The Society of Imaginary Friends

In part to distract Kanti, Cyrus suggested that they take Valerie to visit the guilds that she was considering. First, they headed toward the Guild of the Knights of Light. The building was shaped like a ring. The trio walked through a tall arch that was etched with the words “Power, Courage, Mercy.” The words glowed gold against the gray stone. Once they passed through, they entered the middle of the ring, which was outdoors. Valerie could see Conjurors practicing their combat techniques with different types of weapons that ranged from swords to long jagged spears that shot lightning.

Immediately, a tiny fairy the size of Valerie’s hand flew over to greet them. “Hello! I’m Kellen. Are you all potential new recruits?” he asked in a voice that was surprisingly loud and deep for someone so tiny.

“Only me—I’m new. I arrived yesterday from Messina. I’ve always dreamed of being a knight, so I thought this might be a good fit for me,” Valerie explained.

“Raised on tales of King Arthur and chivalry, no doubt,” Kellen replied. “You know, it’s not all glory and rescuing damsels in distress. We do serious work here. Not to mention, it’s no place for you if you don’t have a stomach for paperwork.”

Valerie nodded. “I’ve always wanted to be able to protect those who need it,” she said, remembering all the foster kids like her in situations where they couldn’t defend themselves. Even now, Daniel could be in another dangerous situation. She forced herself to shake off the thought.

“Her power is expressing itself as combat skills,” Kanti added.

“Let’s see what you can do,” Kellen said, and then called to a tall, wiry man. “Gideon! Spar with this girl.” Gideon strode over and seemed to size Valerie up in a single glance.

“I’m not ready! I thought I could take a look around,” she said nervously.

“Trouble never waits for you to be ready. Now, spar!” Kellen shouted.

Valerie reached out to shake Gideon’s hand. Without saying a word, he grasped her hand, and seconds later, she was flat on her back. She had no idea how it had happened.

She jumped to her feet, adrenaline gushing through her system along with something else—something pure and brilliant. For the first time, she could release her magic without struggling against the bonds on Earth, and the immensity of it almost overwhelmed her senses. Which might have been why Gideon landed several firm but not painful blows before she even had her bearings.

She decided to let this incredible power take over. She didn’t have to be afraid of unleashing it anymore. She was on the Globe now, and she could embrace the potential that had been trapped inside her for so long. The next time that Gideon reached out to hit her, Valerie blocked his lightning-fast punch. She countered with a kick of her own, which Gideon dodged.

Kanti, Cyrus, and Kellen watched as the sparring continued. Valerie managed to land a few blows, but she spent most of her time barely fending off Gideon’s swift, efficient attacks, even with her power at full blast.

Finally, Kellen nodded. “Acceptable. You may apprentice here if you wish.”

“Thank you,” Valerie said to Kellen and Gideon.

Gideon turned to her and nodded his head briefly, respect in his eyes. Then he disappeared through one of the many doors that led to the inner rooms of the Guild. She had never once heard his voice.

“Frankly, we need every new recruit,” Kellen admitted. “The Fractus have been ambushing my Knights. They have some new creatures working with them who are almost impossible to beat. All of the Knights have a strong power, but these creatures seem born to defeat them.”

“What do you mean, sir?” Valerie asked.

“One of my best Knights was a great fighter who also had the gift of invisibility. He was unstoppable. Until a pack of animals, deranged bears, by all accounts, found him. They could see through his invisibility, and they ripped him to shreds. He didn’t stand a chance against thirty of those creatures.”

“That’s awful!”

“Yes, and unusual. No such creature has ever been reported on the Globe before. Strange times we live in,” Kellen said with a shake of his head. “I’m not trying to scare you, but I want you to understand what you’re signing up for. The Fractus are up to something, and you can bet that the Knights will be on the front lines of the battle that’s brewing. It’s only a matter of time before the Fractus try to attack key Guilds like the Guardians to learn their secrets. When that time comes, it will be up to the Knights to defend them and all of Arden.”

Kellen departed, leaving Valerie deep in thought. Could Sanguina somehow be involved in the increased attacks by the Fractus? Valerie’s gut told her that Sanguina was hungry for power, and controlling the Guilds would give her the authority over the Globe that she craved. But why would she consider Valerie a threat to her plans? She shuddered as she imagined what Sanguina would do if she ever found her.

Kanti interrupted her thoughts. “That was killer! Do you know who you were fighting? Gideon is second in command of the Knights of Light. Most people don’t last a minute with him.”

Valerie blushed. “Let’s check out the Guardians. I want to keep my options open.”

Cyrus was oddly quiet as they walked down the path toward the Guardians of the Boundary Guild.

“What is it? Something’s bothering you, I can tell,” Valerie said, worried.

“He doesn’t like it that you’ll be better at protecting him than he will be at protecting you. Gideon left him unconscious in thirty seconds flat when they sparred,” Kanti said with a loud laugh.

“Shut up, Kanti. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m really tired—yesterday was a long day.”

“You wanted to join the Knights?” Valerie asked, surprised.

“Not really. I checked out a few guilds a couple years ago. I wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision to stay with the Society of Imaginary Friends. But the Knights weren’t right for me,” Cyrus explained.

“Plus, you didn’t make the cut,” Kanti added.

“I said, shut up!”

“No worries, he’ll tell me if he wants to,” Valerie said, uncomfortable with the angry turn that her friends’ constant teasing had taken.

But Kanti continued. “Why beat around the bush? What’s there to be ashamed of? You are who you are. You can’t be good at everything. Heck, I’ll admit that I was turned down from every guild I applied to except for the Society of Imaginary Friends. I would have loved to be in the Players—that’s the drama guild here. They told me I didn’t have the right ‘look.’ But it’s for the best, because I’m right where I belong, and so is Cyrus. I’m not going to indulge his giant ego.”

The rest of the walk to the next Guild was very quiet, and Valerie wished she had never asked Cyrus why he had wanted to join the Knights. But her worries were temporarily forgotten when she saw the building that housed the Guardians. It was a tall, white cathedral reaching toward the sky. Giant silver doors etched with pictures of rearing horses, flashing swords, and powerful men and women opened to the main room, where stained-glass windows let in a muted light.

They stepped through the doors, and Kanti left them to find a restroom while Valerie stared at the graceful beauty around her. It was so quiet and peaceful inside that she was startled when an exceptionally tall woman with dark skin and deep purple hair appeared suddenly, as if she had stepped out of thin air. Something about her quiet authority almost made Valerie want to bow, as ridiculous as that idea was. She smiled pleasantly at her visitors. “Cyrus, Valerie, welcome. My name is Midnight.”

“Hi,” Valerie said shyly. How did Midnight know her name? Did she have some kind of psychic power? She was tongue-tied staring into the depths of Midnight’s violet eyes, which were a shade lighter than her hair. Her name sounded familiar, and Valerie remembered that she was the Conjuror Thai had mentioned when he had told her about Tan.

“If I may ask, how was your trip to the Globe?” Midnight asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “We so rarely have travelers from Earth now.”

Valerie was surprised, and looked at Cyrus for help. How did Midnight know? But Cyrus seemed confused, too.

“Um, the whole thing was pretty cool,” she said uncertainly, not sure how much to tell.

Midnight chuckled. “I apologize. As the Grand Master of this Guild, I approve and assist with all travel between Earth and the Globe. Azra and I worked closely together to craft your trip. The Great Pyramid portal is complex, but it was the last working place to launch from Earth.”

“You should know—I think I broke it,” Valerie said, stricken.

“We knew that was a possibility. We’re simply grateful that it was able to deliver you to us before it disintegrated. I sense you’ll be a delightful addition to our world.”

Valerie relaxed. “I’m sure glad to be here.”

“How is your friend, Thai? I haven’t visited him in a few weeks. He’s a resourceful young man.”

“He’s doing well, I think. He’s very grateful to you.”

Midnight shook her head, and her beautiful hair brushed against her shoulders. “It was my honor. We are lucky to count him as an ally. So what brings you to our guild today? Are you here to report a Sighting?”

“No, nothing like that,” Cyrus said. “Actually, it’s Valerie who’s here to see you. She’s new to the city and she’s checking out the guilds.”

“But what’s a Sighting?” Valerie interrupted.

“We like to see curiosity in our new recruits,” Midnight said with approval. “A Sighting occurs when a Conjuror discovers that one of the Fractus has been seen projecting to Earth for a dark purpose. Sometimes it turns out to be mischief-makers having fun at the expense of humans, but we have had some situations where the Fractus have been terrifying a human to the point of mental torture.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Even when it’s young Conjurors thinking it’s funny to jump out from under children’s beds, it can leave a psychological scar. It’s always busiest here around Halloween, so we’ve been receiving many reports of Sightings over the past few weeks.”

“As if all the parties and tricks happening on the Globe for Halloween aren’t enough to keep them happy! They think it’s fun to scare some poor kid.” Cyrus said, disgusted.

“We partner closely with the Society of Imaginary Friends,” Midnight explained to Valerie. “Often they’re the best eyes and ears for what’s happening down on Earth. In fact, information from Cyrus has led to the capture of twelve troublemakers over the years, as well as three members of the Fractus.”

At this remark, the gloom surrounding Cyrus finally lifted. He whispered to Valerie, “I found most of them when I was your imaginary friend, Val. You were like, some kind of monster magnet. That’s the other reason I suspected that you had some major magic inside you. It was probably what was drawing them all to you.”

Valerie remembered that she and Cyrus had fought many foes over the years, but she had always thought they were imaginary. “Those monsters were real?”

“On the Globe they were, sure. But they couldn’t hurt you on Earth. So I turned it in to kind of a game, so you wouldn’t be afraid.”

She shuddered. “I can’t believe someone would do that to a kid.”

Midnight overheard Valerie’s last sentence. “Yes, it’s disturbing how some troublemakers see nothing wrong with frightening innocent children. That’s part of the reason why what we do here is so important.” Just then, Kanti walked back to the group, and Midnight turned her attention to the purpose of their visit. “Let me call someone to give you a tour. If you’re interested in joining the Guardians, they’ll set you up for testing.”

But before she could call anyone, the door burst open and a big, beefy man wearing a long, blue robe and tall, pointy hat hurried in. He was so focused that he didn’t notice the group at first.

“Chern? Everything okay?” Midnight asked.

The man let out a high-pitched shriek, and his eyes filled with terror. “Oh, you scared me!”

Midnight purposefully spoke in a soft and soothing voice. “Nothing to frighten you in here, Chern. All is safe.”

“Yes, yes, I know. You startled me.” His face turned very red. “I’m here to report that one of the Fractus is after me! I’m convinced of it!”

“What happened?”

“Well, first, when I opened my front door this morning, right there on my porch was a black shoe print. And I know it’s not from my shoe—it was much too small. Then, I discovered that one of my robes was missing from my closet! I’m sure, simply positive, that this is the work of the member of the Fractus that I heard about in the news—the one who was haunting that young family in India! He’s disguising himself in my robe. You must find him before he comes back for more of my things!” Chern’s voice reached a higher and higher pitch as he told his story.

Valerie had to use all her concentration not to burst out laughing. She made a point not to make eye contact with Cyrus, because she knew that one glance and they would both be on the floor.

“We’ll send someone over right away,” Midnight said seriously. Then she turned to Valerie. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll send someone to give you your tour,” she said, and then whisked Chern through one of the doors in the back of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Kanti, Cyrus, and Valerie burst into laughter. “That guy brings new meaning to being paranoid!”

“He’s the Grand Master of the History Guild. He’s always running to the Knights of Light or the Guardians with these kinds of stories. He even comes to the Society of Imaginary Friends on a regular basis swearing that he knows where the Fractus are hiding! He’s become a running joke around town,” Cyrus said.

The rest of their visit was uneventful. The guide showed Valerie, Cyrus, and Kanti around the building, explaining some of the details about how they protect the barrier between Earth and the Globe, and the history behind the Guild.

Valerie was very drawn to the Guardians, and learning more about the Guild deepened her interest. After all, she had more firsthand experience in crossing between worlds than almost anyone else on the Globe. In fact, compared to the Conjurors, Valerie was an expert on everything about Earth—from its culture to its geography—in a way that only having lived there could give. She could really make a difference as one of the Guardians, and she liked the idea of protecting her old home from the Fractus.

Still, she had held the dream of being a Knight for so long that it would be difficult to let go. It was one of the most important decisions she’d ever make, and she knew that there was someone on Earth whom she wanted to talk to before she made her choice.