Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,60

of butter and mayo. Is that okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I don’t need to eat right now.” She waves her hand dismissively.

Phoenix’s face twists into a scowl. “No dice, babe. You’ve got to eat. All those folks outside are depending on you to save the day.”

She drops her face to the table with a groan. “Don’t remind me.”

“Knock, knock,” a woman in her midforties, wearing a long paisley print dress, calls from the entrance. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Daisy’s spine becomes stiff in an instant as she raises her head off the table.

“Who are you?” Rufio asks bluntly.

Gee, brother. Take it down a notch.

“I’m Ophelia Sparks, leader of the northern chapter.” She walks in, grinning from ear to ear as her gaze sets on Daisy. “I’m beyond honored to finally meet Magia’s descendant. We’ve been waiting for your arrival for centuries.”

“Hi, nice to meet you,” Daisy says in a small voice.

Ophelia glances quickly in Phoenix’s direction. “Oh, I see you’re making a sandwich. I brought groceries if any of you young fellas want to help unload the car.”

There’s a moment of tension when none of us move or reply. We don’t want to leave Daisy alone with this stranger.

“I’ll go. Come on, Rufio.” Morpheus waves him over.

Grumbling, my brother follows him outside but throws a glower toward Ophelia. Subtle, my brother isn’t.

The woman approaches the table and stops across from Daisy. She doesn’t say anything as she stares with a stupid grin on her face. Gee, these people are weird.

“Please, sit down.” Daisy points at the seat.

“Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.”

“How long have you been the leader of your church?” Phoenix asks, walking over to the table.

She crinkles her forehead. “Oh, for about ten years now, but I’ve been a member of the church since I was a little girl. My parents were also members. As a matter of fact, our involvement with the church goes back to when it was first established.”

“You’re kind of a superfan of Magia, then?” Phoenix grins wickedly. He’s mocking her, but the fact flies right over her head.

She cocks her head to the side. “I suppose you could say that.”

Morpheus and Rufio return carrying several bags between them. Since the kitchen counter is occupied with the mess left behind, they dump all the groceries on the table.

“Wow, you got a lot of food there,” Daisy says.

“Harry called and told me you’d be staying at the camp for a while.”

The mood inside the cabin changes drastically. Now we’re all staring at the lady with a frown.

“Why did he say that?” Daisy asks.

“We can’t let you wander off before we have a solid plan. The Neo Gods are searching for you, child.”

“We had plans to meet up with the Knights,” I say.

She looks at me in surprise. “Oh, I don’t think that’s wise, son. Haven’t you heard? The Knights are crumbling.”

23

Daisy

“What do you mean, they’re crumbling?” My voice rises in pitch while my pulse quickens. Without the Knights, there’s no hope for us.

“I don’t know the details, but Gunther Silverstone told us to cease distribution of lightning-glass weapons until further notice. We had to change the locations of our factories in the middle of the night, and we all got new burner phones.”

“What about this place? Who knows about it?” Bryce asks.

“Only members of the church, Xavier, and the Silverstone family.”

“They had a mole, but he told me they had eliminated that threat.” Morpheus begins to pace, troubled. “Why is he taking those extra precautions?”

“Do you think they had another leak? Andromeda?” I ask. He told me she’s a double agent, but what if she’s playing both sides?

He shakes his head. “No, it’s definitely not her.”

“If the Knights had a spy in their midst, what guarantee do you have that you also don’t have traitors in your church?” Rufio asks Ophelia, not hiding his aggressive stance.

She arches her eyebrows, glancing at him with round eyes. “Our members are devoted to Magia. They’d never betray her.”

My heart feels heavy, consumed with worry. I wish I could believe her words, but I’ve learned that betrayal can come from where you least expect it. Also, her declaration that we must remain here for an undetermined amount of time doesn’t sit well with me. I didn’t evade being used by Jodie Fallon only to fall under these people’s control.

“Daisy!” Rosie bursts through the door, followed by Toby. “Where have you been?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I met up with the guys and we decided to come here