Page 31

“Until they fade away.”

Great, so not only did we have to find an invisible needle in a haystack inside the fog, we were on a timer. And it was hopping around. Like a bunny…

Kato set off toward the white wall of fog. “Follow me.”

I hurried to catch up to him before he disappeared into the mist. The visibility in this murk was terrible. I stayed close by his side so we didn’t get separated. I did not want to be left alone in here with all those monsters roaming around.

“Do you know where the Cursed Ones are?” I asked him.

“Not exactly. But do you smell that?” He waited while I sniffed the air.

I nodded. “Wet and earthy with a hint of rot.”

“The distinct scent of the Cursed Ones. It should lead us right to them.” Kato tapped the side of his helmet.

I threw him a sidelong glance. “I hope you’re not planning on performing some mind-control spell on me like you did on that Cursed One back in the Garden.”

“I don’t have any magic right now, remember?”

Of course I did. I was only teasing him.

“And, besides, I’m not supposed to use my magic on humans or Apprentices,” he said. “At least not unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Good to know.” I watched him tap his helmet again. “So if you’re not preparing a spell, then why do you keep touching your helmet?”

“Because it’s hot, and I’m baking inside this armor. I’m trying to wipe the sweat from my brow.”

“But you’re wearing a helmet. You can’t wipe the sweat from your brow,” I pointed out.

“Yes, thank you for stating the obvious.”

I almost laughed. He was so much more fun when he acted human.

“Ok, so at the risk of stating the obvious yet again, if you’re so hot, why don’t you just take off your helmet?” I asked him.

“Knights wear helmets.”

I arched my brows. “More words of wisdom from the Handbook?”

“The Handbook is a comprehensive how-to guide on the Curse, written for a human readership. It includes detailed instructions and step-by-step diagrams and illustrations on what humans should do in the case of an attack by the Cursed Ones.”

I laughed. “I can’t believe you managed to get out all that gobbledygook without stopping to take a breath.”

He ignored my teasing. Again. I guess a sense of humor was not one of the prerequisites to becoming a Knight.

“The Handbook does not include any sections on Knight etiquette,” he added.

“All right, but I’m sure you have a Knights’ Almanac or something like it that talks all about chivalry and heroism and the rules for when exactly you’re allowed to take your helmet off.”

“We have a Knights’ Code of Conduct,” he confirmed.

“A Code of Conduct. Of course.” I smiled at the appropriate name. “So what does it say about helmets?”

“It would be inappropriate for me to discuss the contents of the Knights’ Code of Conduct with you.”

“Why?”

“You are not a Knight yet. And the information contained inside the Code of Conduct is classified.”