Spying on Sanguina turned out to be a much bigger challenge than Valerie had anticipated. First of all, no one seemed to know where she was living. Everyone had seen her around Arden, but she would vanish for days at a time.

Even when she was around, other Knights or Guild leaders were usually closely watching her. Valerie wasn't the only one who wasn't comfortable around the ex-vampyre. She started to doubt whether or not she would be able to find out any new information under the circumstances.

"She's still creepy as ever, I'll grant you that," Kanti said, surreptitiously examining Sanguina over the top of her sandwich. Sanguina had just left the building that housed the Guardians of the Boundary, and she tilted her face up to soak in the light that drenched the green lawn. Kanti and Cyrus had met Valerie for a picnic lunch on the lawn in the middle of The Horseshoe.

"You've gotta be kidding. She was way scarier when she had those crazy veins. You never saw her up close. I did," Cyrus said with a shudder.

"I'm not getting a master criminal vibe from her, though. She seems kind of lost and confused to me," Kanti said.

Cyrus made a skeptical sound, but Valerie had to agree with Kanti, even if she didn't want to. "I can't help thinking there's something a little pathetic about her. A few Conjurors talk to her, but in general, she's kind of a leper."

They watched as Sanguina bumped into Oberon, who was trimming the hedges of the Guardians of the Boundary Guild.

"That's weird," Valerie said. "She's talked to him the past two days as well. It always looks like an accidental meeting, but I'm starting to think it's on purpose."

Cyrus furrowed his brow. "You think he might be working with her?"

"I don't know. I saw them talking before I was attacked at the Capitol, but he helped drive Zunya away," Valerie said.

"Unless that was for show, to win your trust," Kanti said darkly. She saw Cyrus and Valerie both staring at her in surprise. "What? I was raised in a castle. I know a few things about deception."

"I never thought twice about it at the time, but I heard Oberon asking Rastelli about you, too," Cyrus said.

"What did he want to know?" Valerie asked, startled.

"He asked if he knew you well, and if you were really a vivicus like everyone was saying. Of course, Rastelli doesn't really know you so he probably couldn't tell him much."

"Okay, that's weird," Kanti said. "Oberon stopped Henry once when he was on his way to the Empathy Collective. It was strange because he asked him for the time, and that was it. He's not known for being social."

"He's keeping tabs on us," Valerie said grimly. What reason could an ancient, powerful Conjuror have for his curiosity about her and her brother? The only answers she could think of were bad ones.

"If they're working together, you could try following him instead of Sanguina," Kanti suggested.

"That's a good idea," Valerie agreed. "We know he has an actual house and he doesn't randomly disappear. Maybe it will give me a clue as to whether or not they're meeting in secret."

"You're not going alone," Cyrus said.

"I'll be careful," she replied.

"No! You've already been attacked by whoever this mysterious nut job is. You've got to take Henry or me with you, at the very least."

"Hey! What about me? I've got magic now," Kanti said.

"No offense, but hearts and flowers aren't going to keep Oberon at bay if he tries to attack."

"Right, and a few flashes of light will? Give me a break! You're such a sexist pig," Kanti countered.

"Will you two give it a rest?" Valerie interrupted before they could start arguing in earnest. "I'll take Henry. Oberon's curious about him, too, so he's got a good reason to find out what's going on."

"Whatever," Cyrus said grumpily.

"Fine," Kanti agreed, refusing to acknowledge Cyrus.

Valerie forced herself not to roll her eyes or shake them both.

"Cy and Kanti don't think this is paranoid?" Henry asked her the next day as they followed Oberon through the streets of Silva.

"If you don't want to do this, I'll take Kanti instead," Valerie said. "I thought you'd want to know if Sanguina's really up to something."

"I do," he said, and she had a glimpse into his mind, which was consumed with fear. But he forced it down. "It's time to stop avoiding her."

She hoped she wasn't pushing him too far, too fast. But she knew that, until he could manage his fear, he would always be held back by it. Releasing her fear of Sanguina was what had enabled her to win when they'd fought in the Black Castle.

Oberon stopped at a giant tree that was hollow inside. It was an apartment building straight out of a storybook, where rabbits or birds would live. Definitely not where she was expecting Oberon to sleep.

Her instincts weren't totally off. Most of the residents of the tree were animals—well, talking, thinking, intelligent Conjurors who looked like animals, really. Calling them "animals" would probably be like using the word "elves" to refer to the People of the Woods.

"Okay, that's weird," Henry said, sounding just like Kanti.

"I thought he'd live in a basement or something. Somewhere dark and depressing," Valerie agreed. "And we can't exactly peer in the windows of this place. There aren't any."

"True, but we could try to find his mind," Henry suggested. "We could do that from the comfort of our room though."

"Let's do it here. That way, if Oberon leaves or he's able to block us, we can follow him."

Henry nodded and shut his eyes. He opened his mind to her, and they concentrated on the groundskeeper. Sensing his mind was easier than when they had searched for Jet, because he was physically closer and Henry had met him. They saw his apartment, which was filled with leaves and flowers, and then they were hurled out of his mind.

It was like a hammer banging the inside of her head, sending her to her knees in agony. Next to her, Henry groaned. The pain was followed by a lightning bolt that slammed into the ground inches from where they knelt.

Oberon appeared at the base of the tree, his sightless eyes staring directly at them. "Who are you? A fool, if you would try to invade a mind as old as mine. If it's a fight you want, you've come to the right place."

His voice was quiet, but somehow, she could hear everything he said as if he was whispering in her ear.

"Let's get out of here," Henry said, and he grabbed Valerie's hand. They began to run, and Oberon's lightning followed them, hitting the ground where their feet had been milliseconds before.

Valerie tripped and winced, waiting to be burned alive. But again, his bolt just missed her. He must be deliberately avoiding direct contact. He was trying to scare them, not kill them.

"I'm sorry," she called. "We should have talked to you."

"What are you doing?" Henry said, yanking her to her feet. "We are NOT reasoning with this guy. He's nuts."

"Wait!" Oberon's voice called after them, but she let Henry lead her away. He was right, staying in the path of Oberon's lightning, hoping that he'd listen to reason, was not the best idea she'd ever had.

They reached their house out of breath. Valerie could sense that Henry's terror went much deeper than hers. She didn't know why, but she couldn't quite believe that Oberon was working for Sanguina or Reaper.

"We're out of our league with this guy," Henry said once he caught his breath.

"Maybe you're right. But we don't have any answers yet, and I can't drop my investigation now," Valerie said.

Henry shrugged. "We're kids. Can't we leave this to Azra and the Grand Masters to figure out? With all their power, they'll find the spy and take care of him. So far, getting involved almost got you killed—twice."

"I don't think he was trying to kill us," Valerie argued.

"The burnt rubber on my shoes would beg to differ with you," Henry said. Sure enough, his sneakers were ruined beyond repair.

She sighed but let the subject drop, knowing how stubborn he could be once he'd decided something. She'd continue her search on her own. She could be stubborn, too.

After dinner that night, Valerie brought Kanti to her new home to give her a tour. When they entered her room, a scroll was lying on her bed, like it was waiting for her. The paper was iridescent, reminding her of Azra's mane. She was intensely curious, but forced herself not to touch it. It could be a bomb, for all she knew.

"Oooo, what's Azra writing you about?" Kanti asked.

"How do you know it's from her?"

Kanti laughed. "I always forget you don't know the most basic stuff. Her scrolls are special. They have that beautiful rainbowy color, and smell it."

Valerie sniffed. "Lilacs."

"Yup. She only sends those for special reasons. I got one when I became a journeyman at the Imaginary Friends' Guild."

"How'd I miss that? I thought you were an apprentice!"

"You and Henry were still on Earth. It isn't a big deal. Becoming an apprentice and a Master are important, but journeyman is an in-between step."

"Sounds like a big deal to me. Sorry I wasn't here to celebrate with you. Is Cyrus a journeyman now, too?"

Kanti made a face. "Not yet, so don't mention it. You know how he gets."

Valerie nodded. Cyrus was her best friend, but there was no denying how intensely competitive he could be.

She carefully unrolled the scroll, which was sealed with silver wax. There were no words on it, but Azra's voice filled her mind with words and an emotion—urgency.

The Grand Masters are voting tomorrow on the Excision. I would not ask you to risk coming to the Capitol unless you were truly needed, but I think you should be a part of this discussion. Come to my office tomorrow at high noon.

She relayed Azra's message to Kanti, whose mouth hung open.

"So what's high noon?" Valerie asked.

"It's the same thing as regular noon, except that something major is happening. Azra's speech gets formal when she's really worried," Kanti explained. "I never thought the Excision would come to a vote. I can't imagine cutting all contact with Earth. All those kids who depend on us..."

"Plus Thai and Tan," Valerie said, her palms starting to sweat.

"Somehow you've got to convince them there's a better way to prevent the Fractus from getting to Earth."

"But is there?" Valerie asked. Kanti didn'tknow, and neither did she.