AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The leaves had grown bigger, and the buds looked like they were on the verge of bursting open, bringing color back into the monochrome world.
“It’s much the same as we do with Conjurites,” I said. “It’s just much easier with roses—they don’t have a lot to say about the matter.”
I smiled at Erol, and he chuckled.
“I can imagine the Conjurites have a lot to say about it.”
“You have no idea,” I said. “Some don’t agree, and others… There’s so much fear.”
Erol’s face darkened, and he withdrew his hand. “I didn’t think it would be an easy task.”
“Neither did we,” I admitted. “It’s just…harder than we imagined.” I looked at my hands. “We’re not giving up, though,” I added quickly. “We just didn’t think we would have to face more than an absence of light.”
I swallowed hard. Erol’s large form loomed next to me, and I was aware of his closeness. I liked having him this close. His dark magic was on the surface, threatening to look for trouble, but beneath it all, there was goodness, and it was warm and pulsing, drawing me closer.
Right now, I was the only person who could sense it. Mom had told me that. We would find it and bring it to the surface, if that was what Erol wanted.
Judging by the look of awe on his face when he looked at the flowers, the life that teemed before us, it was exactly what he wanted. Even if he didn’t know how to put it to words yet.
12
EROL
Iloved Hazel’s voice. It was a little husky, and so soothing. I could listen to her talk all day and all night, if she’d let me.
Hazel explained to me how she used magic to bring the garden back to life, and I could only stare at her.
She was so young when she first came to Palgia, but I watched her blossom into an adult. It was a shame she lost those years in a prison cell for something that was completely out of her control.
It had taken me months to find a way to help them escape—Falx had had such a strong hold over the guards and the warriors, forcing them to do his bidding, and I feared that he would kill Vanya and Hazel.
It had been a huge risk, and I’d been happy they’d gotten away.
She closed her eyes again after explaining how she poured her magic into the plants, showing me how they responded to it. Her skin glowed softly, her dark hair seemed to shimmer when I didn’t stare directly at it, and a pang of jealousy shot into my chest.
I’d been connected to the light like that, once. I’d been a creature filled with magic the way she was.
Years and years had gone by where I hadn’t missed it at all. I’d pushed it all away, refusing to think about what I’d lost. Now that I saw how she used her power, how connected she was to the essence of life itself, I wanted it back. It was impossible to keep pushing away when she made it look so glorious.
“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked.
Her eyes were trained on me, and she had a look of concern on her face.
I cleared my throat and shook my head, dropping my poker face into place again.
“Nothing.”
She tilted her head to the side, her dark hair slipping over her shoulder. We sat together on the ground—it had been warmed by the sun, or maybe by her magic, and she was very close to me, radiating that same warmth.
When her hair slid over her shoulder like that, I wanted to run my fingers through it, to feel what it would feel like against my skin.
“It’s not a crime to feel something, you know,” she said.
She studied my face, and I looked into her blue eyes. They were large and liquid and drowning deep, and I could fall into them if I wasn’t careful.
Hazel swallowed hard, and her eyes slid to my lips just a moment.
So, she felt it, too.
