“But you know where I can find some?” I asked, letting my head drop against a cushion. The softness of the pillow felt like heaven, and I snuggled deeper against it.
“Yes. There's a wealthy collector who has a few. His name is Atticus Stonebridge. I sold him some of the glowing fungi I found in that cavern on our last hunt. We’re well acquainted. The seeds are privileged information, though. They’re also locked inside a vault with the rest of his collection, and he won't part with them.”
“So, we have to sneak in and steal them?”
“Yes, and switch them with a decoy so he doesn't notice they're missing. He'll ask questions if he hears rumors of a giant stalk shooting out of the ground.” Cass drummed her fingers on her glass. “But stealing them won't be as simple as finding the vault and picking the lock. The door is sealed withan enchantment that requires identification. Atticus keeps a monocle hidden in the pocket of his jacket, embedded with a magical eye, which serves as the key. However, it can only be activated when he breathes onto the glass.”
“That’s kind of creepy,” I said, my voice slurring from exhaustion and wine.
Cass plucked the glass from my hand before I dropped it in my lap. “It’s very creepy. Even if we swipe the monocle, we have no way of using it.”
“I’m sure we can think of something.”
“Maybe with lots of time. But we have to act fast. Atticus hosts themed parties at his estate every other weekend. The next one is in three days. I always get an invitation, but I never go. Being elusive adds to my mystique.”
“I think you’re cultivating those rumors on purpose. You enjoy being mysterious, don’t you?”
Cass winked. “Guilty as charged.”
She disappeared into the shadows of the conservatory, then reappeared holding an invitation and a tin of salve.
“The next theme is based around an incredibly rare rose called the Noctis Pearl. They’re stunning. The petals are pearly white and rimmed with black. It's a masquerade ball, so we’ll need masks.” Her nose wrinkled at the kelp still binding my chest. “And gowns. Until then, you can borrow some of my clothes and whatever else you need.”
Cass knelt by my side and dipped her fingers into the tin. I was too tired to protest as she rubbed the soothing cream over my hands.
“Don’t worry, Marin. Everything is going to be all right. You’re not alone anymore.”
It was a nice sentiment, but I wasn’t sure I believed her.Cass’s calming words drifted over me. Three weeks was all I had, and now that I was home, I wanted to succeed more than ever.
Steal the seeds, then steal the shard.
My life depended on it.
The salve made my fingers tingle, and I let my eyes drift shut. When I opened them again, hours had passed, and the conservatory was bathed in darkness except for a few strings of glowing ivy hanging near Cass’s workbench.
Deep in concentration, she was hunched over a glass tube, mixing the opaque contents with a metal stirrer. The ivy lit her workspace, and when the glow dimmed, she reached up to rub a leaf between her fingers. The glow brightened back to life, and she dipped her head, continuing to work.
The organic lights reminded me of the twinkling anemones clinging to the ceiling of my cell. I rolled onto my side, spying a change of clothes Cass had folded by the foot of the cushions. There was also a pair of worn boots next to a basin of water.
A vine tickled my temple, and I brushed it away before deciding to try her light trick for myself. I rubbed my thumb and forefinger over one of the smooth, waxy leaves. A glimmer of light burst from the leaf, but I frowned in surprise when my fingers came away wet. Droplets of red liquid beaded on the surface of the vine where I’d touched it.
Unbelievable.
It was the remnants of the wine I’d spilled earlier. The potion worked on light and liquid. My breath stalled as an idea hit me.
I propped myself up on my elbow. “Cass, about your plant infusion, do you think it would work on a puff of air? Like a breath?”
Cass paused stirring her vial, and her head popped up. “I don’t know. I haven’t experimented with anything else besides light. But it should, in theory.”
She left her workbench and joined me by the cushions. I showed her the wet leaves, and her eyes went wide.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked.
She nodded.
“If we use your potion to capture a breath from Atticus at the ball, we can apply it to the monocle.”
“That’s brilliant! All I have to do is bring him an exotic flower and have him smell it. I could pretend it’s a rare strain for sale. He’d never suspect otherwise.”
