Edge of Pathos (Book 4 of The Conjurors Series)

Chapter 32

That night, back on the Globe, Valerie dipped a toe in the Lake of Knowledge, and the water sparkled in response to her touch. She flicked the shell that she'd dug out of a drawer in her room into the lake, hoping that it worked the way that Will said it would.

It had felt like ages since she'd gone for a swim in these waters, and she plunged in now, turning over in her head the problem she'd discussed with Chisisi. Was it possible to find a better solution to protecting humans than separating them from Conjurors?

Her swim was interrupted when a tail flicked against her legs, startling her. On the shore, Valerie found Elle waiting for her, wringing out her hair as she dug her toes into the sand.

"I can't stay long. I know what's been happening above the waves, and Will and I guessed what you'd want to know now," Elle said. "Binding magic on Earth requires an incredible amount of magic, but luckily, a lot of it you can mine from the Atacama Desert. All of the magic that ignited the flame isn't lost, it's just in a different form."

"What do I need to fix it?" Valerie asked.

"You'll need a Conjuror with the ability to bind magic, and an object that can contain all that power. When the binding spell was put in place last time, a flame was chosen to contain it because it would never grow weak or tarnish with age. But any object strong enough will work."

"What should I look for?"

"Talk to the People of the Woods," Elle said. "I haven't found more detail than that in the records yet."

"There's something else," Valerie said. "Is there another way to stop humans from being exploited by those with more magic, other than separating them on different worlds? It seems like a temporary, flawed solution."

"Now you leave the realm of facts and enter the realm of possibility. It is a matter of great debate beneath the waves, but we have found no magical solutions to this problem so far," Elle said.

The lake began bubbling, and Valerie, who was in up to her ankles, yelped as it became hot. She hurried to the sand, where she had left the sheath that held the makeshift sword she'd been carrying since she lost Pathos.

"Not yet!" Elle shouted.

Elle dove into the water, but emerged seconds later, covered in blisters.

"Will's below the surface!" she shouted.

"What's happening?" Valerie asked.

"They're sealing Illyria off from outside contact. There's been debate about cutting ties with the surface, but things move so slowly down there that I thought it would be decades before drastic action would be taken," Elle said.

"Maybe this isn't coming from beneath the waves. Maybe someone on the surface doesn't want Illyrians to have contact with Conjurors any longer," Valerie said.

"But that makes no sense! Fractus and Fist alike will be cut off from the Akashic Records this way," Elle said.

"Reaper must know of knowledge down there that he doesn't want to leak out," Valerie said.

"What if everything is boiling down there? What if Will's hurt?" Elle asked, pacing the shore.

"You're both Empaths. Reach out with your mind and find his. Your bond as twins is stronger than you know," Valerie said.

Elle knelt on the sand and squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands, which were clenched by her sides, gradually relaxed.

"He's okay," Elle said. "I can't see anything, but I can touch his mind. He's alive, and he's not in pain."