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

herself be carried away in the moment,
because who knew when they’d have another one?
    Still riding the
high from Thai’s news, Valerie, Henry, and Thai went to track down the person
Henry had found who was connected to Al.
    “So who is this
friend of Al’s that you think we can convince to help us?” Valerie asked Henry
as they walked to The Horseshoe.
    “Her name is Willa,
and she’s a master in the Literary Guild,” Henry said.
    “Is she Al’s
daughter? Friend?” Thai probed.
    “The only family of Al’s
that I could find when I reached out with my mind was a sister in the Guardians
of the Boundary who is firmly aligned with the Fractus. Other than her, Al
knows a lot of other Grand Masters and, of course, Conjurors in his guild, but
no one who I sensed had any power over him.”
    “I’m really curious
now,” Valerie said. “How come you think he might listen to Willa?”
    Henry reddened a
little. “I didn’t want to probe through her mind like a complete creep, but I
think Al has been trying to date her for a long time. And she finally accepted
before everything went down with the Fractus.”
    “Love. No more
powerful reason to change your mind,” Thai said.
    Valerie couldn’t
miss the intensity in Thai’s gaze, and she forced herself to look away. “Is
Willa sympathetic to the Fist?”
    “That’s the best
part. Reaper imprisoned her dad for years, and the poor guy died in a cell in
the Black Castle,” Henry said.
    “That’s awful,”
Valerie whispered, remembering the bleak jail in the castle’s basement.
    “She may hate the
Fractus as much as we do,” Henry said.
    They’d reached the
building that housed the Literary Guild. It was white, like all of the
buildings that formed The Horseshoe, but it had tall windows that rose a
hundred feet high.
    Inside was a library
with soaring bookshelves. Valerie moved to the center of the room and turned in
a circle, taking in the millions of books that seemed to go on forever.
    “She’s up there,”
Henry said, pointing up at a short woman on a floating platform.
    Willa selected a
book from a dusty shelf and turned, riding her platform to the ground, where
she stepped off. She was a little plump, and her face had deep wrinkles by her
eyes and mouth.
    Willa was already
reading the book in her hands, so absorbed that she didn’t see Valerie, Henry,
and Thai watching her.
    “Excuse me?” Valerie
said.
    Willa looked up, and
her eyes widened before she turned and ran. Unprepared for her reaction,
Valerie didn’t immediately start chasing Willa until Thai took off after her.
    Willa was agile, and
she leaped on a platform and was zooming out the doors before Valerie had even
reached a full sprint. She was shooting across The Horseshoe so fast that
Valerie was sure they’d lose her, when Thai gripped her hand.
    How could she have
missed it before? Her power surged in her, easy to access and pumping through
her like the blood in her veins. She moved faster than she ever had, running
with her hand in Thai’s.
    She spared Thai a
glance, and his smile was wide as they sprinted together.
    “I wondered how I’d
ever keep up with you. Guess I can after all,” he said, barely breathing
heavily.
    “Focus,” she
ordered, unable to keep a smile off her face.
    Henry flashed an
image of Willa racing past the Empathy Collective, heading toward the woods.
With the image came a feeling—fear. Henry sensed that Willa was running for her
life. Valerie saw her dress blowing, and she and Thai raced toward her.
    “Willa, wait! We
only want to talk!” Valerie shouted.
    Willa turned, but
she didn’t slow down.
    “We’ve got to get to
the bottom of this,” Thai said, and they surged forward, gaining on Willa.
    Quickly, they
overtook her, and Valerie tackled her to the ground, making sure to shield her
so that she didn’t fall too hard.
    Willa backed away,
shaking. But when she spoke, her voice was steady.
    “Killing me won’t
accomplish anything,” Willa