Part 24 (1/2)
No, Valerie, if it ever comes to that, give them the charm. Id rather have you alive and be hara.s.sed by a crazy redhead than lose you.
She had an overwhelming urge to touch Thais hand, but knew she couldnt. Before she left, she looked at him through the crystal as he warmed up his hands over the small fire. He looked up at her and flashed one of his rare smiles, and then she let herself be pulled back into her body on the Globe.
Back on the Globe, Valerie looked down at her crystal and saw a tiny image of Thai inside, warming his hands on the fire.
It worked! she said, and an enormous weight lifted from her heart. She didnt realize how much she had worried about Thai being taken from her by Sanguina until now. She carefully slipped the crystal into her pocket next to the flower of light, which she always kept with her like a lucky charm.
Finally, at least one thing is going right, Kanti said.
If only we could know for sure that Cy and the others are okay, Valerie said. I cant imagine sleeping tonight without knowing for sure.
Actually, I thought wed give them a call, now that Thais safe.
A call? As in a call on a phone? Valerie asked, confused.
Most people dont have phones on the Globe, outside of Messina. But Ani does business with people in Messina, and thats the only way to communicate with them. Come on, Kanti said, and Valerie followed her down the hall. Hanging on the wall was a cordless phone that looked remarkably normal. Kanti picked it up and said, Cyrus Burns, and then handed the phone to Valerie.
The phone rang, and Valeries palms started to sweat. h.e.l.lo? Who is this? Mr. Burns gruff voice answered.
Um, hi, Mr. Burns, its Valerie. Is Cyrus”
I let you in my house, feed you, give you shelter, and this is how you repay us! We will never forgive you for this. You are not welcome in this house ever again” Mr. Burns shouting was suddenly silenced and Valerie heard a brief scuffle on the other end of the phone.
Then a new voice, deep and slimy, said, I always knew you were a coward at heart. A chill went down Valeries spine as she recognized Zunyas voice. You may be safe, wherever you ran away to, but those youve left behind arent so lucky.
You leave Cyrus alone! she tried to shout, but her voice trembled at Zunyas unspoken threat. She gripped the phone in her hand so hard that she could feel the plastic bending out of shape.
Cyrus isnt here anymore.
What have you done? she slumped against the wall, so weak she could barely prop herself up. How could she have abandoned Cyrus? Zunya was right”she was a coward.
Aw, dont sound so sad. Its so”pathetic, Zunya said with a snicker. Cyrus is alive. Hes staying with a friend of mine in Dunsinane.
Sanguina, she whispered.
Yes. If you want his head to stay connected to the rest of his body, go, alone, to the castle on the highest peak of the Dunsinane mountains. And Valerie, things will go very badly for Cyrus, his family, and the rest of your little Knight friends if you dont come by yourself.
The way Zunya said her name made her flesh crawl. But at least Cyrus was still alive, and there was a sliver of a chance that she could save him. That was all that mattered”more than her life. Ill come. Then sh.e.l.l let him go?
Then h.e.l.l stay alive.
Leave the rest of them out of this.
Youre not the one calling the shots here. No, theyre my insurance policy. If you or anyone runs to Azra or the Knights, Ill strip them of their sanity. Now, scurry off to Dunsinane, little girl. You better hurry or something might happen to one of them. I get so bored when I have to wait. Zunya hung up the phone.
The receiver slipped out of her fingers and she heard it clatter on the floor. As she imagined Cyrus, locked up somewhere under Sanguinas control, her feelings of helplessness and guilt hardened into a cold determination. For Cyrus and Henry, she knew it was time to face Sanguina again, even though there was no way to win.
Chapter 39.
This is insanity! Kanti exclaimed, her voice high-pitched with panic. You cant rescue Cyrus on your own. Im not doubting your power, but remember what Azra said? Dunsinane is where Sanguina will be at her strongest. It would be almost impossible for you to defeat her there.
I know, Valerie agreed, amazed by how calm she was, her sense of purpose giving her certainty. But if I dont go, Cyrus and his family will be hurt. If you could have heard Zunyas voice, you would know that he wasnt bluffing. h.e.l.l kill them one by one to get to me if he has to. Please, dont make me live with that on my conscience for the rest of my life.
What about my conscience? Let me come with you! They wont consider me a threat since I dont have any magic. But at least then there will be two of us. We can watch each others backs.
Valerie had never seen Kanti look so desperate. Her face was flushed, and sweat beaded her forehead. There was no way that Kanti was going to let her go without coming along. Valerie couldnt blame her”shed feel the same way in her position. But she couldnt bear the thought of putting another friends life in jeopardy. She had caused enough damage already.
Valerie had an idea. You cant come with me because I need you to do something even more important. We cant leave Gideon and the others in Zunyas control. Get Azra and as many Conjurors as you can to defeat him. Once theyre safe, you and Azra can come help me in Dunsinane without worrying that theyll be hurt.
We should do that first, together, and then go rescue Cyrus!
Valerie shook her head firmly. I know Sanguina. She will make him suffer for every second that I delay. This will work. We both have to move as fast as we can.
All right. But if you and Cyrus dont come back in perfect condition, I swear to you I will find Sanguina myself and tear her apart with my bare hands, Kanti said with a quiet rage that Valerie had never imagined her capable of.
So how do I get to Dunsinane fast?
The wind tunnel is the quickest way. But Ive never visited the mountains before, so I dont know how to direct you farther than that.
The castle on the highest peak, Zunya said. It cant be that hard to find.
Azra wasnt able to find it, Kanti said doubtfully.
Azra didnt have an invitation, Valerie replied. She had a feeling that Sanguina would be all too eager to destroy her as soon as she had a chance. The thought made her stomach roil with nerves.
The booming sound of the knocker hitting the front door echoed through the entire house. Kanti and Valerie exchanged worried glances.
Probably just a visitor, Kanti said, but she didnt look certain. Together, they crept down the hall and peered through the banister down to the first floor. Ani had transformed into Iago and hurried to open the door. To Valeries horror, Ani ushered one of the transparent Conjurors into the house and glanced around nervously, as if she was afraid that she would be seen.
Wha” Kanti started to say, but Valerie clapped a hand over her mouth.
Could you BE any louder? Theyre sure to hear you. You incompetent fools have made enough of a mess already, do you want to add blowing my cover as WELL? Ani hissed to the man, glancing up toward the banister where Kanti and Valerie were peering. They jumped back to avoid being seen.
Kanti looked bewildered, and then horrified as she realized what was happening. How could Ani do this? Shes my family!
I dont know, but we have to get out of here, Valerie said. She pulled a stunned Kanti down the hall back to their room. Youve got to keep it together. We have to get out of here right now.
Kanti took a deep breath and shook herself out of her daze. Right, okay. She pointed to the large gargoyles and frills that were sticking out of the wall. Use the wide ledge and then spider down.
Okay, Valerie said, gulping back her fear as she peered down the two stories. Lets do this!
Quietly, Kanti raised the window and stepped out onto the ledge. Valerie followed tentatively. She couldnt let her fear freeze her mind right now. She had to move, or Cyrus and Henry would be the ones to suffer for her spinelessness. She put one foot onto the head of a nearby stone gargoyle and one hand on the windowsill, and slowly inched her way down.