Dragon Riders: Legacy(Book 2) Completed

Chapter 38:Herbolgy:Snargaluff!: Toph

   After her first four hours of class Toph was starting to become incredibly bored with all of Bolin's boring, dull introduction speeches for each class. The only thing interesting that happened today so far was when Moray fell asleep during History of Magic. Who knew he could snore like a trumpeting elephant. She was even more surprised that Bolin didn't even notice. Although, he did sit behind Ermine, which was a smart move for someone who seemed so much like a numbskull.
   When the bell dismissed them to go to their next class. Bolin told them not to wake Moray, he would do that himself.
   She obliged. Moray needed to learn from his mistakes.
   While she and Ermine walked down to the greenhouses for Herbology, she could tell Ermine was feeling bad for not waking Moray.
Even if Bolin told them not to wake him.

   Once on the grounds where the seven greenhouses were located at they stood at Greenhouse One. The greenhouses were used for growing potion ingredients and crops. Greenhouses one through four were used for growing potion ingredients and teaching Herbology. Greenhouses five through seven were used for growing crops.
   When the warning bell rang, Moray still didn't show up.
   "Do you think he's okay? Did Bolin punish him for falling asleep?" Ermine asked with immense concern for Moray in his voice.
   She noticed during their little time together as a winglet was that Ermine was the glue that held them together.  He was the one who kept her and Moray from from wanting to murder each other.
   "I'm sure he's fine. He's Moray. How much trouble can he possibly get into on the first day of training?" She assured him. Then she realized her mistake.
   "He's in trouble, ain't he?" Ermine asked, catching on to her mistake.
   "Probably," she agreed.
   "I really hope he doesn't get in serious trouble  on his first day," Ermine expressed his concern for the mischievous boy that caused untold trouble daily.
   "Bolin will most likely go easy on him and give him a warning since it's the first day." She reassured him.
   "I hope you are right," he said.
   She felt the moment of his icy blue eyes scanning the castle doors for any sign of Moray or Riptide.
   She secretly hoped she was right too. Somewhere inside herself she harbored a strange affection for him. He was like one of those annoying brothers one had for a sibling. Moray and Ermine were both like brothers to her. They didn't treat her like her father's servants did, afraid she was going to break into a million prices at the slightest injury. The boys, however, treated her like a friend. She never had any friends growing up. It was a new and strange thing she wished to experience, even if they annoyed her to pieces.

   Moray finally made it just as the tardy bell rang.
   He apparently has to run all the way from the History of Magic Classroom to here.
   "Did you get in trouble?" Ermine asked the for once speechless Moray.
   "No. He just gave me a warning to not fall asleep again." He said in between ragged breaths.
   "In Zhong if you fall asleep in class the teacher is allowed to punish you." She told Moray as a little warning of her own to hopefully give him an idea not to fall asleep again during class.
   "Nice to know poor children get beat for falling asleep in Zhong. Remind me never to go to Zhong ever. I've already heard what the Emperor does to those who have magic."
   "The Emperor does that to protect us from the evils of magic and their users. Those with magic seek to hurt those who don't because they think they can hurt those who can't fight back. All magic users are evil. They already attempted to take the Emperor's life once, and they've already made up a prophecy about his death. A 'so called prophecy' that would end his reign. They're all crazy lunatics, who think they own everything because they have a curse that makes them think they can take whatever they want. Magic is an curse. A disease that needs to be eradicated. The Emperor sees that too and is trying to fix Zhong and influence the other continents to do the same. Magic had no place in our world. It deserves to be wiped out for good." She argued back, defending her Emperor. She would not stand for such treacherous, poisonous words against her Emperor. He just wanted what was best for his people.
   "He fills your head with lies to make you think he is all great and benevolent. Well he's not. He's a murder, Toph. He murders innocent people who have done nothing wrong. It isn't their fault they were born with magic. Magic is a gift to be used for the well being of others. It isn't a curse as your Emperor sees it. It isn't a disease that must be exterminated. What about the Riders? Will he go about murdering them too. One day those with magic will rise up against him in anger at what he had done to their people. Their prophecy will come true whether you like it or not."
   What Moray said had drawn the line. All the affection she had felt for him earlier as a brother was snuffed out as soon as he spoke those ill words about the Emperor. She wanted to make him regret his words.
   "Now, let me ask you one question Toph:What are you doing here learning magic when you believe it's evil?" He asked her, shaking her to her core, making her remember the night she had actually considered finding and asking a magic user for help on finding the Riders and possible teaching her about magic.
   She had already committed treason. She had given into the ways of sorcery. The Emperor would have her head if he found out. Now she could see how magic users felt. Hunted for the way you were born when it wasn't even your fault you were born with magic.
   But she still refused to forgive him about the rest of his words. Calling the Emperor a lier. He would regret his words.
"Hey, I love retribution as much as you do, but sometimes those who seem wrong just might be right." Terra said, taking Moray's side. She could believe it. Terra was siding with Moray, even after all those lies he said about the Emperor.
She didn't respond to Terra's words. She kept her thoughts and feeling to herself, hiding them from Terra. She didn't want Terra letting Moray escape his punishment for the treacherous words he spoke against the kind, noble ruler of Zhong.
"Hey, look I don't know what's going on, but let's try not to get into anymore dangerous situations caused by words and actions." Ermine said, standing between the two of them incase one of them tried something.
The tension between herself and Moray broke when Bolin arrived.
He led them into Greenhouse One, and started telling them about each of the plants.
She was kind of listening as he told them what plants were safe and not safe. The one that caught her attention the most was the snargaluff. A gnarled stump that hid dangerous vines with thorns. The plant only attacked when provoked.
It was the perfect plant to pay Moray back with. But a small, guilty part of her mind said otherwise.
Yes, the Emperor killed magic users and now that considered her too. She heard rumors from the mansion's maids—who like to gossip—that the Emperor indeed did murder magic users. But she never actually believed what they said. She believed the Emperor was a good ruler who did what he did to protect his people.
But now thinking about it when she was older and hearing it come from someone else, she really started to question the Emperor's words he told his people.
   Unfortunately as she was rethinking her rash plan, she subconsciously sent her plan into action. She disturbed the plant with a little movement through the earth as Moray was walking by.
   Realizing her mistake, she yelled a warning to Moray. "Snargaluff!"
   She rushed forward, shoving Moray away as the agitated plant struck.
   She felt its prickly vines wrap around her arm and chest.
   She deserved this, since she was the one planning on doing the same to Moray. Karma knew how to make people pay.
   She wasn't successful in keeping the snargaluff from hurting Moray. It had him by the neck and his wrists tied up in its thorny vines. It's hold on his neck slowly tightened. It was going to choke him if she didn't do anything. The tightening in her chest reminded her that this vicious plant would crush the life out of both of them if they didn't get help.
   Ermine was the only one to notice what was going on. Bolin just walked on, talking about the plants like there wasn't one trying to kill two of his students while the other one stood by horrified.
   Moray's face was starting to turn red as the snargaluff squeezed tighter.
   Ermine rushed over to Moray and started tugging at the vines around his neck.
   When he couldn't get them, he turned around to call to Bolin.
   A vine as quick as lightning shot out from tangled mess of vines and wrapped its vine grip around Ermine's mouth. The vine, with un-plant like strength, yanked him back. His head hit the side of the table the snargaluff was sitting on. Ermine collapsed on the ground in a heap.
   That apparently got Bolin's attention.
   He turned around and saw the chaos and trouble the snargaluff had caused. His face was mix of horror and shock. He quickly ran over to them.
   He didn't say anything to them. He just rolled up his tunic sleeve and plunged his arm right into the middle of the stump.
   He removed his arm a moment later, holding a pulsing, green seed pod about the size of a grape fruit.
   The vines immediately let go and retracted back into the stump. The stump now looked like a harmless, old stump that needed uprooted.
   Bolin set the seed pod on a table.
   He picked up an empty bowl from the table, and went over to a large cactus. He placed the bowl under one of the many prickly stems of the cactus. He touched the bottom of one of the large stems and quickly backed away. The cactus shot a small amount of green, slimy looking sap. The most notable thing about the slimy stuff was the smell. It smelled worse than the estate's stables when they needed mucked out.
   Bolin grabbed the smelling bowl and waved it over Ermine's unconscious face.
   Ermine immediately shot up, hitting his head on the table.
   He fell back down, groaning in pain while holding his forehead.
   Bolin left to dispose of the nasty smelling stuff after he was sure Ermine wasn't going to pass out again.
   "That is the worst smelling stuff I have ever smelled." Ermine complained, getting to his feet, rubbing his forehead.
   "At least you almost didn't get strangled by an insane, killer plant." Moray told Ermine.
   Bolin came back.
   "Are you all right?" He asked them checking them over for injuries.
   "Yes," they all responded.
   "Okay good. This why we don't go near the aggressive plants. Especially the venomous tentacula and the devil's snare. Those two are the most dangerous plants you could ever come across. If you ever come across either, immediately leave it alone and get out of the area." Bolin warned them about the plants he mentioned. She was definitely going to avoid those plants by their lovely, vey descriptive names.