Page 21 of Evergreen Academy (Society of Magical Botanists #1)

Chapter Twenty

T he defensive plants test took place in a clearing in the forest. Professor East and I were the only ones around, and I braced myself to finally experience a little bit of the botanical magic I’d been seeing all around the academy.

“Defensives are almost never the lead affinity for botanists. It’s a trailing one for me. We still have students conduct research in the area, but since it’s not primary, it can fall by the wayside. Defensive plants are… challenging to work with.”

I swallowed. Challenging?

“Most plants tend to have some defensive mechanisms, but those we refer to as defensive plants are those with a bit of bite to them. They have defensive strategies that are beyond the ordinary measures such as thorns or unappealing leaf textures. Can you think of any examples?”

Only one came to mind. “The Venus flytrap?”

Professor East chuckled. “Yes, that one does tend to capture the imagination. It’s one of the carnivorous plants, along with pitcher plants, cobra lilies, and others.

Then there are those we know as poisons: nightshade, poison ivy, hemlock.

The area we’re standing in”—he signaled to the clearing around us—“is lined with many of these plants. We call this Perilous Grove, and students here know to give it a wide berth unless actively studying with an instructor.”

Perilous Grove? Was this really going to be where I would spend every Friday? And would I be doing so alone? I was already missing the hum of activity and camaraderie I’d experienced with the ferns that morning. Aside from Professor East and me, Perilous Grove was empty.

He turned to a plant that stood about thigh-high, its leaves green and serrated.

“This is a stinging nettle.” He took a leaf and rubbed it between his fingers.

“For those of us with defensive affinity, the nettle won’t impact us at all.

We’re immune to the neurotransmitters and acids in the trichomes. Give it a go.”

I touched the leaf and immediately felt a burning sensation against my fingers. “It burns!” I gasped, feeling like I’d just received an extreme rug burn. I looked down at my fingers and saw that they were turning red.

Professor East frowned. “Strange but not impossible. Defensive plants vary widely in their mechanisms.” He pulled a glass vial out of his pocket and poured it onto my hand. Immediately, the burning ceased.

“What was that?” I asked, grateful for the relief.

“A magically enhanced concoction of jewelweed. It counteracts the effects of the nettle. All right. We’re going to have to do another test. The poisons…” He looked around the clearing, and I shifted my weight on my feet .

Poisons ?

“Ahh.”

I eyed him warily as he walked toward a large plant with a massive pink flower that drooped toward the earth.

“Yes, this should work. This is angel’s trumpet, and it can cause hallucinations.

I’ll prepare a very mild tea for you to try.

You should be immune to the hallucinations, but we need to confirm your defensive plant affinity before you start training. ”

We walked back to the academy’s kitchen, and Professor East prepared tea from the flowers of the angel’s trumpet. I eyed it nervously as he passed it to me.

I knew that—in theory—I had to have this affinity.

I’d failed all the others, and this was the only one left.

But on the off chance I didn’t… The idea of hallucinations was nerve-racking, especially given what I’d just experienced with the stinging nettle.

I glanced down at my fingers and was glad to see that the redness was completely gone.

“Just a few sips,” he encouraged, and I swallowed the tea cautiously. He’d added a scoop of honey, but it still left a bitter taste on my tongue.

At first, nothing happened, and I was sure I’d passed. And then… I got the strong urge to go outside.

I left the kitchen, found a nice pool of water, and jumped in and began to swim. Why hadn’t I ever decided to swim in the pond before? The temperature was perfect, and I was swimming faster than I ever had.

The water, warm and easy to glide through, rushed over my skin. I lifted one arm after the other, slicing through the water with a perfect freestyle stroke. The faster I swam, the more my arms seemed to move, propelling me forward through the pond.

But then a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me upward, out of the warm water. Something was shoved into my mouth, and a few moments later, my breathing slowed.

There were clumps of soil all around my feet. I looked at my hands and cried out. They were covered in dirt, and it was caked underneath my fingernails.

“What… what happened?”

Professor East’s face was as smooth as stone. “You tried to swim in the flower beds.”

“No, that’s not right. I was swimming in the—” I glanced toward the pond, realizing it was at least half a mile away. And I wasn’t at all wet.

“Unfortunately, this means you’re affected by poisons, like most people. I even took a few sips myself, just to be sure, but nothing happened to me. This is most peculiar.”

My brain was still foggy from the effects of the poison and the rapid removal of it from my system by whatever he had slipped into my mouth, but understanding was beginning to dawn. “So I don’t have an affinity for defensive plants?”

Professor East shook his head.

But if that were true, and I’d failed all the other tests… was I not a magical botanist after all?

Thirty minutes later, I sat in Professor East’s office. He’d sent me ahead and now walked in with two plates of a greenish-colored cake-like substance.

“Eat this. It will help draw out the rest of the poison and settle your stomach.”

“I thought the poison didn’t affect you?” I looked toward the cake on his plate.

“I just like the taste.” He smiled softly.

I ate a few bites then voiced the question I had been wondering about since I’d come out of the hallucination. “If I don’t have any affinities, then was this all a mistake?”

“It is… unusual. But there was no mistake. What you saw under the microscope cannot be seen by a non-magical eye. And the fact that your charged gemstone allows you to see the true nature of the academy can’t be ignored.

But that kind of power is baseline to all magical botanists and not specific to any affinity. ”

I contemplated his words for a moment. Did that mean that I was a magical botanist without any affinity powers? If so, what did that mean in practice? “So… is there still a reason for me to attend school here?”

My words came out as barely more than a whisper. I wasn’t sure whether I would prefer him to say yes or no. It was clear that I was out of place, especially if I had no affinity power.

If I didn’t belong here, I could go back to my normal life, in which all I was worried about was getting into art school and handling the midmorning rush at Vera’s Café.

But there was a part of me that had been getting used to the idea of belonging here one day.

I felt like I was barely scratching the surface of this world.

All of that had been hinging on me having an affinity power.

My mind roved over everything I’d seen at the academy, like a montage playing through my head.

Every white stone wall covered with creeping plants, the floor-to-ceiling windows through which sunlight lit the living things both inside and out, each gazebo, greenhouse, and pond…

They had seemingly sprung to life out of a fairy tale, and my desire to draw had never been as strong as it was here.

Every night before bed, I sketched the rare and exotic plants I’d encountered here. I didn’t know I’d become so attached to this place in so short a time, but now that the prospect of it being taken away was on the table, the idea was devastating.

“Of course there is still a reason for you to attend. All magical botanists are welcome here, no matter how many”—he looked at me pointedly—“or how few affinities they have. Now keep in mind, classes may be more challenging for you without any affinities. You may have to work harder than the other students. But I know you’re capable of that. ”

My chest relaxed in relief, despite the warning of more hard work to come. I didn’t know if I would be successful at Evergreen Academy in the long term, but for now, at least, I was allowed to stay. And I was going to work my hardest to ensure that didn’t change.

“I’ll do my best, Professor East.”

“Good. Now, enjoy your weekend. On Monday, the real fun begins.”