Page 56 of The Tribes of Magic (Paragons #3)

A MAGICAL REVELATION

C onner and Kato went off to eavesdrop on the Watchers at the boathouse. And I hurried back to the Castle. I found Bronte alone in the main library. Everyone else was outside enjoying the sunny day.

She glanced up from the book she was reading. “Savannah? What’s wrong?”

I swung the library’s door closed, then turned to face her. “You’ve been spying on me, Bronte. You told the General I’d be at the boathouse, reading a very special book he very much wants to steal from me.”

“I did,” Bronte confessed.

Well, at least she wasn’t denying it.

“His soldiers will return to the Black Obelisk empty-handed,” I told her. “I didn’t visit the boathouse today.”

Her eyes went wide. “This was a test,” she gasped.

“A test of loyalty.” I struggled to keep my voice level. “And you failed.”

“I guess I did.” She laughed weakly. “I always knew you’re the smartest of all of us, Savannah.”

“Why, Bronte?” I asked her. “Why did you do this? Is this just about winning? You’re already the best. You already have everything.”

“You don’t understand. I don’t have everything. I have nothing.”

“You’re at the top of the Scoreboard. You’re the best at everything. You’re already winning!”

“No, I’m not. In fact, I’m the biggest loser of all.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I never got any magic at all.”

I didn’t understand.

“Sometimes, it takes a while to discover your magic?—”

“No.”

She looked pretty upset, but then so was I.

“You’re here at the Castle, training to be a Knight,” I said. “You were Chosen. You went through the Blending, just like the rest of us.”

“Don’t you get it, Savannah? They tied me to the Spirit Tree, but nothing happened. The spirits didn’t choose me. There was no Blending. I have no magic.”

Her words made no sense.

“But we all saw your magic mark!” I said.

“You mean this mark?” she sighed.

Bronte flipped over her wrist, then scratched her fingernail across the tree tattoo. It smudged.

“You can’t fake a magic mark.”

A touch of pride touched her sad mouth. “I’ve always been good with makeup.”

I remembered how effortlessly she’d done my makeup and hair.

I frowned. “But why? Why wouldn’t the spirits choose you?”

“The spirits choose thirty Apprentices—and only thirty, Savannah. Thirty-one of us went to the Spirit Trees. Only thirty got magic. I was the odd one out.”

Silence fell as guilt filled the growing void between us.

“You think this is my fault,” I said quietly. “You blame me that you didn’t get magic.”

“Yes, and no. The spirits didn’t give me magic, but the General told everyone they had. There was, of course, a price attached to that lie.”

“That you act as the General’s spy in the Castle.”

Bronte nodded. “The General is worried more Knights will defect and join the Rebellion. That’s why he needed me. He told me to make friends with anyone and everyone I could. I’m good at making friends. I’m good at everything.” A despairing smile touched her lips.

“With you spying on the Knights from the inside, the General could keep track of any signs, any plans of rebellion.”

“And stop those plans before they even get off the ground,” said Bronte.

“Bronte…” I stopped. I wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence.

She sighed. “You must think I’m a terrible villain.”

I didn’t. Bronte wasn’t a villain. In fact, in some ways, she was more of a victim than anyone else. Winning was who she was. Her parents had raised her to believe that the only life worth living is one where she’s on top of the world.

“I understand why you did it,” I told her. “I get how you were desperate enough to spy on your friends in exchange for the life you felt you deserved. Bronte Vance, Queen of the Scoreboard. Everyone always knew you would be a Knight, didn’t they?”

Tears poured down her cheeks. “It wasn’t even a question.”

“I know it hurt to have all that ripped away from you. I might even be able to forgive you for spying on me, for betraying me to the General. But how could you betray Kylie?” My throat felt so tight, I could barely get the words out.

“How could you stand by and help a man who was selling Apprentices to the Order? You could have been one of those Apprentices, Bronte. Our friend Kylie was one of those Apprentices!”

Confusion replaced despair on Bronte’s face. “What are you talking about? What is the Order of Kings?”

“A secret society of supernaturals. They’re the ones who sent the Techno Knights to abduct the Apprentices.”

“And the General is helping them?” Bronte looked like she was going to be sick.

“You didn’t know?” I asked her.

“No. Or I never would have helped him.” Her shaky hands grabbed mine. “You’re going to save them, aren’t you, Savannah? You’re going to save Kylie?”

“I’m certainly going to try.”

“You have to let me help.” She gripped me tightly, like she’d drown if she let go.

Honestly, I did feel sorry for her. She’d worked so hard.

It wasn’t fair that she didn’t get magic.

But that didn’t excuse spying on her friends.

I didn’t agree with Rhett’s methods—or his philosophy on life—but he wasn’t wrong about Bronte.

She’d lied to me, betrayed me, and spied on me.

Whatever her reasons, I couldn’t allow this to continue.

Bronte looked at me, her lips quivering. “What are you going to do? Turn me in?”

I really didn’t want to be that person, the one who ruined Bronte’s life. But I couldn’t let her keep spying on me either.

“Savannah doesn’t have to do anything.” Dante entered the library. He must have been waiting just outside. “ I am turning you in.”

Bronte ignored him. She kept her eyes on me. “I can help you.”

“You can’t trust her, Savannah,” Dante told me. “She’s already betrayed you before. You can’t risk trusting her now, not when so much is on the line.”

“I WOULD NEVER LET ANYONE HURT KYLIE!” Bronte bellowed like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

“I know,” I told her softly. “But Dante is right. I can’t trust you.” I extracted my hands from her grip and stepped back. “I promise I won’t give up. I’ll keep looking until I’ve saved Kylie.”

“I can help! I can spy on the General for you. I can figure out where Kylie and the others are. Please, Savannah. Let me help you.”

Behind Dante, Ainsley and Jareth stepped into the library.

Bronte stepped toward me. “Savannah.”

Jareth moved between us like a shield, his hand clamping down on her arm. “It’s time to go.”

Bronte struggled to free herself, but Jareth held her in place.

“Don’t listen to them, Savannah. Don’t listen to anyone,” she pleaded. “Let me help you.”

She certainly looked sincere. The anguish in her eyes looked real enough. Then again, she’d always been a good actress. I couldn’t risk it.

“I’m sorry, Bronte.”

Ainsley faced her, meeting her eyes. “Listen to me, Bronte.”

Bronte slammed her eyes shut. “No! I won’t listen! I won’t see!”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Ainsley said in a soft, melodic voice. She’d dipped into her Elf magic. “Open your eyes.”

Bronte’s long eyelashes fluttered open.

“That’s right. Good. Now come with us.”

Bronte made a muffled, sobbing sound.

“We won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you.” Ainsley made a few magically-powered gestures with her hand. “We just need to get you away from your friends for their protection.”

Jareth led the way, followed by Ainsley. Bronte followed her out of the library, just like one of the mesmerized rats in the tale of the Pied Piper.

I stood there, silent and still.

I’d put so much hope into finding the betrayer hidden among my friends.

I’d believed the betrayer would know something that could help me save Kylie and the other Apprentices.

But Bronte was a dead end. She couldn’t lead me to the Apprentices.

She didn’t know anything. And I was no closer to rescuing anyone.

“Savi? Are you all right?”

I wiped away my tears and turned to Dante. “You didn’t have to call the mentors. I could have done it. It was my responsibility. I was the one who discovered Bronte’s duplicity.”

He closed the distance between us, wrapping me up in a hug. I sagged against him. The tears I’d so hastily wiped away began flowing again.

“I did it for you, Savi. I didn’t want to put you in the position of betraying your friend. You tend to get all twisted up with guilt about things like that.”

“How did you know about Bronte?”

“I ran into Kato. He told me what was happening. And that you thought I might be the traitor.” I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I unburied my face from his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I never believed that. But I had to prove it to Kato and Conner.”

“Your boyfriends.”

“Don’t even start with that.”

Dante laughed.

“In any case, thank you. Thanks for being there for me.”

“Hey, that’s what big brothers are for.”

“Big brother? You’re only a few minutes older than me.”

He winked at me, then wrapped his arms around me again. We hugged some more, I cried some more, and I tried to forget how much Bronte’s betrayal hurt.