Page 99 of The Princess of Portals

CHAPTER 7

THE ORIGIN OF THE CURSE

“That’s completely unacceptable. The Knights cannot declare independence.”

Harvey, Knight Commander of the Metamorphs, looked at the General and smiled. It wasn’t a friendly smile. “You don’t have a choice in the matter.”

“You are the Knights of Gaia. You answer to the Gaian Government.”

Harvey grunted. “Not anymore. The spirits chose us to protect this world. It’s about time we got around to doing that, instead of chasing after so-called Rebels or being used as pawns in the Government’s political games.”

The General’s gaze pierced the crowd of Knights, honing in on me. His eyes narrowed. Oh, great. He thought this was all my fault.

“Escort the Iron Wolf and his soldiers out of the Castle.”

The Knights moved quickly to carry out Skye’s command.

“Wait.”

Alisha, the Alchemists’ Knight Commander, folded her arms over her chest. “You aren’t welcome here, General.”

His mouth tightened into a rigid line. “You’ve made that quite clear. Before I go, however, there is one final matter to be settled: Melanie Meyer.”

“You want us to turn her over to you.”

“She’s a member of the Government, and she betrayed us.”

“Her crimes against us are far greater,” Alisha said. “She worked with Fenris. She sold him Apprentices: our own people, our own friends and family.”

“And what do you plan to do with her?”

The Knight Commanders looked at one another. They didn’t say anything.

The General smiled. It was an unsettling sight to behold. “You haven’t thought this through, have you? It’s one thing to fight battles. You are all quite skilled at that. But what do any of you know about holding prisoners or the justice system at all, for that matter?”

Again, the Knight Commanders said nothing.

“You can’t just throw prisoners into your dungeon and forget about them. You need to feed them, clothe them, and above all, ensure they receive a fair trial. That is, after all, only chivalrous.”

That word drew a few winces from the Knights. The General had really hit home there. The Knights followed a strict code of honor and chivalry. They always did the right thing—or at least they were supposed to. That’s exactly what the General was getting at here.

“And if we turn Melanie Meyer over to you, she will receive a fair trial?”

The question came from Linden Lance, Knight Commander of the Sorcerers.

“Of course,” replied the General. “Hate me all you like, say what you will about me, but you know I always follow procedure. I always follow the law.”

Jasmine, the Elf Knight Commander, watched him very, very carefully. Maybe she was reading his thoughts. Some Elves could do that.

“We will consider your offer,” said Jasmine.

The leaders of the six Tribes drew into a tight huddle to discuss the situation. They reached a decision far sooner than I’d expected.

Adrian, the Dreamweavers’ Knight Commander, delivered it. “We agree to your proposal.” He looked at Orion and Jareth. “Bring the prisoner here.”

We all waited, Knights on one side of the ballroom, Government soldiers on the other. If friendliness could be measured in numbers, the temperature of the room would be hovering around minus forty. I decided it was the perfect time to hit the ice cream bar the Knights had set up for the Ball, and Nevada joined me.

“Wow. So that happened,” she said.