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“I won’t tell anyone,” I promised. “But, Conner,youshould tell someone. Like Kato. He can help.”

He shook his head.

“He’s your best friend,” I reminded him.

Conner’s sigh was heavy, like a boulder was pressing down on his chest. “Kato isn’t very good at breaking the rules, even if it’s for a good reason.” His gaze dropped, then quickly met mine again. “He always follows orders.”

“The General’s orders, you mean.”

“Yes, and right now the General’s got Kato busy hunting for Rebels, instead of fighting the important battles. Whoever is trying to take out this year’s Knights before they become Knights—those people are the real threat.”

“So that’s where Kato keeps running off to,” I said. “He’s hunting the Rebels. I wonder if he’s caught any.”

“If he had, the General wouldn’t be in such a foul mood,” Conner pointed out.

“I saw some of them, you know. Rebels. They didn’t seem so bad.”

“Listen to me closely, Savannah.” Conner’s grip tightened on my shoulders, but his touch wasn’t aggressive; it was protective. “Stay away from the Rebels. They are very,verydangerous.”

“How can you say that! Especially after you proudly proclaimed yourself a rascal!”

“There’s a very large chasm between rascals and Rebels.”

“They are former Knights,” I reminded him.

“Which means they have very powerful magic. Magic they will use if they feel cornered. And, believe me, with the General hunting them, they are definitely feelingverycornered right now. So, please, don’t go looking for them, no matter what. It won’t go well. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“The Rebels wouldn’t hurt me. They aren’t bad.” I shrugged him off. “I saw them in the Emporium during one of my team’s Discovery Quests. Bandits attacked the mall, and the Rebels saved all those innocent people.”

Conner’s whole body went rigid. “Bandits attacked the mall? When?”

“Two days ago.”

He frowned. “While Apprentices were there?”

“Yeah, five of us. And our mentor Eris.” I inhaled a sharp shot of air. Suddenly, I was finding it really hard to breathe. “Wait, you think those bandits are somehow connected to the Cursed One attacks, don’t you?”

“I don’t know.” His eyes narrowed. “But I intend to find out.”

“How?”

“Let me worry about that. You worry about your training. And staying out of trouble.” He arched his brows at me. “That means no chasing after Rebels.”

I grunted.

“I’m serious, Red. Stay away from the Rebels. And stay away from whoever is targeting Apprentices.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “What makes you think that I’ll go looking for someone who wants to hurt me?”

He matched my stance. “Because, believe it or not, I already know you pretty well. You’re not very good at sitting by and doing nothing when people are in trouble. Especially people you care about. Like your brother. And your friends.”

“No, I’m not good at sitting by and doing nothing if I can make a difference.” My heart was pounding in panic just thinking about how many people that I cared about were in danger. “But you’re not good at sitting by and doing nothing either.”

“Yeah,” he laughed—or maybe that was a sigh. “I guess that’s why we get along so well.”

“So let me help you find out who’s targeting Apprentices. Let me help you make a difference,” I pleaded. “After all, isn’t that what being a Knight is all about?”

“I’d love nothing more than to have you by my side in this, Red. Especially with Kato…well, busy.” His easy confidence fractured, if only a little. “But it’s too dangerous. You don’t know any spells to protect yourself.”