Page 21 of The Tree of Spirits (Paragons #2)

CAPRICORN

I took a closer look at the page in my hand to see what spell the kooky old fortune teller had given me. “A teleportation spell.” I grinned. “Cool.”

But before I could even begin to ponder what I would do with this new treasure, a woman crashed full-speed into me, sending us tumbling into a nearby tent.

Muffins, croissants, and assorted other baked goods rained down on us.

A crate snapped under me. Groaning, I stumbled to my feet and away from the remnants of the tent, dusting flour and wooden splinters off my clothes.

The tent’s occupant, a baker with a big white apron, shot me an icy glower.

“Sorry about that,” said the young woman who’d collided with me.

Then she grabbed my arm and yanked me back down, and not a moment too soon.

A large, beastly creature with the body of a wolf, the fangs of a saber-toothed tiger, and the scales of a dragon leapt over our heads.

It crashed into the lopsided tent, snapping the final support beams. The whole thing came down.

The baker took off in a panicked sprint, and so did everyone else.

The alley cleared out very fast, and then it was just me, the mystery woman, and the monster.

“Eh, hi. I’m Savannah,” I said.

“Capricorn.”

I looked her over. Capricorn was young, just a year or two older than me. She had a delicate, almost dreamy look about her—all except for her eyes. Those eyes had seen things. Terrible things. I could sense it. Just as I could sense that she wasn’t human.

“You’re from another realm, aren’t you?” I asked her.

“Yes.” Capricorn’s eyes snapped to the downed tent. “Things are about to get ugly. You should probably go.”

The sea of fabric on the ground shifted and snarled as the monster tried to free itself.

“What is that thing?” I asked.

“It’s called a Charger.”

The monster tore free of the tent and immediately proceeded to rush us. I dove into a roll, then hopped to my feet.

“Charger, right,” I huffed out. “I can see why.”

The monster took a wide turn and came around for another pass. When Capricorn clapped her hands together, fiery ash sprinkled off of them. She blew it in the Charger’s face. The beast howled, kicking and pounding its paws, blindly stumbling around the alley, knocking over tents.

“It is a threat to the Many Realms. That’s why I’m here: to eliminate it before anyone gets hurt. Chargers are very dangerous,” Capricorn told me.

“I believe you.”

“And yet you aren’t running away like everyone else did.” Her brows drew together. “Why? Is there something wrong with you?”

“Some people seem to think so,” I replied with a smile.

She snorted, and her serious mask cracked. “Yeah, I get that too. A lot. The other agents of the Order think I’m…odd.”

“The Order?”

“The Zodiac Order,” she explained. “We’re the protectors of peace and magic in the Many Realms.”

“Yeah, same,” I said. “Except that the Knights of Gaia protect this realm. And…” I cleared my throat. “I’m still only an Apprentice Knight.”

She set her hand on my shoulder. “You have to start somewhere.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I smiled at her. I liked Capricorn. She was so real. “So might I suggest we start with that ?” I pointed at the rampaging beast. From the way it was fumbling around, it still couldn’t see. “Before it hurts someone.”

“Indeed.” Capricorn waved her hand, and all the poles from the broken tents shot at the monster like javelins.

A bright gold glow rippled across the creature’s scaled body. The air suddenly felt charged, electrified. My skin began to tingle. There was a buzzing in my ears, deep and persistent. The tingling grew sharper, the buzzing louder.

Until tendrils of lightning burst out of the Charger, zapping the poles. In an instant, they were all reduced to smoke.

“What kind of magic is this?” I gasped.

“The hard-to-kill kind.”

Capricorn grabbed a piece of tent fabric off the ground, whooshing it around like a cape.

As she spun in place, flames engulfed the fabric.

Their song was more of a roar than a crackle.

It grew louder and louder. Just as it reached its fiery crescendo, Capricorn released the cloth.

It glided toward the Charger, powerful but patient, like a hawk circling over its prey.

The monster swiped at it. The cloth hissed, coiling back, winding up.

Slowly, slowly, slowly… It lashed out like a whip, singeing the beast’s shoulder.

The Charger roared in anger and agony. Something terrible and noxious poured out of its mouth—all green and smoky, reeking of stomach acid and decomposing waste.

When that cloud touched the cloth, it ate through it in an instant.

“That’s not good,” Capricorn muttered, shaking out her hands. Some sparks formed on them, but they immediately died out. “Not good at all.”

The creature stomped one of its front paws like a bull preparing to charge. Promises of destruction and death danced in its eyes.

“It’s stronger than it’s supposed to be,” Capricorn said. “There’s something different about this Charger.”

Soft, ethereal laughter echoed on the wind. “That’s because it’s not a Charger at all.” Nixi the ghost materialized in front of us. “It’s only pretending to be one,” she said in a dreamy voice.

“Who are you?” Capricorn asked her. “And how can you possibly know that?”

“I am Nixi,” the ghost replied. “And I know it because I’m smarter than you. But don’t feel bad. I’m smarter than everyone.” She winked at me. “Right, Savannah?”

Capricorn looked at me. “Is this ghost a friend of yours?”

I didn’t know how to answer that question. Nixi had helped me out in the past, but I wasn’t sure I’d call her a friend. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if I trusted her. There was just something so disconcerting about her.

“Oh, yes, Savannah and I are the best of friends,” Nixi said with a slow, lethargic curl of her lips. “Her magic is just so fascinating, don’t you think?”

Capricorn gave me a curious look.

“Let’s worry less about my magic, and more about its magic,” I said quickly, pointing at the monster.

It snorted, and lightning shot out of its nose.

“You said it’s not a Charger?” Capricorn asked Nixi. “Then what is it?”

“A Chameleon, of course,” the ghost replied.

A foreboding shadow fell over Capricorn’s face.

“I take it that’s bad?” I asked her.

Nixi answered for her. “Oh, yes. A Chameleon is so much worse than a Charger. In fact, it’s one of the most dangerous monsters in the Many Realms.” She drew her hands together slowly, smiling at us over braided fingers. “But don’t worry so much, girls. This is going to be fun.”