Chapter 8

Iwas sitting under the Spirit Tree when the General arrived, flanked by his posse of Watchers, each one covered from head to toe in black body armor.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

The General's voice tore through the still, tranquil night. Any lingering light on the Spirit Tree's branches instantly fizzled out. It seemed the tree was allergic to negative energy.

I rose to my feet, moving toward the General. "Actually, I've been waiting for you."

A Watcher swooped in from either side, cutting me off.

The General towered over me like a disgruntled dragon in desperate need of a midnight snack. "Do you know the punishment for trespassing in a restricted area?"

I met his stony glare, smirking. "The honor of sitting next to you during the ride to the Fortress?"

"Do you think you're funny?" He leaned in closer. A cruel, disparaging smile stretched his mouth. "Let's just see how long that attitude survives after I make you a Scavenger." He flicked his wrist, and the Watchers drew in closer.

"You can't do this," I told him.

"Why not? Because it's oh-so-unfair?" The General barked a laugh.

"No." I evaded the soldiers. "Because I'm like them." I pointed at Dante and Nevada, who were still fast asleep on the ground. "Magical."

I peeled up the bottom of my t-shirt, exposing what I'd spent years hiding. There, right above my hipbone, was the proof of my magic. The tiny, tattoo-like magic mark resembled a leaf—one of the leaves from the Spirit Tree, actually.

"This is a trick," the General grunted, grabbing hold of my wrist, pulling me in for a closer look.

He jumped back when the moonlight caught my mark and it started to shimmer. He should have known better. You couldn't fake a magic mark.

I smiled at him. "See? It's the real deal. Now, are you going to give me a lift to the Fortress, or do I need to swim there myself?"

"You weren't Chosen. You cheated."

"Oh?" I lifted a single brow at him. "Is that not allowed?"

"Listen here, you selfish little cheat. I'm going to?—"

"Going to what?" Dante cut him off. My brother was on his feet and looked one-hundred percent alert. "Savannah has the mark. It doesn't matter how she got it. The law states you have to bring her to the Fortress and make her an Apprentice Knight."

The General ground his teeth. Dante was right, and he knew it. And so did all his soldiers.

"She cheated to get that mark," the General said through tight lips.

"Magic is too precious to waste on a grudge," said Nevada, her voice as dreamy as Dante's was biting.

I shot my best friend a big grin. She winked at me.

The General looked from her, to me, to Dante, all the while growing more and more agitated. "Fine," he said thickly, like he was speaking through a mouthful of marbles. "The law is the law."

One of his Watchers swung open a car door. When Dante and Nevada moved toward it, I followed them.

But the General caught my arm, pulling me around. "You think you've won here, but you haven't. I'll be keeping a very close eye on you, Savannah Winters, and the moment you step a toe out of line, the moment you do anything strange, I'll be there to put you down," he said with a savage smile. Then he shoved me into the SUV.

"I do not like that man," I said as the door slammed shut behind me.

"No one does," Nevada laughed, flicking her long, dark ponytail off her shoulder. Despite her long nap under the Spirit Tree, her hair looked as smooth and silky as ever.

"Yeah," Dante agreed. "Being unlikable is at least fifty percent of the General's job, you know."

"People say that once the Iron Wolf has acquired a target, he doesn't stop until it's gone," Nevada added.

I slouched over. "Great. I guess I'm his latest target."

Dante nodded. "Yeah. You should really make an effort to avoid him, Sav."

I threw my hands up in the air. "How am I supposed to do that? He's kind of in charge of the Knights, you know."

Dante shrugged. "I guess you could trying blending in with the crowd."

"Blending in with the crowd?" I repeated, sighing, as the car drove away. "Since when have I ever been good at that?"