Page 110 of The Tribes of Magic
“Well, Kato, then I suppose we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that point.”
“We need actual proof of the General’s guilt before we make a move on him. And even if you’re right, westillneed to find the spy at the Castle. Any Knight who would spy on their owncomrades has no honor. The Knights cannot tolerate a spy in our midst. We must not tolerate it.”
“Where do you suggest we begin?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I still can’t believe one of the Knights has betrayed us. I know each and every one of them. They are good people. Honorable people.”
“You don’t always know people as well as you think you do,” Conner said.
Kato shook his head. “Whatever the case, we need to get to the truth. If the spy is reporting back to the General, and if the General truly is the Government traitor who sold out all those Apprentices, then we have a very big problem. I’ll head over to the Castle’s Records Room to investigate. Apprentices have gone missing from more than just one Program year. If Conner’s suspicions are correct and the General is involved in the kidnappings, that means the spy, whoever it is, has been around for a while. Maybe something in the Castle’s records will tie the spy to the missing Apprentices. And then we’ll have our answer.”
CHAPTER 2
BACKLASH
Conner went off to hide the Paragons’ spellbook somewhere the General would never find it. Meanwhile, Kato and I headed to the Castle for breakfast. The dining hall was packed full of Knights and Apprentices, and all anyone was talking about wasPortia and the Circus of Dreams. The show was tonight, and every Knight, Apprentice, Many Realms Court delegate, and important Gaian Government official was going.
“I can’t wait to see Portia’s show!” Nevada was so excited, she’d completely neglected her breakfast.
I stole an apple slice off her plate. “Is the show tonight? I totally forgot about that.”
Bronte looked up from the book on enchantment she’d been reading to give me a horrified look. “How could youforget? Portia is only the most famous performer in all the Many Realms. Seeing her show is supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”
“Indeed. Portia’s act is supposed to incorporate all manner of unique magical contraptions.”
I could understand how that would excite Ansel. He was always building things. Even now, at the breakfast table, he was tinkering with some mysterious device.
The news was abuzz withPortia and the Circus of Dreamsexcitement too. Video clips from previous performances played on the big screen television mounted to the wall across from our table.
“This marks the first time Portia’sCircus of Dreamshas scheduled a stop on Gaia, leading some Gaian Government officials to speculate the Court is very close to accepting their application to join the Many Realms Court,” the well-groomed newswoman declared.
“They have to accept us. They just have to!” Bronte said.
The TV screen switched to videos of the Spirit Trees.
“In other news, the mystery around the Spirit Trees continues,” the newswoman said. “Some experts suggest the trees’ reduced glow is the result of fewer spirits flowing between them—and that this is because the spirits are slowly abandoning us. Without the spirits, the trees’ magic will dry up, and the roots between the realms will wither away and die. Were this to happen, all travel between realms would become impossible.”
A vibrant, violent montage of angry people filled the screen.
“All across the Many Realms, protestors are taking to the streets in fear and outrage, and their message is clear. They blame the Gaians for the Spirit Trees’ decay. Here is one protestor’s account.”
A woman appeared on screen, dressed in a t-shirt that read ‘Gaia killed the Many Realms’. “The Gaians angered the spirits when they tried to poison the Spirit Trees, and now the spirits are punishing all of us. The Court needs to send a clear signal to the spirits. They need to tell the spirits we don’t stand with the Gaians. We reject them. And we condemn their crimes. Votenoto admitting Gaia to the Many Realms Court. Votenoto Gaia!”
The crowd behind the woman chanted back. “Votenoto Gaia!”
“Princess Lyssa of the League of Vampires has taken an even stronger stance,” the newswoman said.
The camera cut to an interview with the young vampire princess. She sat on a crimson leather sofa, dressed in a long black gown. A black lace veil partially covered her face.
“Gaia should be permanently banned from the Many Realms Court. Furthermore, travel to and from Gaia should be forbidden. The only solution to the Gaian problem is to barricade them inside their realm. That is why I’ve proposed to the Court a total blockade. The people of Gaia are a risk to everyone and everything in the Many Realms.”
“A total blockade?” the newswoman asked.
“That’s right.”
“Your proposal goes further than anything your brother Prince Fenris ever suggested. Prince Fenris didn’t trust Gaia, but he believed they just needed more time, more training, before being admitted into the Court.”
“My brother was too soft. And because of that, he is dead. And my mother is dead.” Princess Lyssa’s smile was tight. She tried to hold her hands steady in her lap, but they twitched a few times. “How many more of us need to die before we take action to defend ourselves?”
