Page 61 of Power Shift
I stepped inside and used my magic to move some of the greenery aside. A rhythmic thumping came from deeper within until a deep red trap lined with “teeth” appeared above the greenery.
“Seymour?”
The thumping stopped abruptly, the plant’s traps snapping shut.
I peered closer. “Oh no. You aren’t Seymour at all, are you?”
There was a faint stripe of green atop its main trap. “Aren’t you a pretty thing?”
Thump, thump, thump. In a few short moves, the flytrap stood before me, opening and shutting its trap. I reached for its pot only to realize it was broken.
“You tried to plant yourself,” I whispered as I spotted its roots spilling out from the bottom of the ceramic and other roots gripping the sides to move itself. “How about I help you?”
Quivering traps told me yes; it would like that very much. I scooped up the flytrap and cradled it in my arms. Before going to the potting bench, I poked my head out the door.
“All good!” I called. “A new friend popped in to say hello.”
Everyone cooed when I held out the new flytrap.
“That’s not Seymour!” Ash said.
“Did he have babies?” Tess asked, floating over to take a closer look.
“I don’t think so, but I’ll ask Caelan. Give me a few. I need to repot this poor little guy.”
“I want to watch!” Moira said.
In the end, the new Red Dragon flytrap found itself in an adorable blue and white ceramic pot dotted with flowers. And I was left wondering how the hell another sentient flytrap had found its way to me when I hadn’t created it. Not technically. Mymagic burned inside the plant clear as day, but another whisper of power clinging to its roots held me in awe.
My power dominated, but Caelan’s power was somehow mixed in its roots.
How had this happened?
Moira and the others had gone home a little while ago, leaving me in the greenhouse finishing up a few things. The flytrap kept me company as I swept up the rest of the glass, occasionally thumping its pot when I got too far away.
When I finished, I scooped the pot up and headed back to the house.
“You have to be careful,” I lectured the flytrap. “Your pot will break if you jump too high and land too hard. I need to put you on the shelf where there’s extra light. Okay?”
It waved its traps in agreement.
Suddenly, I realized where it had come from. “You little minx. Did you escape from the Keep?”
More trap waving. Shaking my head at its naughtiness, I reached for my cell and sent a message.
I have something of yours.
The response came quickly.My heart? My soul?
I couldn’t stop my laugh. Instead of responding, I snapped a quick picture of the flytrap and sent it to him.
How did it get there?
No idea. I found it in the greenhouse.
It’s not an it. She’s a girl.
I smiled.Oh?
