by Kristen Pham
The boys glanced at each other with a look Valerie couldn’t interpret.
“Chisisi’s team has found a safer way to return to the Globe,” Midnight said. “Since the Fractus have found the pool you and Henry came by, we don’t want to risk another encounter.”
“How much time do we have?” Thai asked. “I want to explain things to my family in person. And have them meet Tan.”
Midnight nodded. “We need to secure Darling before we implement the Excision. He is so frequently between worlds that we don’t want him caught on the wrong side.”
“Don’t you know? He’s in a dungeon in the Black Castle,” Valerie said, surprised that the Guild Master hadn’t been notified by Kellen of what she and Henry had discovered.
Thai gave her a hard stare, and she realized guiltily that it was another thing she had avoided telling him when he’d been going through his transition and recovery.
“That information wasn’t shared with me,” Midnight said, her mouth pursed as if she’d tasted something sour. “All the more reason to find the guide to take us to the Black Castle. I don’t think Darling could survive long in there, without light and love.”
The worry that had been simmering at the back of Valerie’s mind came to the forefront. The Knights weren’t as close to finding the Black Castle as they thought they were. It seemed like they were running in circles, and she was worried that either Shade had been tricking her, or that Reaper had found out about his plan and was using him.
“I guess Valerie has a lot to fill us in on,” Thai said, and she heard the new coldness in his tone that made him seem like a different person.
Tan remained silent, but he had a smug smile on his face that made her want to shake him.
“I’ll let you three catch up,” Midnight said, casting an uneasy glance at each of them. “I’ll keep you closely informed on everything that’s happening so you’ll make it here in time.”
“Thank you,” Thai said. “I’m glad that someone will be keeping me in the loop.”
Valerie knew that her hurt must be written on her face. Thai’s expression softened and he started to say something. But he seemed to think better of it, and his new cold mask of reserve was back in place.
“I’ll be in touch soon,” Midnight said, and vanished.
“Why don’t we catch up another time?” Thai said to Valerie. “Tan and I have some travel plans to get started on.”
“Sure,” she said in a small voice. Where was the warm, tender Thai who had held her by the campfire when she almost died? It was like he never existed.
Her mind returned to the Globe, sitting by the fire. Midnight was waiting for her, but Valerie couldn’t manage to force a smile. It had been a long time since she had been so alone and disconnected. Her sadness formed a ball in her throat. Tears would be a welcome relief, but in the past, they never came. She swallowed, trying to breathe around the ball of pain.
“I’m sorry, my dear,” Midnight whispered. “The separation of an amoebiate can be very traumatizing. Thai and Tan will settle into their new lives soon. I’m here if you want to talk.”
Midnight’s words reminded Valerie that she wasn’t truly alone any more, and never would be. The tears came, and the ball in her throat dissolved.
Chapter 26
Valerie decided to give Thai the space he obviously wanted. Saying goodbye to his family would be difficult, so she’d make sure to be there when the time came. But in the meantime, he could bond with Tan and maybe distance would give him a little perspective on her motives.
Luckily, she had a distraction—it was the day of Henry’s initiation to apprentice at the Empathy Collective. She hoped it would be a little less stressful than her own had been.
“I’m curious to see the inside of the Guild,” Valerie said to Kanti as she watched her friend get dressed. It was strange to be back in her old room. Her bed had been stripped of sheets, but the wall was still green. She was surprised that she wasn’t homesick. Somehow, her home with Henry and Midnight had more than made up for what she’d lost, even if she did miss Kanti’s witty remarks.
For once Kanti was taking care with her appearance, putting on a fitted green dress and brushing her glossy hair. “The ceremony isn’t inside. The Empathy Collective always has a big party for each new apprentice in the middle of The Horseshoe. Everyone is invited—they’re big on not excluding anyone.”
“That sounds nice.”
Kanti nodded. “It is. The Empathy Collective has a reputation for being kind of strange, but I like most of the Empaths I’ve met. They’re into promoting peace at all costs. Usually they’re not too crazy about me, though.”
“Why’s that?” Valerie asked curiously.
“They’re all about cutting out negativity from your life, which means no sarcasm. I couldn’t turn off my sarcasm even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”
“Yikes, you without sarcasm would be like Cyrus without his ego. Unimaginable.”
Kanti grinned. “Exactly.”
“His Guild Master saved my life when someone threw me out of my bubble when I met the Grand Masters in the Capitol building, so he must be a nice guy,” Valerie said, remembering her fall with a shudder.
“Dasan, the Grand Master, is a Feng, just so you’re prepared.”
“What’s that?”
“He’s a giant bird, and when he dies, he’s reborn again a few days later. With each life, he’s a totally different person with no memories of his past lives.”
“This place never stops amazing me,” Valerie said.
“Me, either, and I was born here,” Kanti agreed.
“Ready?” Valerie asked as her friend checked her appearance in the mirror.
Kanti twirled around. “How do I look? Wait, don’t answer that.”
“You’re hideous. How’s that?”
“Thank you,” Kanti said. “In that case, I’m ready to go.”
The ceremony was at the end of the day. Like Earth at sunset, everything was pink and gold as they walked to the courtyard. Cyrus met them there, and even seemed a little dazzled by Kanti, who was radiant dressed up and highlighted by the rosy colors of the sky.
“Stop it or I’ll smack you,” Kanti said.
“There she is,” Cyrus said. “Good to know your temper wasn’t improved along with your looks.”
“Cy!” Valerie said, smacking his arm.
But Kanti laughed. “Nope, it’s worse if anything. So watch out.”
Their banter was interrupted as a giant purple bird flew overhead. Only when he came closer did Valerie see that he was holding Henry in his talons. He gently dropped him into the giant fountain at the center of the courtyard and then perched on top of it. Henry landed with a splash right in the water, but he emerged dripping and smiling.
Henry was dressed in a white tunic. It must be some kind of Empath uniform, because the fountain was surrounded by creatures similarly dressed.
The Empaths shut their eyes, and a low hum of power in the ground traveled through Valerie’s bones, alerting her to an outpouring of magic.
She watched, astonished, as one part of Henry’s head glowed red, then another part glowed blue, followed by yellow, green, and purple.
“What the…” she started to whisper to Cyrus, but then her own mind was filled with the delicate perfume of a rose. Next, she could swear soft petals brushed against her fingertips. She heard wind whispering through a meadow, and tasted a sweet, light flavor on her tongue that reminded her of sunshine and freshly turned dirt. Last, an image exploded in her mind of a dazzling yellow rose in full bloom. It was bright and beautiful, and somehow with the image came a sense of how precious life could be.
“Whoa…” Kanti whispered.
“Welcome, Henry,” Dasan said, his deep voice resonating across the crowd. “We accept your gift and welcome you as an Empath. Come in peace and stay in love.”
A jolt of pure relaxation passed through Valerie’s mind, calming every muscle in her body. For
the first time in her whole life, she was worry-free and totally at peace.
“I love you guys,” she said to Cyrus and Kanti a little dreamily.
“Sooooo much,” Cyrus agreed.
“I know Dasan is taking my worries away, but I don’t care one little bit,” Kanti said.
Henry made his way over to them, happy and starry-eyed. “Did you like my gift?”
“The rose?” Kanti asked.
He nodded. “I saw it in a windowsill the day before my mom died. I tried to recreate it with every one of my senses as well as the feeling she always gave me. I made the moment in my mind and sent it to everyone. Dasan showed me how.”
“It was beautiful. I wish I knew her,” Valerie said, but somehow Henry’s grief didn’t touch her inner sanctum of peace. She could empathize without being sucked into his pain.
But Henry didn’t seem sad—he was staring at Kanti with reverence. “You’re an angel. Your outside matches the inside now.”
Valerie had never seen Kanti blush—until now. “That’s the only right thing anyone has said to me about how I look.”
Henry took her hand and they wandered off.
“Are we on some kind of magical drug?” Valerie asked, curious but not concerned.
“No, Dasan flooded your mind with the hormone you release when you’re happy. And he somehow takes your worries and puts them in a little box inside you for awhile, so you can have a break from them.”
“It’s like the box that Gideon taught me to put my pain in. Best magical power ever.”
Cyrus and Valerie weaved their way through the crowd, which hadn’t dispersed much even though the ceremony was over. People sat around chatting and laughing. She did a double take when she saw Claremont making a daisy chain and putting it on her head like a crown.
“Unreal,” Valerie whispered.
“This is always a fun ceremony to go to, but it’s better when the Conjuror who’s joining the Guild has a strong power. Henry must be the strongest yet, because I’ve never seen a crowd of this size affected for so long.”
“Help,” a voice croaked nearby.
Normally this would send Valerie into high alert, but now she didn’t assume the worst. Maybe someone needed the bathroom.
“Please, help,” the voice said again, and she heard a wet cough.
The crowd began to hush, and a bedraggled boy stumbled into their midst, knocking against people on unsteady feet.
“Valerie. Do you know her? I gotta find her,” he said.
The box of worry in the corner of Valerie’s mind jiggled a little. “Here I am.” She walked over to the boy and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Can I help you?”
“It’s me,” he said. “Jack.”
Her peace of mind cracked and the box of worry inside of her exploded open, almost choking her with the intensity. It sickened her, overwhelmed her.
“Shade? What happened to you?” she asked, horrified.
He had a long gash that went from his cheekbone down his neck and disappeared under his shirt. His arms and face were covered in bruises. But he sighed in relief at her recognition and promptly collapsed. She barely had time to catch him before he hit the ground.
A kiss of wind blew against her face and saw that Dasan had landed next to her.
“His mind is very muddled,” Dasan said in a light, musical voice. “It isn’t only bones that are broken.”
Valerie’s magic surged inside of her, and sharpening her focus.
“We can’t heal his mind until we fix his body,” she said, and lifted him easily, thanks to her burst of power. She began running with him in her arms toward the Healers’ Guild. Cyrus and Dasan followed.
She crashed through the doors of the Guild. “Nightingale!”
Lights in the hall flickered on, and Healers poked their heads out of the doors to see what was causing the commotion.
Valerie carried Shade up the stairs to the ward where Nightingale worked, brushing aside people who tried to stop her with questions. When she reached his floor, he was already hurrying down the hall.
“What is it?” he asked, and then saw the boy in her arms. “Ah yes. In here, please.”
She was surprised to see that a half dozen of the beds were filled with recuperating Conjurors. In the past, she’d never seen more than one visitor at a time. Nightingale gestured to a bed, and she lay Shade down gently. He murmured in pain, but didn’t wake up.
“I must insist you leave,” Nightingale commanded.
“No,” Valerie said, but Cyrus pulled her backward.
“There are rules,” Dasan explained.
“I want to make sure he’s okay. This is my fault,” she insisted.
Nightingale turned to her, his face calm and focused, but also determined. She barely had time to register the buzz of magic before she was pushed out of the room by a giant, invisible hand. The door slammed in front of her eyes.
“If we don’t leave now, they’ll kick us down the stairs and out the door the same way,” Cyrus said in a low voice. “It’s woven into the magic of the building that no visitors who are unwanted can stay.”
“Better to go peacefully,” Dasan said, but she heard a hint of worry in his voice that troubled her.
“What’s wrong?” Valerie asked him after they had left the building, his dark, fathomless eyes piercing hers.
“The Healers’ Guild is compromised.”
“What do you mean?”
He cocked his head to the side, examining her like a little robin she had once seen on Earth. “I can hardly tell myself, except that something rotten has been inside. But it isn’t there right now.”
“Then Shade isn’t safe!” Valerie said, and began to pound on the door, which was locked against her now.
“For now, I sense no danger for your friend,” Dasan tried to assure her.
“Nightingale was trying to help him, Val, I’m sure of it,” Cyrus said. “Besides, there’s no way you’re getting back in there.”
She sank down on the steps and put her head in her hands. The aftershocks of all her worry had given her a pounding headache, but she knew she had to act.
“Your troubles are meant to return to you slowly, leaving you refreshed and ready to face them anew,” Dasan said.
“Are you reading my mind?” Valerie asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of her voice.
“I am only receiving what you are sending out,” Dasan said, and she slammed the door of her mind closed against him, like she did with Henry.
He fluttered his wings as if she had caught him off guard. “Your mind is as powerful as your brother’s. There is much you could learn at our Guild. You should come and take some classes, even if you don’t join.”
Valerie could hardly process his words, her mind racing through potential scenarios and next steps. Dasan watched her with his beady but gentle eyes, and for the second time that night, peace took over her mind. She resisted, but Dasan’s power slipped through the cracks of her defenses, and again she fell under its spell. Next to her, Cyrus slumped, his muscles obviously relaxing as well.
“We shouldn’t…” she said, but couldn’t remember why her worries were so pressing. There was nothing she could do for Shade right now.
“You must take this break from your worry and fear,” Dasan said. “Even for a mind as strong as yours. Without rest, it will break.”
She nodded. “You’re right. Thank you.”
“Come and visit us any time,” Dasan said, and then took off into the air.
The sight of him soaring away was imprinted on Valerie’s mind, and the peace he had given her sank deeper into her bones. She sighed in relief. Had she ever been this weightless in her life?
“Come on. I wanna show you something new I can do with my power,” Cyrus said with a glint in his blue eyes.
He led her to the other side of The Horseshoe, and they stopped in front of a building she hadn’t paid much attention to before. It was one of the smaller guilds, but it looked stran
ge. There were no sharp corners, every window was a circle, and all the edges of the building had been rounded off. It was only two stories high. Cyrus led her around back to a beautiful garden.
Strange flowers in shapes and colors she’d never seen before blew their perfume in the breeze. It smelled amazing, like vanilla cake, peppermint, and baking bread all rolled into one.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“You wanted to see the Empathy Collective. There’s not much besides meditation rooms inside, but the garden is special. Especially when I do this.” He concentrated and flicked his hand, and one by one the flowers began to glow.
“Oh Cy…” Valerie breathed.
“I finally made something living glow last week—I’ve been trying and failing for years,” Cyrus said proudly.
They were distracted from their conversation by the sight of two people locked in a kiss a hundred yards from where they stood. As the garden lit up, flower by flower, she saw that it was Henry and Kanti. They were so absorbed in each other that they didn’t even see what was happening around them.
“Aw, he stole my spot,” Cyrus said. “But he’s got the right idea.”
Before Valerie knew what was happening, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. The warm, pleasant touch of his lips against her own was nice, and she began to respond. But something in her mind screamed—wrong!
She stepped back, away from Cyrus. He seemed confused, unsure why she’d pulled away.
Then a pained expression flickered across his features. “S-sorry,” Cyrus said, shutting his eyes. His peace had been shattered for the second time that night. He turned and ran. Valerie didn’t follow.
As much as she knew that the kiss would change everything, somehow she was able to hang on to her own peace of mind. She and Cyrus would figure everything out—the strangeness of the circumstances and Dasan’s magic had confused him.
But even in her relaxed state, that didn’t really ring true to her. Cyrus hadn’t been surprised by what had happened. Somewhere in her, she knew that he had wanted this, been waiting for this. How would he cope with her rejection?
It was the first worry to surface, and she dreaded the return of the rest. Instead of going to bed, she stayed outside, walking and thinking. As Dasan promised, her worries didn’t return all at once. She absorbed each one as it returned and kept moving.