Knights of Light (The Conjurors Series Book 2) by Kristen Pham

widened at what lay beyond it. They were in
the middle of a city entirely settled in the branches of the trees. Houses were
perched at different levels, one or two per giant tree. The roads were made of
entwined branches that formed living walkways and platforms from tree to tree.
Wildflowers in glittering shades of pink, yellow, and purple bloomed
everywhere, making the city look as if it was decorated for a holiday. Long
ropes woven from a golden material formed ladders that fell to the ground,
which was about one hundred yards below.
    The people were busy,
children racing among the branches, adults pulling wheelbarrows and selling
food from little stalls carved into niches of the trees. They heard the gentle
clop of Azra’s hooves come up behind them.
    It is a wonder, isn’t
it?
    “Are these people—elves?”
Henry asked hesitantly.
    In human legends,
that is what they are called. But the People of the Woods would be very
offended if you used that term.
    “This place is
beautiful,” Valerie said, breathing in the scent of flowers and growing things.
    “I thank you for your
words,” Elden said, approaching them from a nearby stall. He handed them a
doughy food that crumbled in Valerie’s mouth. It was warm, salty, and filling.
    “How did you ever build
this place? Magic?” Henry asked.
    “Some. But mainly from
patience. We have guided branches and vines into place over hundreds of years
to form this city. We never rob a tree of life, but only encourage it to grow
in a direction of our suggestion. Now come, we must move quickly. Word of your
arrival has begun to spread, and there are those who are calling for you to be
cast out before your human ways can spread among us like a disease. Or so they
believe.”
    Valerie guessed that he
added his last comment for Azra’s benefit, but she knew that they should be
grateful for his help, however grudgingly it was given. Elden led the way down
a vine-covered path, and they hurried after him. The road wasn’t easy to
navigate, because it wasn’t smooth like the roads on Earth. At one point,
Henry’s foot caught on a root and he fell to the ground.
    “You okay?” she asked.
    He dusted himself off. “Not
the best city for those of us who are spatially challenged.”
    She had a prickly
feeling on her neck, and she saw two people with long, dark hair glaring at
them from a nearby branch. She wondered if Henry really had been clumsy, or if
they had “encouraged” the root to trip him.
    She and Henry hurried to
catch up with Azra and Elden, who had stopped at the edge of the platform that
they were currently crossing. They joined them next to a golden rope ladder that
went over the edge and fell toward the ground. But they were so high in the
trees that the ladder disappeared into fog, and Valerie couldn’t see the land
below.
    “Here you are. It’s
perfectly safe to jump, but most prefer the ladder,” Elden said.
    Henry’s eyes went wide. “Leap
over the edge? Or go down a ladder so high off the ground? Are you crazy?”
    Azra’s laugh tinkled in
Valerie’s mind. It’s safe. Allow me to go first, she said, and she
galloped off the edge, swallowed by the mist.
    “You can’t be serious!”
Henry exclaimed.
    “You’re on the Globe
now. Things don’t have the same rules here. This isn’t the last time that
you’ll have to make a leap of faith. Might as well start today,” she said, and
gave him a nudge.
    He wiped sweaty palms on
his pants. “All right. I’ll go next. Thank you for your help, Elden.”
    Slowly, he climbed down
the ladder, gripping the rungs so tightly that his knuckles turned white. After
a few steps down, the fog swallowed him up.
    “You pretended to be
brave for your brother, but I can hear your heart pounding,” Elden said to her.
“This fear, it is why you will not lead?”
    “No, it isn’t only that
I’m afraid. You don’t know me well. I’m not the leading type—what if I make the
wrong decision and people get hurt? I’m