Page 65 of On Brutal Thrones

Feeling roots beneath the earth was one thing. Making them move had been another, and even that had happened more through instinct than skill. I’d reached for them because I was desperate, and somehow they’d answered.

That doesn’t mean I can control an entire field of murderous plants. The thought is ridiculous. Probably.

I look at the others.

Fenric is trying to work out whether we could fashion some kind of hook long enough to pull the weapons toward us. Talon is immediately explaining why that won’t work. Thorian stands between them, watching the field with that grim expression he gets when he’s trying to solve a problem that refuses to be solved.

I should say something.

Instead, I stay quiet. Because the second I tell them I might be able to affect the plants, this stops being an idea in my head and becomes an actual possibility. And I have no idea if I can do it. Worse, they might trust me enough to try.

I look back at the flowers and reach carefully with that strange new part of myself. The awareness strengthens. There’s life.

Everywhere.

Thick stalks drink from the soil. Roots tangle together beneath the field. Vines curl through damp earth. Even the smaller bushes feel distinct now that I know what I’m searching for.

None of it feels friendly.

But it doesn’t feel evil either.

The plants are simply reacting. Hunting. Defending themselves. Doing whatever they were created to do.

Maybe that matters. Maybe fighting them is exactly the wrong approach.

“I might have an idea.”

All three men turn toward me.

The immediate attention makes me regret speaking.

“Might?” Talon asks.

“That word was intentional.”

Fenric lowers the branch he’s been working with. “What are you thinking?”

I glance toward the field again. “I can feel them.”

Silence.

Thorian’s expression sharpens. “The plants?”

I nod.

Talon looks from me to the towering flowers. “As in… the fae thing?” He says the last part more quietly.

“Yes, the fae thing.”

His eyebrows rise.

I rub my palms against my pants, suddenly wishing I hadn’t said anything. “I don’t know what I can actually do with that. I barely know how any of this works. With the roots, I wasn’t exactly making a plan. I just reached for them, and they responded.”

“Nyx,” Thorian says carefully, “are you suggesting you try controlling the field?”

“No.” I answer so quickly Talon almost smiles. “Definitely not the whole field.”

“Good.”