Knights of Light (Book 2 of The Conjurors Series)

Chapter 8

"There's the Society of Imaginary Friends," she said, pointing to the most interesting of the buildings. Waterslides came out the window, and children chased each other through doors and out windows, screaming with laughter. "That's the guild where Cyrus and Kanti are apprenticed."

"Speaking of Kanti, let's go find Cyrus to see if he's heard anything more."

She led him through the streets, pointing out different guilds and buildings as they passed each one. As fascinating as Silva was, she could see that most of his attention was still preoccupied with thoughts of Kanti. She wished that his first glimpse of the Globe had been under happier circumstances, as hers had been.

She stopped in front of a tall, cylindrical building in different shades of blue, which was the dorm for the Society of Imaginary Friends. "This is where we'll live," she said. "It's your home now, too."

"Val!" Cyrus came tearing out of the front door and swung her around in a joyful hug. She squeezed him back. He then turned to Henry and they clasped hands and slapped each other on the back. Cyrus's blue eyes sparkled with happiness. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you guys. I've been on pins and needles all day."

"How is she?" Henry asked.

"Kanti's the same. Dulcea, our dorm matron, is talking to her mom every day."

"My ears are burning!" Dulcea said in her sweet voice, whizzing down the building on a platform that she was steering with her mind. Her blonde hair glinted in the sunlight, and her wide smile was a welcome sight.

"Valerie! And you must be Henry! This is so wonderful. I do hope you'll come to me like your sister does if you need anything at all. Your room is all set up—you'll be sharing with Cyrus." Dulcea almost bubbled over in her enthusiasm.

"Um, thank you," Henry said, taking a small step backward. Valerie could feel through their connection that he was a little overwhelmed.

"Why don't I show you our room? Then Val and I will show you around properly," Cyrus suggested.

Henry nodded gratefully, and they zoomed up to Cyrus's floor. Dulcea and Valerie caught the next platform.

"I'll join you. How are you—really?" Dulcea asked.

"Tired and worried about Kanti, but very happy to be back. How have things been with you? Last time you visited us, you said you were in the middle of your big thesis paper on finding your passion through imagination."

"It's been frustrating. Our Guild Grand Master isn't supportive of my theories. I'm going to need a lot of data to prove myself to him."

"He sounds tough."

Dulcea laughed. "Rastelli is probably the least tough person I've ever met. He's hard to pin down on anything. But he isn't someone who likes change. And any time I try to talk seriously with him, he always gets silly. Which is funny, but not helpful. I guess it's why he's Grand Master though—he's a big kid."

"I know how determined you are. You'll win him over."

"It's so good to have you back, Valerie."

She hugged Dulcea.

"I left some treats in your room. I remembered how much you loved my chocolates," Dulcea said. Dulcea's magic was expressed in her desserts, and they were the most delicious candies Valerie had ever eaten in her life.

The two parted ways, and Valerie went to her room, now empty, missing her roommate. As she stepped inside, she remembered the first time she had met Kanti. She was in the room, dancing to hip-hop. After Valerie got over the shock of her strange appearance, the two quickly bonded. The room seemed lonely without her.

Her side of the room was untouched, and Pathos, her sword, lay on her bed. She strapped on her sheath and slid Pathos into it. It was good to have it by her side again. It was as much a part of her as her magic, and she had missed its security.

She lay on her bed and touched the crystal that would connect her to Thai and was instantly by his side. He was sleeping in a twin bed in a small room. His eyes were shadowed, and he slept the sleep of the exhausted. But he must have sensed something, because he woke up, and he smiled when he saw her.

"I was dreaming about you," he said. "We were arm wrestling. You beat me."

"How romantic," she said sarcastically, but actually she thought it really was.

"How are you and Henry? Everything okay?"

"It is now. We're safe in our dorm. You don't need to worry about us. Where are you, anyway?"

"I'm staying in Henry's old bedroom. Joe seemed fragile after Henry left, and I didn't want to leave him by himself. Chisisi is taking Zaki's body back to Egypt today."

She was chilled by his words. With all the excitement of the past couple of days, she hadn't processed the full horror of what had happened to him. He was murdered. The word made bile rise in her throat.

"What is it?" Thai asked.

"He wouldn't have been in danger if it weren't for Henry and me. He died because of us."

"Don't do that," he said, sitting up. "You know that he was part of a larger battle against the Fractus. They were more after him than either of you, from where I was sitting. After all, that woman who jumped on the roof of our car tried to kidnap him, but she left you alone."

"I can't believe someone would murder him. It's like something out of an awful movie. I don't want to believe it's real. And even though we didn't know him that well, I can't believe he's gone."

"I know. I think he's someone we would have really liked."

He reached over to touch her hand, but it went right through hers. He shook his head sadly.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'm a little more tired than usual, but a lot has been going on. And Tan has all this energy, so when I get the body back I'm usually exhausted and I pass out."

"I'm going to let you rest."

"Don't go yet," he said, and she had never seen such a vulnerable look in his eyes before.

"I'll stay till you sleep, okay?"

He nodded, and lay back down. She lay next to him, and he shut his eyes. She watched as his breathing slowly grew even, and wished that she could kiss his eyelids. When at last she was satisfied that he was peacefully asleep, she let her mind return to the Globe.

Immediately she heard a knocking on the door, and she let Henry in. He stopped short, staring at Kanti's side of the room. It was painted a blue so dark it was almost black, and was plastered with posters of Earth bands. Her bed was unmade, as if she had just left it that morning. He walked over to her desk and ran his hands over the cover of her journal, which had a pattern of skulls on it.

"She's going to be okay. I know it," Valerie said to him.

"She has to be. I love her, you know."

"Of course you do. So do I."

"That's not what I mean. I'm in love with her. But I didn't have the guts to tell her. I thought when I was here... on the Globe... in person... that I could finally do it."

She squeezed her brother's hand. "You will tell her. And I'm so happy for you. Being in love is the best."

"Like you and Thai?" he said with a questioning raise of an eyebrow. She blushed. "Thought so."

"All right, gang, let's get moving!" Cyrus said, coming in the open door. "I can see it falls to me to cheer this group up. Mission accepted!"

"There's been a change of plans," she said. "Henry's going to Elsinore."