Chapter 8

Istaggered into my Killfield cottage that night, exhausted. The moment I closed the door behind me, there was a loud, metallic groan—then a whoosh! of chilly air nearly knocked me off my feet. Shivering, I snatched my red hoodie off the back of a dining chair and slid it over my head. I was not used to air conditioning. I'd spent sixteen years living without it.

After a bit of searching, I managed to locate the button that turned off the AC, but it was still way too cold in my cottage. So I flipped up my hood and made my way to the kitchen. It was well past nine o'clock, and I was famished. And today I actually had to cook my own dinner. So I pulled out two pots—one for the pasta, one for the sauce—glad that at least today's menu was quick and easy to make.

"The sauce would taste even better with some fresh tomatoes in it."

I whipped around at the sound of that familiar voice. The voice of the invisible stranger. But he wasn't invisible anymore.

"Nice to see you." He winked at me. "I'm Conner."

The invisible stranger was a teenage boy not much older than I was. But he was quite a bit taller.

Conner offered me his gloveless hand. When I shook it, I felt an unusual warmth under his skin, like there was magic bubbling just below the surface. His whole body was relaxed—from his stylishly disheveled blond surfer hair, to his mischievous smirk. It was like he knew he had all this power brewing inside of him, but he wasn't all that bothered about it.

"You're a very powerful Knight."

"Yes, we already settled that," he replied with another wink. "I'm not like other Knights. I don't slay, I shlay."

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

"It means I'm way cooler than your average Knight." He winked at me.

Conner definitely dressed differently than any other Knight I'd met. He wasn't wearing hard metal armor like Kato, or even leather armor like the mentors. Instead, he wore something that looked a lot like a wetsuit—except instead of neoprene, it was made of some mysterious material that glistened like thousands of tiny dewdrops in the sunlight.

"Sooo." Conner's smile was as natural as his magic. "I told you my name. And if you're going to keep checking me out like that, I'm going to need your name too."

Heat rushed to my cheeks. I forced a laugh to cover it up. "I wasn't checking you out." I was surprised by how steady my voice sounded because my heart was racing. "I was looking at your suit." I squinted at the glistening material. "Are those scales?"

"Dragon scales, actually," he said brightly, setting his helmet on my kitchen counter. "They provide superior protection and also absorb my invisibility spell better than metal or leather."

I filed away that little nugget of magical knowledge. Who knew when it might come in handy.

"Still waiting on that name." His smile was easy, relaxed. "Or should I just call you Little Red Riding Hood?"

Blushing, I pushed the red hood off my head. "I'm Savannah."

His gaze slid to my burning cheeks. "Na, Red will do just fine." His eyes twinkled, sapphire-blue and mesmerizing.

I blinked, trying to dispel the enchantment. It only kind of worked.

"So, Savannah Winters?—"

"Wait, I didn't tell you my last name."

"Ah, well, of course I know who you are."

"Then why did you ask for my name?"

He didn't answer my question. Instead, he said, "You're famous, you know."

"I am?"

"Of course. Everyone is talking about the girl who wasn't chosen but ran off to the Spirit Tree to get magic anyway. Don't worry," he said quickly, probably in response to my wincing. "I haven't told anyone the best part: that you've had magic all along. That secret is too good to share."

"Well, thanks." I frowned. "I think."

"You're very welcome." He joined me in the kitchen. "Now how about we take care of those sauce tomatoes?"

"But I don't have any fresh tomatoes. They weren't in today's food delivery."

"Don't worry. I've got you covered." Conner waved his hand, and a box of the reddest, most perfect cherry tomatoes I'd ever seen appeared on the kitchen counter. He retrieved a knife from the cutlery drawer and started cutting them into chunks.

"How did you get in here?" I asked him. "The door was locked. And you don't have a key."

"I don't need keys. I have magic."

"Oh. Right." I leaned my elbows against the counter. "So, what are you doing here?"

"We'll get to that later. After you've eaten. Right now, you should really sit down before you pass out."

I was too tired to argue, so I walked to the other side of the counter, sat down on one of the bar stools, and let the Knight in the kitchen cook me dinner. Wow, that was just so unreal. A Knight was cooking dinner for an Apprentice. That was a real role-reversal there. Conner really wasn't like other Knights.

"Thanks for your help this morning." I grabbed one of the tomatoes and popped it into my mouth. It tasted just as amazing as it looked.

Conner emptied the full bottle of sauce into the smaller pot. "No problem at all."

"And, also, thanks for leaving that anonymous tip for Governor Meyer. Too bad she couldn't get the General fired. Apparently, he has friends in high places."

Conner shrugged. "Well, there's always next time. I'm sure the General has loads of dirty little secrets buried in the Black Obelisk. One of them is bound to be too scandalous, even for his Government friends. Maybe I should break in there again to see what I can dig up."

"So did you really nab one of the Watcher uniforms when you were at the Black Obelisk?"

"Na, I decided it wasn't cool enough for me."

I took another tomato.

"If you eat them all, there won't be any left for the sauce," he warned me.

"I can live with that." I stole another.

He chuckled.

"I'm curious, Conner," I said, "why do you like going around everywhere while invisible?"

"It's stealthy." He poured the pasta into the boiling water. "When you do things you're not supposed to do, it's important not to get caught."

"I thought being a Knight was about doing the right thing."

"I am doing the right thing. Eventually, he'll see that."

"Who? The General?"

Conner laughed. "No, there's no chance that he could ever understand. The Iron Wolf lives up to his reputation and then some. He is actually way worse than you know. Trust me on that." He sprinkled some of the tomato pieces into the sauce. But he left a few on the cutting board. It was almost like he was daring me to take them. "I was actually talking about someone else."

I leaned forward and pilfered a tomato piece. "Who?"

He didn't answer.

"Another Knight?"

Conner slanted a curious look my way. "You know, you are very persistent."

"I am," I agreed. "I never give up. So you might as well surrender and tell me now. It will be easier on both of us."

His mouth twitched. "Oh, I have no doubt of that."

"Who's this ‘someone else'?"

"My best friend."

"He's another Knight?"

"He's not just a Knight. You might call him the perfect Knight. At least everyone else does."

"You're talking about Kato." My mind raced to make this new connection. "Kato is your best friend?"

"Yes. And no."

"It sounds like you guys have a complicated relationship."

"You're not wrong about that." He chuckled, as if something about his own words amused him. "Since the day we became Apprentices two years ago, Kato has been like a brother to me. Though, recently, our brotherhood has grown a little strained."

"I know what that's like," I told him. "I love my brother, but sometimes he really drives me crazy."

"Kato does excel at that. Usually. These past few days, though, he's been too distracted to annoy me. I wonder if it's because of…"

"Because of what?" I asked.

Conner met my eyes, and his mouth lifted in a half-smirk. "Never mind. It's probably nothing."

"Ok, now I need to know."

"No, you want to know," he told me. "There's a difference."

"Tell me anyway."

He flashed me a grin. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you want to know."

"Fine. Be that way." Smiling, I tossed a tomato at his head.

Somehow, he managed to catch it in his mouth. "Thanks."

I leaned my head against my hand.

"This didn't go at all like you'd planned, did it?" he asked cheerfully.

"No." I expelled a heavy sigh. "It did not."

"Fine, I'll tell you."

I perked up. "Really."

"No." He chortled.

And I growled in frustration. "You're just as much of a rascal as my brother."

"I'm pretty sure I'm even more of a rascal than your brother." He spoke like he was very proud of that.

"Seriously, what kind of Knight are you!" I demanded.

"The fun kind." He winked at me. "Not the serious kind. Kato has that corner covered." He dumped the cooked pasta into the sieve in the sink. "I guess that's why we usually get along so well. We kind of balance each other out."

Usually. That word was hard to miss. And so was the pained way that Conner said it.

But his smile quickly returned. "In any case, dinner is served." He set a full plate of pasta in front of me.

I took a bite, and my tastebuds thanked me. "You were right! The fresh tomatoes made all the difference!"

"I know my way around a kitchen."

He tried to pull off a nonchalant shrug, but I wasn't fooled for a second. He was happy I liked the dish he'd prepared. I could see it in his eyes. Even though he tried to hide it. He wasn't nearly as good of an actor as he thought. There was something just so genuine about him.

"So," I said once my plate was empty. "You said you'd tell me why you're here."

"Besides being here to hang out with my favorite Apprentice?"

"Do you even know any other Apprentices?"

"No, but that doesn't matter. No matter how many Apprentices I meet, you will always be my favorite, Red. And not just because you're nearly as good at annoying the General as I am. By the way, kudos on scoring an inquisition already."

I slouched over. "You've heard about my inquisition?"

"Red, everyone has heard about your inquisition. News spreads when an Apprentice is called into the General's office on the third day."

I sank a little deeper in my chair.

But Conner patted me on the back. "Well done! It took me at least four times as long to hit that milestone."

I laughed. He looked so genuinely proud of me that I couldn't help it. Which is probably why he'd said it. To cheer me up.

"Right, back to business. I'm here tonight because I'm fulfilling a promise," he told me.

"A promise? To whom?"

His answer wasn't what I'd expected. "To you, Red. A promise made the day we met in Bayshore's Forbidden Zone, shortly after we survived a trio of Cursed Ones. I promised I would look into the string of Cursed One attacks. And I did."

"What did you discover?" I scooted closer to him, as though that would get me the answer sooner.

"I discovered that in all cases, the Cursed Ones targeted either the Chosen before the Blending or Apprentices afterwards."

"Like in the Garden."

"Yes."

"They are targeting people in line to become the next Knights," I said quietly. "But the Knights are all that stand between us and the Curse. Why would anyone on Gaia want to take them out?"

"Who said someone from Gaia is behind the attacks?"

"You think it's someone from the Many Realms?"

"I'm not saying anything right now. Because I don't know anything right now."

"Whoever these people are, we need to find them. And stop them!" I jumped off the stool.

But Conner was faster. He was on his feet and had caught my hand before I'd made it a single step. "I'll keep looking into this, and if I find anything, I'll let you know." His hands lifted to my shoulders. "I promise."

I met his eyes. "I believe you. You kept your last promise."

"As did you." His smile was smaller this time, more vulnerable. "Thank you for not telling anyone that I was in Bayshore. And please don't tell anyone that I'm looking into this. The General can't find out."

"I won't tell anyone," I promised. "But, Conner, you should tell someone. Like Kato. He can help."

He shook his head.

"He's your best friend," I reminded him.

Conner's sigh was heavy, like a boulder was pressing down on his chest. "Kato isn't very good at breaking the rules, even if it's for a good reason." His gaze dropped, then quickly met mine again. "He always follows orders."

"The General's orders, you mean."

"Yes, and right now the General's got Kato busy hunting for Rebels, instead of fighting the important battles. Whoever is trying to take out this year's Knights before they become Knights—those people are the real threat."

"So that's where Kato keeps running off to," I said. "He's hunting the Rebels. I wonder if he's caught any."

"If he had, the General wouldn't be in such a foul mood," Conner pointed out.

"I saw some of them, you know. Rebels. They didn't seem so bad."

"Listen to me closely, Savannah." Conner's grip tightened on my shoulders, but his touch wasn't aggressive; it was protective. "Stay away from the Rebels. They are very, very dangerous."

"How can you say that! Especially after you proudly proclaimed yourself a rascal!"

"There's a very large chasm between rascals and Rebels."

"They are former Knights," I reminded him.

"Which means they have very powerful magic. Magic they will use if they feel cornered. And, believe me, with the General hunting them, they are definitely feeling very cornered right now. So, please, don't go looking for them, no matter what. It won't go well. I don't want you to get hurt."

"The Rebels wouldn't hurt me. They aren't bad." I shrugged him off. "I saw them in the Emporium during one of my team's Discovery Quests. Bandits attacked the mall, and the Rebels saved all those innocent people."

Conner's whole body went rigid. "Bandits attacked the mall? When?"

"Two days ago."

He frowned. "While Apprentices were there?"

"Yeah, five of us. And our mentor Eris." I inhaled a sharp shot of air. Suddenly, I was finding it really hard to breathe. "Wait, you think those bandits are somehow connected to the Cursed One attacks, don't you?"

"I don't know." His eyes narrowed. "But I intend to find out."

"How?"

"Let me worry about that. You worry about your training. And staying out of trouble." He arched his brows at me. "That means no chasing after Rebels."

I grunted.

"I'm serious, Red. Stay away from the Rebels. And stay away from whoever is targeting Apprentices."

I folded my arms over my chest. "What makes you think that I'll go looking for someone who wants to hurt me?"

He matched my stance. "Because, believe it or not, I already know you pretty well. You're not very good at sitting by and doing nothing when people are in trouble. Especially people you care about. Like your brother. And your friends."

"No, I'm not good at sitting by and doing nothing if I can make a difference." My heart was pounding in panic just thinking about how many people that I cared about were in danger. "But you're not good at sitting by and doing nothing either."

"Yeah," he laughed—or maybe that was a sigh. "I guess that's why we get along so well."

"So let me help you find out who's targeting Apprentices. Let me help you make a difference," I pleaded. "After all, isn't that what being a Knight is all about?"

"I'd love nothing more than to have you by my side in this, Red. Especially with Kato…well, busy." His easy confidence fractured, if only a little. "But it's too dangerous. You don't know any spells to protect yourself."

"Then teach me spells." I gripped tightly to his shoulders, desperate, pleading. "I can make a difference. I know I can. I just need your help. Teach me magic."

"You're not a weapon for me to use, Red. But if I did as you're asking me now, I'd be treating you as one. And anything that happened to you would be entirely on me." He extracted himself from my desperate hold. "Magic takes time, so don't rush it. That's what gets people hurt—or, worse yet, killed. Be patient, and before you know it, you'll be a Knight, going off on Quests of your own, saving the world."

"If someone told you to be patient and wait, would you listen?" I snapped.

"Probably not." His laugh was low, dark. Maybe even a little scared. "But I don't want you to be like me."

He turned and walked toward the door.

"If you don't take me with you, I'll just follow you!" I called out to him.

"I know you'll try," he said over his shoulder.

There was a flash of blinding light. And by the time my vision had cleared, Conner was gone.

"This isn't over," I muttered. "I am going to figure out who's targeting Apprentices. And I am going to stop them."