He returned his attention to Tan, who was breathing evenly. I have to believe hes going to be okay. Maybe now that weve separated, we can figure out whats wrong.

Wheres Chisisi?

I made him go get some rest. I can never repay him for taking care of us.

Hes one of the best people I know, she agreed.

Thank you, young ones, Chisisi said, appearing at the door. Now you must leave Thai to rest.

Come on, Ive done enough resting, Thai argued, but without heat. She could see that it would take time for him to get his full energy back.

There is much left to do if we are going to get you and Tan to the Globe, Chisisi insisted. You will need your full strength for the road ahead.

Fine, you win, Thai agreed.

Dont worry. Ill be back, Valerie assured him.

When her mind returned to her dark room on the Globe, an enormous weight was lifted from her shoulders. That night, she finally slept a dreamless sleep.

Filled with guilt, Valerie hurried to her Guild the next day. Her worry had been all-consuming, and there were those who depended on her who were bound to be disappointed.

When she arrived, the Guild was quieter than usual. Usually, there were classes being held in the courtyard and Knights streaming in and out of the building. But today, only a handful of Knights hurried by purposefully.

She headed toward Kellens office. When she arrived, the door was open partway. Inside she heard a voice that made her stop in her tracks.

Its what he wants, Sanguina insisted.

I dont understand why.

Hes using it as an excuse to test her. Hes acting like it will be a simple trade, but its a trap. Shell never see it coming.

And if I dont agree?

You know what hes capable of, Sanguina said, and Valerie heard a low thud. She peeked through the crack and saw that Sanguina had hefted her right leg onto a nearby chair. It was all Valerie could do to repress her surprise when Sanguina lifted her pants to reveal that she had a prosthetic leg. What had happened to her?

I suppose I dont have a choice.

Thats not what Im saying. There has to be another way, Sanguina continued.

Valerie was pulled roughly away from the door.

What are you up to now? Claremont said, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Not now, Monty! she shoved her away and moved toward the door, but the room had fallen silent.

You think youre such a hotshot, dont you? Claremont said and took a swing at her.

She ducked, and Claremonts fist hit the wall. Claremont let out a yelp of pain and then cradled her hand.

Thats enough, Kellen commanded.

She was spying"

I have to tell you"

Im disappointed in you both, he interrupted. I dont want to hear any more. If you two cant find a way to get along, then your status as apprentices will be revoked.

Without another word, he went back into his office and closed the door. Valerie wanted to charge in after him and demand to know what Sanguina was doing in their Guild and exactly what he was agreeing to.

Suspicion made her stomach churn. What if Kellen was the spy? Maybe being kidnapped was a trick. She remembered Chromes distrust when he had found the fairy after he had been kidnapped.

Claremont snapped her fingers in front of Valeries face. Hello? Anyone home?

Lets give each other as much space as possible, Valerie said, and turned on her heel and left. She was done trying to make friends with Claremont. Anyone who wanted to drive her fist into her face wasnt worth her time.

She was halfway down the hall when she smacked into Juniper.

Where have you been? he asked. Youve missed all the good stuff.

What happened?

Theyre organizing the search party for when the guide arrives to take us to the Black Castle. Everyone wanted to vote for you to lead the search, but you werent here. So now youre not even on the team.

Im sure if I talk to Chrome and Gideon" she began.

Im afraid not, Gideon said, walking to her with Chrome at his side. The wolfs eyes flashed with hurt, and she saw a brief image of a full moon and heard a faint howl of anguish. She wasnt even sure he intentionally sent her the vision, because it was so brief, she almost couldnt make out what she saw. But his betrayal was clear.

Im so sorry, Chrome. My friend was hurt and I couldnt leave him, she explained. Some of the anger left his eyes, but guilt lodged like a rock in her stomach. She had to juggle her responsibilities to those she loved now, and this time she had dropped the ball. Please, Gideon, you have to let me help search for Jet.

No, I thought you could help lead, but I see now that I was mistaken.

Please dont do this. I know Ive disappointed you, but find another way to punish me.

You mistake me. This isnt a punishment. Azra was right"it was wrong of me to put so much weight on such young shoulders. You are not yet ready to set aside your personal cares for the greater good. And you should not have to.

But even if I cant lead, I can still come search with you, she insisted.

It will not do to have the Knights expect your leadership when you are not yet capable of providing it. And no matter what they are told, they will expect it.

There was no more she could say. Im sorry, she whispered.

Chrome nodded his head in acknowledgment, and then he and Gideon continued down the hall.

Theyre leaving tomorrow, Juniper said as she stared after them.

How? Shade isnt even here yet.

Theyre going to meet him in the middle. Chrome is pretty sure that hell be able to track him once hes outside of Dunsinane, and they dont want to waste any time.

She nodded. The sooner they were able to help Jet, the better. She hoped that he wasnt already beaten past recovery. Hes going to be okay, she said, mostly to herself.

She noticed that Juniper had turned red at the ears. Theres one other thing you should know. That is, well, Ive been chosen to go on the search. Gideon said they could use my binding power to help incapacitate any enemies that we run into.

He was going in her place, she understood, which was why he was so uncomfortable. But there was no part of her that blamed Juniper for her own failure, so she attempted a smile. Im so glad youll be there. Keep a close eye on Chrome, okay? It may be really hard on him when he sees Jets condition. I dont want him to go nuts and do something that puts him in danger.

Juniper nodded seriously. Ill watch out for him. And I thought you might want to be in the loop with whats going on, so take this. He gave her a small hand mirror. It doesnt work super well, but I can tell you whats happening. Ill contact you at night.

Thank you. And good luck on this mission"theyre lucky to have you.

He nodded, and they parted ways. What would she do with herself now that she wasnt needed on the search? She remembered the conversation she had overheard in Kellens office and made up her mind.

Shed been avoiding investigating Sanguina out of a mixture of fear and disgust. But if she couldnt help rescue Darling and Jet, then she would prevent any more innocent Conjurors from winding up in their shoes. It was time to find out what Sanguinas involvement was with Reaper.

Chapter 22.

Spying on Sanguina turned out to be a much bigger challenge than Valerie had anticipated. First of all, no one seemed to know where she was living. Everyone had seen her around Arden, but she would vanish for days at a time.

Even when she was around, other Knights or Guild leaders were usually closely watching her. Valerie wasnt the only one who wasnt comfortable around the ex-vampyre. She started to doubt whether or not she would be able to find out any new information under the circumstances.

Shes still creepy as ever, Ill grant you that, Kanti said, surreptitiously examining Sanguina over the top of her sandwich. Sanguina had just left the building that housed the Guardians of the Boundary, and she tilted her face up to soak in the light that drenched the green lawn. Kanti and Cyrus had met Valerie for a picnic lunch on the lawn in the middle of The Horseshoe.

Youve gotta be kidding. She was way scarier when she had those crazy veins. You never saw her up close. I did, Cyrus said with a shudder.

Im not getting a master criminal vibe from her, though. She seems kind of lost and confused to me, Kanti said.

Cyrus made a skeptical sound, but Valerie had to agree with Kanti, even if she didnt want to. I cant help thinking theres something a little pathetic about her. A few Conjurors talk to her, but in general, shes kind of a leper.

They watched as Sanguina bumped into Oberon, who was trimming the hedges of the Guardians of the Boundary Guild.

Thats weird, Valerie said. Shes talked to him the past two days as well. It always looks like an accidental meeting, but Im starting to think its on purpose.

Cyrus furrowed his brow. You think he might be working with her?

I dont know. I saw them talking before I was attacked at the Capitol, but he helped drive Zunya away, Valerie said.

Unless that was for show, to win your trust, Kanti said darkly. She saw Cyrus and Valerie both staring at her in surprise. What? I was raised in a castle. I know a few things about deception.

I never thought twice about it at the time, but I heard Oberon asking Rastelli about you, too, Cyrus said.

What did he want to know? Valerie asked, startled.

He asked if he knew you well, and if you were really a vivicus like everyone was saying. Of course, Rastelli doesnt really know you so he probably couldnt tell him much.

Okay, thats weird, Kanti said. Oberon stopped Henry once when he was on his way to the Empathy Collective. It was strange because he asked him for the time, and that was it. Hes not known for being social.

Hes keeping tabs on us, Valerie said grimly. What reason could an ancient, powerful Conjuror have for his curiosity about her and her brother? The only answers she could think of were bad ones.

If theyre working together, you could try following him instead of Sanguina, Kanti suggested.

Thats a good idea, Valerie agreed. We know he has an actual house and he doesnt randomly disappear. Maybe it will give me a clue as to whether or not theyre meeting in secret.

Youre not going alone, Cyrus said.

Ill be careful, she replied.

No! Youve already been attacked by whoever this mysterious nut job is. Youve got to take Henry or me with you, at the very least.

Hey! What about me? Ive got magic now, Kanti said.

No offense, but hearts and flowers arent going to keep Oberon at bay if he tries to attack.

Right, and a few flashes of light will? Give me a break! Youre such a sexist pig, Kanti countered.

Will you two give it a rest? Valerie interrupted before they could start arguing in earnest. Ill take Henry. Oberons curious about him, too, so hes got a good reason to find out whats going on.

Whatever, Cyrus said grumpily.

Fine, Kanti agreed, refusing to acknowledge Cyrus.

Valerie forced herself not to roll her eyes or shake them both.

Cy and Kanti dont think this is paranoid? Henry asked her the next day as they followed Oberon through the streets of Silva.

If you dont want to do this, Ill take Kanti instead, Valerie said. I thought youd want to know if Sanguinas really up to something.

I do, he said, and she had a glimpse into his mind, which was consumed with fear. But he forced it down. Its time to stop avoiding her.

She hoped she wasnt pushing him too far, too fast. But she knew that, until he could manage his fear, he would always be held back by it. Releasing her fear of Sanguina was what had enabled her to win when theyd fought in the Black Castle.

Oberon stopped at a giant tree that was hollow inside. It was an apartment building straight out of a storybook, where rabbits or birds would live. Definitely not where she was expecting Oberon to sleep.

Her instincts werent totally off. Most of the residents of the tree were animals"well, talking, thinking, intelligent Conjurors who looked like animals, really. Calling them animals would probably be like using the word elves to refer to the People of the Woods.

Okay, thats weird, Henry said, sounding just like Kanti.

I thought hed live in a basement or something. Somewhere dark and depressing, Valerie agreed. And we cant exactly peer in the windows of this place. There arent any.

True, but we could try to find his mind, Henry suggested. We could do that from the comfort of our room though.

Lets do it here. That way, if Oberon leaves or hes able to block us, we can follow him.