Page 21

MEADOWS AND MIRAGES

T he woods beyond the veil lingered at my back. I sprinted through a meadow of vibrant flowers painted in shades of neon pinks and yellows. They were tall, some stretching up to my collarbone. Their candescent auras glittered, sparking into the shimmering atmosphere as I brushed past.

My new dagger, sheathed at my hip, thumped against me in time with my racing heart. My lungs burned from exertion.

Well ahead, the meadow bled into the edge of a gleaming, black cliff. Kaden dashed toward the jagged precipice, his arms pumping. His sleek, dark hair swept back, flicking his ears as he ran.

“Wait!” I cried, my voice cracking against a blast of wind as it pushed against my body, slowing me. My heels dug into the earth, trying to move forward, but the gale surged into me, yanking me backward in a fit of effervescence.

My mind spun. A memory of when I was very young washed over me.

I had been learning how to swim.

But I was too far into the pond, my limbs cramping. I sank, submerged underwater, trying to claw my way up for air. My limbs churned the water into tiny, frantic bubbles as I thrashed about.

The image of a hazy form swam toward me.

Our bodies surged toward the open sky.

Blinking away the memory, I refocused on Kaden and struggled against my invisible fetters. He halted at the brink of the abyss, turning around and staring blankly in my direction.

The wind released me, its glittering zephyr rolling in currents toward my best friend. My arms spun in the air as I tried to find balance; instead, I fell unceremoniously on my backside. My fingers clawed at the hovering stalks around me as I pulled myself up and slapped my wild tresses out of my eyes.

As I chased after the embered flurry of air, a trail of blooms shifted unnaturally several paces away on my right. Sweat slid down my spine, and I sobbed without thinking.

Something was following me through the field.

My teeth bit down hard, and I withdrew my dagger, willing my legs to move faster. I had to reach Kaden before I met whatever was stalking me.

With glazed eyes, he opened his arms wide. His name tore from my lips.

Emerald green flashed over his usually clover-colored eyes. A whoosh of air left me, dragged away on a wave of confusion. A line creased the skin between my eyebrows.

The sound of swishing flora prowled closer, the crunching of stems like thunderclaps between my pounding heartbeats.

I whimpered, concentrating on Kaden. Within one blink, his face morphed into Gavrel’s. A look of clarity washed over his face, and he reached one hand toward me, his muscles straining against an invisible force.

My feet were steps away when a wall of air slammed into him. I screamed and screamed as Gavrel’s body crumpled and flew backward off the stony cliff.

Bursting from the flowers, I fell, my knees scraping on the stone of the cliff, my dagger dropping. Out of my reach, he transformed into Kaden once more, a look of utter panic imploding as he faded into the void.

I shrieked in devastation, my hand still reaching out into the darkness. Tears poured down my cheeks.

Out of the corner of my eye, a slithering movement whipped past me in a blur. I spun on my knees, fumbling for my dagger, and with a trembling arm, I held the weapon up.

All at once, the wind ceased, and the sparkling energy in the air stilled. The meadow stopped dancing.

An all-consuming silence enveloped me; all sound being sucked into the emptiness beyond the cliff.

I stilled, emulating the towering flowers, but did not see any further movement. I scrubbed my hand over my face, wiping away the salty wetness.

And then, at the edge of the crag, nestled among the meadow, something quivered. A sharp intake of breath hit the back of my throat. I rubbed at the foggy blur settling over my sight.

And there it was.

A single monochrome orchid. It stood fearlessly among the neon giants looming above it.

Firm, dark-gray leaves erupted from the dirt on either side, anchoring it in place. Perched on the tip, a delicate, drooping petal cluster bent the neck of its bowed black stem. Each velutinous petal gradually blended from the darkest black at the base to the lightest gray at the brim—speckled with glittering silver dots as if they were pulled from the night sky.

It looked like the Ancients forgot to paint the plant; its colors were entirely grayscale in a sea of electric hues.

I shuffled closer to it on my knees, yearning to touch it.

To see if it was real.

Just as the pad of my pointer finger was about to brush against its downy petal, a skittering of feet sounded behind me. I twisted, rocks cutting into my knees, as a flash of colors and glinting teeth and claws smashed into me. My head cracked into the stone beside the hauntingly beautiful flower, and suddenly, everything went black …

My eyes snapped open as I jerked upright in bed, lungs heaving and sweat matting my curls to my face and chest. One hand covered my galloping heart. Panic and my agitated aura hissed over my skin and logic. It was just a dream, Seryn.

Concentrating on breathing, I inhaled deeply for four seconds, held it while feeling the beat of my heart, and blew out through pursed lips for four more seconds. You’re safe, I repeated to myself.

Over.

You’re safe. It was a dream.

And over.

As I worked through my meditation, my heart slowed, and my aura evaporated. I hung my feet over the side of my bed, facing the circular windows, and pushed my hair behind my stooping shoulders. Brushing my fingers on my quilt, I stared at the tranquil sea. The sunrise barely peeked over the horizon as the full moon faded into daybreak.

A faint knock sounded on my door.

I padded to the door, my soft black nightshift whispering against my skin as I moved.

“Good morning. I thought perhaps I heard you yelling in your sleep. You okay?” Gavrel murmured, leaning against the door frame.

“Uh, I’m fine. Just a nightmare. Actually, the same nightmare I’ve had since the oath ceremony.” I shifted, crossing my arms over my chest. “Need anything else?”

“Ah, no.” He hesitated, pressing his lips together for a moment. “You know I would break down the door if I thought you were really in trouble, yes?”

A flush of heat swept over my chest. “Maybe that was true before I almost destroyed Kaden.”

“Little Star?—”

I held up a hand. “I don’t need any explanation. Your absence has been loud enough.” I began to close the door, my eyes shifting to my feet. “Take care of yourself, Gav?—”

“Wait.” He put his palm on the door, stopping it from closing. “Please.”

I sighed, looking at him from the small gap between the door and frame, my fingers wrapping around the edge of the metal.

Gavrel leaned his forehead against the door. “I … There are reasons. I can’t?—”

He paused, snapping his attention to some sound in the hall. A low rumble sounded in his chest. Looking at me, Gavrel whispered gruffly, “I have to go, but just know that not everyone dreams when they’re already dreaming.” With that, he let go of the door and walked away.

Eyebrows squishing together, I muttered, “What the void?” as I clicked the door closed. My fingers pushed through my messy hair and then rested on the back of my neck. I huffed, shaking my head, and readied myself for the day.

“What do you think it means?” Letti asked Rhaegar and Breena as I approached the barracks. She stared at a crumpled parchment tacked to the stony arched entrance. I shuffled closer to her as a small crowd gathered.

Rhaegar answered, “Looks like the start of the Weeding.”

“What?!” Breena shouted, tearing the paper from the wall. Protests rumbled through the crowd. “Bugger off!”

She stared at it, shoving it near my face as Kaden sidled up to me. As I focused on the paper, my fingers covered my mouth.

It was a rendering of the monochrome orchid from my dreams.

My hand dropped, and I pushed out of the crowd as Rhaegar took the parchment from Breena and placed it back on its nail.

Kaden touched the small of my back as he walked beside me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I?—”

“Wait a bloody minute, Ryn.” Breena stopped in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Have you seen that pretty ‘lil flower before?”

“Uh, I …” I looked at my feet and then at Kaden. I scrunched my eyes, picturing Kaden leaping off the cliff.

Or Gavrel.

Both.

“Give her some room, Breena. For the love of Ancients,” Rhaegar muttered, causing Breena to huff and drop her hands from me.

I opened my eyes, hugging one arm across my chest and gripping my biceps. Letti stood still on my other side in a wide stance.

Rhaegar continued, one hand absently tapping his burly chest with every sentence, “In recent turns, the mission has been announced in this way. An enigmatic phrase or drawing is posted. Teams must figure out the what, where, and how of it before presenting it to the Elders.”

“Thank you for your brilliant assessment, Rhaeg,” Breena scoffed, still irritated with her friend for scolding her. Rhaegar rolled his eyes, one side of his mouth quirking.

Breena scrunched her nose at him, looking at the ground, fidgeting with the hem of her tunic.

She lifted her chin, rubbing her forehead and looking at me with more gentleness than she was accustomed to. “Ryn-Ryn, what’s going on?”

I took a deep breath, looking around to make sure no one else was within earshot. “I’ve been having dreams all week about that flower. Among other things.”

“Excellent, that gives us a leap ahead. Tell us more as we head to the musty place with the old books.”

“Indeed,” I mumbled, making sure not to wince at the word “leap”.

“Research time?” Kaden asked, wrapping his arm around my waist.

“Research time,” I confirmed, one corner of my mouth lifting.

As we entered the library, Mr. Burlam was puttering around his desk as usual. “Never can stay away on your days of rest, eh?” he grumbled without the usual bite.

I approached his desk as Breena, Rhaegar, Kaden, and Letti went to the stacks. “Never, Mr. Burlam. I wouldn’t want you to miss me too much.”

One side of his bushy mustache twitched. He brushed bent fingers over his nose as if it was an itch and not the beginning of a smile that bothered him. He huffed, looking at me. “What is it then? Be off bothering your sword-swinging friends, why don’t you?”

“Ah, Mr. Burlam, but I thought you might have some insight—a man as sensible and clever as you.”

“Get on with it,” he mumbled after a moment, placing his reading spectacles on top of the papers on his desk.

I described the flower and meadow from my dream. As I did, his thick eyebrows raised, making me realize how big his gray-blue eyes were when he wasn’t scowling.

“Of course I’ve heard of the Mirage Orchid, girl. It’s the rarest flower in all the realms. Said to have Ancient-gifted ember, but not a soul has seen one in over a century. Did you go through primary education, girl? My Ancients, future generations are doomed.”

“Thank you for the information, Mr. Burlam. I knew you wouldn’t lead me astray.” I tapped his desk, turning to return to the others.

“Wait, girl. Is this part of that nasty game the Elders do every Dormancy? Those flowers—if they exist—are said to be guarded by vicious monsters somewhere past the veil.” He puckered his lips, a puff of air from his nose rustling his mustache hairs.

“Aw, Mr. Burlam. You really do care. Never fear. I’ll have my sword-swinging friends and my new dagger.” I winked, patting Morpheus’ blade strapped to my waist, and walked away, leaving Mr. Burlam sputtering.

I settled next to Kaden, updating the group as Xeni found us. She took a seat next to Letti. “In my dream, a creature stalked me through the meadow.” I left out the part about the Larkin brothers falling off the cliff.

“Wonderful. Always love meeting new monsters that might tear us apart,” Kaden grumbled. I rested my hand on his knee.

Xeni scratched her chin. “As a child, I heard tales of this flower. It’s rumored to possess immense power, but the stories about its capabilities are inconsistent. Alette and I can look into it more while you prepare for your journey.” She pulled the books closer to her on the table as Letti nodded. Xeni paused, pursing her lips, her brow dipping. “I’ve never come across the meadow you described, but I have only been on a few missions beyond the veil. Hale?”

Rhaegar shook his head. “If this Mirage Orchid is along a cliff, we should explore along the coast through the Reverie Weald.”

“Brilliant. We leave tomorrow.” Breena smacked her hand on the table, causing Letti to jump in her chair and grimace. Xeni put her arm around my sister, rubbing her shoulder.

Kaden leaned back in his chair; his arms crossed across his chest. “On to the next adventure.”

My lips scrunched together as my hand left Kaden. I tucked some curls back and then rubbed my palms against my skirt as I thought about my recurring nightmare. My jaw set, fingers curling into fists.

I wouldn’t let anything happen to Kaden. Or Gavrel.

We’d find the orchid and then compete in the remaining Winnowing Trials. There was no other option.

A sense of determination flowed through me as I stood, piling volumes in my arms out of habit. I noticed some other competitors trickling into the library. “Let’s put these away and get on with it. We have a head-start … for now.” I nodded to our opponents.

Kaden followed me to the stacks as Breena and Rhaegar went to reshelve their books. Letti and Xeni delved into their tomes. I was grateful for their help.

Kaden took a book from me as I struggled to return it. He slid it onto the higher shelf and then adjusted my hair out of the way so he could place a warm kiss on my neck.

“Wanting to recreate our first kiss, huh?” His hands ran around my waist, hugging my hips.

I turned in his hands, leaning against the shelves and bracing my palms against his chest. “Of course, Mr. Larkin. But we have a quest to prepare for.” I smiled, stretching up to kiss him.

His chest rumbled as he pressed his firm body into mine. “Fuck the quest.” He wrapped his fingers around my backside and pressed his lips onto mine hard. As if he couldn’t get close enough.

I pushed against his chest, smirking. “I’d love to continue this, but we need to prepare for tomorrow.”

He sighed, resting his forehead on mine. “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean I like it. I wish we didn’t have to go find this damned flower.”

“Me neither, but we’re all in now. Let’s make the best of it.” I snapped my fingers, my eyebrows rising. “If you play nice—I’ll let you share my tent.”

He let go of me, grinning as we made our way out of the library. “Now that’s a quest I can get behind.”