Page 38 of House of Malice
It didn’t take long for the flames to devour the painting. People were dancing in circles around the bonfire, screaming, chanting, and howling. Some were naked, while others were only halfway there. Soon, all of it would turn into madness.
Only Gondalez stood unmoving, glaring at the bonfire. Galliermo stalked towards him, eager to mock him even further.
“Thanks to your talent and art, we were able to celebrate tonight and honor the Gods,” Galliermo said with a smile.
Daria’s gaze snapped to him, and it was less than kind. “Fuck off, Leveau.”
For a moment, Gondalez ignored him. But then, he turned towards Galliermo, and there was so much hatred in his eyes that it almost made Galliermo uncomfortable.
“You think you’re better than me?” Gondalez asked through gritted teeth. “Mock me as much as you want, you piece of shit. But we’re not so different, you and me. Both country boys who got lucky enough to end up in Venefica, as members of two powerful Houses. You can lie to yourself as much as you want and try to hide it behind your cruel behavior. But you’re just like me. And that bothers you, doesn’t it?”
Galliermo shoved him in the chest, sending Gondalez to the ground. He didn’t want to hear shit coming from this Rat’s pathetic mouth anymore.
Instead of fighting Galliermo, Gondalez remained on the ground, glaring up at him. He was so pitiful. Too weak to even try defending his honor.
Galliermo spat on Gondalez. “You’re a fucking worm underneath my foot. We’re nothing alike.”
He whirled on his heel, and the crowd parted for him. Galliermo walked away, leaving Gondalez behind. Yet his words stayed with Galliermo long after the party was over.
16
Alecto was glad to be back to being in proximity to Blaze during their herbalism lecture. What she wasn’t excited about, though, was being on her knees in the dirt.
“I love to see you on your knees, baby.”
The sound of his low voice sent sparks flying in Alecto’s chest and warmth pooling between her legs. But she only arched her eyebrow and rewarded Blaze with one of her meanest looks.
He chuckled.
“I can see that most of you probably think that this is beneath you, to dig through dirt and try to grow a garden,” Professor Gabetown said. He clasped his hands behind his back as he inspected them all kneeling in the dirt over the black frames of his glasses. “You won’t see many witches gardening, unless they have a calling for it. There are creatures specifically for this purpose, right?”
A few snorts went around. Of course, you’d never find a witch, not one of their status, in a fucking garden, getting their hands dirty.
Only Jolene would be glad to be here right now.
“Who needs to know how to propagate and grow a plant? What’s the point in trying to make the moon lily sprout or the mulberry bush bloom?” Professor Gabetown continued, asking all those questions Alecto wasn’t sure had any purpose.
She sat back down on her heels, resting her dirty hands on her thighs, palms up.
“By thinking that all we have been doing here is growing plants for Venefica’s gardens, you’re missing the point of this practice entirely,” the professor said. “Growing a garden is less about the garden itself and more about understanding the flow of your magic. Building and weaving the energy into something solid to create a new life. Our magic is energy that is ever present in us and around us. It never disappears—that is why we’re always able to channel it for spells.”
The professor walked over to a large colorful rosebush. Each rose was different shade, from black, blue, yellow, sunset orange, and even bright green. He brushed a hand over one of the roses, and it wilted, though the rest of the bush stayed intact.
Alecto frowned.
“There is this thing herbalists do, where they accumulate magic into growing a garden or a single plant, like a rosebush,” he said. “Some might plant a tree, while others prefer to grow vegetables.”
Professor Gabetown turned his palm, showing it to them. Where he had touched the wilted rose, there was a pulsating red mark. “If you can put the magic into growing a plant, you can also retrieve it,” he said. “Some herbalists have such lush and old gardens with so much magic accumulated in them, it could be used to blow up half the realm.”
He murmured something under his breath, and the mark on his palm disappeared. The wilted rose bloomed back to life.
An awed chatter went around Alecto. Some were surprised, while others, like Blaze next to her, remained bored to death.
“You each have grown a plant, and now we’ll learn how to transfer magic in and out of it,” the professor said. “But in order to do that, you have to understand and feel how your magic flows from you into the plant, so as you repot it, focus on pouring your magic into it to help it settle in the earth.”
Professor Gabetown adjusted his glasses.
“Plants could serve as one of the vessels to hold magic that’s overflowing and couldn’t be held within us,” he said. “Just like any other objects, such as a book or a pen. That’s how you create magical artifacts, but granted, plants are not as popular because they’re not as easy to tend to.”
