Into the Dark (The Conjurors) (28 page)

   
If he were going to betray us, he would have done it long ago, when the Fractus captured him and tortured him to discover what secrets he had learned from the Contego. What he endured in order to protect those secrets is unspeakable. Even after they blinded him, he didn’t give in. He would have been executed for his lack of cooperation and betrayal of the Fractus if it were not for a daring rescue by the Knights.

    “Poor Oberon. Now he’s free, but he’s blind and alone, without his love to comfort him,” Dulcea said with tears in her eyes. Valerie’s heart softened toward him. Oberon had known what it was to be truly alone, just as she did. Even Kanti looked moved by his story.

    But Cyrus shifted impatiently, bored. “Enough about him, I want to tell Val what happened after we left the cave.”

    With that, Cyrus explained how Sanguina had retreated deep into the cave, and how he would have pursued her if it hadn’t been for the fact that Valerie was so hurt. Instead, he had carried her to the Healers’ guild, with Dulcea’s help.

    “What I realized last night is that my light can destroy her! I’ll find her and defeat her myself,” Cyrus said proudly.

    But Azra shook her head.
She won’t expose herself by leaving her fortress again. And wherever she is hiding, I am certain there are spells to extinguish any light inside. As a vampyre, it is the first precaution she would take. Our only hope is to draw her out of her fortress again, where we may have a chance to talk with her, or if we must, fight her.

    Listening, Valerie couldn’t help letting her attention wander as the memory of her encounter with Sanguina overwhelmed her. Azra, seeing Valerie’s distress, gently sent her friends home. After many protestations, they finally left, promising to be back the next day. When they were alone, Valerie let herself fall back on her bed, giving in to her emotions with a sob.

    “How will I ever save Henry now? Sanguina crushed me; I never stood a chance against her. I was such an idiot to think I could fight her and win!”

   
Tell me what happened.

    Valerie told her story through her tears, and in telling Azra what she had endured, she gradually felt some of her despair lift.

   
Sanguina is very powerful. To stand against her, as you did, and fight back, is an incredible feat of strength. Almost no one can resist when a vampyre controls their mind. What you did, pushing her out of your head, shows how great your power truly is.

     “I feel like such a loser. I must have seemed so pathetic to her, like a fly that she could swat with a flick of her wrist.”

   
That is the most terrible power that a vampyre can wield – robbing people of their hope and their belief in themselves. You can’t give in to that. Fight it, like you fought Sanguina’s control of your mind.

    “It’s only a matter of time before she finds me again. And next time, she’ll finish what she started. But if I don’t face her, she’ll keep torturing Henry!” Valerie said. She felt torn apart inside at the memory of his haunted face.

   
We’ll find a way to stop Sanguina, I promise. I’ve been working with the leaders of the guilds, and even if it means attacking her fortress ourselves, we will stop her. We believe that she lives in the mountains of Dunsinane to the south, and I don’t think she’ll leave the safety of her fortress in the near future. She will try to find a way to have you brought to her, but we won’t let that happen. Trust in me, Valerie.

    “I do,” Valerie said, and felt slightly relieved. For now, she had to let Henry’s fate rest in more capable hands than her own. She couldn’t help Henry by getting herself killed.

   
Now rest, because tomorrow you will need all of your strength.

    Before Valerie allowed herself to sleep, she decided to quickly visit Thai. The healing seemed to have sucked her strength away, so it took a greater effort than usual to muster the concentration she needed to find him.

    Finally, the world around her vanished and she found herself standing in his tent. He leapt to his feet. “Where have you been? Do you know how scared I was? You were supposed to come yesterday! What were you–” he stopped short, examining her face. “What happened? Who did this to you? I’ll kill them,” he said, his voice turning rough and his eyes glittering dangerously.

    Seeing how protective he was made her smile a little for the first time since she had encountered Sanguina. Despite how hopeless her situation seemed, she couldn’t help thinking how strange and wonderful it was to know that so many people cared about what happened to her.

    “Does it look that bad?” she asked, self-consciously touching her face.

    “Don’t leave me in suspense!” Thai exclaimed, ignoring her question.

    “I met Sanguina, we fought, and she defeated me,” Valerie said simply, not having the energy to go into detail again. “I don’t know how to save Henry now.”

    “Thank God you escaped with your life,” Thai said, his voice raw. He stepped closer, raising his hand to her face, and then dropped it, realizing that he couldn’t touch her. Valerie was conscious of that familiar, warm feeling churning inside of her that always erupted when she stared into his eyes.

    Feeling herself blush, she changed the subject. “How is the woman Venu attacked?”

    “Her name is Mrs. Leeds, and she’s fine – at least, now she is. Some of Venu’s slime got in her lungs, and she starting coughing up all this blood mixed with poison. Luckily the paramedics listened to me and were able to save her. She’s resting comfortably now, and has no memory of what had really happened. I think that Venu attacked her accidentally, or maybe to steal her money – she’s a local schoolteacher.”

“Any luck finding Venu?”

“No, after leaving the hospital, I went back to the place where we found her, but there was no trace of him.”

    “I guess it’s been lousy luck all around.”

    “I’ll find Henry. He can’t be far, with Venu here.”

Valerie didn’t know whether that was a comforting thought or not, knowing that Venu was so close to two people whom she cared so deeply about.

    “I wish there was a way for me to stop Sanguina and protect you both. But she’s too powerful; she’ll crush me again,” she said with despair in her voice.

 “Listen to me,” Thai said earnestly. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that you’re a fighter. Life has thrown a lot of obstacles in your path, but no matter what happens you’ve always come out swinging, ready to meet the next challenge. I know you’ll beat Sanguina, like you’ve beaten down everyone else who tried to stop you from doing what’s right. We’re coming up to the final lap – hang in there.”

    “You’re right; I know you’re right,” Valerie said, feeling some of her energy return. With so many people on her side, she would find a way to save Henry – she had to.

    The next day, Valerie awoke to a strange green creature bustling around her room. He was about half her size with enormous ears, long, tapered fingers and sharp, fanged teeth. At first, his appearance frightened her, reminding her of an evil goblin in a fairy tale.

    But the creature’s demeanor was all business, and when he saw that she was awake, he walked briskly to her side. “I’m Nightingale, Master Healer,” he said in a low, soothing voice. “I’ve been watching over you for the past two days, and it’s high time that we got you up and out of that bed. The only way you’ll completely heal is if you stretch your muscles.”

    “It’s nice to meet you. And thanks for taking care of me.” Without thinking, Valerie sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Her body ached, protesting the quick movement.

Nightingale winced in sympathy. “Sorry, I should have warned you. Though your broken bones and muscle tears were healed, there is still some bruising. You’ll have to tread carefully for the next couple of weeks,” he said, handing her a glass of bubbling liquid. “You’re from Messina, right?”

“Um, yeah,” she replied, uncomfortable with the lie.

“Well, then this is probably your first time drinking Elixir. Think of it as a kind of magical painkiller. One that will not just make you feel better, but will also accelerate your body’s healing process.”

Valerie gulped the drink down, trying not to gag at its bitterness. Even on the Globe, medicine tasted terrible. But seconds later, she felt the stiffness in her muscles ease and she was able to stand with Nightingale’s help.

    “There are some Conjurors hovering at the door who have been waiting to see you all morning. Shall I let them in?”

    She grinned and nodded. When Nightingale opened the door, Kanti and Cyrus burst through.

    “Sheesh, sleep late enough, Val?” Cyrus said.

    “I’d think you’d be up at dawn, ready for our adventure! We’re already packed – I put some clothes and your sword in the call box for you,” Kanti added breathlessly, her eyes sparkling. “I can’t believe you get an armed guard! This is so cool.”

    “Back up a sec. What’s happening?”

    “Keep your voices down, this is a place of recovery,” Nightingale said warningly before he slipped out of the room.

    “Azra’s sending the three of us to Messina to hide out at my parents’ house. We’re going to get a Knight escort and everything! It will be almost impossible for Sanguina or anyone to find you in Messina, because if anyone uses their powers anywhere on the island, an alarm goes off and the police are there within seconds to arrest them,” Cyrus said. Then he rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately, I know that from personal experience.”

    “They take the whole not using magic thing really seriously there, huh?” Kanti said, intrigued. “I mean, I knew that using magic was taboo, but they actually arrest you?”

    “Oh, yeah. I had to spend a night in jail once after I used my power to impress this gir-um, I mean, when I used my power,” Cyrus said. He glanced at Valerie. “Not an experience I want to repeat.”

    “I don’t get it – why do they hate magic so much?” Kanti asked.

    “My parents say that using magic only leads to war and violence, and that if all Conjurors had repressed their powers, they would never have had to leave Earth in the first place. So they have tried to make Messina as much like Earth as possible – a country of science instead of magic.”

    “It sounds so different from any place I’ve ever visited. I can’t wait to see it!” Kanti said.

    But Valerie wasn’t paying attention. “I don’t understand why Azra is sending me away,” she said, bewildered. What about their conversation the night before about finding a way to save Henry?

    “She didn’t have a choice,” Cyrus explained. “She’s leading a team into Dunsinane to try to capture Sanguina. She didn’t want to leave you in Arden without being here to guard you herself. It’s too dangerous.”

    Valerie was surprised how relieved she felt at the news. Azra would take care of everything – she’d find Sanguina and get the charm that was blocking her from finding Henry. Valerie wouldn’t have to fight Sanguina again. It felt strange, but comforting, having someone look after her. She never thought she would like having someone swoop in and save the day for her, but for the first time, she felt her fear ebb away. Someone was going to take care of her and keep the monsters away.

    “Cheer up; this is gonna be great! Do you know how hard it is to visit Messina? You have to get special permission to enter. I’ve never been there before! There was no way I was gonna miss out on this trip. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Think we’ll have time to visit the science museum?” Kanti wondered, her enthusiasm infectious.

    Valerie felt herself growing excited for the journey ahead, and she sprang to the bathroom to quickly get cleaned up, ignoring her aches and pains. She groaned when she saw her reflection in the mirror, finally understanding Thai’s reaction last night. Her face was various shades of mottled yellow and brown from her bruises, making her look like a walking corpse. She tried to comb through some of the knots in her hair with her fingers, and then just gave up and put her hair in her usual ponytail.