Despite Lucas’s reservations, Dar proves true to her word. She leads us through the woods surrounding Zinnia in a roundabout way that ensures we do not encounter anyone else.
If I ever doubted she grew up in Zinnia before, I certainly don’t now.
Sometimes, though, she seems to forget we are following her and stumbles too far ahead. I keep us cloaked in shadows as best I can, but she makes it difficult to keep up.
It is much harder to keep her in line now that she’s no longer tethered to my feet.
In Zinnia there are flowers everywhere. It started in the woods near the wrought-iron fence, but becomes more noticeable the farther we venture into the territory. Delicate wildflowers like bluebells, queen’s lace, and daisies cast their intricate shadows in the woods and fields, then as we get closer to the main town, they bloom brighter and have more variety, many of which I don’t know the names for. It’s sad that such a lovely place is lorded over by a cruel, dangerous ruler.
When we approach the town, Dar takes a long way around the city wall to avoid the main entrance. From afar we can see the telltale green cloaks of Lady Aisling’s hunters lingering by the gates.
My stomach flips. This is where Simone lives when she’s not out hunting. And if that creepy boy—the memory stealer—is any indication, there are others like her just as dangerous.
Dar stops at a point by the wall far enough into the woods that no hunters patrol here as far as I can tell. I breathe a little easier. The wall is too high to see over, crafted from red bricks and covered with creeping vines.
“This is how we can get in.” Dar makes a few quick movements I don’t quite follow, and a hidden door swings open smoothly.
“How did you do that?” I say.
She grins. “It’s a mirage of sorts. Carefully crafted to be nearly invisible. All you have to do is press here, here, and here.” She points to three spots on the now open door. “And then it unlocks. Just be sure you do it in that order.”
“Can I try?” I ask.
Dar shrugs, her smile dimming as if she’s losing interest in this game already—that is when she’s at her most dangerous. I’d better be quick. She closes the door, and I press the three spots. I don’t quite get it right on the first try, but on the second, the door swings open.
Now it’s my turn to grin.
We march through in single file and find ourselves in a back alley, cloaked in darkness and with no idea where we’re going.
“What now, Dar?”
She giggles. “Just follow the flowers, and you’ll be safe.”
I frown as she skips ahead to point at something on the wall. Imprinted into the brick is a many-petaled flower, about half the size of my fist.
“So that’s the sign to look for?”
“It will keep you on the fastest route through the back alleys of the town. I used these all the time when I was a child to sneak out and explore the woods.”
Lucas casts around nervously. “Why don’t you show us somewhere safe to spend the night? It’s getting late.”
I’m almost startled to realize he’s right. We’ve traveled much farther than I expected today, but the unnervingly bright moon that refuses to wane makes the days seem longer than they really are. It is huge now, seeming to loom close to the ground and rivaling the setting sun.
“But I’ve only just begun to show you the good stuff.” Dar’s face falls, and I intercede.
“Lucas is right. Maybe tomorrow we can come back, and you can show us more.”
Lucas and Cary both give me a sharp glance, but I ignore it for now. Keeping Dar happy and stable is important—especially within the enemy’s home territory.
She sighs dramatically. “One condition: you and Lucas promise not to try to put me back in that awful cage while I’m sleeping.”
Lucas chokes behind me, but I have no choice but to agree to her terms. We need a safe space to spend the night. “Yes, we promise.”
She gives us a sly look, then marches back out the secret door toward the woods. I have to hurry my shadows to keep up with her.
“Zinnia wasn’t the first town to be built around here, though it did become the one the territory was named after,” Dar mumbles more to herself than anyone else. I try to engage her in conversation to find out more.
“What was the other town?”
She shrugs. “No one remembers its name anymore. But the ruins are nearby.”
I frown. “They didn’t build over it or incorporate it into Zinnia?”
She shakes her head. “Why would they? The ruins were already in shambles when Zinnia was founded.”
“And how long ago was that?” Now she has piqued my curiosity—a thing almost as dangerous as Dar’s boredom.
“Two hundred years? Maybe more? It was a long time ago when I was a child, so even longer now.”
I recall what Alsa told us of Lady Aisling. She was an adult nearly one hundred years ago. These ruins must be ancient.
Without warning, Dar sprints ahead of me, sprouting wings on her back as she goes. “We’re almost there!” she cries, making me wince.
“Dar!” I admonish. “Hold on! And don’t yell, please. We don’t know who else might be out in these woods. They must have patrols.”
Dar laughs and keeps running. The others chase after us. Was I wrong to argue for trusting her even a little? She did get us through the gates and into the town, and provided a means for moving around largely unnoticed. It doesn’t make sense that she’d suddenly desert us now.
Of course, not much about Dar makes sense on a good day either.
With my heart in my throat, I follow her, running as fast as I can until my legs ache and my chest burns. Up ahead, I can see she has stopped at the top of a hill. When I reach her, I take in the sight before us while the others catch up.
Below, a valley cuts through the landscape, green coating everything that lies there. Patches of stonework, ancient towers, and gaps from where the wood rotted away reveal a village that long, long ago some people called home.
Dar grins. “See? We can stay here. There is shelter in the larger building in the center. No leaks or anything. Or at least, there wasn’t last I was here.” With that, she changes the rest of the way into a bird and soars out over the valley. It happens so quickly I don’t have time to object.
Lucas and the others finally reach the top of the hill. They pause behind me, all of them breathing hard.
“What is this?” Cary says.
“Our temporary home,” I say. “Let’s see if we can find our way down into the valley.”
Pearl frowns. “I can bring most of you,” she says. “But I don’t want to leave Noah out here alone.”
Noah pipes up. “I’ve been working on holding my talent back on the way here. I might be able to do it for long enough.”
“I don’t know,” Pearl says. “I don’t think I want to risk my power disappearing in the middle of a hop from such a high point. Let’s try a shorter distance when we get there.”
“I’m sure there’s a path somewhere. We’ll all go together,” I say.
The sun retreats over the tops of the trees as we make our descent through the thick forest. Eventually we do find a path, and we find Dar sleeping in the large building in the center of the village.
Now that we’re closer, the immensity of the ruins is more apparent. There must have been hundreds of people who lived here in the village once. I can’t help wondering what happened to them. The stonework is beautiful, with intricate carvings and symbols I cannot place. The way the shadow and light falls through them is lovely, casting strange patterns on the ground and walls. Did they have talented folks too? Perhaps they were the sort of people who once revered those with talents instead of feared them. I would have liked to have seen those days.
Dar snores in a corner on a cloak she must have swiped from my pack when I wasn’t looking. I decide not to wake her unless absolutely necessary; we need to make plans, and the less she knows about them the better.
We sit in a circle on the raised stone steps leading up to a platform at the far end of the huge room and share our food supplies. With six of us now, we won’t have anything left for breakfast.
“We have to go into Zinnia tomorrow morning at first light,” I say. “We need to find their market and buy more food. There’s too many of us now.”
Lucas nods. “And now that we know to follow the flower symbols, we can also sneak around and find out more about where the Garden of Souls is located. Then we just need to find a way inside and free as many of the talented folks as possible.”
“Especially my brother,” Cary says.
“Definitely,” Lucas agrees. “And my parents.”
“And the sky shaker. We must find them as soon as possible,” I say.
“How are we going to free them if they’ve been transformed into flowers?” Pearl asks. We filled her in on the gaps in her knowledge of Lady Aisling on the journey, but haven’t revealed our whole plan yet.
“That’s where Noah comes in. If we can get him into the garden, all he should have to do is touch the flowers to undo the magic,” I say.
Noah smiles uncertainly. “No pressure or anything.”
“The real question is what are we going to do if we can’t find a way into the garden? Or if we get caught? Shouldn’t we do some research first, then figure out a plan?” I say. Usually Lucas and I are of one mind, but on this point we’re not. His parents’ capture has made him a little more reckless. Like Cary.
“No, we need to act as soon as possible,” Lucas says. “If Lady Aisling gets wind of us poking around the city before we make our move, she’ll have time to prepare.”
“I agree. If she finds out we’re here, it’s over,” Cary says. Pearl and Noah murmur their agreement too, but the hard knot in my stomach won’t leave me alone. “Besides, we have Noah. He’s been practicing. According to that history book, if he keeps at it, he could take away her powers, maybe even permanently.”
“Then we need to bring Dar. She can help us find the Garden of Souls quickly, and she knows Lady Aisling and her habits. If something goes wrong, she’d be a real asset,” I say.
“Absolutely not!” Lucas hisses a little too loudly. I glance over at Dar, but as far as I can tell, she remains asleep.
“Lucas, she could help us,” I say.
But Cary doesn’t agree either. “It’s too dangerous. Who knows what flight of fancy she might run off on while we’re depending on her? What was she thinking in the forest on the way here? Yelling and running then shifting into a bird?”
“Not to mention leaving us behind,” Pearl says. “That was just rude.”
I sigh. “I know… She can take some getting used to. And I know she’s erratic and has a tendency to lie too. But she would do anything to get revenge on Lady Aisling. She might risk everything else, but she would never risk that. If we want to humiliate, damage, or defeat the Lady in any way, she’ll help us to the best of her ability.”
“Let’s vote,” Lucas suggests. “All in favor of letting Dar come with us, raise your hand.”
Only my hand goes up. The knot in my stomach grows tighter.
“All in favor of leaving Dar here, raise your hand,” Lucas says. All four raise their hands.
“Fine, we’ll leave her here,” I say, though it feels wrong. The others prepare for bed while Noah retreats to a corner to practice. I get out my bedroll for the night, and glance over at Dar again; I can’t help thinking I see a glimmer from her open eyes. But when I blink, they’re closed. I frown, stepping closer to peer at her. She sleeps soundly, chest rising and falling evenly.
I don’t have the heart to wake her just to give her disappointing news. We’ll have to tell her she’ll be left behind in the morning.