Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“But Jessie…” Edgar slowly raised one spindly finger. “There’s just one problem.”
“And what is that, Edgar?” I asked, pushing through everyone to get to the easiest-to-reach flower.
Tristan stepped forward immediately, right at my back. Austin did the same, probably wanting to be close in case something went wrong.
“I can’t just rip them out.”
“Yes, you can, Edgar,” I said firmly. “You have to. You cannot have magical flowers—flowers that move and follow conversations—in a non-magical place, and you can’t have attack flowers anywhere, except maybe at home.”
Laughter rang out from somewhere in the pavilion. More voices drifted toward us.
“No, Jessie, you misunderstood me. I physically can’t rip them out. They have magically fortified stalks, so they are hard to cut down, and their roots are essentially one big anchor. They are incredibly tough to eradicate. I didn’t want them easily hacked down the next time Ivy House is under attack.”
“Yet you planted them here?” I screeched, panic rising.
“Well, you see, they were in a pot. It was a good, sturdy pot made of—”
“Get to the point,” I barked as the nearest flower watched me approach. It stopped swaying, standing dead still now, and something about that made me shiver.
“Well…they somehow broke through the pot, burrowed into the concrete below, and I assume into the earth below that? I figured the conundrum of removing them could wait until the fair is over. They really are a lovely addition to the aesthetic as a whole, and quite unique. I essentially bred this flower myself. It’s a cross between—”
“Edgar,” I snapped to shut him up. I was about at wit’s end.
“Is this real life?” one of the guardians asked Jasper.
“Bro…” Jasper shook his head. That was all the answer he could give, it seemed. I got where he was coming from.
“What’s our play?” Tristan asked me gruffly.
“Good question,” I murmured, stepping closer to the thing.
Its leaves started shaking, and a gap opened up in its flower face, revealing what looked like fangs made out of thorns.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I groaned.
“Careful, Jessie, their thorns are poisonous,” Edgar advised. “Here.”
He hurried to get in front of me, putting up his hands for the angry flower, which topped my height by about half a foot.
“Now, now,” Edgar told it. It didn’t have eyes, but I could swear it was still watching me over his shoulder. “She is friend.”
It opened its flower mouth wider and issued a hiss. Little droplets of liquid fell from each of the thorn-fangs. Leaves straightened from its sides and then curved like hands, and I noticed little spines on the edges that looked capable of cutting and ripping skin. It bent in our direction aggressively, and it was clear it would go through Edgar to get to Tristan and me.
Just about everyone backed up a step, including Tristan’s guardians, their wings fluttering and uncertainty on their faces.
Tristan, however, didn’t balk. He stepped forward, putting his arm in front of me, intending to shepherd me back to safety.
“No.” I used magic to help shove him away. “You’re much too green to be dealing with something like this.”
These weren’t gnomes we were dealing with, and Ivy House couldn’t step in if needed. This was magic gone rogue in a place with unsuspecting civilians. The most dangerous kind of situation.
What could go wrong at a flower show, indeed.
SIX
Jessie
“Sebastian,” I barked, making everyone flinch. “Give me the revealing potion or give Dave the anti-serum. We need to see and hear him. Dave, join us, please.”
“He’s right behind me,” Tristan said. “He says to step aside. He’ll handle this.”
“She is friend,” Edgar told the flower, putting his hands up to it again. “Friend.”
“Does anyone have a machete?” I asked, stepping to the side just a bit and motioning for Tristan to get out of the way. “Sebastian, I need that revealing potion.”
“Here, Jessie, I’ve got it.” Nessa handed me a vial. “I just gave one to Austin as well.”
In a moment, Dave was revealed to me, his hair all puffed out and his palms up as he and the flower stared each other down.
“They can see through invisible potions?” I asked in dismay.
“Yes, of course,” Edgar told me, his hands still up. He looked at me over his shoulder. “Well…sense more than see. We couldn’t have people sneaking past them with something as simple as a potion. That would defeat the purpose of a watch flower.”
The flower leaned forward, fast as lightning. The petals surrounding its face slashed through Edgar’s skin, slicing his shirt and opening a gash.
“Ow!” Edgar jumped back. “You naughty thing! That hurt. Now, now. Calm down. These are friends.” He waved at me. “Don’t worry, Jessie. It’s just a flesh wound. When the flowers get testy, they lash out. They don’t mean any harm.” He paused for a moment. “Most of the time.”