Page 49 of Sanctuary and Spices
“—never seen anything like it?—”
“—the way those plants moved?—”
“—almost like magic?—”
Each word was a reminder of what we could be together. Of what I might lose.
A child’s voice cut through the noise: “Look, the flowers are sad!”
I looked down. The Jhyra had closed their petals, retreating into themselves. Like my heart, trying to protect itself from the pain of hope.
“I’ll watch the booth,” Lyrian said quietly. “Go... do whatever you need to do.”
I nodded, grateful for the excuse to escape. But where could I go? Every corner of this station held memories of her now. The kitchen where she first smiled at me. The garden where she fell asleep reading her grandmother’s cookbook. The quiet momentsbetween rushes when she’d brush against me, sending sparks through my markings.
I found myself in the furthest corner of the garden, surrounded by the oldest plants. They reached for me with familiar energy, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing would be enough now.
All I could do was wait. And hope.
A Jhrya petal drifted down, landing in my open palm. Its glow had dimmed, matching the hollow ache in my chest.
“Please,” I whispered to the empty air. “Choose me.”
JANI
As I walked away from our booth, my fingers brushed against the soft fabric of Ronhar’s borrowed clothes. The traditional Devaali garment shifted like captured starlight with each step, its shimmering folds a quiet reminder of him.
The festival buzzed around me, a kaleidoscope of light, sound, and movement. Crystals chimed faintly in the distance, their resonance blending with the hum of voices and laughter.
“Did you see those plants glowing?” A child’s voice pierced through my swirling thoughts. “They danced!”
“Hush,” a Krythari merchant said, adjusting crystalline display cases filled with delicate jewelry. “The resonance patterns are highly unstable today. The less disruption, the better.”
I kept walking, barely registering the sights and sounds around me.Mate-bond.The word echoed in my mind, over and over. Everything made sense now—the way plants reached for us both, how the crystals sang when we touched, that electric feeling whenever he was near. It was as though the universe itself had been trying to tell me something, and I’d been too afraid to listen.
A sudden tug on my arm yanked me back just as a hovering delivery cart zipped past, stacked with fragile bottles that clinked dangerously.
“Thanks,” I muttered, turning to find Erynn watching me with raised eyebrows.
“You look like you need this,” she said, guiding me toward her portable tea station. The delicate chimes of her setup tinkled in the artificial breeze. “Sit.”
I sank onto one of her cushioned stools, my legs suddenly unsteady. She poured steaming liquid into a crystalline cup, the familiar scent of her signature blend wrapping around me like a hug.
“So,” she said, settling across from me, her purple-tinted hair catching the light. “Want to tell me what has you walking into traffic?”
“I…” The words stuck in my throat. How could I explain something I barely understood myself?
“Start at the beginning,” she said, pushing the tea closer.
I took a sip, the warmth spreading through me. “Ronhar told me about... about mate-bonds.”
“Ah.” She nodded like this explained everything. “And you ran.”
“I didn’t run! I just… needed to think.”
“Mm-hmm.” She adjusted one of her floating tea strainers. “Think about what, exactly?”
“About how this changes everything! About how I barely know who I am here yet, and now there’s this… thisthingbetween us that makes plants grow and crystals sing and—” My voice wavered as the tea cup rattled against its saucer.
