Yasmin and Coral caught up to us then.
“Oh my spores, that came out marvelous. I’d taken some peeks in my room but never saw the finished product. You’re insanely talented, B,” Yasmin said.
I flushed, unused to having such public attention on my art. Sure, it was my goal to go to art school as my mom had, but outside of my art classes at SCC, I’d never openly shown my work like this. And this was my first time doing a painting in this style. I’d been nervous to put it out here in the first place, and I wasn’t sure how to react to the praise.
Luckily, I didn’t have to be awkwardly silent for long, since my friends began to try on perfumes and ooh and aah over floral statues and cakes.
“How’d that feel?” Callan whispered into my ear, and I shivered.
“How’d what feel?”
“Putting yourself out there for the first time.”
“Terrifying,” I admitted, wondering how he’d known.
His mouth twitched. “I have a feeling this is only the start for you, local.”
Throughout the afternoon, when we went our separate ways for afternoon tea and lunch, I caught glimpses of Callan with his tree affinity friends or chatting with Nevah. A little flare of discomfort arose at that, but I pushed it down, trying to be present in the moment.
The florals had outdone themselves, and this party wasn’t one I would ever forget. We drifted to the dessert table, helping ourselves to some pastel-colored cupcakes.
A few minutes later, Callan approached and escorted me to the side of the building and under a covered trellis bursting with flowers, away from everyone else. We stood in the small space, the scent of rose and jasmine taking over nearly every other sensation. A few bees buzzed nearby but not in a bothersome way. The area was too saturated with pollen for them to notice us.
Callan tugged at his tie, straightening it. I suddenly had the strong urge to wrap my arms around him.
“How has your training been going with Nevah?”
I blinked. Nevah, of course. She was my tutor, like Callan was. That was all he was. And the two were far better suited forone another than he and I would ever be. They both had magical botanist families, lifetimes of experience. And their magic made sense. Nevah wasn’t an enigma, like me. The thoughts festered out of nowhere, and I took a step back.
“Good, I think. Why? Has she said anything about it?”
A smile formed at the corners of his eyes. “Slow down there. I was just asking.”
I let out a breath. “She’s a good teacher. I see why you two are the perfect match.” I clapped a hand over my mouth. Had I said that aloud?
Callan arched an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, you both look like models from a magazine. Then there’s the fact that, along with Eli, you have the strongest affinities of anyone in the school. You’re both from established magical families…” I racked my brain for more similarities to list, though there was a small feeling in the pit of my stomach questioning why I was saying all of this. Normally, I’d never voice this, but in this moment, it felt totally natural.
Callan made a confused face, then he looked at the half-eaten cupcake in my hand. His eyes widened, and he took the sweet treat from me. “So, someone spiked the cupcakes withScopoliaagain. Professor East is going to lose it.”
“What?” I asked, confused by every part of what he had said.
“Scopolia carniolica. Truth serum. People with defensive plant affinities can modify and use it. You’d be able to block it, since you have those affinities, but I’m guessing Nevah hasn’t worked on how to block plant poisons that have been magically enhanced by other botanists yet.” He swore quietly. “I’m going to have her move that up the list.”
He took my hand and gently tugged me out from under the trellis. “I’ve got to find Professor East. Do you know if your friends ate any of the cupcakes?”
“Yasmin did, but Coral said she didn’t want to end up with frosting in her teeth.” Again, the response spilled out of me. Was I really under the influence oftruth serum? I thought that was just the stuff of sci-fi spy-movie legends. Then again, Iwasat a school for magical botanists.
Callan navigated us through the crowd, where I started to overhear bits of arguments.
“You said you thought this dress looked good on me earlier today!”
“Well, I lied.”
I gasped. How many people had eaten the cupcakes and were now saying things they’d never intended to share? I spotted Coral. Callan was making a beeline for her.
“Coral, I need you to look after Briar. And probably your other friends too.”
