by Kristen Pham
“Where are you taking me?” she whispered as they hopped over rocks to cross the moat surrounding the Guild.
“I couldn’t very well take you through the front doors. But naturally, the building has lots of secret passages. I don’t think too many people know about this one.”
They reached the wall of the Guild, and Cyrus started tapping the stones in a specific order and rhythm. When he was done, they shifted aside to reveal a tunnel. It was times like this that made Valerie shiver with how lucky she was to have magic in her life.
The tunnel was naturally dark, but Cyrus carried a glowing orb that he’d probably made himself. They slowly walked down the passage, and at the end was a giant, clear bubble floating in a pool of water. Cyrus climbed into it and held out his hand.
Carefully, she gripped Cyrus’s hand and stepped through a strange, liquidy substance. She heard a slight popping sound when she came through to the other side. It was like being inside of a soap bubble.
“This bubble will take us around the moat, underwater,” Cyrus explained.
The bubble slowly began to sink into the dark water, where a current caught it, and they were suddenly propelled forward. Valerie clutched Cyrus’s hand in surprise.
“How will we see anything?” Valerie asked as dark water rushed past their bubble.
Before Cyrus could answer, they rounded a corner and were met with a burst of light. The entire underwater world of the moat was lit up. It was a liquid paradise. Fish of a thousand colors swam by, darting in between gently swaying seaweed and bright orange coral.
Little seahorses floated around. They were performing an elaborate, synchronized dance. Above the water of the moat, the moon sparkled.
“How can we be the only ones out here?” Valerie asked. “This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. You’d think people would be here every night.”
“Lots of people come during the day, but it doesn’t usually glow at night,” Cyrus said, ducking his head in an attempt at modesty.
“You did this?” Valerie asked with awe. Her best friend had surprised her again with the creative use of his power.
“I tossed in some balls of light that I made especially for this night. They’ll only glow for tonight, and then they’ll dissolve in the water. No one but us will ever see this.”
For a while, they floated, pointing out strange plants and creatures swimming around them. Eventually, they lapsed into comfortable silence. Cyrus slid his arm around Valerie’s waist, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She was safe and warm and relaxed. Part of her wished they could stay in their bubble forever, watching the fish swim by.
“I love you,” Cyrus said, his voice low. His arm held her a little tighter. “I always have, and I always will.”
The butterflies returned to Valerie’s stomach. “I love you, too, Cy.”
“Not the way I love you,” he said, and she shifted her head so she could read his expression. His eyes were serious, in spite of the little smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. “It about killed me to see you with someone else. I know it will take time before—”
Valerie stopped his words with a kiss. She gently pulled his head toward hers and let herself memorize the touch of his lips. It wasn’t like kissing Thai, where there was fire and lightning. But it was good and warm, like Cyrus himself. He deepened their kiss, and she felt something else, something more exciting. How much would it grow if she let it?
Cyrus made a low sound in the back of his throat that started a little fire in Valerie’s stomach. He held her tighter, and she stopped thinking, stopped comparing. The world dropped away, and she lost herself for a while.
Chapter 5
Valerie grinned at her reflection in the mirror the next day. Henry passed by at that moment and nudged her in the shoulder.
“It doesn’t take a twin bond to know you had a good date,” he said. Valerie flicked him with her towel.
“No mind probing when it comes to our love lives,” she said, but her tone was light.
In the kitchen, Oberon was putting pastries on a plate on the table. Henry stiffened at the sight of him, but Valerie gave her brother a sharp nudge with her elbow and he nodded. Oberon’s movements were jerky, and she examined him sharply.
“What’s wrong, Dad?” she asked as he sat in the chair next to her.
“Azra has asked if you and Henry would join the Grand Masters today at the Capitol building. My first instinct was to say no. You’ve been attacked there twice,” Oberon said.
“You have no right—” Henry started to say, but Oberon interrupted him.
“I know, Henry,” Oberon said, sounding tired and a little sad. “Azra reminded me that the choice is yours, and she’s right. I know that letting you be involved in this problem with the Fractus is what’s best for the Globe. But I can’t help wanting to shield you both from all of it.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. We have to do this. We can’t let innocent humans be hurt. We’ve got friends and family on Earth we have to protect,” Valerie said as gently as she could.
Oberon sighed. “I suspected you would both want to help. You’re so much like your mother.”
Oberon’s expression changed, his eyebrows rising imperiously and his tone stern. “However, from now on, if either of you enters a risky situation, I will escort you. That is not up for debate. Azra has agreed that I may join the meeting with the Grand Masters, as long as I only use my power to protect you if the situation arises.”
Valerie did her best to hide her grin. Her father had a way of talking that made her think that he was used to getting his way.
“Sure, Dad. Now let’s go see how we can help,” she said.
Valerie stepped through the doors of the Capitol building with Henry and Oberon, knowing they were a powerful team. A spark of confidence and hope flickered inside her. What couldn’t they accomplish as a family?
Azra was waiting for them, her silver horn glinting in the glowing lights of the hallway. She was always beautiful, but something in her appearance made Valerie catch her breath, unable to speak. Azra glowed with life, her white coat glossy and her iridescent mane making rainbows against the walls when the light hit it.
Thank you for coming. Azra’s voice in Valerie’s mind was soothing. The Grand Masters are growing restless. They are discussing the conflicting information coming from the Society of Imaginary Friends and Guardians of the Boundary about the Fractus’s presence on Earth.
“They will not take my daughter’s word on what she witnessed?” Oberon asked, anger lacing his words.
Azra flicked her tail. No. They believe that the Fractus kidnapped Darling, and Valerie and her team helped rescue him. Rastelli denies that there have been Fractus sightings on Earth, and Oleander corroborates this.
It rankled Valerie that Oleander was still walking around, when she should be in jail for her role in Midnight’s death.
“What about Chern?” Henry asked, using Reaper’s other name, the only one by which they had known him as the Grand Master of the History Guild.
He’s been missing since Midnight died. I suspect he is directing the Fractus on Earth. His absence has aroused the suspicions of the Grand Masters, but they have not ordered his arrest.
Valerie was used to not being believed after years at various foster homes, but Henry’s fists were clenched.
“That murderer is walking around, free? Valerie is a vivicus! Everyone’s always talking about how that makes her pure and good. Shouldn’t her word have enough weight for them to believe her?”
Valerie, too, has been absent for several weeks. Perhaps if the Grand Masters hear her story from her own mouth, their hearts may change.
“Let us go to them. My daughter will win their trust,” Oberon said confidently.
Valerie was less sure, but she followed Azra into the enormous room filled with the Grand Masters. They all floated in their own bubbles that they directed with their thoughts.
Azra, Henry, Oberon, and Vale
rie floated toward the center of the room, Valerie saw that they attracted stares from many of the Grand Masters. Some grumbled defensively, but a few, like Dasan, the Grand Master of the Empathy Collective, nodded sympathetically at them.
When they reached the spotlight in the middle of the room, the general bustle died down. Azra stood with her head erect, proud and beautiful.
Valerie and Henry have come today, at an enormous risk to their safety, to share with you the threat that they have witnessed from the Fractus.
But before Azra could continue, a pinprick of light from the ceiling above pierced the room, bouncing off of Azra’s silver horn. Everyone looked up, and Valerie watched with growing unease as the hole grew in size, as if the domed ceiling was dissolving.
Through the opening, Reaper descended on a platform, for all the world like an angel coming down from on high. There was no bubble around him. He was entirely unprotected, and he stretched out his arms as if he were pleading. He didn’t wear the black robe that Valerie associated with him when he had attacked her as Reaper, but neither did he pretend to be the bumbling fool he had played as the Grand Master of the History Guild.
“My friends, hear me,” Reaper said, his voice booming. All eyes were on him, stunned. Oberon raised his hands, which sparked with lightning.
“Dad, no,” Valerie whispered urgently. “They’ll never believe our story if we attack him now while he’s defenseless.”
Oberon lowered his hands, but his eyes still burned. “If he so much as makes eye contact with either of you, I will bring down the full power of my wrath upon his head.”
Reaper continued. “I come to you today with all of my masks put aside. I come as a friend you have trusted for many decades, and I hope you will all believe that your trust is not misplaced after you hear my words.”
The Grand Masters nodded, and Valerie knew that his appeal was working.
“Centuries ago, when the Globe was still new, I was a child on Earth.”
There was a collective gasp from the Grand Masters at these words.
No one knew he’s been alive this long. Azra explained to Valerie.
“My mother was brought to the Globe, her powers too strong for her to survive Earth’s rules. This was a time when magic was still rife on the planet, and many were born with the power in their bones. My father and I were forbidden to follow her, told that we did not have enough magic to allow us to come to the Globe,” Reaper explained, unable to hide the derision in his voice.
“And so I was left alone with a man who beat me daily and starved me into submission. My mother could only watch from a universe away, helpless, as her son wasted away. And did the Guardians of the Boundary make an exception for me, and allow me to come to my mother? No. The Grand Masters turned a blind eye to my plight, to the plight of all of the children left behind by magical parents.”
“Is this true?” Valerie whispered to her father.
Oberon didn’t meet her eyes as he answered. “No one was allowed on the Globe unless they had too much magic to survive on Earth. We were creating a place of pure magic, not a second Earth. If those without powers were allowed on the Globe, they could have been exploited.”
“But that’s so heartless,” Henry said, his face stricken. Valerie sensed through their bond that he was thinking of his father.
Reaper continued, after he seemingly composed himself. “My mother couldn’t protect me. She died by her own hand, unable to watch me suffer. She never knew that one day my own magic would enable me to come to the Globe.”
“We are sorry for your past, but why are you telling us this?” Skye interrupted, his voice ringing loudly through the room. “Is it true that you lead the Fractus? And where is Midnight? We want answers, not stories.”
A crackle of electricity skittered across Reaper’s body, and his face darkened at the interruption. “I’m coming to my point now. Without the guidance of the Conjurors, humans have disintegrated into a dark age of hatred and warfare. Conjurors are needed on Earth to bring back peace. Without us, humans will destroy themselves.”
A hundred voices burst out in response, creating a cacophony of sound. But Skye’s voice rang out again, above the rest. “You admit it then—you are leading the Fractus.”
Reaper glared at Skye as if he wished he could end him on the spot. But Valerie knew he wasn’t stupid enough to lose his temper in front of some of the most powerful Conjurors on the planet.
“Yes, I lead the Fractus. But our goal is not destruction. It is to rebuild, to return to Earth and teach the humans how to behave. Like children, they need boundaries. With free travel between our worlds, the proper order can be restored,” Reaper insisted.
The room had quieted again. Valerie wondered who was buying Reaper’s story. Some of the Grand Masters shook their heads in open disdain, but a few nodded as they listened to his words.
In our bones, there is a yearning to return home. Azra’s words chilled Valerie.
“Not on the Fractus’s terms. They want to dominate humanity, not help it,” Valerie said.
Azra nodded. Reaper has a way of obscuring dark realities with ideals that seem bright. But his world would be one where humans are second-class, subject to the rules of those with the most power.
“It would be a return to the days when the mightiest made the rules. That never worked out well,” Oberon said, his voice distant, as if he were remembering something from long ago.
Reaper’s platform began to rise, and he spoke again, obviously wanting to have the last word before Skye or another Grand Master could ask him questions he didn’t want to answer.
“I will leave you with this, my friends. Is it right to hoard our magic, containing it on this island in the middle of the universe? Or should we bring it back to the hungry, tired hoards of people who are desperate for our help? Decide for yourselves what is right, and where your loyalties lie. The Fractus will always welcome those who wish to rebuild Earth and return home.”
Reaper vanished through the hole in the ceiling he had created. It closed after him, repaired to its former state as if he’d never been there. His entrance and exit were more than a dramatic way to attract attention. It was a display of his power, and what his enemies would be up against if they opposed him.
In Azra’s office, the mood was somber.
What worries me most is that I suspect from the way he talks that he has discovered the existence of the Byways.
“The word sounds familiar,” Oberon said. “But the details were privileged information.”
When the Globe was created, the Guardians knew they needed a failsafe, a way to turn off the magic that prevented travel between the worlds, in case of a disaster. Humans could be brought to the Globe if Earth was about to be destroyed, and vice versa. And so they created the Byways.
“That makes sense,” Henry said. “Who knows about this failsafe?”
Myself and the Grand Master of the Guardians of the Boundary. If there are others, I do not know who they are.
“Midnight,” Valerie said softly.
Azra nodded. And now Oleander. She must have told Reaper, but even she may not yet have discovered the location of the Byways. There are two objects, one on Earth and one on the Globe, which must be activated in order to allow free travel between the worlds.
“How do we know he hasn’t already activated them?” Valerie asked.
I would have sensed such an immense burst of power.
“So tell us where these Byways are, and we’ll destroy them so that the Fractus can’t activate them,” Henry said.
A glimmer of amusement lit Azra’s eyes. That would indeed be simple. But the Guardians of centuries ago were not trusting. They jealously guarded the secret of the location of the Byways. Even the Guardian Grand Master must pass tests proving her unselfish motives to learn of their location. Until then, the office of the Grand Master will remain locked against her.
Valerie released a sharp breath of relief. “So there’s no danger of O
leander breaking into Midnight’s office and figuring out where the Byways are. She’s far from unselfish.”
Perhaps. Azra flicked her tail, a sign that Valerie now recognized, meaning that she wasn’t entirely comfortable. We cannot know what the test entails, or if there are other legends that could lead Reaper to the Byways. Many guilds have their secrets, and there may be Conjurors who know more than they realize.
“Maybe the Oracles or the People of the Woods know more,” Valerie suggested.
Oberon nodded thoughtfully. “The power of the People of the Woods was critical in binding Earth’s magic. They may have stories of the Byways.”
Reaper must be confident that he is close to opening up the pathway between worlds to make his plea to the Grand Masters.
“We only need to destroy one Byway, right?” Valerie asked, thinking hard.
I believe so. They work in tandem as I remember.
“Then the Fractus must be scouring Earth as well,” Henry said.
Valerie agreed. It made sense now why the Fractus were pumping humans for information. They were searching for clues to the location of the Byway on Earth.
“The time to act is now. If Reaper activates those Byways, the floodgates between worlds will open, and he’ll send his entire army to Earth,” Valerie said.
The implications of an army of Fractus against the human population was terrifying enough that it should have brought Valerie to her knees. Instead, a sense of purpose and power pervaded her entire being. This was the battle she was born to fight.
Chapter 6
Valerie’s first action was to find Chisisi in order to strategize on how to protect humans from the Fractus who had already come to Earth.
She didn’t have a charm to locate Chisisi, so finding him was difficult. He wasn’t at his home, the gravesite of his brother, or any of the hidden Guardian locations on Earth that he had told her about. She was ready to give up and try again another day when she thought of one person on Earth who might be able to find Chisisi with less magical means. Thai had Chisisi’s phone number.