Guardians of the Boundary (Book 3 of The Conjurors Series)

Chapter 8

Valerie and her friends spent the night in Arbor Aurum in a hollow tree, and the next morning, Cara led them to one of the long ropes woven from a golden material that formed ladders that fell over the edges of the floor of the city. Gideon had decided to stay in the city for a few more days to meet with friends.

"Come home with us for a while," Cyrus begged.

Cara smiled. Even though she'd only been gone a few months, she seemed more mature. "Soon. I'm really helping here. Ceru and I have been working as kind of ambassadors to the People of the Woods, helping them see that not all Conjurors are bad."

"Why do they trust you?" Kanti asked, curious.

"I was able to help them save a species of flower that was dying off. No magic could help it, but luckily science could. We developed a fertilizer that is making it thrive," Cara said proudly.

Cara and Cyrus came from Messina, a country where the use of magic was forbidden. As a result, their science had advanced even more rapidly than Earth's, and Cara was a star student.

"And channeling a little extra light with my new lightweaver powers may have helped too," Cara added. Only a few months ago she had been horrified by her magic, and Cyrus lit up at the news that she was choosing to embrace her potential.

"I'm so proud of you, baby sis," Cyrus said, beaming.

Cyrus gave her a hug, which, after a surprised pause, she returned. "I miss you, Cy."

"Stay safe, okay? Don't let them throw you over the edge or anything," Cyrus said, only half joking.

The trip back to Arden was much quicker than the journey to Arbor Aurum. By climbing down the golden ladder at the right spot, they floated through the air and landed on the edge of the forest near Silva.

When Valerie landed lightly on her feet, she noticed that her brother was waiting for them. The first thing he did was kiss Kanti like they'd been separated for weeks instead of a day.

Valerie looked at Cyrus, ready to roll her eyes, but she saw that he was watching them with a slight smile, as if he wished that they had that kind of relationship.

A little giggle surprised Valerie. She whipped around to find the source and saw Emin, Cerise's son.

"Where did you come from, buddy?" she asked, kneeling in the soft dirt next to him.

"I followed you!" His eyes sparkled with delight, and Valerie couldn't help smiling back.

"A hitchhiker," Cyrus said, clearly enjoying Emin's mischief.

"I was visiting the city with my mom and I saw you. I knew you'd bring me on your adventures!" Emin said with the confidence only a six-year-old can possess.

"Your family might worry about you," Valerie said.

Emin stuck out his bottom lip. "They never let me do anything fun. I decided for myself to come with you, and you can't stop me."

Cyrus laughed, and Valerie suspected that Emin reminded him of himself when he was younger.

"What are we going to do with you?" Kanti chimed in, having successfully peeled herself off of Henry. "Gideon's still in Arbor Aurum, and I doubt we can find that tree to take us back there without him."

"Azra will know how to get him home safely," Henry said. "I had a message from her asking us to visit the Capitol as soon as you returned, so I was going to bring you to her now anyway. Cyrus and Kanti, too."

Valerie nodded and turned to Emin. "Would you like to see the Capitol building? The most important Grand Masters in Arden all work there."

Emin's eyes grew round. "The big building with the gold roof?"