Chancellor Morgen closed her eyes, and the first genuine smile I’d ever seen from her made her look almost friendly.
“I loved that forest.” She opened her eyes and caressed the petals of the flower with one claw. “As a child, I lived in the trees. As a preteen, I learned their biology and spent hours sketching their ancient branches.” She smiled to herself. “I even lost my virginity under them. I think, in a lot of ways, I worshiped them, and it was because of my dedication that they saved me.” Her soft smile vanished back into the hard, wrinkled expression I was used to. “I was under them when the tremors hit. Once the world stopped shaking, I fell ill, but the trees pulled me into them. I spent fifty years inside their trunks, watching the world change, knowing my human body could not.”
“Then some idiot came to cut me down.” That Cheshire grin came back. “My body couldn’t use magic, but the trees, they adapt, they live. Their life runs deep under the ground. We have to save ourselves. So, I merged with the trees, and slaughtered that man, and the next and the next until my grove was bathed in blood.”
She looked at me as if expecting me to say something.
“I don’t understand enough to judge. You were defending yourself, and the trees saved you.”
A feral grin made her brilliant pink eyes flash. “I channel magic through the tree. I cannot use magic without my tree half.”
My shoulders slumped; it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“But”—she cupped her cheek with her tree hand—“I can still use magic. When I finally found my way back to my human shape, my hair and eyes matched. I was as magical as anyone else because of the wood shaping my soul. Your soul has already been carved, Quinn. You just need to find your tree.”
“Like a wand?” I said stupidly.
Morgen sighed. “Ollivander’s isn’t real, you ridiculous girl. This isn’t some fantasy novel.”
My jaw dropped. “Did you just make a Harry Potter reference?”
Chancellor Morgen pursed her lips. “If you must boil my entire life story down to you needing a magic wand, then maybe you deserve your fate as Adler Michelson’s plaything.” She cackled. “Now get out and don’t come back.”
I straightened and turned to flee. Only two furious men blocked my way. They each gripped a bicep, and I found my feet barely touching the ground while Chancellor Morgen’s gaze burned holes in my backside.
We swiftly exited the greenhouse, and cool daylight instantly chilled me.
My thoughts churned. I needed a tree soul, or maybe something like the Arc Reactor in Iron Man’s chest. Something from this time, maybe? That wasn’t a wand, apparently. My comparison to software that was too outdated to run on Windows Dystopian FutureTMfit with Chancellor Morgen’s story. Which meant I needed somethingthat would connect the past and the present. But why did she tell me what she did? Did she want me to spend the next year touching everything to see what happened?
I can picture her watching from afar with a glass of wine, or maybe fertilizer, whatever she drank, and cackling.
“There are going to be some changes in your life,” Rowan said quietly, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Hope will change your living arrangements,” Cayden stated. “I don’t have a roommate; you can join me.”
“No.” Rowan sliced through the air with his hand. “That isn’t an option either.”
The two paused to glare at each other, which let me wiggle out of their grips. When they started walking again, I followed along, only half paying attention.
“Quinn!” Brody’s excited voice grated on my nerves and finally snapped me out of my musing. “I knew you’d come back.” He gazed up at me. “What can I help you with?”
Cayden stepped between me and Brody, while Rowan scowled at the kid. The color drained from his face, but he held his ground. We were, literally, in his department now.
We quickly realized that Hope wasn’t there, and Brody wasn’t authorized to do anything, not that any of us wanted his help. Once again, Rowan and Cayden grabbed my arms as if they could physically stop me from going back to my dorm.
Brody watched us, his worried face focused on the indentations their fingers made on my biceps. I was wearing two long-sleeved undershirts, and even though their grip looked painful, I barely felt it through the padding. I pushed them both away, though they were slow to let me go.
Once free, I slid my hands into my pockets. We came to a stop next to the library doors.
Erick wasn’t that bad, and I didn’t want to spend all my time moving. I needed to work magic before the Architect came for me.
I snorted. At this point, if this wasn’t real, Miss Q had so thoroughly won, she was taking victory laps.
“Erick’s a perfect gentleman,” I argued. “He sees me as a little sister.” Who he wouldn’t mind knocking up, but I didn’t say that part. “And he helps me with little things that will add up eventually, but not now. I just want my independence. Not a new roommate or hiding under either of your skirts, er, kilts.” I leaned into Rowan. “There’s a reason Hope put us in a room together, right? We need to trust the family and all?”
Rowan groaned and ran his hand down his face. “Chancellor Morgen was not wrong. You are getting a lot better at all of this.”
Rowan tugged me to his side.
