“He says I need a new field studies assignment, since my advisor is uncommunicative. And he tried to press me on who my advisor was.”
Coral snorted. “He’d lose his mind if he learned your former advisor was the curator of the defensives conservatory.”
“That he would,” I said, smiling slightly at the thought.
“Did he say what your new project will be?” Aurielle asked.
“He’s going to think on it. And he’s telling the Board of Regents that my powers are unlocked.”
“Of course he is.” Coral rolled her eyes.
“I just hope he finds me a field studies assignment that isn’t completely for the board’s agenda.” I took a bite of the souffle, my mood instantly boosted by the explosion of flavor.
“Whatever it is, you won’t have to do it long. After the spring equinox, there’s only one term left,” Yasmin said.
“You know you don’t have to listen to him, right?” Coral asked.
We all turned to her.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’re probably the most powerful magical botanist alive. And you’ve just proved that your powers aren’t restricted on the academy or conservatory grounds anymore. No one canmakeyou do anything, B. Not even Feathergrass.”
Yasmin and Aurielle both turned to me, wide-eyed, and Coral smirked. “You know I’m right.”
“Even if that’s true, I have to keep up the ruse that I’m playing nice. At least until the spring equinox. Which means I’lltake on whatever field studies assignment Feathergrass wants to give me, even if it’s only for two weeks.”
“Okay,” Coral said, sighing. She pointed her spoon at me. “But after that, you’d better show Feathergrass who’s boss.”
Chapter Fifty
The day after the game of Capture the Roses had revealed my renewed access to my powers to the entire school, I decided it was time I attempted to make the Floracantus that all my practice Floracantus were building to.
I needed to create a verdant shield that would replace the one currently protecting the academy. It was a much larger task than anything I had done so far, and my palms were slightly sweaty as I arrived at the caves of the Evergreen Conservatory.
Only Callan, Meadow, and I were there. Since Meadow had scoured the book about the founders, we hoped she might have some insights into the shield’s creation that would help me.
“I have no idea how to start,” I admitted once the three of us had gathered with my conduit notebook and my cutting of activated Rosie.
“How have you started with the other Floracantus you’ve made?” Meadow asked.
“I connect with a plant and think about what I want tomake it do. But this is different. Do I connect with the soil? The plants? Do I need to connect with all the plants I want to protect?” I didn’t say it aloud, but the task seemed impossible.
“The original verdant shield is tied to the soil,” Meadow said. “When the founders placed their hands in the charging circle, each imbued a tiny bit of their own power. I don’t think this Floracantus is going to be like the others. Instead of concentrating on a plant, you need to tap into each of your powers and direct them into the soil.”
I nodded, grasping onto the sureness in her words. “Any other tips?”
“The original Floracantus was invented by the tree founder, so you may need to use a little more tree affinity power compared to the others. I imagine the defensive founder instilled a good deal of power, too, since the shield keeps humans from seeing the truth.”
“Got it,” I said, sounding surer than I felt.
I knelt and touched my right hand to the ground. Callan had created a stone circle to imitate what the experience at the charging circle would be like. My left hand held Rosie over the notebook. With so many moving parts, it was difficult to focus on any one thing, but I closed my eyes and tried to push out thoughts of anything but creating a new Floracantus.
I dug inside myself, as Petra had taught me to do, and felt for each of my powers. One by one, I pushed them into the soil. Floral affinity… harvester affinity… grasses affinity… aquatic affinity… tree affinity. There, I paused and took extra time, making sure to incorporate the network component of trees. Moss affinity… herbs affinity… fern affinity… and finally, defensives affinity. I focused on the protective traits of defensive plants, tryingto imagine them forming a shield around the Evergreen Conservatory.
Once I felt I had done all I could do, I whispered the words I had planned for the Floracantus. “Terram protege.”
A few of Rosie’s petals fell from my hands, and when I opened my eyes, there was a small, shimmering clear shield—nearly invisible—around the stone circle and my notebook.
