“Of course I do. Especially since you not only have to go inside Tarq’s tomb to get the book, but you’re the one who has to work the spell. But as far as sacrifices go, I don’t know. I’m not a witch or an alchemist. That’s something between you and the spirits where you get your power.” He points to me before I can object. “Don’t tell me you’re not a witch or an alchemist. I saw you, Pie. You saw what you did. Those moths? They come from somewhere. Where do they come from?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like I ever did any magic before I came here.”

“What do you think that bird of yours is?”

“What do you mean? She’s not even real.”

“Isn’t she?”

“She’s not here. She conveniently disappeared.”

“And what took her place?”

I throw up my hands. “Nothing took her place.”

“Moths, Pie. They took her place. That’s your magic. You did some high-level shit last night on the sheriff. It comes from somewhere. That’s how magic works. You ask the powers to help you and if you say the right things, and offer up something they want, it gets done. So… who did you ask for help when you did that moth magic last night?”

I shake my head. “No one. I didn’t ask anyone.”

He sighs. Then takes my hand and we start up the stairs.

We don’t pause at the top, just head across the great hall towards a door I have yet to go through.

“This is the greenhouse,” Pell says as he shoves the massive double doors open. “This is where we get what we need.” Then he mutters under his breath, “I really hope it still fucking grows here.”

I am unable to follow him in, so when he moves forward into the room, my feet stay planted on the marble tiles just outside. And the reason I’m unable to follow him isn’t because there’s some magic holding me back, but because I am paralyzed with wonder.

“What the actual fuck?” is what I manage to say as I gaze up at the three-story walls of glass. “This isn’t even possible. This… this place can’t exist!” I turn and look out the front windows. Picture myself walking up to the sanctuary that first day last week. See Tomas on the second-story balcony. Then I look back inside the greenhouse. Look up, where that balcony should be, but isn’t. “This… this…”

“Pie.” Pell shakes me by the shoulders. “We don’t have time for this. It doesn’t need to make sense. It’s magic.”

“But… where is that balcony that I see from the outside?”

“Who cares?”

“I care!”

Pell huffs at me. “It’s…” He looks up. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. It’s like the hallways upstairs. I need to find the plant I’m looking for. Stay here while I look. And don’t touch anything. Some of these plants have anger issues.”

“Anger issues?”

But he’s already pushing his way past some overgrown branches down the center aisle.

I stay right where I am. I do not go into the greenhouse. I think I can feel those anger issues and I think that anger is directed at me because these plants are part of my job and I’ve been neglecting them.

And as if this place couldn’t get any creepier, there is a great rumble underneath my feet. The whole building… thrums. It’s not a shake, like an earthquake. It’s a… tone. It’s a wave of deep sound. Like the sound of those humming monks that people like to meditate to.

“Don’t panic!” Pell calls. “That’s just Tomas. We’re gonna need to go down there next. You can panic then.”

“What?” But my voice is just a squeak.

Pell is deep inside the greenhouse now. His voice sounds far away. I don’t quite understand the dimensions of this place, but it’s three stories tall and I can’t even see the other side. It looks like the forest we were running through in the rooms, that’s how big some of the trees are. But there are aisles and aisles of other plants too.

“I am not cut out for this.” Saying that out loud feels very necessary. “I’m not cut out for any of this. I can’t do it. I don’t know what these plants are, I don’t know how to work a spell, I don’t have any higher power guiding me or whatnot. I’m not a witch! I’m not an alchemist!”

Pell suddenly appears, pushing his way through the aisle towards me. “I got it,” he says, holding up several large, bright red flowers.

“What are those?”

“These are how you can get inside the tombs.” He pauses to lift his chin up, like he’s proud of himself. “I have never shown this to a caretaker before. Grant used to ask me about it all the time.”

“It’s a secret?” I ask. Pell nods. “Maybe I don’t need to know?”

Tags: J.A. Huss Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net