Page 88 of Evergreen Conservatory
Alex?
What was Alex doing at the tree conservatory?
Thoughts struggled to connect in my brain.
But that meant… WasAlexa magical botanist?
The man Alex was talking to began to turn in my direction, and I ripped my eyes away from them, quickly hastening my pace toward the exit.
My heart felt like it was beating a million beats per second. Too much had happened in the last few minutes for me to do anything but surge forward, hoping to find Callan, who was still nowhere in sight.
We had more than one problem on our hands now, and I desperately needed to get out of the tree conservatory before I blew our whole mission.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Patricia didn’t pay me any attention as I exited the tree conservatory, my steps too quick. I continued down the path toward the forest where we had entered, trusting Callan would find me there eventually. We hadn’t planned for what to do if we were separated, but his words to his brother indicated he had headed for the exit and that I should follow when I could.
My power came back in a rush as I left the conservatory’s boundary, my connection to the abundance of plants in the lush forest around me restored. Instantly, my fear began to ebb, as if having access to my powers had become a source of security without my realizing it.
When I reached the little path in the forest, I swiveled to see that the tree conservatory was completely out of sight behind me, as if it had been swallowed up by the woods. I climbed down to the ground level, wanting to put as much space between me and the conservatory as possible.
“You made it. Thank the leaves.”
I jumped at the sound of Callan’s voice as he dropped out ofthe trees above. I took in the sight of him, hair disheveled and eyes full of a wild concern, and I instantly relaxed.
“Are you okay?” He stepped forward and put his hands on my arms, scanning me.
“Yes, I’m fine. How about you?”
Callan cast a glance over his shoulder. “Better now that you’re safe. I see you got the backpack. I was hoping you’d see it.” Callan began to walk, and I matched his pace. “Were you able to get the quill? I had just undone all the defenses when I heard voices outside. I didn’t have time to make the swap. I tried to give you as much of an opening as I could, but if you didn’t have a clear shot at it?—”
“Callan.” I cut him off. “Relax. I got the quill.”
He came to an abrupt halt and turned toward me, a smile splitting across his face. “You did?”
“Yep, and replaced it with the fake. I couldn’t redo the defenses, though…”
Callan nodded, following my line of thought. “I knew that’s a risk we were taking. I thought we might be interrupted. I just didn’t anticipate who was going to interrupt us. You got away clean?”
“Define ‘clean.’ I was sweating like a criminal. But I don’t think anyone noticed anything.”
“It was worth it, then,” Callan said definitively.
“There’s something else.” I hesitated, still in shock about what I’d seen and the adrenaline of the escape crashing all around me. My legs were beginning to shake.
“What is it?” Callan raked his eyes over me, as if looking for an injury.
“Back there in the conservatory, I thought I saw… No, IknowI saw… Alex.”
“Alex?” Callan’s face screwed up in confusion.
“From SCC.”
I saw the awareness dawn, and Callan went deathly still. “You’re sure?”
“It was him.”
“Holy pine needles.”
