Page 64 of A Petal in the Crown

They had rushed back to the castle, racing against time to mobilize their army—to send help to the villages being ravaged by wildfires and to distribute the moonflower petals to protect them from Alaric.

Tiny shoots peeked out of the ground as Lea dug her fingers deeper, closing her eyes and pushing her light into the soil. The first white flower popped open, and Lea exhaled, her shoulders relaxing.

Vincent rushed from the front gate as Gray launched off Obsidian.

"Anyone with water or wind magic, gather them immediately!" Gray ordered.

"What's happening?" Vincent asked, his voice tight with urgency. "Thomas said there was a fire."

"Fires. They’re everywhere," Gray replied, his face grim. "The earth is so damn dry from the relentless sun that the grass is nothing more than kindling. They’re spreading fast."

“What about Alaric?” Vincent asked.

“We still don’t know where he is,” Gray said, shaking his head. “Only that Eudora is helping him. She’s been at his side for days.”

Vincent’s eyes widened in shock, but Gray continued, his voice hard and determined.

“He’s moving from village to village, taking all the magic he can and killing the rest.”

“Gods above,” Vincent breathed. “How do we fight this?”

Gray glanced over his shoulder at the moonflowers, now sprouting in a thirty-foot radius around them. Fingernail-sized white petals unfurled before their eyes as they spread out in every direction. “We need to get petals to every village. Every town and settlement.”

Vincent rubbed his temples, clearly uncertain. "Do we even know how many small groupings of families are scattered across the kingdom?"

“No. But we have to find them. Everyone should be evacuated toward bodies of water.” Gray said.

Vincent frowned. “He’s making us spread out our army. Weakening us.”

“What choice do we have?” Gray countered. “We won’t have a kingdom left to fight for if we leave them unprotected. Send them now. Tell them to report back with what they find, and to look for Alaric. He’s out there somewhere.”

“Yes, sir,” Vincent said. Bowing his head, he turned and disappeared back into the castle to carry out Gray’s orders.

It wasn’t until Vincent left that Gray noticed the figure standing in the shadows of the doorway. His breath caught as he met Tanad’s familiar eyes, so joyless and dark. It had been a long time since Gray had last seen him look this grim, and it only worsened the pit in his stomach.

In just the few days they'd been gone, Tanad had aged significantly. The twinkle in his eyes had dimmed, and his once shiny silver hairwas now brittle and dry. Wrinkles lined his forehead and bracketed his mouth, and he looked like he hadn’t eaten in days—but then, none of them had, really. How could anyone have an appetite when the world was falling apart so thoroughly?

“It’s true then?” Tanad asked quietly. “She really is as deceptive as you always claimed her to be?”

Gray stepped forward until he was within arm's reach. He’d always wondered if Tanad had truly loved and trusted Eudora, but looking at the man now, it was clear. Hehadtruly loved the witch, and she had betrayed him in the worst way.

“I’m sorry,” Gray said softly. “She’s helping Alaric—helping him steal magic and burn villages to the ground. She’s the reason we haven’t found him yet.”

Tanad’s voice was low and filled with sorrow. “Was she with him before? Before I banished her?”

“We don’t know,” Gray replied, his heart heavy for his friend. “But this isn’t your fault. None of it. If anything, I should have anticipated something like this happening. I knew she wasn’t trustworthy.”

Tanad shook his head, his expression resolute. “I didn’t,” he said, straightening his shoulders. “And I should have. I will bear that burden until my dying breath.” He swallowed. “Tell me what to do. I— I need to do something to help.”

“We need men and women to fight the wildfires,” Gray said. “Your kingdom is near the sea. You must have many soldiers with water magic.”

“I’ll gather them immediately,” Tanad said brusquely, walking away before Gray had the chance to offer any more platitudes.

A sense of dread swirled in Gray’s stomach as Tanad disappeared, a wave of nausea washing over him. The heat, the stress—it was all too much. They had to find Alaric, but how? And even worse, how much time did they have left?

As if the universe was answering his question, Gray turned just in time to watch another petal fall from Lea’s crown, turning to ash and floating away in the wind.

Chapter 41

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