Edge of Pathos (The Conjurors Series Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

asked her, nodding his head. His skin glinted with a touch of
gold in the sun. He didn’t acknowledge Chisisi or Sanguina.
    “The attacks on
Earth and the Globe have only gotten worse,” Valerie said. “Have you had any
luck following the leads that Chisisi sent your way?”
    “This human didn’t understand,
but you will,” Meadow said, her passion evident in the defiant thrust of her
chin. “We have been occupied cleansing the rivers of the pollution that humans
have dumped into the waters. Without pure water, we cannot help the animals
that depend on it for survival.”
    “I know how
important it is to help the plants and animals on Earth thrive,” Valerie began
carefully. “But if we don’t stop the Fractus now, who knows what kind of
destruction they could visit on the land?”
    “Did you visit the
lake in Armenia I spoke to you about, to see if there were any traces of
ancient magic?” Chisisi asked.
    Oak finally turned
to Chisisi. “We did visit the site. There was once a great power there, but it
is gone.”
    “What do you mean,
gone?” Sanguina demanded.
    “The object that is
binding magic on Earth may once have resided there, but it was moved,” Meadow
explained, as if she were speaking to a small child.
    “Could the Fractus
have beaten us there, and they already have it?” Valerie asked, her heart
beating faster.
    “Not unless they did
it many centuries ago,” Meadow said.
    “Are there any
traces you can follow to see where it might have gone?” Valerie asked.
    “We do not have the
ability to follow magic trails, so there is no more we can do for you,” Oak
said. “We will leave you now for more important work.”
    “We wanted to ask—”
Valerie began, but Oak and Meadow had turned and were already vanishing through
the trees.
    “Say the word, and
I’ll drag them back by their hair,” Sanguina seethed.
    Chisisi sighed.
“Forcing them to help is more difficult than finding another way. Especially
when we have a willing Conjuror on hand who is an expert at tracing magic
trails.”
    “Chrome,” Valerie
said with a smile. The wolf was an old friend, and she would welcome the chance
to see him.
    “He’s been following
up a lead in Brazil, but it appears to be a dead end,” Chisisi said.
    “He’s restless,”
Sanguina said. “He needs something to do, or he’s going to search out more
Fractus to fight again.”
    “Again?” Valerie
asked.
    Chisisi and Sanguina
exchanged glances.
    “The wolf Knight has
been volatile,” Chisisi said diplomatically.
    “He attacked a
Fractus crossing his path without being provoked,” Sanguina explained. “The man
would have surrendered, but Chrome was out for blood.”
    “Was the man
killed?” Valerie braced herself for the worst. Gideon had warned her of
Chrome’s bloodlust.
    Chisisi shook his
head. “The man is safe, and a captive. But I thought it best to keep Chrome in
remote areas where he is less likely to encounter his enemies.”
    “That’s a temporary
solution,” Sanguina said.
    “I’ll talk to him,”
Valerie said. “I’m sure he’s still grieving for Jet.”
    “As you command,”
Chisisi replied in his formal way.
    “There’s something
else I wanted to talk to you about,” Valerie said, and she launched into the
story of her encounter with Zunya and Reaper’s offer of a temporary truce.
    “Do you think I can
trust him?” Valerie asked Sanguina.
    “In all the years I
was with him, he never broke his word that I saw,” Sanguina said. “It was a
matter of pride. But it’s a big risk.”
    “I’m planning to
accept, unless either of you gives me a good reason not to,” Valerie said.
    “It would be a gift
from the gods to have some time to regroup,” Chisisi said.
    “Thank
you both,” Valerie said, and returned to the Globe.
    Valerie knew when
she smelled lilies that Azra and her foal were waiting for her near her house.
    She saw a flash of
silver fluttering in the wind. Azra was trotting from the trees,