Page 108 of The Tree of Spirits
“How did you know they were here?” I asked.
“We followed you, knowing you would lead us tothem.”
I squinted at her. “Who are you?”
“The leader of the Brotherhood,” she replied.
I knew that voice. Somehow, I knew it.
“Good to see you again, Savannah.” She pushed the hood off of her head.
“Elandra?”
The leader of the Brotherhood, the biggest magic-hating organization on the planet, was Kylie’s mother?
CHAPTER 2
UNLEASHED
“But how did you knowwewere here?” I asked Elandra. My mind was processing everything so fast, I was starting to get dizzy again.
“Those walkie-talkies I made for your mother do more than just let people talk. They also allow me to listen. And I was listening very carefully when you and your two Knight friends figured out where the Templars would be.”
My stomach throbbed, like someone had punched me really hard right there. I never should have trusted Elandra.
“Now step aside, Savannah,” she said sharply. “While we deal with these supernatural invaders from the Many Realms.”
I didn’t move aside. I couldn’t. Just as I couldn’t believe Kylie’s mom—and my mom’s friend—was leading a group of anti-magic zealots.
“You released the Cursed Ones on the Chosen. Like my brother. And my friend Nevada.” My teeth were clenched and my fists too. “You could have gotten them cursed!”
“It was a necessary step toward ending all magic on Earth.” At her command, several Techno Knights rushed the Templars. A new battle had begun.
“A necessary step?” I snapped. “You’re talking about cursing people. About robbing them of their humanity!”
“I didn’t start this, Savannah. I didn’t bring magic to this world. I’m just trying to eradicate it.”
“By cursing more people? That doesn’t make any sense!”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand.”
“Yeah, I have trouble understanding insane people.”
“The Curse isn’t a person. It doesn’t grow an ego when it’s given magic. Not like them.” She shot the Knights and Templars a dirty look. “You have to understand, Savannah, that Ihatethe Curse. I hate it with every part of me. I lost my husband to it.”
“So you decided to unleash the Cursed Ones on defenseless people? So that more people are infected? So that more people lose the ones they love? That iscrazy!”
“The Curse is a disease,” Elandra said with pinched cheeks. “It can be contained, even controlled. People with magical powers cannot.”
“And that’s why you think it wasnecessaryto unleash the Cursed Ones on the Apprentices at the Garden?”
“The Apprentices cannot be allowed to become Knights. It only continues the cycle of magic. Magic is destroying our world, one spell at a time.”
I wondered if she appreciated the irony of her words, standing here as her magic-mimicking Techno Knights battled the magic-wielding Templars. This battle had been going on for only a few seconds, and already there was hardly anything left of the picnic area. Lightning and benches and people were flying in every direction.
“Apprentices are not monsters. They are people. You attacked innocent people,” I told Elandra. “Including your own daughter.”
“Kylie was never in any real danger.” She flicked her wrist casually. “The necklace I gave her repels the Cursed Ones. It keeps them away from her.”
