Keeping her encounter with Zunya from her friends was easier than Valerie thought it would be. She had spent the majority of her life fending for herself, and slipping back into her old habits was oddly comfortable. She still had the benefit of their company without worrying that she was dragging them into more danger. Knowing that she had a promise to keep to Reaper freed her to do what she would prefer to do anyway—keep her friends as far from danger as possible.
Waiting for Reaper's summons, on the other hand, was torture. She didn't know if he'd contact her in an hour or a month.
"Val! Glad I found ya," Cyrus said, surprising her on her way home to Midnight and Henry. She was so startled, she jumped a foot in the air.
"You scared me!"
Cyrus laughed at her. "Since when are you this jumpy?"
She punched him lightly on the shoulder and changed the subject. "What's up?"
The smile fell from his face. "It's Cara's last day. She's leaving tomorrow morning at dawn."
"Back to Messina?"
"I don't know. She's being very mysterious about it all. I guess she's on her own now. But I want to send her off in style, so I thought we could all surprise her with a little party."
"Absolutely. How can I help?"
"Everything's taken care of. It's at my Guild. I came to pick you up."
"You're lucky I didn't have plans!"
"You mean you wouldn't break them for your bestest friend in the universe?" he teased. "I didn't know she was leaving until this morning. Seriously, you don't have plans, do you?"
"None I wouldn't break for you, Cy," she said, bumping his shoulder with her own. His responding smile was dazzling.
They collected Henry and then met up with Kanti and Ceru at the entrance of the Society of Imaginary Friends.
"What's Cara been up to, anyway?" Kanti asked.
"She's been working with Dulcea. Some kid on Earth needed help with science, and we're really lucky she was here because it's not a subject we're strong in. You forget how much work everything is when you don't have magic."
"I'm surprised she agreed to do anything that involved magic," Valerie said.
"She's coming around to see the good that can be wrought with magic," Ceru said softly.
"You two have been spending time together, huh?" Cyrus said, narrowing his eyes. "You're 174 years old. Don't you think you're a little old for her?"
"That's like, seventeen years old for his people, and you know it!" Kanti jumped in.
"Seventeen is too old! She's a kid," Cyrus said, getting red in the face.
Ceru rested a hand on the top of Cyrus's head. "Don't worry, my friend. Cara is a child, as you say. I helped her to embrace magic for your sake as much as hers. I knew what losing her would mean to you."
Cyrus looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry, man. I should have known better."
They had arrived at the Guild, and Cyrus led them to a room that was filled with all of Cara's favorite foods that she had discovered since she had come to Arden. There were also a number of other Conjurors that Valerie recognized but didn't know well. She hadn't realized how many friends Cara had made during her short visit.
"Dulcea will bring her any minute," Cyrus said to the collected group, and turned out the lights. "Grab a pocketwork and be ready for when she steps through the door."
"A pocketwork?" Henry asked, picking up a little ball that glittered with silver flecks.
"You'll see," Kanti grinned. "Throw it in the air when she comes in."
The handle of the door turned, and Dulcea stepped in, followed by Cara.
"Surprise!" everyone yelled.
Valerie threw a ball in the air like everyone else. She heard a sound like popcorn in the microwave, and then fireworks exploded inside the room. They lit up everyone's faces with a silvery glow. Cyrus threw his pocketwork last, and it rocketed across the room, leaving a light trail that spelled "Farewell, Cara" in its wake.
Cara's eyes brimmed with tears, and she hugged her brother tightly.
"I hope those are happy tears," Cyrus said, sounding a little worried.
"They are. Thank you for everything."
"I'm really going to miss you," he said, sounding a little choked up.
"We all are," Valerie added, giving Cyrus a second to pull himself together. She knew how much he hated anyone seeing him unravel.
"I guess I'll have to come back often, in that case," Cara said with a smile.
"You're not going back to Messina?" Kanti asked.
"Not yet. There's work to do here," she said, her eyes connecting with Ceru's.
"What's the mystery?" Henry asked.
"Cara will be joining my people for a time. They have accepted her presence, but her work with them is a secret," Ceru explained.
"Do Mom and Dad know?" Cyrus asked.
Cara nodded. "I didn't want them to think I was lost or hurt. But I didn't want to talk to them, so I sent a letter."
"Chicken," Cyrus said, putting his arm around his sister and leading her to the food.
Dulcea hung back from the group, biting her lip thoughtfully.
"Everything okay?" Valerie asked her.
"It's a shame Cara doesn't want to join our Guild. We could use her talents. She'd rise quickly to instructor level with the knowledge she has about science."
"Is that what's bothering you?"
Dulcea shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly."
"Then what is it?"
"There was an aspect of my thesis that I wanted to talk to Rastelli about in private—to try to explain what my research is showing. I know he has this favorite place he calls his 'thinking spot' not far from the Guild. I went there to find him, and I saw him talking to Zunya."
Valerie's eyes widened. "What would Rastelli have to say to Zunya?"
"I don't know, but nothing good. I snuck closer trying to overhear, but Zunya vanished. I don't know how he did it."
Valerie had a pretty good idea, but she kept her mouth shut. "Do you think Rastelli is the spy?"
"It's hard for me to imagine. He can be stubborn and a little strange at times, but I can't imagine him doing anything that might hurt kids on Earth or the Globe," Dulcea said.
Valerie didn't get that vibe from Rastelli, either, but she didn't know him well. "Still, it doesn't look good."
Dulcea nodded. "He's been acting strange lately, too. He's never fully approved of my work, but he's always vaguely encouraged me to follow my own path. But lately, he's been distant and dismissive. Not just of me, but of many of us who are studying to become Masters."
"Maybe he's threatened by you."
Dulcea shrugged. "I never would have said that before but..." she trailed off as the rest of the group approached with plates of food.
"Let's not worry the others—yet," Dulcea whispered quickly.
Valerie nodded, and a little weight settled on her heart. Another secret. They piled up so quickly.
After the party, Valerie walked toward home with Henry, Cyrus, and Kanti, her mind whirling. Rastelli, Kellen, Sanguina...there were too many suspects, and none of them completely added up. But she had a nauseated feeling in her belly that told her she had better find an answer quickly.
Henry interrupted her thoughts by clearing his throat loudly. "I didn't want to steal Cara's thunder, but now that she's on her way to her next adventure, I wanted to tell you guys something."
He had their attention. "What is it?" Valerie asked, a little alarmed.
"I picked a guild," he said, turning a little pink. "I'm going to join Empathy."
"That's great!" she said, giving him a hug.
"Agreed! Nice going," Cyrus said, slapping him on the back. Henry hardly seemed to notice, because he was staring at Kanti.
"I'm glad you found the right place for you," Kanti said, her eyes beaming with her sincerity.
"You're not disappointed? I know we always talked about working together at the Society of Imaginary Friends, but I don't belong there."
"No way. I'll miss you, but it'll give us more to talk about. We can trade Guild secrets," Kanti said with a smile that could stop traffic.
Henry blushed. "My apprentice ceremony is tomorrow night. I hope you can all come."
"Wouldn't miss it," Valerie said, happy that her brother was settling into his life on the Globe.
At home, Midnight was reading by the fire, and Valerie invited her to visit Thai and Tan with her. Midnight broke into one of her rare smiles, and together they shut their eyes and let their minds project to Earth. Thai was sitting next to Tan on Henry's old bed, laughing. The black mark on Tan's neck had faded to the point of being almost invisible. If she hadn't seen it when he'd separated from Thai, she'd wouldn't even notice the slight shadow.
"Tan! Welcome to the world of the living!" Valerie said happily. Tan's smile vanished at the sight of her.
"What's she doing here?" he said with a face like he'd tasted something sour. "I thought I told you to leave us alone."
"I can't have you talking to Valerie like that," Thai said. "You promised."
Tan nodded grudgingly, but her joy had dissipated. She'd hoped that when they separated, Tan would return to his happy-go-lucky self.
"It's good to see you both," Midnight said, filling the uncomfortable silence. "I hope you both have had time to process the implications of the Excision since we met last."
"At least you'll be able to make it to the Globe before anything drastic happens," Valerie said.
The boys glanced at each other with a look Valerie couldn't interpret.
"Chisisi's team has found a safer way to return to the Globe," Midnight said. "Since the Fractus have found the pool you and Henry came by, we don't want to risk another encounter."
"How much time do we have?" Thai asked. "I want to explain things to my family in person. And have them meet Tan."
Midnight nodded. "We need to secure Darling before we implement the Excision. He is so frequently between worlds that we don't want him caught on the wrong side."
"Don't you know? He's in a dungeon in the Black Castle," Valerie said, surprised that the Guild Master hadn't been notified by Kellen of what she and Henry had discovered.
Thai gave her a hard stare, and she realized guiltily that it was another thing she had avoided telling him when he'd been going through his transition and recovery.
"That information wasn't shared with me," Midnight said, her mouth pursed as if she'd tasted something sour. "All the more reason to find the guide to take us to the Black Castle. I don't think Darling could survive long in there, without light and love."
The worry that had been simmering at the back of Valerie's mind came to the forefront. The Knights weren't as close to finding the Black Castle as they thought they were. It seemed like they were running in circles, and she was worried that either Shade had been tricking her, or that Reaper had found out about his plan and was using him.
"I guess Valerie has a lot to fill us in on," Thai said, and she heard the new coldness in his tone that made him seem like a different person.
Tan remained silent, but he had a smug smile on his face that made her want to shake him.
"I'll let you three catch up," Midnight said, casting an uneasy glance at each of them. "I'll keep you closely informed on everything that's happening so you'll make it here in time."
"Thank you," Thai said. "I'm glad that someone will be keeping me in the loop."
Valerie knew that her hurt must be written on her face. Thai's expression softened and he started to say something. But he seemed to think better of it, and his new cold mask of reserve was back in place.
"I'll be in touch soon," Midnight said, and vanished.
"Why don't we catch up another time?" Thai said to Valerie. "Tan and I have some travel plans to get started on."
"Sure," she said in a small voice. Where was the warm, tender Thai who had held her by the campfire when she almost died? It was like he never existed.
Her mind returned to the Globe, sitting by the fire. Midnight was waiting for her, but Valerie couldn't manage to force a smile. It had been a long time since she had been so alone and disconnected. Her sadness formed a ball in her throat. Tears would be a welcome relief, but in the past, they never came. She swallowed, trying to breathe around the ball of pain.
"I'm sorry, my dear," Midnight whispered. "The separation of an amoebiate can be very traumatizing. Thai and Tan will settle into their new lives soon. I'm here if you want to talk."
Midnight's words reminded Valerie that shewasn't truly alone any more, and never would be. The tears came, and the ballin her throat dissolved.