Chapter 63
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Briar
When I lifted my head to look at Bertie, she was peering intently at me. Without a word, she wiped away a tear that I hadn’t realized had slipped free. Heat crept into my cheeks as I wiped my eyes, caressed the bleeding heart once more, and released it.
“Your kind usually doesn’t have such attachment to plants,” Bertie said.
“Before our Needing, all sorcerers and sorceresses draw strength from nature. It’s only after our Needing that we stop drawing energy from the earth and start pulling it from the moon or sun.”
“And since you’re not bound to either of those gods, you’re still drawing energy from the earth?”
“Yes.”
“Are you drawing more from the sun and moon too?”
I pondered this before responding. “I don’t think so, but the curse also blocks much of their energy.”
“That it does,” she sighed. “Let me show you to the earth moss.”
When we left the music room, Bertie led me down another hall and into a room with rows of shelves filled with footwear. She opened a glass door on the other side of the mudroom and flew outside, where she led me down a stepping-stone walkway toward the back of the castle.
There, nestled in the shade of a tower and the building, was a thick, vast carpet of soft moss with fine red hairs. It was thriving in the shade. I smiled when I saw it, because of the lack of sun in this kingdom, it was more vibrant and healthier than I’d ever seen it.
“Are there any garden supplies?” I asked. “I need some scissors or at least a set of shears and a basket.”
Bertie smiled at me. “This way.”
I followed her around the back of the castle and into the large garden I’d seen from the glass hallway leading to the dining room. Tucked in the far back of the garden was a small, faded yellow shed with chipped blue shutters on its windows. Bertie opened the door to reveal the supplies inside.
My jaw dropped, and excitement filled me. I’d always loved digging my hands into the earth and feeling the rush it gave me, while it strengthened me and I nourished it.
I couldn’t wait to start tending to the plants here, talking with them, and caring for them. Sometimes, when no one was around, I also liked to sing to them. My voice was far from decent, but the plants liked it well enough that they didn’t immediately die.
Much like my love for reading, my mother stole my ability to garden from me. And now, I was finally getting it back.
I’d messed up by calling him Seth, but while I was sure he was happy to get away from me, he’d given me this gift before leaving.
I didn’t know how I could repay him; a simple thank-you wasn’t enough, but I would let him know how much this meant to me.
I wasn’t free in Wildwood either, but at least I was regaining some of the things I loved.
“This is perfect,” I told Bertie. “Thank you.”
“Don’t go beyond the walls,” Bertie said.
“I know Dromon already told you this, but you must listen to him. It’s not safe out there.
Ever since the curse, all kinds of different beasts wander into Wildwood.
They never would have dared to do so when all the shifters were here, but, without them, they see the kingdom as vulnerable. ”
“Do they know about the dragon?”
“Only those who have encountered it, and they’re all dead.”
I gulped as I glanced toward the towering walls surrounding the castle. I’d considered them a part of my prison since arriving here, but they also kept me protected.
“Will Knox be safe out there?” I asked.
“He’ll be fine.”
I bit my bottom lip and pondered the idea of him beyond the walls. Bertie believed he’d be all right, but what if he wasn’t?
He’ll be okay. He has Pierce, Lyra, and a dragon.
That was all true, and if he’d survived and escaped the harem… twice… then he could take down anything else he encountered.
But the reminder of Pierce and Lyra awakened a new concern. With Dromon here, would Knox replace his friend in their little threesome?
The question inexplicably angered me. He said he hadn’t kissed another woman since me, but had he slept with them?
It was possible to have sex without kissing. Of course, I knew he’d been with other women in the harem—the reminder brought tears of sorrow for him to my eyes—but that wasn’t by choice. Once outside the harem, had he found other women to ease him?
The idea of such a thing shouldn’t bother me; he was a man, and he’d rejected me as his mate. He had every right to do as he pleased with his body, especially since my mother took that right from him for years, but I couldn’t deny that the idea was a dagger to my heart.
“Are you okay?” Bertie asked.
I flexed my fingers and inhaled through the constriction in my chest. “Yes, I’m just looking forward to getting to work.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it. Let me, or one of the other sprites, know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you. Are you really going to leave me alone out here?”
“Do you plan to run away?”
“No, but… I… I can’t remember the last time I was left alone somewhere that wasn’t locked or the harem. I…”
I didn’t know what else to say as my gaze drifted over the walls.
“You’re not free here,” she said, “but you won’t be guarded.”
“Why not?”
“Knox doesn’t feel you need it. If you try to destroy something here, he’ll make you pay. And if you try to run, he’ll hunt you, or something else will. Either way, you’ll end up here again or dead.”
“I see.”
“Use your time wisely; it would be best for all of us.”
Before I could reply, Bertie flew away, leaving me in the cool shed... alone. Well, except for Gizzi, but I had no guards, no locked door, and no atrocious tradition to face. I had only myself, the small creature in my pocket, and moss to harvest. It was one of the best days I’d had in years.