“Well, now I really want to hear it.”
“Some botanists believe that certain birthstone combinations are nature-blessed matches.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Nature-blessed matches?”
Callan sighed like he regretted bringing it up. “Like something about their unique properties complements each other.”
“Huh. I’ve never heard of it.”
“There’s not much evidence behind it, so it wouldn’t be taught at Evergreen Academy, which prides itself on its scientific study of magic. But there are some circles where it has a huge following.”
“So does your birthstone have any nature-blessed matches with other stones?” I eyed the soft peridot stone around his neck again.
“According to the theory, similar colored stones meant their wearers had a connection. Ruby and garnet. Turquoise and aquamarine.”
I noticed he hadn’t mentioned our stones. “Emerald and peridot,” I breathed, gazing at the clear pale-lime hue of his stone.
He glanced toward my ring again. “Because emerald and peridot are the only two green birthstone rings—and green is the base color of plants and photosynthesis—the theory says their combination is extraordinarily powerful.”
I glanced down at my ring then too. “Powerful, how?” I spoke softly, lost in the magic of this moment with Callan, in the middleof the forest, discussing the ring that had brought me into the world of magical botany.
Callan let out a soft laugh. “I told you, it’s silly. What’s reality is that we have an early day tomorrow.” He ran his eyes over my pink pajama top and shorts. “And we both need to get to bed.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, having completely forgotten what I was wearing. “Well, I, for one, don’t think we’ll have any trouble tomorrow,” I said as I rose. “After all, we’re destined to beextraordinarilypowerful together.”
Callan shook his head as if he wished he’d never told me, but there was a little spark in his eyes that twinkled in the porch light.
Chapter Fifty
In the morning, Meadow allowed us to raid the fruit and oatmeal in the kitchen, and then we loaded up our packs.
“You three good?” she asked, shrugging into a raincoat the color of peas.
“I think so. Thanks for giving us a place to crash, and I promise we’ll be back in time for the annual strategic meeting tonight. You’ll meet us here?” Callan asked.
Meadow nodded. “Enjoy your little covert operation,” she said wistfully. “I get to spend the entire morning shadowing my mom at work.” She lifted her travel coffee cup in acheersgesture, grabbed a pair of trekking poles, and we followed her out the door.
In the light of day I could see that Meadow’s home was the only structure around. Its architecture was designed in such a way that the walls reflected light and blended into the forest. Someone could walk by a few feet away and might not even notice it was there. I imagined that from a short distance, it was practically invisible.
“Is this a special home for the caretakers of the conservatory?” I asked.
“You got it,” Meadow said.
“Is there one like this for the tree conservatory?”
“Kind of,” Callan said. Then, more quietly, “I’ll show you sometime, when all this is over.”
“Is that a promise?” I asked.
Meadow looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.
I hurried to change the subject. “How close are the two conservatories?”
“Very. They even have a research area that overlaps. But the entrances are a few miles apart, and we can’t cross between the two without the proper credentials,” Callan explained.
Meadow came to a halt and pointed to a golf cart that was parked under a tree near the house. “I know you all probably wanted to tree walk, but that will be faster, and Hollis will be less likely to die.”
Hollis tipped an imaginary hat in Meadow’s direction.
