Page 109 of The Knights of Gaia

“Yes!” Asher grunted.

“But that’s an Elf spell. And I thought all Elves are lame.” The hint of a smirk crossed Bronte’s lips.

“Really? It’s Elf magic?” Asher looked confused.

And that’s when the ball-lamp slipped from his fingers, tumbling down, down, down. Ms. Featherdale squeezed her eyes shut.

But the ball-lamp never hit the floor. A magical force caught it moments before impact. Now it was hovering just millimeters above the smooth surface, subtly bobbing like a buoy on the ocean.

“You did it!” Dutch laughed, slapping Asher on the back. “You used magic!”

“I did?” Asher looked down at his hands, turning them over before his eyes, like he expected to find magic dust on them.

“No.” Eris hummed, and the ball-lamp made a gentle landing on the floor. “I did.”

Dutch’s eyes flitted between our mentor and the lamp at her feet. “But you’re a Nymph. How can you use telekinesis?”

“I can’t,” she replied. “There’s more than one way to grab something with magic. You can use telekinesis.” She hummed again, and the ball-lamp rose from the ground and slowly floated across the room, landing inside its box. “Or you can use air magic.”

Dutch gaped at her. “You are so much more intimidating than I thought.”

“Thanks for the stamp of approval.” Her eyes hardened into shards of turquoise. “But play time is over now. Get back to work on the tasks Ms. Featherdale has assigned you.” Her gaze snapped to me and Kylie. “Allof you.”

We made a hasty retreat back to the bathtub.

“Dutch is right about one thing,” Kylie whispered to me as we reached into the pool of bleach. “Eris is much more intimidating than she seems. She’s much more than just a nice, friendly hippy.”

“Well, she is a Knight.” I hung my bleached tablecloth on one of the clotheslines. “And Knights have powerful magic. They are all pretty formidable heroes.”

“You were a pretty formidable hero yourself yesterday at the Tournament, Savannah,” said Kylie. “When the Black Knight attacked—when helpless people you didn’t even know were in danger—you rushed in to help them. You didn’t run away scared like the rest of us.” She blushed, like she was ashamed. “You worried about others instead of just about yourself. That’s why I know you’ll make a great Knight.”

And now I was ashamed. Too ashamed to tell her I didn’t rush in to help strangers; I’d rushed in to help my mother. At the time, my mind hadn’t even processed that there were others in danger too. All I’d seen was my mom.

If I really wanted to become a great Knight, I had to start thinking about other people too.

Kylie had already moved on. “Of course the biggest hero yesterday was the White Knight.” She fluttered her eyelashes at me. “Your boyfriend.”

“I told you. He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Why not?”

I struggled to find a response that wouldn’t prompt more teasing.

“If you don’t want him, I’ll happily take him off your hands,” Kylie offered. “He’s cute.”

“You don’t even know what he looks like,” I pointed out.

“Butyoudo.” A sly smile curled Kylie’s lips. “Ha! I knew it! He showed you his face! When did this happen?”

She didn’t even wait for me to answer. Not that I had an answer.

“It was when he escorted you home, wasn’t it? Did he also tell you his name?”

I blinked.

Kylie swooned. “He did, didn’t he? This is epic! The White Knight is the most famous, most mysterious Knight of them all. No one knows his name. Only the other Knights and the General have ever seen his face. He’s so powerful and valiant and chivalrous and serious. He never takes off his helmet in front of humans—or even Apprentices. You’re the first Apprentice to see his face, Savannah.Ever. He must really like you.”

“There were extenuating circumstances,” I said.

---