have thought that there was no water at all. She could see every rock, every groove at the bottom of the pool.
Henry’s jaw hung open and Joe held his hand against his mouth. It was the first time that either of them had witnessed magic. It was one thing to learn about it through stories, but another thing to experience it.
“This is really happening,” Henry whispered. His father gripped him in a close hug.
“I know this isn’t really goodbye, son, but I will miss you all the same,” Joe said. Then he hugged Valerie. “I can’t wait to know you better. Please take care of my boy.”
She gripped him tightly. “I swear I’ll protect him with my life.”
“We’ll take care of each other,” Henry said, with a trace of annoyance.
She laughed. “Agreed. Though on the Globe, I could totally beat you in an arm wrestling match any day of the week.”
“We’ll see.”
“How sweet,” Zunya’s voice cut through the room.
Her heart rate immediately sped up, but she forced herself to swallow her fear. “You’re too late,” she said. “We’re going to leave.”
“My mistake. Is it sunset already?”
The beating sound Valerie had noticed earlier was much louder now, and wind swept through the cave, kicking up dust and making her cough. Footsteps raced through the cave. It was definitely more than a couple of people.
“Children, step back,” Chisisi commanded.
“Yes, children, hide like little mice,” Zunya taunted.
“We’re here to help,” she said, straightening her spine.
“Val, do what Chisisi says,” Cyrus said, appearing beside her. “Trust me, he can handle himself.”
Four figures dressed in black burst into the room. Valerie barely had time to register that one of them was the dark-haired woman who had attacked them on the highway before complete mayhem broke out. She barely managed to follow the fight, because Chisisi and Zaki moved so quickly that she couldn’t believe they weren’t using magic. Expertly, they ducked and weaved away from blows from their attackers. Then, with quick jabs to certain pressure points, first one, then another, dropped to the ground, unconscious.
“Idiots, get up!” Zunya hissed.
A sudden splash in the pool alerted Valerie to the fact that the dark-haired woman had jumped into the water. She swam straight to the bottom and pulled out the disc. The pool turned dark as the magic was extinguished.
Zaki dove in after her, and Valerie listened as they grappled in the water. It was difficult to see with only the ring of fire lighting the room. Suddenly, the woman leaped out of the water and began running down the hallway to the exit of the cave. Valerie and Thai chased after her, and Thai caught the edge of the woman’s shirt. She tripped, dropping the disc, but was quickly back up and running.
Outside on the ledge, Valerie saw what was causing the noise and wind—a helicopter hovered unsteadily in the canyon. The woman made an incredible leap off the ledge and into the helicopter, which immediately rose into the sky.
“It’s not over,” Zunya said, but the immediate danger had passed.
“You underestimated us—again,” she said, and he vanished.
“Guys?” Henry called, his voice wavering with emotion. Thai and Valerie picked up the disc and ran back to the chamber. Chisisi was giving Zaki CPR, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of their attackers.
“He has passed,” Chisisi said, his voice trembling with grief. He rocked back on his heels, his hands hiding his face.
“She killed him? That can’t be. I don’t believe it!” Valerie said, and fell to her knees beside Zaki. She held her hands against his heart and tried to reach for her magic, the magic that saved Sanguina’s life, but just like when she tried to help Ming, she couldn’t touch it.
“Someone has to help him! What about Darling?” she cried.
“He’s already gone, Val. No one can help him now,” Cyrus said softly.
Chisisi made a choking sound as he tried to hold back a sob. Zaki was really gone.
“Young ones, you must go, now. It’s what Zaki would have wanted,” Chisisi said, no longer trying to hide the tears that coursed down his cheeks.
“We don’t know who else might be coming. We can’t lose any time,” Thai added.
Chisisi took the disc and dove to the bottom of the hot spring. The water glowed again, but a dark stain of blood from a cut on Zaki’s head stained the pure water.
Valerie hugged Joe and Chisisi, and then turned to Thai while Henry said a final goodbye to his father.
“I’m going to be with you before you know it,” Thai said. “But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that life will be hell without you by my side.”
He crushed her to his chest and kissed her. It was quick but sweet, and when she pulled back, she saw the determination in his eyes. He would come to her, no matter what it took.
“I love you,” she whispered, and he pulled her into his arms one last time.
“Me, too—truly and forever.”
Chapter 7
Henry and Valerie held hands as they jumped into the glowing pool. The warm water enveloped her like an embrace. Beneath the surface, she opened her eyes and watched in astonishment as the water turned gold. Without thinking, she inhaled, but instead of water rushing into her lungs, a tingling warmth raced down her throat and circulated through her entire body.
The magic spread down her arms and legs and shot out of her fingers and toes. The terrifying thought entered her mind that she would disappear forever. She had barely formed the idea when the magic receded up her arms and back into her core. The water was no longer gold. In fact, it was much colder, and she realized that she was deep underwater.
She swam up, up, up, scared that she would never reach the top. Was this how Zaki had felt when he drowned in the pool? She kicked her legs in panic. Seconds later, she was gasping for air. She saw that Henry had already surfaced and was staring up.
Above them was a sky full of thousands of stars. It was a dazzling sight, but she couldn’t appreciate it knowing the price that had been paid to get her here. It was a debt she could never repay, but she promised herself that she’d never forget Zaki’s sacrifice.
Valerie registered that they were in the middle of a deep pool of water that looked black in the darkness. She and Henry swam to the edge, and she wrung out her hair. In the moonlight, the streak of silver at the back that she usually kept hidden in her ponytail shone brightly. It had appeared after she had saved Sanguina’s life with her vivicus power, and every time she saw it, she was reminded of what she was capable of—and what she was giving up.
She gave Azra a hug and buried her face in her mane, which smelled like lilies. “I missed you.”
And I, you.
“It’s an honor to meet you in the flesh,” Henry said formally. Valerie could see that he was a little dazzled to meet a real unicorn.
The feeling is mutual, she said with a kind twinkle in her eyes. There are towels and clothes in my pack. She pointed her nose toward a brown bag hanging over her snow white back. They quickly dried off and dressed.
“Where are we?” Valerie asked. “And where’s Cyrus?”
I had to come alone. The reason that this portal to the Globe was closed was because the entrance here is in the heart of Dunsinane, which is crawling with Fractus. I suspect their Black Castle is nearby.
“Isn’t Sanguina gone from here now?”
Yes, but we know that she didn’t act alone. At the very least, Zunya is still here, and we have reason to believe an even more powerful enemy considers it home.
“Why doesn’t an army of Conjurors go and take over the castle?” Henry asked.
It cannot be found unless someone is invited. Now, we must quickly travel to a nearby wood on the border of Dunsinane. I have a friend there who will help us get back to Arden.
“I have to tell our friends we made it safely,” Valerie said. Azra nodded, and Valerie gripped the crystal around her neck. With the Globe’s magic to power the charm, she saw a little image of Thai inside, smiling at her. She gripped it tightly, and was by his side, on the ledge outside of the cave where they had been only minutes earlier, but which was now a universe away.
“You’re safe!” he said when he saw her. “I had hoped you were, but you both just vanished and the light went out, and we were worried you had drowned—”
“We’re fine,” she gently interrupted him. She yearned to touch his hand, and even though he had held her less than an hour ago, already it was almost physically painful to be separated from him.
“Thank goodness,” Joe said.
Chisisi nodded in relief, but his face was drained of color. He was almost swaying on his feet.
“I can’t stay—we entered into an area that’s a little dangerous, so we have to move quickly. I’ll visit you as soon as I can.”
She was suddenly jolted, and her mind came back to the Globe. Henry was shaking her. Zunya was only a few yards away from them.
“You should have stayed on Earth. You would have lived longer,” he said, his yellow eyes connecting with hers.
The Laurel Circle was very cold on her thumb. Zunya could take her magic, leaving her defenseless. He raised his hand in the air, and her power began to drain away. She clutched her chest, and next to her, Henry did the same thing.
But then Azra stepped in front of them both, and Valerie’s magic returned in a flood. It was a sweet relief, like she had a gasp of air after being underwater for too long. But if Azra was shielding her, then she must be in incredible pain.
“Azra, no! It’s okay, I’ll go peacefully. Don’t let him near you,” Valerie said.
His void cannot touch me. Leave this place, Zunya, she commanded with a toss of her mane.
“Don’t test me. My powers have grown since we last met,” he said, and his yellow eyes glittered dangerously.
But Azra calmly stepped forward, aiming her horn at his heart. Her pure white coat began to dim as she walked closer, but she continued to approach him. Zunya held out his hand, and he began to pant with effort. He was focusing all of his attention on Azra, and Valerie saw an opportunity.
Grateful to have her full strength and energy back now that she was on the Globe, she stepped back into the shadows, and then quietly circled behind him. With a swift spin kick, she knocked her heel against his temple, and he dropped to the ground.
Before she could give him the final blow that would render him unconscious, he was back on his feet faster than she would have thought possible. Valerie launched a punch on his jaw, but instead of fighting back, he retreated into the darkness.
“Guess he’s not immune to a good, old-fashioned punch in the face,” Henry said with satisfaction, and brother and sister prepared to go after him.
But Azra dropped to her foreleg, and her head touched the ground. Henry and Valerie hurried to her side. Azra’s usually iridescent mane was streaked with dull gray. There were white spots on her eyes, as though she was blind.
Children, I am sorry, she said, and then stumbled, falling completely to the ground.
“No,” Valerie said, but instead of panic, she was filled only with determination. On the Globe, she was her own mistress, and no more of her friends would be lost. Somehow she knew what to do without thinking. Gently, she cupped Azra’s face and threaded her fingers through her mane.
“Valerie? What’s happening?” Henry asked, stepping toward her. She opened her mind to him, and he gasped.
Her magic pounded in her veins like a heartbeat. It threatened to flood her, devour her, but she channeled it out of herself and into Azra. Electricity crackled in the air, and Azra lit up in a blinding flash. With effort, Valerie tried to release her grip on her magic before it consumed her, but it was as if a dam had burst inside her. It was like she was being pulled to the bottom of a vast ocean by an inescapable undertow. She had gone too far, and she wasn’t coming back.
Before she was lost, her resolve suddenly strengthened as her brother’s mind joined hers. Together, they pushed back the flood of magic, and to her relief, it receded. She registered the shock on Henry’s face and Azra’s cool breath against her cheek before her mind went dark.
The dream was back, but this time instead of Sanguina’s eyes, she saw Azra’s. They were filled with resignation. She had traded a part of herself that she could never have back, and with that trade came a choice—give into the oblivion or fight her way to the light.
The darkness pressed on her, as if she was deep underwater again. It was harder than ever to remember what waited for her if she could fight her way to the surface. Family, friends, love.
The pain this time was like being torn apart from the inside of her mind to the tips of her toes. She couldn’t repress her scream.
It wasn’t Thai who waited for her when she opened her eyes this time, but Azra’s gentle, dark eyes. Her warm breath blew against Valerie’s face and she revived a little.
“I’m here, too,” Henry said, leaning over her. “We have to get out of here before Zunya comes back with reinforcements. I’ll keep you safe; I swear it.”
As gently as he could, he draped her across Azra’s back. Then he climbed behind her, holding her waist so that she wouldn’t fall off. Azra’s hooves made a gentle clopping sound against the stony ground.
Despite the uncomfortable position, she slid back into unconsciousness. When she awoke, she saw that they were approaching a grove of trees. Her vision was blurry, and she was as drained and exhausted as she ever had been on Earth.
“I thought this wasn’t supposed to happen now that I’m on the Globe and I can use my magic,” she whispered.
Using magic, especially the amount you used to save me, has a price. No one’s magic is limitless, and you used up your store. It will take time for it to build back up again.
“It was worth it.”
Thank you, Valerie. I am glad my time here is not yet over.
“She’ll fully recover, right?” Henry asked.
Yes. But being a vivicu
s is a rare and powerful manifestation of magic. It is a power that must not be used lightly. Valerie’s life, and even yours, could be at stake.
She stopped in front of a giant tree. The trunk was five feet in diameter. After Valerie and Henry got off Azra’s back, they looked up, amazed, at the endless branches and leaves that blocked their view of the stars.
Azra touched her horn against a knot in the side of the tree, and a door swung open, revealing a wooden staircase that led up toward an orange glow. She ascended the stairs with Valerie and Henry behind her.
At the top was a simple room with a fireplace providing warmth and light, and a table covered with fruit and other food that Valerie couldn’t name. Sitting in a chair by the fire was an elegant man with dark skin, wearing a tunic made of soft white material. When the light hit his face, she could see that his skin was brushed with gold, just like the trees in Arden’s forest. It was unusual but beautiful.
“The People of the Woods give you permission to pass through this land,” he said formally, rising to his feet. He stood a little taller than she did, and his build was slight but graceful. “You may call me Elden.”
Thank you for your hospitality.
“I wouldn’t call it that. I welcome you, Azra, but these two humans have not proven themselves. I am here to guide you safely to Arden, it is true, but also to guard my people from any danger they may bring.”
I have vouched for both of these children. You may trust them. It was the first time that Valerie had ever seen Azra’s eyes flash with something approaching anger. They are not a part of your feud.
Elden nodded, but the alert way that he held himself told her that he was still wary of them. “What happened to you, Azra? I sense that you have been through an immense change. The afterglow of powerful magic is coming off of you in waves.” His eyes widened. “You were touched by a vivicus! Who?”
Azra said nothing, but his eyes were drawn to Valerie. He dropped to one knee. “I am at your service. And so are all of the People of the Woods, once they know who you are.”
Her skin crawled and she flushed with embarrassment. If Azra hadn’t warned her about the reaction of the Conjurors to the news that she was a vivicus, she would have been sure that Elden was mocking her. She saw Henry stare at Elden in astonishment, and then he burst out laughing.