I gritted my teeth. This Goddess had the gall to send me away on a quest that I could not fulfill,andshe strapped me with someone I’d never met before in my life?
I did not need help. I did notwanthelp. Did that make me a fool, seeing as I couldn’t read a map right to save my life? Perhaps. But this wasmydemise, this was the end ofmyworld. I didn’tneedanyone to bear witness to my fracturing soul.
Hells, this day couldn’t have gotten any worse.
“Hesper Altanfall.” A shadow appeared behind Agnus. A familiar shadow.
This day did, in fact, get worse.
“You,” I seethed.
Agnus quirked an eyebrow, looking between the shadow and me. Or should I say the-unhelpful-stranger-who-saved-my-tulip and me?
Excellent. I’d have to leave the only place I ever loved, lose my magic, die, and, worse than all of that, deal with someone who found sick pleasure in toying with my precarious emotions while I languished away on the bed. They could have justgiven me the tulip. Instead, they dragged the scene out until I cried. To what end? It was their fault in the first place that I lost track of the squirrel, and they had the gall to make it into a funny joke? Goddess help me (actually, don’t, seeing as she was the one freshly ruining my life).
And I hadn’t even seen their face yet. Probably some mangled boy in his twenties who happened to be well-built and also infuriating. I narrowed my eyes at them, hoping beyond all hope that looks really could kill.
“Ah, I see you know each other already. And by the looks of it, this journey should be a fun one for both of you,” Agnus said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Rosie sucked in a breath, most definitely prepping to stop me from attacking either Agnus, the shadow, or both.
“May the Fates see you through to a happy end, Clara.” Agnus gave me a curt nod and turned to leave.
“What happens if I can’t do it?” I called out.
“Can’t do what, child?” Agnus asked, perturbed but at least listening.
“What if I can’t grow a garden? What if I don’t succeed, what happens then?”
“Eldrene will decide a fitting punishment if the task is not complete within a month,” Agnus replied flatly.
So I wouldn’t be coming home. And a Goddess would see to my bitter end to boot.
Trembling returned to my body, and Rosie came to stand beside me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. She had always been good at this—calming the storm, being a light in the dark. She was the one I needed, not the protector looking on, probably in amusement, as I fell apart right in front of everyone.
“Any further questions, Clara?” Agnus asked.
“No,” I murmured.
Then Agnus disappeared, too. No moss or petals were left in her wake, just an empty space between the protector and me, who, thankfully, had turned away.
I pressed my head onto Rosie’s shoulder, unable to keep the tears from streaming down my face. She patted the back of my head and gave me a loving squish. I held on to her, not willing to let go because maybe, if I just held on tight enough to Rosie, this would all fade away into a dream.
“Clara, you have to have hope,” Rosie whispered into my ear. “Please.”
Rosie’s voice held a hint, the smallest fraction, of true pleading.
We had been friends for so long that she’d inevitably noticed my magic sputter when hard months came along. When sorrow came and when it left. I always thought I hid it well enough that no one would notice. But in my heart, I knew she saw when the wisteria growing over my cottage door died at the edges, when the ever-blooming lavender on my kitchen table dried up.
She didn’t know about the rest, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell her this secret I’d kept from her forever. What she needed to know was that I could do this. So I lifted my head and lied, as easy as buttercups sprouting in the spring.
“Rosie, I promise you that I will come home. I will grow a garden in Dwindle.” I tried to smile through the tears. Rosie feebly smiled back. “I will figure out how to do this, I will get my heart together, and I will be there when Patti and you get your heads out of your own asses.”
Rosie’s eyes filled with determined hope, like she knew I just needed a moment to collect myself and then I’d be fine.
I’d leave her with that feeling, that I would be just fine after all, and she would be, too.
I’d only broken one promise before in my life, and that one was made for me before I was even born. At least this one I’d be making and breaking myself.
“You should enjoy the rest of the party,” I said with mock confidence, wiping snot away from my nose. “The After-Goddess Trio will be here soon.”
