The rest of the trip to the Oasis was quiet. When they saw the patch of green against the bleak purple landscape in the distance, the oppressive weight of the ancient, abandoned capital lifted. The spell surrounding the Oasis made Valerie feel as though she was breathing unpolluted air for the first time since they had left Arden.

"The rest of our troupe made it!" Henry said with a little excitement. "I can sense their minds."

"Our plan is working," Cyrus said, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"Of course it is, dummy," Kanti said, but she was fighting a relieved smile of her own.

"But the hard part is still coming," Valerie said, and then immediately regretted putting a damper on her friends' mood.

Sanguina nodded. "Against such an enemy and his army, victory will be difficult."

"It is no small feat that we have made it this far. You should all be proud," Gideon said. Valerie made a mental note to herself that if she was going to be forced to lead, it was part of her job to keep up everyone's spirits like Gideon did, even when things didn't look good.

The group waiting for them at the Oasis were relieved to see them. Peach rushed forward and gave Kanti a big hug, which her sister returned with considerable embarrassment. One of the Knights, a tall man with curly black hair, came forward and shook Gideon's hand. She remembered that his name was Galahad.

"We were worried that your travel to Dunsinane didn't go as planned," he said. "But I see you're all intact."

"As we told you," Elle said, sounding exasperated. "I began mentally connecting with Henry as soon as he was above ground, but these apes doubted me."

Galahad hung his head, sheepish. "I apologize. But you are so young..."

"My brother and I are 108," Elle said.

Even Ceru was surprised. "I didn't know any other creatures on the Globe had such longevity as the People of the Woods."

Will glared at his sister. "It's not something we discuss."

Now it was Elle's turn to look sheepish.

"Where's Dasan?" Henry interrupted. The Grand Master was nowhere in sight. And neither was Juniper, Valerie realized, her heart speeding up.

"We ran into some trouble before we met with the People of the Woods," Galahad explained. "The noble bird fought our attackers. We would have been lost without him, because they were able to rob us of our power."

"Zunya," Valerie said.

But Galahad shook his head. "Three of his minions, with a cone that mirrors his powers, but without the same force. Otherwise, we would have been doomed."

"Is Dasan safe? And is Juniper with him?" Valerie asked, worried.

Will snorted. "They're fine. Those louts didn't stand a chance. By the time Dasan's done with them, they'll all be singing songs about peace and meditating on their purpose in life. And young Juniper proved himself a true Knight, using his binding magic to keep the enemies from moving once they come out of their trance."

"But we couldn't let them delay the mission, so Dasan and Juniper stayed behind," Galahad said.

Valerie forced her face to remain impassive. The most powerful Conjuror on their team was missing, as well as a trusted friend. It was a major blow to her plan. To make things worse, everyone was looking at her. Her skin prickled uncomfortably, like she was wearing an itchy shirt.

She turned Gideon and asked softly, "What do we do? What do we say?"

But Elle overheard her. "What are you asking him for? We agreed to follow you, not that Knight."

"Yeah, no offense, Gid, but you didn't get the job done last time," a girl with dark skin and short, spiky hair piped up. Then she turned to Valerie and shook her hand. "I'm Alex. I've heard good things about you."

Valerie was taken aback, but she cleared her throat and tried to sound confident. "Thanks for taking such a huge risk to be a part of this."

Henry raised his eyebrows at her. It was suddenly very quiet. The steadying presence of Chrome by her side comforted her, and he sent her an image of a rising sun—so must she rise to her new role.

"I'm new to this whole leadership thing, so speak up if you think I'm going in a wrong direction," Valerie said. Disappointed eyes stared back at her. They obviously wanted a little more assurance. The least she could do was try to fake it.

"You got a plan or something?" Alex asked bluntly.

Valerie nodded. She had been giving it a lot of thought. "It doesn't make sense to fight Reaper's army in a head-on battle. They probably outnumber us, and if they know we're coming they could sneak Darling and Oberon out before we make it inside, even if we were to defeat them all."

Sanguina nodded. "Reaper will have a hundred Fractus at the castle at a minimum."

"So here's what I'm thinking..." Valerie launched into her strategy to rescue Darling and Oberon.

An hour later, the plan was hashed out and Valerie's little team was looking at her with considerably more respect—and relief. As the group dispersed to set up camp for the night, Henry pulled her away by the elbow.

"Now don't get mad," he said. She immediately tensed up. "But I hate your plan."

Her heart sank. "It's full of holes, isn't it? Tell me and I'll fix it or scrap the whole thing. You probably have a better idea."

He shook his head. "It's not that. I don't like that it involves trusting that woman so much," he said, staring hatefully at Sanguina, who was again preparing to sleep on the ground.

"We don't have another choice at this point," Valerie insisted.

"Take me with you. Don't go in alone," Henry begged.

"I need you where you are," she said, though that wasn't entirely true.

Elle and Will could probably handle the psychic weapons that she was counting on outside. But she didn't think that Henry would be able to function inside the Black Castle. It was a horrible enough place for someone who hadn't been mentally tortured for years.

"You're protecting me," he said with an accusatory tone.

She smiled. "So sue me."

"I will if there's a Lawyers' Guild," Henry said with a little grin.

She was relieved that he didn't seem truly angry. Maybe a part of him was hoping she wouldn't let him test his own mental stability in this battle.

"There you are," Kanti said, joining them and winding her arm through Henry's. "Peach is flirting with one of the Knights, so let's not waste the chance to go on what could be our last date if tomorrow doesn't go well."

"Don't say that!" Valerie said, horrified, until she saw the twinkle in Kanti's eye. "Get outta here."

They walked away, and she was selfishly happy that her friends would be out of harm's way the next day. She noticed that Cyrus was crouching by a sparkling pool in the middle of the Oasis. He'd been there awhile, and she started to worry that something was wrong.

"Come on, come on," she heard him mutter as she came closer.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

Cyrus sighed. "I didn't want to get your hopes up, but I had an idea when you were sharing your plan. I thought Leo might be able to help, so I sent him a message to hurry over here if he can."

"What's your idea?" Valerie asked curiously.

The water bubbled a little and Leo broke the surface. "I came as quickly as I could. Am I too late?"

"No, this is perfect," Cyrus said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "I had an idea. When Valerie was in the Black Castle last time, I infused her sword with light. She wouldn't have won without it."

Leo's eyes widened. "I've never heard of such a thing. But that would be a powerful enchantment in a place so devoid of light and life. It would be effective against a number of enemies in that dark place."

"That's what I thought!" Cyrus said. "I remembered you said that you were the Grand Master in the Weapons Guild. Would it be possible to infuse other weapons with light as well, ones that aren't as strong as Pathos?"

Leo considered the question. "I can't say I know the answer, but if you test it on another weapon, I can examine it and tell you if the blade remains true."

Cyrus drew a small dagger from a belt at his side and concentrated, pulling light that shone from the stars that were now above them. His hands moved quickly, almost as if he were knitting. There was a flash, and he handed the blade to Leo.

Leo weighed the knife then threw it at a nearby tree, where it embedded itself all the way to the handle. "The blade is sound. If anything, it's lighter and faster than it was before. This will be an incredible advantage."

Cyrus beamed. Valerie shook her head in amazement. "That was kinda brilliant, you know that?"

A smile lit up Cyrus's face, but then he was all business. "Let's collect all the weapons and I'll get them ready for tomorrow."

While Cyrus worked on the weapons and Leo tested them, Henry pulled Valerie aside.

"I want to see my dad tonight...just in case."

"I swear I won't let anything happen to you tomorrow."

"I know we'll all be fine. But things go wrong sometimes. The reason I'm telling you this is that I think you should come with me."

She was a little surprised. "Of course, but don't you want it to be private?"

"I think it'll comfort him to know that you're here. He's so worried about me."

"Say no more," Valerie said, and they sent their minds to Joe's home.

They wandered through his house, and she worried that he wasn't home. But then she peered out the window and saw him working in the tiny garden at the front of the house. They joined him.

Up close, Joe's movements were jerky with anxiety, even doing such a relaxing task. But when he saw them, he smiled. "I hoped you'd stop by and tell me how everything was going, but I knew you might be busy."

"Never too busy for you, pops!" Henry said.

Joe smiled and the worry lines in his brow relaxed a little. "I know you two can accomplish anything together. I only wish I were there to help."

"We miss you," Valerie said softly.

"Maybe we'll find a way to get you to the Globe, Dad," Henry said wistfully. Valerie's heart ached for him, knowing that soon the possibility of any more travel or contact might be cut off forever.

"I can't complain. You're visiting here all the time. And I like when you bring your girl around, too. That Kanti has spirit," Joe said with a twinkle in his eye. "As long as I can be a part of your life, it will always be worth living."

Valerie swallowed down a lump in her throat, and couldn't think of a thing to say.

Henry was pale. "I'll come see you after our mission is over and tell you everything."

"Be careful, children. I'll pray for you."

"Love you," Henry said.

Valerie sent her mind back to the Globe and stared at Henry, who was fighting back tears.

"You didn't tell him about the Excision, did you?" she asked him.

Henry shook his head. "I can't. I tried to tell myself that he'll be okay, but sometimes I think it'll kill him."

She pulled her brother into a tight hug, which, after a surprised second, he returned.

"Maybe we can still find a way to stop it. After this is all over, there will still be time to get back to Arden before it happens. They have to see reason!"

Henry seemed to have regained his composure. "If we can beat back the Fractus, maybe the Grand Masters will be less afraid that they'll make it to Earth, and give us more time."

"We'll have to convince them," she said with a determination and confidence that she didn't really feel.

With a new pressure pressing on her heart to succeed, Valerie pulled Gideon and Sanguina aside to go over every last detail of her plan. At some point, Peach, Kanti, and Henry joined them as well.

"You'll have to cut your hair if this plan is going to work, Val," Kanti said regretfully.

"What a shame," Peach murmured, gripping her own shiny blonde locks as though someone might try to take her hair as well.

Valerie pulled her long, thick braid over her shoulder. It was silly, but the thought of cutting it tugged at her heart. It had been a constant through all her foster homes and all of the changes over the past year. It was also the only thing she thought was really beautiful about her appearance.

"It's a tiny sacrifice for a big payoff," she said. "And it'll shave fifteen minutes off the time it takes me to get ready every day."

Everyone except Kanti was convinced, but even she knew that there wasn't another choice. She got a pair of scissors from the callbox. "Ready?"

Valerie closed her eyes. "As I'll ever be. Let's get this over with."

Kanti worked quickly, and suddenly Valerie's head was much lighter and a faint breeze tickled her neck.

After a few more snips, the scissors stopped. "Done," Kanti said.

Valerie opened her eyes and saw the astonished faces of Peach, Gideon, Sanguina, and Henry.

"What is it?" she asked. Kanti walked her to the lake. She kneeled down and peered at her reflection. Kanti had done an incredible job of mimicking Henry's haircut, and the resemblance between them was striking. For those who didn't know them well, she could pass for her brother.

Now that her hair was cut short, the silver patch of hair near her neck was clearly visible. She touched it self-consciously. Maybe she'd dye it dark brown, like Henry had.

"You'll have to change your clothes," Kanti said.

"And bind your...um...chest," Cyrus said.

She whirled around, not realizing he was there. Self-consciously, she touched her shorn hair. "What do you think?"

Cyrus reached out and took her hand. "I love it."

Peach eyed her closely. "She's a few inches shorter than Henry. And up close, her face is much more feminine."

"And beautiful," Cyrus added. Valerie blushed. "No offense, Henry."

"None taken," Henry replied, and a small grin briefly replaced the worried expression on his face.

"It's true, no one would mistake them for each other if they knew them well," Gideon said.

"So you think it won't work after all?" Valerie asked with trepidation. If this plan was a dud, she was out of ideas.

"It will work," Gideon said. Sanguina nodded slowly as well.

Valerie relaxed and tried to summon up some confidence for the group that had now gathered around them. "We will succeed tomorrow."

It wasn't Shakespeare, but her little army stillcheered at her words.