Knights of Light (Book 2 of The Conjurors Series)

Chapter 11

Back at the dorm, they were able to talk to Dulcea and Henry through the magic mirror and discover that Kanti was safe. Ani had escaped by using her glamour disguise to hide as an old man named Iago, a trick that she had been using for years.

"But Kanti's parents are still sending us away. Even though Henry saved Kanti's life!" Dulcea said indignantly, her blonde curls a rumpled mess from being dragged out of bed.

"They don't completely trust Ani's story either, so they're keeping everyone away from her," Henry explained. "At least she's safe. I can tell that her parents really are trying to do what's best."

Dulcea sniffed, still irked.

"Does this mean you're coming home?" Valerie asked.

"Yes, we'll be back tomorrow," he said. She was surprised by how happy she was that he was coming back. They hadn't known each other long, but being apart from her twin was like having a weight on her heart.

They said goodbye, and she and Cyrus went back to their rooms for the night. Once she was ready for bed, she touched the crystal that connected her with Thai.

He was waiting for her, since this was the time of day they usually met. "How'd it go with Midnight?"

Valerie shook her head. "I'm not sure. Midnight is convinced that Sanguina is trying to change her ways. But I bumped into her and—"

"What! Did she attack you?"

"Relax, she didn't do anything. She wanted to tell me something, but we were interrupted."

"Don't even think about going after her by yourself. Way too dangerous."

She repressed a smile. Thai's protective streak was a mile wide, but rather than finding it overbearing, she loved that someone was watching out for her.

"No need to convince me. Being around that woman gives me the chills."

"So you think she's the spy, then?"

"I'm not sure. I have a lifetime of associating her with torment, and now that I know what she did to Henry, I positively can't stand her. It's hard to separate that from who she is now."

"What does your gut tell you?"

She sighed. "That as much as I wish she were the spy, she isn't. Or maybe she's involved with the Fractus, but she's not the real threat."

"Time to move on to your next suspect, then. Who are you going to take on next?"

She thought for a little while. "I do already know another one of Chrome's suspects. He's the groundskeeper, Oberon. He helped heal me after I fought with Sanguina once."

"Then he can't be all bad."

"Maybe. There's something off about him, though."

"Maybe you should leave this to Azra. It sounds too risky."

"Azra's not here right now. And one thing I know for sure is that finding this person is urgent. Something's going to happen."

He shook his head, resigned. "I don't know why I keep thinking that you'll walk away from danger when all you ever do is run toward it. Make sure you talk to him somewhere public in case he goes nuts on you."

The next day Cyrus and Valerie left the dorm with less of an appetite for adventure than they had the day before. They dragged their feet, and she was hoping that maybe they wouldn't be able to find Oberon. There was something wrong about confronting a man who had helped her.

But he was immediately visible polishing a statue of a warrior in front of the Weapons Guild. He was blind, but he worked methodically, and unless someone saw his cloudy eyes, they would never guess that he couldn't see.