Page 87 of Beneath the Flames
“Okay, well.Get ready to learn, Prince.”I brushed the dirt off my hands and stood.“First thing’s first—the soil.We need to amend it so that there are enough nutrients to feed the flower, so it will grow.”
“And how do you do that?”
I considered it for a moment.“Do you have compost here?Or worm castings maybe?”
Rhydian blinked, his head cocking to the side like I’d spoken another language.
“I’m going to take that as a no,” I said with a light laugh when he didn’t respond, continuing to look at me like I was crazy.
I wracked my brain, trying to remember everything we’d used on the farm to try to amend soil when things weren’t growing well.Compost, worm castings, bonemeal, what else?
I gasped out loud when it finally came to me.
“Volcanic ash,” I whispered, digging my fingers into the cold dirt once again, feeling momentarily triumphant.
“What?”Rhydian asked, still staring at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Volcanic ash,” I said louder.“We can use it to amend the soil.”I gestured at the volcano we had just come from.“It’s not like you’re lacking for volcanoes around here.”I glanced at Mount Kharos looming far in the distance.“Although I can’t say I want to make that trip again to get it.”My shoulders fellat the thought.
Rhydian waved a hand.“I’ll send Nico.”
My mouth dropped.“You’re going to send a young boy onthatkind of a trip?”
He huffed.“Mount Kharos isn’t the only volcano in Eroth; it’s merely the biggest.There are closer ones he can collect ash from.I’ll send Nico by your chambers later, and you can instruct him on what you need.He may be young, but you forget he’s Fae.”
“I thought this wasmytask.”
Rhydian’s shoulders lifted.“No one said you can’t accept help.”His long fingers dug into the dirt like mine, inches away.“Once we have the ash, then what?”
I thought for a moment.“Well, since we only need to grow a single flower, and not a bunch of them, let’s concentrate the soil and the ash into a smaller area.Do you have a pot or container we can put the soil in?”
“I’m sure I can scrounge something up that would work.”
I nodded.“Good.What about a shovel?”Once again, Rhydian blinked at me.“Something I can use to dig this hard ground up?”I pointed at the earth, mimicking using a shovel.
“I’ll look where the servants used to keep their supplies.I’m sure something was left behind that we can use.”Rhydian offered a small smile, and it was like the world suddenly tilted on its axis.
Whoa, what is happening?
I gave a hesitant smile back and his widened.It did strange fluttery things to my stomach, and I fervently scolded myself.
“Okay.You go search for a pot and a shovel, and I’ll speak to Nico about the volcanic ash.”
It felt weird giving a prince orders, but he simply gave an eager nod and pushed to his feet, taking a handful of soil withhim, letting it drift to the ground.
“What do we do after that?”
“We’ll gather enough soil into whatever container you find and add the ash to it.Then we water the heck out of it and hope it brings the soil back to life.After that, we’ll plant the seed, water it, leave it in the moonlight, I guess, and wait.”
“We wait?”
“Germination takes time.It could be a week or more before we see anything sprout—if it sprouts at all.I’ll do my best to make the soil better, but we’ll see if it works.I can’t promise anything.”
“I’ve never been a very patient person,” he commented, staring at the clumps of dirt sitting in his palms.
“Growing things is all about patience, Prince.Patience and great care.”
“And you have both of those?”he asked.
