The Gift of Dreams

chapter V

The sweat trickled down Eloise's forehead as she plunged the spade down into the planter boxes. The soil was unyielding and it soon became tiresome after the first hour. Everyone had agreed that, for Eloise's safety, each member of the group were to school her in each of their talents.

Gardens and flowers were all pretty and nice, until you got down and gritty with them. However, as Eloise looked over to Annalise, she saw that the other girl was nothing but smiles. Every so often she would catch a snippet of her humming to herself. Or to the plants. Eloise could never tell.

If anyone was to ask her how this was helping her survive Eloise would not have been able to respond. As they planted, Annalise explained the plant and its different abilities. For example, aloe vera helps with burns, turmeric is anti-inflammatory, eucalyptus treats boils and sores, jojoba reduces swelling, and bruised plantain leaves help treat insect bites.

They all seemed useful in their own way, but how they were to aid her in an upcoming battle- Eloise wasn't sure.

Annalise had tried to tell her that although they were planting now, they would not be ready to harvest for years to come. Which upset Eloise. Will I be alive long enough to see them grow fully? She thought darkly.

"I believe Lilian is waiting for you." Annalise's soft voice floated across the garden to her. Eloise turned around, catching Lilian standing by the garden fences.

She did not look mad, but it seemed as if she had been waiting for quite some time. Her head was bowed and her feet toyed with the grass beneath her. Why didn't she come get me instead of waiting there?

Lilian raised her head and locked eyes with Eloise. Today she was wearing a simple shirt and pants, but Eloise had a feeling that the exercises today would not be as simple. Lilian's wide eyes begged everyone to fall into her trap, come here, I won't hurt you they seemed to say.

Eloise knew that whoever crossed her would wake up to the sound of explosions. If they woke up at all.

She shivered at the thought and said goodbye to Annalise. But there was no response, either she hadn't heard her or she was ignoring Eloise.

A pang went through her chest at the idea of the latter. Faerie was the one place where she hadn't felt different, or weird, or alone. But at that moment she was reminded of who she really was. A mortal surrounded by Fae. An outsider.

She had hoped that it would be different here. Better. But everything had crumbled around her recently, and unfortunately that meant Faerie as well.

"Are you coming or not?" Lilian called out. Eloise saw the slight scowl her face harboured and she hurried her walk, she felt as if she wouldn't last long here if she irritated Lilian.

"So," Eloise began. "What do we have in mind for today?" She asked.

"Today? Today, we make bombs." The smile she gave Eloise made her shiver. This could not be good.

***

"And here, you just need to attach this to the leftover part." Lilian instructed Eloise, her fingers pointing and guiding her along the way. "After you successfully join those together, you have yourself a bomb." She leant back in her chair, hands clasped behind her head. They were back in the kitchen and sitting at the dining table, junk scattered across the table. Well, at least it looked like junk to Eloise. But to Lilian these mundane items turned dangerous. Eloise would never look at wrenches or bike chains the same again. How had they even gotten bike chains?

"An actual bomb? Will it work?" Surely the only way to get these items was to travel to the mortal lands. Does that mean there's another way back home? She shook off the thought. No. This is home now. She had to remind herself.