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“And you decided that someone should beyou.” Again, an accusation, not a question.

I grinned at him. “Yep.”

He made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sigh—not that I could really tell through that echoey helmet.

“What made you think you could stop four Cursed Ones?” he asked me.

“It was the right thing to do,” I told him.

“It was thebravething to do. It was even thenoblething to do. But it was also the completelystupidthing to do. So I certainly wouldn’t call it ‘right’.”

Somehow, he’d managed to both praise me and insult me at the same time.

“And just what would you call therightthing to do?” I folded my arms across my chest. “Sitting there quietly while I wait to be rescued?”

The Knight stared at me. At least Ithoughthe was staring at me under that helmet. I couldn’t see his face, and it was really unsettling.

“You kept a cool, level head during the attack,” he finally said. “It’s a shame you can’t do the same when talking to a Knight.”

I shot him an annoyed glare. “Wow, that’s a really arrogant thing to say.”

He shrugged. “I’m a Knight.”

“And I’m a nobody?” I said defensively.

“No.” He reached out and tapped my forehead with his finger. His touch was surprisingly gentle for someone who wore hard battle armor that covered his body from head to toe. “You are definitely somebody. I’m just trying to figure out who that is.”

“I’m just an Apprentice.”

“Actually, on second thought, I think I was wrong about that. You’re notjustan Apprentice. You’re something…more,” he decided. “The Cursed Ones ran away from you. They’re afraid of you. I wonder why.” He moved in closer, like he was studying my face.

He had me at a disadvantage. I couldn’t even see his face.

“What is it about you that instills fear in their hearts?” he asked me.

“I don’t know. I wish I did,” I said honestly.

For a few moments, I lost myself in the hypnotic swirls of the milky mist that surrounded us. It was like the fog was trying to tell me something. I could almost hear it mumbling to me.

I dragged my gaze away from the fog and looked at the Knight instead. “Do you think anyone was infected when the Cursed Ones attacked the Garden?”

“That is always a possibility when the Cursed Ones attack,” he replied. “The Curse is highly contagious.”

That was an understatement. The Curse infected everyone it touched. There was no defense, no cure, and no hope once you’d been bitten. The only people immune to it were the few lucky teens that the spirits had blessed with magic. The magic-blessed teens who became Knights, the champions of humanity and our only hope of ending the Curse.

“There was a lot of commotion in the Garden,” said the Knight. “Humans need a few thorough lessons on the importance of following the Handbook.”

I noticed he said ‘humans’ like he wasn’t one of them. Well, I guess he wasn’t anymore. Nor were any of the other Knights. And I…I wasn’t sure I’d ever been human to begin with.

Nope, didn’t want to think about that.

“Of course people were frightened. You have to admit the Cursed Ones are pretty scary,” I said.

“I must admit no such thing.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess a Knight would never admit to being scared.”

“A good Knight is brave.”