Page 103 of The Tree of Spirits
“Notallof the Knights,” Conner declared. His hand drew a glowing symbol in the air, and then a slim, flat object appeared out of nowhere.
“Where did you get that tablet?” Kato asked as he sat down on the sofa beside him.
Conner glanced up from the screen. “I swiped it off of one of the nice Watchers trying to hunt me down.” He flashed Kato a smile. “Any idea what Sebastian Bell’s password is?”
Kato snatched the tablet with a heavy sigh. He folded out the keyboard and started typing. “I really shouldn’t encourage your delinquent behavior.”
“Oh, you’re not just encouraging it, Kato,” Conner told him, his grin growing wider. “You’reenablingit.” His gaze dipped to the screen. “IUnicorns?Thatis his password?” Conner snorted into his hand.
“Why not? Who doesn’t love unicorns?” I plopped down between them. And then I got a better look at the screen. “Whoa, what isthat?” I pointed at all the video feeds Kato was scrolling through.
“Live feeds of every camera in the Fortress,” he told me. “Every Watcher has a tablet like this. They want to be able to see what’s going on anywhere, anytime.”
I cringed. “Watchers are so creepy.”
“They aren’t called Watchers for nothing. They like to watch.” Conner glanced at Kato. “Did you find anything yet? Perhaps, a bunch of creepy sups in black techno armor standing in front of a Spirit Tree?”
“I’ve found the settings for the cameras in the Park. There aren’t very many of them. Just the ones from the drones the Knights are using to survey the buildings in the Park for structural damage…” Kato typed lightning fast on the keyboard, like a pro. Apparently, he was both a Knightanda computer wizard. “…all right, I’ve got it.”
“Show off,” snickered Conner.
Kato gave the keyboard a final, dramatic tap—and then a Spirit Tree appeared on the screen. It wasn’t glowing—yet—but it had grown very tall. It was already larger than any of the surrounding trees.
“That tree looks like it will be mature enough for travel any minute now,” Conner commented.
“I don’t see the Templars,” said Kato.
“They’ll probably only arrive the very moment the tree is ready.”
“And we have to be there waiting for them.” I pointed at the screen. “Do you guys know where in the Park that is?”
“Yes,” they both said.
I jumped off the sofa. “Then let’s get moving.” My heart was pounding, burning, anticipating my chance to get things right this time. “We have some Apprentices to save!”
EPISODE 6
FIRE & POISON
CHAPTER 1
MAGICAL CONSEQUENCES
The new Spirit Tree was hidden deep inside the Park, just past what remained of a former picnic area that had since devolved into chaos. The roofs over the tables had developed more than a few rust holes, and over half of the benches were broken.
The overgrown paths were littered with broken branches and slowly-decaying leaves, the perfect recipe for attracting ants. Thousands and thousands of ants. The tiny black insects covered the path like a moving, swirling carpet. They didn’t even care about the rain. The tree canopy was blocking most of it anyway.
The dirt was doing a better job of absorbing the rainfall than the paved streets, so there wasn’t any flooding here in the woods. Yet. Muddy puddles were starting to accumulate between the trees. And between the puddles and the armies of ants, there weren’t all that many safe places to stand.
It was just past midnight. The night sky was shrouded in a thick cover of rain clouds that blotted out all the stars. The only illumination came from the magic lights the Knights had strung through the Park’s trees duringOperation: Free Gaia, and they didn’t providethatmuch light. There were, however, a lot of shadows, perfect hiding spots for fiends.
Kato had called for backup, but the district was large and completely overgrown with trees. It could be a while before the Knights arrived from the other end of the Park. The Templars would likely be here before they were. In fact, we expected them any minute now. The Spirit Tree had matured enough to allow inter-realm travel. It was just starting to glow. Soon it would shine brighter than the treetop lights.
Meanwhile, all the three of us could do was wait.
“Do you hear the Templars?” Kato asked Conner.
“Nothing but rain and ants. No voices, no footsteps.” Conner frowned in frustration. “Not even the snapping of branches as they make their way through the forest, nor the soft echo of evil that precedes their approach. I can hear the Knights on the other side of the Park, but no Templars anywhere. They must have used magic to mute their movements.”
