ARC 7-Cursed Fates-34 (Patreon)
Content
With Lane trailing behind us, his head bowed in thought, we rejoin the tour, finding everyone else standing around a large flower planted in a secluded area, separated from the nearest flowers by its own smaller hedges. Oh, I remember this one. One of the more fun varieties in this part of the garden.
ââmore dangerous species. At first glance, it looks like its leaves are sprouting from its stem butâŠâ Gajin holds up a hand, silently telling his audience not to follow him as he approaches the plant. As he draws closer, leafy vines unwind from the thick stem and begin to sway.
I purposely turn my gaze, watching the plant from the corner of my eyes. Beside me, Alana does the same, just as familiar with the oddities of the garden.
The watching crowd isnât as prepared. They are completely enraptured as the vines of the plant sway and snap, gazes blank. I know from experience that if they are left alone, they will continue to stare at the plant indefinitely, oblivious to their surroundings.
Itâs how the plant hunts. Something about the movement of the vines, when observed directly, confuses the brain. Leaves the prey vulnerable to the assault of the thicker vines near the base of the stem. As this is the front garden, the danger has been neutralized by the hedges around it that severely hamper the movement of those lower vines.
Gajin hisses, making a sound not unlike an angry housecat. The hypnotic vines stop their dance and obediently curl around the thick stem of the plant.
Kierra can train plants. Something that sounds ridiculous but is rather simple in theory. At least, itâs simple when you have a pure affinity. As her student and second pair of hands, Gajin has learned the signals she uses. The man has come a long way from the bandit I almost stabbed on the Kingâs Road.
My gardener wakes up each member of the audience by snapping his fingers in front of their faces until they come back to their senses. âAnd that is the danger of the Verdant Beauty. The plant nourishes itself by hypnotizing those that watch it and strangling them with the larger lower vines. Mistress is very fond of strangling plants. Itâs best to be wary of anything with vines in the garden. And that brings us to the end of our tour. I have to tend to some of the night children. In the meantime, you can return to the house or take a seat at the tables weâve set up. Thank you for accompanying me for this demonstration.â
William claps but the sound quickly dies when he realizes heâs the only one applauding, his hands dropping to his side as his face flushes with embarrassment. Thereâs no need for his self-consciousness as the group ignores him, falling in line behind Gajin as he motions for them to follow. I join the procession. Arthur spots me when he looks over his shoulder and leaves his group to walk beside me. âDo you think that viney thing can survive on a ship?â
âWhen it comes to my wife and her pure affinity, I just assume she can do whatever. Better question. Is what you have in mind interesting enough for her to bother?â
âOn the sea, spells are used to disable enemy ships, but the bulk of the fighting happens after boarding actions. Not to mention all the creatures that like to jump on deck. Those vines would make a heck of a deterrent.â
âIf they arenât strangling your crew. And thatâs just one of the problems I can think of.â
He shrugs. âIt was just a thought. IâŠwell, in my little dream, your creature taught me the valuable of using things in unusual ways. A boarding crew is always ready for martial fighters and casters. No oneâs going to be prepared for dancing plants that shut their brains off and strangles them when theyâre not paying attention.â He chuckles. âIn fact, thereâs a few things in this death trap disguised as a garden that Iâd like on a ship.â
âI think death trap is going a bit too far. Weâve paid attention to safety.â I wave a hand at the hedges.
âYeah? Youâre telling me this place hasnât killed anyone?â
I open my mouth to say no, but a feeling makes me pause. âI donât think so.â
My hesitance is obvious and the pirate doesnât hesitate to point it out. âWould you know if it had?â
âI think a corpse would stand out.â
âWould it? If it was wrapped up in vines, would you even notice? Heh, I wouldnât be surprised if that gardener of yours grinded up the corpses and used them as plant food. There is something wrong with him. Thereâs something wrong with all your servants.â
âI resent that. They all do a wonderful job.â
âYeah. Too wonderful of a job. Your gardener just hissed at a plant to tell it not to eat us. And donât get me started on that creepy brat you call a steward. That little fucker is all kinds of wrong.â
I want to point out that my servants are strong, motivated, and capable people who are well-fed and well-sheltered. They live better lives than most in Harvest and their futures are full of prospects. But whether thatâs worth a succubus putting her fingers in their minds is questionable.
I ordered her to keep her fingers off their personalities and to help them improve themselves, but some might still think of it as an unforgivable invasion. Iâm sure Arthur wouldnât approve, given his only experience with Genevaâs âattentionsâ was horrific. Feeling charitable, I decide to leave the topic be.
Gajin leads the group to the sitting area, where tables have been set up beneath the glowing light of one of the arches, iridescent torches lining the surrounding hedges. I walk over to the table closest to the house and settle Cynthia in one of the chairs. Before I straighten up, a strong hand grabs my shoulder and I turn to meet Alyssaâs narrowed eyes. âItâs not what you think,â I say quickly, dreading the thought of her throwing around flames.
âYeah?â The instructor moves me asideâŠor at least she tries. Her brows furrow but I graciously step back before she can dwell on my surprising strength and weight. Alyssa gives me a look before leaning over her friendâŠand breathing in deeply. She sighs as she straightens up and backpedals. âItâs exactly what I think.â She gives me a look thatâs hard to decipher before walking away from the table.
âWait for me, boss!â Lane shouts, running after her. I shake my head at the display. Poor bastard doesnât have a chance. I feel bad for him butâŠ
âDo you think she was impressed?â I whisper to Alana, leaning toward her.
âShe was something,â my future-knight scoffs. She takes a seat beside the sweetly dreaming alchemist. I take a seat beside her and Arthur sits on Cynthiaâs other side. To my surprise, a stranger drops beside me.
âIâm impressed,â a girl dressed in far too much leather and far too little overall says as she takes a seat beside me. She has the same bronze skin and dark hair as Arthur, coloring Iâm beginning to think is common to the coast. Her hair is cut short, shorter than Iâve seen any woman wear, and her only jewelry is a long tooth of some kind of predator hanging from a loop of string. Her dark eyes practically glitter as she leans toward me, putting her chin in a palm. âHeard you were some kind of beast but fucking a woman unconscious in your backyard? Thatâs hardcore.â
The way she says it and the quirk of her lips makes me think hardcore is a compliment. âAs a good hostess, I strive to give my guests what they want.â
âYeah, she looks like she got what she wanted.â
Saints, I havenât been this blatantly eye-fucked by a woman sinceâŠactually, I donât think Iâve even been ogled to this extent before. Cynthia was coy with her advances. Cloud was probably the most direct of my dalliances, but her attitude was more blunt than rabidly sexual like my guest. Sheâs practically drooling over me.
I have to admit, Iâm enjoying the attention.
âLou, this is Walawala.â
âFamily name,â she says with a roll of her eyes. âA clan thought that dealing with leatherbacks was a better deal than fighting for more trees in the jungle. Graywatch isnât anyoneâs better option but weâre kind of stuck with it. Friends call me Way.â
âWay, huh. So? Pirate? Smuggler?â
âCook.â
How mundane.
Arthur scoffs. âShe means drugs, captain. Wayâs family mixes everything from stimulants, to aphrodisiacs, to poisons.â
âLook at you, speaking all proper.â The cook, in the broadest sense of the word, moves her leg. Presumably to kick him from Arthurâs wince. âAnd donât go dropping the gold on me, Shrimp. We donât want Lou to get the wrong impression.â She smiles at me and a gold tooth in her mouth gleams. âA few cousins might have been involved in some, ah, unsavory businessâ'
âMore like your motherâ" I chuckle as Arthur is cut off by another wince.
âBut Iâm here for respectable reasons. Going to be a proper alchemist. In fact, I was hoping to speak to herâ" Way inclines her head toward Cynthia. âShe gonna wake up soon?â
âOf course. Thereâs a lot more party to get through.â
With his usual unnerving timing, Earl appears at our table carrying a silver tray with several glasses, filled with the fruit wines from the smell. Except a shorter, squat glass filled with something that smells of spice. My steward takes it and waves it under the alchemistâs nose. Within seconds, Cynthiaâs eyes flutter open. She lets out a sensual moan as she stretches, slowly focusing on her surroundings. Her eyes flick around the table before finding me, her lips turning up. âWell. Looks like Iâve embarrassed myself a little.â