Knights of Light (Book 2 of The Conjurors Series)

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."