Thorn's Arc

Chapter 3 of 4

Three days later, the single blossom still glowed in its water. But Thorn knew it would not last. One flower could not make him strong enough to earn a place among the archmages who guarded this broken world. He needed the tree. Only Solara knew where it stood. So he waited for her outside the crystal garden, where faceted walls threw colored light across the path. Solara found him there. She stopped when she saw him. Her golden hair lit the crystal walls brighter. She had taught him to save the flower, but her eyes still said thief. "You followed me," she said. "I need the tree," Thorn said. "One flower runs out. You know where it grows." "I know." She crossed her arms. "And you stole from a cart owner. Why would I lead a thief to something that matters?" Thorn had no clever answer. So he pulled the blossom from his coat and held it out. "Then take it back. If you don't trust me, take my only one. I'll manage." Her eyes moved from the flower to his face. She did not take it. A tiny winged bear dropped from the crystal spires. It landed on Thorn's shoulder and sniffed the blossom. More followed, small brown shapes with clear wings, circling him. Solara watched them settle on his arms without fear. "They don't go to liars," she said. "Or thieves who plan to steal again." "I stole because the pain would have killed me," Thorn said. "Not for gold. I'd give this back before I'd hurt someone else for it." A voice cut in from the path. "There he is." Virgil Creech stepped from behind the crystal wall. He was Tristan's lackey, thick-browed and grinning. He had trailed Thorn since the alley. "The warden pays coin for thieves. And I know one." Solara moved before Thorn could. She stepped between them, one hand raised, light gathering in her palm. "Walk away," she said. Just two words. Virgil looked at the glow, then at the bears baring small teeth. He backed off and ran. Solara turned to Thorn. She lowered her hand. "You gave up your flower to a stranger. And you didn't run just now." She took a breath. "The tree grows deep in the Sunken Vaults. Where the thing stolen from my people is hidden too." Thorn's chest tightened, but not from pain. "You'll take me?" "I'll take you." She met his eyes. "But we go together, and you help me find what's mine. Break that, and I leave you in the dark." Thorn slid the blossom back into his coat. He had traded nothing and gained a guide. But the Vaults meant wardens, and Virgil now had a name and a place to sell. The clock had not stopped. It had only moved underground.