I shoved my pride down and nodded at my brother. “That’s a reasonable idea.”
He smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. “She’s good for you.”
“In the grand scheme of things, she just got here. Maybe I’m evolving.”
Seir scoffed and snatched the remains of my breakfast directly out of my hand, finishing it in one messy bite. “I stand by what I said,” he muttered over his mouth full of bread and walked away, leaving me staring after him.
Nothing new there, at least.
Sweat prickledat my temples the moment we crossed through the doorway. Thankfully, we’d left our cloaks behind.
Phin pushed up the sleeves on her tunic as she took in the overgrown plant life that spread in every direction. “Wow.”
“You okay?”
She nodded slowly. “I’ll be fine.”
I appreciated her bravery, but I remembered all too well her reaction to seeing the plants in Merry’s greenhouse. “This way.”My hand stretched for hers, and she flushed pink as she laced her fingers with mine.
We stepped high, carefully planting our feet through the crowding of vines, clusters of flowers and tufts of grasses that covered the ground. There were very few areas of just soil visible. Here, the plants ruled.
Not far from the portal was a small lake with a rock outcropping to one side. Beyond that the land began to slope upward rather quickly, and the foliage thinned out. Our chances of finding the two herbs Greta had mentioned were better at the increased elevation.
“It’s nice here,” Phin said. “Very quiet, though. Where are all the birds?”
“There are none. The only wildlife here are some rodent-like creatures, lizards, and some bugs.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Odd.”
I swung our linked hands up and pressed my lips to her knuckles. “There are many strange places through the doorways. They all serve their own purpose, even if that purpose is a bit mysterious.”
She smiled softly at me, and we were quiet as we passed the lake, which had become about half covered in a creeping water plant.
“Will you be able to identify what we’re looking for? I’m afraid botanicals are Rylan’s specialty, not mine.”
“Yes. The bride’s bane has small purple flowers and thin fingers on the leaves. The shepherd’s plight looks like bolted mustard plant, but with tiny white flowers instead of yellow. The leaves look like the serrated ones dandelions have.” Phin suddenly stopped walking. “Did you bring gloves? We shouldn’t touch them with bare hands.”
I patted the small satchel slung over my shoulder. “I have everything we need.”
Both of us began to sweat in earnest, the sun hot on our exposed flesh as the incline increased. As the plants began to thin, Phin’s intensity grew as she scanned for the herbs she was seeking.
“You should drink some water,” I encouraged, letting go of her hand. Condensation formed quickly on the outside of the glass bottle the moment I pulled it from my bag and offered it to her.
“Thanks.” She took a deep drink and handed it back. “I’m going to look over there. That fallen tree looks promising.”
“Alright.”
Her steps were high as she pushed aside vines and other plants. I took a moment to just admire her as she moved with intent. She bent in half, getting a closer look at something right up next to the rotting wood.
Her hand shot out. “Here!”
I moved as quickly as I dared over the uneven ground, already digging around for the bags and leather gloves I’d brought.
Just as she’d described, the bride’s bane had starlike purple flowers clustered all around and down the stalk. They were open and deceptively pretty, all the way down to the flexible little leaves. Phin accepted the gloves and retrieved as much of the herb as she could, filling up the small canvas bag.
“Excellent eye,” I said. “Do you want to see if we can find the other?”
“Yes. Both would be better, I think.”
