Page 145 of The Tribes of Magic
“I know,” I told her softly. “But Dante is right. I can’t trust you.” I extracted my hands from her grip and stepped back. “I promise I won’t give up. I’ll keep looking until I’ve saved Kylie.”
“I can help! I can spy on the General for you. I can figure out where Kylie and the others are. Please, Savannah. Let me help you.”
Behind Dante, Ainsley and Jareth stepped into the library.
Bronte stepped toward me. “Savannah.”
Jareth moved between us like a shield, his hand clamping down on her arm. “It’s time to go.”
Bronte struggled to free herself, but Jareth held her in place.
“Don’t listen to them, Savannah. Don’t listen to anyone,” she pleaded. “Let me help you.”
She certainly looked sincere. The anguish in her eyes looked real enough. Then again, she’d always been a good actress. I couldn’t risk it.
“I’m sorry, Bronte.”
Ainsley faced her, meeting her eyes. “Listen to me, Bronte.”
Bronte slammed her eyes shut. “No! I won’t listen! I won’t see!”
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Ainsley said in a soft, melodic voice. She’d dipped into her Elf magic. “Open your eyes.”
Bronte’s long eyelashes fluttered open.
“That’s right. Good. Now come with us.”
Bronte made a muffled, sobbing sound.
“We won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you.” Ainsley made a few magically-powered gestures with her hand. “We just need to get you away from your friends for their protection.”
Jareth led the way, followed by Ainsley. Bronte followed her out of the library, just like one of the mesmerized rats in the tale of the Pied Piper.
I stood there, silent and still.
I’d put so much hope into finding the betrayer hidden among my friends. I’d believed the betrayer would know something that could help me save Kylie and the other Apprentices. But Bronte was a dead end. She couldn’t lead me to the Apprentices. She didn’t know anything. And I was no closer to rescuing anyone.
“Savi? Are you all right?”
I wiped away my tears and turned to Dante. “You didn’t have to call the mentors. I could have done it. It was my responsibility. I was the one who discovered Bronte’s duplicity.”
He closed the distance between us, wrapping me up in a hug. I sagged against him. The tears I’d so hastily wiped away began flowing again.
“I did it for you, Savi. I didn’t want to put you in the position of betraying your friend. You tend to get all twisted up with guilt about things like that.”
“How did you know about Bronte?”
“I ran into Kato. He told me what was happening. And that you thought I might be the traitor.” I could hear the amusement in his voice.
I unburied my face from his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I never believed that. But I had to prove it to Kato and Conner.”
“Your boyfriends.”
“Don’t even start with that.”
Dante laughed.
“In any case, thank you. Thanks for being there for me.”
