Gardener

Chapter 19

The Value of Dirt

I dreamed of Dara... of words she'd spoken to me once after I'd asked her why she'd tried to poison me. "Lyssa no plant can harm you unless you let it. I have fed you countless poisons and none have done a thing. For a long time, you didn't even know. Plants...or should I say the spirits of the plants find something in you and they choose to do no harm. All you need is a seed and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to... I'm just trying to make you realize that and I wasn't going to manage it by taking the nice approach. Just remember no matter what I do or how much it hurts that I'll always care about you..."

               
I woke all at once gasping softly to find myself still alive and in a great amount of pain as I hung limply from two vines my blade still protruding from my chest. I blinked at the soft whispering I could hear in my mind before gazing down at the blade to see a small stem wrapped around its base. The stem had grown while I slept holding the wound closed around the blade so that I wouldn't bleed out. I raised my good hand and stroked the small green shoot allowing my magic to flow freely. With no small effort I pushed the vines out of my body patching them with the raptor vines I'd grown from the small stem as I lay on the ground trying to catch my breath. "Goddess..." I grunted as I gazed on the spirit that sat upon my window sill. "That hurt."

              
While I lay there on the ground suffering I fought to heal myself to no avail, I had to get out of the maze. Or else despite my best efforts I would die... with the aid of the little magic that I could use thanks to the plant that I'm sure Dara had provided, I made myself something of a walking stick, several vines wrapped firmly together, and I slowly but surely ambled my way forward. Not wishing to struggle all the way to an end I might never reach, I used the vines to create holes in the walls walking through one after another until I found myself free crumpling to my knees as the voices came back to me, the magic in my chest near to bursting with the need to be released. I lay resting against an ancient with my eyes closed while my body fought to heal itself. It hurt nearly as much as sustaining the wounds had and still the blade protruded from my chest.

              
I rubbed my shoulder assuring myself that it was whole and my thigh to be sure of the same before gripping the blade sticking out of my chest. I took a deep breath heart racing with nerves before wrenching it from my breast crying out at the spurt of blood, fighting the wave of dizziness before my magic set in and I healed myself. Once done I lay gasping against cool bark thinking of all the ways that could have gone wrong.

              
I gazed on the familiar spirit that in many ways had saved my life, "Thank you." I murmured softly raptor vines still draped across my torso.

            
"Well that was interesting..." I started grimacing as my body still ached with the pain of my wounds. I glanced up to find Rosen creeping out of the shadows.

              
"If you're here to kill me, do it quickly. I'm tired of feeling pain." I husked too fatigued to offer up a fight.

             
"I can't say you've done anything in the short time I've known you to deserve my wrath." She countered crouching down beside me. "I was exploring the forest when all hell broke loose at the palace. I couldn't tell you who's responsible or if the Queen still lives. I hope she does...she was different than other monarchs I've met." Rosen tugged lightly at the hair that fell across my brow eyes softening with sadness. "Your beautiful mane is gone."

            
"It'll grow back." I offered with a shrug as I fought to stand with her help.

              
"What happened in there...?" I allowed Rosen to bear much of my weight as we trudged through Griffin Forest trying to get as far away from the maze as possible least guards be lurking about.