Page 92 of Down from the Tower

I drag Zarev’s scythe across the room, propping it upright against the wall. Margo is tending to him, checking one last time for wounds, and I can’t sit still.

Legs watches me pace, shaking her head. “I believe he brought you here for answers, not so you would feel cocky enough to run towards Death.”

“What else do I do,” I ask, spinning around. I’ve dragged my hands through my hair so much over the last hour I swear it’s grown another two inches. It’s dark outside now, and even if I start my journey home it’ll take me days to travel to Tressa, possibly longer since I know nothing about survival. “My kingdom is probably under attack as we speak. I killed Modred of Camelot and now the consequences fall on people who are innocent.”

But waiting could take too long. Zarev slumbers on and if I thought it would do any good, I’d slap some sense into him.

Sighing, Legs crosses her arms. “You’re exaggerating, dear. Arthur’s been looking for reasons to stir up problems in Mystica for years. Ever since he pulled that sword from the stone he’s had a big head. You might have been the final straw when Modred died, but you aren’t the instigator. You’re the excuse.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” I grumble.

“How do you plan on getting back there anyway?” Legs goes on. “How long did it take you both to travel here? You don’t have Zarev’s shadow abilities, so you cannot shadow hop your way back home. If there’s war brewing, it’ll be underway long before you reach the wall.”

I tug at my hair anxiously. She’s right, but hearing the facts doesn’t help me accept them. I gaze at Zarev, willing him to just wake up and help me fix this, but he remains oblivious.

I don’t have his help or his strength to rely on. The only person who can help me right now is me. Margo and Legs are tied here, and I would never ask either of them to leave and help me on what may very well be a suicide mission.

Legs clicks her tongue, gesturing to me. “You’re making me nervous with your jitters, Princess. Come, let’s go walk through the gardens in the back for a few minutes. The rarest plants are back there.”

“I don’t know-”

“Oh, hush. You need something to take your mind off things for a moment.” She’s insistent, coaxing Philippe to come over and nudge my arm. I give in, mostly because I could keep doing this until he wakes up, and Margo’s given me tight lipped smiles but it's obvious I’m making her anxious, too.

I can’t just sit around. I know Tressa is in trouble, but I’m helpless here. It’s like being locked in the tower all over again.

Legs guides us to the back, and while I admit the luminescent plants and gorgeous flowers are a sight to behold, it’s hard for me to really take in the beauty around me. I’m too worked up to truly appreciate it.

“Come, I’ll show you the plant Gothel stole from.”

That’s enough to jar me from my thoughts. “It’s still here?”

“Oh, yes.” She steps ahead on the path, and I follow along, taking in the plants a little bit more now that she’s knocked the shock out of me. “I hide my plants back here. The Mad Queen will send someone to collect tomorrow, so we’ll be hiding the two of you before then. Lucky that you arrived on a day when they don’t stop by.”

I wince. That would be a very difficult, very awkward talk. “You’re able to hide things from the Queen?”

“Oh, she stopped fretting about my hobbies when the Flowerborne came to be. They keep me busy, and Margo visits often to help me out. She still has to maintain a facade for the Queen so she’s not suspicious, but the Queen is looking for someone she’ll never find.”

I frown. “Who is she looking for?”

Legs glances back, a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. “A shadow man. Not one of the Reapers, another being entirely.”

Zarev’s origin story flickers through my head, but before I can ask her about that we come to a stop. “Ah, here we go.”

I look down and take a step back. I expected a massive rose bush, and while there are some normal sized bushes in there, the main attraction is one massive rose that’s glazed in gold and tipped in red around the edges.

“I expected it to be a regular sized flower,” I admit.

“Oh, I nurtured this one for years,” Legs replies. “I was heartbroken when Gothel stole the new growths from me. These roses are rare, growing only in my garden before she came along. I’ve tried planting some seeds in other spots, but if it’s not my magic-touched earth they don’t grow for long. Fascinating really.”

I nod, leaning in closer. It looks vaguely familiar…

“It’s too bad that Gothel stole them,” Legs goes on. “These plants are extraordinarily powerful. I had wanted to give a select few out to trusted individuals, but with some of my plants missing I couldn’t trust it.”

“Why does that matter?” I grumble, touching the leaves. Even that calls to a memory I can’t quite grasp.

“Because the Phoenix flower has another purpose,” she replies. “Sure, from the ashes a new plant is born each time, and I truly believe Midas gave you the plant and infused your lifeline with it’s, but there’s another reason I worked to create this. See the big rose? It’s large enough for a person to stand in. If someone with a connecting flower were to step in you could be transported to the other destination.”

Her words wash over me, and I realize where I’ve seen the plant before. “There’s one of these in Dorah’s garden!”

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