Into the Dark (The Conjurors) (19 page)

   
It is all of the knowledge of the universe. Every thought, every feeling, every event that has ever happened has been recorded for all eternity in the depths of Illyria. And as time progresses, more and more of the story of the universe is written.

    “Like a giant underwater library,” Valerie said, unconsciously dropping to her knees so that she could be at eye level with Azra.

Yes. The Illyrians, the people of the water, are the keepers of this knowledge, and from time to time they will share pieces of it.

    “What have they told you?” Valerie asked eagerly.

   
The Illyrians who live in this lake guard their knowledge jealously, and tonight they will tell me nothing. But over the millennia I have learned to interpret a few small pieces of the records. On a clear night, like tonight, I can sometimes find answers to my questions. I was searching for knowledge of Sanguina, and I saw your vision.

    “Did you learn anything else?”

   
Yes, but there is so much I don’t understand. You and Henry share a special connection. I think it may be that Henry’s power is psychic, and he is unconsciously reaching out with his mind for help. His mind must have connected with yours originally because you were the only other person on Earth with powers as strong as his. But it amazes me that his mind can reach yours now that you are here on the Globe.

    “But why do I only jump into his mind when Sanguina is near?”

It is when Sanguina terrorizes him and his fear reaches its highest pitch that he unconsciously reaches out to you. When you were especially weakened by your own magic, he was able to pull you into his mind. I cannot discover why Sanguina is obsessed with Henry, but their names are linked in the records.

   
“I hate her! Why won’t she leave us alone?” Valerie cried, rage filling her completely. She had never felt so angry and helpless before in her entire life. She suddenly wanted to use her power, to destroy Sanguina, to crush her with her newfound strength. The thought of what Henry was enduring every day made Valerie furious.

    Azra’s expression changed, and she stepped closer to Valerie. Her soft mane brushed Valerie’s shoulder.
There is much you do not know of her, Valerie. I cannot excuse what she has done, but Sanguina was not always like this. Not so long ago, she was an apprentice for the Contego. She was hunting down a member of the Fractus who was haunting children on Earth. She found his lair on the Globe, and she went to fight him. She was over-confident, and went alone, believing that he wasn’t a threat to her. But he was fast, strong, and had the ability to steal her magic. In the end, he defeated her, and changed her into what she is today.

   
“Which is what?”

    Long ago on Earth, they were called vampyres. After her transformation, she gained speed and strength, but then she also craved fear. The myths on Earth are incorrect; in truth, vampyres feed on fear, not blood. The taste of terror gives vampyres immeasurable strength, and such a prize is hard to resist. Sanguina might have been able to fight that craving with the help of friends, but it was not to be. As a vampyre, she could never step foot outside because the light constantly pouring into the Globe is said to be fatal to vampyres.

She was forced into the shadows forever. The Contego didn’t allow her to stay in the guild because she was useless to them. Without her guild, she had nowhere to turn. I believe she turned to the Fractus because no one else would welcome her. She is who she is today because we abandoned her.
Azra’s large, bottomless eyes were the saddest thing that Valerie had ever seen.

    “That doesn’t excuse what she’s done to Henry,” Valerie said with certainty. Still, learning about Sanguina’s past drained some of her rage away. Sanguina had been abandoned by the Contego, just as she had been discarded by her foster families, like a broken toy. That crushing sense of loss was unbearable. But even though a part of Valerie sympathized with her, Sanguina had made her choice to embrace evil. Valerie was determined to do anything to save Henry – even if it meant hurting Sanguina.

   
Nothing excuses what she has done, it is true. But we will find Henry, Valerie, and we will save him.

    She suddenly remembered Kanti. “Is this Henry the same Henry that was Kanti’s friend? Maybe she would know where to look for him.”

   
I do not know if the two Henrys are the same – I have not found that answer in the records. But it occurred to me that when Kanti couldn’t find Henry all those years ago, it could have been because Sanguina or one of the Fractus blocked him with a protective charm like the one they created for Venu. When Kanti couldn’t find Henry and she saw the coffin, she assumed he was inside of it. But maybe that wasn’t the case. Perhaps Henry lives.

It can’t hurt for the two of you to project to his home on Earth and look around. I will continue to search the records. I will also work with the leaders of the guilds, and they will lend us their resources. We will find him, I promise you. Tomorrow I will travel to the sacred pools on the island of Messina. The record keeper there has helped me in the past. I will return with answers.

    “Thank you, Azra,” Valerie said, but inside she squirmed with frustration. She had spent so much of her life waiting – she wanted to save Henry now, today. The thought of Sanguina haunting that boy was more than she could bear.

    Valerie returned to her room as the sun rose over the horizon. Kanti and Cyrus were waiting for her. The expression on Cyrus’ face was grim, and Valerie knew that Kanti must have filled him in on what had happened. Valerie told them about her meeting with Azra.

    “We can’t just sit around waiting!” Kanti exclaimed.

    “There is another option,” Cyrus said thoughtfully. “The Oracle. We have a great need. Don’t you think they’d give Valerie her prophecy? “

    “Yes! Cyrus, you’re brilliant!” Kanti said, the panic disappearing from her face.

    “That’s what I’ve been telling you,” Cyrus said, trying to lighten the mood.

    “Wait, what are you guys talking about?”

    “The Oracle is a group of Conjurors who can see the future. They deliver prophecies to guide people on their quests and give them answers to their questions. But they’re really picky about whom they will help. Only if your need is great enough will they help you.”

    “Cyrus, how do you know all this stuff, anyway? You have answers for everything,” Valerie said admiringly.

    “Whatever,” he said, blushing.

    “Aw, you feeling shy?” Kanti teased. Then she explained, “He was elected to serve on Azra’s youth council. It’s a really big honor, and she tells them a lot of stuff about the Globe that isn’t common knowledge.”

    “That’s awesome, Cy! Why didn’t you say so?”

    Valerie was surprised he didn’t jump at the chance to brag a little. Instead, Kanti rolled her eyes and said. “He thinks it’ll bother me because I also ran for the council position, but didn’t get elected. Sheesh, I’ve told you for a million times, I’m happy for you, not jealous.”

    “I never said you were! The subject didn’t come up, that’s all.”

    Sensing tension in the air, Valerie changed the subject, hoping to prevent another argument. “So, do we need to bring something to the Oracle? Like, an offering?”

    Kanti and Cyrus stared at her, surprised. Finally, Cyrus laughed and said, “It doesn’t work like that. They’ll help us if they think it’s the right thing to do. And if we can help them, we will.”

“Sorry, Earth thinking, I guess,” Valerie said. She saw the shocked expression on Cyrus’ face and added, “Kanti knows I’m from Earth. We’re friends, and I want her to know the truth.”

“Fine, whatever,” Cyrus said, trying to sound casual. But his tone didn’t fool Valerie – she had a feeling that Cyrus liked being the only one to know her secret.

“Back on track, people,” Kanti said. “Let’s pack up and get out of here.”

“Before we go, I want to fill Thai in on what’s happening. When we figure out where Henry is on Earth, he’ll be able to protect him. Kanti, if this is your Henry, why don’t we project to his house? Maybe he still lives there and we can explain everything,” Valerie said.

Kanti shook her head regretfully. “I had the same idea. While I was waiting for you to return, I projected to Henry’s house. It doesn’t even exist anymore; there’s a parking lot where it used to be. They must have moved quite awhile ago. My guess is that they’re probably still in the same country, if not the same state. Maybe Thai should travel to America. By the time he gets there, there’s a chance that the Oracle will tell you exactly where he is.”

“It would be out of his way,” Valerie said, hesitating.

“This is important. It can’t hurt to ask him. And from everything you’ve told me about him, he might have a few ideas himself.”

“Ideas, yes. But maybe not much time.”

Cyrus and Kanti left to gather supplies for their journey, and Valerie immediately concentrated on Thai. She was amazed at how effortless it was to return to Earth.

Thai was sitting at a table with a huge group of people that she guessed were his parents and siblings. They looked like such a happy, fun group, laughing and playing around with each other. It was how she imagined the perfect family would be. She had pictured it a thousand times to herself all those years while she was waiting to be adopted.

For a second, she panicked that they would see her and would wonder who she was and where she came from. Then she remembered her lesson from Cyrus on projecting to Earth. It was up to her to choose who could see her, and she only wanted to be seen by Thai.

Valerie relaxed when his parents and siblings looked right through her. It was almost as if she was a ghost, and the thought sent a chill through her. It would be so easy for the Fractus to watch Henry without his knowledge and learn everything about him, including his greatest fears. Then they could use that information against him, to terrify him into doing what they wanted. But what was so special about Henry that the Fractus would go to such lengths to control him?

Thai looked up and almost choked on his noodles when he saw her. Valerie giggled. He said something to his family in Vietnamese, and then quickly left.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I can come back later.”

“It’s fine, we were finishing up anyway. Something’s wrong, I can tell.”

Her lighthearted mood evaporated as she remembered why she had come. She quickly explained to Thai what she had discovered about Henry and her visions. To her surprise, he didn’t seem shocked.

“I knew you were seeing something real. I watched you when you had your vision at Stonehenge, and whatever you were experiencing was so real to you. I remember that you were so afraid that you were shaking in my arms. And no regular dream sends someone to a hospital.”

“I have a huge favor to ask. When we figure out where Henry is, will you go to him? I’m so afraid that Venu will be after him next. And Henry has no idea of what’s happening to him! He’s never heard of the Globe. He must think that he’s going crazy, or that monsters are really trying to hurt him.”

“That’s horrible,” Thai said with a shudder. “I can’t imagine going through my change without the help of the Conjurors. I would have lost my mind.”

“I’m so scared for him.”
    “Of course I’ll help in any way I can.”

“What about Tan? Will he be able to handle this trip? I know that you’re sharing your body with him more and more, and I don’t want you to sacrifice his – or your – health.”

“Tan will be okay. He’s getting stronger every day, and he’s beginning to understand more of what’s happening. I’m sure he’ll want to help you too. So consider us both in on your plan,” Thai said confidently. “Now, where was Henry last seen?”