Edge of Pathos (Book 4 of The Conjurors Series)

Chapter 11

Willa wanted to put her plan into action that very night, but Valerie convinced her to wait until morning to begin knocking on doors. She knew from experience that ideas were rarely well received when people were pulled out of bed.

She raced home, hoping this would be one of the nights that Henry was home. He was the perfect person to manage the project and make sure that Willa didn't ruffle any feathers.

In the kitchen, she found Henry and Gideon talking with Henry's Empath friends, Elle and Will. Their grim expressions stopped her from sharing her news right away.

"We were about to go looking for you," Henry said.

"The Illyrians are announcing a formal alliance with the Fractus," Gideon said.

"We knew that they were leaning that way. Is this a major blow for us?" Valerie asked.

"The Akashic Records have provided key intel in weapons development and strategy, among other things," Gideon said. "The loss of Illyrian contacts will be missed."

"Is there anything we can do?"

Elle and Will glanced at each other, and then Elle spoke up. "We don't tell very many people this, but our parents were Illyrian."

"I didn't know the Illyrians were allowed to have kids. Ignorant of me, I guess," Valerie said.

"No, you were right," Will said. "It's against Illyrian law, and our parents were both cast out forever when the authorities found out. They couldn't survive on land for long."

She remembered Leo saying that when Illyrians who had lived beneath the waves for a long time returned to land, they had trouble remembering how to function with human needs, and many perished.

"You must miss them so much," Valerie said softly. The pain of her own loss overcame her so fast, she didn't see it coming, and she had to bite her cheek to contain her tears.

Elle cleared her throat as if to shake off the painful memories. "Before they were cast out, we lived in Illyria for over a century. It's not very long in the way that Illyrians measure time, but we do know more than anyone else on land about the world beneath the waves."

"We don't think that you should accept the Illyrian alliance with the Fractus without visiting the people yourself and seeing if you can change their minds," Will said.

"Or maybe convince a few to disagree and stall an official agreement," Elle said.

"If a formal alliance with the Fractus is declared, a spell will be placed on the waters so that only Fractus can contact Illyrians," Gideon explained.

"How do I talk to them? It's not like I can swim there and meet them in person," Valerie said.

"In fact, you can," Elle said. "Technically, Will and I couldn't be kicked out of Illyria because we hadn't broken any laws. We chose not to return because of what they did to our parents."

"We can both return whenever we want—and Illyrians are allowed to bring guests under special circumstances," Will said.

"In this case, as the leader of the Fist, we could bring you to Illyria to plead your case," Elle said.

"You want me to swim to Illyria as a merperson?" Valerie asked, simultaneously thrilled and terrified. "I only learned to swim a few years ago."

Elle and Will chuckled.

"It's all different when you have a tail. It's as natural as breathing," Elle said.

"When do we leave?" Valerie asked.