Free Edge of Pathos (The Conjurors Series Book 4) by Kristen Pham Page A

voice shaking.
    “Enough. You’re
coming home with us,” Mr. Burns said.
    “Do you really think
you can convince me to abandon everything I believe in and the people I love?”
Cyrus asked. “Leave. I can’t stand to see you right now. You’re cowards, hiding
behind your values. Can’t you see that what’s right is protecting innocent
people?”
    “If you really
believe that, then you’ll come with us,” Mrs. Burns said.
    “Chern says that if
you come home with us, he will spare our people from this war,” Mr. Burns said.
“He will bend space so that no one will ever find Messina again, and we will be
free of the taint of magic forever.”
    “He also promised
that your father will be the one to lead our people through this time of
chaos,” Mrs. Burns added.
    “You and Cara will
come with us. The time for your foolish rebellion has come to an end. I won’t
let you ruin what I’ve worked for,” Mr. Burns said.
    “You’re no better
than Reaper, grasping for power behind the false idea that you know what’s best
for everyone,” Cyrus said. “Get out of here.”
    “Now listen here,”
Mr. Burns began.
    “Get out!” Cyrus
yelled, and both of his parents drew back in shock.
    “If we leave, you’ll
never see us again,” Mr. Burns said.
    Cyrus’s mother gave
her husband a sharp frown, but before she could contradict him, Cyrus spoke.
    “I should be so
lucky. Leave, and never come back,” he said, his voice colder than Valerie had
ever heard it.
    Cyrus’s mother
paled. Valerie saw her eyes fill with tears before Mr. Burns yanked her away.
    “Cy, no,” Valerie
whispered. “They’re your parents. You only get one set.”
    “You
don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, either,” Cyrus said, and he left the
room, slamming the door behind him.
    Valerie’s headache
had been mounting all day, and she stumbled home in a fog of pain. But the
closer she got, the more it lifted. She guessed the reason when Clarabelle
cantered up to her, exuding the promise of peace and love.
    Since Azra and
Clarabelle had moved into the forest near her house, Valerie had noticed green
returning to the woods, and her little garden was positively lush.
    “Were you waiting
long, little one?” she asked.
    Clarabelle was
excited, Valerie could sense when the unicorn touched her mind. Something
wonderful was about to happen.
    I don’t know what’s going
on with her, either. Azra stepped out of Valerie’s house, smiling at the sight of her
foal rolling around in the grass.
    “Someone’s coming?”
Valerie asked, trying to interpret the barrage of sweet notes pinging her mind
from Clarabelle’s.
    Indeed. Someone
amazing.
    The air in Valerie’s
garden shimmered, and two figures appeared, transported from Earth. She
recognized the taller person immediately.
    “Dr. Freeman! Is
everything okay?” Valerie asked.
    Gideon heard her
shout and came outside. It was only the third time Dr. Freeman had come to the
Globe. He’d said that it was overwhelming to be in a land full of so much
magic. He preferred Valerie to visit him.
    “Quite excellent,
actually,” Dr. Freeman said. “Wouldn’t you say so, Ming?”
    Valerie turned her
gaze to the girl standing at Dr. Freeman’s side, and her eyes widened. This
wasn’t the sickly child she remembered from the hospital, or even the thin,
pale girl recovering from a long illness. In the months since Darling had cured
her of cancer, Ming had flourished. Her short hair shone, and her eyes sparkled
with health.
    Ming bounded over to
her, and Valerie met her halfway.
    “Your mom finally
let you come!” Valerie said. “I can’t wait to show you everything. You’ve got to
see the Guild of The Society of Imaginary Friends.”
    “Not to be a party
pooper, but I’m under strict instructions that Ming’s first visit here be a
short one,” Dr. Freeman said. “And we’re actually here for another reason. Long
before I knew magic existed, I noticed certain similarities between you