Page 70 of A Darkness So Sweet

“You could be a spy.”

“Do you really think I’m a spy? You’ve traveled with me. Talked to me. You’ve even visited me in Ragnar’s home and given me advice. Just how good of a spy do you think I am?”

His gaze narrowed on her, as though he were trying to pick apart her thoughts just by looking at her. “A very good one, if you are a spy.”

Maia rolled her eyes, and then nearly stumbled on a stone that had yet to be moved. “Please. I would be a terrible spy, and you know it. Some warrior you are if you can’t see that I would crack under pressure.”

“I think you’re far more talented than you give yourself credit for,” he murmured, before pointing to the left. “We’re going that way. You’re going into the garden and you’re going to stay there all day. No other trolls will bother you there.”

“Why? Is there some kind of armed guard reminding people to go nowhere near me?” The words were said sarcastically. She wasn’t some famous princess who needed an entire armed guard to keep her safe. But Gunnar seemed to take her seriously.

His expression turned grave, almost apologetic. “I’m sorry, Maia. There will be no guards to keep you safe here, and it’s a shame that it has come to that for you to feel safe in our kingdom. However, there are very few who dare go into the gardens.”

“Why?” Her stomach churned with nerves. Was it dangerous to be in their gardens? What plants should she expect?

“Birger is the worst,” Gunnar muttered. “No one likes him, and he makes it very clear that he doesn’t like anyone at all. You’ll be lucky to leave this place with your pride intact.”

What was that supposed to mean? She barely had time to consider Gunnar’s words before he planted his hand against her back and pushed her onto a path that led deep into brightly colored plants and toward a light that was brighter than she’d seen thus far being in Trollveggen. It was so close to sunlight that Maia tilted her face back automatically, seeking out the warmth that was not there.

“Good luck,” Gunnar said before backing away.

“Why does it seem like you’re running?”

“Because I am. I don’t want him to see me.”

Another voice interrupted them, rough and raspy with age. “Gunnar! Is that you? I have a bone to pick with you, boy. Get your ass over here. The last time you came into my garden, those big feet of yours crushed a turnip!”

She swore Gunnar lost most of the green coloring in his face before he turned and rushed down the path. He was almost running, he moved so fast.

Maia had only a few seconds to whip around and find herself right in front of a very old troll who stood at least three feet taller than she did. He stared down at her, clearly unimpressed by the human who was in his garden. His mouth widened into something like a grimace, and then he snapped his jaws at her, biting the air just like the stray dog that used to live outside of her house. It was a warning, she knew. But she also knew that flinching away from a creature like that only made them believe they were the one in power.

So she stayed still. Looking at him with wide eyes, she took in the strangely yellow skin and the lack of tusks in his mouth. She’d thought perhaps he just had little ones, but on closer inspection, she realized there just weren’t any tusks there after all. Maybe he’d lost them.

The troll appeared rather perplexed that she didn’t flinch away from him. “You’re Maia?”

“I am.”

“I have no use for you. You can leave.” He turned around, disappearing into the brush.

Taking a deep breath, Maia told herself to be brave. This was her one chance. She understood why Ragnar wanted her to work here. If this surly old man thought she was all right, it was likely other trolls would think the same. She had to win this man over. If she could find her place here in this garden, maybe she could find her place within the greater Trollveggen. And even better to do so while surrounded by plants.

Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander. The scent of earth filled her lungs. Most people didn’t realize that dirt actually had a smell to it. They would think it was maybe a little bitter or acrid as it hit their nose, but she knew what the smells meant. The dirt under her feet was full of food for plants as they stretched their roots deep into the ground. They would feast upon all the goodness in the soil, and they would flourish with every ounce of sunlight and magic they were given.

The more she focused on the smell and the feeling of the garden, the more she swore she could sense those roots. Little sparks of bright green magic that dotted all through the ground around her. They called out to her, almost with a sound like laughter. Wiggling underneath her feet like excited little puppies, begging for a pet. They wanted her to notice them, to sprinkle some of her own magic onto their leaves and let them grow a little more.

She’d never been able to feel them like this before. Something happened here in Trollveggen that was so much more than the land above. Her garden had been kind, she knew that. Every single flower had recognized her as she’d walked the paths that she had created herself. But this was different. These plants almost felt like theywantedto know her.

Blinking her eyes open, she shrieked at the sight of a wrinkled, gnarled face far too close to her own. Stumbling backward, Maia cursed and pinwheeled her arms so she stumbled back down the path and not onto the rather impressive row of potatoes that she’d gotten a little too close to. Her foot caught on a root and sent her right down onto her bottom next to an impressive network of mole hills.

“No magic,” the troll snarled. “Not with my plants.”

“I wasn’t using magic!”

“You were. I could feel it. The plants were humming for you and I don’t like it.” He glared, and then bared his teeth where she could see there were two holes where his tusks should have been. “Get out of my garden before you mess it all up.”

“I’m not going to mess it up. And I really wasn’t using magic!”

He continued to glare until the expression on his face changed. He went from distrustful and angry to... curious? His brows furrowed and his gaze focused on her right wrist, which had sunk into the soft earth.

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