Page 12 of The Tribes of Magic
Ms. Featherdale stopped by to check on us. She nodded in approval at my braids. “Much better, Savannah.”
Phew.
“Tuck in your shirt, Jack,” Ms. Featherdale hissed, then set off on her next loop of the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Jack looked utterly miserable, trying to tuck in his already-tucked-in shirt. He whispered to the others, “I wonder how long we’re supposed to just stand here.”
Naturally, Bronte had the answer. Bronte always had the answer to everything. That’s why she was at the top of the Scoreboard.
“We wait here until the food is ready to be served. Haven’t you heard? We’ve been assigned to serve the Court members their lunch.”
“And how willthathelp us discover if we have Elf magic?” Dutch wondered.
“Trust the system, Mr. Holland.”
Ainsley glided into the kitchen like she walked on air. The Knight’s long, blonde hair was braided up into an elaborate bun. Instead of armor, she wore a pants suit.
Ainsley was one of our mentors. She was twenty years old. She’d belonged to that first group of Knights four years ago. Shewas tall, beautiful, and charming. When she shone her pretty smile on Dutch, a decidedly sappy look took over his whole face. He even drooled a little.
He wasn’t the only one. When Ainsley spoke in her dreamy voice, everyone listened.
“As you can see, Elf magic is very versatile. It is the power to charm, to persuade, to inspire. Elves can control how others see us—and what others feel when they see us. This isn’t about charging in, waving your sword, screaming at the top of your lungs, Apprentices. Mastering Elf magic requires subtlety and patience. It requires serenity and planning. It is a beautifully complex branch of magic, but one that, sadly, most of you lack the potential to wield. Nonetheless, I expect each of you to make a solid effort today.”
And with that dramatic note delivered, Ainsley left us to go speak with Ms. Featherdale.
“Ok, so, didanyoneunderstand how exactly we’re supposed to demonstrate whether or not we have Elf magic just by serving food?”
“It’s not about serving the food, Jack,” Bronte said. “It’s about how we present ourselves as we do it.”
“Listen to Bronte,” Victoria said. “She knows what she’s talking about. The mentors want to see if we can charm the guests we’re serving.”
“Charm the sophisticated members of the Many Realms Court?” Jack snorted. “That’s a tall order. And what if we can’t charm them? We could put the whole Summit in jeopardy! The Court could vote to reject Gaia’s application becauseweweren’t charming enough!”
Bronte took Jack’s hands, steadying them. “Calm down. As long as none of us spill soup all over the delegates or insult them, I doubt we will jeopardize anything. The worst that can happen is they totally ignore all the Apprentices.”
“I don’t know, Bronte,” Dutch said slowly. “I can think of way worse outcomes than all of us being ignored.”
On cue, every single Apprentice turned to stare at me.
“Hey! I’m not going to cause any trouble.”
“Says the girl who’s found herself at the center of every major crisis in the Fortress since she arrived here,” Zoe said to her teammates. “Might be safer if we tie her up until the day’s over. If she does anything crazy, we’ll all get in trouble with her.”
“I’d like to see you try to tie me up.” My gaze locked with Zoe’s.
She remained unfazed. “Actually, food poisoning might be more believable. And it would be harder to trace that back to us.”
Ok, I was not eatinganythingas long as I was around that crazy Apprentice.
“No one’s poisoning Savannah,” Victoria declared. “Or tying her up. We are all going to get along. Got it?”
Victoria’s tone was light and soft, like petals fluttering in the spring breeze. A pleasantly-sweet flavor tickled my tongue, and my head felt like it had been smothered in layers and layers of cotton candy. A lethargic heaviness took over, making it hard to move. Making it hard to speak. Except for two little words. They leaked through the blanket of cotton candy, swallowing my mind, filling my mouth. I had to say them. I bit down hard on my tongue, swallowing the words that had invaded my consciousness.
“Yes, Victoria,” the other Apprentices chimed together. The same dopey smile was on each of their lips. The same devoted glimmer was in each of their eyes.
Victoria blinked at them in shock.
“Well done, Victoria. Excellent spellwork!”
