Free Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) by Kristen Pham

a
little image of Thai inside, smiling at her. She gripped it tightly, and was by
his side, on the ledge outside of the cave where they had been only minutes
earlier, but which was now a universe away.
    “You’re safe!” he said
when he saw her. “I had hoped you were, but you both just vanished and the
light went out, and we were worried you had drowned—”
    “We’re fine,” she gently
interrupted him. She yearned to touch his hand, and even though he had held her
less than an hour ago, already it was almost physically painful to be separated
from him.
    “Thank goodness,” Joe
said.
    Chisisi nodded in
relief, but his face was drained of color. He was almost swaying on his feet.
    “I can’t stay—we entered
into an area that’s a little dangerous, so we have to move quickly. I’ll visit
you as soon as I can.”
    She was suddenly jolted,
and her mind came back to the Globe. Henry was shaking her. Zunya was only a
few yards away from them.
    “You should have stayed
on Earth. You would have lived longer,” he said, his yellow eyes connecting
with hers.
    The Laurel Circle was
very cold on her thumb. Zunya could take her magic, leaving her defenseless. He
raised his hand in the air, and her power began to drain away. She clutched her
chest, and next to her, Henry did the same thing.
    But then Azra stepped in
front of them both, and Valerie’s magic returned in a flood. It was a sweet
relief, like she had a gasp of air after being underwater for too long. But if
Azra was shielding her, then she must be in incredible pain.
    “Azra, no! It’s okay,
I’ll go peacefully. Don’t let him near you,” Valerie said.
    His void cannot touch
me. Leave this place, Zunya, she
commanded with a toss of her mane.
    “Don’t test me. My
powers have grown since we last met,” he said, and his yellow eyes glittered
dangerously.
    But Azra calmly stepped
forward, aiming her horn at his heart. Her pure white coat began to dim as she
walked closer, but she continued to approach him. Zunya held out his hand, and he
began to pant with effort. He was focusing all of his attention on Azra, and
Valerie saw an opportunity.
    Grateful to have her
full strength and energy back now that she was on the Globe, she stepped back
into the shadows, and then quietly circled behind him. With a swift spin kick,
she knocked her heel against his temple, and he dropped to the ground.
    Before she could give
him the final blow that would render him unconscious, he was back on his feet
faster than she would have thought possible. Valerie launched a punch on his
jaw, but instead of fighting back, he retreated into the darkness.
    “Guess he’s not immune
to a good, old-fashioned punch in the face,” Henry said with satisfaction, and
brother and sister prepared to go after him.
    But Azra dropped to her
foreleg, and her head touched the ground. Henry and Valerie hurried to her
side. Azra’s usually iridescent mane was streaked with dull gray. There were white
spots on her eyes, as though she was blind.
    Children, I am sorry, she said, and then stumbled, falling completely to the
ground.
    “No,” Valerie said, but instead
of panic, she was filled only with determination. On the Globe, she was her own
mistress, and no more of her friends would be lost. Somehow she knew what to do
without thinking. Gently, she cupped Azra’s face and threaded her fingers
through her mane.
    “Valerie? What’s
happening?” Henry asked, stepping toward her. She opened her mind to him, and
he gasped.
    Her magic pounded in her
veins like a heartbeat. It threatened to flood her, devour her, but she
channeled it out of herself and into Azra. Electricity crackled in the air, and
Azra lit up in a blinding flash. With effort, Valerie tried to release her grip
on her magic before it consumed her, but it was as if a dam had burst inside
her. It was like she was being pulled to the bottom of a vast ocean by an
inescapable undertow. She had gone too far, and she wasn’t coming