The garden was both manicured and wild. Tamed and yet free. There was a cobbled path that swirled and wound its way through the different sections. Some of the pathway broke off to make circular planters around blackwood trees, their gnarled, whimsical branches a haphazard display. Whitebell flowers were planted at their base, their green roots climbing up the wide trunks like they were trying to embrace it.
As I ventured deeper, the world melted away. All I heard was a muted breeze and the sound of singing insects and the soft pad of my worn boots on the stone path. I discovered an alcove, decorated with a circular stone bench that surrounded what looked like azylarr, though it was empty. Around the bench were blue shrubs I’d never seen before, peppered with pink-and-purple flowers.
A short while later, I discovered a section of plants and blooms that made a mosaic of the night sky. The white flowers dotted throughout the black leaves of the plants were like stars in the sky. Ireallyhad to resist the urge to sketch it, since I was eager to explore every pathway I could. With the vastness of the garden, I wondered if I’d be able to accomplish my mission by the evening.
But as the sun steadily rose in the sky and the chill in the air began to warm, I traced and tracked over every winding pathway I could find, even the ones that weren’t marked by the cobblestones. Some were dirt pathways, leading to trees hidden from view, a nice quiet, shaded place to relax.
When I reached the middle of the gardens, I saw that it was marked by another arched stone entrance. Eagerly, I hurried to it, skimming the stone with my fingertips as my lips parted at what I found inside.
It was a courtyard, surrounded by tall dark green shrubs, all perfectly trimmed and neat, and nearly twice as tall as me. In the center of the courtyard was a large garden of starwood blooms. The indigo-colored flower looked lighter in the bright sunlight, and the small white specks in the center looked like stars. I’d never seen one in person before, had only ever seen illustrations. And as I crept closer, I touched one delicate bloom, the petal like velvet.
Starwood blooms were climbing flowers, growing wild. There were trellises staked into the earth, and they were climbing up them toward the sky. A few vines had grown outward, crawlingalong the cobblestones and winding their way into the surrounding shrubs, like they were melting into them.
I now understood why Kaldur employed so many horticulturists. Taking care of a garden like this was no easy feat. It would take a small army.
Surrounding the starwood blooms, tucked into carved out spaces nearest the tall shrubs, were simple benches. The sun was high overhead now. I wondered how long I’d been exploring the gardens. But judging from the way my belly rumbled, it had been at least a few hours since breakfast.
It was difficult to tear my gaze away from the beauty and wildness of the starwoods, but eventually I pulled at the ribbon and broke the wax seal of the contract Kaldur had given me. With a deep breath, I began to read.
When I was done, I sat back. The shrub hedges were sturdy enough to hold my weight. I stared down at the words, printed by a Halo orb laser, judging by the neatness and the color of the deep blue ink.
It was everything we’d already spoken about. I was to be his sole blood giver. The feedings would take place at his discretion and not more than twice per day. I would regularly takebaanye, a sludgy tea, to keep up my strength, and if a sexual relationship began from the feedings, I would need to take marroswood to prevent pregnancy.
My face flushed hot when I read that, but I supposed it was normal.
I was to be paid tenvronevery month—ten thousand credits. That was an amount that wasunfathomableto me. While theKyzairepaid his keepers better than any other House I’d ever worked for, tenvronwas still more than I made in three months. And to think I was to be paid every month…and all I had to do was be his blood giver. Free to spend my days as I wanted—right here in the garden if I wished, drawing, writing, dreaming.
It was almost too good to be true.
In addition to the tenvronevery month, I would be moved to the South Wing, Kaldur’s own private wing of the keep.Iwasn’t even allowed to clean in that wing of the house. Only a handful of keepers that Maudoric trusted were assigned there regularly. I would have my own private rooms there.
A straightforward agreement. No frills. To the point. I gave him what he wanted, he paid me and kept me comfortable.
I felt that familiar feeling of disappointment bloom. I’d managed to catch the attention of the male I’d been pining over for the last two years…and while it felt exciting, it also felt emptier and colder than I’d imagined.
Maybe it’s just nerves,I reasoned. This was new. And a part of me couldn’t help but lament that I was below Kaldur’s station in life. He couldn’t be happy about that. Maybe that was why he’d insisted I not work in the keep. Because if I didn’t, then I wouldn’t be merely his keeper any longer. I would only be his blood giver, an automatic ascent in status.
That stung to think, but I also knew it was a harsh reality of this world, of which I’d always been on the bottom rung. While I’d dreamed of it, I knew that I had no true chance with someone like Kaldur. It felt surreal that this was even happening. Tome.
There was space for me to sign at the bottom, next to where he would sign. I rolled up the contract to prevent me from reading it over for the fifth time. Then I sat, my gaze flitting over the starwood blooms, tracing their shapes, thinking of different pencil colors I could layer to make their unique shade in my sketchbook.
Carefully, I set the contract on the bench beside me. I took out my sketchbook. And, if only to distract myself from what the night would bring, I began to draw.
The rhythmic soundin the sky made me frown, and I blinked up into startling darkness. My shoulders felt tight, and my fingers and the sides of my palms were smeared in charcoal. My eyes felt strained, of peering down at the pages of my notebook in steadily sinking light.
But I feltgood.
I’d realized the passing of time slowly. A stray notice before I’d dived straight back into my work. In the late afternoon, my stomach had finally protested too much, but I’d been loath to return to the keep, loath to leave this beautiful, wild place and return to Velle’s demanding questions and Maudoric’s assessing stare.
Much to my delight, I’d found a ripened bluestone-fruit tree, growing in what I’d classified “the Orchard.” Most of the trees were out of season, but bluestones grew best when the temperature was dropping toward winter, and I’d harvested a few to keep my energy steady. The tanginess of the fruit had made my lips pucker, but the small, crunchy seeds inside were sweet and I couldn’t help but think they would bake beautifully into bread. Saira had never used them in her dishes, at least none that I could remember. I hoped I’d beenallowedto harvest them.
That rhythmic sound grew louder and louder, approaching my position on the bench I’d reclaimed in the shielded starwood bloom courtyard. I’d posted up at different places throughout the day, to draw and jot down inspirations for scenes for my stories, but when the sun had set, I’d returned here. The stamens in starwood blooms were rumored to sparkle in moonlight. I’d wanted to see if that was true, to see it for myself because I thought it must be a magical, breathtaking sight.
I spied the stretch of wings, dark and fearsome, in the sky as a Kylorr circled above. Then they were circling down. Closer and closer to me, going almost too fast.
I gasped when they landed on the cobblestone, a shortdistance away but close enough that the impact sent a ripple of powerful energy outward. It whooshed back the annoying tendrils of my hair that wouldn’t stay tucked away in my haphazard bun.
The Kylorr straightened to his full height.
