by Kristen Pham
“You have to do something,” she begged Chisisi.
Henry’s dad poked his head in the doorway and tentatively entered. He had a bowl of water and a washcloth.
“Thank you,” Chisisi said.
“Yes, thank you, Joe,” Valerie said, but couldn’t tear her eyes away from Thai.
“I’ve been researching teas that can help with the pain. I’ll brew him one,” Joe said. He left, quietly closing the door behind him.
Thai was shaking so hard that he was almost a blur. Chisisi added herbs from Zaki’s pouch to the water Joe had brought. Gently, he brought the bowl to Thai’s lips, and he sipped the liquid. He sputtered at the taste, but Chisisi firmly kept pouring the drink down his throat. The shaking stopped, and Thai stared at Valerie intensely.
“Don’t leave me—if this is the end, yours is the last face I want to see,” he said.
His eyes flashed gold, and Tan snarled at her. Then they rapidly changed between dark brown and gold, flickering like strobe lights. The shaking resumed. Thai opened his mouth in a wide, silent scream that tore her heart in half.
Even more frightening, his mouth seemed to open even more, yawning wider like a scene from a horror movie. She almost backed away at the sight, but forced herself to bend closer so he could see that she was still there.
She heard a ripping sound and saw that it was his clothes. Then the air around him shimmered. She heard a high-pitched keening that was even worse than his screams. The shimmering stopped, and a body fell off the bed and onto the floor. She crouched beside the figure and stared into his dark brown eyes.
“I’m still here,” she whispered. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
He reached for her, and she reached back. But they touched nothing but air. Chisisi covered him with a blanket, and Thai fell backward onto the ground.
“No!” she screamed.
Chisisi made a soft hushing sound and checked his pulse. “He is alive. It is typical that both Thai and Tan will be unconscious as they recover. It may be a few days before they awake. But his heart beats strongly. He will fight his way back to you.”
Then they both turned to the form on the bed. Tan’s eyes were closed, and his dark hair was matted against his forehead. Chisisi touched his wrist and nodded.
“He will live,” he said, and Valerie slumped with relief.
“It’s over?” she asked, her voice sounding small and shaky.
Chisisi nodded and bowed his head in prayer.
Tan turned his head to the other side, and Valerie gasped. Now visible on his neck was a black handprint. Radiating out from it were lines that could be blood poisoning.
Chisisi’s mouth was set in a grim line. “This is not from the separation. This is something else.”
“It’s where Venu touched him with his poison,” Valerie whispered. “Will he die?”
Chisisi shook his head. “I don’t think so. But I do not know what this means. Zaki didn’t speak of this.”
The reminder of Zaki, dead in the service of saving her, on top of everything she had seen that day, completely broke Valerie down. She sobbed. Chisisi’s lips were compressed tightly, as if he, too, was barely keeping his grief in check.
Against her will, Valerie’s mind was drawn back to the Globe because of the intensity of her emotions. Henry and Midnight were beside her.
“What happened?” Henry asked.
“It-it’s okay. Thai and Tan separated, but they’re going to live,” Valerie replied.
“So these are tears of happiness?” he asked, chewing on his thumbnail.
She blew her nose. “Thai’s unconscious and something’s wrong with Tan and Jet might die and they’ve taken Darling, and poor Zaki…”
He nodded and squeezed her hand. “It’ll be okay.”
“I’m sorry. I’m a mess. I’ll get myself under control in a second.”
He shook his head. “Better out than in. That’s what Dad always says about tears.”
“Your father is right,” Midnight agreed, her voice soft. “I know from experience.”
“Will they be okay?” Valerie asked her.
“I’ll visit them now, and consult with Chisisi. I will watch over their case personally until any danger has passed,” Midnight promised.
Valerie sagged with relief, and Henry and Midnight stayed with her while she cried herself out. It was strange but intensely comforting to face this crisis with people who loved her. It was like having a family.
Chapter 21
The next few days passed very slowly. Valerie spent as much time as possible at Thai’s side, watching him sleep. Even though Midnight checked on Thai often and assured Valerie that they were recovering normally, Valerie couldn’t bring herself to leave him long enough to visit her Guild, even though she knew that Jet and Darling were counting on her. It was like she was in a state of suspended animation.
It was three days, five hours and thirty-two minutes before Thai awoke. She had fallen asleep herself, but something woke her up. She immediately sent her mind to Thai’s side and found him sitting on the edge of the bed in his room, watching over Tan. He smiled when he saw her.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, trying to keep the tears that were still close to the surface from spilling over.
“For what?”
“I wanted to be here when you woke up.”
“Chisisi told me that you’ve barely left my side. And in some way I knew you were here, and I knew it was going to be okay,” his dark eyes stared at her hungrily, like he wanted to remember every nuance of her face.
“How are you?”
“Better than I’ve been since this whole thing started. Like I’m myself again.”
“What about Tan? Is he okay? I thought you’d wake up at the same time.”
He returned his attention to Tan, who was breathing evenly. “I have to believe he’s going to be okay. Maybe now that we’ve separated, we can figure out what’s wrong.”
“Where’s Chisisi?”
“I made him go get some rest. I can never repay him for taking care of us.”
“He’s one of the best people I know,” she agreed.
“Thank you, young ones,” Chisisi said, appearing at the door. “Now you must leave Thai to rest.”
“Come on, I’ve done enough resting,” Thai argued, but without heat. She could see that it would take time for him to get his full energy back.
“There is much left to do if we are going to get you and Tan to the Globe,” Chisisi insisted. “You will need your full strength for the road ahead.”
“Fine, you win,” Thai agreed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back,” Valerie assured him.
When her mind returned to her dark room on the Globe, an enormous weight was lifted from her shoulders. That night, she finally slept a dreamless sleep.
Filled with guilt, Valerie hurried to her Guild the next day. Her worry had been all-consuming, and there were those who depended on her who were bound to be disappointed.
When she arrived, the Guild was quieter than usual. Usually, there were classes being held in the courtyard and Knights streaming in and out of the building. But today, only a handful of Knights hurried by purposefully.
She headed toward Kellen’s office. When she arrived, the door was open partway. Inside she heard a voice that made her stop in her tracks.
“It’s what he wants,” Sanguina insisted.
“I don’t understand why.”
“He’s using it as an excuse to test her. He’s acting like it will be a simple trade, but it’s a trap. She’ll never see it coming.”
“And if I don’t agree?”
“You know what he’s capable of,” Sanguina said, and Valerie heard a low thud. She peeked through the crack and saw that Sanguina had hefted her right leg onto a nearby chair. It was all Valerie could do to repress her surprise when Sanguina lifted her pants to reveal that she had a prosthetic leg. What had happened to her?
“I suppose I don’t have
a choice.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. There has to be another way,” Sanguina continued.
Valerie was pulled roughly away from the door.
“What are you up to now?” Claremont said, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Not now, Monty!” she shoved her away and moved toward the door, but the room had fallen silent.
“You think you’re such a hotshot, don’t you?” Claremont said and took a swing at her.
She ducked, and Claremont’s fist hit the wall. Claremont let out a yelp of pain and then cradled her hand.
“That’s enough,” Kellen commanded.
“She was spying—”
“I have to tell you—”
“I’m disappointed in you both,” he interrupted. “I don’t want to hear any more. If you two can’t find a way to get along, then your status as apprentices will be revoked.”
Without another word, he went back into his office and closed the door. Valerie wanted to charge in after him and demand to know what Sanguina was doing in their Guild and exactly what he was agreeing to.
Suspicion made her stomach churn. What if Kellen was the spy? Maybe being kidnapped was a trick. She remembered Chrome’s distrust when he had found the fairy after he had been kidnapped.
Claremont snapped her fingers in front of Valerie’s face. “Hello? Anyone home?”
“Let’s give each other as much space as possible,” Valerie said, and turned on her heel and left. She was done trying to make friends with Claremont. Anyone who wanted to drive her fist into her face wasn’t worth her time.
She was halfway down the hall when she smacked into Juniper.
“Where have you been?” he asked. “You’ve missed all the good stuff.”
“What happened?”
“They’re organizing the search party for when the guide arrives to take us to the Black Castle. Everyone wanted to vote for you to lead the search, but you weren’t here. So now you’re not even on the team.”
“I’m sure if I talk to Chrome and Gideon—” she began.
“I’m afraid not,” Gideon said, walking to her with Chrome at his side. The wolf’s eyes flashed with hurt, and she saw a brief image of a full moon and heard a faint howl of anguish. She wasn’t even sure he intentionally sent her the vision, because it was so brief, she almost couldn’t make out what she saw. But his betrayal was clear.
“I’m so sorry, Chrome. My friend was hurt and I couldn’t leave him,” she explained. Some of the anger left his eyes, but guilt lodged like a rock in her stomach. She had to juggle her responsibilities to those she loved now, and this time she had dropped the ball. “Please, Gideon, you have to let me help search for Jet.”
“No, I thought you could help lead, but I see now that I was mistaken.”
“Please don’t do this. I know I’ve disappointed you, but find another way to punish me.”
“You mistake me. This isn’t a punishment. Azra was right—it was wrong of me to put so much weight on such young shoulders. You are not yet ready to set aside your personal cares for the greater good. And you should not have to.”
“But even if I can’t lead, I can still come search with you,” she insisted.
“It will not do to have the Knights expect your leadership when you are not yet capable of providing it. And no matter what they are told, they will expect it.”
There was no more she could say. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Chrome nodded his head in acknowledgment, and then he and Gideon continued down the hall.
“They’re leaving tomorrow,” Juniper said as she stared after them.
“How? Shade isn’t even here yet.”
“They’re going to meet him in the middle. Chrome is pretty sure that he’ll be able to track him once he’s outside of Dunsinane, and they don’t want to waste any time.”
She nodded. The sooner they were able to help Jet, the better. She hoped that he wasn’t already beaten past recovery. “He’s going to be okay,” she said, mostly to herself.
She noticed that Juniper had turned red at the ears. “There’s one other thing you should know. That is, well, I’ve been chosen to go on the search. Gideon said they could use my binding power to help incapacitate any enemies that we run into.”
He was going in her place, she understood, which was why he was so uncomfortable. But there was no part of her that blamed Juniper for her own failure, so she attempted a smile. “I’m so glad you’ll be there. Keep a close eye on Chrome, okay? It may be really hard on him when he sees Jet’s condition. I don’t want him to go nuts and do something that puts him in danger.”
Juniper nodded seriously. “I’ll watch out for him. And I thought you might want to be in the loop with what’s going on, so take this.” He gave her a small hand mirror. “It doesn’t work super well, but I can tell you what’s happening. I’ll contact you at night.”
“Thank you. And good luck on this mission—they’re lucky to have you.”
He nodded, and they parted ways. What would she do with herself now that she wasn’t needed on the search? She remembered the conversation she had overheard in Kellen’s office and made up her mind.
She’d been avoiding investigating Sanguina out of a mixture of fear and disgust. But if she couldn’t help rescue Darling and Jet, then she would prevent any more innocent Conjurors from winding up in their shoes. It was time to find out what Sanguina’s involvement was with Reaper.
Chapter 22
Spying on Sanguina turned out to be a much bigger challenge than Valerie had anticipated. First of all, no one seemed to know where she was living. Everyone had seen her around Arden, but she would vanish for days at a time.
Even when she was around, other Knights or Guild leaders were usually closely watching her. Valerie wasn’t the only one who wasn’t comfortable around the ex-vampyre. She started to doubt whether or not she would be able to find out any new information under the circumstances.
“She’s still creepy as ever, I’ll grant you that,” Kanti said, surreptitiously examining Sanguina over the top of her sandwich. Sanguina had just left the building that housed the Guardians of the Boundary, and she tilted her face up to soak in the light that drenched the green lawn. Kanti and Cyrus had met Valerie for a picnic lunch on the lawn in the middle of The Horseshoe.
“You’ve gotta be kidding. She was way scarier when she had those crazy veins. You never saw her up close. I did,” Cyrus said with a shudder.
“I’m not getting a master criminal vibe from her, though. She seems kind of lost and confused to me,” Kanti said.
Cyrus made a skeptical sound, but Valerie had to agree with Kanti, even if she didn’t want to. “I can’t help thinking there’s something a little pathetic about her. A few Conjurors talk to her, but in general, she’s kind of a leper.”
They watched as Sanguina bumped into Oberon, who was trimming the hedges of the Guardians of the Boundary Guild.
“That’s weird,” Valerie said. “She’s talked to him the past two days as well. It always looks like an accidental meeting, but I’m starting to think it’s on purpose.”
Cyrus furrowed his brow. “You think he might be working with her?”
“I don’t know. I saw them talking before I was attacked at the Capitol, but he helped drive Zunya away,” Valerie said.
“Unless that was for show, to win your trust,” Kanti said darkly. She saw Cyrus and Valerie both staring at her in surprise. “What? I was raised in a castle. I know a few things about deception.”
“I never thought twice about it at the time, but I heard Oberon asking Rastelli about you, too,” Cyrus said.
“What did he want to know?” Valerie asked, startled.
“He asked if he knew you well, and if you were really a vivicus like everyone was saying. Of course, Rastelli doesn’t really know you so he probably couldn’t tell him much.”
“Okay, that’s weird,” Kanti said. “Oberon stopped Henry once when he was on his way to
the Empathy Collective. It was strange because he asked him for the time, and that was it. He’s not known for being social.”
“He’s keeping tabs on us,” Valerie said grimly. What reason could an ancient, powerful Conjuror have for his curiosity about her and her brother? The only answers she could think of were bad ones.
“If they’re working together, you could try following him instead of Sanguina,” Kanti suggested.
“That’s a good idea,” Valerie agreed. “We know he has an actual house and he doesn’t randomly disappear. Maybe it will give me a clue as to whether or not they’re meeting in secret.”
“You’re not going alone,” Cyrus said.
“I’ll be careful,” she replied.
“No! You’ve already been attacked by whoever this mysterious nut job is. You’ve got to take Henry or me with you, at the very least.”
“Hey! What about me? I’ve got magic now,” Kanti said.
“No offense, but hearts and flowers aren’t going to keep Oberon at bay if he tries to attack.”
“Right, and a few flashes of light will? Give me a break! You’re such a sexist pig,” Kanti countered.
“Will you two give it a rest?” Valerie interrupted before they could start arguing in earnest. “I’ll take Henry. Oberon’s curious about him, too, so he’s got a good reason to find out what’s going on.”
“Whatever,” Cyrus said grumpily.
“Fine,” Kanti agreed, refusing to acknowledge Cyrus.
Valerie forced herself not to roll her eyes or shake them both.
“Cy and Kanti don’t think this is paranoid?” Henry asked her the next day as they followed Oberon through the streets of Silva.
“If you don’t want to do this, I’ll take Kanti instead,” Valerie said. “I thought you’d want to know if Sanguina’s really up to something.”
“I do,” he said, and she had a glimpse into his mind, which was consumed with fear. But he forced it down. “It’s time to stop avoiding her.”
She hoped she wasn’t pushing him too far, too fast. But she knew that, until he could manage his fear, he would always be held back by it. Releasing her fear of Sanguina was what had enabled her to win when they’d fought in the Black Castle.