Page 10 of Messenger of Death
“You’re older than fairies,” Saffron said. “We’re connected to nature and youarenature. You’d be learning from us, but we’d be learning from you, too. There might be things we could be doing better with the plants our ancestors brought from Fairy.”
“Yeah, well, my Da said I couldn’t have a puppy because I probably couldn’t keep a houseplant alive.”
“Sorry, but your dad’s a bastard,” Sage said. “I know you want to gut mine, but I want to do violent things to yours, too.”
Liam was looking at her with moon eyes like that was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to him. If Liam was telling the truth about his father, then the man was dangerous.
Thing was, if we managed to live through graduation, we were probably deadlier.
Ihad questions. So many questions about Fairy and Saffron had been nothing but forthcoming so far. I just had this feeling in my gut that I shouldn’t ask questions about Fairy in public because it would paint a target on the backs on anyone answering my questions.
I still didn’t know what happened to the fairy during the trials. I didn’t feel it and scream and Khalid would have told us if he helped someone cross over for the first time. I didn’t think she was dead.
While we were putting our trays up, I finally asked. I had this feeling it was safe to ask as long as I worded it just right.
“Hey, did anyone ever find Star?” I asked.
“No, and we can’t figure it out. We went back out there and communed with nature, but all she will tell us is that something old and unnatural is back.”
Yeah, this was going into territory that we shouldn’t discuss out in the open.Somethinghappened to Star, and she wasn’t missing because she left. She wasn’t dead, either, or Khalid and I would know. Something was going on and it wasn’t safe to talk about it in the open.
“I can ask the animals,” Liam said. “Just maybe ask the tree fairies not to ambush me. I didn’t like the way they were looking at my junk.”
Saffron started giggling. Liam wasn’t even my boyfriend, and I freaked out before I could even kiss him, but I didn’t much like that, either.
“Dryads are hedonists. No one alive today remembers this, but you used to have alotof orgies with them in your previous life. They know you’re connected to Sage in this life, but I think they just assume she’ll be at whatever orgies you’ll be throwing in this life.”
“I think I’m possessive in this life. I know I’m a little stabby. I’m okay with Khalid touching Sage. I’d probably kick Lucian in the kidneys for touching her, but I wouldn’t stab him. I can’t say that for anyone else here.”
I didn’t even want to participate in any orgies with the fairies, but it was the point of it all.
“Excuse me, but if I want to have an orgy with the dryads, I don’t need your permission.”
“If you say that where they can hear it, they are going to start planning one,” Saffron said.
Liam’s eyes got hooded, and he got into my personal space.
“Tell me more about this orgy you want me to plan with the dryads.”
“I don’t want. I just don’t want to be told what to do now that I’ve escaped my father.”
“I wasn’t. I just don’t want you doing anything you feel forced to do, and I didn’t think that was your thing.”
“Um, thanks.”
“Okay, so now that we’ve gotten the dryad orgies out of the way, I need to take you on a tour of campus so you don’t get lost and I need to take you to get your textbooks,” Morgana said.
The campus was fairly massive. It was a castle, but it was almost like a little village onto itself. The biggest building had the great hall where we ate with huge stained-glass windows and fireplaces. It was also where all the professors had their offices. Our history classes were in this building and so was the potions lab.
Morgana showed us the potions lab. I guess I was expecting something like my high school chemistry class, but I was completely wrong. There were no Bunsen burners, hot plates, beakers, or bottles of ethanol. There were cauldrons and jars of different things on shelves.
I couldn’t help it. I broke into this deranged laughter and couldn’t stop.
“Are you okay?” Khalid asked.
“If it’s funny, I want to know about it,” Liam said.
“I could probably give Blue Matthews a heart attack if I texted him a photo of the potions lab and said it was from my college overseas.”
