Page 93 of When Ashes Fall

She jumped a little and pulled the petal away from the rose, clutching it against her chest. “I don’t know. This shouldn’t be possible. The potion wouldn’t do this.”

“Has anyone put anything else on these roses?” I demanded as I looked at all those gathered round.

The sprites and shifters shook their heads. On Briar’s shoulder, the rodent eyed me like it was waiting for me to attack her, but she wouldn’t do this, would she?

She was the only one giving them anything other than the natural healing ability of the sprites. It was her potions feeding these plants, but she wouldn’t kill them. Her grief looked genuine as her tears dripped onto the ground.

“Could this… could this be from the potion I created?” Zephyr asked, his eyes on Briar.

“No—”

Before she could say anything more, I grabbed her arm and lifted her. She staggered a little as I set her on her feet and recoiled a little. When I thrust my face into hers, the rodent’s tail went up; it hissed as it coiled to spring, but didn’t attack. Which was the smart choice, because I wouldn’t hesitate to snap its neck.

“You let someone else make a potion for them?” I snarled.

The beast rolled within me, both seeking to protect her and raging against this revelation.

“I…” Briar opened and closed her mouth a few times before gulping. “I showed him how to make it, but I watched him every step of the way. His potion was perfect! It wouldn’t have done this.” She looked past me to Zephyr. “You didn’t do this.”

“Why did you let someone else make the potion?” I demanded.

Briar’s eyes flew back to mine. “Because I shouldn’t be the only one who can!”

She jerked on her arm as some of the fire returned to her eyes. I was too incensed to release her. “And why not?”

“If something ever happens to me⁠—”

“Do you think I can’t protect you?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Or are you planning to try and escape?”

And that was the reason the beast was so frantic within me. Even if she’d done something to these roses, the idea of her leaving had sent me into a spiral I couldn’t stop.

“Of course not!” she blurted, but the smallest flicker in her eyes told me she lied.

“Do you really think you can run from me?” I demanded. “Do you really think you can escape me?”

She jerked on her arm again, but when I refused to relinquish it, she stopped to scowl at me.

“If you try to run, I will hunt you wherever you go. I’ll be your worst fucking nightmare, so you better get any idea of leaving this place out of your head right now.”

Her lips clamped together as her nostrils flared. When her hands fisted, I knew she was contemplating punching me, but she wasn’t stupid enough for that.

“What did you do to the roses?” I inquired.

I didn’t want to believe she’d done something to them, but if she was plotting to run, then who knew what else she was doing behind my back.

“I didn’t do anything to them!” she shouted. “The potion wouldn’t do this. There’s something else going on here.”

“What about Zephyr’s potion? Could he have messed something up?”

“Like I said, his potion was perfect,” she said through her teeth. “I was there every step of the way; he didn’t make a single mistake. Even if he did, there’s nothing in the potion that would cause this. It might make them wither a little if they received too much of it, but it wouldn’t make them die!”

“Is it dead?” I demanded.

It sure looked dead, but I didn’t want to believe that. My mind flashed to the throne room and the two roses sitting on the thrones there. If my parents were dead…