Taste of Darkness

We reached the cluster of four Lilys a few hours after sunset. In the cooling air, I smelled the familiar scent of vanilla. None of them moved or hissed as I approached. They were all Peace Lilys.

This might be harder than I’d thought. The single time I’d communicated with a Peace Lily had been after Noelle died. I’d attacked the plant when it refused to save my sister. Remembering the vision of Tohon placing his hands on the base of the Peace Lily’s flower, I copied him. Smooth and thick, the white petal was cool under my palms.

Nothing happened.

I concentrated on why I needed its serum, forming a picture of the dying patient in my mind. Suddenly the petals parted and I lurched forward as my right hand disappeared into the heart of the plant.

Barbs circled my wrist, jabbing into my skin. Ice flowed into my arm, up my shoulder and stabbed into my head.

One only. Learn, it said.

Then it released me, expelling my hand. I fell back. Odd and Loren pulled me to my feet.

“Well?” Loren asked.

I relaxed my grip. A single grape-size blue ball rested in the center of my palm. Except for the smaller size and color, it resembled the Death Lily toxin’s sack—squishy and durable.

“That’s good, right?” Quain asked.

“I’m not sure.” Remembering the Lily’s words, I examined it. Learn what?

“When will you know?” Odd asked.

“When I see the results. Let’s go.”

“No can do,” Odd said. “My men are exhausted. We need a few hours of sleep or we’ll be stumbling into things and making a racket.”

I glanced around. His men had built a small campfire. A few huddled around it and a couple already snoozed nearby. Loren and Quain drooped with fatigue, too, but they’d never admit it.

“All right. Four hours max. You can sleep as long as you like when we return.”

Odd left to organize a watch schedule. I placed the serum in an outside pocket of my pack. Unable to resist the lure of a warm fire, I joined the others. Wrapping my cloak tighter around me, I settled next to flickering flames, using my pack as a pillow. I’d just rest my eyes for a moment.

“How’s that for proof, my dear?” Tohon asked as he led me around the dance floor.

I wore the green silk gown with the plunging neckline and open back. The heat from Tohon’s fingers seared my skin, but I couldn’t break away from him. Music filled the air like a mist, swirling around us.

“Proof of what?” I asked.

“That part of me resides in you. Why else did the Peace Lily open for you?”

“I needed—”

“It doesn’t care. You placed your hands in the exact same spot I did and it worked. Proof.”

“But it gave me its sack, I didn’t steal it.”

“Trivial details, my dear. And not worth ruining our evening over.” Tohon increased his pace, twirling me in circles.

The other dancers blurred by. When Tohon finally stopped, we stood in the garden. My head kept spinning. Tohon hooked his arm in mine and walked me along the stone paths. When my vision cleared, I noticed the once-manicured bushes and plants were now overgrown and wild. Weeds grew everywhere.

Tohon tsked. “Such a shame. Look what happens when the gardener is gone.”

“Kerrick’s not gone.”

“Then where is he, my dear?”

Cold drops struck my face. Water ran along my jaw. The sound of sizzling matched the steady shushing of rain. I groaned and opened my gluey eyes. The others stirred, as well. Darkness remained. Smoke billowed from the wet embers.

“Ah, the joys of camping,” Quain said. “Waking up in a puddle.”

“Yeah, sure, it’s a puddle,” Loren teased.

“Grow up.” Quain pulled his hood over his bald head.

“I’m not the one with the puddle.”

“That’s enough, gentlemen,” I said. Every muscle in my body ached. I clambered to my feet. Rain dripped into my eyes. I yanked my hood up. Icy water splashed down my neck. Lovely.

“Welcome to the rainy season,” Odd said. He swung his cloak around his broad shoulders.

Quain peered into the dark sky. “I told you the weather last year was unusually dry.”

“And how does that help us now?” Loren asked.

I ignored their bickering. My thoughts returned to my nightmare as Odd gathered his squad and prepared to leave. Tohon’s magic couldn’t be inside me. Could it? No. I’d never heard of such a thing. Then again, that shouldn’t be a surprise; my knowledge of the other eleven types of magic was limited. Perhaps it was mentioned in Ryne’s book about the various magical powers. I’d have to ask the next time I saw him.

The rain continued as we traveled back to the infirmary. The darkness turned into a grayness. The sound of raindrops striking the leaves interfered with our efforts to match the noise of our passage with the forest’s song. We stopped often to listen for intruders or signs of an ambush. At each stop, I touched the greenery without thought, seeking Kerrick’s magic. Nothing.

While I understood the need to be cautious, my frustration over our slow speed grew as the day progressed.

It was close to midnight when we arrived. I grabbed a few supplies and headed to Yuri’s cavern, ordering the others to remain behind. Flea slept on his bedroll, blocking the entrance.

He woke the instant I stepped over him. “Did you find a Peace Lily?”

“Yes, and it gave me its serum.” I placed everything on the floor so I could take off my dripping cloak and toss it into a corner with a wet plop.