Chapter 9

It wasn't hard to convince Dulcea to let Henry visit Kanti in Elsinore. She was worried about her as well, and decided that she would escort him personally.

"I can't take you all, though," Dulcea said regretfully. "Her parents aren't the most welcoming people, and I'm not sure they'll welcome us. If it's a crowd, they'll turn us away for sure."

"Actually, I have to check in with Gideon. I promised that I would join the search for Jet," Valerie replied. She gave her brother a hug. "Give Kanti my love."

"I will," he said. With that, he and Dulcea headed to one of the rollercoasters that led to Elsinore. Valerie hoped he wasn't prone to motion sickness.

"I'll walk you to the Knights' Guild," Cyrus said.

They walked through the winding streets in companionable silence.

"So when's the next party here? I still can't believe I missed the last one."

Cyrus laughed. "There's nothing for a few months, but in the summer, there's a bash that several guilds band together to throw. It's fun, with a play from the Actors' Guild, and the entire Cooking Guild brings out the latest edible creations. But nothing beats the fireworks you missed. You'll have to wait till next year—no going back to Earth this time."

"It's a promise. Though hopefully, a couple more people will be with us by then," she said, thinking that maybe Thai and Tan would be separated and able to come to the Globe in another year.

The friendly light in Cyrus's eyes dimmed a little. "So you and Thai are hooking up now, huh?"

"So what if we are? You don't sound happy for me."

"He's not right for you, Val."

"What do you mean?"

"Right now, with the whole Tan thing, he's out of his element. He's not a superstar like he was before all this started. But once he and Tan separate, he'll go back to being the guy who gets the girl, is awarded the scholarship, wins the big game. What if he wants to leave all the magic and craziness behind him?"

"You mean, what if I'm not enough for him."

"That's not what I meant. He'd be lucky to be with you. But he has a family on Earth, a life. You didn't have much to leave behind, and you still had to think about it before you came. It's going to be that much harder for Thai to say good-bye. I don't want you to get your heart broken."

She was shaken by his words. "Maybe you're right. But I'm not sure there's anything I can do about protecting my heart."

"We're here," he said, stopping in front of the Guild of the Knights of Light.

She noticed the arch at the entrance, surprised that they had already arrived. "Thanks for walking me."

"Val..."

"It's okay. See you later," she said, walking underneath the arch to the outdoor part of the building. Suddenly weak, she sat down on a bench and watched the Knights training. She put her hand to her chest. Her heart was pounding. Something about Cyrus's words rang true. What she had with Thai was too good to last.

"That ring was much more gold when I saw you last," Gideon said, surprising her by sitting next to her on the bench.

The Laurel Circle was cold and dark on her thumb. "I can't seem to keep the fear away for long. I used to have nothing to lose, but now there's so much."

"You cannot always help the circumstances, but your reaction is entirely within your control. Fear is part of the air we breathe, but with the right mindset, expelling it can be as easy as exhaling."

"I hope you're right. I want to start my training again right away. I don't have much magic right now, but it gives me an opportunity to practice my skills without it."

"I am glad to hear you think of it that way. You may not always have your magic, but you will have your wits and your self-control."

"Has there been any luck finding Jet?"

"No. Chrome is scouring the forest where he was last seen, but it seems to me that it is an exercise to keep him from panic. No more will be learned there. We need a fresh perspective."

A little fairy buzzed over to them, and she saw that it was Kellen, the Grand Master of the Guild. "You're back, excellent. We need our top recruits. But don't expect any preferential treatment from me. No ma'am. You're just one of the newbies here."

"Yes, sir, of course," she said, and he flew away.

Gideon shook his head. "Despite how it may seem, he has talked of little else other than your return. He hopes you will officially join our guild."

She nodded. "I'm ready to commit. I think I've always belonged here."

"Then let's begin," he said.

He led her to a class forming beneath the arch, and she guessed from their ages that they were new recruits. She was older than most of them, but there were a boy and girl around her age.

"Are you going to train to be the next Kellen?" the girl, who had short blonde hair and stood several feet taller than she, asked.

"Or Azra?" a young fairy buzzed by her ear.

"You think you're better than us?" the boy who was her age asked gruffly. He had red hair and assumed a defensive stance, as if he was ready for her to insult him before she had even opened her mouth.

"No, I—"

Perhaps today's exercises would best be completed silently," Gideon interrupted. She smiled at him gratefully.

Gideon led them through several martial arts forms, and she grew calm as she found her natural rhythm. The Laurel Circle warmed up a little. Afterward, they each practiced with their chosen weapons, and Gideon led them through a series of defensive moves. She was surprised at how heavy Pathos felt without her magic aiding her. She promised herself that she would dedicate some time to building her physical strength.

After practice, she headed back to the dorm, sweaty but more at peace than she had been in a long time. This was what she was meant to do. Hadn't she yearned to protect people like the knights in the legend of King Arthur? She had thought she would be on the police force when she was on Earth, but being a part of the Guild of the Knights of Light was even better.

She saw the gray form of a lean wolf crossing The Horseshoe and heading toward her.

"Chrome, I'm so sorry about Jet," she said when he reached her side.

Images of Jet flickered through her mind, as Chrome communicated that he had left over two weeks ago on a special assignment in Dunsinane, and that he couldn't find his mate's scent anywhere. The images were overlaid with his grief and panic, like viewing a scene through a colored lens. Chrome was convinced that Jet had been captured by someone powerful.

"We're going to find him. I have an idea that might work. Henry is developing his powers, and some of them are psychic. I'm going to see if he can sense Jet's mind. After all, he found my mind even when it was a universe away."

Chrome brushed her leg with his body, and she understood that he was thanking her. Next, images of faces filled her mind, the people that Chrome was suspicious of spying for the Fractus and being a part of Jet's disappearance.

Jet's mission had been top secret, and only a few of the Grand Masters knew the details. Capturing such a powerful Conjuror as Jet would take knowledge, planning, and power. Whoever captured him had to have connections inside Arden who had given information about his whereabouts, strengths, and vulnerabilities. She didn't recognize most of Chrome's suspects, but she saw Sanguina as well as Oberon, the current groundskeeper on the Globe who used to be one of the Fractus.

"It can't be him. He left the Fractus for love, and someone capable of that doesn't turn evil overnight," she said, remembering the story of the woman who had turned the powerful Conjuror from a path of pride and obsession.

Despite her reminder of Oberon's past, she could sense Chrome's deep suspicion. He sent her images of Oberon when he was still with the Fractus, casting lightning from his hands from high on a mountain, then towering over Chrome and hitting him in the skull and knocking him unconscious.

The last image he sent was of Oberon with Sanguina. Sanguina was younger, and the two stood together, laughing. She was shaken by what she had seen.

"They were friends?" she asked. Several more images flicked through her mind of the two of them, sometimes with a third woman with tan skin and dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail. This was Oberon's love, Adelita. Valerie recognized her by the sword she carried—Pathos. Adelita had been the last person to wield it before Valerie. She touched it absently, checking that it was still at her side where it belonged.

"I see what you mean. Thank you for sharing thiswith me." He brushed her side again, and then turned and headed into the woods.


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