Edge of Pathos (The Conjurors Series Book 4) by Kristen Pham Read Free Book Online

said. “In your dying breath, you may wish that your worst problem
was having to bathe every other day instead of every day.”
    “Valerie and the
Fist are devoting every ounce of their energy to save all of you!” Cyrus
shouted, his eyes blazing. “Do you want to live under a dictator who decides
that those with the most power should rule over those with the least?”
    The crowd began to
disperse, and a few Conjurors even hung their heads. Cyrus squeezed her hand.
    “They don’t understand
what you’ve sacrificed for them. But they will,” he said.
    “They are unused to
hardship,” Gideon said. “This will not be the last of the unrest. Peace is a
beautiful thing, but it makes the realities of war unfathomable for those who are
distanced from it.”
    Valerie nodded.
“They aren’t wrong. We’ve won some battles, but I’m failing to win this war.
How many fewer soldiers will we have the next time we fight the Fractus on a
grand scale? So many people are losing faith in the Fist—and in me.”
    “We have to rally
them,” Gideon said. “We need a way to release their energy in a positive way.”
    “Are you talking
about a party?” Cyrus said, a glimmer of humor sparking in his eyes. “Please
tell me you’re talking about a party, Gid, because I am your man.”
    Gideon laughed.
“Cyrus, I do indeed mean a party.”
    “You’ve got your
mission, soldier,” Valerie said. “Let’s remind the Conjurors about the way of
life we’re fighting to save.”

Chapter 7
    Henry and Thai burst
into Valerie’s bedroom the next morning. Luckily, she was dressed, and she drew
Pathos from her sheath, ready to fight.
    “What’s wrong?” she
said, her mind snapping into alert focus. “Did you find out what Reaper’s doing
during this truce? Is it too late to stop him?”
    “Sorry, Val,” Henry
said. “Everything’s okay.”
    “Better than okay!
I’ve figured out my power!” Thai said, smiling like a kid on Christmas morning.
“I can amplify other Conjurors’ powers!”
    “What do you mean?”
Valerie asked, sitting down as her blood pressure returned to normal.
    “I was mentally
searching for contacts in Arden who might know Al, the Grand Master of the
Stewardship Guild,” Henry explained.
    “Good thinking,”
Valerie interrupted, surprised. Henry rarely participated in the war effort,
instead vanishing for hours at a time only to come home exhausted and sleep for
days.
    “That’s not the
important part. Thai came and slapped me on the back, and suddenly my mind
became more focused than it ever had,” Henry explained. “It was like skimming a
book, except that I was touching different minds, quickly looking to see if
there was a connection to Al. I did it in minutes, and I thought it would take
days.”
    “No offense, but are
you sure it had to do with Thai? Maybe the effect is in your mind, and you
imagined that Thai was helping.”
    Henry huffed
impatiently. “I know what it’s like to tap into others’ powers. Remember when
the whole Empathy Collective helped me search for my dad? We all joined minds.
And you and I have shared magic before, too.”
    “It’s not only
Henry,” Thai continued, speaking fast from his excitement. “Remember when Cyrus
shot that fireball out of his hand? I was touching him.”
    “We ran super-fast
together when we were holding hands, racing to the Society of Imaginary
Friends, too,” Valerie remembered. Her joy and amazement at Thai’s power filled
her up. “Thai, this is incredible!”
    “I know! I thought
maybe my only power would be that I cloned myself and made Tan. But there’s
more to my magic than that. Think how much I’ll be able to help defeat the
Fractus now,” he said.
    “Your eyes are huge
right now,” Henry said to her with a rare smile.
    “Thai’s right. This
could change the game,” she said.
    Thai picked her up
and swung her around, still exuberant. “Those Fractus are toast!”
    Even
Henry was laughing now, and Valerie let