Into the Dark (The Conjurors) (30 page)

“We’ll camp here for the night,” Gideon announced, interrupting her thoughts. Valerie rejoiced that they would sleep above ground, and that she would get to see the sun rise over the water.

Cam and Chrome immediately left, scouting the area for traces of magic. Before the last of the light disappeared, Kanti and Cyrus called a houseplant from the callbox. Valerie watched in amazement as, within minutes, the leafy green plant sprouted long, green vines as thick as Valerie’s wrist, and bright yellow, blue, and pink flowers budded between the leaves and bloomed into four canopy beds.

“Much more comfortable than that tent-thing,” Kanti said smugly.

Cyrus shrugged. “Without the tent, we never would have met Leo.”

“Whatever. I’m glad to be sleeping somewhere comfy tonight.”

While Cyrus and Kanti bickered, Valerie approached Gideon, who was stretching. “Do you have some energy left for training?” he asked. She nodded eagerly, and then called for Pathos.

“In these dangerous times, Pathos, or whatever your weapon of choice is, should never leave your side,” Gideon said.

“You’re right. If I’d had it when I fought Sanguina, maybe things would have gone differently,” Valerie said.

“A warrior should not dwell on the ‘ifs’ but the facts.”

Without another word, Gideon began practicing the martial arts moves that she had been showing the Knight apprentices the other day. Valerie followed his movements, and she noticed Kanti and Cyrus watching curiously.

With a small gesture, Valerie invited them to join her. Soon, the four moved in perfect synchronization as the last of the sun’s rays transformed into starlight. She felt peace settle over her heart, and she let her magic flow through her body.

Cyrus and Kanti’s movements harmonized with her own, magnifying her sense of personal strength. After they had silently moved through a series of kicks, blocks, and punches, Gideon began to give them individualized advice on how to maximize their defenses.

First, he demonstrated for Valerie several moves to practice with her sword. “These maneuvers should come to you effortlessly,” Gideon explained. “Practice them until you can do them in your sleep.”

While she practiced the moves, both with and without magic to aid her, Gideon spoke quietly with Cyrus about his power, and how it could be used defensively and offensively. After analyzing several options, he instructed him to practice creating blinding flashes of light. Within an hour, Cyrus was so effective at executing this technique that he accidentally blinded Valerie and she couldn’t see her sword for several seconds.

Finally, Gideon approached Kanti. “What is your weapon?”

“Oh, I don’t have a power to use for fighting like Cy and Valerie. I’ll never be good at this.”

“That matters not – I don’t have a power either. Though Azra has offered to help me develop my power, I have refused. I prefer my own effort and inner strength to magic,” Gideon said.

Kanti looked at Gideon with a kind of awe. “But no one can defeat you. How is that possible without having a power?”

Gideon made a soft sound, and Valerie realized he was laughing. “There are many who can defeat me, I’m sure. But it is true that I fight well enough, or I would not be a Grand Master Knight. And you can learn to fight too, with a little sweat. There will be a time when you will be glad that you do not need your friends to protect you.”

“I’m ready,” Kanti said, with determination.

“Good. First we need to find you a weapon. For some, like Valerie, a weapon will call to them. For others, they must try many weapons until they find one that suits them. Here, try my sword,” Gideon said. Kanti took it, but it looked awkward in her hand. Even after he taught her how to hold it, the sword frequently slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground.

“Not the sword,” Gideon said decisively. “From the way you move, I think the staff may be better for you.” He briefly disappeared into the forest and then came back with a long wooden branch about the thickness of Kanti’s fist. Kanti grasped it in her hands, testing its weight and texture.

“This feels right,” she said, gripping the staff tightly. “Like when I held the ballet bar at dance lessons when I was little.” Gideon gave her some instructions, and she practiced with the staff for hours. Later, she was reluctant to put the branch down when Gideon told them to rest, even though she was drenched with sweat.

No bed had ever felt as comfortable as the one Valerie crawled into that night. Kanti was right – no more tents from now on, she thought drowsily before drifting off to sleep, the laurel circle cool, but not cold, against her skin.

The next day, they woke at sunrise to continue their journey. The sight of the sun shining brilliantly on the turquoise ocean infused Valerie with energy and purpose. She vowed that someday she would live near the sea.

 A short distance down the beach was a dock crowded with dozens of boats. Gideon led the group to a boat that reminded her of yachts that she had seen on television. It had three little rooms, a kitchen, and even a small pool.

“With all this water, why would anyone need a pool on a boat?” Valerie wondered, mystified. “And it seems way too fancy for a day trip.”

“Actually, it’s almost a three day trip to Messina, Val. The island’s really remote,” Cyrus said. He was starting to look a little anxious, and she wondered if he was worried about bringing such a strange crowd to his parents’ house.

“You okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I hope everything goes smoothly.”

“I hope they don’t think I’m a total weirdo. I want them to like me,” Valerie said, wondering for the first time what Cyrus’ parents were like.

“Of course they’ll like you. Who could help it?” Cyrus said, trying to sound confident, but Valerie heard the worry in his voice.
    “Something’s bothering you.”

“It’s nothing. I hope they don’t tell embarrassing stories about me or anything,” Cyrus said. Valerie let the subject drop, hoping he’d open up to her later.

The next two days passed like a dream for Valerie. Gideon captained the ship, with Cam helping him with navigation. The ocean water was so clear that they could stare down into the depths and sometimes see hints of the vast city beneath the waves. At night, lights glimmered through the water, and Valerie couldn’t help but be entranced, imagining Leo living in the city below. But just as when she had been in Plymouth, it gave her a chill to imagine living so far away from the surface and the sunshine.

A few times, she even caught a glimpse of mermen and mermaids, the immortal residents and record-keepers of Illyria. Their long hair looked silky and fluid under water as they curiously approached the boat and then quickly swam away, satisfied that they were visitors skimming across the surface, not intruders trying to force their way into the underwater world.

Every morning, Valerie checked in with Thai back on Earth to give him the update. At first she felt guilty that he was sitting around, waiting for her to figure out where Henry was, but he seemed to be enjoying the time he spent in the woods, talking to Tan and exploring. At least he wasn’t miserable, because she didn’t know when she’d have any news for him now.

Valerie, Kanti and Cyrus’ time didn’t go to waste during the long days of travel. On the first morning, the three friends practiced the moves that Gideon taught them on the bow of the ship. As Gideon watched and called down instructions, Valerie noticed Cam and Chrome watching her closely.

When she finally took a break, the wolves approached her and Valerie’s mind was flooded with images, almost like a daydream, of a warrior in full armor being attacked by a group of assailants armed with many different types of weapons. The warrior’s incredible speed and skill kept all of the enemies at bay, and one by one, the attackers fell. When the warrior was the only one standing, the helmet that was hiding the warrior’s face slid off. Valerie gasped. It was her.

Only then did she realize that Gideon was standing beside her, sharing the vision. “Masters Cam and Chrome are showing you what you’re capable of, as well as what you need to work on – focus and speed. They want to help train you.”

“Yes, thank you,” she said eagerly, staring into the eyes of each wolf in turn so that they could see her gratitude.

For the rest of her time on the boat, Valerie spent a large part of every day training with Cam and Chrome. She used a practice sword and shield, and her mission was to prevent the wolves from forcing her to the ground. Initially, she thought she would never be able to block even one wolf’s attack, never mind two. She was constantly being hurtled to the ground as they attacked her from all sides, and her bruises from her fight with Sanguina were joined by new black and blue marks all over her arms, knees and back.

Physical combat was only part of the wolves’ training.  Cam and Chrome also spent hours taking Valerie, Kanti, and Cyrus through a series of mental exercises that Valerie found at least as difficult as fighting. The wolves sent visions of battles that they had witnessed in the past to the three friends, and then quizzed them on the details of what they had seen. The wolves expected them to remember everything from the techniques of the fighters to where the defenses were weakest to who was wearing a red shirt. The visions seemed chaotic to Valerie at first and she had trouble remembering any of the details that they asked about.

But then Kanti commented that there was a rhythm pulsing through the battles. “It’s almost like a dance. Now that we’ve seen a few of these battles, I can recognize most of the moves. It’s like the battle has been choreographed.”

In the next vision, Valerie looked for the rhythm that Kanti had mentioned, and suddenly, as if something was unlocked in her mind, she could see the pattern of the battle unfolding before her eyes. Every move was in reaction to something else, and she started to be able to see the battle as a whole, rather than the sum of its parts. From that point on, her answers to the wolves’ questions became increasingly accurate.

Valerie also noticed that she had a better awareness of where the wolves were located in relation to her at all times. When they were fighting with her, she was able to block out the details that weren’t relevant to the fight, like Kanti and Cyrus’ shouts of encouragement and the rocking of the boat. The intensity of her focus was also critical in helping her speed – she felt as if she was seeing her next two moves in her head, which enabled her to move without thinking. After two days of practice, she was able to block some of the wolves’ attacks as long as she channeled her magic, though she had yet to touch the point of her sword to their fur and claim a victory of her own. Still, she could feel her strength grow in her body, mind, and magic.

When Valerie was sweaty from practicing all day, Kanti and Cyrus began teaching her to swim in the little pool on the boat. She was surprised how quickly she caught on. The second night, when Gideon anchored the boat until dawn, Cyrus and Kanti told her it was time to jump in the ocean and practice her swimming for real.

But peering into the bottomless ocean, Valerie wasn’t so sure she was ready for that. Anything could be down there, ready to grab her and pull her into the darkness forever. She shuddered, remembering a special on sharks that she had seen on television. On the Globe, sharks were probably tame compared to the mysterious creatures lurking in the depths of the Illyrian Ocean. No way was she getting in there, she decided, ready to turn back.

Then Cyrus stepped next to her and whispered, “So, let me get this straight. A gang of thugs attacking us in the middle of nowhere and robbing us of our powers doesn’t freak you out, but faced with a little water you completely chicken out?”

“Hey, to be fair, it’s not exactly ‘a little water.’ It’s an ocean!”

“Whatever. Come on, wimp!” Cyrus yelled, and then cannonballed into the ocean.

“Show off!” Kanti shouted, and then dove into the water gracefully.

At that moment, Valerie looked down at the laurel circle, which felt freezing on her thumb. This was the chance to do what Gideon had said and fight her fear. She leapt off the side of the boat, feeling herself suspended in the air for moment before crashing into the water below. For a moment, everything was dark, quiet and cold, and she felt lost and alone under the waves. But then she clawed her way to the surface and gulped in a giant breath of air. Suddenly the cold ocean made her feel alive instead of frightened, as if every one of her senses was tingling. She felt like such a different person from the girl back on Earth who had no one but the hospital staff to love and no new experiences in her life.