Page 46 of The Tribes of Magic
CHAPTER 2
INVISIBILITY TAG
Eris and Orion had set up an obstacle course on the Hex, the grassy field between the six interconnected castles that made up ‘the Castle’, headquarters of the Knights of Gaia. My two teammates were already there, and so was the other team. For today’s training, the mentors had partnered us with Orion’s team. Unfortunately, that included Georgia James, one of the kids from Victory. Georgia didn’t talk as much as her best friend Zoe—or at all really—but she was a master of the condescending sneer.
“Gather round, Apprentices! Let’s get started!” Eris waved her hands, drawing us toward the large burnt tree stump she stood on with Orion.
Today, the Nymph wore her strawberry-blonde hair braided and pinned to her head, milkmaid style. She’d traded in her armor for a tunic and tights—both in her signature green, of course. Over the tunic, she wore a thick leather belt. More than a few throwing knives were attached to it.
As for Orion, he’d decided to stick with his armor. As blue as the ocean, glittering in the hot summer sun, it was magnificent. Just not as magnificent as the sparkling necklace around Orion’sneck. A small glass orb hung on a long gold chain, like a captured star trapped in time.
Orion addressed the Apprentices. “Today’s training will determine if any of you possess the talent for Dreamweaver magic. To be a Dreamweaver—to feel the magic in your fingertips, to weave the strands together—that requires patience and a subtlety which most magicians, unfortunately, lack.”
Georgia flashed me a wide grin. I responded with one of my own. She was one to judge. The girl was as subtle as a big, old battle axe—with all the rusted bits and chipped edges. I could picture her as one of those berserkers from the days of old, hacking her way across the battlefield with demented glee.
A Dreamweaver, she was not. A nightmare perhaps, but no Dreamweaver.
“We’ll start out with a fun little game I like to callinvisibility tag. I will make myself invisible, and you all have to find me. The first team to do so wins the game. What do you say, Eris?” Orion glanced at her. “Care to pit your Apprentices against mine?”
Her smile was confident and immediate. “Absolutely.”
“We’re finally going to use real magic!” Dutch practically sang the words as he bounced back and forth between his feet, warming up his muscles.
Bronte bent down and touched her toes without even bending her knees. Boy, she was flexible.
Both of my teammates were highly competitive. They got so caught up in the euphoria of the game that sometimes they forgot to stop and do the math.
So I did it for them. “There are five of them, and only three of us.”
Bronte started jogging in place, her knees high in the air. Her breaths were quick but controlled. “What’s your point, Savannah?”
“That there are five of them, and only three of us. Those are hardly what I’d call fair odds.”
“In battle, the odds are rarely in your favor.”
If that was Orion’s idea of a pep talk, he really needed to work on his motivational speaking skills. Though, somehow, I didn’t think he was trying to reassure me. The Dreamweaver Knight wasn’t mean, but he wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine either. If I had to describe him, I’d call himrealisticorpragmatic, perhaps with a dash ofmysterious. He was a Dreamweaver, after all. They were all a little dark and mysterious.
Eris seemed to like that about him, even though she was the exact opposite ofdark and mysterious. In fact, I was definitely noticing some sparks flying between her and Orion. I guess what people said was true: opposites attract.
A shrill whistle cut across the Hex. Everyone stopped warming up and looked at Orion.
“The game begins…now!”
Orion blinked out of sight. The Apprentices scrambled to find him. Most of them ran straight for where we’d seen him last, full speed, but of course he wasn’t there anymore.
“Move it, little girl!” One of the Apprentices ran past me, shoving me roughly out of the way.
I hit the ground, spitting out grass. Yuck. I rose, scanning the Hex for the drive-by shover. Briefly, I considered unleashing an avalanche on him, but I didn’t think I’d get any bonus points for that. And I wasn’t sure I could cast the spell either. The last time I’d done it, it had been a total accident.
I chuckled in appreciation when Dutch tackled him to the ground. Bronte was facing Georgia, who’d grabbed a stick and was trying to whack Bronte with it. Meanwhile, Dutch was squaring up against two other Apprentices. Everyone had totally forgotten what we were supposed to be doing.
There was a gasp, then an Apprentice collapsed onto the grass, unconscious. No one even noticed. Another Apprentice fell. Then another. And another.
The knockouts must have been Orion’s idea of a wakeup call. It was working. The Apprentices had stopped fighting and were now searching for the invisible menace.
Dutch stopped moving, closed his eyes, and listened for footsteps. It wasn’t a bad idea, but it had made him a stationary target. Dutch grunted, like someone had punched him in the stomach, then he doubled over.
Orion’s voice echoed from all directions. “Stop messing around and find me, Apprentices!”
