"Yeah, but what's with the roses?" I asked, holding open one of the journals to show her a page of drawings.
"Creating a rose is the first right of passage for a Sayge. We usually learn how to work with plants first. Roses are complex as far as flowers go, so once you can demonstrate mastery of that, you are ready to learn real magic."
"I saw both Brenon and Terra make roses," I said.
"It's an old tradition that held by many of the magical beings on either side of the gate. Many of the Fae learned how to make a rose at first, too. It used to act as an unofficial symbol for those who had magic, and those who did not. Gaining your rose was a big deal for a Sayge child. Like losing your first tooth or learning how to ride a bike."
"Can you teach me?" Suddenly, the only thing I wanted to do was to be able to make a flower like Brenon had made for me. If it was a foundational skill, it seemed silly that it was something I couldn't do.
Aunt Kay crossed to the bookshelf and removed a small book then set it in front of me. She settled in the chair next to me, then opened the book.
On the page she'd turned to was a drawing of a rose, and a what looked at first glance like a poem. "Is this a spell?"
"This is the most common rose spell. Why don't you give the words a try?" Aunt Kay smiled as she held the pages open for me.
I swallowed down a lump in my throat. So many people were counting on me being able to do magic that I had never tried before. What if I failed doing the most basic spell? "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then you try it your way," she said, and you create it in your mind.
I nodded. It was worth a try. "I just read the words?"
"That's how most of us learn." She took hold of my hands and turned them, so my palms were facing up. "Try."
Leaving my palms open, as if holding something, I looked down at the book again and read the words aloud.
I summon thee, Rosaceae
The sweetest flower born
I draw you in my memory
Of sepal and stem and thorn
With petals red and gathered tight
I call thee in my hand
I summon thee, Rosaceae
Truest flower in the land
My hands were still empty, and my shoulders slumped. Then, I remembered what Aunt Kay had said about doing things my way. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This time, I skipped the words, instead picturing one of Brenon's orange roses. The delicate scent of roses filled my nostrils as I recalled the softness of the petals against my fingertips. I imagined one of those flowers showing up in my hands the way that the petals had appeared in my room. I could practically feel the weight of the bloom. I froze and moved my fingers. There was something in my hand.
Opening my eyes, I looked down and took a sharp breath in as joy spread through me. I'd done it. I handed the flower to my aunt, unable to keep the smile from filling my whole face. I felt like a child who had just learned to ride a bike for the first time.
Clapping sounded from behind me and I turned to see Brenon standing in the doorway with Gia. My heart leaped at the sight of him.
"I knew you had it in you," he said.
Aunt Kay held up the flower for him to see. "She made an orange one. Wonder where that idea came from."
Chapter 19
Brenon ignored Kay's comment about the rose, but I thought I saw the hint of a smile on his face. He leaned against the doorframe. "Gia's waiting downstairs. We were able to talk to Terra. How'd things go here?"
"She'll be ready to help you and your friends through the gate when it's over," Aunt Kay said. "Let's go downstairs."
Aunt Kay and Gia headed down the stairs, I stayed back a moment, hoping for a chance to be alone with Brenon. He waited for me by the door, hand extended for mine. I took it, and the two of us lingered in the hallway.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I made her a deal." He squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, everything is going to be just fine."
I smiled, wishing I could make the twisting and turning in my stomach go away. I held on to his hand as we descended the stairs and made our way to the love seat that seemed to always be left for us.
Adam and Maggie had joined us in the room, expectant looks on their faces. "So?" Adam leaned forward in his chair. "What's the plan?"
Brenon nodded toward the love seat, indicating that I should sit. I complied and kept my attention focused on him while he stood in the center of the room. "Gia and I were able to reach Terra."
He glanced at me. "She said Tristan was not with her." Then he looked over at Kay. "She's agreed to meet with Gia and me to discuss terms."
Gia joined Brenon in the center of the room. "We told her that we were interested in helping her open the gates in exchange for her leaving Ara out of it. She's heard of me, and she believed that I would be willing to help Brenon."
"When?" Adam asked.
"That's the bad news," Gia said. "She would only agree to do it tonight if we wanted her to come alone."
"Where's the meeting?" Adam asked.
"We'll meet her at the Circus warehouse in Chicago. It's a large empty, open space. It will give the sense that nobody is hiding."
"That's too soon," Maggie said. "Can we get enough Sayges there by then?"
Adam jumped to his feet. "I'll put out the message right now. Doesn't sound like we have much of a choice."
"Can they teleport like you?" I asked Gia. "Will they get to Chicago fast enough?"
"Some of them can, but we won't have the numbers we could have," Gia said.
"Will it be enough?" I asked.
"We have to hope so," Aunt Kay said. "We've never had a shot like this with Terra before."
"I'll get the powders ready," Maggie said, leaving the room.
"I'll help you," Gia said, following her.
"What can I do?" Joe asked.
Joe was human. He had no power, no way to protect himself. A chill ran down my spine as I imaged Terra torturing him the way she had tortured me. Would she even bother with him? Would she just kill him outright? "You should go home, Joe."
"Like hell I am," he said. "I have a few more vacation days, and I'm here to help you. If this goes badly, it's not just us who can get hurt. It's the whole world from what you've all been saying. Unless that was just an exaggeration?"
"It's not an exaggeration," Brenon said. "Terra is your worst nightmare, and you're right, she won't stop with us if she gets what she wants."
"Which is why you should go somewhere safe," I said.
"You brought me into this, Ara. Don't send me away."
"I couldn't handle it," I said. "If anything happened to you. I can't lose you."
I looked over at Aunt Kay, hoping she'd back me up on this one. Hadn't she kept me hidden for most of my life to keep me safe? Surely if anyone understood how I felt, it was her. She shrugged her shoulders, and I scowled at her. Some help she was.
"You can come with me," Brenon said to Joe. "I'm going to get the Circus ready. I'm sure we can find a way for you to help us. They don't have magic, either. We had to get more creative."