Page 61 of The Princess of Portals

“For what?”

“For being who you are.”

She held me in her embrace for a long moment, then met my eyes. “I’ll miss you too, Savannah.”

“Miss me? Are you going somewhere?”

“No, but you are. The Masquerade Ball is in two days’ time.”

I’d forgotten all about that. When I’d been attacked by a mercenary and thrown into another realm, balls and dresses and other such things had definitely taken a backseat to the more pressing matter of escape. And survival.

“You’re going to be a Knight, and then you’ll be off to the Castle,” Mrs. Edwards said. “Some fellows were here earlier to pick up your belongings. Most of your things are already waiting for you in the Castle.”

Was it bad that I hadn’t even noticed my missing stuff?

“I will miss you, Savannah.” Mrs. Edwards hugged me again. “I do worry about you. You seem to attract all sorts of trouble.”

“There’s no doubt about that,” Kato said.

Mrs. Edwards shone her sunny smile on him and Conner. “It’s comforting to know you have two such strong and valiant Knights to look after you. Promise you will always protect her.”

“Of course,” Kato said.

“We will never leave her,” Conner added.

Her smile turned brighter, and then, in an instant, it vanished. “What is the Iron Wolf doing here?”

I turned, following her gaze down the driveway, to the black SUV that had just stopped there. The General stood in front of it, watching us. Bad news was painted all over his face.

Kato strode down the driveway toward him. Conner and I followed.

“General? What happened?” Kato asked.

“Miss Winters, come with me.” The General opened the door to the SUV.

I went inside. The boys climbed in after me. The General’s gaze fell briefly on Conner, then fixed on me. Whatever had happened, it was bad. He didn’t even comment on Conner’s presence. Or try to arrest him.

The General folded his hands neatly over his lap. “Miss Winters, you have been summoned to the Many Realms Court.”

I flinched. “Why does that sound like a bad thing?”

“The Court has questioned Prince Fenris.” His face was unreadable. “Fenris is telling them a very different story from yours, Miss Winters.”

“What is he saying?” I asked.

I had a feeling I didn’t want to know.

The General’s expression was so hard, you could have bounced marbles off of it. “He says Gaia is behind the Apprentice kidnappings. He says we’re experimenting on the Apprentices. He claims we’re building an army of Polymages to wage war on the Many Realms. He proclaims that you two are leading that army of Polymages.” The General pointed at Kato, then at Conner. “He also says that you, Miss Winters, killed his mother, Queen Seriana, a beloved member of the Court. And now the Court is out for blood.”

CHAPTER 2

A DESPERATE PLAN

Kato’s magic extended far beyond fireballs and swordplay. He somehow managed to convince the General to send his Watchers out to pick up donuts for us. And now here we were sitting in the General’s SUV, munching on donuts, moving closer and closer to the Conference Center, where the members of the Many Realms Court were waiting.

They’d interrogate me, and it wouldn’t be fun. That much was clear. The Court was a conglomeration of devious, self-serving supernatural aristocrats, the richest and most powerful people in all the Many Realms. Dealing with them, even on a good day, was a horribly unpleasant affair. Today was not a good day. One of their own was dead, and her son had told the Court it was all my fault.

“What Fenris is saying is ridiculous,” I said. “The Court must know that.”