Together, our group devised a plan, and we began to make our way through the forest. Those of us with tree affinities walked in the canopy of the trees, while the others moved on the ground below. Callan had recommended splitting like this in case any of us were caught. Those with lead grasses affinities used their powers to silence the ground so that the earth was eerily quiet as they walked below.
I followed Callan through the trees, walking along the path made of tree limbs as naturally as strolling through the park, though my heart was beating rapidly in anticipation of going on offense against Team Xylem.
As we approached the eastern side of campus, a strong wind kicked up. “The harvesters must be creating a storm,” Callan whispered. Around us in the trees and down below, most of the students’ hair was beginning to whip around wildly. Callan’s, an aquatic affinity student’s, and mine stayed perfectly calm. Our lead harvesters had stayed behind to perform defense with Eli Quinn.
“I can’t take another step,” one of our teammates on the ground whisper yelled.
Callan’s jaw tightened, and he glanced at me then at the ground. We climbed down, and he spoke to the aquatic girl who, like us, wasn’t struggling against the prevailing winds. “Moira, I think it’s going to have to be the three of us who go.” She nodded, seeming to understand the logic.
One of the second years with a lead grasses affinity said, “We’ll act as decoys here and move in from a different vantage point if we get an opening. Good luck.”
I followed Callan and Moira as we crept through the forest and knelt at the edge of a stream, staying out of sight as the wind ripped around us. Callan surveyed the area like a hawk assessing his prey, shrewd and calculating.
“The rose is there.” He nodded toward a tree house about fifty feet up the river.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“Can you sense it?” he asked me, and I reached down deep within myself, blocking out all the commotion around me to focus on the image of the rose Professor Tenella had clipped and encapsulated at the beginning of the game. There was a strong tugging in my center toward the tree house, much stronger than when we’d been on the other side of the forest. I nodded.
“There’s guaranteed to be booby traps all around it. Defensive plants, if they have any, but also possibly some florals and tree affinities. That’s what I’d do. We’ll have to get to it from the water.” He looked at Moira, who nodded.
“How do you two feel about swimming?” Moira asked.
I’d done a little aquatic plant studying with Nevah and no swimming at all, but I’d always been a strong swimmer, and this was just a small creek. I nodded that I was in, and Callan did the same.
“It looks like we can hold our breath the whole way. I’ll have those American lotuses provide cover.”
“What if the other team has people in the water?”
Moira grinned. “Then we show them who’s boss.”
We slipped into the stream, and the sensation was unlike any I’d ever felt. Unlike the previous occasions when I’d gone swimming, when I got in the water, I didn’t feel wet. Similarly to how the storm flowed right around me, the water seemed to glide past me as if my entire body were a wet suit. Moira took the lead, and Callan signaled for me to follow her. He brought up the rear.
We moved quietly through the river for a few minutes and were nearly to the tree house when Moira began to thrash in front of us. We stuck our heads out of the water, still hidden by the leafy lotus plants.
I noticed with horror that vines were wrapped around Moira’s wrists. With a flick and a whisper, she threw one of them off. A vine snaked toward me from another direction, and I stifled a scream as I scrambled toward the bank.
“You two go,” Moira said. “I’ll hold them off!”
“Are you sure?” I asked, panting as adrenaline coursed through me. Moira nodded, and suddenly Callan was there, pulling me the rest of the way out of the water.
“We can’t just leave Moira!” I gasped.
“She’ll be fine. I’ve seen her skills. It’s up to us now. Nevah could be around here somewhere, if she isn’t on offense,” he whispered, and a chill of nerves crashed over me again. Nevah was a formidable opponent, and as a second-year founders’ descendant, she was eons ahead of my capabilities. If it came to a fight among the three of us, I wasn’t sure who I favored to win.
“I need you on full focus now, local. Tap in.”
Without thinking, I reached for his hand and instantly felt more grounded. I opened myself up, letting my senses beoverwhelmed with the abundant plant life around us. I knew what we needed to do.
“We can climb the tree here then slide into the tree house. Nevah doesn’t have a tree affinity. We’ll have the advantage.”
Callan nodded, and we scaled a nearby fir tree. “Wait here,” Callan whispered, and before I could respond, he dove into the tree house heels first. A moment later, two large vines flew from out of nowhere and whipped inside the tree house.
“Callan!” I yelled, forgetting the warning to wait and scrambling into the tree house. My panic relaxed slightly when I took in the scene inside. Callan had secured the two members of Team Xylem who had obviously been stationed as the last line of defense. They were now tied to their seats, vines wrapped securely around their waists, hands, and mouths.
In the center of the tree house, on a small wooden table, sat the rose.
“We need someone with a floral affinity to break the enchantment and get it out of the capsule. Glad I know someone with one of those,” Callan said, picking up the capsule and balancing it easily in one hand.
