Page 112

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

He chuckled. “Fine. I’m infiltrating the Black Obelisk.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe you.” I rolled my eyes in what I hoped was his direction. “But, ok, I’ll play along.Whywould a Knight want to infiltrate the Black Obelisk?”

“Why would anApprenticewant to infiltrate the Black Obelisk?” he said, his voice light, teasing.

My stomach twisted. “Heard about that, did you?”

“Of course I heard about that. I know people. And people talk.”

I slouched over.

“You should be proud,” he told me. “That was the most enthralling Discovery Quest ever. It even beat mine, which is saying a lot.”

“And so you decided to follow in my footsteps and infiltrate the Black Obelisk yourself?” I asked.

“Yes, I thought I’d steal a Watcher’s uniform. I’d look good in black, don’t you think?”

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t know what you look like,” I reminded him.

“Of course you don’t. But you were supposed to tell me that black fits my delightfully roguish personality.”

“Yeah, because that soundsexactlylike something that I would say,” I said drily.

He laughed, and I had to admit, it was a roguish laugh. Some might even call it ‘delightfully roguish’.

Someoneelse—I shook my head—not me.

“Well, this is where we part ways, I’m afraid,” he said. “See you around.”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“When you were just in the Black Obelisk, you didn’t happen to visit the Watchers’ prison, did you?”

“You want to know if I talked to the man who attacked the Tournament yesterday.”

Yeah. The General had hijacked the Knights’ investigation before it had even begun. They didn’t know who the man was, where he’d gotten that powerful suit of armor, or why he’d attacked the Oval. None of the Knights had looked very happy about being cut out of the investigation. Kato, in particular. So if I were Kato, I would have sent a Knight into the Black Obelisk to do a little investigating of my own. And who better to send than someone who could make himself invisible?

“And?” I asked the invisible stranger. “Did you talk to the prisoner?”

“Perhaps.” His voice was cryptic, but that one word said it all.

“Youdidtalk to him. I knew it!” I exclaimed. “I knew the Knights of Gaia wouldn’t give up so easily. That guy was a serious threat. He held his own against seven Knights.”

“And yet all it took was one Apprentice to bring him to his knees.” He sounded more impressed than amused.

“I didn’t do anything. Not really. It was Altair’s mirror that took him down.”

“Do you think that just anyone can use an enchanted object?” he countered. “You wielded that mirror, so that makes the victory yours.”

Wow. My first victory in battle. If only the General weren’t out to get me, I might have even earned a few Merit points for that.