Twigs and chilled grass crunched beneath my boots as I walked, my hands already dirty from digging up plants throughout the morning. Just one left. All I needed to push forward.
Minutes later, there it was, nestled beneath a towering downy birch. A smile spread across my face as I jogged towards it, a hint of victory bringing warmth back to my body. Witch hazel. One of the few plants that could survive beside such a tree.
I should have checked this area first.
“Better late than never,” I whispered, digging my bare fingers into the cold soil. Within minutes, I was holding the plant and shadow walking back to the cottage, ready for the fun part.
By the time the door to the cottage creaked open, I had already begun the tedious process of replanting. Not nearly as difficult as foraging, but slow work nonetheless.
Altair’s head popped out first, a single brow raised above barely open eyes. He looked exhausted, which made sense seeing as he barely slept. Perhaps he’d regret giving me the bed and snatch it back. I almost wished he would, if only to prevent me from being even more indebted to him.
My knees were digging into the dirt I had lifted, my fingers coated in the damp earth I had painfully freed. All around us, grey skies and chilly winds created an almost eerie hush, the snow from the previous night coating the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“Gardening,” I said, shrugging.
He scoffed, wrapping his arms around himself. “Are you crazy? It’s freezing out here.”
“It’s peaceful.”
Altair shook his head, blowing air out of his mouth so quickly it rattled his lips. Curious, I watched as he clenched his jaw and flicked his gaze between where I sat and the comfort of his cottage. Why didn’t he just leave me alone? He couldn’t bethatdetermined to win me over.
“Go inside, Altair.”
I waved him off, turning back to the plot I had made, focusing my attention back on the magic I was using to ward it against the elements. I had already crafted a heat source, the melon-sized bead of tech floating like a miniature sun above my garden. I was growing tired, my body still sore from the fight with Talon. But I could tell that, somehow, Altair had healed me well. Far too well to make sense.
Perhaps he had spent six months training himself to be a medic. Not that it would matter when he wasn’t really an elite anymore.
Neither of us were.
Suddenly, a pale hand slid towards the two-foot high yarrow plant, his fingers just grazing the tiny clusters of white flowers before I reached out and smacked him. He let out a surprised yelp, tugging his hand away. Peeking over at him, I bit back a smile at his slack jaw and wide eyes. Served him right.
“Don’t touch my plants.”
“You can’t be mean to me, Little Void. I saved your life.”
“Sure I can. I’m gardening in return.”
He huffed, squatting down beside me. Though I wasn’t trying to, I couldn’t help but notice how his smell had changed since Elite Academy. While I could still scent the vanilla that clung to him, the whiskey was gone, in its place a hint of smoke. We were far too close, his arm almost grazing mine, the puffs of his breath fanning me as he turned his face in my direction.
“That isn’t the same.”
“You saved my life, now I’m fostering more life.”
“Tomato, tomahto, as they say.” A barely-there smirk raised the left half of his mouth, one of his dimples ghosting by. I recalled when I had corrected him after graduation, the way he had played with my curl before cutting it like a lunatic. Maybe he had already begun going crazy before he had run away. Still, he was noticeably more…whatever he was.
“You’ve changed a lot since you left.” My tone was accusatory, but I couldn’t hide the curiosity that rippled within me like a pebble in a lake.
Without breaking our eye contact, he said, “And you’re exactly who I knew you were.”
“Care to elaborate on that?”
“Nope.”
“Didn’t think so.” I looked away first, officially too uncomfortable to continue the game he was insisting on playing. “The plants will also help you breathe better. Not by a lot, but anything will help when this air is pretty much salt and fumes.”
“Do you have any that will make me breatheless?”
