The Land Set Aflame

Chapter 71: The Flower Bed

There was some guilt in her mind as she listened to the new developments in Svenden's whispered voice. His voice sounded so tantalizingly, sensually close, and yet so far away. And it seemed that he would only be getting even farther away: they had to head eastward, and they couldn't wait for her to catch up.

She'd never thought of Aevenwy as a trap before, but she suddenly did feel trapped here. And the whisper blossoms would probably expire long before Svenden reached Kernohest: hers was already starting to wilt.

"Be safe," she whispered helplessly to him.

She slipped the blossom back into her hair and tried a few breathing exercises to forestall the advent of her anxieties. It worked for about half a minute, before she sighed with frustration and got up, walking out of her tree-room and going to find her mother.

The garden was blooming with sensuous, pink flowers and glittering with fairy magic. An incomparable air of bliss surrounded Alloria Rosa, who lounged on a sumptuous bed of flowers that seemed to have formed into a bed or couch or some sort. Alloria Rosa's waves of long, red hair glittered like gold and copper, and Callyndia instantly began to feel her anxieties subside.

Myndrith also sat among the flowers, her barklike skin seeming to have taken on a softer texture than before. She wasn't showing a lot of emotion, but Callyndia thought she could see a smile glimmer across the surface of Myndrith's eyes when she saw Callyndia approach.

"Callyndia dear!" Alloria Rosa said, "Join us in the flower bed! We were just talking about you, actually."

"Oh, my favorite subject!" Callyndia teased as she found a spot in the flowers and gingerly seated herself. Her skirt magically adjusted itself for perfect comfort as she settled in. "That was a joke," she explained to Myndrith, "I was being silly. How are you doing, Myndrith?"

"I'm okay," Myndrith said, raising a hand to show Callyndia. There were still talons at the tips of her fingers, but they were somewhat subdued in size and shape, and the blackness had faded to a dull, washed-out bluish-gray.

"Improvement!" Callyndia said, though she wasn't sure that she actually saw much difference from the last time, "Are you feeling happy?"

" 'Happy' might be an overstatement," Alloria Rosa said, "But I think she and I have been seeing more eye-to-eye today."

"That's good," Callyndia said positively.

"I still don't understand why I was born a child," Myndrith said simply. There was a slight air of accusation that wafted through the air, and one of the flowers near Myndrith turned grayish for a brief moment.

"I've explained that I don't understand it either, dear," Alloria Rosa said with a voice that was compassionate and yet impatient, "I've never been one to follow rules, and so I've never felt the need to discover the 'why' behind most things. But you can be assured that I didn't choose that for you."

"What if you did, and you just didn't realize that you did it?" Myndrith asked, "Sometimes, I've heard that that happens here in Mellesh."

Alloria Rosa sighed. "I suppose it's possible," she said, "And if so, I'm deeply sorry for how a passing thought or mood of mine might have caused such difficulties for you. But I don't believe it's fair to hold that over me. I do hope there's a way we can get past this and learn to trust each other."

"You mean, you hope I can get past this," Myndrith said, her voice sounding a bit more accusatory. A couple flowers near her wilted and turned brownish.

"That's true, to some extent," Alloria Rosa admitted, "The effects have been greater on you than on me, so I'm sure you've got a longer road to travel here. And I know it can't be easy. But what do you think I should do?"

Myndrith seemed annoyed by that question, and she glowered, causing another flower to sag in response. She tried to say something, but stopped. Then, she tried again, and stopped again. There was a look of frustration on her face. "I want you to—" she said, then cut off abruptly and clutched at her throat, as if it were sore.

"Are you okay, Myndrith?" Callyndia asked kindly, sliding a bit closer to the dryad.

Alloria Rosa frowned and raised a finger. Her eyes transformed briefly into a glowing, white orbs as she looked carefully at Myndrith. "There's another layer to it all!" she said in wonder. Her eyes changed back and she smiled understandingly. "You're still cursed, dear. I thought I'd gotten it all, but it looks like there was one more hiding deep inside. Let me see what I can do."

She closed her eyes and looked upward, raising her arms. Her body began to glow, and her hair rose to float dramatically in the air around her. Callyndia watched jealously: her mother always looked so exquisitely beautiful while in the throes of magical spells. Maybe someday, she too could master that elegant magical style.

Myndrith twitched uncomfortably, and began to cough. Her coughs turned to retches as wisps of black smoke dispered from her lips. Several more coughs ensued, followed by several more gouts of smoke. Finally, a little glimmer of radiant magic touched Myndrith's throat, then vanished in a neat little wink of light.

Myndrith seemed to calm down, her eyes closed and her head bowed serenely.

Alloria Rosa's hair settled down into perfectly smooth tresses again — once again, so jealous! — and her magical aura subsided. She smiled warmly at Myndrith. "There, I think that's the last of it," she said.

"Where did these curses come from?" Callyndia asked, "Ilyssia doesn't strike me as a curse-brewer."

"They're not really curses," the nymph queen replied gently, "They're more like infections. Side effects of Myndrith's own stuides. She studied shadow magic on her own for so long, there were bound to be a few little mistakes she made. And then I imagine Abdus did his best to twist those little mistakes into vicious little knots."

Myndrith's eyes suddenly shot open, and she gasped. "Oh no!" she said, "That's what he was doing in there!"

Outside, there was a shout of surprise, and suddenly, all the flowers in the flower bed began to wilt and turn brown. Callyndia was suddenly overcome with a supernatural chill, and she saw her mother gasp in shock, before everything faded away.