The next morning, urgent knocking on the front door awakened Valerie. She hurried to open it and found an agitated Dulcea, whose hair was a messy riot of curls.
"What's wrong?" Valerie asked, her adrenaline spiking immediately.
Dulcea launched into her story without hesitation. "After you left, one of the apprentices who is an imaginary friend to a very rich little boy on Earth approached me. Her name is Amy, and I mentored her a couple of years ago. She was terrified. The boy's family was trapped inside of their house by an intruder."
"That's terrible. I hope they're all okay," Henry said, joining them at the door and rubbing his eyes.
"That wasn't the worst part. This boy's father is a senator, and they had guards and an extremely fancy security system. But everything was disabled at once. All of the electricity was drained from every single system in the house, including the alarms. The guards were all killed and had blackened holes in their chests, as if they had been electrocuted."
"That sounds like the Fractus we fought," Henry said. "But it couldn't be."
Valerie's gut twisted. "They already had a way to return to Earth, with whatever magic they took from Darling."
"I know it's suspicious, but these bad guys could have used regular human weapons. Let's not jump to conclusions," Henry said.
"It was one man," Dulcea said. "Tell me how one man could take out eleven guards and disable every electronic device in a one mile radius in minutes without using magic."
Henry shook his head, her eyes filling with terror. "The attacker...did he kill the family, too?"
Dulcea shook her head. "No, they were released. But we have no idea what the senator gave the Fractus to save the lives of his family."
"It's all happening so fast," Valerie said, her head in her hands.
"Faster than you can imagine," Dulcea said. "Two other apprentices had similar stories. All imaginary friends to kids with powerful parents."
"What does Rastelli say? Does he have any ideas about what can be done?" Valerie asked.
Dulcea's face darkened. Valerie had never seen her truly enraged before. "That's the worst part. Amy went straight to Rastelli along with the other apprentices whose friends had been attacked. And he told them to say nothing to anyone. That it was all a misunderstanding, not the Fractus at all. But that didn't seem right to Amy, which is why she came to me."
"What could make him say such a thing?" Henry asked, horrified.
"There's only one reason that I can think of. He must be the spy," Dulcea said. "Maybe he's Reaper himself."
Valerie's gut said that wasn't the case, though she didn't have any concrete reasons why. The person who murdered Jet had been cut from a different cloth than Rastelli.
"It doesn't matter. We have to get to Midnight. It's too late for the Excision now. Magic and evil have already invaded Earth. If we shut down the connection now, the humans will be defenseless against the Fractus who are already there," Valerie said, already pulling on her jeans.
"What can I do to help?" Dulcea asked.
"Recruit as many Conjurors from the Society of Imaginary Friends as you can, but only people you can really trust. It's up to you to make sure Rastelli doesn't slip away before we can question him," Valerie said. "Henry, get Kanti and Cy and meet me at the Justice Guild."
Valerie sprinted down the streets of Silva and across The Horseshoe. She was heading toward the Justice Guild, forming her case for the Council in her mind. There was no way they could refuse her now.
She was so deep in thought, she didn't realize that her feet had taken her to the Guardians of the Boundary Guild instead. But for some reason, she didn't immediately change her course. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she was missing, and whatever it was wouldn't be found inside the Justice building.
She wrenched open the doors to the Guardians' Guild. It was silent inside. Where was everyone? There should be a few people around, especially given what an important ritual was supposed to happen that day.
Valerie walked up the staircase to Midnight's office, and she saw a blue glow shining in the cracks of the door. The hum of magic hit her in the chest like a hundred-pound weight, and with it came a terrible dread. That was when she heard the scream, a scream that burned a neural pathway in her mind that she didn't think she'd ever be able to erase.
It was no time to knock. Valerie didn't know where it came from, but a pulse of magic flared in her, a flame compared to the usual fire of her power, but it was enough to let her to kick the door down.
She couldn't make sense of the sight before her eyes. Midnight was suspended in the air, her head thrown back in agony. The only thing that told Valerie it was Midnight was her shock of purple hair, because her face was almost unrecognizable. She was missing an eye and her nose, and before Valerie's eyes, she saw her hand dissolving, finger by finger, as Midnight screamed.
"Tell him and it will be over," Oleander said. She was standing beneath her, and every time Midnight screamed, a little smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She was enjoying the show.
Valerie tackled Oleander to the ground, propelled by pure fury. Even without her magic, she was more than a match for the blonde Guardian. Valerie straddled her chest and hit her in the face with all of her strength. Oleander groaned and weakly tried to wriggle away. She got one hand loose and raked Valerie's face with her fingernails.
"That's enough. You're not animals," Reaper's voice cut through Valerie's mind like a blade. She reached for Pathos and remembered that she hadn't strapped it on before she had rushed out of her room.
He stepped out of a shadowy corner and waved his hand. Instantly, an invisible force pushed Valerie and Oleander to opposite sides of the room, pinned against the wall.
He stepped into the light, and for the first time, Valerie saw his face.
Chern examined her. "N-n-not who you were expecting?" he asked, in an exaggerated imitation of himself.
Valerie knew she should be shocked, but the realization that Chern was Reaper and the spy made perfect sense. The only jolt was that she hadn't seen it sooner—his over-the-top clumsy antics, the way he wormed his way into so many important moments, and the creepy vibe she always got when he was around.
She should have known when Darling went missing—after all, hadn't Chern taken a strand of Darling's fur when he had cured Emin? He must have been testing it then. Her stomach dropped with guilt as she realized that she had been the one to call for Darling's help that day. She'd led him into the lion's den.
"She's speechless. How refreshing," Oleander said.
Chern glared at her, and she shut her mouth. Then he turned to Valerie. "I didn't want you to find out this way, but I always intended to tell you the truth. I think we can be powerful allies."
Valerie did something she had never thought she would do in her life. She spat at Chern. It didn't touch him, but his lip curled in disgust.
"Sometimes, I forget you were raised on the streets. You'll need to overcome those trashy habits if you want to work with me," he said coldly.
"That will never happen," Valerie replied. She struggled against whatever force he was using to pin her to the wall, her eyes glued to Midnight, who was breathing shallowly. "I could never torture and kill good people for whatever selfish reasons you have."
"That's what you think? That I have some vendetta, perhaps? Or I am mad with power to rule the world, maybe. But you couldn't be more wrong. You and I are alike—we want to help people and make Earth the best, safest place it can be. The only difference is that I am willing to do what it takes to make that a reality. You, on the other hand, try to save every life at the expense of the greater purpose."
Valerie met his eyes and let her rage strengthen her purpose. "You think there is anything that can justify what you're doing to Midnight? Or what you did to Jet and Darling? Or the people on Earth that you've killed already? I've heard about the Fractus's attacks on innocent people."
If Chern was surprised, he quickly hid it. "Every death, every bit of pain, serves a greater purpose. We have to save the humans from themselves. Left to their own devices, they will never find a way to stop killing each other. Given enough time, they might even blow up their own planet, which is our rightful home, too. Stripping Earth of its magic has kept it in the dark ages. Humans need our guidance and rules so that they can progress past violence and live in peace."
"Let me guess...they'd also be serving you."
"No!" Chern said, taking a step forward, his fists clenched with frustration. "This isn't about my ego. This is about creating a better world. Yes, humans must be controlled, but they will also be taken care of. Would you let a toddler run the world? We must be their parents and guide them to the right path."
"From what I've seen of Conjurors and the Fractus, they're no better than humans in any way except, of course, when it comes to wielding magic. I've seen you bring about just as much death and destruction as any dictator on Earth."
"We will have to tear the world down in order to rebuild. The humans will not comply willingly at first, but eventually, they will thank me—us. If you knew history the way I do, you would see all of the times when magic could have prevented slaughter and destruction. We robbed Earth by leaving it. And we robbed ourselves. It is our home, and we will never be whole as long as we are away from it," Chern said. Then he whispered, "I will never be whole."
Valerie slowly shook her head. His fervor was written all over his face—next to his madness. He was blind to his own evil, and she would never convince him he was wrong. She'd have to appeal to what he thought was his better nature if she was going to get Midnight out of there alive. "If you're truly trying to do what's right, then prove it. Let me go, and release Midnight to my care. This torture doesn't serve your purpose."
"Of course it does!" he shouted, righteous indignation making his eyes blaze. "I do not torture her for my pleasure. She has information that she refuses to give me. Once she tells me what I need to know, I will let her die."
"No," Valerie breathed, her heart beating faster.
Chern shook his head, disappointed in her. "I know she is your friend. But you must see, she has too much power to live. She is the only one who can put up a barrier between Earth and the Globe for good, and that can never happen. If she wasn't so selfish, she would have killed herself already to prevent the Excision. It's what I would have done in her place."
"If you let her go...I'll come with you," Valerie said.
The thought of returning to the Black Castle made her want to choke, but she couldn't let another life slip through her fingers.
"You'll come with me anyway, if you know what's good for you. Maybe you don't agree with my methods, but I am inevitable. I have allies in every country, every Guild, and even every continent on Earth. No matter what happens today, whether or not Midnight tells me what I need to know, the dominoes I have spent centuries putting in place are starting to fall."
"Please, as a show of good faith," she said, hating that she was begging this horrible man.
"Valerie, no," Midnight choked out. "Don't degrade yourself for this filth. Carry on where Aurora and I failed, and find a way to end the Fractus at last."
"Maybe you should tell them what they want to know. Please, you can't die," Valerie said, hating how childish her voice sounded.
"I love you, child. Henry, too," Midnight said. Then her voice hardened. "But I never make deals with murderers."
Chern ground his teeth and turned to Midnight. "Enough. I'll find what I want without your help."
He waved his hand, and Midnight dissolved before Valerie's eyes, turning to dust.
Valerie couldn't stop the scream that left her, no matter how gratifying it must have been for Chern and Oleander to hear. She turned her eyes back to Chern.
"I will never help you. Today you have made sure that I will spend every last breath trying to defeat you," she said, and her eyes were bone dry, as if the horror of what she'd seen had evaporated her tears.
"Are you so sure?" Chern had a smug tilt to his head, like he was pulling out his ace card. "What if I could tell you who your parents are?"
"It wouldn't matter," Valerie said. "You underestimate how much I value my soul if you think I'd sell it so cheaply."
For the first time, Chern looked unsure. "You've always yearned for a family—I've watched you and Henry your entire lives. I can give you the knowledge you've always wanted. And your father lives." He spoke his last sentence triumphantly.
"I know that. An Oracle told me months ago. It doesn't change anything."
Chern's face darkened with rage, and the air around him began to crackle with electricity. "Then you're of no use to me."
Valerie shut her eyes. She didn't want his face to be the last thing she saw. She waited to dissolve into darkness, but the pain didn't come.
"What is he doing here?" Oleander asked, and Valerie's eyes opened.
At the doorway, Oberon glowered at Chern. "Getthe hell away from my daughter."