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“You’re sending mixed messages.”

Ezra crouches and the plant leans closer. Not threatening. Almost… affectionate.

“Oh, fuck that.” I march forward, the stalk immediately straightens. All twelve others do too.

Thirteen.

Every leaf turns toward me and I stop.

Malakai rises. “Sage.”

“I see it.”

The mark around my wrist warms.

Not burns. Warms.

KEEPER.

Still there. Faded now. But never gone.

I lift my wrist and the corn bows. Every stalk right to the ground.

Rhett whispers, “That’s deeply unsettling.”

“You think?”

Then the new stalk pushes upright and a tiny ear grows from its side right in front of us.

“No.”

It grows three inches. Four. Six with husk forming and silk spilling.

Rhett raises the knife.

I slap his arm down. “Wait.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Excellent survival instincts.”

The ear stops growing, so I reach for it but Ezra grabs my wrist. “Sage.”

I look at him, but his eyes are on the corn. “Don’t.”

“It’s my garden.”

“It just grew an entire ear in twenty seconds.”

“Technically Kai’s garden.”

Malakai nods. “Thank you.”

“Not helping.”

I look at Ezra then his hand around my wrist.