Page 60 of Night of Death and Flowers

Our eyes are instantly drawn to the treetops by a chorus of deep groans, accompanied by cracking, as the fibers of the branches come crashing down.

“Run!”

Drake’s shout is drowned out by snapping and loud cracks arrowing into the night as branches cascade down upon us from high above, tearing through thickets of leaves, revealing the light of the moon.

I take off running toward Ari when the deep moan of a tree branch fills my ears. Splinters fall like a hundred pins onto my face.

I squeeze my lids shut, my throat drying as sharp pain lances into my skull. “Fuck!”

I run blindly, my arms outstretched.

A second thud reverberates behind us.

“Drake,” I yell, but another thud thunders ahead, shaking the ground. I try to steady myself as my boots slide over slick algae, coating the forest floor.

I push myself faster, pulsating behind my temples as I race between the trees, my palms eventually landing against the rough bark of a tree trunk. Coming to a halt, I listen for any indication of where Ari and Drake might be. Then a tickle curls in the depths of my nose, and I take a sudden breath in, the potent, musty scent agitating my senses.

An explosion of air forces itself out of my nostrils, my eyes rolling up, mouth opening as I sneeze, once, then twice. I fall to my knees, my sister and Drake’s panicked yells combined with the occasional scream, race my heart. I sneeze again, tears streaming from my eyes as the splinters etch deeper, and my fingernails carve into the dirt.

I don’t have time to think, to react, before another sneezing fit consumes me. That’s when I hear theirs, too. The musty odor, laced with a deadly, fruity scent tugs at my memory, and then I realize, I’ve created poisons using this plant.

“Don’t breathe!” I shout into the chaos, unaware of how far I’ve traveled from them. “It’s Lumonice Lux pollen.”

Holding my breath, I grab handfuls of the fabric from my dress, then tear as hard as I can. I grit my teeth, letting out a guttural scream as I force the fabric away, until I hear the satisfying rip of silk. I bring the crumpled fabric over my nose and mouth and wince as the fabric touches my shredded skin. I breathe through the spores, holding back another sneeze as the pollen clouds the air.

I breathe slowly, my heart strained with each beat.

Without warning, tendrils of vines swiftly snake out under my dress, coiling around my ankles, restraining me to the ground.

“Cali!”

Ari’s scream pierces my soul. She’s close, but I can’t see anything. “Breathe into your dress. Now.”

Her loud sneeze sounds a few feet behind me. I lower my head as twigs shower me, landing in my hair, whipping against the exposed skin at the top of my back. The tree before me groans, and I reach my hand out for Ari. “He’s destroying the fucking forest.”

The air is knocked from my lungs, a thud landing on my back, winding me. I fight for breath, grasping desperately around me. My eyes fling open to a vision filled with stars, as the splinters destroy my sight. It takes me a few seconds for me to realize it was a large branch that had hit me.

Edwardo is going to kill us. I shouldn’t have underestimated him.

I tense when icy fingers grip my arms until Ari’s rushed tone fills my senses. “Don’t move,” she states, and I freeze, knowing she can see whatever I cannot.

Despite the dropping temperature and the chilling blasts in the winds, warmth seeps into my shivering body. The heat of Ari’s touch starts in my arm and travels up to my face, tingling with a building heat.

“It will hurt,” she says, heaving. “Only for a minute,” she finally splutters.

I scream as her healing magic turns to liquid fire, somehow hot and cold at the same time.

Every inch of my being is engulfed in excruciating pain, forcing me to lie on my back, my body convulsing violently, and as the fabric shielding my airways from pollen slips off, I struggle to breathe.

As I inhale, the scent of pollen fills my nostrils, its cloying sweetness overpowering my other senses.

The vines tighten around me, and my muscles twitch as I wrestle against the constraints. Ari’s hands slip away from my arms, and I lie back the algae, moisture seeping through my dress.

Footsteps pound as someone reaches us. At first, I think it’s Drake, but as my eyesight is restored and the fiery sensation trickles out of my body, I turn my head to see Edwardo.

The color drains from Ari’s face as she collapses in front of me, and I scramble to get on my knees, my adrenaline fighting against weariness.

“You.”

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