by Kristen Pham
“Does your family live around here?”
“No, they live up north in Elsinore. It’s really cold up there, and it doesn’t help that my house is made of ice. Sure, it looks cool, but I’m always freezing my butt off! At least it’s a good excuse not to go home too often. My family drives me nuts, and they’re always embarrassed when the ugly daughter with no magic returns.”
“Azra says you do have magic, Kanti, it just hasn’t manifested yet,” Cyrus corrected her.
Kanti narrowed her eyes. “She’s wrong. This is who I am, and I’m fine with that.”
“Azra’s never wrong about that kind of stuff.”
“What do you mean, Cy?” Valerie asked.
“Azra can sense the magical powers inside of people. She says everyone has magic of some kind inside them, and she can help bring out that power if they want her to. Even a regular human on Earth would have a power with Azra’s help.”
“Can all unicorns do that?”
Cyrus’ and Kanti’s faces suddenly turned serious. “She’s the last of her kind,” Kanti said softly. Valerie understood why she must have felt so instantly connected to Azra – she knew what it was to be truly alone.
Something of what Valerie was thinking must have shown on her face, because Kanti changed the subject, pointing out all of the different guilds that she could join. There were hundreds of guilds, ranging from the Inspiration Guild, which consisted of muses that inspired artists all over the universe, to the Glamour Guild, where Conjurors created fantastic illusions and disguises, to the Illuminators Guild, which put on brilliant light shows all around the Globe.
Despite how exciting all of the options sounded, Valerie quickly narrowed her choices down to two: the Round Table Knights Guild, who policed all of Arden to keep its citizens safe, and the guild of the Contego, who protected the barrier between the Earth and the Globe, to make sure no Conjuror was able to travel back to Earth in person. They also made sure that no one projected to Earth for evil purposes – like haunting people or jumping out from under kids’ beds to scare them.
Kanti and Cyrus had both finished their apprenticeship at the Imaginary Friends guild and were now craftsmen. They taught the young apprentices the basics about how to be a good imaginary friend to their companions on Earth.
“Why did you guys stop being imaginary friends and decide to teach?”
“Well, I was getting a little old for it. Mainly apprentices work as imaginary friends, because the younger Conjurors relate to kids better. And after you stopped believing, Val, I didn’t want another friend on Earth. Plus, I did a pretty stellar job, as I’m sure you’ll agree. I have to pass on my skills to the newbies. And as a bonus, it’s kinda fun telling them what to do,” Cyrus explained. To Valerie’s surprise, Kanti wasn’t smiling as she usually did at Cyrus’ cocky comments.
“I don’t like to talk about my years as an imaginary friend,” Kanti said. “But since we’re going to be friends, you should know. When I was an apprentice, I was the imaginary friend of a kid named Henry. We had so much fun together – he had such a huge imagination!” Her voice cracked, and she stopped talking.
Cyrus surprised Valerie by putting his hand on Kanti’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said gently.
Kanti seemed to draw some strength from Cyrus’ gesture, and she continued. “One day, I couldn’t find him when I projected to Earth. No matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn’t sense him anywhere. So I projected to his house. His father was there, dressed all in black, and he was crying. Then I looked around, and I saw a coffin standing at the end of the room. I realized that the reason I couldn’t sense him anywhere was because Henry was gone – forever.”
Valerie put her arm around Kanti, who had tears in her eyes. “I never even found out what happened,” she said in such a soft whisper that Valerie had to lean close to hear her. With visible effort, Kanti pulled herself together. “It took a long time, but I’ve accepted that there’s nothing I can do to bring him back.”
“I know. The pain never really goes away, but you learn to live your life around it,” Valerie said, empathizing with Kanti’s misery. Hearing her tone, Kanti looked up at her with surprise, and their eyes connected. At that moment, Valerie knew that she would have at least one other friend than Cyrus on the Globe.
In part to distract Kanti, Cyrus suggested that they take Valerie to visit the guilds that she was considering. First, they headed toward the guild of the Round Table Knights. The building was shaped like a ring. The trio walked through a tall arch that was etched with the words “Power, Courage, Mercy.” The words glowed gold against the gray stone. Once they passed through, they entered the middle of the ring, which was outdoors. Valerie could see Conjurors practicing their combat techniques with many different types of weapons that ranged from swords to long jagged spears that shot lightning.
Immediately, a tiny fairy the size of Valerie’s hand flew over to greet them. “Hello! I’m Kellen. Are you all potential new recruits?” the fairy asked in a voice that was surprisingly loud and deep for someone so tiny.
“Only me – I’m new. I arrived yesterday from Messina. I’ve always dreamed of being a knight, so I thought this might be a good fit for me,” Valerie explained.
“Raised on tales of King Arthur and chivalry, no doubt,” Kellen explained. “You know, it’s not all glory and rescuing damsels in distress. We do serious work here. Not to mention, it’s no place for you if you don’t have a stomach for paperwork.”
Valerie nodded. “I’ve always wanted to be able to protect those who need it,” she explained, remembering the time that one of her foster fathers had kicked the family dog. Hearing it whimpering in the corner of the room, she had wanted nothing more than to avenge the animal, but she knew that if she did, his wrath would turn on her, as it had before.
“Her power is expressing itself as combat skills,” Kanti added.
“Let’s see what you can do,” Kellen said, and then called to a tall, wiry man. “Gideon! Spar with this girl.” Gideon strode over and seemed to size Valerie up in a single glance.
“But, I’m not ready! I thought I could take a look around,” she said nervously.
“Trouble never waits for you to be ready. Now, spar!” Kellen shouted.
Valerie reached out to shake Gideon’s hand. Without saying a word, he took her hand and seconds later, she was flat on her back. She had no idea how it had happened.
Quickly, she jumped to her feet, feeling adrenaline gush through her system. She felt her mind let go of nervous worries and allowed her instincts completely take over. The next time that Gideon reached out to hit her, Valerie blocked his lightning-fast punch. She countered with a kick of her own, which Gideon dodged.
Kanti, Cyrus and Kellen watched as the sparring continued. Valerie managed to land a few blows, but she spent most of her time barely fending off Gideon’s swift, efficient attacks. Finally, Kellen nodded.
“Acceptable. You may apprentice here if you wish. If you pass the written exam, of course,” he added.
“Thank you,” Valerie said to Kellen and Gideon. Then she turned to Cyrus and whispered, “I can’t imagine what a beginner like me could write about in an exam.”
Gideon turned to her and nodded his head briefly, respect in his eyes. Then he quickly disappeared through one of the many doors that led to the inner rooms of the guild. She realized that she had never once heard his voice.
“Frankly, we need every new recruit. The Fractus have been ambushing my Knights. They have some new creatures working with them who are almost impossible to beat. All of the Knights have a strong power, but these creatures seem born to defeat them.”
“What do you mean, sir?” Valerie asked.
“One of my best Knights was a great fighter who also had the gift of invisibility. He was unstoppable. Until a pack of animals, deranged bears, by all accounts, found him. They could see through his invisibility, and they ripped him to shreds. He didn’t stand a chance against thirty of
those creatures.”
“That’s awful!”
“Yes, and unusual. No such creature has ever been reported on the Globe before. Strange times we live in,” Kellen said with a shake of his head. “I’m not trying to scare you, but I want you to understand what you’re signing up for. The Fractus are up to something, and you can bet that the Knights will be on the front lines of the battle that’s brewing. It’s only a matter of time before the Fractus try to attack key guilds like the Contego to learn their secrets. When that time comes, it will be up to the Knights to defend them and all of Arden.”
Kellen departed, leaving Valerie deep in thought. Could Sanguina somehow be involved in the increased attacks by the Fractus? Valerie’s gut told her that Sanguina was hungry for power, and controlling the guilds would give her the authority over the Globe that she craved. But why would she consider Valerie a threat to her plans? She shuddered as she imagined what Sanguina would do if she ever found her.
Kanti interrupted her thoughts. “That was killer! Do you know who you were fighting? Gideon is second in command of the Round Table Knights. Most people don’t last five minutes with him.”
Valerie blushed. “Let’s check out the Contego. I want to keep my options open.”
Cyrus was oddly quiet as they walked down the path toward the guild of the Contego.
“What is it? Something’s bothering you, I can tell,” Valerie said, worried.
“He doesn’t like it that you’ll be better at protecting him than he will be at protecting you. Gideon left him unconscious in 30 seconds flat when they sparred.” Kanti said with a loud laugh.
“Shut up, Kanti. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m really tired – yesterday was a long day.”
Kanti rolled her eyes.
“You wanted to join the Knights?” Valerie asked, surprised.
“Not really. I checked out a few guilds a couple years ago. I wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision to stay with the Imaginary Friends. But the Knights weren’t right for me,” Cyrus explained.
“Plus, you didn’t make the cut,” Kanti added.
“I said, shut up!”
“No worries, he’ll tell me if he wants to,” Valerie said, feeling uncomfortable with the angry turn that her friends constant teasing had taken.
But Kanti continued. “Why beat around the bush? What’s there to be ashamed of? You are who you are. You can’t be good at everything. Heck, I’ll admit that I was turned down from every guild I applied to except for the Imaginary Friends. I would have loved to be in the Players – that’s the drama guild here. They told me I didn’t have the right ‘look.’ But it’s for the best, because I’m right where I belong, and so is Cyrus. I’m not going to indulge his giant ego.”
The rest of the walk to the guild of the Contego was very quiet, and Valerie wished she had never asked Cyrus why he had wanted to join the Knights. But her worries were temporarily forgotten when she saw the building that housed the Round Table Knights Guild. It looked like a tall, white cathedral reaching toward the sky. Giant silver doors etched with pictures of rearing horses, flashing swords, and powerful men and women opened to the main room, where stained glass windows let in a muted light.
It was so quiet and peaceful inside that Valerie was startled when an exceptionally tall woman with dark skin and deep purple hair appeared suddenly, as if she had stepped out of thin air. Something about her quiet authority almost made Valerie want to bow, as ridiculous as that idea was. She smiled pleasantly at the three visitors. “Cyrus, Kanti, welcome. Are you here to report a Sighting?”
“No, nothing like that. Actually, it’s Valerie who’s here to see you. She’s new to the city and she’s checking out the guilds.”
“Welcome, Valerie. I am Midnight.”
“Hi,” Valerie said shyly. She felt tongue-tied staring into the depths of Midnight’s violet eyes, which were one shade lighter than her hair. Midnight’s name sounded familiar, and Valerie remembered that she was the Conjuror whom Thai had mentioned when he had told her about Tan. Valerie wished that she could ask her about Thai, but she remembered that her arrival on the Globe was a secret. Instead, she asked, “What’s a Sighting?”
Midnight smiled. “We like to see curiosity in our new recruits,” she said with approval. “A Sighting occurs when a Conjuror discovers that one of the Fractus has been seen projecting to Earth for a dark purpose. Sometimes it turns out to be mischief-makers looking to have fun at the expense of humans, but we have had some situations where the Fractus have been terrifying a human to the point of mental torture.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Even when it’s young Conjurors thinking it’s funny to jump out from under children’s beds, they don’t realize the psychological scar it can leave on a child. It’s always busiest here around Halloween, so we’ve been receiving many reports of Sightings over the past few weeks.”
“As if all the parties and tricks happening on the Globe for Halloween aren’t enough to keep them happy! They think it’s fun scaring some poor kid.” Kanti said, disgusted.
“We partner closely with the Imaginary Friends guild,” Midnight explained to Valerie. “Often they’re the best eyes and ears for what’s happening down on Earth. In fact, information from Cyrus has led to the capture of 12 troublemakers over the years, as well as three members of the Fractus.”
At this remark, the gloom surrounding Cyrus finally lifted. He whispered to Valerie, “I found most of them when I was your imaginary friend, Val. You were like, some kind of monster magnet.”
Valerie remembered that she and Cyrus had fought many foes together over the years, but she had always thought they were imaginary. “Those monsters were real?”
“On the Globe they were, sure. But they couldn’t hurt you on Earth. So I turned it in to kind of a game, so you wouldn’t be afraid.”
She shuddered. “I can’t believe someone would do that to a kid.”
Midnight overheard Valerie’s last sentence. “Yes, it’s disturbing how some troublemakers see nothing wrong with frightening innocent children. That’s part of the reason why what we do here is so important. Let me call someone to give you a tour. If you’re interested in joining the Contego, they will set you up for testing,” Midnight said.
But before she could call anyone, the door burst open and a big, beefy man wearing a long blue robe and tall, pointy hat hurried in. He was so focused that he didn’t notice the group at first.
“Chern? Everything okay?” Midnight asked.
The man let out a high pitched shriek, and his eyes filled with terror. “Oh, you scared me!”
Midnight purposefully spoke in a soft and soothing voice. “Nothing to frighten you in here, Chern. All is safe.”
“Yes, yes, I know. You startled me.” His face turned very red. “I’m here to report that one of the Fractus is after me! I’m convinced of it!”
“What happened?”
“Well, first, when I opened my front door this morning, right there on my porch was a black shoe print. And I know it’s not from my shoe – it was much too small. Then, I discovered that one of my robes was missing from my closet! I’m sure, simply positive, that this is the work of the member of the Fractus that I heard about in the news – the one who was haunting that young family in India! He’s disguising himself in my robe. You must find him before he comes back for more of my things!” Chern’s voice reached a higher and higher pitch as he told his story, until by the end it sounded more like a squeak.
Valerie had to use all her concentration not to burst out laughing. She made a point not to look at Cyrus, because she knew that one glance and they would both be on the floor.
“We’ll send someone over right away,” Midnight said seriously. Then she turned to Valerie. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll send someone to give you your tour in a moment,” she said, and then whisked Chern through one of the doors in the back of the room.
The minute that the door closed behi
nd them, Kanti, Cyrus, and Valerie burst into laughter. “That guy brings new meaning to being paranoid!”
“He’s a grand master at the History guild. He’s always running to the Round Table Knights or the Contego with these kinds of stories. He even comes to the Imaginary Friends guild on a regular basis swearing that he knows where the Fractus are hiding! He’s become a running joke around town,” Cyrus said between giggles.
The rest of their visit was uneventful. The guide showed Valerie, Cyrus, and Kanti around the guild, explaining some of the details about how they protected the barrier between Earth and the Globe, and the history behind the guild.
Valerie felt very drawn to the Contego, and learning more about the guild deepened her interest. After all, she had more firsthand experience in crossing between worlds than almost anyone else on the Globe. In fact, compared to the Conjurors, Valerie was an expert on everything about Earth – from its culture to its geography – in a way that only having lived there could give. She could really make a difference as one of the Contego, and she liked the idea of protecting her old home from the Fractus.
Still, she had held the dream of being a Knight for so long that it would be difficult to let go. It was one of the most important decisions she’d ever make, and she knew that there was someone on Earth whom she wanted to talk to before she made her choice.
After finishing the tour of the gothic Contego guild, which was filled with secret passages, dark hallways, and tall, arched ceilings, the three left the horseshoe of guilds so that Valerie could see the rest of the city.
Kanti had to leave to teach a class for apprentices on popular culture on Earth, and Cyrus seemed more relaxed after she left. He and Valerie wandered around Silva for hours, peering into strange shops and exploring the winding streets. Valerie insisted on stopping by every shop that sold sweets. Since she wasn’t sure how to barter her power yet, Cyrus volunteered to leave small objects made of light in return for the candy. She gobbled the candy up, though none tasted as good as Dulcea’s pastries.