Page 3 of Skyblossom
“I mean, I can’t argue. You make a good point.”
“I’m—I’m Cadence.”
The lumini stood up taller again, ruffling its wings, and it took off, leaving a shimmering trail of magic glow behind it, settling like stardust between me and Summer, who beamed, waving after the lumini. “Thanks for visiting!” she called, before she took the Galyr’s tooth away and did as I said, balled it up and put it in her mouth. She went wide-eyed as she bit down on it, and she put a hand over her mouth. “Oh—that’s potent. You’ve got the good stuff.”
“I’ve got the best… stuff. I’m so sorry, I’m sure you’re here for a reason and I’m distracting you with Knot climbing all over you.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Were you planning on climbing all over me?”
“No—no, no, no.” I felt my face heat more, wanting to curl up into myself and disappear. “I mean,Knot.Notnot,but…Knot.”
“I don’t think I follow.”
“Knot.The snagweed. His name’s Knot. K-N-O-T.”
“Oh,Knot.” She laughed, sliding down off the table and alighting on her feet, and she held a hand up to Knot, who coiled off of her shoulders and around her wrist. Heneverdid that with anybody. He was so shy with anybody who wasn’t me. I didn’t know what was happening. “I like him,” she said. “He’s the most charming vine who’s ever hugged me.”
“Um… short list?”
“Short, but it’s grown recently. I’ve been spending a lot of time picking around weird magic plants lately, so I’ve gotten a lot of hugs. Typically violent hugs.” She dropped into the seat across from me, and I tried not to think about the implications that only existed in my head. “I’m an alchemist. I’ve been working on a new design of potion extension, so I’m looking for rare herbological compounds to help me make it. You’re an herbalist, aren’t you? Do you know where I can find snapbush root?”
“Oh…” I looked down at my pile of books, sprawled out over the table, my notebooks filled with meticulously organized information. I guess I could see why she thought I was a… reliable source of information. Or a nerd, depending on which way you spun it. “It’s not here,” I said. “Snapbush root needs to be harvested wild to have any magical properties. But I know, um… I know a spot close to Glimmerdeep where you can get some.”
She beamed. “You’re an angel, Cadence. Can you show me tomorrow after class? I don’t trust myself to not get pitched straight into the lake. Do you take a tracker’s commission? I can spare some mats.”
“No—no, no. I’m not taking your materials for it.”
She pouted, folding her arms. “I’m not letting you do it for nothing. I’d feel like a rotten wartcat. Five hundred materials?”
“I’m just happy to help.”
“I’ll give you a potion? Anything you like.”
Ugh—I wasagreeingto help because I thought she was cute and I was never going to get time around a girl like her without some massive outside help. But I couldn’t very well justsaythat. “Nope,” I said. “I’m not taking anything. But I will take you to get the snapbush root tomorrow morning.”
She leaned forward, resting her hands on the table. “Iwillget you to accept something.”
“You will not.”
She grinned wider. She had the most radiant smile I’d ever seen… “After class tomorrow,” she said. “I love a challenge.”
Chapter 2
LUMI’S VISION
SUMMER
I woke up to a slap in the face.
“Ow—I got it, I got it,” I said, batting it away—a cheap flyswatter I’d gotten from a corner shop in the Citadel when a ritual had gone wrong in my first year and I’d been swatting enchanted dust bunnies for a week. Only problem was that the magic had gotten caught up on the swatter too, and it had cometo life and taken to looking after me by slapping me awake whenever I slept through my alarm, which was basically every morning.
I yawned, sitting up in bed, rubbing my eyes with my fists, and I sat there for a little too long still trying to shake off the sleepiness when anotherslappulled me out of it.
“Hey—” I grabbed my wand off the nightstand, jumping to my feet, and the flyswatter took off, diving under a dresser. “I’ll unenchant you!” I shouted, chasing it around the room until it wriggled the window open a crack and flew out. I flung the window open and leaned out after it, hiding behind a tree branch that was too thin for it to hide behind, but my attention landed on the figure standing on the stone path below the window—my friend Lumi, wearing her Dragon House blazer with violet-and-red accents on top of a swishy, frilly dress, her long blonde hair up in an intricate knot I knew she’d never pull off without her enchanted hair supplies. She raised a hand in a wave.
“Good morning,” she said, her voice soft and sweet. “Swatty the Swatter is very sorry.”
“No he is not. Just because you’re a diviner doesn’t mean you know everything.”
