Page 21 of Knight's End
“You’re in quite the hole,” I replied. I wasn’t exactly certain of all the powers a flower sprite might have. But I didn’t want a single one used against me.
The flower stretched its face toward me, stem growing even taller until her yellow stamens fluttered in front of my face as she studied me. Or I assumed she studied me anyway, from the tilt of her petals. She didn’t actually have a face.
“You have a deal if you offer to carry me to your kingdom and protection during the interim of the deal.”
I nodded. “Done.”
The flower shrunk back down and turned to Blue. “Pluck me carefully. And then, if you want one of those nasty things, be careful not to touch any part of it.”
Blue nodded and knelt down. He set down the tin jar and grabbed the flower by her stem.
She giggled. “Ooh, not there, you dirty man! Higher!”
Blue moved his hand slightly upward and pulled. The flower squeaked. He pulled again.
She squeaked again.
He wiggled her back and forth, and finally her roots came loose, out of the ground, wriggling as he pulled her up.
“Hurry,” she gasped as Blue went up the ladder one-handed.
Blue gave me the poor flower, who looked as if she was wilting already, though she’d somehow survived down in a black pit for so long.
I clutched her close to me and asked, “What do I do?” But her roots sank into my forearm. I screamed. It burned.
Connor and Declan moved to bat her away, but I stopped them. “We have a deal,” I told them, as the roots wiggled under my skin.
The flower sighed, and as soon as she sucked up a bit of my blood, her petals regained their color. “Much better,” she whispered.
I just watched her, chest heaving, as she settled in on my arm, lengthening her stem and looping it several times around me until she had a good grip. When she was done, she turned to me. “I’m Dini, by the way.” Her voice appeared to come from nowhere, because she had no face or lips.
“Bloss,” I replied, questioning my sanity a bit.
Dini dipped her petals. Then she turned and faced Blue.
“Well, aren’t you going to grab a weapon?” she squeaked.
Blue looked at me.
I pressed my lips together but gave a single nod.
Beside me, Declan threw up his arms in frustration and stomped off to the other side of the room.
Blue went back down the ladder, grabbed the tin, and went over to the dirt wall. He took a deep breath as he pulled the tin apart and edged closer to an amulet that hung on a hook by itself, a dangling black drop of death.
My throat tightened and I couldn’t breathe.
The flower said, “Calm now.”
Blue slowly raised the tin until the black stone clanked against the inside of the jar.
I bit the inside of my cheek, drawing blood, as the amulet stone clunked down on the bottom of the tin.
That noise was sweet relief.
Blue let out his own breath when the amulet settled into the bottom of the tin and he remained standing. But he held it again as he used the lid to slowly edge the leather string off the hook.
His thoughts were clear. He imagined himself exploding in a puff of dust.It won’t hurt,he told himself.If it happens, it won’t hurt.
