Page 22 of The Tribes of Magic (Paragons #3)

THE ALCHEMIST

“ O k, Savannah. So, how exactly are we supposed to get past the impenetrable gate and all the armed soldiers?”

Dutch and I were crouched behind an overgrown bush, just across the street from the Black Obelisk.

An iron fence covered in security cameras and topped with broken glass surrounded the compound.

Beyond it, the Watchers’ headquarters awaited.

The tall tower was entirely covered in black glass.

It was both high-tech and hellishly medieval.

“Don’t panic, Dutch. The Watchers are constantly driving in and out of the compound. The next time the gate opens, we’re going to sneak inside.”

“Without being seen?”

“That’s right. Because we have this.” I showed him the magic token Conner had given me. “I can use this to make us invisible. The Watchers won’t even see us.”

That was the plan, anyway. I’d used the token to hide me and Marlow, so it should be able to hide me and Dutch.

“All right. Come in closer. We need to be holding hands for the magic to cover us both.”

Dutch offered me his hand, and I was surprised by how sweaty it was. Thanks to the cloud cover, it wasn’t that hot anymore. The sweat had to be because he was nervous. So was I. We were about to break into the Watchers’ headquarters. If they caught us…

I tried not to think about that. Bronte’s future was in my hands. I couldn’t afford to lose my nerve. Not now.

“Look. There’s our way in.”

A big, black SUV drove up to the gate. The driver exchanged a few words with the Watcher standing guard outside. Then the gates parted, and the SUV drove inside. I turned the knob on the coin, then Dutch and I slipped in after the vehicle, totally invisible to Watchers and cameras.

“See? I told you there’s nothing to worry about,” I said as the gates slammed shut behind us.

“Are you sure we should be talking?” he whispered. “Can’t they hear us?”

“No one can see or hear us, Dutch. Now, come on. We need to hurry. We do not want to be here when the token runs out of juice.”

“How long until that happens?”

“I’m not sure, actually.”

“Well, isn’t that reassuring.”

We followed a group of Watchers into the building. The Black Obelisk was busy today. There were Alchemist Knights everywhere.

You could identify an Alchemist immediately by their orange and brown armor and their plethora of magical gadgets and tools. The Alchemists were the tinkerers of the magical universe. They forged weapons, mixed potions, and crafted objects of power.

Right now, they were busy installing the magic upgrades Dutch had told me about earlier.

“You weren’t kidding,” I said. “From the looks of it, the Black Obelisk is getting a complete security upgrade with advanced magic detectors.”

“Does that mean they can see us?”

“No. Luckily for us, the Alchemists aren’t finished yet. They haven’t brought the new system online yet. If they had, we never could have snuck in here. An invisibility spell is no match for a full-blown magic detection system, but it’s good enough to fool anything they currently have running.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

I held back the groan as I turned to face Altair, one of the mentors.

He was dressed in a set of orange-brown leather armor, complete with a thick utility belt filled with all sorts of magical tools.

He also held a tool in his hands, an enormous, two-handed wrench whose purpose I can only guess at—but didn’t want to. It looked brutal.

“Savannah Winters.”

Altair turned one of the many knobs on the pair of brass goggles he was wearing.

His goggles were big, bizarre, and they had more knobs on them than one of my mom’s sophisticated research microscopes.

Unlike those microscopes, though, the goggles were magical.

I knew that from the faint glimmer—and the fact that Altair could see us, even though we were invisible.

Altair wasn’t a Dreamweaver. He couldn’t peel back the layers of dimensions and realms. But he could build devices to perform all kinds of amazing magic.

He adjusted a knob on the headphones attached to the goggles. Actually, the goggle-and-headphones set was so interconnected it was more like a headdress.

“Why am I not surprised to find you skulking around the Black Obelisk?”

“I am not skulking,” I told him. “I am exploring with purpose.”

Altair chuckled, and I relaxed a little. It wasn’t a sinister chuckle. At least I didn’t think it was.

“Why are you here, Savannah?”

“It’s Bronte. What they’re saying about her, that she went into a restricted area and that’s why she got kicked out of the Program…” I shook my head. “It can’t be. That just isn’t Bronte.”

“But it is you, Savannah.”

I forced a smile. “Uh, right, so the Black Obelisk isn’t exactly a restricted area. It’s just that you need an invitation to be here. Think you can help me out with that?”

“You want me to give you an invitation to enter the Black Obelisk?”

“That would be splendid, Altair, thank you so much. And if you could backdate it like half an hour earlier or so, I’d really appreciate it. Oh, and issue an invitation to Dutch too.”

Altair turned toward Dutch, who was standing as still as a statue and not saying a word. “She doesn’t ask for much, does she? How did she rope you into her latest shenanigans?”

“She assured me it’s for a good cause.”

“And it is for a good cause!” I said. “Truth and justice are the best causes of all!”

“Truth and justice, eh? Very well. Tell me more, Savannah. But first, please turn off that invisibility spell. When I keep this thing on for too long, it gives me a headache.”

“I’ll turn off the spell if you tell the Watchers that you asked us to come here.”

“You are very demanding for someone who wants a favor.”

“Come on, Altair. You can be the hero and save Bronte. You wouldn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to be heroic , would you?”

“You are far too clever for your own good, Savannah Winters. But being clever isn’t the same as being smart.”

“I can be both.”

“There’s a reason the General is always giving you a hard time.” Altair was even parts serious and amused.

“Do we have a deal or not?”

“Indeed.” Altair took off the headdress.

And I turned the knob on the magic token, bringing Dutch and me back into phase.

“So tell me about this heroic plan of yours,” Altair said.

“The Watchers apparently have video footage of Bronte sneaking into some restricted area. The plan is for us to take a look at this so-called evidence, prove it’s fake, and get Bronte reinstated.”

“Oh, is that all? And what do you plan on doing with the rest of the afternoon?”

“I’ll let you know when the job is done.”

So the three of us headed to the Records Room. None of the Watchers stopped us. We looked perfectly legit with our Knight escort.

“So, Altair,” I said as we walked down the hall. “What can you tell me about Ainsley?”

“I take it you’re not asking out of idle curiosity?”

“I’m wondering…” I exhaled. “I’m wondering if she’s working for the General.”

“ All Knights work for the General, Savannah.”

“I know, but that’s not what I mean. I’m wondering if Ainsley is spying on me for the General.”

“Why would you think that?”

Altair opened the rather ominous black door to the Records Room, and we went inside.

I quickly closed the door behind us, in case there were any Watchers wandering about.

They might let us walk the halls, but they probably weren’t all too keen on the idea of us sifting through their surveillance videos.

And no talk of ‘doing the right thing’ would convince them otherwise.

Watchers followed orders, and that was that.

They didn’t care about chivalry, heroics, or anything else the Knights stood for.

“Someone had to have told the General that I’m a Polymage,” I said, “and Ainsley was acting all weird yesterday and strict and just not at all like she usually is.”

“First of all, Savannah, it’s not like you’ve been very discreet about using your magic.”

“I thought I was being discreet,” I said quietly.

“Discreet? You?”

I followed Altair’s trail of chuckles to the assortment of computer consoles.

“Savannah, you are not discreet. You created a protective barrier using wood shards and teleported in front of thirty other Apprentices.”

“So you think one of the Apprentices is the spy?”

“I didn’t say that. All I said is you did a bunch of different magic spells in the course of like an hour, and that’s something that’s going to stick in people’s minds.

A lot of people saw what you can do, and people talk.

So it’s no wonder the General found out about your magic.

There’s not much you can do about that except keep your head low, mind your own business, and try not to make waves, which we both know isn’t something you’re very good at. ”

I frowned. “Point taken,” I said tightly.

“And even if you fought your nature and blended into the background, it’s far too late for that already anyway.

Everyone knows about your magic. That’s reality.

There’s no changing it now. And, anyway, is it really so bad that people know you’re a Polymage?

Right now, the Apprentices are training hard every day, each one desperate to figure out what Tribe they belong to.

That’s the whole point of these daily tasks and exercises: to help you discover your magic.

Well, you’ve already discovered your magic, Savannah.

You already know where you belong. Most Apprentices would give anything to be where you are, to know who they are. ”

“Yes. We would.”