The Society of Imaginary Friends

While Jet and Chrome scouted ahead, Gideon led Valerie, Cyrus, and Kanti to the middle of The Horseshoe, where an enormous fountain of oversized, gem-cut flowers and stone fish spouting interlocking streams of water made a fantastic display. Gideon muttered a strange word, and the air around them became blurry.

“We have only a minute before the spell that is preventing people from seeing us wears off,” he said.

“Most people don’t ever learn the entrance to the Shortcut,” Kanti whispered excitedly in Valerie’s ear.

Before she could ask any questions, Gideon pulled on the stem of a beautiful giant rose that must have been cut from a single ruby. Then she heard a grinding sound, and the middle of the fountain swung aside, revealing steps that led down into darkness.

It was with a certain amount of trepidation that Valerie approached the entrance to the Shortcut. Imagining the small space and close walls that were waiting for her below, her fear swelled, threatening to upset her stomach. But before she became overwhelmed, she forced herself to get a grip. The last thing she wanted was for Gideon to think she was too weak to be a Knight.

When Valerie reached the bottom of the stairs, the sight that met her was a surprise. The steps opened up to a platform that looked over an enormous, glittering underground city a few hundred feet below them. Lights twinkled inside of little buildings made of granite, and Conjurors traveled down the streets in shallow, round buckets that whirred quietly as they swiftly took their passengers to their destinations. It was like entering another world.

“The Stone City,” Cyrus said breathlessly. “It’s real.”

“Its true name is Plymouth. And of course it’s real. What are they teaching you in school these days?” Gideon asked.

Valerie, confused, nudged Cyrus. He explained, “Plymouth is the name of the first city created on the Globe, before Conjurors created the weather system and all of the land masses you see today above ground. I was taught that the city had disappeared over the ages, but here it is.”

“These Conjurors—the Groundlings—chose to stay and live beneath the surface. They asked to be sealed off from the struggles for power in the world above. In return for hiding the entrances and exits to their city, they allow Guild Masters to use these tunnels to travel in times of great emergencies,” Gideon explained, gesturing to the network of clear tubes above their heads.

As spectacular as the underground city appeared, Valerie cringed at the thought of always living below the surface, never seeing the light of day. She noticed that she wasn’t the only one who was more uncomfortable than impressed with Plymouth. Jet’s and Chrome’s eyes darted around, and their ears lay flat against their heads. Images of the rock ceiling crumbling, crushing them all and trapping them underground forever, flashed from the wolves minds to Valerie’s, and she shuddered.

Noticing their discomfort, Gideon led the group to a circular platform like the ones the Groundlings were traveling on in the city below. The vehicle was several feet deep and filled with bright red cushions. They climbed in, and the platform immediately began to speed through the clear tubes as if it knew exactly where it was going.

Valerie, Cyrus, and Kanti huddled together, peering over the edge to admire the city whizzing by. They marveled at the underground world built entirely of stone. For hours, they pointed out different landmarks to each other that they could make out as they sped along, like a life-size rainbow made of gemstones and a castle cut out of the side of a sparkly pink and black granite mountain. But after awhile, the stone buildings began to blur, and Valerie sank back against the cushions, yearning to be above ground.

Jet and Chrome dozed on the floor, and images from their dreams occasionally flickered in her mind. The gentle rhythm of their breathing eventually put Cyrus and Kanti to sleep also. But not Valerie. She was restless. The image of Sanguina hovering over her, in complete control of her every move, kept her awake.

“That fear—I see it in you even now—is why you lost when you faced Sanguina,” Gideon said, his voice interrupting her thoughts. “You are strong enough to defeat her.”

Valerie was immediately defensive. “Do you think I want to be afraid? That I wouldn’t stop if I could?” After all, what did Gideon know about what she’d been through? He was an incredible fighter, even without any magic. He didn’t understand what it was like to be powerless, to be forced to submit to someone else’s will. But she’d been controlled and manipulated long before Sanguina gave her this beating, and didn’t see any reason why that pattern would ever really stop.

“No one wishes to be afraid,” he replied quietly. “But not everyone is strong enough to fight their fear. I think you are.”

“How?” she asked hopelessly.

Gideon hesitated, and then slid a golden ring off of his third finger. He handed it to Valerie, and she took it, surprised by how heavy it was. When she touched it, the ring, which had been warm and bright, suddenly turned cold and black in her hand. She almost dropped it in shock.

“What happened to it?” she asked Gideon.

“This ring is very special. A teacher gave it to me when I was a Knight apprentice. I was the only apprentice without a power, and many of the other students tried to pick fights with me, saying that I didn’t have a right to be in the Guild. For a long time, I thought they were right, and I was so afraid that I would be asked to leave. But one day, one of the apprentices—a bully—insulted my parents. His words inflamed me, and instead of being afraid, I was angry. The rage seemed to burn away my fear, and I fought as I had never fought before.”

“Did you win?” Valerie asked, remembering her fight with Venu at Stonehenge. Her rage had saved her from a bully then, just as Gideon’s had.

“Yes,” he said with a small smile. “He never bothered me again. But a teacher saw me fight that day and recognized my potential. It was my fear holding me back, but when I let go of that fear, all of my skills and training emerged. He gave me that ring so that I would always know when I was being held back by my fear instead of my skills.

“He called it the Laurel Circle, and explained that the temperature and color of the ring changes in relation to how much fear is ruling the person who touches it. Fear makes it cold and dark, and it becomes warmer as the wearer learns to control, and eventually overcome, their fear.”

Valerie looked more closely at the Laurel Circle, fascinated. It was still cold and black in her hand, because she was still afraid of so many things, like what would happen to Henry and how she’d ever fight Sanguina again if she had to. The words etched on the inside of the ring caught her eye. “Power, courage, mercy,” she read aloud. She remembered reading those words somewhere before.

“The values that every knight lives by,” Gideon explained.

“These are the words on the arch of the Knights’ Guild,” she suddenly remembered.

“Yes—they are the words I live my life by. The Laurel Circle is yours now, Valerie,” he said solemnly.

“It’s too much—I couldn’t accept!” she said, trying to give the ring back to him.

“I have learned its lesson well. Now it’s time to pass it to another worthy warrior, and I choose you.”

A warm pride grew inside Valerie at the honor of being chosen to wear the Laurel Circle. Gideon believed in her. It was too large to fit on her middle finger, where he had worn it, so she slid it onto her thumb, where it fit snugly. Already, the ring seemed a little warmer, and more gray than black. Before she could respond to Gideon, their vehicle came to a smooth stop, awaking the others. She got up, thankful that the long trip underground was finally over, and walked to the staircase at the end of the platform.

At the top of the stairs, she pushed open a trapdoor disguised with fallen leaves. Climbing out, she saw that they were at the edge of Arden’s forest. The ocean glittered a few hundred yards away. She took a deep breath of fresh air and reveled in the warm, salty breeze that filled her nose and lifted her hair off her neck. She led the way down to the beach, where the sunset turned the water a deep shade of blue. She watched closely, unable to say a word.

Even though she had grown up in a city not far from the ocean, no one had ever taken her to see it. Her understanding of an ocean came from pictures, movies, and a shell that a school friend had given her once when she was eight. But seeing the ocean up close, with her own eyes, made those pictures pale in comparison. The Illyrian Ocean was flat and glassy, and the vastness of it was beyond her comprehension. For the first time, she understood why, long ago, people had believed that the world was flat and if you reached the edge of the horizon, you would fall off. It also hit her how enormous Illyria must be, if the city and the Akashic Records were all beneath this enormous ocean that was somehow connected to the lakes in Silva and the Roaming City.

“We’ll camp here for the night,” Gideon announced, interrupting her thoughts. She rejoiced that they would sleep above ground, and that she would get to see the sun rise over the water.

Jet and Chrome immediately left, scouting the area for traces of magic. Before the last of the light disappeared, Kanti and Cyrus called a houseplant from the callbox. Valerie watched in amazement as the leafy green plant sprouted long, green vines as thick as Valerie’s wrist, and bright yellow, blue, and pink flowers budded between the leaves and bloomed into four canopy beds.

“Much more comfortable than that tent-thing,” Kanti said smugly.

Cyrus shrugged. “Without the tent, we never would have met Leo.”

“Whatever. I’m glad to be sleeping somewhere comfy tonight.”

While Cyrus and Kanti bickered, Valerie approached Gideon, who was stretching. “Do you have some energy left for training?” he asked. She nodded eagerly, and then called for Pathos.

“In these dangerous times, Pathos, or whatever your weapon of choice is, should never leave your side,” Gideon said.

“You’re right. If I’d had it when I fought Sanguina, maybe things would have gone differently,” Valerie said.

“A warrior should dwell not on the ‘ifs’ but on the facts.”

Without another word, Gideon began performing the martial arts moves that he had been showing the Knight apprentices the other day. Valerie followed his movements, and she noticed Kanti and Cyrus watching curiously.

With a small gesture, Valerie invited them to join her. Soon, the four moved in perfect synchronization as the last of the sun’s rays transformed into starlight. Peace settled over her heart, and her magic flowed through her body.

Cyrus’s and Kanti’s movements harmonized with her own, magnifying her sense of personal strength. After they had silently moved through a series of kicks, blocks, and punches, Gideon began to give them individualized advice on how to maximize their defenses.

First, he demonstrated for Valerie several moves to practice with her sword. “These maneuvers should come to you effortlessly,” Gideon explained. “Practice them until you can do them in your sleep.”

While she practiced the moves, both with and without magic to aid her, Gideon spoke quietly with Cyrus about his power, and how it could be used defensively and offensively. After analyzing several options, he instructed him to practice creating blinding flashes of light.

Finally, Gideon approached Kanti. “What is your weapon?”

“Oh, I don’t have a power to use for fighting like Cy and Valerie. I’ll never be good at this.”

“That matters not—I don’t have a power, either. Though Azra has offered to help me develop my magic, I have refused. I prefer my own effort and inner strength to magic,” Gideon said.

Kanti’s eyes were wide with awe. “But no one can defeat you. How is that possible without having a power?”

Gideon made a soft sound. He was laughing. “There are many who can defeat me, I’m sure. But it is true that I fight well enough, or I would not be a Master Knight. And you can learn to fight, too, with a little sweat. There will be a time when you will be glad that you do not need your friends to protect you.”

“I’m ready,” Kanti said, with determination.

“Good. First we need to find you a weapon. For some, like Valerie, a weapon will call to them. For others, they must try many weapons until they find one that suits them. Here, try my sword,” Gideon said. Kanti took it, but she held it away from her body like it might bite her if it got too close. Even after he taught her how to hold it, the sword frequently slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground.

“Not the sword,” Gideon said decisively. “From the way you move, I think the staff may be better for you.” He briefly disappeared into the forest and then came back with a long wooden branch about the thickness of Kanti’s fist. Kanti grasped it in her hands, testing its weight and texture.

“I like this one,” she said, gripping the staff tightly. “It reminds me of when I held the ballet bar at dance lessons when I was little.” Gideon gave her some instructions, and she practiced with the staff for hours. Later, she was reluctant to put the branch down when Gideon told them to rest, even though she was drenched with sweat.

No bed had ever felt as comfortable as the one Valerie crawled into that night. Kanti was right—no more tents from now on, she thought drowsily before drifting off to sleep, the Laurel Circle cool, but not cold, against her skin.