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

Chapter 7

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.

"To 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."

Eldengripped 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 mypeople at your side if you need it."