The Immortal Gardens - Emergent (book 1) (Wattys 2013)

chapter 19- the passion of the eyes lips dare not speak.

Ryder stretched his arms above him then massaged his scalp with his fingers.

"Well, im not exactly sure how far of a walk it will be but keep a sharp eye." He headed down a wide steet, lined with thorns and weeds.

The pavement was slightly cracked with no flowers in sight. The air became more putrid as a near by building let off a plume of thick black, ashy smelling smoke. I pat my dress and felt a lump, an indication that the vile was there.

I glanced behind me. Elijha was shoving Ryder's jacket on to his shoulders, shoving hiswings beneath it. The episode we had in the room ran fresh in my mind.

He felt disgusted that he loved me? A sin? As if it were my fault that he was turned into an angel and his heart had chosen me...or was it?

The tale of 2 lovers flashed into my mind. It was a story father told me when I turned 16 about him and my mother. He said when she showed up at the gates of his garden, mounted on a white horse stained by the blood on her garment he was tending to his family tree. That's when a limb from the tree snapped and fell to the floor accompanied by a flower. He was startled and grabbed the limb, in fear that he may have killed or damaged his family. That was when he realised it was his.

Clutching his limb he stuck it in the ground, then attended to my mother. She looked up at him and then he realized how broken she was, and also how beautiful. He then pleaded with my grandfather for months, begging him to bind them together im love. When grandfather finally agreed he had a ceremony for them, which included the binding of 2 flowers, allowing them to produce offspring and grow together as one. But when grandfather took them to bind them he said there was no need because the flowers were already binded.

Father said it was the only way that 2 persons could truly be united. Unhappy or unsuccesful marriages happen when a plant grows untop of the other and begins to smother it until they unravel and grow appart.

We can force persons to fall inlove by manually binding them for the sake of a better world. It might make one wonder if it really was a "match made in heaven" or "by heaven".

I fished into my dress for my flower.

"Rosabella what are you doing?" Ryder asked while glancing around at me.

"Just fumbling." I lied as I wiped my hands against the dress.

"Why does everyone seem so hostile?" Elijha spoke up, using his hands to rake through his shimmering hair.

"Could you turn the lights down sun beam? And because im waiting." Ryder stated impatiently.

Ignoring his witty remark, Elijha threw his hands by his side then directed his gaze towards Ryder. "On that house? Sounds like they're having a party..."

"They're celebrating the dominion their kind will have over the earth when Hezikaya kills you."

" you mean if." I stated plainly, uncomfortable with the possibility of death.

"You're right, as long as I'm around he wont kill you." Ryder stated as he carefully watched the area. "Elijha, cover me im going inside to demand directions."

"Why cant I do it?" Elijha complained, much like a bratty child, which, as I had stated would often get scolded by their parents.

"Because, if you start sparkling like a fairy they'll lunge at you and you'd just pussy-foot around killing them until they killed you."

Elijha gulped. It was true. "But I'm immortal." Elijha weakly retorted, sounding the way I had sounded at 15, trying to convince father that I was a woman, more than capable of handling myself in the garden.