Read Online Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) by Kristen Pham - Free Book Online
Authors: Kristen Pham
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familiar tingle made the hair on her arms
stand on end—danger.
“We’re being followed,”
she said.
Zaki and Chisisi glanced
down the ravine, but no one was visible yet.
“The door to the chamber
is here,” Zaki said, running his hand over the bumpy rock wall. “But you won’t
be able to travel from here for another hour, at sunset.”
“So we’ll be standing
here exposed until then?” Thai asked.
“Not exactly,” Zaki
said. “Henry, Valerie, press your hands here.” He pointed to an indentation in
the wall, and they did as they were told.
A crack in the rock
flashed blue, and they could see the outline of a door. Together they pushed,
and the rock slid back to reveal a dark cave. She shuddered, dreading the walk
through the close darkness.
“Now this is a little
more worthy of the kind of adventure taken by such brave souls as ourselves,”
Zaki said, making Valerie smile in spite of herself.
Zaki and Chisisi led the
way, and they could dimly see in the dark cave from the light coming in at the
opening. On the walls were elaborate patterns that reminded her of waves. It
gave the cave the sensation of movement, as if they were sliding toward the
darkness at the end of the tunnel.
Zaki stopped at a rough
doorway. Beyond it, the light from the entrance didn’t penetrate. He pulled a
lighter out of his pocket along with a bottle of fluid. He poured the fluid
into a groove in the wall, and then lit it.
Fire raced along the
wall and then curved back, illuminating a circular room inside a ring of
flames. When the ring was complete, the hum of power that had resonated at a
low frequency inside her mind suddenly increased. The effect made her pleasantly
lightheaded. The fire reflected off of a pool of water at the bottom, which had
steam rising from it.
“What is this place?”
she whispered, as if speaking too loud would shatter the incredible beauty of
the spot.
“Long ago, it was one of
the portals to the Globe. But someone stole a disc that channels the magic of
this place, and it hasn’t worked since. Several years ago, I used my
considerable wit and strength to recover it,” Zaki said, pulling out a stone
from his pouch with a flourish and handing it to her.
It was perfectly round
and smooth, other than a deep depression in the center. The disc itself was
humming with power, somehow synchronized with the humming in the room.
“How can you be sure
it’s the right disc?” Thai asked. “It doesn’t look special to me.”
“It’s not how it looks,
it’s how it feels,” Zaki replied.
She handed it to Thai,
and she knew when he felt its power by his sharp gasp. “It belongs here,” he
said.
“This hot spring isn’t
very deep. I need to swim to the bottom of it and put the disc in place. Then
Valerie and Henry’s magic will reactivate it, and at sunset they should be able
to travel to the Globe,” Zaki explained.
“Will it be like last
time, where we steer a bubble with our minds?” she asked.
“No, this portal uses
very different magic. No one has used it for hundreds of years, so I only know
that you enter the water and emerge in a pool on the Globe. Azra knows where
you will appear and will be waiting for you.”
With that, Zaki pulled
out a mask that would allow him to see underwater, struck a Superman pose, and
dove into the pool. He came up for air several times.
“I’m searching the
bottom for the right spot. I know where it should be, but underwater it is hard
to tell,” he explained.
When the disc was put in
place, the hot spring lit up, glowing from beneath. The sight took Valerie’s
breath away. The water was pure and clear, and if it weren’t for the light
reflecting off the water, she might have thought that there was no water at all.
She could see every rock, every groove at the bottom of the pool.
Henry’s jaw hung open
and Joe held his hand against his mouth. It was the first time that either of
them had witnessed magic. It was one thing to learn about
stand on end—danger.
“We’re being followed,”
she said.
Zaki and Chisisi glanced
down the ravine, but no one was visible yet.
“The door to the chamber
is here,” Zaki said, running his hand over the bumpy rock wall. “But you won’t
be able to travel from here for another hour, at sunset.”
“So we’ll be standing
here exposed until then?” Thai asked.
“Not exactly,” Zaki
said. “Henry, Valerie, press your hands here.” He pointed to an indentation in
the wall, and they did as they were told.
A crack in the rock
flashed blue, and they could see the outline of a door. Together they pushed,
and the rock slid back to reveal a dark cave. She shuddered, dreading the walk
through the close darkness.
“Now this is a little
more worthy of the kind of adventure taken by such brave souls as ourselves,”
Zaki said, making Valerie smile in spite of herself.
Zaki and Chisisi led the
way, and they could dimly see in the dark cave from the light coming in at the
opening. On the walls were elaborate patterns that reminded her of waves. It
gave the cave the sensation of movement, as if they were sliding toward the
darkness at the end of the tunnel.
Zaki stopped at a rough
doorway. Beyond it, the light from the entrance didn’t penetrate. He pulled a
lighter out of his pocket along with a bottle of fluid. He poured the fluid
into a groove in the wall, and then lit it.
Fire raced along the
wall and then curved back, illuminating a circular room inside a ring of
flames. When the ring was complete, the hum of power that had resonated at a
low frequency inside her mind suddenly increased. The effect made her pleasantly
lightheaded. The fire reflected off of a pool of water at the bottom, which had
steam rising from it.
“What is this place?”
she whispered, as if speaking too loud would shatter the incredible beauty of
the spot.
“Long ago, it was one of
the portals to the Globe. But someone stole a disc that channels the magic of
this place, and it hasn’t worked since. Several years ago, I used my
considerable wit and strength to recover it,” Zaki said, pulling out a stone
from his pouch with a flourish and handing it to her.
It was perfectly round
and smooth, other than a deep depression in the center. The disc itself was
humming with power, somehow synchronized with the humming in the room.
“How can you be sure
it’s the right disc?” Thai asked. “It doesn’t look special to me.”
“It’s not how it looks,
it’s how it feels,” Zaki replied.
She handed it to Thai,
and she knew when he felt its power by his sharp gasp. “It belongs here,” he
said.
“This hot spring isn’t
very deep. I need to swim to the bottom of it and put the disc in place. Then
Valerie and Henry’s magic will reactivate it, and at sunset they should be able
to travel to the Globe,” Zaki explained.
“Will it be like last
time, where we steer a bubble with our minds?” she asked.
“No, this portal uses
very different magic. No one has used it for hundreds of years, so I only know
that you enter the water and emerge in a pool on the Globe. Azra knows where
you will appear and will be waiting for you.”
With that, Zaki pulled
out a mask that would allow him to see underwater, struck a Superman pose, and
dove into the pool. He came up for air several times.
“I’m searching the
bottom for the right spot. I know where it should be, but underwater it is hard
to tell,” he explained.
When the disc was put in
place, the hot spring lit up, glowing from beneath. The sight took Valerie’s
breath away. The water was pure and clear, and if it weren’t for the light
reflecting off the water, she might have thought that there was no water at all.
She could see every rock, every groove at the bottom of the pool.
Henry’s jaw hung open
and Joe held his hand against his mouth. It was the first time that either of
them had witnessed magic. It was one thing to learn about
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