Page 111 of The Tribes of Magic
I frowned. Gaians hadn’t killed Queen Seriana and Prince Fenris. A supernatural from elsewhere in the Many Realms had. But I suppose the truth was an inconvenient nuisance when you were trying to sway minds.
“The Gaians nearly destroyed the Spirit Trees. They came this close to destroying our very way of life. Are we supposed to stand by and let them try again? No. They are one unruly realm, inexperienced and divided and dangerous. Most younger realms never make the jump fromprimitive hovel without magictoflourishing magical metropolis. It’s up to us to decide who is worthy…and who is not. It’s up to us to protect the Many Realms. For after all, in matters of magic and experience, we are kings. The humans are not.”
All the TVs in the dining hall switched off at once. The big, main double doors opened, and Watchers marched inside. There were so many of them, dozens and dozens, pouring in like a river cutting across a valley. And at the back of the procession was the General himself.
The hall fell dead-silent, all but the sharp, perfectly-synchronized footsteps of the Watchers. When the procession stretched from one end of the hall to the other, filling the wide aisle between the rows of tables, they stopped. There was a single, collective stomp when they turned all at once. And then silence.
Until the General strode down the line. He stopped at the exact midpoint. Every eye in the room was glued to him. He smoothed down his jacket, then he spoke. His voice was sharp and loud, fully filling the vacuum of silence.
“Knights and Apprentices, I have come here today to deliver some very disturbing news. There are traitors in your ranks, evildoers who care more for personal vanity and their own selfish whims than they do for the sanctity of this institution. I need your help to flush them out. If you seeanyonesticking their nose where they shouldn’t, or talking to anyone they shouldn’t, report such transgressions to me. I will see to it the miscreants are dealt with, swiftly and decisively. And for your service to Gaia, you will be rewarded.”
The next table over, Rhett, Zoe, and some of their fellows were grinning and nudging one another. Each and every one of them would sell me out in a heartbeat, reward or no reward. Even Dutch had a speculative look on his face. But when he saw the fire in Dante’s eyes, that enthusiasm petered out.
Two of the Watchers took a step sideways, making room for the General to pass between them. He moved toward me like a man on a mission. Something dark and insidious smoldered in his eyes. He stopped in front of me.
“Savannah Winters, here we are again.” The General made a dismissing gesture with his hand. “Knights and Apprentices, you are dismissed.”
The dining hall emptied fast. And then it was just the General, his Watchers…and me.
“I know you’re still associating with Rebels, Miss Winters.” He watched me for my response. When I didn’t give him any, he spoke again. “Watch yourself. Being a Polymage will only protect you so much.Anyonecan be replaced.”
With that said, the General turned on his heel and marched away. His Watchers followed. I waited until they were all gone, then I rose from my seat and crossed the room, exiting the hall through the door to the Hex. Then, with the General’s threat still echoing in my ears, I hurried to find my group. If there was anything these last few weeks had taught me, it was this: being chewed out by the General was no excuse for showing up late to training.
CHAPTER 3
TEAM VICTORY
If the General already had an informant in the Castle, why had he made such a big show just now, encouraging Knights and Apprentices to spy on one another? Did this have something to do with me? The General knew I was hanging out with Conner—he’d told me as much—but why warn me at all? If he had all the evidence he needed to kick me out, why not just do it? Why try to recruit more spies to tell him what he already knew?
These questions haunted me all the way to the big training arena behind the Metamorphs’ castle. The arena consisted of a large, open field, covered in grass, at the edge of a forest overgrown with eucalyptus trees, ferns, and assorted flowering flora. I’d read books with pictures of tropical forests in them. This forest looked exactly like that.
The Apprentices weren’t hard to spot. A bunch of teenagers in black t-shirts, shorts, and running shoes really stood out against the sea of verdant green grass. Our mentor today was Jareth Mars, a Metamorph Knight with short brown hair, bronze skin, and hazel eyes. At seventeen, Jareth was only a year older than we were. He’d been an Apprentice himself just last year.
“The famous Savannah Winters. So nice of you to finally join us, snowflake.” His wink was so playful, it was almost hard to believe he turned into a big, bad were-bull. But his next words were a potent reminder of his harder nature. “You’re late. Drop and give me twenty pushups for being a slacker.”
“I’m not a slacker,” I protested. “The General?—”
“I don’t care what the General is doing. I only care what the Metamorphs are doing.”
I didn’t point out that I wasn’t a Metamorph—and neither was anyone else here, at least not yet. We wouldn’t be inducted into our Tribes until the Ball next week.
“Sorry, snowflake. You can’t sweet-talk your way out of this one. Only Elves award points for that.”
A few of the Apprentices grunted. Rhett looked positively gleeful.
“Well, don’t just stand there.” Jareth pointed to the ground. “Drop and give me thirty pushups.”
I frowned. “I thought it was twenty.”
“Well, now it’s thirty.” His mouth twisted into a smile. “Because you wasted my time. Keep wasting it, and I’ll make it fifty.”
Jareth wasn’t a bad guy. He was just strict. He was a Metamorph, after all. Metamorphs lived and breathed pushups, running, weightlifting—basically, any and all forms of physical exertion. They particularly enjoyed competitive physical exertion. And punitive physical exertion.
On top of his Metamorph predilections, Jareth was also the youngest of the mentors this year. He had to prove himself to the others. He had to show them he was just as capable of bringing out the Apprentices’ magic as anyone else.
He certainly knew how to put on a good show. Several of the Apprentices were laughing at me, notably Rhett Wilson and his new sidekick, a big guy named Wayne. Their teammate Sarawas laughing too. So was everyone on Team Victory, except my brother Dante. Team Victory was full of tough guys, adrenaline junkies, and crazy-pants people. Most of them didn’t look very happy to be training with me today.
Dutch and Bronte weren’t laughing. They were probably too busy tallying up how many points my tardiness had cost our team. I sighed. It wasn’t like this was my fault. I was only late because the General had held me back.
