While Cyrus sent messages about the twins' news to the various leaders in the Fist, Valerie ran to the Empathy Collective, where Sibyl and the other Oracles who had fled the Roaming City in Ephesus were living.

Despite the late hour, Valerie found her friend in the garden behind the Collective. Sibyl fluttered from flower to flower, absorbing each scent. But when she turned and saw Valerie, she appeared unsurprised.

"Is it time?" Sibyl asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Valerie said.

Sibyl's little body shook silently, and Valerie realized she was laughing.

"I am still unused to living around anyone other than Oracles. One of our novices said that the time was nigh for us to retake the Roaming City. Is that the news you bear?" Sibyl asked.

Valerie sat down on a bench. "I came to see if any of you were drawn to give me a prophecy about how Reaper will use the magic he's tapped into in Plymouth, but maybe you're right. There are a number of answers that can only be found inside your city."

Valerie knew that Putrefus had given Reaper a prophecy when he'd visited the Roaming City with her when she only knew him as Chern, the bumbling Grand Master of the History Guild. The words of that prophecy could give them an inside look into his motives, or possibly explain why he so badly wanted Valerie to kill someone by her own hand.

"The tug of our home has grown ever stronger, but we did not wish to draw away resources when you have so few," Sibyl said.

"You can always come to me and tell me what you need," Valerie said. "The Oracles' insights have given us an advantage in many battles. It's our turn to help you."

"Fighting for right is not a favor," Sibyl said sternly. "But I do believe that we are being drawn back to the desert for a reason."

"I'll gather a team to take back the city," Valerie said. "With Cyrus's new light magic in our weapons, and Reaper's forces being funneled to battles on Earth, I think this is a fight we can win."

"So say our prophecies, as well," Sibyl agreed.

"Then let's take your home back," Valerie said.

Valerie allowed herself two nights of rest and a full day of planning before trekking to Ephesus. Thai came with her, and Mira and Claremont would join them at the border of the desert of Ephesus.

"Do you think there are enough of us to take over the Roaming City?" Thai asked as they climbed a tree up to Arbor Aurum.

"Enough or not, it's all the soldiers we can afford," Valerie said. "I'd even leave you in Arden, saving lives, if you'd let me."

"I know you fight the Fractus on your own all the time, but this is different. You don't know who will be waiting for you in the Roaming City, and I want to be there in the event Reaper shows up with an army to support him," Thai said.

Valerie shrugged, but she was glad of his company. The warmth of his presence kept the chill of her guilt and fear at bay.

They pushed their way up the trunk, through the leaves, and found Cerise waiting for them at the top with her son, Emin. Emin's eyes sparkled with delight when he saw her, and he immediately jumped onto her back.

"I missed you, too," Valerie choked out as he gripped her neck with his little hands.

"Lemme come fight with you! Mom says no, but you can make her let me, since you're her boss!" Emin said.

Valerie suppressed a smile as Cerise glared at her, daring her to overrule her decree.

"It doesn't work that way, Emin. Your mom's always the boss of you," Valerie said, and was rewarded with a small nod from Cerise. "But even if I could, I wouldn't bring you. Every good knight knows that he has to train before he can fight in a battle. That training takes a long, long time."

Emin dropped off her back and stamped his foot before scampering away into the trees.

"I hope this war is long over before he would be of an age to fight in it," Cerise said, her voice weary.

"It will be," Thai said with certainty.

Valerie was glad he'd answered, because she didn't have the same faith that he did. Maybe if her father, or even Gideon, were still around to guide her, it would be different.

As they hiked through the cities in the trees, Valerie was grateful that her companions were quiet. She reached out with her mind to see if she could sense Henry, but other than a vague sense of his pain and guilt, his thoughts were shrouded from her.

"Is Henry doing okay?" she finally asked Thai, when Cerise was walking ahead, scolding Emin for carelessly leaping from branch to branch.

"Not really," Thai said. "If we were on Earth, I'd say he needs to see a therapist. But since he's in the Empathy Collective, which is the closest thing on the Globe, I'm not sure who else could counsel him."

"I'll talk to Dasan, his Grand Master. The physical distance Reaper put between us when he reversed my polarity is cutting off our mental connection, too," Valerie confessed.

"Exactly what Reaper was hoping for. But don't worry too much about Henry. When I'm not around to keep an eye on him, Cyrus and Ceru watch out for him. He hasn't been going anywhere other than his guild and Cyrus's dorm room," Thai assured her.

"I don't think he'll ever help Reaper again. But the damage is done," Valerie said.

Their conversation ended when they reached the edge of the platform that led down to the border of Ephesus.

"Emin will remain here, but I will join you in this fight," Cerise said, and Valerie noticed that she wasn't asking for permission.

"Is that a risk you want to take?" Valerie asked, casting a meaningful glance at Emin.

For the first time since Valerie had known her, Cerise shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"I seek a prophecy, and likely would not find the city on my own. You would be doing me a service, and I would not forget this favor," Cerise said formally.

"Of course. The thanks is ours," Valerie replied.

Before Valerie stepped off the platform, Emin gripped her in a quick hug before he squirmed out of her grasp. His little gesture reminded her of her visits to Clarabelle, obliterating the cobwebs of pain in her mind with his innocence.

Claremont and Mira were waiting when they descended.

"Glad you could make it. Now that you're leader of the Conjurors, the rules of proper punctuality don't apply, I take it," Claremont said, her eyes stormy.

Valerie ignored her, knowing that a good fight would put Claremont back in good spirits.

"The Oracles are returning to Ephesus the way they left—through Illyria, entering the city through the pool," Valerie explained. "Elle and Will are going to guide them back. I want to keep them out of the fighting, so they should emerge only when the city is safe."

"Good. They'd only get in the way," Claremont said, gripping the mace that Cyrus had infused with light for her.

"If things go as planned, this takeover will be bloodless," Valerie reminded her. "Mira, are you ready?"

Mira nodded, and his form shimmered as he shapeshifted, growing taller and human. He was a perfect copy of Putrefus, the most powerful Oracle in the Roaming City, and the leader of the pack that had driven Sibyl and her friends out of their home.

Valerie, Claremont, Thai, and Cerise all pulled up the hoods on their plain brown robes. It wasn't much of a disguise, but Valerie hoped being escorted by Putrefus himself would deflect attention from their little group.

"Let's get this done," Valerie said, and they trekked into the desert.

For nearly an hour, they saw nothing but sun and sand. It was disconcerting, because every other time Valerie had sought the Roaming City, she had found it quickly. But at last, the simple brown huts appeared in the distance, shimmering like a mirage.

"Move quickly. Let's blend in before anyone examines us closely," Cerise said.

"Duh," Claremont muttered under her breath, and Valerie shot her a look. No bickering mid-mission.

A novice wearing white greeted them as they neared the pool from which Sibyl and her friends would emerge. The pillars surrounding the pool, which had fallen the last time Valerie had visited the Roaming City, were upright, but crooked.

"Welcome, wanderers," the novice began, but her eyes widened when she saw Mira in his Putrefus disguise.

"Sir, I didn't know it was you," the novice said, and bowed subserviently.

"Of course not. If I wanted you to know, you would have. But novices are not informed of my activities," Mira said in a fair impression of Putrefus.

Valerie was impressed, considering Mira had never met the Oracle. He had copied his looks from a drawing by Sibyl, but his tone and word choice were all his own.

"Be off with you," Mira said, dismissing the novice with a wave of his hand.

"But...you told me to stay here, to make sure no one entered who couldn't pay," the novice said, confused.

"Yes. Right. Maintain your post, then," Mira said, and he hurried off with the rest of the group behind him.

"Down this alley," Valerie hissed, and the group followed her as she hustled toward the hut of an ancient Oracle called Mer, who had been all but cast out of the city, forbidden to deliver prophecies. He had helped her once, giving her information that led to her reuniting with her father, and she hoped he'd help her again—as well as answer a question that had been buzzing in her head for over a year.

The huts were all alike, and Valerie began to worry that they were lost. The Oracles they passed stared at the group strangely, and a few raised their hands to hail Putrefus. But Mira stuck his nose in the air and pushed on, and no one forced them to stop.

At last, she came to a hut at the edge of the city that was a little more run down than its neighbors.

"Here," Valerie said with a little breath of relief.

Valerie knocked once before pushing through the fluttering curtain at the entrance, and her team followed her inside.

At the sight of her, Mer dropped the pan he was cooking with, and it clattered on the makeshift stove. His face turned pale, and his eyes were huge as he took her in.

"Mer, it's Valerie. Do you remember me?" she asked him.

Mer regained some of his color. "I thought you were someone else. I did not think to see you again, especially in such company."

Mer glared at Putrefus, but after a minute he squinted. "You are not Putrefus."

"Your mind is strong," Mira said, resuming his true shape. He stretched, cracking his neck once.

The old man's eyes sparkled as he took in the little group. "You're here to take back the city."

"That's right, old man," Claremont said. "And we're commandeering your hut for that purpose."

Mer raised his eyebrows, and Valerie subtly stepped on Claremont's foot, hard enough to make her yelp.

"We ask your permission to hide here while Mira scouts the city in the shape of Putrefus," Valerie explained.

"You're welcome to stay, but the Oracles will not be deceived by his shapeshifting for long. Anyone who takes a good look will not be fooled. Oracles spend years training to steel their minds against magical attacks."

"Much like my own people," Cerise said with a nod of approval.

"We want to see where Putrefus and his key supporters are located. We're going to kidnap them and lock them in a hut," Thai chimed in, removing a charm from his pocket.

The stone, once activated, could turn any room into a prison. Only the bearer of the stone could leave at will.

The curtain on Mer's doorway moved, and Valerie gripped Pathos's hilt, only releasing it when she saw Sibyl walk into the hut, her telltale wings hidden under a novice's white robes.

"We're not ready for you and the other Oracles yet," Claremont said.

"My friends remain beneath the waves in the pool. But I will fight with you," she said. "I know this city and its inhabitants, and that will make all the difference if we're going to resolve this without bloodshed. This is my home, and it is right that I am part of taking it back."

Valerie didn't argue. She'd learned to take soldiers where she could find them, though her heart hurt every time one of her friends was put at risk.

Mira resumed the shape of Putrefus, and he and Sibyl ducked out of Mer's hut.

"I can't wait around in here," Claremont said, pacing the hut restlessly.

"You're the least likely of us to be recognized," Valerie said. "If you want to don your robe and scout the perimeter of the hut for any threats, go ahead."

"Thanks for the reminder that I'm a nobody," Claremont snapped as she left.

"I will watch over the volatile one," Cerise said, following Claremont out.

Mer had resumed his cooking, but his movements were jerky.

"Do you know what I want to ask you?" Valerie asked him.

Thai gave her a questioning look, but he didn't interrupt.

"Last time I was here, you told me that my father was alive. I found him. His name was Oberon, and my mother was Adelita."

"If you are angry that I did not tell you his name, know that your journey to find him shaped you into the leader you are. And I only suspected your heritage," he said.

"It's not about that. My father told me that you interrupted a prophecy being delivered to my mother, stepping into the sacred circles in the middle of a prophecy about the Pillars of Light."

Mer sat down, and his body sagged. "It is an offense that will never be forgiven. They would have cast me from the city if I had anywhere to go."

"Why would you do that? I don't believe that you want the Globe to follow a path of darkness, but I can't think of any other reason why you wouldn't have wanted my mother to get her whole prophecy. And she's dead now. If she'd heard the whole thing, maybe she'd be alive."

Valerie was shaking. She didn't know how important Mer's answers were to her until the words had left her lips. Thai moved to stand by her, his hand warm on her lower back.

Mer's posture straightened, and when he met Valerie's eyes, he stood.

"I did it to save her, to save us all," Mer said. "I saw that I would go from being one of the most powerful and respected Oracles on the Globe to a hated outcast if I entered those circles, for it is sacrilege to stop a prophecy, no matter the reason. But I saw a world enslaved if I didn't, and your mother dead. If she lives now, it is because of me."

Valerie had no words then. The edges of her vision went black.

"Valerie's mother is alive?" Thai asked, his arm the only thing keeping her upright.

"There are no certainties when it comes to prophecy. But it is what I believed when I interfered," Mer said.

The hope was more painful than the certainty that her mother was dead, so Valerie banished it from her mind. Maybe someday, if this war ever ended, she would think about it. But now, she had to put aside even her dearest hopes for the war she was forced to end.

"Tell us what you saw in your vision," Valerie said.

"This woman who was receiving her prophecy—Adelita—would have two children. If she had known they were Pillars of Light, she would have hidden them on the Globe rather than take them to Earth. They would have been found and killed, and two worlds would have been plunged into darkness."

"Thenyou saved us all," Valerie whispered. "And you have a home with me, Mer, if youwant it."