Page 115 of The Stone Secret
She stares blankly at me. “I gotta give you credit, Marcel. You never come to me with boring tasks.”
“So you can help me?”
“Nope. But I know a man who can.”
CHAPTER47
CAM
“You must be careful not to strip the healthy leaves,” Varsa said, gently gripping my wrist. “Here, let me show you.”
He meticulously peeled away a shriveled leaf from the ironia bush. “Like this. Nothing that has a hint of green must be removed.”
“Got it.”
I set to work while he went back to whispering to some roses.
This had become one of my favorite places over the past few weeks. I’d come back several times simply to hang out with Varsa. There was something soothing about his presence, and the fact that I was the only person he chose to speak to left me feeling honored.
But today, even Varsa’s presence couldn’t take away the pit of darkness inside me.
“You’re troubled,” he said.
“I don’t suppose you heard what happened on the field trip.”
“Tell me.”
Where to start? “I was attacked by wraiths.”
His whole body went still. “Wraiths?”
“Yeah. They somehow breached the secure location we were training at.” I filled him in on what happened. “Derek was hurt the worst. He’s still recovering.”
“Willowman will have something stronger for him, I’m sure.”
“Yes. He said he would be back before the cadet exams, but those are the day after tomorrow. I’m not sure he’ll be back in time.”
Varsa’s brows pinched. “Then you mustn’t take the exam. Not without your shield.”
“I have to. No one will respect me if I move to initiate without having proven myself.”
“Surely they’ll understand that you have a disadvantage without your shield.”
“I think some of them will probably see Derek as an unfair advantage. I hunted without Derek’s protection for years. I can do this.”
Varsa tutted softly, clearly irritated by this.
I bit back a smile. He was such a mother hen sometimes.
“What did the elite find?” he asked. “I assume they went to the location to check for breaches?”
“Yeah, they did. I spoke to Selas this morning. She says there was no breach, and they have the situation under control.”
He huffed in irritation. “And did they tell youhowthey have it under control?”
“Nope. I guess it’s on a need-to-know basis, and I’m not on the list.”
His brown eyes filled with compassion. “I’m sorry that you don’t feel safe.”
