Page 28 of The Tree of Spirits (Paragons #2)

DRAMA IN THE MANY REALMS

T oday, the Apprentices had a rare day off. Ms. Featherdale had instructed us to rest and relax while our mentors hunted down the kidnappers and the Fixers repaired the damage to the conference center.

“The Summit is only a few days away. Will they even finish in time?” I said to Nevada.

I’d used the walkie-talkies this morning to call her, and now the two of us were sharing breakfast in my cottage. We’d laid out all our ingredients on the table: plain yogurt, berries, and a small bag of granola.

“If they don’t, the General will blow his top,” replied Nevada as she sprinkled granola all over her personalized yogurt-and-fruit creation.

“And for once, I might actually agree with him.” I started shoveling yogurt into my bowl. “If we present the Court with anything short of a perfect, pristine hall, the wolves will descend on us.”

I nodded toward the TV. Prince Fenris was on the news again. Didn’t he have anything better to do than give interviews?

“The problem with Gaia is, as always, that it’s a society divided,” he was telling the reporter—and the billions of viewers tuning in from all across the Many Realms. “Look at the Knights. The spirits have bestowed an incredible gift on Gaia by blessing some of their teenagers with magic. But has this allowed the Knights to rise above the Gaians’ self-destructive instincts?

No. The Knights are just as divided as the rest of the Gaians. ”

“You are referring to the Rebels,” the reporter prompted him.

“Yes, the Rebels .” Fenris drew out the word, long and lean, like he was stretching pizza dough. “They were so disenchanted with their own people that they split off from the Castle. And now these troubled youths are kidnapping Apprentices in a desperate attempt to grow their rebellion’s numbers.”

“The Rebels aren’t the kidnappers!” I shouted at Fenris.

Obviously, he didn’t hear me. He just kept prattling on about a divided Gaia and how we had to get our own house in order before we joined the Many Realms. I was tempted to throw my breakfast bowl at the television.

Nevada must have seen that in my eyes because she clicked off the TV. “Ok, I think that’s enough drama for one day. Seriously, instead of the Many Realms News Network, they should call themselves the Many Realms Soap Opera Channel.” She flashed me a smile.

All I could manage was a half-grunt, half-snort in response.

“You’re still blaming yourself for what happened yesterday,” she observed.

I stared into my yogurt bowl, and suddenly I wasn’t hungry anymore. “Yeah.” My stomach clenched up.

“It wasn’t your fault, Savannah.”

“Those fiends are still out there. And so are the four Apprentices they kidnapped,” I pointed out.

She watched me poke my spoon halfheartedly at my yogurt. “You want to go look for them, don’t you?”

I ground my teeth together. “I need to make this right.”

“Ok, I get it. But before you do that—and I’m not judging you—please think about the consequences. And just make sure that you’re willing to live with them.”

I sighed. “I wish the other Knights were back. They could scour the city in no time and find the fiends.”

“And then you could see the Knights you’ve been missing. And know they’re ok.” Nevada gave me a knowing smile over the top of her teacup.

“Yeah. That too,” I admitted, sighing.

There was a knock at the door. I jumped up, pushing back my chair, scrambling over myself to answer it quickly. For some reason, I was so sure that I’d find Kato and Conner on the other side. The timing was just too perfect not to be true.

But instead I found a pair of Watchers. My heart plummeted into the ground.

“Y-yes?” I croaked.

“The General wants to speak with you,” one of the Watchers declared.

“About what?” I asked.

“About the Rebels.”