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

Chapter 9

Emin was waiting on the lawn outside the Capitol building, doing cartwheels on the grass while Henry watched over him. Kanti and Cyrus were with them, and she saw Oberon trimming the hedges nearby, probably to discreetly keep an eye on her. But even the sight of Emin's joy couldn't lift the heaviness from Valerie's heart, and it must have shown.

"Azra's been voted out? I don't believe it," Kanti said, her beautiful face a mask of disbelief.

"Let's all regroup tomorrow on next steps. Sweetie, why don't you and I show Emin your Guild?" Henry suggested to Kanti.

Kanti grinned and held out her hand to the boy. "There's waterslides!" she said, and he squealed as they headed toward the Society of Imaginary Friends.

Cyrus gave Valerie's hand a squeeze. She hadn't seen much of him over the past few days, and she hadn't had the energy to address what was bothering him with everything going on.

"Let's walk," Valerie said, and Cyrus nodded.

They wove through the winding streets of Silva, and Valerie told him everything, how her words had slipped away and that the Grand Masters were as unsure of her as a leader as she was herself.

Cyrus listened, his usually expressive face serious. "You're not a god. You won't always know exactly what to say. Sometimes you'll try, and people won't listen. But that doesn't mean you're a failure."

Valerie nodded, knowing he was right. "But of all the days I wish I'd found the right words, today was the most important. I doubt I'll ever be able to sit in on a meeting of the Grand Masters again without Azra to back me. And can we take on the Fractus without their help?"

"You said that 39% of the Grand Masters voted for Azra to continue leading, and it's a safe bet that those same people are wary of the Fractus. You don't need to win the hearts of every single Grand Master. Maybe those 39% will be enough," Cyrus said.

Hope reignited in Valerie's heart. "You're right. And many of the Grand Masters who agreed that Azra should step down would never support attacking humans on Earth. Once they know the truth about the Fractus, they may change their minds."

"We need to stay on their radar, keep reminding them of our message," Cyrus said.

"Cy, you're a genius," she said, and he flashed her his usual smile.

They had wandered outside the city into the woods to the Lake of Knowledge. Standing on its banks, she turned to face her best friend—and boyfriend, she reminded herself. Cyrus's eyes searched hers.

"Tell me what's been bothering you," Valerie said, resting her forehead against his.

Cyrus flushed and then tried and failed to give her a cocky smile. "Who says anything's wrong?"

"It's me. We know each other too well to hold back," she said.

"I can't stop thinking about how incredibly powerful you are. As if being the great hope of the universe and beautiful and smart and an incredible fighter isn't enough," Cyrus said, and he let out a breath of frustration. "How can I ever be more than your clumsy sidekick? I'm selfish and jealous and my power is useless in a real fight."

"You know that's not true—your power has saved my life more than once," Valerie reminded him.

Cyrus shrugged, unconvinced. "I want to be your hero, not the other way around."

Valerie wound her arms around his neck and whispered against his lips. "You stayed by my side, watching over me, my entire life. When everyone else in the world abandoned me, and I didn't even believe in you anymore, you still remembered me. You are more than a hero to me. You are my best friend, my family, knit into my heart forever."