Page 49 of The Tree of Spirits
CHAPTER 2
CAPRICORN
Itook a closer look at the page in my hand to see what spell the kooky old fortune teller had given me. “A teleportation spell.” I grinned. “Cool.”
But before I could even begin to ponder what I would do with this new treasure, a woman crashed full-speed into me, sending us tumbling into a nearby tent. Muffins, croissants, and assorted other baked goods rained down on us. A crate snapped under me. Groaning, I stumbled to my feet and away from the remnants of the tent, dusting flour and wooden splinters off my clothes. The tent’s occupant, a baker with a big white apron, shot me an icy glower.
“Sorry about that,” said the young woman who’d collided with me.
Then she grabbed my arm and yanked me back down, and not a moment too soon. A large, beastly creature with the body of a wolf, the fangs of a saber-toothed tiger, and the scales of a dragon leapt over our heads. It crashed into the lopsided tent, snapping the final support beams. The whole thing came down. The baker took off in a panicked sprint, and so did everyone else. The alley cleared out very fast, and then it was just me, the mystery woman, and the monster.
“Eh, hi. I’m Savannah,” I said.
“Capricorn.”
I looked her over. Capricorn was young, just a year or two older than me. She had a delicate, almost dreamy look about her—all except for her eyes. Those eyes had seen things. Terrible things. I could sense it. Just as I could sense that she wasn’t human.
“You’re from another realm, aren’t you?” I asked her.
“Yes.” Capricorn’s eyes snapped to the downed tent. “Things are about to get ugly. You should probably go.”
The sea of fabric on the ground shifted and snarled as the monster tried to free itself.
“What is that thing?” I asked.
“It’s called a Charger.”
The monster tore free of the tent and immediately proceeded to rush us. I dove into a roll, then hopped to my feet.
“Charger, right,” I huffed out. “I can see why.”
The monster took a wide turn and came around for another pass. When Capricorn clapped her hands together, fiery ash sprinkled off of them. She blew it in the Charger’s face. The beast howled, kicking and pounding its paws, blindly stumbling around the alley, knocking over tents.
“It is a threat to the Many Realms. That’s why I’m here: to eliminate it before anyone gets hurt. Chargers areverydangerous,” Capricorn told me.
“I believe you.”
“And yet you aren’t running away like everyone else did.” Her brows drew together. “Why? Is there something wrong with you?”
“Some people seem to think so,” I replied with a smile.
She snorted, and her serious mask cracked. “Yeah, I get that too. A lot. The other agents of the Order think I’m…odd.”
“The Order?”
“The Zodiac Order,” she explained. “We’re the protectors of peace and magic in the Many Realms.”
“Yeah, same,” I said. “Except that the Knights of Gaia protectthisrealm. And…” I cleared my throat. “I’m still only an Apprentice Knight.”
She set her hand on my shoulder. “You have to start somewhere.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I smiled at her. I liked Capricorn. She was so real. “So might I suggest we start withthat?” I pointed at the rampaging beast. From the way it was fumbling around, it still couldn’t see. “Before it hurts someone.”
“Indeed.” Capricorn waved her hand, and all the poles from the broken tents shot at the monster like javelins.
A bright gold glow rippled across the creature’s scaled body. The air suddenly felt charged, electrified. My skin began to tingle. There was a buzzing in my ears, deep and persistent. The tingling grew sharper, the buzzing louder.
Until tendrils of lightning burst out of the Charger, zapping the poles. In an instant, they were all reduced to smoke.
