Page 116 of The Tribes of Magic
Rhett growled.
The Sorcerer patted his shoulder. “Very good. You keep yourself busy getting in touch with your inner animal. Meanwhile, I’ll heal you.” His hand locked on to Rhett’s shoulder, and he pushed him onto the mat.
I’d decided that I sort of loved this Sorcerer. He was cool. Not dark and gloomy and scary like most of them. He wasn’t even wearing buckles and spikes. And he didn’t have any eyeliner on at all.
Instead, he wore a subdued, modest set of hospital scrubs and a pair of hygienic gloves. The only thing to give away that he was a Sorcerer was the red color of his outfit. And the diamond-shaped ability badges on his sleeve.
The first badge was a white cross on a green background, which meant he could heal wounds. I’d seen him demonstrate that power when he’d healed the burns on that Apprentice’s body.
The second badge featured a clock with the hands pointing backward. From my reading, I knew that was the symbol for reversing time. The question was how far back he could reverse time. According to one of the books Kato had loaned me, most Sorcerers could only turn back the clock a few seconds or maybe minutes.
Inside the diamond border of his third badge, a building was putting itself back together. A small, circular clock hung over the building, exactly where the sun would be in the sky. That badge meant he could also reverse decay and destruction. For instance, he could restore a building that had fallen apart. Or rejuvenate a plant that had begun to rot. Some Sorcerers with this ability could even bring things back to life.
I read the name tag on his shirt, then met his eyes with surprise. “Killjoy?”
“That’s my name.” He slipped off his gloves and deposited them into a nearby trash can. Then he put on a fresh pair of gloves.
“Killjoy is your name? For real?”
When the burnt Apprentice had said ‘killjoy’ earlier, I’d thought he was just calling the Sorcerer a spoilsport.
Killjoy drew a rune on Rhett’s arm. “When the spirits chose me, I chose a new name.”
I grinned at him. “I like it.”
“You would, wouldn’t you?” he chuckled. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Savannah Winters.”
“I’m sure,” I sighed. “Ok, let me have it. What do they say?”
“Well, people say you’re a Polymage, of course. And they say you stormed into the General’s office, told him he’s a grumpy old toad, and then set his curtains on fire.”
“Dante sure works fast,” I muttered.
Killjoy’s brows peaked. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
He didn’t need to know about Dante’s plan to make me infamous.
“How much of what the rumors say about you is true?” he asked me.
“I didn’t storm into the General’s office. He had his soldiers escort me out of the dining hall in the middle of dinner, for everyone to see.”
“The General has a flair for the dramatic, to be sure.”
I winced at the humiliating memory. “Everyone was gawking at me like I was being led to the gallows for a hanging. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.”
“The dining hall is so loud. I rarely eat there. I have all the food I need right here.”
Killjoy indicated his collection of cookies, chips, and snacks. He had more junk food on his bookshelf than existed in all of Bayshore.
“What happened after the General’s soldiers escorted you out of the dining hall?” he asked.
“They brought me to the General’s office. Where I didnotset the curtains on fire.”
“None of that happened?” He frowned in disappointment. “You didn’t summon a dragon to the General’s office either?”
“No.”
