Page 35 of The Tree of Spirits
I didn’t doubt it. There weren’t a whole lot of Knights in the world. Theyallknew each other.
But Conner wasn’t my boyfriend any more than Kato was. Everyone was being so ridiculous.
“What do you think, man?” Jareth asked Altair. “You’re our crafting expert. Whose handiwork is that necklace?”
Thank goodness Altair didn’t even glance at my necklace. “I amnotgetting involved in this nonsense.”
Jareth grinned at him. “You do realize that makes you a suspect, right?”
Altair ignored him.
Kylie was watching me very closely. “No, it’s not him. Savannah’s blush didn’t get worse when you said that.”
I rose from my chair.
“Where are you going?” Bronte asked me.
“I just…spotted a friend. I’m going to talk to her.” I looked through the window at Rane, who was waving emphatically at me. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before our break is over.”
But not a second before that. I didn’t want to give them a chance to torture me some more.
Bronte’s gaze cut past me, through the window, to Rane. She frowned. “We aren’t supposed to make friends with non-Gaians. You know the rules, Savannah.”
“Come on, Bronte. Live a little.” I winked at her. “Our ‘world’ has gotten so much bigger. Our world—our reality—it’s not just Gaia anymore. It’s the whole of the Many Realms. Those realms are out there, just waiting to be explored. And that starts here in the Emporium, with getting to know our supernatural visitors. I mean, that’s the whole reason the spirits gave us magic, right?”
“The spirits gave us magic to protect our world from threats.” Bronte gazed out the window and onto the street of supernaturals. “And those threats are closer than you think.”
I frowned. “You sound just like those anti-magic fanatics.”
Bronte recoiled, like I’d just slapped her in the face. “I amnotlike those people. I don’t think magic is fundamentally evil. But that doesn’t mean everyone who uses it is good.”
“No, they’re not. But my friendisgood,” I told her. “And I’m not going to let anyone tell me that she isn’t.”
With that said, I rushed out of the room.
CHAPTER 3
THE FORTUNE TELLER
Ihooked my arm in Rane’s. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” She led us down a quiet street. It was the blank backside of the large shopping mall, so instead of shiny storefronts and flashy billboards, we got tilted tents and hand-drawn signs. “You looked like youreallyneeded saving.”
“You have no idea.”
She glanced sidelong at me. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“Not really. I’ve had more than enough mortification for one day.”
Rane chuckled. “Fair enough. Then we’ll just talk about my problems instead.”
“What problems?”
A woman jumped into our path. Green eyes peered out through a dark cloud of eyeliner. “I’ve been expecting you, dearie.” She looked like the stereotypical fortune teller, right down to the big, bold earring loops and the bright headscarf.
Rane shooed the woman away when she pulled out a stack of beautifully-drawn tarot cards. “Sorry, granny, we don’t want our fortunes told.”
The fortune teller’s sharp eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t speaking to you, Nymph.” Her gaze bypassed Rane, cutting to me. “Do you know what these are, dearie?” She flicked her wrist, and the deck of cards fluttered open in her hand.
