Dr. Olivia Greenwood's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Dr. Olivia Greenwood knelt in the dead grass and knew she was running out of specimens. She had come to Kauri to revive the withered world-tree at the heart of the land, using a green magic most botanists called a myth. To do that, she needed living plants to study. But the tree was dying, and its sickness was spreading. A grey blight crept from its roots through the soil, and everything it touched turned to ash. She pressed her palm to a fern beside the great tree. The leaves crumbled at her touch. Yesterday it had been green. She pulled her hand back and stared at the grey line advancing across the ground. It moved like frost, slow and certain. Every plant she needed sat inside its path. Her hummingbird darted overhead, teal body flashing, red wings a blur. It landed on her shoulder and chirped, sharp and frightened. Even the small bird sensed the wrongness in the air. Olivia ran for the greenhouse. The white steel frame of the conservatory rose against the sky, its glass panes catching the light. Inside grew the last healthy specimens in Kauri. If the blight reached them, she would have nothing left to work with. She threw open the door. The woodworker was already there, kneeling at the base of the glass wall. Marcus Pinewood had built half the shelves in this study. His grey beard was streaked with sawdust, and his flannel sleeves were rolled to the elbow. He looked up, and his face told her the truth before he spoke. "It's under the foundation," he said. "Came up through the floor overnight." A grey vein ran along the base of the nearest planter. Two potted plants had already withered. Olivia's chest tightened. The blight was inside. She thought fast. The old texts claimed green magic could not heal, but it could feed. She could not stop the blight. But she might pull the healthy plants out of its reach and buy herself time. "Help me lift these," she said. "Every pot that's still green. We carry them to the study and seal the door." Marcus didn't argue. He grabbed the heavy planters two at a time. Olivia cradled the smaller ones against her chest. Her hands shook, but she kept moving. The hummingbird flew ahead through the doorway, guiding them like a spark. They worked until the study floor was crowded with rescued green. Olivia shut the door and packed wet cloth into the gap beneath it. The blight would not cross a threshold it could not reach. She leaned against the wall, breathing hard. The specimens were safe. But through the glass she watched the grey line swallow the last of the conservatory's beds. She had saved the plants. She had not saved the ground. Marcus wiped his hands. "You bought time," he said. "Not much." Olivia nodded. The blight came from the tree. To stop it, she had to reach the tree itself.