Page 66 of The Tree of Spirits
I sighed. “I wish the other Knights were back. They could scour the city in no time and find the fiends.”
“And then you could see the Knights you’ve been missing. And know they’re ok.” Nevada gave me a knowing smile over the top of her teacup.
“Yeah. That too,” I admitted, sighing.
There was a knock at the door. I jumped up, pushing back my chair, scrambling over myself to answer it quickly. For some reason, I was so sure that I’d find Kato and Conner on the other side. The timing was just too perfect not to be true.
But instead I found a pair of Watchers. My heart plummeted into the ground.
“Y-yes?” I croaked.
“The General wants to speak with you,” one of the Watchers declared.
“About what?” I asked.
“About the Rebels.”
CHAPTER 2
POWER & POLITICS
Ispent over an hour waiting inside a stale interrogation room in the Black Obelisk, trying really hard to sit still and not fidget. Ultimately, I had to sit on my hands to keep them still. That’s about the time the General finally showed his face. He took a seat across from me at the white table, folded his hands together, and just waited.
I met his stare, smiling. The General was playing a power game, but I wasn’t going to be intimidated by him. I wasn’t going to let him scare me into saying something foolish. At least not this time.
“Well?” he finally said, frowning. He’d lost the staring contest.
I kept on smiling, even though my cheeks hurt. “How may I be of service, General?”
“What do you know about this?” He retrieved a slim tablet from his jacket and slid it across the table to me.
I glanced down at the image on the screen. It featured a large figure outfitted in a familiar suit of black armor. “That’s a techno suit, made by the Brotherhood of Earth,” I said, careful to keep my tone level, even though my heart was rattling like a broken ceiling fan.
The General’s lips thinned. “This is a frame from a security camera inside the jewelry store.”
“The thieves were wearing techno suits. They must have stolen them from the Brotherhood.”
“They stole one fromme,” he said tightly. “The suit was in transit to the Black Obelisk. But the truck went missing. The suit never made it to its destination. It simply disappeared.”
“That’s unfortunate,” I replied. What else was I supposed to say when he was glaring at me like this was all my fault?
The General retrieved his tablet and tucked it back inside his jacket. Then, braiding his fingers together, he hit me with a granite stare. “Tell me about the Rebels.”
“There’s nothing for me to tell. I don’t know much about them.”
“That is alie.”
“It’s not, I swear. I’ve never even talked to them. I just saw them a few times when I was out with my team in the Emporium. They were helping people?—”
“The Rebels do not help anyone except themselves.” The General’s words sliced through mine. “They do not care about anyone except themselves. They do not respect the rules and they certainly do not ever follow them.” His nose twitched, like he’d smelled something rotten. “Just likeyou, Miss Winters.”
“I am not a Rebel.”
He ignored me. “The Rebels are criminals, Miss Winters. They’re spoiled children who could have been heroes, but instead they turned their backs on the Government, spitting in the face of the spirits’ gifts. Such a waste.” He shook his head. “These gifts could have been given to other people, people who would have stayed to protect their own kind, not abandoned their posts in pursuit of their own selfish desires.”
He looked at me, inviting me to say something. But there was nothing I could say that wouldn’t make this situation worse.
“For too long, people have seen these miscreants as heroes of the common folk. Finally, yesterday, the truth came out, and it’s undeniable. The Rebels kidnapped four Apprentices. They aren’t the heroes of this story. They are the villains.”
