Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
When I left Vera’s Café, I found a tree that still held a few leaves in the winter. I complimented it to dispel some of its leaves and activate the leaf messaging magic then prepped a brief note for Callan.
I sent the message then hurried to my car and raced—just a hair or two over the speed limit—to Evergreen Academy. The winter leaves were like smears of brown, gray, and dark-green paint on a canvas as I navigated through the forest road.
When I got to the tree house, Callan was already there. He must have noticed the shellshocked look on my face, because he rose and stepped forward. “What’s wrong?”
A touch of the anxiety and confusion I was feeling dissipated at his proximity. “My aunt’s a magical botanist,” I said, barely believing the words as I spoke them.
“Well, we knew it probably came from your mom’s side of the family,” Callan said, pulling back and assessing my face for what he was missing.
“Yes, but what I mean is her powers are active. I tested it with some flowers, and they were drawn to her like bees at a picnic.”
Callan’s eyes widened, his chestnut-brown eyebrows rising just a smidge. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Something’s been off about her, but there was no denying the flower test.”
Callan crossed his arms. “Do you know when this started? She’s never shown signs before?”
“According to her, she started taking more notice of flowers after the wedding.”
“The wedding?” A muscle in his neck flexed. “You think Alex had something to do with this?” Callan had reached that conclusion more quickly than I had.
“I don’t see how, but it can’t be a coincidence. That was the only time those two have ever been near each other.”
“But how would he have activated her powers?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like she said anything about receiving a journal of Leonardo da Vinci for a wedding gift.
Wait…” I stood up straight, trying to recall the details of the memory that was nagging at me.
“Maci and Alex were late to the wedding, remember? She said she couldn’t find the wedding gift she had prepared. ”
“Alex could have taken the gift and swapped it out or added a da Vinci book to it,” Callan said, puzzling it out. He let out a breath. “That seems bold. And what would be the purpose? Why would he want to activate your aunt’s powers?”
I realized I was shaking, and I crossed my arms, hoping Callan wouldn’t notice.
If what we were speculating about was true, my aunt’s wedding—one of the most special nights of her life—had been infiltrated by a secretive magical botanist who had changed her life forever, without her knowledge or consent.
“Maybe for the same reason we went after the quill,” I said, the words coming out on autopilot as numbness took over my limbs. “If my aunt has all the affinities like I do, she could use the quill as a compass too.”
“Leading Alex to the Vanished Compendium.”
I nodded. “That must mean that he and whoever he is working with didn’t know that there was a blocking spell on it that would impede us anyway.”
Callan stepped closer once more and slipped his arms around me. “It’s going to be okay.”
He touched a finger to the bottom of my chin, tilting my head so that our eyes were a perfect path to each other’s souls. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you—or to anyone you care about. I need you to understand that.”
The tornado in my stomach lessened so that it felt more like a winter storm. “There’s just so much we don’t know. And the other players in this game are always one step ahead. Maybe more.”
Callan’s face took on a focused look I had seen many times. He was in problem-solving mode. When he spoke, his words were measured. “You’re right. We’ve been playing this like a game. But that ends now. This is a war. If they want a fight, they’ll get it.”
I swallowed. “A fight?”
“Not all battles require swords, local. And we’re going to prove it. We’ll start by going to your aunt’s house and seeing if we can confirm this theory about the wedding gift.”
I nodded, comforted by the idea of action. And Callan had said we. As uncertain as things felt, I didn’t have to face this situation alone.