Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
When opening night for A Midsummer Night’s Dream arrived, Yasmin and I finished arranging the props backstage, told the actors to break a leg, then headed to the box office to meet the rest of our party.
The theater was buzzing with the anticipatory energy that would persist until the curtains were opened and the show began.
Guests flowed in a steady stream from the ticket counter through the doors to the auditorium.
Callan and Eli were already there, a little overdressed for a community college play, but they blended in with the other college students well enough.
“Hey, Eli,” I said, greeting him with a warm smile. “How has life outside the academy been treating you?”
“Pretty good. I’ve been working with a homeopathic doctor in the area.
We’ve been doing some good work.” Eli looked just as I remembered, with a topknot of dark hair, warm brown eyes, and a stature that would make anyone think he was a professional bodybuilder, not one of the area’s best medicinal healers.
“Putting that famous herbs affinity to good use,” I said.
Eli shrugged, but there was a smile behind his eyes. “Trying to. It’s hard enough for people to get medical care here, especially in some of the more remote areas. Whatever I can do to help.”
“Speaking of,” Callan said, nodding toward a space in the corner of the lobby. We went to it and huddled together. “Do you have anything you can share with us?”
“Some,” Eli said to Callan before turning to Yasmin and me. “Rhodes told me you’re researching the familial connection to making Floracantus, and you remembered the one I used last year.”
“That’s right,” I said, leaning forward. “Can you tell us how it works?”
“The Floracantus I used for increasing the nutrients in the soil is one that my people have used as long as I can remember. Each year, we give our soil a boost with that magic. It’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to grow most of our own food despite the soil quality not being great on the tribal lands.
“But when I was twelve or so, I was warned never to use it in front of outsiders. That’s when I learned that the Floracantus we used wasn’t in the Compendium Floracantus. It was created by one of my ancestors at least a century ago, probably longer.”
“Are there other Floracantus your tribe created?” I asked.
Eli shook his head. “That’s the only one I know of. There were more at one point, but as our people were displaced and we moved around, those traditions were lost. The one for the soil quality is the only one we managed to maintain.”
I swallowed, considering his words. “I know it’s a long shot, but do you know anything about how the Floracantus were created back then?”
“Not much. But there is one thing I can tell you. My older relatives talked about a specific plant that was important to our tribe. It was an herb that was native to the region. Oral tradition said that the plant had something to do with how the Floracantus was created.”
Callan’s expression told me he was paying close attention, considering every word Eli said. “A specific plant? You don’t know which one?”
Eli shook his head. “Sorry, no. I don’t know if it’s even growing in our area anymore.”
“Do you know what they did with the plant? What kind of role it played in the process?” Yasmin asked.
Eli shrugged. “I always heard that they had to activate the magical genes in the plant and that the genes were dormant otherwise. Lore has it they did it by adding extra fertilizer to the soil. I don’t know what the composition was specifically.
But all the stories claimed the new Floracantus couldn’t be created without the activated plant. ”
I considered his words. Would I need to use the same plant? As soon as I’d thought it, I discredited the idea. It didn’t seem likely that Leonardo da Vinci had used the same plant in Italy that Eli’s ancestors had used in Northern California.
“Whatever plant this was, I’m sure your family kept a close eye on it?” Callan asked.
“I’m sure they did. But like I said, I don’t know the current status of it.”
Yasmin gasped, and each of us swiveled our heads toward her. “Your family keeps a close eye on a plant, B.”
“What are you—oh!” I exclaimed, catching her meaning. “Rosie?”
Yasmin nodded. “Think about it. The plant has been kept in your family for generations. None of us has been able to identify it. What if it’s actually been in your family for hundreds of years?”
“You think someone transported it across continents?” I asked.
“Maybe. All they would have needed is a cutting. Perhaps the plant grew somewhere in the United States too. Without knowing what it is, it’s impossible to say for sure. Think about it. How many families do you know that keep a family plant?”
Callan and Eli raised their hands, and Yasmin waved them off with a shake of her hand. “Okay, magical botanist families are obviously an exception. But your family didn’t know they were magical botanists for at least a few generations. So why were they carefully preserving Rosie?”
My pulse was racing. Yasmin was right. She had to be. “Yasmin, you’re brilliant. I’ll swing by my aunt’s house tonight to take a fresh cutting, then we can experiment with trying to activate it.”
“It’s a solid lead,” Callan said, clapping Eli on the shoulder.
“Thank you so much for your help, Eli,” I said. “This is far more information than we started with.”
“I’m glad I could help, even if I couldn’t provide specifics.
My tribe is aware of what’s been going on at the academy and in the Society, and they’re prepared to isolate themselves even further if things in the Society don’t settle down, but we younger generations don’t want that.
I hope to be practicing medicine with this guy one day. ” He nodded toward Callan.
An usher came our way then, signaling that the show was about to start. The four of us went inside and found seats together.
As the play unfolded, I tried to stay in the moment, marveling at the amazing work of the acting students and appreciating the way the props and costumes we had been creating for months came together to bring the show to life. When our flower prop had its big moment, I leaned in a little closer.
Cupid’s bow struck the flower, and as we had planned, the touch activated the little cells inside the flower, and they lit up, running tiny lights of electricity through the petals and stem. Yasmin elbowed me and smiled at the gasps of delight from the audience.
When the show ended, we stood with the rest of the crowd, clapping loudly until the curtain was closed. When I finally couldn’t be patient any longer, I waded through the crowd toward the exit, eager to get to my aunt and Bryce’s house.
Callan and Yasmin were right on my heels when we reached the parking lot and said goodbye to Eli. We didn’t have a moment to spare.
It was time to figure out what, if anything, our family rose bush was hiding.