The Princess of Portals (Paragons #4)

Chapter 1

DEAD OR ALIVE

“Following three weeks of intensive training, Gaia’s newest Apprentices are about to take the final step in their journey to become Knights.

Their graduation ceremony will take place on Wednesday evening at the Castle’s Annual Masquerade Ball, where each Apprentice will be initiated into one of the six magic Tribes: the Sorcerers, the Alchemists, the Metamorphs, the Nymphs, the Dreamweavers, and the Elves.

The Knight mentors will use the next five days to assess the Apprentices’ magic and, ultimately, to decide their fate. ”

I peered through the jungle of wooden crates and sweating Apprentices, to the big television screen that hung on the brick wall over the small, understated armada of parked SUVs.

Like the news networks, the only thing the Apprentices were talking about right now was our upcoming ascension to the rank of Knight.

“I hope they’ll make me a Sorcerer.”

“An Alchemist. Definitely. The Alchemists are the smartest Knights.”

“I want to be a Nymph. Someone has to heal the planet.”

“My mentor hasn’t said anything, but I know they’ll make me a Dreamweaver. After all, I am out-of-this-world awesome.”

Today, each and every Apprentice in the Fortress—all thirty of us—was here in the Magic Emporium, sweating under the scorching sun. We’d been loading supplies into the Watchers’ SUVs all morning. The TV was a welcome distraction from the hard manual labor.

“I’ll be made an Elf, of course. I can enchant anyone.”

“Who needs enchantment when you’ve got fists.”

That deeply insightful statement came from my own personal nemesis: Zoe Santos.

Zoe was convinced there wasn’t a problem in the world that couldn’t be solved with copious amounts of violence.

I really wondered sometimes—all the time, actually—how anyone possibly thought it was a good idea to make Zoe a Knight.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what Tribe I’ll end up in. I haven’t been able to do any magic at all. Maybe I’m a magical dud. Maybe I’ll show up to the Ball just to have the Knights send me away.”

“Just because you haven’t done any magic, that doesn’t mean you’ll be sent away. Remember what the mentors always say: trust the system.”

“I hope you’re right. If I don’t become a Knight, my whole town will suffer.”

That was the other side of this whole thing. The Apprentice Program wasn’t just about determining which Tribe we belonged to. It was also a competition, complete with a big Scoreboard that no one could ignore. A Scoreboard that ranked us all in relation to one another.

And it wasn’t just our own futures that were on the line.

The higher an Apprentice ranked on the Scoreboard, the more Government resources that Apprentice’s hometown received.

Resources like food, clothing, and other basic necessities.

It was a silly, stupid game the Government was playing, and I hated it with every fiber of my being.

“Savannah, look.”

Beside me, my best friend Nevada was gaping at the TV screen.

“Breaking news. Melanie Meyer, Governor of the Fortress, has called in General Lynch for questioning. The Governor’s office has not revealed the specifics surrounding the investigation, but analysts expect it is related to the General’s involvement in a recent incident at the Castle.”

The news reporter didn’t say anything more on the topic, and he didn’t need to. I knew exactly why the Governor had called the General into her office. And so did every other single Apprentice here.

“The star of the Scoreboard, dethroned.”

“More than just dethroned. Removed. Thrown out of the Castle.”

“I saw Jareth and Ainsley drag her out. Bronte was weeping.”

“This is the biggest scandal the Castle has ever seen.”

“And Bronte Vance is the biggest liar who ever lived. She never had any magic at all.”

The General’s inquisition was all about Bronte. He’d made a secret deal with Bronte, they’d been found out, and now Governor Meyer finally had what she needed to remove the General from power. Maybe.

The Apprentices quickly grew bored of the Bronte scandal and moved on to discussing more pressing matters. Like what they were wearing to the Ball. And who they were bringing to the Ball. They weren’t paying any attention to the news anymore, but I was.

“Effective immediately, I am appointing Senator Gaines as the temporary head of the Castle,” Governor Meyer said on TV. “Senator Gaines will have command of the Knights until further notice.”

The mass of reporters at the Governor’s press conference exploded with questions.

“Why select a senator to lead a military organization?”

“When do you expect General Lynch to return?”

“Do you expect him to return at all?”

“How will the General’s detention impact his other duties, namely commanding the Black Obelisk?”

“Senator Gaines is a close ally of yours, Governor Meyer. How would you counter accusations that this move is politically motivated?”

Melanie Meyer raised her hands in the air, silencing them. “Senator Gaines has my complete confidence. And the Government’s as well. They voted in favor of appointing him as interim head of the Castle. That will be all.”

“Governor Meyer! Governor Meyer!”

She turned and left, ignoring the reporters’ calls for her attention. Then the TV switched to an advertisement for unicorn shampoo, and my mind drifted to thoughts of my favorite unicorn.

“It’s so crazy.”

Nevada stood opposite me, her eyes wide, her hands idle. The pile of crates we were supposed to be loading into the SUVs stood to the side, completely forgotten.

“Yeah, it really is,” I agreed. “And the craziest part of all is this: the General is too smart to let himself get dragged into an interrogation like this. He’d never give up control of the Castle without a fight.”

“Because he loves teenagers?” Nevada chuckled.

“Because he loves power,” I replied. “No, this isn’t like him at all. Something else is going on here. The interrogation, the General’s inquisition…it must all be part of his plan.”

“His plan for what?”

I frowned. Yeah, that there was, as my mom liked to say, the million-dollar question.

“I’m not sure what he’s planning,” I admitted. “But he’s definitely planning something. The General is always planning something. Whatever is going down right now, it must help him…somehow.”

“But how does it help him to be tied up in questioning?” Nevada asked. “It’s not like being called into the Governor’s office gives him access to buildings he usually doesn’t have access to. He has the highest Government clearance.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he let himself get caught in order to draw everyone’s attention to him—and away from whatever move he, and presumably, the Order of Kings is making next.”

Nevada went pale. “You really think he’s working with those people, Savannah?”

“I can’t be sure, at least not until I’ve found evidence. And I’d better work quickly, before whatever he has planned happens.”

“Ok, you can do that. It is, after all, what you do best. But first—and don’t fight me on this—you need to pick out a dress for the Ball. A bunch of the Apprentices are going shopping at Mystique’s this afternoon.”

“I really can’t obsess over dresses or dates or balls right now.”

“I know. You’re…well, you, Savannah. You always have to fix things that are broken or don’t make sense. And you know what doesn’t make any sense at all? A Knight having absolutely nothing appropriate to wear when she’s initiated into her Tribe.”

“Sneaky, sneaky, Nevada,” I chuckled.

“This isn’t just a ball. It’s a right of passage. It’s important.”

“I know it is. It’s just hard to focus on those kinds of things right now. I can’t do that when there are missing Apprentices out there. I have to work on getting my magic up to snuff, so I can find them and save them. That’s way more important than balls and dresses.”

“You won’t be a teenager forever, Savannah. You should enjoy these things. Grab these bright moments whenever you can because they don’t come around that often. What’s the point of fighting for this life if you never truly get to live it? If you never get to enjoy it?”

“I can’t stop thinking about those Apprentices, out there, scared and alone. They certainly aren’t living life to its fullest. I have to help them, Nevada. I have to get them home safely.”

“You really are sixteen going on forty. Here you are taking on all the worries of everyone in the Many Realms, and you’re not even a Knight yet.”

Nevada was right. I did worry about everyone and everything. You could say I had a problem minding my own business. Actually, a lot of people said that about me.

The Apprentices finished loading the last of the crates into the SUVs, and the Watchers drove off. We were about to head off to lunch when…

“Savannah Winters.”

The young woman approaching me couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than I was, but she carried herself like someone much older.

There was an air of confidence about her, the kind of confidence that could only be earned through experience.

It shone in her eyes, burning bright—and in complete contradiction to her tense shoulders and uneven steps.

Something had happened to her. Something bad.

Something recent. It had carved a sizable hole in her confidence.

She looked me in the eyes and said, “I need your help. I need to speak with you.” Her gaze flickered to Nevada, then back to me. “Alone.”

Nevada winked at me. “See? By now, everyone in all the Many Realms knows what kind of person you are. You have to solve their problems. You just can’t help yourself, Savannah. You take on all the Hopeless Quests they bring you.”

“That’s what it means to be a Knight.” I glanced at the girl, who had fallen silent, her arms crossed over her chest. She was waiting. “I’ll catch up with you at the Castle later, Nevada.”

“Sure thing, Savannah.” Nevada gave me another wink, then she walked off to join our fellow Apprentices.

The girl watched her leave, her eyes tracking every step. It wasn’t until we were alone that she spoke. “Hello, Savannah Winters. My name is Yara. I need your help. Only you can help me.”

“Why me?”

“You’re the only one I can trust.”

“But you don’t even know me.”

“You’re friends with Violetta. She told me how you helped her find her sister. I was hoping you could do the same for me: help me find someone.”

“Who?”

Yara squeezed her hands together. “My father. I haven’t seen him in over a year.”

“A year? That’s a very long time for someone to be missing. The trail might be cold by now.”

She shook her head. “Not just cold. Dead. He was supposed to be dead. But he’s not.” She pulled a photograph out of her pocket and thrust it into my hands. “This photo was taken just three days ago.”

I glanced down at the picture in my hands.

A nondescript man in a nondescript suit stood in the shadow of a building, quiet and unmoving.

His companion, on the other hand, was anything but nondescript: a tall woman dressed in a black bodysuit and stiletto boots.

She was armed with a crossbow and an assortment of throwing knives.

Even from the photograph, I could tell they were both standing completely still. Waiting. They were waiting for someone, I realized. Or something. And that wasn’t the only thing I realized.

“This was taken here, in the Magic Emporium,” I said.

“Yes,” Yara replied. “My father is alive, and he’s here on Gaia. And I need you to find him.”