by Kristen Pham
In spite of seeing her father’s remorse, she couldn’t forgive him as her mother had. Instead she felt betrayed, as if Oberon had tricked her into believing in someone who didn’t exist.
Chapter 7
The rest of Valerie, Gideon, and Chrome’s trip to the edge of the woods was quiet. Kanti and Cyrus were waiting at the Lake of Knowledge with matching smiles, excited about their latest adventure. But the foundation beneath Valerie’s feet had shifted, and she couldn’t hide it from her friends.
“What is it?” Kanti asked when she saw her face.
Valerie shook her head. “Later.”
Cyrus kissed her cheek and held her hand. Then he turned to Gideon. “How is it that you know how to find the People of the Woods, anyway?”
“When I was a boy, a clan living in the south woods of Arden adopted me,” Gideon said.
Valerie realized how little she knew of her mentor, but her usual curiosity was deadened by Gideon’s revelations about her father. She knew she had to shake the news off, at least for now, so that she could focus on winning over Elden and his people.
In his usual attempt to lighten the mood, Cyrus changed the subject. “What do we do? Is there a secret passage or a ritual? A charm, maybe?”
Gideon relaxed under the influence of Cyrus’s enthusiasm. “Nothing so grand, I’m afraid. We climb.”
“Climb what?” Cyrus persisted.
“You’ll see,” Gideon said, and a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, as if he was enjoying prolonging the mystery.
“As long we don’t have to take the rollercoasters,” Kanti muttered.
Gideon led the group deeper into Arden’s woods than Valerie had ever been on foot. After several hours of hiking, Gideon stopped in front of the biggest tree she had ever seen in her life. It reminded her of the redwood forest she had been to on a field trip on Earth. The trunk was as wide around as a car and stood so high that she couldn’t see the top of the tree through the branches.
“Now we climb,” Gideon said. “Chrome will keep guard on the ground and alert us if anyone has followed.”
Gideon reached up to a branch above his head and quickly hauled himself up.
“Not to be a wimp, but isn’t this a bit dangerous?” Kanti said, squinting up at the branches towering above them.
Gideon leaned down and held out a hand to her. “The tree is spelled. If you come with peaceful intentions you will not fall.”
Kanti wiped her hands on her jeans and then reached up. Soon they were all climbing, following Gideon’s path up the tree branch by branch. Leaves brushed Valerie’s cheek, and she shrank away. The touch was unnatural, like cool fingers against her face. Above her, Cyrus cringed as well, and she saw the leaves curl away after they brushed against him. It was like the tree could tell by touch whether they were allowed to climb safely.
Valerie noticed a pleasant ache in her limbs from the unusual exercise when Gideon disappeared into a cluster of leaves. Kanti stopped short.
“Where’d our faithful guide go?” she asked.
Valerie quickly climbed up, moving around Cyrus and Kanti. “I’ll go first, to make sure it’s safe.”
Kanti let out a relieved breath, but Cyrus shook his head. “Let me go. I’m an ambassador for my Guild. People love me.”
Valerie didn’t want to argue, so instead, she pushed her way through the thicket of leaves without another word. When she emerged, she was standing on one of the wooden platforms that formed the floor of a great city in the trees.
All of the branches interconnected, forming streets and bridges. Flowers grew in little nooks, and everything was alive and blooming. It even seemed easier to breathe up here.
All around her, the People of the Woods bustled, going about their daily activities. In the treetops, Valerie saw little homes and shops, just like on the ground below.
She poked her head back through the leaves and reached down to Kanti. “It’s safe.”
Valerie helped Kanti up, but when she tried to give Cyrus a hand, he pushed her away, annoyed.
“You don’t always have to be the one to throw yourself into danger,” he muttered. “You can let me protect you sometimes.”
She moved to squeeze his hand, but he pulled away. She couldn’t say what he wanted to hear, that she’d let him take risks in her place. If she lost Cyrus, she’d lose herself, too. And reminding him that she was a stronger, better fighter was probably not a good idea, either.
Gideon spoke as the three friends brushed bits of leaves and twigs from their clothes. “Welcome to Arbor Aurum. To the People of the Woods, it is the capital of the Globe.”
Kanti and Cyrus stared and stared, reminding Valerie of her own first glimpse of this green and gold city in the trees.
“How will we find Elden?” Valerie asked.
“He will come to us. The People of the Woods all know we are here now. The tree warned them of our approach,” Gideon explained.
Valerie saw a tall, dark man with skin that had a tint of gold, purposefully striding over to them. Though all of the People of the Woods moved gracefully, Elden stood out, like an acrobat navigating an invisible tightrope.
Elden’s face was serious, but his eyes held a welcome that Valerie hadn’t seen the last time she’d met him. After greeting everyone in the group, he immediately turned to her.
“I can see in your bearing that you begin to be ready for what is to come,” Elden said.
Valerie forced herself not to look away from his direct gaze. “The Fractus are on the verge of sending an army to Earth. We can’t let that happen, and we hoped you could help us.”
“Come, this is no place to talk of such matters. The others wait for us in the Sky Garden,” Elden said.
He led the group to a nearby tree with knobs in the side like shallow steps. He quickly ascended, and Valerie followed as nimbly as she could. When she reached the top, the first thing she noticed was the sky. They were at the very top of the trees, and no branches or leaves blocked their view of the endless blue.
All around her in winding paths were gold, pink, white, and blue flowers. They grew wild, but somehow the People of the Woods had interwoven the colors and patterns to form a work of art. It was like stepping inside a painting. Beside her, Cyrus and Kanti stared, mouths slightly open. Gideon shut his eyes and tilted his face to the sky, taking a deep breath.
Valerie wished she could stare and explore, but she’d come here with a purpose, so she forced herself to focus on Elden.
He had led them to a bump in the giant platform of woven tree branches that formed a natural table, and around it sat five other People of the Woods. They were all dark-skinned, like Elden, but their skin and hair glinted with different shades of gold, green, and silver. Valerie recognized Cerise, Ceru’s aunt whom she had met several months before. She remembered that she hadn’t been friendly, even though Valerie had helped locate Darling so he could heal her son, Emin, after a bad injury.
Seated at one end of the table, with flowers wound through her hair, was Cara, Cyrus’s sister. Cyrus moved to give her a hug, but Cara shook her head slightly, and he stepped back, puzzled.
“Azra sent word that you were coming,” Elden explained. “She has told us the latest actions by the Fractus. We will decide as a people what support we will give your quest, but those gathered today are here to listen and spread your words.”
Valerie couldn’t have hoped for more. She turned to Gideon to see if he would start, but his head was bowed, and she knew he expected her to begin to weave the story that would rally people to them.
She gulped and hoped that the People of the Woods didn’t notice. But she gathered her thoughts, remembering the appeal that she had planned the night before as she lay in bed. She’d tailored it to what she knew of these people and hoped it would resonate.
“People of the Woods, I know that your lives and values are different from many of the Conjurors on the Globe, and so you live apart,” Valerie began.
“T
o escape the taint of corruption that is rife on the ground,” Cerise said, tossing her long hair over her shoulder.
Valerie nodded. “We don’t come to debate our differences today. We come because we not only share an enemy in the Fractus, but we also share a hope for a future where magic is used to enhance the lives of the people and animals on the Earth and the Globe.”
“Don’t forget all of the non-cognizant life, the plants,” Cerise interrupted again, but her tone was less hostile.
“You’re right. On both the Earth and the Globe, the need to protect the creatures that cannot protect themselves is critical. The Fractus seek to use magic to force their way of life upon us all, human and Conjuror,” Valerie said.
“We’ve seen the truth of that for ourselves,” Elden said, moving to stand beside Valerie. “They have attacked our fortresses and stolen our people to harvest our magic against our will.”
“We have to find a better, fairer way to bring magic back to Earth, if that is what we all decide to do. But before that can happen, we must drive the Fractus from Earth and stop their poison from spreading across the universe,” Valerie said.
“She’s right,” the oldest of the representatives spoke up. “We have battled the Fractus since the Globe was formed. We can never even consider returning to Earth as long as that threat remains. The Fractus come for us, daring to try to kidnap even our children. Several of our People would still be locked in the Black Castle if Valerie had not set them free.”
The others nodded, even Cerise. Valerie glanced at Kanti and Cyrus, who beamed at her.
For the first time, Cara spoke up. “It’s like Ceru and I have been trying to show you—not all of the Conjurors are bad. It’s time to set aside prejudice and join forces.”
Cyrus’s eyes were round as he stared at his sister. Cara was obviously a respected voice in the group.
“We will take your message to the People, and I will come to tell you of our decision,” Elden said.
The representatives, other than Cara, began to trickle away. Valerie’s anxiety returned.
“Can you tell us where to find the Globe’s Byway?” she asked Elden. “Even a day could make a difference in stopping the Fractus from returning to Earth in force.”
Elden cocked his head, considering her words. “I will tell you under one condition. If you find the Globe’s Byway, you will bring it to me and my people. We will decide whether it should be destroyed ourselves. We created the Byway, so it is our right to decide what happens to it.”
It made Valerie nervous to leave such a big decision in the hands of people she barely knew.
“To earn trust, you must first give it,” Gideon said softly in her ear.
Slowly, Valerie nodded. “You have my word. We’ll bring it to you.”
“It is in the vanished garden of Babylon, behind a great waterfall,” Elden said. “No one, not even any of my people, has been able to visit this site, the most beautiful of the gardens we created for this planet, in many years. We hope that means no Fractus have been able to find it, either.”
The mention of Babylon tickled a memory in the back of Valerie’s mind from her first trip to the Globe.
“That’s the place you found with Dulcea and me two years ago!” Cyrus said, his eyes glowing.
“You’ve been to Babylon and you didn’t tell me?” Cara squeaked.
Elden silenced them both with a regal wave of his hand. “Am I to understand that you have already found the garden once?”
“Yes,” Valerie said. “And we’ll find it again and bring the Byway to you to protect.”
Elden gripped her hand and squeezed once. “I will trust you to keep your word, vivicus. And when you do, I believe you will have the support and magic of my people at your side if you need it.”
Chapter 8
Valerie and her friends spent the night in Arbor Aurum in a hollow tree, and the next morning, Cara led them to one of the long ropes woven from a golden material that formed ladders that fell over the edges of the floor of the city. Gideon had decided to stay in the city for a few more days to meet with friends.
“Come home with us for a while,” Cyrus begged.
Cara smiled. Even though she’d only been gone a few months, she seemed more mature. “Soon. I’m really helping here. Ceru and I have been working as kind of ambassadors to the People of the Woods, helping them see that not all Conjurors are bad.”
“Why do they trust you?” Kanti asked, curious.
“I was able to help them save a species of flower that was dying off. No magic could help it, but luckily science could. We developed a fertilizer that is making it thrive,” Cara said proudly.
Cara and Cyrus came from Messina, a country where the use of magic was forbidden. As a result, their science had advanced even more rapidly than Earth’s, and Cara was a star student.
“And channeling a little extra light with my new lightweaver powers may have helped too,” Cara added. Only a few months ago she had been horrified by her magic, and Cyrus lit up at the news that she was choosing to embrace her potential.
“I’m so proud of you, baby sis,” Cyrus said, beaming.
Cyrus gave her a hug, which, after a surprised pause, she returned. “I miss you, Cy.”
“Stay safe, okay? Don’t let them throw you over the edge or anything,” Cyrus said, only half joking.
The trip back to Arden was much quicker than the journey to Arbor Aurum. By climbing down the golden ladder at the right spot, they floated through the air and landed on the edge of the forest near Silva.
When Valerie landed lightly on her feet, she noticed that her brother was waiting for them. The first thing he did was kiss Kanti like they’d been separated for weeks instead of a day.
Valerie looked at Cyrus, ready to roll her eyes, but she saw that he was watching them with a slight smile, as if he wished that they had that kind of relationship.
A little giggle surprised Valerie. She whipped around to find the source and saw Emin, Cerise’s son.
“Where did you come from, buddy?” she asked, kneeling in the soft dirt next to him.
“I followed you!” His eyes sparkled with delight, and Valerie couldn’t help smiling back.
“A hitchhiker,” Cyrus said, clearly enjoying Emin’s mischief.
“I was visiting the city with my mom and I saw you. I knew you’d bring me on your adventures!” Emin said with the confidence only a six-year-old can possess.
“Your family might worry about you,” Valerie said.
Emin stuck out his bottom lip. “They never let me do anything fun. I decided for myself to come with you, and you can’t stop me.”
Cyrus laughed, and Valerie suspected that Emin reminded him of himself when he was younger.
“What are we going to do with you?” Kanti chimed in, having successfully peeled herself off of Henry. “Gideon’s still in Arbor Aurum, and I doubt we can find that tree to take us back there without him.”
“Azra will know how to get him home safely,” Henry said. “I had a message from her asking us to visit the Capitol as soon as you returned, so I was going to bring you to her now anyway. Cyrus and Kanti, too.”
Valerie nodded and turned to Emin. “Would you like to see the Capitol building? The most important Grand Masters in Arden all work there.”
Emin’s eyes grew round. “The big building with the gold roof?”
“That’s the one,” Cyrus said.
“Yes! I want to meet the Grand Master of the Knights and see inside!” Emin was practically dancing with glee.
“It’s a long walk back, do you want a ride?” Valerie asked him. When he nodded, she swung him up so that he was sitting on her shoulders. “Now you have the best view of us all. Keep a lookout for anything dangerous. You can be our guard.”
Emin let out a little squeal of joy, and his weight on her shoulders grounded Valerie. She missed being around little ones. They were so much more fun than grown-ups. Thinking about that reminded her of li
ttle Ming, another child who Darling had saved back on Earth, and she resolved to visit her as soon as she had a chance.
It wasn’t too far of a walk back to The Horseshoe. When Emin saw the grounds, he insisted on jumping down from Valerie’s shoulders and racing to the Capitol building himself.
Valerie chased after him, and they burst through the front doors, laughing. Kanti, Cyrus, and Henry joined them, and they all became quiet in the hush of the grand building.
When they reached Azra’s office, Valerie gently knocked on the door and it swung open at her touch.
Azra stood in the little patch of grass in the corner of her office with Summer, an ancient centaur Valerie had met who helped them fight the Fractus at the Black Castle.
The patch of grass was a gift to Azra from her husband, Odysseus. By stepping inside it, she could see a memory of him that was so accurate it was almost as if he were alive.
“Should we wait for them to step off?” Henry whispered.
Valerie shook her head. Kanti showed Emin the magical maps on the walls of the office to distract him before joining the rest of the group on the grass with Azra and Summer. Azra noticed them first, and she smiled with wistful relief. Valerie was again struck by her radiant bearing, in spite of the worried way her eyes flicked to each of their faces.
Thank you for joining us so quickly. There is much that needs to be said.
Summer patted Azra soothingly on her back. Valerie watched the two closely, noticing the tenderness between them, like sisters.
Azra turned her dark eyes to Valerie, and her words flowed gently into her mind. Several months ago, I discovered that a miracle had happened. Something I wished for my whole life, but was never blessed to receive. I am pregnant.
Joy swept through Valerie’s entire being at Azra’s words. Azra was no longer the last unicorn in existence—no longer alone. Valerie flung her arms around the unicorn’s neck, and Henry, Kanti, and Cyrus piled on as well. When they pulled back, Valerie saw tears in her friends’ eyes that matched her own. She didn’t think she’d ever cried from joy before.