“That’s where they harvested,” I said, pointing at the patch of field that was covered in soil. We strode onto the area and began walking to the other side of the field.
“This is a lot of flowers,” Hudson said as he cast his gaze as far as he could see. Maybe a quarter of the place had been used. That was concerning. “Was all of this for Peach Tree?”
I paused and folded my arms. “Honestly, I’m not an expert, so I’m not entirely sure.”
“Who would know?”
I was already sliding my phone out of my pocket. Surprisingly, I had a strong signal. I pressed the last number received and switched the call to video.
Lenson answered with safety goggles on. “Cora, is everything okay?”
“I need to show you what we found.” I switched the camera around and scanned the area, showing him everything. The sucking in of breath wasn’t reassuring. I brought the screen back to myself and Hudson stood behind me.
“That’s enough Datura to take down the state,” Lenson informed me.
“And the part already harvested?” I asked.
“That’s what I’m talking about, Cora. The remaining plants, if used correctly, would be enough to poison half of America.” My eyes widened and I swallowed the knot of anxiety working its way up my throat. “However,” Lenson continued. A spark of hope flared. “If what we suspect is true, and the Datura isn’t being used to kill people, and it’s being used as a delivery method for magic, then the potency would be less.”
“Meaning it would cover even more people,” I concluded. That was bad. “Thank you,” I told Lenson.
“Would a sample of the plant help us to understand what they are trying to achieve?” Hudson asked.
Lenson thought it over for a few seconds and then shook his head. “No, the magic would be infused after they picked the plant. It would be too volatile and dangerous to give the plants power while they are left unprotected. We’d need an infused bloom, one that hadn’t yet been expended.”
Rockhard appeared over Lenson’s shoulder. “You need to destroy the crop, that’s the safest thing to do right now.”
“How?”
“Burn it.”
I rubbed my temple. I hadn’t come prepared for arson. “Is the smoke harmful?” I asked.
“To you? Perhaps. Shifters in their animal form have a better chance of not succumbing to the poison,” Rockhard said, pointedly looking at Hudson. “Once it’s burned, you can then douse the area in water.”
I promised to keep them up to date and terminated the call.
“I didn’t bring anything to start a fire,” Hudson grumbled.
I sucked in a breath. “That’s okay, I can do it.”
“But he said you would be susceptible to the poison, I don’t want you anywhere near this when it goes up.”
“They don’t know about her,” I stated and Indigo immediately raised her head. “Time to come out and play,” I told her.
She eyeballed the scene. “There aren’t any souls.”
“You have a one track mind. No, there are no souls. I need your expertise in smiting, to light this place up.”
“Fine, then we find a soul.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She pushed at my skin and I gave in, allowing her to transform. My gums ached as my teeth elongated and pain tore down my spine as my wings erupted.
Hudson took a step back. Not through fear, he was simply giving her some room. She grinned at him. I’m sure it wasn’t a reassuring look. “Are you safe?” Hudson asked her.
“Of course, mate, the poisons of this world have no effect on us. I would simply expel it from my being.”
