Page 26 of Prince of Flowers
Sylvain crammed the rest of the pastry into his mouth, chewing aggressively. He took the hoodie between his thumb and forefinger, grimacing, dangling the thing at arm’s length like it was a dead rat.
“It’s hideous.”
“How could you possibly know that? You haven’t even tried it on yet.”
Sylvain turned his nose up. “I don’t need to put a bit of rotting meat in my mouth in order to tell you that it’s rancid.”
“You are so dramatic, Sylvain, gods above and below. Just try it on. Please. You’ll only need to wear it for a short while. Just until we make it out of the Wispwood.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed, dropping the sheets at the same moment that he gestured toward a corner of the room. I kept my sights locked firmly on his face, never straying, even when the plants strewn around my bedroom rustled and contributed their quota of leaves to — a new pair of leafy britches for the prince, maybe? Like I said, I wasn’t looking.
“Because none of your trousers will fit me,” he explained, pulling on the hooded vest.
“I didn’t ask. I get it. You’re so muscular, and I’m so tiny.”
Sylvain blinked once, the mockery and mirth in his eyes gone missing, for once. “I never said you were tiny.” He shrugged the hoodie into place, adjusting the fabric over his chest, stretched taut by his muscle. “I think you’re quite pleasant to look at.”
Gods above and below. Acidic one minute, and charming the next. I reached over his shoulders, grabbing the hood of the vest, deliriously conscious of how close our faces were. I pulled it over his head and stepped back. Sylvain frowned.
“I must look ridiculous.” He scratched his chest through the vest, reached over his shoulder, scratched again. “And this material, it itches. I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
“You look fine.”
And I meant it, too. The hood kept his ears hidden, but it also emphasized his features, the absence of sleeves drawing plenty of attention to his arms and his shoulders. Yes. The better to distract everybody who’d seen our little scrap with Evander, to remind them that this man was indeed an alraune, and nothing more.
I tried a kind smile this time instead of sarcasm, or frustration. “In fact, I think you’re quite pleasant to look at.”
Sylvain chewed on his lower lip, recognizing the echo, biting back his smile. I thought I saw the faint beginnings of a blush, but it might have just been the morning light. Maybe the two of us would make it out of Euclidea’s test alive, after all.
“If you say so,” he mumbled, uncharacteristically bashful as he stole glances at his reflection in the mirror.
“Let’s finish breakfast before it gets cold.”
I ushered him back to the table, eagerly reaching for my coffee. After that, a quick check of my supplies, and it was off on our quest.
Time to find the Blood of the Earth.
11
“Now remember,”Bruna said. “These are for healing.”
She swished the little phial around. The liquid sloshed against the side of the glass, red like blood, churning in its own whirlpool. She shook a second bottle in my face. This one was filled with a bluish potion, the liquid emitting a pale glow.
“And these are for restoring arcane essence.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Mom. Geez, Bruna. I know this is your specialty, but I have seen potions before. Even drank some of them. That you made yourself.”
She pushed the phials into my hands, gesturing toward my brown leather backpack. “Just making sure you remember. Put them away somewhere safe. And visible. I’ve been doing this forever and I still mix potions up sometimes.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got a system for these things. I gotta drink the red stuff if red stuff is coming out of me. See? Very sensible.”
Bruna quirked an eyebrow. “And about the blue stuff?”
I puffed my cheeks up indignantly. “The blue stuff is the stuff that isn’t the red stuff. And that’s the stuff I use for replenishing magic.”
“Smart-ass.” She rolled her eyes, then flicked me on the end of my nose. I yelped, grabbing it to rub away the pain.
That was a small part of the challenge as well, the preparation aspect. A little help here and there wasn’t discouraged. In fact, the Wispwood espoused the importance of community, how a tree is just a tree without a forest. A couple of potions to help stay alive wouldn’t be frowned on.
