Guardians of the Boundary (Book 3 of The Conjurors Series)

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.