Page 102 of The Tree of Spirits
“It looks just like Kato, don’t you think?” Conner said with a smile.
He made the little knight march a few steps. Then it stopped to draw its sword, which it used to slay the metal beast Conner had just created.
“That’s amazing,” I laughed, clapping my hands.
Conner pushed back his shoulders, his grin wider than ever. “Glad we’ve established who’s the cooler Knight.”
“We’ve certainly established who’s the bigger showoff,” Kato told him.
“Have we?” Conner said, amused.
“Ok. Challenge accepted,” Kato said, his voice dipping as he snapped his fingers.
The little knight and the monster shattered into dust. The metal glitter twinkled, orbiting around us like a stream of stardust. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Cool,” I gasped in delight.
Kato clapped his hands, and the glittering particles snapped together, like they’d been sucked into a very strong vacuum.
“For you,” he said, handing me the new necklace he’d made.
I rubbed my fingertip across the intricate rose pendant. “It’s beautiful.”
“Now you can call me whenever you need me,” Kato told me.
“Now you can call both of us when you need us,” Conner added as I looped the rose necklace over my neck, right next to the orchid one he’d made me.
I grinned at them. “Thanks, guys! That makes me feel better, knowing that two such powerful Knights have my back.” I tucked the two necklaces under my shirt. “I’m so glad I met you both!”
Kato opened his mouth, but then he shut it again, like he wasn’t sure what to say. And Conner didn’t respond with his usual easy smile. But he did run his hands through his hair, looking a little sheepish.
“So, you said you’ve figured out how the Templars are planning to escape Gaia,” Kato reminded me.
“Right. So when I was flipping through the Paragons’ spellbook, I came across a section that describes Spirit Trees.” I exhaled. “And how to create new ones.”
“You think the Templars made themselves another escape,” Kato realized.
“Yes, I do. I think they planted a new Spirit Tree. I think that’s what they were really doing in the Park when Conner and I saw them a few days ago. They were planting a Spirit Tree. And everything else—making the Watchers disappear, blowing up the Brothers’ base—it was all just a distraction to keep everyone busy and confused.”
“And how does one create a new Spirit Tree?” Conner asked me.
“Well, it’s not too difficult actually, as long as you have a seed,” I said. “The trick is getting the tree to grow fast. Usually,they take months before their roots reach deep enough into the Many Realms to allow travel between realms.”
“Usually?” Kato said. “But not always?”
“According to the spellbook, there are ways to expedite the process,” I replied. “To make a Spirit Tree mature faster, you need a strong, steady release of magic. It’s like fuel for the tree.”
“A strong, steady release of magic…” Conner’s gaze drifted to Kato. “Like a multi-day battle in the Park. Lots of Knights using lots of magic nonstop. And defeating all those Cursed Ones, returning their tormented souls to the planet…Thatis a lot of magic.”
I nodded. “A lot of magic contained in one small area: the Park.”
“So there’s a Spirit Tree somewhere in the Park.” Kato’s forehead furrowed.
“You were just there,” said Conner. “Did you happen to see a big, shining Spirit Tree?”
Kato frowned. “No.”
“It would have been very small at first. And not very shiny. It probably looked just like any other tree,” I said. “According to the spellbook, it takes a while for the Spirit Tree to absorb that much magic and to really start growing fast. So the Knights would have been gone by the time it started looking magical.”
