Breathe, Clara. Breathe.
I opened my eyes, the threat of spewing still very close but stifled down. Perhaps the only good part of living with a nervous stomach was my seasoned ability to hold in the inevitable until a more appropriate time.
“Andnow—” Eldrene’s shoulders lifted ever so slightly, as if she were going to conduct a symphony, her voice tilting up atthe end. The air became kinetic, her entire Train leaning in, readying their bodies for her order. My body fell in line right with them, as if I suddenly became tied to whatever power held their bond together.
“Descend.”
The music exploded, a grand flare for the Goddess, her Forest Train, and me, the garden wench hailing from nowhere.
But I kept my back straight, my eyes forward, and my chin high, just like she asked. She helmed the front, taking each step as if it were a challenge, a calling, an otherworldly experience. She didn’t just float down the stairs; she commanded each step. The crowd dropped to their knees at her approach—our approach.
“You look…nicerthan usual,” Agnus whispered beside me, giving my dress an appraising look. She looked as old as the earth itself, possibly older. Deep wrinkles ran like roots across her onyx skin, her shock of white hair twisted so adeptly that it looked like a crown. She was a human, though blessed with an unnaturally long life because of her proximity to Eldrene. She’d fought in the Elden Wars eons ago, and now she was complimenting my dress—well, sort of.
I tried to whisper a thank-you, but the words caught in my throat as the music raced toward its climax, the crowd abuzz with anticipation, Eldrene herself seeming to swell at the dedication of the mortals around her. Only, unless my eyes were deceiving me, she truly was growing larger. The violet aura around her began to encompass the entire Train.
Do not let your mouth hang open, Clara. Don’t do it. Keep it shut.
I gritted my teeth, trying to steady my breathing. But the music seeped into my bones, the power of Eldrene crept intomy soul. My body loosened and my mind reeled at once, Eldrene’s presence sweeping over all those bowed before us.
Finally, we ended our descent. Eldrene stepped forward, allowing room for her Forest Train to create a tightVformation around her. I hovered awkwardly between Eldrene and Agnus, like a strange, right-and-a-half-hand woman.
The music met its triumphant finish, the chords resolving into such a powerful crescendo that the entire Clearing shook with its force. Birds flew out of their nests singing along with the final note, crickets chirped in harmony, and even the foxes cried out in the distance. The whole earth sang for Eldrene.
Silence fell, and all eyes were glued on us.
Don’t swallow. Don’t move. Don’t hyperventilate.
This is when I should leave.I made a small move to sidestep out of the formation, but Eldrene grabbed my arm.
Lightning jolted through me at her touch. To be Goddess-touched is unheard of. A few people in the crowd covered their mouths, trying to suppress their shock.
For a second, I thought I saw a flicker of light in Eldrene’s eyes, a burst of bright amethyst flames, but then she blinked, and the flare disappeared.
“My Crown Jewel?” She motioned to the gold locket around my neck.
“Of course,” I said hastily. Haven curse me, I almost ran off with the entire reason we were gathered here today.
Eldrene had bestowed the locket on me when she ordained me as the Celebration Gardener. It was strictly for carrying the Crown Jewel from my home to the Celebration and protected both the wearer and the tulip inside. It could only be worn on the night of the Celebration.
Normally, I kept it hidden in my hollowed-out bedpost, obsessively checking it every night and every morning. The thought of losing it had caused many sleepless nights. But I’d always delivered it safely to the Celebration. And usually, a member of her Train retrieved it—not Eldrene herself.
I slipped the locket off, holding the gold chain in my hand. The locket began swaying back and forth, caught in whatever unfelt wind blew through Eldrene’s mossy hair. It suddenly became weighty in my hands, as if the tulip sensed the power it would soon hold. My breath hitched as the heavy feeling trickled up my arm, my body shivering despite the balmy evening.
She eyed the locket, noting how it moved.
“Interesting,” she said, barely above a whisper. I worried that perhaps, after all this time and hard work, I reallyhadruined the tulip. Or worse, she would ask me to open the locket while everyone watched me. But she eventually took the locket gingerly in one hand, pulling it free of mine. The heady magic coursing through me vanished, and I staggered without its presence.
She gave me one last sidelong look before gesturing me away from her side. I gratefully melded into the crowd, squeezing myself in between two orcs I had never seen before and sinking to my knees. Maybe their giant bodies would shield me from any onlookers. They both looked down at me in surprise.
“Shh, don’t say anything,” I pleaded.
They shrugged and refocused on Eldrene.
The Forest Train now in its proper formation, Eldrene made her way from the steps to her Oaken Throne, ornatelycarved and decorated in tulips I’d also grown. The crowd parted for her every step of the way as if she sliced through ocean water.
Once she and her Train were seated, Eldrene held up a hand and commanded, “Let the festivities commence.” She settled back into her throne and, with glee and sadness in those ancient eyes of hers, watched as the party awoke once more.
Lute music filled the air, ending the crowd’s collective reverence.
