Page 23 of The Tree of Spirits
The video cut to a woman with bouncy, glamorous hair, sitting comfortably in the safety of a parlor. Or maybe that was a castle. The room had tall, gold-frosted columns and floor-to-ceiling windows framed by lush, luxurious crimson curtains.The woman’s face was perfectly lit; there must have been studio lights waiting just beyond the camera’s view.
“Gaia wants us to believe they are ready to join the Court, but how can they participate in the future of the Many Realms when they don’t even have their own house in order?” The video cut to a man with long, sleek, pale blond hair. He wore a very stiff black jacket, embellished with silver threading. It looked like a cross between a royal coat and a dress uniform.
“I’ve seen him before!” I said. “I saw him in the Emporium on my third day in town.”
“That is Fenris.” Conner frowned at the man on the screen. “Son of Queen Seriana. The crown prince of the vampires. He is not a pleasant fellow.”
“Yeah, I picked up on that when he bumped into me and then tried to blame me for it.”
“Is that your official response?” the woman asked the vampire prince. “That your kingdom will be votingagainstGaia joining the Court?”
“I cannot comment on our vote at this time,” replied the prince. “But I am urging Gaia to take a long, hard look at their own situation. The Curse came to their realm sixteen years ago, decimating the population. And in all that time, can they honestly say they’ve made any progress at all?”
“They have magic,” the woman interviewing him pointed out.
“Yes, of course.” A small smile touched his lips. “Four years ago, by which time there was precious little left of Gaia, the spirits took pity on the humans. Each year, they bless a small number of their children with magic. And now those magic-blessed teenagers fight to protect their world. However, Gaia’s Government itself has done nothing but lap up the spirits’ gift and squander it. Have they sent their Knights to slay the Cursed Ones and reclaim their lost lands? Have they tried to fix anything at all? No! They cower in their Paradise, protected bysoldiers and Knights, eating sweets and soaking in bubblebaths, standing idly by as their world burns.”
“You know, much as I hate to say it, the bloodsucker has a point,” Conner said.
I thought so too.
“And now someone is targeting their Apprentices, Gaia’s only hope to fix this mess,” Fenris continued.
“How doesheknow someone is targeting the Apprentices?” I asked Conner.
“Well, it’s pretty obvious once you add it all up, isn’t it?” he said with a shrug. “The Government has to know that’s what’s happening, but they’re keeping it quiet so they don’t look like the fools that they are. They’ll bethrilledthat Fenris just outed them on TV. I’m sure that right about now the Government is really regretting giving the people of the Fortress access to the Many Realms News Network.”
“The Gaian Government has a responsibility to its people. A duty to keep them safe from threats. They have failed their people,” Fenris said. “We in the Court also have a responsibility to our citizens. We must keep the Many Realms safe from threats, even if that threat is another realm.”
“Are you saying Gaia is a threat to the Many Realms?” the woman asked.
“I’m saying that the burden of proof is on them.” Fenris looked directly at the camera. “Show us the disease that’s consumed your world is not a threat to us. Show us that you can not only hold back the Curse, but reclaim what it took from you. Show us you are not powerless. And then you might just have a place on the Court.”
“Wow, nowthatis a challenge they won’t be able to resist,” Conner commented as the Many Realms News Network switched to a story about a runaway dragon.
Yeah, Fenris had basically just outlined exactly how Gaia could earn its place on the Court.
“But how are we supposed to prove to the Court that we have a handle on our own world?” I wondered. “We totally don’t. And it’s not like we can pull a cure to the Curse out of a magic hat.”
“I’m sure the Government is already cooking up schemes to show the Court how awesome and completely in control they are,” replied Conner.
“And any time the Government starts scheming, normal people get hurt.” Marlow winced.
“Does it hurt?” Conner stopped drawing runes on his skin.
“No. It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt at all. It’s the Government’s scheming that has me worried. I feel trouble coming.”
Conner continued his healing spells. “Speaking oftrouble, Red, you really should get back to your team before you get even deeper into it.”
“You’re right. I’ve been away for too long already,” I sighed, standing. “I’d better get back to see how many Merit points they docked me for skipping out today.”
Conner looked up at me again, just long enough to hit me with a lopsided smile. “You don’t want to miss that.”
I snorted. “Yeah.”
I might have survived last week’s Scoreboard culling, but that didn’t mean I got to stop worrying about Merit points. Government funds were allocated to the Apprentices’ home towns based on how well we performed. If I did well, the people of Bayshore prospered. And if I didn’t, they suffered. It was a pretty cruel and barbaric system.
Sighing, I moved toward the front door, pivoting around before I left. “Thanks for everything, Conner!”
