A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 2)

“Your council has to go.” I picked up the mortar, bringing it to my nose. A slightly acidic smell wafted from it.

“They didn’t used to be so bad. That’s what my gran and granddad said, anyway. But the demons killed the old council members, and the sickness killed a bunch more people, and so this is what we’re left with.”

“You don’t have anyone to push back against them,” Hannon said, standing off to the side.

Her gaze lingered on him again, zipping to his shoulders and chest before zipping away. “No. Those who could push back benefit from the existing power structure.”

“Of course they have someone to push back.” Hadriel walked into the backyard.

“Who?” Maryanne asked with an attitude.

“Me, apparently,” I muttered.

“Oh, you dirty little goddess, look at this garden!” Hadriel exclaimed. “Finley, look at this. It’s amazing. Is this what we’re going to make?”

I put the mortar down, shaking my head. “Something is wrong with the everlass. Show me the dried leaves.”

She disappeared into the kitchen to get them, and I took stock of the situation with the cauldron. The fire under it was burning, but the water hadn’t heated up enough yet.

“I’m actually going to use the pot.” I put the jar on the table and raised my voice so she’d hear me in the house. “We’ll make a big batch for the cauldron. I’ll use the smaller pot for a very dangerous, very concentrated batch.”

“Dangerous?” She emerged, a crumpled sack in her hand.

“Oh no.” I took it from her, knelt beside the table, and emptied the contents onto the dirt ground. “No, no.” I picked out withered leaves that she’d dried instead of throwing away, then the oddly shaped leaves that had apparently dried in a cluster. Only a few leaves looked in decent shape. I smelled them and grimaced. “This whole batch has to go. You’re not working the plant right.”

She put her fist to her hip but didn’t say anything.

“It’s my clothes,” I told Hannon as I took the box of regular leaves from him. “She is afraid to talk back because of my clothes.”

“No, it’s because you clearly know what you’re talking about, and I want the knowledge,” she replied. “I don’t want to scare you away with my personality.”

“She’s got one up on you,” Hannon told me quietly. “You wouldn’t dream of holding back for the sake of knowledge.”

“I would! I just wouldn’t need to because I know everything.” I grinned.

“Are you two related or something?” Maryanne asked.

“With him.” I hooked a thumb at Hannon. “Not with the clown.”

“Oh, I’m a clown now, am I?” Hadriel straightened up within the garden.

“It’s the shoes,” I said as Hannon said, “It’s the jacket.”

“Why is she wearing finery and you’re wearing…” Maryanne was back to looking at Hannon’s shoulders.

“He didn’t have the unfortunate luxury of being kidnapped by the prince,” I said. “Now pay attention. Playtime is over. It’s time to work.”

I gave her detailed instructions on how to care for the everlass plant, from pruning and picking the leaves to showing it the love and care it craved. Finally, I used Hannon’s leaves to demonstrate making the nulling elixir, cluing her in to the various smells she was looking for and the right temperature of the water. When I was finished, she took a deep breath.

“That was…not as simple as I thought,” she said.

“Yeah, but I guarantee, if you treat the everlass right, it’ll save lives. It is worth going to the extra effort for that plant.”

“It must be, or you wouldn’t be looking like that, talking to me. Am I going to get arrested for this, by the way?”

“No. I’ve told your council that if they interfere with me, I’ll kill them. Nyfain—”

“The crowned prince, his royal highness, she means,” Hadriel cut in.

“—told them he supports me. He gave me his blessing to handle the situation. So if they bother you, or harass you in any way, get a message to me.”

“How do I do that?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out before I leave. That batch is ready for water, and then we need to distribute it. Hannon, you know how much water. You guys take care of that. I need to work with this crowded plant. Do you have another mortar and pestle?”

“What’s a crowded plant?” Maryanne asked as she got me what I needed.

I started explaining as I picked a leaf out of the jar and put it into the cleaned mortar. Remembering Nyfain’s account of his mother’s experimentation with crowded everlass, I added some lilac to smooth it out and a bit of ginger to help the stomach. Those additions wouldn’t mess with the potency, but would help with the body’s ability to handle the end result. I ground it all down as much as possible and then stilled, taking a breath.