Page 49 of Prince of Flowers
“Good point. And well, I did use that spell you told me about. You know the one. Like screaming from the very bottom of your soul. Totally rocked the earth guardian’s shit.”
“Allegra’s Lament. Oh, gods, didn’t it feel incredible? Very cathartic. Tell me everything.”
And so I did, from the Venus flytrap to the bush babies and the guardian itself. I skipped over the part about Aphrodite. It didn’t seem important, a goddess’s whimsy. She never even showed up after we’d killed the guardian. I skipped the part about the pool, of course. I mean, honestly.
Fang rested her elbow on her desk, leaning her shoulder toward me, her chin in her hand as she nodded. The two of us looked like coworkers exchanging gossip over lunch. It was such a simple change in her body language, but I’d never felt more welcome, more seen as someone who could some day become her peer, maybe even her equal. An actual summoner.
But I had to mention that thing about the guardian. Well, and the flytrap, too, how they’d dried up almost instantly, their brittle corpses blowing away with the wind.
“And the guardian didn’t leave a seedling behind,” I said, still unsettled by what had happened. Did we kill it permanently? I shuffled my feet. “It’s called the Withering, Sylvain says. Something that affected the Verdance, and now it’s here, too.”
Dr. Fang shook her head, frowning. “I’ve never heard of something like that. I’ll have to consult with the faculty, maybe the headmasters, keep the Oriel of Earth sealed until we’ve figured things out. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Hearing that kind of talk from an authority figure should have been reassuring, and yet I still had my doubts. And then there was that other lingering doubt. I couldn’t stand it. Sylvain was still out on the balcony, enjoying the sunlight. I had to take this chance to ask someone who would know.
“Doc? Now that this is over, does that mean Sylvain is still my eidolon, or do I have to dismiss him?”
“Interesting way of phrasing that. Why would you when he’s invariably the most powerful eidolon in your arsenal now?”
“They’re supposed to go home. My doves, Scruffles, Evander’s butterflies, they all go home once they’re done with their tasks. Why has he stayed?”
She pursed her lips in thought. “I have a feeling this is a little out of my area of expertise, Lochlann. This isn’t about summoning anymore, is it?”
I shook my head, staring at the top of her desk.
Dr. Fang sighed. “Maybe he has a reason for staying. Think on that. Perhaps he craves the thrill of power he receives when you infuse him with magic. Or it could be as simple as him enjoying your company. Have you paused to consider that?”
“I just wish I knew for sure.”
She bent across the table. “Then ask him. Gods above and below, haven’t I taught you to be inquisitive all these years? Always ask questions. Never be afraid. There is no such thing as a stupid question.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Only stupid people.”
“Aww. You do listen in class. I’m so touched.”
I rummaged through my belongings, pulling out the Blood of the Earth, the stone so warm in my palm. I reached across the table, presenting it proudly. Dr. Fang blocked me with her open hand.
“Yours to keep. Consider it a souvenir.”
She snapped her fingers. A panel opened in the wall behind her, the edges of it so seamless that I never would have noticed it myself. Inside was an array of glass phials and jars, one of which contained what looked like a dozen Blood of the Earth stones.
I threw my hands up in frustration. “Are you serious? Then what was the point of asking me to grab another one?”
“Hang it on a cord and wear it around your neck. Pawn it and buy yourself a Playstation. I don’t care. The point is that you were assigned to acquire one, and so you have. Consider it a bonus. Congratulations either way. You’ve done well. I’ll speak to the headmasters. We’ll have your Crest for you soon.”
I tucked the Blood of the Earth into my backpack, confused as Sylvain and I left Dr. Fang’s office. Happy, but mostly confused. Exhausted, too. I wanted nothing more than to take a shower, maybe relax with a beer or two. Sylvain seemed very refreshed considering everything we’d done all day, maybe from that time spent basking under the sun.
“We should go and see Bruna,” he said, hand reaching for mine. “Come on. We should tell her how much her potions helped us.”
“I was going to ask her and Namirah over to my room for drinks later, but — hey. Let go.”
Fingers laced through mine, Sylvain led me down the corridor in search of Bruna’s office, strutting like he owned the place. I tagged along, embarrassed, avoiding the gaze of every student and faculty member we passed. Childish of me to feel that way, perhaps, but I wasn’t used to holding hands with anyone in public. I wasn’t used to holding hands at all.
But then I remembered that this was how I’d introduced him to the Wispwood, guided him by the hand. This was how we leapt through the stained glass window, how we entered the Oriel of Earth. The echo only made me blush harder.
“When someone gives you a gift — especially one as useful as a draught of healing — it is considered polite to demonstrate appreciation. We should thank her for her aid.”
He was right. We couldn’t have done it without Bruna’s potions. I mustered my energies, trying to match Sylvain’s level of enthusiasm. He opened the door to Bruna’s office. Confetti exploded. Paper horns tooted in my face.
