Rose's Arc

Chapter 3 of 8

Rose tucked the blue flower into her pack. Luna hovered ahead, then dropped to a low branch and blocked the trail. The fairy had guided Rose past the black pines for a promised favor, still unnamed. Now she folded her wings and smiled. "The spirit's door is close," Luna said. "A few more steps. But first, I'll name my favor." Rose stopped. "Now? We're almost there." "That's why now." Luna's smile stayed. "You need me for the last steps. The path bends and lies past this point. Refuse, and you wander until dark. So. My favor." Rose's stomach dropped. She could see no clearing, no pool, only more twisting trunks. The fairy held the last piece of the path. "Name it, then," Rose said. Luna pointed at the pack. "When the spirit grants your wish, wish for me. One thing. A garden that never wilts, mine alone. Flowers that bloom all year." Rose's throat went tight. She had walked three days for one wish. Now Luna wanted to spend it. "The wish is mine," Rose said. "I bled for the gift. I can't give it away." "Then find the door yourself." Luna lifted off the branch. Rose grabbed her own pack strap. She would not lose the wish, and she would not be stranded. She needed another answer. Her eyes fell on the ferns beside the trail, where pale lilies grew in a full cluster. Layered petals, slender stems, arranged like a bouquet left for someone. "Wait," Rose said. She knelt and gathered the lilies. Their stems snapped clean in her hand. She stood and held them out. "You want flowers that last. I can't give you my wish. But I can give you these, and my hands. I'll plant a garden for you myself, once I'm done. Real work, not a wish. I'll come back and tend it." Luna landed again. She looked at the lilies, then at Rose. "A wish is easier." "A wish might fail. The spirit may say no. My hands won't." Rose pushed the flowers closer. "This is what I can promise and keep." Luna took the lilies. She turned them in her small hands and breathed in their scent. For a long moment she said nothing. Then she tucked one behind her ear. "A bargain kept beats a wish spent," she said. "Done. Your hands, when the spirit's finished with you." She rose and flew forward. "Come. The door." Rose followed. Twenty steps on, the trees opened. A dark pool lay still beneath the pines, ringed by smooth stones. The air went cold and quiet. Rose felt eyes on her, though she saw no one. Luna hung back at the edge. "This is as far as I go," she said. "The rest is yours." Rose gripped the blue flower and stepped to the water. She had reached the door. Now she had to make the spirit listen.