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Chapter Thirty-Three

“ T he last few sessions of creating antidotes to plant poisons has gone very well, Briar. I think we’re ready to move on.”

I took my usual seat across from Petra in the tiny stone cabin on Mount Shasta. “What’s next? Are we going to continue researching magical signatures?”

“Not exactly. Professor East told me about your situation when I agreed to take you on as a field studies student.”

“My situation?”

“He tells me you cannot access your powers on campus, due to the repercussions of trying to recharge the verdant shield last year.”

I felt myself redden but nodded.

“A crafty bit of magic, that was. That piece of the shield would have been implemented by the defensives founder. Think of it like a plant with poisonous thorns, hurting one who didn’t heed its warning.”

“I hadn’t thought of that before, but that makes sense.” I remembered being expelled backward the moment I had touched the earth inside the charging circle and tried not to shudder.

Petra nodded. “I’ve never experienced it myself, but I imagine it wasn’t pleasant.

The defensives founder was an extremely strong and talented botanist, from what I’ve heard.

Many have believed the tale that the effects of this spell are permanent.

But I do not think so. If defensive magic was wielded on you, defensive magic should be able to undo it. ”

“Seriously?” I exclaimed, losing any pretense of trying to act professional in front of my field studies advisor.

This was the first bit of concrete hope that the curse on me might be reversible.

If Petra was right and we could remove my tethers, I would be able to have a normal experience at Evergreen Academy this year.

I could grow my skills every day and push my powers to my limits, as I saw my classmates doing. This would change the game for me.

“It has never been done. At least, not this exact scenario. It’s going to take a lot of dedicated work from you. But if what I have seen of your skills in detecting and countering poisons is any indication of your power, you have an excellent chance.”

I beamed, a weight seeming to lift from my chest. I was willing to try anything. “I’ll do my absolute best,” I promised.

“Good. The first step will be to identify what poisoned you. I have a feeling that it was a mixture of things.” She removed a mason jar full of soil.

“Professor East provided this. It’s from within the charging circle at Evergreen Academy.

I’ve done some testing myself, and the defensives in the soil were cloaked so that I can’t identify them.

Since you have already been poisoned and have the effects running through you, I think you may be able to get around the cloak. ”

Hope was coursing through me, but there was a bit of hesitation as well. If the magic was implemented by the defensives founder, a literal icon at Evergreen Academy and beyond, what chance did I stand of getting around it?

“You really think we have a shot at this?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Petra said firmly.

She nudged the jar in my direction and nodded toward the microscope.

“The first step will be for you to examine the soil for poisonous plant traces. I have some suspicions on what is in there based on the results on your powers, but I can’t know for sure.

If you can sense it, we’ll be able to start experimenting with antidotes. ”

I opened up my senses, drawing on the enhanced power of the green zone, and began to examine the soil.

It felt like an hour passed as I painstakingly sifted through the various components, pausing to write down my observations.

Finally, I landed on two pieces that I could immediately tell were from defensive plants.

They were characteristic of the other defensive plants we had been practicing with.

“I think there are two different defensives here,” I said slowly, not taking my eyes from the soil I was sifting with a toothpick under the microscope. I looked at it more closely then flipped through a reference book that Petra had provided.

About halfway through the book, I landed on the first defensive. “There is enhanced abrin in here. And”—I flipped through a few more pages—“black walnut.”

I looked up at Petra, who nodded as if she wasn’t surprised. “That combination makes sense. The toxins in the abrin would have paralyzed your own defenses long enough for the juglone in the black walnut to inhibit the use of your power. They reactivate any time you cross the boundary onto campus.”

“Are there antidotes for those two poisons?” I asked, trying to temper my expectations.

“There are, but it’s going to be the enhanced combination that will be difficult to account for.

This is a fantastic start, Briar. I’ll be prepared with some ingredients I think we should experiment with next week.

And I probably don’t need to remind you, but it’s very important that no one else knows we’re working on this besides Professor East. There are powerful people who have a vested interest in controlling the verdant shield. ”

I nodded solemnly, her words a stark reminder of the politics at play and the small piece I was within all of it.

As I drove back to Evergreen Academy, I buzzed with excitement.

This was exactly the kind of solution Callan had been hoping we could find for me.

If I could undo the block on my powers, I could truly be part of this world.

Callan wouldn’t have to be constantly concerned for me, and I could finally start to examine my power and determine what I wanted to do with it.

But all of this was classified, at least for now, so I would have to find a way to play it cool around Callan. Luckily, there were plenty of things to distract him, including the mission of the Root and Vine Society.

I’d just have to do my best imitation of a defensive plant and hide what was going on until the time was right.