That night, back on the Globe, Valerie dipped a toe in the Lake of Knowledge, and the water sparkled in response to her touch. She flicked the shell that she'd dug out of a drawer in her room into the lake, hoping that it worked the way that Will said it would.

It had felt like ages since she'd gone for a swim in these waters, and she plunged in now, turning over in her head the problem she'd discussed with Chisisi. Was it possible to find a better solution to protecting humans than separating them from Conjurors?

Her swim was interrupted when a tail flicked against her legs, startling her. On the shore, Valerie found Elle waiting for her, wringing out her hair as she dug her toes into the sand.

"I can't stay long. I know what's been happening above the waves, and Will and I guessed what you'd want to know now," Elle said. "Binding magic on Earth requires an incredible amount of magic, but luckily, a lot of it you can mine from the Atacama Desert. All of the magic that ignited the flame isn't lost, it's just in a different form."

"What do I need to fix it?" Valerie asked.

"You'll need a Conjuror with the ability to bind magic, and an object that can contain all that power. When the binding spell was put in place last time, a flame was chosen to contain it because it would never grow weak or tarnish with age. But any object strong enough will work."

"What should I look for?"

"Talk to the People of the Woods," Elle said. "I haven't found more detail than that in the records yet."

"There's something else," Valerie said. "Is there another way to stop humans from being exploited by those with more magic, other than separating them on different worlds? It seems like a temporary, flawed solution."

"Now you leave the realm of facts and enter the realm of possibility. It is a matter of great debate beneath the waves, but we have found no magical solutions to this problem so far," Elle said.

The lake began bubbling, and Valerie, who was in up to her ankles, yelped as it became hot. She hurried to the sand, where she had left the sheath that held the makeshift sword she'd been carrying since she lost Pathos.

"Not yet!" Elle shouted.

Elle dove into the water, but emerged seconds later, covered in blisters.

"Will's below the surface!" she shouted.

"What's happening?" Valerie asked.

"They're sealing Illyria off from outside contact. There's been debate about cutting ties with the surface, but things move so slowly down there that I thought it would be decades before drastic action would be taken," Elle said.

"Maybe this isn't coming from beneath the waves. Maybe someone on the surface doesn't want Illyrians to have contact with Conjurors any longer," Valerie said.

"But that makes no sense! Fractus and Fist alike will be cut off from the Akashic Records this way," Elle said.

"Reaper must know of knowledge down there that he doesn't want to leak out," Valerie said.

"What if everything is boiling down there? What if Will's hurt?" Elle asked, pacing the shore.

"You're both Empaths. Reach out with your mind and find his. Your bond as twins is stronger than you know," Valerie said.

Elle knelt on the sand and squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands, which were clenched by her sides, gradually relaxed.

"He's okay," Elle said. "I can't see anything, but I can touch his mind. He's alive, and he's not in pain."

Elle had relaxed a fraction, but Valerie's fear was ratcheting up. Reaper was systematically cutting her off from any ties to people or knowledge that could help her. There was no one whose advice she could seek, no research she could do that would give her the answers she needed.

She could only rely on herself, and that thought turned the Laurel Circle cold on her thumb.

A loud banging had Valerie out of bed, weapon in hand, before she was fully awake. She almost collided with Henry in the hall as they raced to their front door.

"Ready?" she asked him, hand on the knob. She doubted the Fractus would bother to knock, but who knew?

Henry nodded once, and Valerie opened the door.

Standing in the moonlight was Cyrus with his father, mother, and Cara.

"You're home," Cyrus said, the relief in his voice unmistakable.

"What happened?" Valerie asked, ushering them in.

As she did, she saw that Mrs. Burns had a gash on her forehead that had been stitched, but there was still blood on her face.

"This Chern fellow—" Mr. Burns began.

"Reaper, Dad," Cara insisted.

"Reaper then, he seemed so reasonable when we saw him last. But he came today, demanding to see Cyrus, and when we explained that our stubborn son didn't care about the well-being of our family, he proceeded to...to..."

Valerie had never seen Cyrus's father upset, but he was gripping his wife's hand so hard, his knuckles were white.

"He attacked Mom, slicing her forehead with his scythe," Cara said. "I think he meant to kill her."

"How did you stop him?" Henry asked, bringing in a cup of tea for Mrs. Burns.

Cara ducked her head. "I was home, trying to reason with my parents when he showed up. I diverted the beam from the lighthouse by our house straight into the living room. It didn't hurt him or anything, but that black scythe he carries started to sizzle, like it was burning."

"Good to know that weapons treated with Carne from Plymouth are weakened by light," Cyrus mused.

"When Reaper saw what was happening to his weapon, he opened a portal and left," Cara said. "I think he'd been hurt recently, because there was scar tissue around his eyes, and his gaze was unfocused."

"He thought we'd be easy targets, and when he found out we weren't, he left," Mr. Burns said, patting Cara on her shoulder.

"We were lucky our daughter used her lightweaver power to administer pulses of light into my system, or the wound from that horrible weapon would have killed me before I reached a healer in Arden," Mrs. Burns said, watching her husband as she spoke.

Mr. Burns shifted his weight, not returning her eye contact.

"If Cyrus had come home with us, like we told him to—" Mr. Burns began, but his voice didn't hold any heat.

Mrs. Burns dropped her husband's hand. "Don't blame the actions of that madman on our son. We should never have been talking to him to begin with."

Mr. Burns released a breath. "Perhaps you're right."

Cyrus and Cara looked at each other like they'd witnessed a miracle. Henry coughed to cover his laughter.

"We're here to ask you a favor, Val," Cyrus said.

"Anything."

"Reaper could come back to Messina for Mom and Dad at any time. Can they stay here with you? It's the safest place I can think of, with you and Henry to protect them. I know Emin's already here, so it'll be crowded. If you can't, it's fine."

"Cy, of course they can stay," Valerie said. "Mr. and Mrs. Burns, you're welcome to live in our house for as long as you need it. You can stay in my dad's old room."

"Thai can bunk with me, and Emin can stay in your room," Henry said.

Valerie closed her eyes, cursing her brother for mentioning Thai. When she opened them, she saw that Cyrus had clenched his jaw, but he met her gaze. Henry sent her a mental apology.

"Thank you, my dear," Mrs. Burns said. "It won't be for long. And perhaps you'd welcome some help in the kitchen. Cyrus says you like Earth food."

Henry's face lightened at the mention of food. "We love it."

Henry showed Cyrus's parents where they would stay while Cara snoozed on the couch. Valerie followed Cyrus to the doorway.

"As long as they're here, I'll protect them with my life, like they're my own parents," Valerie said.

"I know you will. It's selfish, asking you to watch over them, but I knew you'd understand," he said.

"I wouldn't want them to be anywhere else. And I don't think Reaper will attack a place where he thinks Henry and I are together because of the prophecy he received."

Cyrus stared into the darkness, brooding. "Who do you think he'll attack next? Kanti's parents? Thai's? Does he want to make orphans of us all?"

"He hasn't managed to kill us yet, so he's trying to get to us through people we love. I think he wants to cut us off from as much help and support as he can," Valerie said.

In the darkness, the glow coming off of Cyrus pulsed, and Valerie thought she saw sparks. "Does he know that instead of scaring me, he's only making me want to win more?"

Hiswords woke something up in Valerie. What if she let her terror about everythingand everyone Reaper could destroy be burned away by her certainty thatdestroying the Fractus was the right path? Every time he attacked someone she lovedor slaughtered the innocent, it was more proof that right was on her side. AndGideon's words were still true - having right on your side is a powerful ally.