I nudged her toward the vault. “Hurry. Before itdisappears… or hypnotizes us into becoming its creepy little minions.”
Cass held the monocle to a small glass plate embedded in the wall. The eye blinked again, and the plate flashed green, then the bar slid aside.
“We’re in!” she whispered.
I looked over my shoulder, making sure the hallway was still clear, before following her into the vault.
Atticus’s botanical collection was vast. The room was larger than I’d expected and filled floor to ceiling with fascinating artifacts. Glazed pots and strange tools lined a glass cabinet. Dried flowers and exotic plants were pinned to charts on the wall, their names and descriptions written beneath. Silver cages, similar to the one holding the Noctis Pearls, were congregated in the center of the room. Each one contained a rare plant. The tops of the cages were hinged back, and small holes in the ceiling funneled artificial sunlight directly on them.
“Isn’t it incredible?” Cass marveled. “Atticus built a self-contained garden with everything the plants need.” She pointed above her head. “There are misting jets in the ceiling. This setup is a clever mix of magic and engineering. The first time I saw it, I nearly fainted. If he weren't twice my age, I would've married him just for the vault.”
She brushed her fingers over a massive orchid and smirked. “Still kind of thinking about it. Imagine the inheritance.”
“And they say romance is dead.” I wandered toward a wooden cabinet with dozens of drawers.
Cass followed behind me. “Atticus keeps his seeds in there.”
We scanned the drawers. My gaze landed on a small brass plate beneath one labeled:
Aetheryal.
“That’s it,” I breathed.
My heart thudded. Against all odds, something was finally going right. I slid open the drawer and peered inside, and my stomach dropped.
It was empty.
Wait—no, not empty. A single slip of paper lay at the bottom.
Cass gasped. “What does it say?”
I unfolded it and read:
Too slow! If you want the seeds, you’ll have to take me with you.
You know where to find me.
-G
The paper crumpled in my fist and hit the floor.
“That scheming thief!”
Cass’s shoulders shook, and I whipped my head around to catch her laughing.
“This isn’t funny,” I grated between my teeth.
“It’s kind of funny. You left him a note. He left you a note. It’s—”
I shot her a glare that rivaled the monocle. She coughed delicately.
“You’re right. It's heinous. We should kill him.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Yours! I swear I didn’t know he planned this. In fact…” She scanned the room, planting her hands on her hips. “How the heck did he do it? There’s no other way in here without the monocle. Honestly, Marin, the world lost a great thief when—” She faltered. “Never mind. Gavin is not important.”
“What am I supposed to do now?” I groaned while Cass dropped our decoy seeds into the drawer and slid it closed.
