Chapter 5
KILLJOY'S WORKSHOP
Iwent to the Castle. The moment Kato saw me, he ordered me to the infirmary. He came along as my escort. He seemed to think I couldn’t make it there alone without falling into some new calamity along the way.
“You’re injured. Again,” Kato said.
We walked side-by-side down the wide corridor. There were Knights everywhere, and more than a few of them were watching us, looking quietly amused. Kato was as fit as always. I, on the other hand, was limping horribly, clutching a fat walking stick.
“You’re injured, and Conner just abandoned you,” Kato said.
“Conner didn’t abandon me. He chased after the Templar. He didn’t see my injuries.”
“Then he didn’t look very hard.” He was obviously annoyed. And Kato didn’t get annoyed. At least not very often.
“You’re worried about me,” I realized.
“Yes,” he cut out shortly.
“There’s no need. I’m safe now.”
“You’ve been attacked twice today, Seven, suffering injuries both times. That fiend is still out there, and he obviously sees you as a target. You’re most certainly not safe.”
It was hard to argue with that.
When we got to the infirmary, we were greeted with a chorus of mechanical screeches and bubbling pops.
Directly facing the door, an assortment of tools in boxes and beakers filled with gurgling liquids covered a large workbench.
Ansel Andersen, one of my fellow Apprentices, sat behind that workbench, a large, silver multifunction power tool in his hands.
The tool was obviously magical. The screwdriver, the accessory that Ansel was currently using, had a distinct otherworldly shimmer.
When we entered the room, Ansel peered up at us through bronze-framed goggles. “Hey, Savannah. I’m glad you’re here. Killjoy kindly offered me some space here in his workshop. Come take a look at this.”
I moved toward the heavy workbench and looked down. Metal pieces were carefully arranged on the tabletop, like the pieces of a puzzle just waiting to be assembled. It looked like a suit of armor—and yet not entirely like a suit of armor.
“What is it?” I asked Ansel.
“My graduation project,” he replied.
There was a flash of pride in his tired eyes. He’d obviously been working overtime on this project.
“What does it do?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
I glanced back at Kato. He stood there, framed inside the door, looking very menacing. At least he didn’t have his helmet on, but he did have it ready, along with his sword. Just in case.
Ansel stole an anxious glance at Kato, apprehensive, then whispered to me, “Is he going to stand there the whole time?”
“Yes, of course. That’s what he does.” Killjoy joined us from one of the back rooms, looking totally relaxed.
Ansel looked at Kato again.
“Don’t mind him,” I said. “He’s not here for you. He’s here for the bad guys he’s convinced will burst out of the walls to attack me.”
Killjoy chuckled. “Does that sort of thing happen to you a lot, Savannah?”
“More than I’d like.” Kato and I both said the words at the same time.
Killjoy chuckled again. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“We need to speak to you.” Kato’s gaze cut past Killjoy to Ansel and he added, “Alone.”
Ansel didn’t need to be told twice. “I’ll finish up later. Thanks for the help, Killjoy. See you around, Savannah.” Ansel dipped his hand to me, then expertly pivoted his wheelchair around and coasted out of the room.
Now it was just Kato, Killjoy, and I.
Killjoy turned to me, smiling. “What can I do for my favorite Apprentice?”
I showed him my knee.
His smile faded. “You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you?” He pointed at one of the cots. “Sit.”
I sat. Killjoy traced glowing magenta symbols over my leg with his finger. Magic sang in my ears, like ocean waves gently rolling up on the beach. The symbols pulsed a few times, then dissolved through my skin. The pain faded.
I sighed in relief. “Thanks.”
“Oh, we’re not done yet. Healing wounds takes a lot out of the body.
I’m going to get you a tonic to replenish your energy stores.
Wait here. A bunch of supplies were delivered to the infirmary this morning, and everything is completely out of order.
It will take me a while to find the tonic.
I’ll bring it to you when I’m done. Hold tight and try not to get attacked again before I’m back.
Oh, and see if you can get Kato to relax.
” Killjoy winked at me, then stepped into the supply room.
I glanced at Kato. He stood at the doorway to the infirmary, vigilant, like a sentry on a castle wall.
I eased myself off the cot. “I think you’re making Killjoy nervous,” I teased him.
“He’ll be fine. Knights have nerves of steel.”
Kato adjusted his stance, standing up even taller. I kind of got the impression that he actually enjoyed being intimidating. I guess it was a useful quality in a Knight.
“Your friend Ansel is very clever.” Kato’s statement was stilted, even a little awkward, like he wasn’t used to filling the silence with smalltalk. “He will be a powerful Alchemist.”
I approached him. “Can you always tell how powerful someone’s going to be?”
“Not always,” he replied. “But often. I knew with you right away that you’d be a powerhouse. There’s something about you, Seven. You’re different from anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Because I run toward danger rather than away from it?” I laughed.
“Powerful and crazy: that’s you in a nutshell.”
“The perfect combination.” I grinned at him.
He grunted in amusement. “The perfect combination for trouble.”
“Yes, we Polymages are all so powerful and crazy.”
“Indeed we are.”
He was looking at me very strangely, like I was a puzzle he was still trying to figure out. I wasn’t the only puzzle at the Castle. All the Knight Commanders were busy discussing the Apprentices, trying to figure out where they belonged.
“Care to share any spoilers?” I asked.
“Regarding?”
“When it comes to most of the Apprentices, it’s pretty obvious which Tribe they’re going to end up in. But for others, it’s not at all obvious. And I’m curious.”
“All will be revealed in a few days.”
“Come on, you must have some idea of where everyone’s going to end up. You are a Knight Commander. You have all these secret meetings with the other Knight Commanders. This must have come up.”
“Seven, you know I can’t tell you what goes on in those meetings.”
I smirked at him. “Because of the Code of Conduct?”
“You shouldn’t joke about the Code.”
I placed my hand over my heart and said solemnly, “I would never joke about the Code.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“There’s a reason for that.”
“I suspect that reason lies somewhere between mischief and madness.”
What could he possibly mean by that?
“Why do you want to know about the Knight Commanders’ meetings anyway?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “I guess because I’m nosy.”
He snorted.
“I was just wondering how many Apprentices you guys have already placed into Tribes. I mean, some are easy. Like Ansel or Nevada. But what about the more complicated cases? What do you do when an Apprentice has shown no distinct type of magic?”
“Or has shown too many distinct types of magic?” His mouth quirked up. “The other Knight Commanders know what you can do. I suspect one or more of them will try to poach you from me.”
“And will you let them?”
“Of course not. I’ll never let anyone take you from me, Seven.” He took my hand as he said it. And though his glove was cold and metallic against my skin, there was something personal about the way he held my hand. A connection born of friendship and magic.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. I was just thinking about that spell we used to combine magic.”
“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it a lot too.
” And he looked, dare I say, wistful. “It’s a useful spell.
Two Knights are stronger than one. In fact, the two of us combining magic are stronger than two Knights.
The spell is truly remarkable, a spell that pushed the boundaries of what I thought was possible.
It somehow made us greater than the sum of our magic. ”
“Yeah, that was pretty cool.”
“I was wondering…” He stopped, looking uncertain.
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if you would like to try the spell again sometime.”
“Of course.”
When he smiled, I felt like the storm clouds had parted, showering me with warm sunlight. I felt optimistic. Happy. Ready to take on the world. Kato’s smiles were rare, but so beautiful.
“I like to see you smile,” I said.
Something akin to confusion crinkled his brow. “Why?”
“Because it means you’re happy, you goon!” I laughed.
“Knights aren’t supposed to smile.”
“Well, it’s not like anyone can see your smile under that helmet you’re so fond of wearing.”
The mentors’ ‘knights wear helmets!’ song started playing in my head. And I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Kato asked me.
“Honestly, you don’t want to know.”
“You must know that when you say something like that, I really have to know.”
I told him about the song.
“I am familiar with this song,” he said, frowning. “Some of the Knights don’t take the Code of Conduct seriously enough either.”
“Maybe life doesn’t need to be completely serious all of the time.”
His eyes slid over me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m trying to picture you as a Knight.”
“And?”
“And I’m having trouble imagining you ever keeping your helmet on.”
Laughing, I lifted my hand to pat him on the shoulder. But he caught it. And held it. We stared at each other.
I cleared my throat. “Nice reflexes.”
“You could have them too. If you followed the training regime laid out by the Code of Conduct.” He sounded like he was half-teasing, and yet doubly serious.
“Not the blasted Code of Conduct again!” I groaned.
The hint of a smile touched his mouth. “It’s not so bad once you get to know it.”
It? Or him? I seemed to remember Kato once telling me that he’d written larger parts of the Code. That meant he’d put some of himself into it. Well, in that case…
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to at least give it a shot.”
His smile was bigger than ever before.