Page 42 of The Princess of Portals

“The Knights,” I said, defiant.

“Knights?” he laughed. “Do you see any Knights anywhere? No. And why? Because they’re all busy chasing shadows in the Magic Emporium. And the few Knights who remained here are busy with some shadows of their own.”

I looked at the TV screen. There were a lot of explosions. And a lot of people dressed in techno armor. But when the Knights attacked them, the spells went right through them.

“This is all a trick!” I realized.

“Just some magical illusions and a few well-positioned explosives.” He hovered his hand over his gauntlet. “Like this.”

On screen, I saw an explosion go off as Knights came around a corner.

He laughed. “Many thanks to the greedy, disaster-chasing press for all the cameras at the scene. I couldn’t have done it without them.” He set off another explosion on some Knights.

“Stop it!”

“You might want to work on your enchantment, sweetheart, because that wasn’t very convincing.”

I drew on Conner’s magical knowledge, hitting the Templar’s gauntlet with a lightning spell that fried the controls. The Techno Knight’s whole body shook, then he tipped over.

“Convincing enough?” I used the remains of his helmet to form a restraint around him.

“Better,” he chuckled.

The Templar burst free from the restraint. He lifted his hand, and his staff flew into it. “Not another step.” He aimed the staff at Nevada.

She froze.

All this time, the Templar could have summoned his magic staff to him. He was toying with me. The staff turned crimson. An odious spell shot out of it. I didn’t know what it did, but it wasn’t anything good.

I surged forward in a sprint, waving my hand to dissolve the stream of magic. It turned into tiny little beads, and poured down to the ground.

The Templar scoffed at me. “You are so predictable.” Then, before I could blink, he shot off more streams of magic.

Nevada was in danger! I unleashed a wave of energy that dissolved the Templar’s spell. I tried to teleport to her, but hands grabbed me from behind. The Templar. He’d distracted me, then snuck up on me. I struggled, trying to free myself. I wasn’t nearly strong enough. But I could teleport him far, far away from here, back to where he’d come from. It wasn’t ideal since I really needed to question him about the missing Apprentices, but what choice did I have? I wasn’t strong enough to defeat him, and I had to protect Nevada.

“Oh, no, Savannah Winters. That won’t be happening,” the Templar chuckled.

His hold on me tightened. He slapped a woven bracelet around my wrist. My spell bounced back to me, throwing me off my feet. I froze in the air, suspended. Around me, the Castle disappeared. I tried to grab it, to hold myself there, but it was slipping away. Gaia was slipping away. I was being sucked into another realm.

“No,” I choked out.

The Templar’s laughter buzzed in my ears. I shook him off, and we both fell. My back hit hard, cold stone. Groaning, I pushed myself off the ground, away from him.

“Where am I?” I looked around, searching in vain for something—anything—familiar.

I was in a room—no, not just a room. A grand hall. It was easily as large as the Castle’s dining hall, but there were no tables, chairs, or any furniture at all, for that matter. It was hollow. Hollow and empty and cold. I let out a breath, and it froze in the air.

The floors and walls were made of dark stone, rough and uncompromising. Bars covered the measly patchwork of tiny windows, which peppered the walls like bad sores. A crisp draft cut through the hollow hall, nipping at my skin. I shivered, trying to warm myself.

Dark, sinister laughter drew my attention. The Templar was watching me, his face amused.

“Where did you bring me?” I demanded.

“I didn’t bring you anywhere. You did that all by yourself, Savannah Winters.” Triumph flashed in his gold eyes. “Ok, perhaps not all by yourself. I helped a little.”

“You aren’t making any sense.”

“Then let me spell it out for you,” he replied. “I set the trap. I gave the Paragons’ spellbook to Mistress Meeta and told her to give it to you.”