by Kristen Pham
“Please get up, you’re going to give her a heart attack,” he said.
Elden rose, but he flashed an irritated glance at Henry.
What you say is true; Valerie is a vivicus. But she is still a child. I ask you not to tell your people she is here. She needs rest and safe passage.
Elden shook his head in disbelief and turned to Valerie. “Is this what you want?”
She nodded. “This is all a misunderstanding. I’m only beginning to understand what my powers are and how to control them.”
He squinted, examining her. She squirmed, feeling like a bug under a microscope. He shook his head. “I had hoped you might help us to defeat Reaper at last. But I can see you are not the person we need.”
“Reaper?” Henry asked.
The name tickled the back of Valerie’s mind. She was sure she’d heard it before.
“He has old, powerful magic and has ruled the Black Castle for a very long time. Once he kept to himself, but now he has begun sending his minions into our woods, attacking our people with powers we have never seen before.”
You never told me of this. What does he want?
“We don’t know. He took two of the oldest in our community last season. He sent some strange invisible creatures to take three of our children several nights past, but we were able to drive them back. A life was lost in the battle, and several were wounded.”
“Why didn’t you ask for help?” Valerie asked.
“We ask no favors from Conjurors, and grant no favors in return. We wish to live apart from your politics and corruption.”
“Then why help us now?” Henry asked.
Elden’s face softened. “Azra saved my daughter from death with healing waters from her horn. There is nothing she may not ask of me.”
Azra bowed her head, and her mane shimmered in the firelight. Valerie was starting to think that there wasn’t anyone on the Globe whose life hadn’t been touched by Azra. Though Zaki’s life had been lost tonight to protect her, she had saved Azra’s. It didn’t make up for his loss, but it was something to comfort her and be grateful for.
“For tonight, there are beds here for you. In the morning, we travel,” Elden said.
Valerie tossed and turned that night, thinking about Reaper, until at last something clicked. Reaper was the name that Zunya had mentioned when he found Valerie on Earth. Whoever he was, Zunya answered to him. She couldn’t stop the chill that came over her, trying to imagine an evil powerful enough that even Zunya obeyed.
Chapter 8
Valerie woke the next day physically stronger. Still, her magic was absent—it was like missing a limb. Even on Earth, she could feel the magic trapped inside her, even if she couldn’t access it. She quickly met with Thai and Chisisi to tell them what had happened, but her visit was brief. They were making arrangements to ship Zaki’s body back to Egypt, and they were about to talk to the police about what had happened.
Her mind returned to the Globe, and she stepped back into the little room where they had met Elden the night before. Henry was pacing by the fire, which had diminished to glowing embers. “Finally, you’re up. I knew you needed your rest, but we’ve got to get to civilization so we can see if there’s any news about Kanti.”
She rubbed her eyes and nodded. “Let’s get moving. Where are Azra and Elden?”
“No idea,” he said.
He opened a door at the end of the room, and Valerie’s eyes widened at what lay beyond it. They were in the middle of a city entirely settled in the branches of the trees. Houses were perched at different levels, one or two per giant tree. The roads were made of entwined branches that formed living walkways and platforms from tree to tree. Wildflowers in glittering shades of pink, yellow, and purple bloomed everywhere, making the city look as if it was decorated for a holiday. Long ropes woven from a golden material formed ladders that fell to the ground, which was about one hundred yards below.
The people were busy, children racing among the branches, adults pulling wheelbarrows and selling food from little stalls carved into niches of the trees. They heard the gentle clop of Azra’s hooves come up behind them.
It is a wonder, isn’t it?
“Are these people—elves?” Henry asked hesitantly.
In human legends, that is what they are called. But the People of the Woods would be very offended if you used that term.
“This place is beautiful,” Valerie said, breathing in the scent of flowers and growing things.
“I thank you for your words,” Elden said, approaching them from a nearby stall. He handed them a doughy food that crumbled in Valerie’s mouth. It was warm, salty, and filling.
“How did you ever build this place? Magic?” Henry asked.
“Some. But mainly from patience. We have guided branches and vines into place over hundreds of years to form this city. We never rob a tree of life, but only encourage it to grow in a direction of our suggestion. Now come, we must move quickly. Word of your arrival has begun to spread, and there are those who are calling for you to be cast out before your human ways can spread among us like a disease. Or so they believe.”
Valerie guessed that he added his last comment for Azra’s benefit, but she knew that they should be grateful for his help, however grudgingly it was given. Elden led the way down a vine-covered path, and they hurried after him. The road wasn’t easy to navigate, because it wasn’t smooth like the roads on Earth. At one point, Henry’s foot caught on a root and he fell to the ground.
“You okay?” she asked.
He dusted himself off. “Not the best city for those of us who are spatially challenged.”
She had a prickly feeling on her neck, and she saw two people with long, dark hair glaring at them from a nearby branch. She wondered if Henry really had been clumsy, or if they had “encouraged” the root to trip him.
She and Henry hurried to catch up with Azra and Elden, who had stopped at the edge of the platform that they were currently crossing. They joined them next to a golden rope ladder that went over the edge and fell toward the ground. But they were so high in the trees that the ladder disappeared into fog, and Valerie couldn’t see the land below.
“Here you are. It’s perfectly safe to jump, but most prefer the ladder,” Elden said.
Henry’s eyes went wide. “Leap over the edge? Or go down a ladder so high off the ground? Are you crazy?”
Azra’s laugh tinkled in Valerie’s mind. It’s safe. Allow me to go first, she said, and she galloped off the edge, swallowed by the mist.
“You can’t be serious!” Henry exclaimed.
“You’re on the Globe now. Things don’t have the same rules here. This isn’t the last time that you’ll have to make a leap of faith. Might as well start today,” she said, and gave him a nudge.
He wiped sweaty palms on his pants. “All right. I’ll go next. Thank you for your help, Elden.”
Slowly, he climbed down the ladder, gripping the rungs so tightly that his knuckles turned white. After a few steps down, the fog swallowed him up.
“You pretended to be brave for your brother, but I can hear your heart pounding,” Elden said to her. “This fear, it is why you will not lead?”
“No, it isn’t only that I’m afraid. You don’t know me well. I’m not the leading type—what if I make the wrong decision and people get hurt? I’m not sure I could live with myself.”
“You do not understand what it means to be a vivicus. It is a manifestation of magic that resides only in one with a completely pure heart. That is why it is so rare, and why everyone expects you to lead. It is impossible that you could lead us astray through selfishness or corruption. You have honor.”
“I can’t say for certain how incorruptible I am, since I’ve never been tested. But even if what you say is true, there’s no way I could ever lead other people. I can barely lead myself.”
“You have been tested. You had the opportunity to justly destroy your greatest enemy, and instead you saved her life,” Elden said
.
Valerie was surprised that he had heard of her encounter with Sanguina. If the People of the Woods knew, removed from the world up in their trees, then everyone must know.
She shifted uncomfortably, and Elden examined her closely. “I can see you are not ready to accept this truth. But if the day comes when you are, you will have allies in my people.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, not sure what else to say. “And thank you for your help and protection.”
He nodded in acknowledgment and farewell. She stepped to the edge of the platform and thought about going down as Henry had, rung by rung. But then she shrugged, sucked in a big gulp of air, and took a swan dive into the fog.
For several heart-stopping moments, wind rushed past her, blowing her hair back and stinging her eyes. But then she slowed, and the fog lifted. She was floating through the air above Arden, heading gently to the surface. In the distance, she saw the streets of Silva, which was the capital city in Arden, and knew that they must be landing in a nearby forest. When her feet touched the ground, Henry was waiting for her with a huge grin on his face.
“That was incredible. Let’s go back and do it again,” he joked. “Azra went on ahead. She said it was urgent to inform the Guild Masters about the threat that Elden told us about—Reaper. But we just have to follow this path back to the city, and she said you’d know the way to the Society of Imaginary Friends dorm from there.”
They headed down a well-worn path through the trees and came out at the edge of The Horseshoe of Guilds. As they approached the walkway, Valerie explained about the guilds, that each represented a different profession, ranging from music to weaponry to being the imaginary friend of children on Earth. Conjurors apprenticed to a guild when they were young and learned their trade in order to give back to the community.
“There’s the Society of Imaginary Friends,” she said, pointing to the most interesting of the buildings. Waterslides came out the window, and children chased each other through doors and out windows, screaming with laughter. “That’s the guild where Cyrus and Kanti are apprenticed.”
“Speaking of Kanti, let’s go find Cyrus to see if he’s heard anything more.”
She led him through the streets, pointing out different guilds and buildings as they passed each one. As fascinating as Silva was, she could see that most of his attention was still preoccupied with thoughts of Kanti. She wished that his first glimpse of the Globe had been under happier circumstances, as hers had been.
She stopped in front of a tall, cylindrical building in different shades of blue, which was the dorm for the Society of Imaginary Friends. “This is where we’ll live,” she said. “It’s your home now, too.”
“Val!” Cyrus came tearing out of the front door and swung her around in a joyful hug. She squeezed him back. He then turned to Henry and they clasped hands and slapped each other on the back. Cyrus’s blue eyes sparkled with happiness. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you guys. I’ve been on pins and needles all day.”
“How is she?” Henry asked.
“Kanti’s the same. Dulcea, our dorm matron, is talking to her mom every day.”
“My ears are burning!” Dulcea said in her sweet voice, whizzing down the building on a platform that she was steering with her mind. Her blonde hair glinted in the sunlight, and her wide smile was a welcome sight.
“Valerie! And you must be Henry! This is so wonderful. I do hope you’ll come to me like your sister does if you need anything at all. Your room is all set up—you’ll be sharing with Cyrus.” Dulcea almost bubbled over in her enthusiasm.
“Um, thank you,” Henry said, taking a small step backward. Valerie could feel through their connection that he was a little overwhelmed.
“Why don’t I show you our room? Then Val and I will show you around properly,” Cyrus suggested.
Henry nodded gratefully, and they zoomed up to Cyrus’s floor. Dulcea and Valerie caught the next platform.
“I’ll join you. How are you—really?” Dulcea asked.
“Tired and worried about Kanti, but very happy to be back. How have things been with you? Last time you visited us, you said you were in the middle of your big thesis paper on finding your passion through imagination.”
“It’s been frustrating. Our Guild Grand Master isn’t supportive of my theories. I’m going to need a lot of data to prove myself to him.”
“He sounds tough.”
Dulcea laughed. “Rastelli is probably the least tough person I’ve ever met. He’s hard to pin down on anything. But he isn’t someone who likes change. And any time I try to talk seriously with him, he always gets silly. Which is funny, but not helpful. I guess it’s why he’s Grand Master though—he’s a big kid.”
“I know how determined you are. You’ll win him over.”
“It’s so good to have you back, Valerie.”
She hugged Dulcea.
“I left some treats in your room. I remembered how much you loved my chocolates,” Dulcea said. Dulcea’s magic was expressed in her desserts, and they were the most delicious candies Valerie had ever eaten in her life.
The two parted ways, and Valerie went to her room, now empty, missing her roommate. As she stepped inside, she remembered the first time she had met Kanti. She was in the room, dancing to hip-hop. After Valerie got over the shock of her strange appearance, the two quickly bonded. The room seemed lonely without her.
Her side of the room was untouched, and Pathos, her sword, lay on her bed. She strapped on her sheath and slid Pathos into it. It was good to have it by her side again. It was as much a part of her as her magic, and she had missed its security.
She lay on her bed and touched the crystal that would connect her to Thai and was instantly by his side. He was sleeping in a twin bed in a small room. His eyes were shadowed, and he slept the sleep of the exhausted. But he must have sensed something, because he woke up, and he smiled when he saw her.
“I was dreaming about you,” he said. “We were arm wrestling. You beat me.”
“How romantic,” she said sarcastically, but actually she thought it really was.
“How are you and Henry? Everything okay?”
“It is now. We’re safe in our dorm. You don’t need to worry about us. Where are you, anyway?”
“I’m staying in Henry’s old bedroom. Joe seemed fragile after Henry left, and I didn’t want to leave him by himself. Chisisi is taking Zaki’s body back to Egypt today.”
She was chilled by his words. With all the excitement of the past couple of days, she hadn’t processed the full horror of what had happened to him. He was murdered. The word made bile rise in her throat.
“What is it?” Thai asked.
“He wouldn’t have been in danger if it weren’t for Henry and me. He died because of us.”
“Don’t do that,” he said, sitting up. “You know that he was part of a larger battle against the Fractus. They were more after him than either of you, from where I was sitting. After all, that woman who jumped on the roof of our car tried to kidnap him, but she left you alone.”
“I can’t believe someone would murder him. It’s like something out of an awful movie. I don’t want to believe it’s real. And even though we didn’t know him that well, I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“I know. I think he’s someone we would have really liked.”
He reached over to touch her hand, but it went right through hers. He shook his head sadly.
“How are you?” she asked.
“I’m a little more tired than usual, but a lot has been going on. And Tan has all this energy, so when I get the body back I’m usually exhausted and I pass out.”
“I’m going to let you rest.”
“Don’t go yet,” he said, and she had never seen such a vulnerable look in his eyes before.
“I’ll stay till you sleep, okay?”
He nodded, and lay back down. She lay next to him, and he shut his eyes. She watched as his breathing slowly grew even, and
wished that she could kiss his eyelids. When at last she was satisfied that he was peacefully asleep, she let her mind return to the Globe.
Immediately she heard a knocking on the door, and she let Henry in. He stopped short, staring at Kanti’s side of the room. It was painted a blue so dark it was almost black, and was plastered with posters of Earth bands. Her bed was unmade, as if she had just left it that morning. He walked over to her desk and ran his hands over the cover of her journal, which had a pattern of skulls on it.
“She’s going to be okay. I know it,” Valerie said to him.
“She has to be. I love her, you know.”
“Of course you do. So do I.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m in love with her. But I didn’t have the guts to tell her. I thought when I was here… on the Globe… in person… that I could finally do it.”
She squeezed her brother’s hand. “You will tell her. And I’m so happy for you. Being in love is the best.”
“Like you and Thai?” he said with a questioning raise of an eyebrow. She blushed. “Thought so.”
“All right, gang, let’s get moving!” Cyrus said, coming in the open door. “I can see it falls to me to cheer this group up. Mission accepted!”
“There’s been a change of plans,” she said. “Henry’s going to Elsinore.”
Chapter 9
It wasn’t hard to convince Dulcea to let Henry visit Kanti in Elsinore. She was worried about her as well, and decided that she would escort him personally.
“I can’t take you all, though,” Dulcea said regretfully. “Her parents aren’t the most welcoming people, and I’m not sure they’ll welcome us. If it’s a crowd, they’ll turn us away for sure.”
“Actually, I have to check in with Gideon. I promised that I would join the search for Jet,” Valerie replied. She gave her brother a hug. “Give Kanti my love.”