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Chapter Forty-Five

M y stomach flipped in surprised delight at the message that had come in the leaves. It had been months since Callan had sent me a personal message like this.

Yasmin, spotting the note, said, “I’m guessing we’ll see you later tonight?”

I nodded, said a quick goodbye, then peeled off from the group and went straight to the treehouse that Callan and I frequented. When I climbed inside, he was already there.

“Hey,” I said, moving to take a seat next to him. “Did everything go okay with the shield?”

“Successfully charged. How were the hot springs?”

“Heavenly, as usual. Too bad you miss out on that every year.”

“Solstice isn’t the only time one can visit the hot springs, you know, local.”

I briefly imagined a shirtless Callan in the pools with the rest of us. Or maybe with just me. Clearing my throat, I averted my eyes from his face and scanned the room, looking for a distraction.

I didn’t need to look for long because Callan reached behind him and brought forth a rectangular object wrapped in brown paper .

“What’s that?” I eyed it curiously.

Callan looked slightly sheepish. He flipped it around, and I saw a small red bow in the center of the paper.

I felt a surprised smile form on my face. “Callan Rhodes, did you get me a Christmas gift?”

He passed it to me. “It’s just a little something.”

I shifted the present in my hands then gave it a shake.

“Careful,” Callan said, reaching a hand out as if preparing to steady it.

“So it’s fragile?” I fished.

“More like precious.”

I cocked my head. “Should I open it now or wait until Christmas?”

“Now, if you want.”

I tore into the paper, and a familiar sight came into view.

“Wait. This is my In Bloom painting from last year’s Floral Fete.

” But my eyes were drawn to the frame around it, dainty and silver.

I’d seen it before. Shocked affection flooded me.

Unexpectedly, tears pricked my eyes. “This frame… where did you get it?”

“I saw it when we visited your aunt’s café. You pointed out the painting of your mom’s, the one of the pasture. It seemed important to you, and it was in a frame just like this. I thought you could hang your painting next to hers.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat and took a moment to collect myself while I ran my fingers over the pattern engraved on the frame. I don’t know what I had been expecting when Callan had handed me the gift, but this was more than I ever could have imagined.

“That was just a random frame my mom found at a garage sale years ago. Apparently, it had been made by a regional artist. She loved the little details in the ridges.”

“It took some work to track down, which may have involved an extensive internet search. There were quite a few frames that looked almost like that one but weren’t the exact same. And then there was the matter of the siz?—”

Before he could say another word, I interrupted him by gingerly setting down the painting then flinging my arms around his neck.

“Thank you, Callan. Seriously, this is the perfect gift I didn’t even know I needed.

My aunt Vera’s going to love it, and my mom would have…

” I trailed off, the words catching in my throat.

My arms slid from around his neck, but Callan slipped his hands onto my forearms, holding me tenderly.

“I’ve never been much of a gift giver. That’s a transactional act in my family. But when I saw that frame, I just knew I had to find one for you.”

“Well, you get an A-plus in gifting, for a novice.”

Callan was turning uncharacteristically flush from all the praise, so I took a seat and asked another question. “When do you head home for Christmas?”

“Tomorrow. And then I’ll be back in time for our mission.”

“Who is going? You, me, and Meadow, obviously.”

Callan nodded. “Just us and Hollis. We need Meadow for the premise of traveling to the moss conservatory. We don’t want to be linked to the tree conservatory while we’re there, if we can help it. Hollis will be there as… backup.”

Backup? What did that mean? “I can’t believe I’m going to see two of the magical botanical conservatories. Is there anything I can do to help before we go?” I asked.

“Read as much as you can about the connecting Floracantus the ancient botanists used. We don’t know exactly what you’re going to need to do to make the quill work. And another request—if you’re up for it.”

“Sure.”

“If I manage to get some pictures of the quill, do you think you could make a fake?”

I thought about it for a moment. Three-dimensional objects had never been my specialty, but with the prop design class I was taking this year, my skills were improving. In fact, there was a chance I could use the prop lab undisturbed while it was closed over winter break.

“I think so,” I said. “I take it that plays into the ideas you have about getting our hands on the quill?”

“Yep. Ready to hear more?”

“Talk to me, tree prodigy.”

Callan rolled his eyes as he laughed, but then we got to work. Plans to secure the quill that could lead us to the Vanished Compendium were underway.

An hour later, we climbed down from the tree. Callan surprised me by doing it the old-fashioned way, though expertly. We walked back to the edge of the woods near the academy and prepared to go our separate ways.

I was reluctant for the night to end. Callan and most of the other magical botanists were leaving in the morning, and I felt a little ache at that even though I knew he wouldn’t be gone for long.

“Well, have a great Christmas,” Callan said. He leaned in closer and cradled a piece of the winter leaf crown I had worn for the night, which was undoubtedly looking unruly after the festivities. “Winter looks good on you. Every season does.”

I shivered at the proximity and at the sweetness in his words. How did he still have the ability to make me nervous after I had spent so much time with him?

“Really? Are you sure I don’t look like a wilted flower?”

“That’s impossible,” he said, eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

I held my breath but didn’t move, completely rooted to the spot. In that moment, I didn’t care whether there were scouting plants on every tree. I wanted Callan Rhodes’s arms around me.

After what felt like an eternity under the glistening winter stars, Callan took a step back then continued to walk backward toward the academy. “See you in a week, local. ”

“Have a good Christmas,” I squeaked, and I thought I saw the tiniest twitch of his lip before he disappeared into the darkness.