by Kristen Pham
“Maybe your prophet thought you’d die by that weapon that Putrefus’s friend threw, and now you’re safe,” Valerie argued.
Cerise shook her head. “Death stalks the People of the Woods differently than other Conjurors. We live many centuries, but when death makes up his mind to come for us, he is relentless. I have lived longer than you could guess from my features. I would not dodge my fate, but for Emin. To be gifted with a child so late in life, and to leave him so soon… My heart cannot bear it.”
A silver tear fell down Cerise’s cheek and onto the ground. A little bud popped out from where it landed. Valerie watched in awe, and Cerise gave her a shaky smile.
“New life can be made so easily, but just as easily it can be taken away. Thrice now death has aimed his arrow at my heart, and thrice he has missed. The next time, he will not fail. I must prepare my son.”
“I’ll watch over him, Cerise,” Valerie said. “I know what it is to be an orphan, and it is true that it can be lonely. But I will make sure Emin always has a family, in ties of love if not blood.”
“Thank you, vivicus,” Cerise whispered. “Emin is not completely accepted by my people because his father, now dead, was human. I know his uncle would take him in as a true son, but I do not know if Elden will ever recover, much less be able to take on raising a young boy.”
For the rest of the walk back to Arbor Aurum, Cerise and Valerie talked of Emin’s future, personality, and how to help him through his grief if his mother fell. It was the strangest conversation Valerie ever had.
When they parted, Valerie forced herself to school her emotions, knowing that Cerise would not appreciate her pity.
“I still don’t believe this prophecy can’t be stopped,” Valerie said. “But if it’s true, you have the chance to say goodbye to Emin, and that is something. I know from experience.”
“There is a rising storm of darkness hurtling toward me even now,” Cerise said, her eyes empty.
Whether Cerise liked it or not, Valerie couldn’t help hugging her. A bit of warmth returned to Cerise’s eyes, and Valerie decided that was how she’d remember her.
The chill of her conversation with Cerise had unsettled Valerie, but when she returned to her garden, the dread that had followed her eased.
“Clarabelle?” she whispered.
The baby unicorn emerged from behind the big tree in the garden. Everywhere her hooves touched, flowers bloomed. Azra and Summer were a few paces behind.
We had to see you. Clarabelle insisted, and her will overrules mine, I’m afraid.
“Children should never rule the home,” Summer said with a sniff, but when she looked at Clarabelle, it was clear that she was also in love with the tiny unicorn.
Clarabelle nuzzled Valerie’s side until she gave in and dropped to her knees to cuddle her properly.
“It’s not that I don’t want to see you. But it’s more dangerous for you to be near me now than ever,” Valerie said.
We will be brief, though not because Clarabelle fears danger. She has found a role for herself in the Fist.
“What? Promise me you’re not anywhere near the fighting!” Valerie said, staring into Clarabelle’s sky-blue eyes.
“I would never allow it!” Summer said indignantly.
Little pinging sounds of reassurance bounced around in Valerie’s mind from Clarabelle, and she relaxed a little.
Some of Reaper’s soldiers are leaving the Fractus. They wish to develop their powers, rather than have any more of Reaper’s “gifts” of power from your brother. I am coaching Clarabelle on how to help Conjurors call forth their latent magic.
“How did they find you?” Valerie asked.
One of these ex-Fractus, Blake, was searching for me. Clarabelle heard his call and found him. He has brought others that we can trust.
“That makes me nervous. Both times I met Blake, he tried to kill me,” Valerie said. But she remembered her encounters with the breakable Fractus, and he had never seemed truly evil.
I defer to my daughter’s judgment. Azra’s tone was affectionate, and she nuzzled Clarabelle.
“Blake has brought no one who could defeat me in battle. I stand guard at every meeting with these ex-Fractus, I assure you,” Summer said, and Valerie gave her a grateful smile.
“Could Clarabelle help humans develop their magic, as well?” Valerie asked, her excitement rising.
Everyone has a spark of magic within them that can be developed with time and effort. It would be more work for humans, but in time, their magic would blossom.
“There’s someone I want you all to meet.”
Valerie brought Dr. Freeman to the Globe, rather than bringing Clarabelle, Azra, and Summer to his home on Earth. Summer was dozing in the sun while Azra and Clarabelle gently grazed in the grass.
Dr. Freeman stared for a long time, drinking in the sight.
“I have no words,” he said at last.
“I know what you mean,” Valerie said, allowing the sunshine in her garden to warm up her heart.
Clarabelle approached shyly, but soon, she was nuzzling Dr. Freeman like they were old friends as Valerie explained his mission to Azra.
“Do you think you and Clarabelle could help him? If he identifies people with more magic than the average human, wouldn’t it be easier for them to develop their powers with Clarabelle’s help?”
Clarabelle’s excited noises pinged Valerie’s mind.
My daughter is saying it would be our honor.
The rest of the day was spent making plans, but it was the sweetest afternoon Valerie had enjoyed in many months. When the day’s light disappeared from the Globe, Azra, Clarabelle, and Summer returned to wherever they were hiding on Earth, and Dr. Freeman went home.
Valerie didn’t immediately check in with Chisisi, instead falling backward onto the grass to stare up at the pattern of stars now blazing in the sky.
At first, she bathed in the afterglow of peace that Clarabelle had left behind, but then, her heart unaccountably began to pound, and her palms grew sweaty. She barely registered that these sensations weren’t her own before she was roughly yanked into Henry’s mind.
Henry’s fear and guilt were a storm within him, robbing him of the strength to move. And he had to move, because Reaper was standing next to him.
“If you accept what I know to be true, then you can release all of your guilt. Your help arming the Fractus is creating a better future for humans and Conjurors,” Reaper said, his voice hypnotic.
Valerie recognized the perfect reflection of the pool of water Henry was staring at. He was in Babylon. She leaped to her feet and began running in his direction, but the force pushing them apart was too strong.
“Don’t listen to him, Henry,” she shouted, hoping he could hear her through their connection.
But though his mind was open to her, she didn’t think her voice could penetrate the wall of his pain.
“Leave me or kill me,” Henry said, still staring out at the lake.
His voice was dull, in contrast to the pain raging within him. Valerie doubted even Reaper guessed at what was inside Henry.
“We had a deal and you broke it,” Reaper said, changing tacks. “Your girlfriend lives, unharmed, but your debt remains. I will come to collect.”
Valerie saw what was in Henry’s mind then. If he was dead, Reaper would have no reason to come after anyone he loved.
“No, Henry! That’s an excuse you’re telling yourself,” Valerie screamed. “You want to escape all that pain, and I understand. But we need you. I need you!”
Valerie was running to the Healers’ Guild now. She couldn’t get to Henry herself, but Thai would find him. She crashed into trees and shrubs as her vision flickered between the forest she ran through and Babylon, where Henry stood on a precipice with Reaper.
“Henry?” Reaper’s tone had changed subtly, as if he knew he might have pushed him too far.
Valerie never thought that her greatest enemy might help her, but now, she hope
d he would do anything other than kill Henry, or let Henry kill himself.
“There’s nothing more for you here,” Henry said tonelessly.
“That’s not completely true, is it?” Reaper asked. “There is one thing I still owe you.”
Henry turned to Reaper, and Valerie saw his calculating smirk.
“What’s that?” Henry asked.
“Zunya. Didn’t you wish to kill him yourself?”
A flame ignited in Henry. Valerie almost cried with relief that he was feeling something other than self-loathing.
“It’s you I ought to kill! Zunya’s your henchman. He was acting on your orders when he killed my dad. And you killed Oberon yourself!”
Magic pulsed out of Henry, and it hit Reaper squarely in his chest. He flew backward, slamming into a loose stone. Reaper touched his forehead, shock replacing his usual smirk at the sight of blood on his fingertips.
Then Reaper’s face twisted, and Henry was upside-down, hanging in the air. He screamed as Reaper began to dissolve him, starting with his back.
Valerie shared his pain, but not his reaction to it. She was horrified, but Henry embraced it as what he deserved. He was relieved that he would die in battle, rather than by his own hand.
“Fight back! Henry, you have to fight back!”
Valerie stumbled into the Healers’ Guild.
“Thai! Someone find Thai!” she shouted.
Footsteps raced as Valerie collapsed in the entryway.
With a pulse of power, Henry mentally shoved Reaper backward and dropped to the ground as Reaper’s magical hold on him released. Now, Henry’s rage fueled his magic, and Reaper struggled to move toward him. From where he crouched, Henry raised a pebble in the air, and it shot through the space between him and his attacker. It would have lodged in Reaper’s heart if Reaper hadn’t reoriented Henry’s world at that moment, shifting his perspective by ninety degrees.
But the stone did tear through Reaper’s flesh, ripping a hole in his arm.
“I killed the last man who drew my blood,” Reaper seethed. “My father couldn’t stop me once I embraced my magic, and neither can you.”
“Please run, Henry,” Valerie said, but she was hopeless. She loved him so much, and she was terrified that she was about to watch as Reaper killed the last blood tie she had in the universe.
Nothing else had reached Henry, but those words did. Maybe it was the love behind them. Henry hesitated, and then ran.
Reaper struggled to follow Henry, as Henry used his magic to create a shield around himself. Occasionally some of Reaper’s magic would slip through his defenses, and Henry would stumble as Reaper tried to dissolve him again, but he was gaining distance.
Valerie saw Henry’s target. He was running toward the tree that led up to Arbor Aurum.
Henry gained a foothold and hauled himself up. But before he could make it far, Reaper reached the tree, grabbed Henry’s ankle, and threw him to the ground. Then Henry’s pain started in earnest, and his screams filled the forest.
Valerie tried to tear herself from her brother’s consciousness so that she could send someone to help him, but he wouldn’t release her.
“Don’t let me die alone,” he murmured, blood on his lips.
“I won’t let you die at all,” she said.
There was a flash of green, and Henry’s pain abruptly diminished. Someone had dropped down on Reaper, and was tackling him.
“Emin, no! Get away from here!” Henry croaked, recognizing the little form before Valerie did.
Reaper tossed Emin aside like a doll, and he hit the side of a tree with such force that he was instantly unconscious.
Before Reaper could turn back to Henry, vines grew from the ground and wound around Reaper’s arms and legs. He yelped as sharp thorns pierced his skin, digging in.
His face contorted as he fought off the vines.
“You hurt my son,” Cerise said, her voice calm as she stepped from behind a tree. “You will die for that.”
Whatever magic was in Cerise’s thorns was turning Reaper green, and he squirmed as the vines tightened.
“Not here, or by you,” Reaper said, and stopped moving.
He became still, and then a rumbling shook the ground. Reaper corralled his magic, and when he released it, the vines holding him dissolved, along with everything else within three feet of him, including Cerise.
Henry turned, looking for her.
“Cerise!”
“She’s gone,” Valerie whispered, unsure if Henry could hear her. It had only been hours since she’d hugged Cerise goodbye, and already the fate she feared had become reality. Death had finally found her, and this time, he did not fail. Valerie pushed down the pain that rose up in her throat.
“She is no more than particles in the air you breathe,” Reaper said, but he didn’t renew his attack on Henry.
Whether Cerise’s vines had weakened him or the effort of releasing his power had drained him, Reaper’s gray face reminded Valerie of her own after she expended her vivicus power.
Now would be the perfect time to kill him.
Henry had the thought at the same time Valerie did, but it was too late. Reaper had vanished through one of his portals.
Henry tottered over to Emin, and lifted the boy from the ground. He buried his face in Emin’s jacket and began to cry. As his tears fell, he released his hold on Valerie’s mind.
Chapter 23
Valerie was in a bed in the Healers’ Guild, Thai on one side of her and Nightingale on the other, checking her pulse. She pushed herself up so she was sitting.
“I’ll explain everything later, but can you go help Henry?” Valerie said. “He’s by the tree that leads to Arbor Aurum.”
Thai kissed her forehead and left.
“I’m okay, but thanks for looking out for me,” she said awkwardly to Nightingale. Then she thought of something. “I know you can cure almost any disease on the Globe, right?”
“Most of the diseases that a human might face, perhaps. But we are not gods. We cannot stop aging, or death, or terrible wounds like the ones that Reaper’s black weapons inflict,” Nightingale said. “There are also magical diseases with no cures.”
“What about mental diseases?” she asked.
Nightingale examined her narrowly. “What is wrong with your mind?”
“Not mine,” she said. “But I think my brother is suffering from depression. Can you help him?”
Nightingale’s expression cleared as he considered her question. “I am not the expert on cures of the mind. But there is a Grand Master who may be able to help you.”
“Dasan,” Valerie said, and Nightingale nodded.
“He is your best hope for helping your brother.”
Valerie found Dasan at the Empathy Collective. The giant Feng was teaching a class to novice Empaths, and Valerie waited until he finished before approaching.
He cocked his head to the side, watching her with beady eyes.
“You must know why I’m here,” Valerie said.
“Your brother is growing sicker,” Dasan replied.
“You told me once that he might lose himself after his dad died. And I’m afraid he is. Can you help him?”
“His is a case I have considered more deeply than any other in this life,” Dasan said. “There is nothing I can do to help him.”
“What about magic? There has to be some way to save him,” Valerie said, not letting herself give into the desperation that made her want to scream and never stop.
“Henry will always struggle with the dark beast that has sunken its fangs into his spirit, no matter what direction his life takes now. However, he could fight its hold on him if he could live a normal life. Up until now, this beast within him has been fed and fed and fed by years of mental torture, losing his father, and now the guilt of aiding an enemy in murder. The beast is strong now, stronger than any I’ve known in the many minds I’ve touched in this life.”
“But there is nothing normal about our li
ves. So is Henry doomed?” Valerie asked, and her very soul shrank from Dasan’s answer.
The bird’s eyes were gentle as he replied. “I am a creature that believes there is always the possibility of new life. Henry is no exception. There is one thing that starves this beast within Henry. Can you guess what it is?”
Valerie thought for a long time. She knew there was a beast like the one Dasan described within her, too, and she knew the only thing that kept it at bay.
“Love,” she whispered.
Dasan nodded. “Your love, my love, and the love of all his friends will starve the beast. But until Henry finds love for himself, the beast will never die.”
Valerie was leaving the Empathy Collective when she saw two figures approaching from a long distance away. She recognized Thai, but it wasn’t until they were closer that she identified the boy whose hand he was holding.
Emin looked little and lost, and he broke out in a run when he saw Valerie.
“It isn’t true. Mom isn’t gone forever!” Emin said, launching himself into her arms.
“I’m sorry, Emin. I saw her die,” Valerie said simply, and she held him as he was racked with sobs.
She made eye contact with Thai over Emin’s head, and she saw that Thai’s eyes were filled with tears of his own. She couldn’t break down right now, when Emin needed her, so she forced her own grief into the box inside her.
Emin’s sobs turned to sniffles, and he finally lifted his head from Valerie’s shoulder.
“Who will make my dinner now? Who will make sure I go to school, and don’t skip bedtime, and hug me when I fall?” he asked, his voice desperate.
“I will,” Valerie promised. “And your Uncle Elden and all your friends, too.”
“Can I live with you?” Emin asked, his enormous eyes pleading.
“Yes,” Valerie promised. “You can stay at my house with me and my brother for as long as you want.”
“And me, too,” Thai said.
Valerie gave his arm a grateful squeeze. There was no way she could take care of Emin by herself in the middle of leading a war, and he knew it.