I tiptoe out of my room, and prepare everything I need to go foraging with Madam Treeleaf. I have my book, quill and ink safely packed away inside my bag, and a few vials given to me for collecting some ingredients for a class assignment. Silently, I walk down the empty halls to the dining area, and wrap some food in a piece of cloth. The streets of the city are mostly empty, and only a few people have started their day early this weekend. Arthur, Lucien, and Madam Treeleaf are already waiting for me when I arrive. I feel a little uneasy seeing Lucien there, as I’ve avoided him since we last spoke in the library.

“Sorry,” I cry out, rushing over to them. “I haven’t kept you waiting, have I?”

“Not at all, dear. Goodness, all three of you. We’ll be collecting enough to keep Luna busy all week. You two better stop by to help her.”

“I-It’s fine,” I mutter nervously. “I can handle it.”

“Nonsense, I will insist on helping you tomorrow morning when we return,” says Arthur.

He smiles wider when I give him an annoyed look. I’m tempted to explain in great detail how useless I think he is, but wouldn’t dare do it in front of Madam Treeleaf. Lucien gives me a weary, apologetic look.

Madam Treeleaf speaks with me as she scans the ground on our way to the forest for herbs. The forest is a few hours walk, and she explains in some detail how to find the best herbs for the most common potions, pointing out some of the more common plants along the way.

“… Keep in mind that we have a long journey back that will typically take a bit longer because we’ll be weighed down by our supplies. Some plants don’t retain their potency after they’re plucked from the ground, and must be taken up by the root for transporting. Never take everything. You’ll always want to leave something for those who would need them, and of course, so they continue to grow. Most plants, however, will regrow in the same places. Always take the freshest of the herbs, however, as they will not be fresh later.”

Wishing I could write as I walk, I plan to note everything she says as I eat lunch, or when we make camp for the night before the light of the fire goes out.

We go our separate ways with a list of rare ingredients needed for uncommon potion requests. I shield my eyes from a swirling gust that comes from nowhere, sending dirt and leaves through the air, and towards my face.

Suddenly, the trees have become saplings, and a small child runs past me. Her hair and skin are dark, and she laughs as she runs towards something. I follow her, and see the same man and woman I’d seen when I’d touched the stone in my first lesson in finding ley lines.

“Mother, you should see them!” The girl cries out to the woman.

“Gaia, my love, I have seen the elves many times already.”

“No, mother! The humans! The elves have made humans!”

“What are humans?”

“Come look!” She cries out, running off.

Something moves like a shadow, just past my field of vision, and I hold a wind spell tightly in my hand, feeling it fighting to escape.

“H-Hello?” I whisper, frightened.

A crunching leaf spooks me, and I hide behind a small bush.

“Luna, there you are,” says Lucien, stepping out from behind the trunk of a large tree. “We’ve been looking for you. Did you not hear us calling?”

I exhale sharply as relief washes over me.

“I… got distracted by my work. Sorry.”

I glance around. The meadow is gone, replaced by the forest of trees, and the girl and her mother are nowhere in sight.

“Did you see something?” He asks, following my stare, his fingers at the hilt of his dagger, preparing to attack.

“No… possibly just a rabbit?” I suggest, nervously. “I might have been daydreaming again, and spooked myself.”

We stare at each other, a tension lingering between us. He takes a step forward and flinches at the sound of Arthur’s voice.

“Lucien!” Arthur calls. “Lucien! Luna! Stop kissing, and show yourselves!”

“We’re coming!” I cry, rushing towards the sound of Arthur’s voice.

Lunch is quiet as I sit on the root of a tree trying to avoid Lucien’s gaze, and focusing on listening to Arthur’s cheerful chatter with Madam Treeleaf. He’s almost unrecognizable when he’s not being his usually annoying self, and I can hardly believe he’s the same person we departed the city with. The very sight of his face makes me want to slap him on most occasions, but not now. Watching on in disbelief, I make a conscious effort not to let my mouth hang open from the shock of it. Lucien chuckles quietly at my side.

“He’s almost charming like this, isn’t he?” He whispers, almost inaudibly.

I nod, and cover my mouth to hide my smile.

“You’re perceptive,” I whisper.

“Most people have the same reaction to Arthur when they witness his charming behaviors.”

I cover my laugh with a cough.

“What are the two of you giggling about?” Madam Treeleaf asks, amused.

“Sorry, Madam Lyra,” tuts Arthur. “Lucien has terrible manners.”

“Sorry, Madam Treeleaf,” says Lucien, defensively. “I was just teasing Luna. She was so distracted when I located her in the forest. She looked like she’d seen a ghost.”

“Did you, now?” Madam Treeleaf asks, curiously. “Did you?”

“Uh… I thought… I saw… Gaia.”

“It is indeed the location of her temple. The City of Lights was built for Gaia’s worshippers to be close to her without treading over such sacred ground. If you haven’t visited the temple in the city, I highly advise you to pay it a visit. The stained glass windows are a sight to behold. You must have found the powerful ley line that runs through the forest, if you came across Gaia. Not bad for your first week of classes.”

“Thank you, Madam Treeleaf,” I say, with a short nod.

Arthur stares at me, his lips slightly parted. I give him an inquiring look, and Madam Treeleaf laughs and claps his back, startling him.

“What’s the matter, Arthur? You look surprised.”

“Uh… Luna just seems to be remarkably talented in everything, doesn’t she? It took me several months to master sensing ley lines, and here she is already seeing visions of Gaia’s statue in her old temple.”

“It… wasn’t a statue,” I clarify.

Everyone freezes, to give me a questioning look. I blush from all the attention I’ve drawn.

“W-What?” I ask, clutching my cloak tightly around me. “Did I say something wrong?”

“It wasn’t a statue? The worshippers then?”

“It… wasn’t a statue,” I repeat. “I… saw a girl running to this beautiful woman that looked just like the images of Selene I once saw on the stained windows in Mirror Lake that depicted her as a dark elf, and in my class assignment when I held the stone from the temple in Shadowhaven. The girl called her mother, and she called her… Gaia.”

Arthur’s food drops to the ground, and I give it a pitying look.

“Sweet Selene and Sol, Luna,” gasps Lucien. “You’re not serious.”

“Uh, I’m… prone to daydreaming, so it’s possible that I… dreamt it all up.”

“That sounds more likely…” mutters Arthur.

“Yes, well… what an active imagination you must have,” laughs Madam Treeleaf.

“My family certainly thinks so,” I laugh nervously.

Everyone settles back comfortably into their places accepting my explanation, as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Relief floods me, and I finish the remainder of my food in silence.

Madam Treeleaf begins to rifle through the herbs we’ve picked, nodding approvingly at them.

“Lucien, your skills are unmatched,” she praises him.

“Thank you, Madam Treeleaf,” he grins widely, then gives Arthur a smirk when he gives Lucien an envious glare.

“Luna, you have much to learn, but you did a wonderful job as well. You might want to go with Lucien next time. Arthur, still not very good at picking flowers, I see? You’ll never know unless you practice.”

“With all this praise going around, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you,” he says glumly.

“Nonsense,” laughs Madam Treeleaf. “I’ll never compare any Mystic’s abilities with another’s. We are all skilled differently, and we are all here to learn. I know that you could do it, if you practice the skill more often. You’ve always been a quick study, once you’ve mastered fundamentals.”

Arthur puffs out his chest. “Thank you, Madam Treeleaf.”

When we’ve gone our separate ways again to gather more herbs, I follow Lucien, and he explains to me how he determines the best herbs for picking, but I can’t hear his words. I’m too enchanted by the sound of his voice, and the way he appears to glide over the forest floor so effortlessly, as if he’s floating.

“…You’ll write this all down?” He asks.

I nod absently.

“And what did I just say?”

“Something about… morning dew?”

He laughs. “Yes, what about it?”

“You’ve caught me,” I admit. “I’ve been unable to pay attention since lunch. I’d have been fine if we’d done this earlier, but after eating, my mind just wanders more freely.”

“I understand. I can dictate my notes to you later, if you’d like.”

“Well, I have my journal with me now, and we’ve picked plenty of herbs already. Maybe we can sit for a moment, and I can write it all down now?”

“Certainly,” he says, glancing around. “Would you like to sit under a tree, or in the sun?”

“The sun, of course.”

“Cold?”

“Yes.”

“Gods, Lucien, are you a princess?” I ask, when a butterfly lands on his nose.

“Not that I know of,” he nudges the butterfly gently, and it repositions itself further up his face. “Why won’t it-?”

“You’re being too nice to it,” I say, flicking the butterfly gently with the end of my quill.

It flutters around in circles, then lands on Lucien’s knee.

“I suppose that’s better,” he mutters. “What was I saying?”

“Leaf color.”

“Oh, right. In general, you can see a discoloration of the leaves, or sometimes if you look on the underside, they’ll be covered in white or black specks-”

“Slow down, you’re too excited. I can’t write very quickly.”

“You don’t know shorthand?”

“No…”

“Would you like me to teach you?”

“Would you like to sit out here forever?”

“The company’s not bad.”

I snicker. “‘Discoloration of the leaves…’ Go on…”

“Right…”

The forest comes alive at night with hundreds of glowing plants and animals I’ve never seen in the forests of Bellehaven before. I can’t sleep from the excitement of its unexplored beauty. I desire to explore as much of it as possible so that it can be sketched in my journal.

When the sounds of the others sleeping soundly can be heard, I venture out into the forest, keeping one hand by the hilt of my dagger. I’m a traveler walking through a forest on another world where it is always dark, and the glow of the plants is the only source of light to guide me. The light ebbs and flows, like the gentle breathing of a sleeping giant.

I gather a few plants I’d seen mentioned in Miss Eisley’s books, all of them lovelier than I could have ever imagined in person now that it’s dark out. As I hold them in my hands, their soft light slowly fades, and I’m reminded of the petal the shadowstalker had given me. It had this same glow, but had somehow kept it after traveling for a long distance. Were shadowstalkers capable of freezing time? Was time magic something that could be learned? Would it be considered dark magic?

“Luna!” Lucien whispers in my ear.

I trip over a fallen tree from fright, and hear the gentle tinkle of Lucien’s earrings as he flutters his ears.

“Lucien!” I whisper harshly. “I was going to come back, I just…”

“You were taken in by the beauty of the night again?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Always,” I sigh dreamily, watching the glow of the forest continue to breathe. “It’s alive, and simply begging to be admired.”

“‘Tis,” he smiles gently.

“Why did you follow me?”

“You should return to camp before you get lost.”

“Oh, couldn’t I wander around a bit longer? I’m not tired yet,” I whine, looking up at the treetops, as Selene’s light pours through. “And I’m keeping to the path, mostly.”

“I’ve brought some wine, maybe that will help?”

“Some wine? That might do the trick,” I smirk.

I reach out to him, and he hands me his wineskin. I take a drink, and laugh maniacally as I run further into the forest with it.

“Luna, honestly?” Lucien grumbles, chasing after me. “You shouldn’t be wandering in the night through an unknown forest! Especially if you’re drunk!”

“Come on, Lucien, there’s time for sleep tomorrow, and I only took one drink, so I’m nowhere near being drunk.”

“You will slow us down on our way back if you get lost, you know!” He protests.

I take another drink of wine, and wait for him to catch up before running further away. I can hear a high pitched ringing in my ear each time Lucien disappears and reappears amongst the shadows of the trees.

“That’s cheating, Lucien!” I call out to him.

“Why don’t you try it?” He suggests, and disappears once more.

I lose track of him, his misty outline already barely visible in the night.

“How would I even begin to do that?” I ask aloud.

“Just try to imagine yourself standing some place within your line of sight.”

“Surely, it can’t be that simple,” I say, in a playful tone, following him each time I hear a sound.

“It is,” he whispers, his breath tickling the tips of my ear.

I turn around quickly, and gasp quietly when I come face to face with his blazing red eyes. I’ve never noticed how bright they really are, and the night has made them seem brighter. I stumble backwards over my own feet, into the trunk of a rotting tree, and almost scream as I imagine the many insects that are living in it, and crawling all over the inside.

“Try it,” he smirks, cornering me inside the trunk.

“It can’t be that simple,” I say, shoving him aside.

“But it is…” he vanishes into a black stream of curling smoke, and reappears a short distance away. “Soon, you can appear anywhere with just the memory of a place to guide you. Take my hand. Guide me.”

He takes my hand.

“Lucien,” I murmur, impressed by his magic, but doubtful of its simplicity. “I couldn’t just-”

I am suddenly standing in front of him, someplace else, and my body feels as if it’s fallen from the skies. I grip Lucien’s arm as I lose my balance.

“Lucien!” I stumble backwards towards the ground.

He stares at me wide-eyed, and pulls my arm up, slowing my fall.

“Luna! You did it!”

“That was…”

The world fades to black.

When I come to, I am staring at the familiar sight of the inside of a tent. A gentle breeze makes the flaps of the entrance flutter, blinding me by the occasional rays of sunlight that peek through. When I’m nearly asleep once more, someone pulls back the flaps.

“Go away,” I grumble, angrily.

“You must be an absolute delight in the morning,” says Madam Treeleaf, amused.

“Sorry,” I murmur. “I’ll be ready in just a moment.”

“I saw you gathered more herbs after we’d gone to sleep. Not tired enough after a full day of work?”

“I only gathered a few more. I have trouble sleeping at night.”

“A few? You picked enough for a month. The baskets of herbs are almost overflowing.”

“O-oh, I guess I got more than I thought,” I lie. “Forgive me.”

“Nonsense, this will be excellent for a bit of experimentation. I’ve been trying to create a salve to minimize the appearance of scars.”

Our return trip to the city feels longer due to all the herbs we are carrying in our packs, and I swear I can hear my bed calling to me from all the way out here in the wilderness, begging for me to lie down and relieve my aches. I glance over at Lucien, wondering if I’d dreamt my nightly adventure with him. He merely smiles at me, and it inexplicably terrifies me, excites me, and steals my breath away all at the same time. I search for something to break the silence between us, but can’t find a subtle way to bring up the previous night.

“Isn’t that right, Luna?” Arthur asks.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter. “I wasn’t listening. Your voice just gr… gets… I can’t finish that sentence politely. Forget I said anything.”

“I was telling Madam Lyra that you are most excellent at drawing and taking notes.”

“You're not volunteering her for something, are you?” Asks Lucien, hiding his annoyance.

Blushing, I note he also had not been listening to their conversation, and I wonder what was distracting him. I look over at him, pleasantly surprised he’s unashamedly staring back.

“No, I’m not. I’m simply stating that Luna will be an excellent apprentice to Madam Lyra due to her diligence, and determination,” he hums. “Are you alright? You both seem distracted.”

“Uh-”

“I had already guessed that without you, dear,” laughs Madam Treeleaf, and I feel grateful for her commentary. “Why do you think I hired her to work in my shop? Lucien, I’d love to take you in, by the way. I could learn from you about the herbs from the Grove and their properties. Arthur said you’d gladly become my apprentice.”

“I don’t want to intru-”

“That’d be wonderful!” Arthur cries out.

Lucien gives me an apologetic look, and I smile warmly at him in an attempt to reassure him that it is fine if he worked at the shop. Seeing him every day will either make me happier or more frustrated, I’m not sure which.

When we return to the City of Lights, we spend hours arranging the herbs, and processing them. Some are dried, others are boiled, a few are placed into jars of salts or sugar. I hardly notice the time pass as I mindlessly sip my wine, and crush several more herbs in the mortar, while others are being distilled, cooled in jars, and boiling at the fireplace.

At last, when it comes time to make labels, Arthur stands by the door, and mumbles something about getting back to the Academy. Madam Treeleaf follows him out, promising to return with lunch for the three of us. I give her a drunk, happy grin, and return to my work, after wiping the sweat off my brow.

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Lucien promises Madam Treeleaf just before she leaves.

“I’ll return shortly,” she says, with a slight nod of her head. “Thank you, Lucien.”

“Take your time, and find something tasty. We deserve it,” he grins.

“Anything for you, my dears,” she says, reminding me of my grandmother back in Mirror Lake.

I hum while I work, finishing off another batch of herbs that I’ve washed thoroughly, and setting them on a rack to dry.

“It wasn’t a dream,” Lucien mutters.

I grip the table’s edge, and force my eyes shut, trying to maintain my balance. It actually happened? I fall to the ground and scuff my knees.

“I can’t understand why you’re so frightened,” he sounds offended.

He takes hold of my hand, and pries my fingers from the edge of the table so that he can pull me to my feet. He tsks when he sees the scuff on my knees.

“We should have carpets in here.”

“They’d get dirty,” I murmur, feeling uneasy.

“Do you think dark elves are evil?”

“You know that’s not it.”

He’s taken aback. “It’s not?”

“I’m human, Lucien. I cannot, by my own natural limitations, as a human, Lucien, entertain the idea… of… well,” I laugh nervously, spreading a few more herbs out on a drying rack to be set outside behind the shop to dry. “Are we going to travel through the stars, and to another world then? Is Selene going to take us there?”

“Anything you want, Luna Masters. I’ll follow you anywhere you go,” he whispers.

My breath catches at the sincerity of his promise. I turn to face him, my face already flushed from the wine, and becoming more flushed from his comment.

“We could travel through the stars, to a world where the gods are more fair,” he exclaims.

“You make these promises lightly, I see. Are you a romantic?”

“I guess I have more flaws than we both thought.”

I return to my work. The rack I’ve been filling is crowded now, and I take another off a high shelf, and begin lining the remaining herbs on it.

“You certainly kept yourself busy last night, didn’t you? I know I didn’t pick these,” I mention, absently.

“You picked quite a bit by the time I got to you, but I did help. I couldn’t sleep.”

“You should have just brought along a sleeping potion.”

“I was… afraid you were hurt. You make strange sounds when you sleep, by the way. You muttered spell after spell. It sounded like you were preparing for a great battle.”

“I’m sure I was.”

“Off on great adventures?”

“Ugh,” I groan. “If only.”

I wipe my hands off on my apron, and take up the racks on the counter before me. The back door is open to allow a fresh breeze to blow through the shop so we won’t suffocate from all the fumes and strong smells. I step outside, and the sun is shining obscenely brightly. Shield my eyes, I place the racks on the ground in a neat row. The city around us is beginning to wake. The sound of children playing can be heard just beyond the backyard of the shop, and wagon wheels over the stone paths echo against the walls. The smells of the bakery waft into the air with tantalizing fragrances of dough, sugar, and butter, instantly making my mouth water.

After setting down the last rack, I stretch out my arms and legs, and take a moment to enjoy the warmth of the sunlight on my skin and the cold breeze making my skin prickle.

“Do you want to study with me?” Asks Lucien, peering through the doorway. “Maybe you could learn to fly?”

I sigh irritably.

He places several baskets in a row out in the sun, and sighs deeply.

“I believe that was the last of it. I’m going to return to the Academy.”

“Madam Treeleaf said she’d return with lunch.”

“It’s fine,” he says, hanging his apron on a hook, and gathering his things dejectedly.

I bite my lip, feeling a tinge of guilt for denying his help, but enjoying his small tantrum.

When he is halfway out the door, I let out an exaggerated sigh. He turns on his heel immediately, and smiles sheepishly.

“Fine, I’ll do it, but the moment I get frustrated, we stop.”

“I agree.”

“Why are you doing this? What does it matter? Is it Arthur?”

“No,” he furrows his brows, instantly irritated. “I just want to help you.”

“Is it because you so desperately want to escape into the stars?” I inquire, making my way back into the shop, with Lucien following closely behind me.

“I want to feel free.”

“What if you can’t be?”

“But what if I can be?” He smiles, and there’s a glimmer in his eyes.

The bell at the front of the shop rings, and I rush to answer it. It’s Madam Treeleaf with a crate full of jars and vials.

“Luna, dear, sort these for me. I’ve brought lunch for you and Lucien. Where’s Arthur?”

“He’s gone. I don’t think he likes labeling.”

She groans. “Never liked it, that one. He’s the reason I put such an emphasis on labeling. It’s no matter. It’s best I leave it to you. You’re quite organized, and have much better penmanship.”

I carry the crates to the back of the shop, the bottles clinking with each step.

Lunch is excellent. Bread, fresh roasted meats, fresh fruits, nuts, and a delicious porridge. We eat, as we work, and Madam Treeleaf skims through the notes in my journal (only the pages I’ve made visible to her), checking it for any mistakes, and writing her own notes in the margins next to anything Lucien might have dictated incorrectly.

“… I wish the Academy would begin personalizing lessons for some of the older students, especially those that wish to make it to level six,” she grumbles. “Instead, they just kick them out and expect them to figure it out on their own. When I attended the Academy, back when I was still actually the age I look now, they’d at least find someone you could study under. You’d correspond with them, and if they were ready for a new apprentice, off you went to study for five more years. I remember going to Zelfari to study under Madam Cornelia, and Sir Silas. Ugh!” She squeals, the sound taking Lucien and me by surprise. “We still talk to this day. They are my oldest and dearest friends. Lucien is in touch with a legend of his own, Master Eaimer.”

Lucien gives her a warm smile. “I could get you in better touch with him if you’d like. I have his personal address.”

“Could you? That would be grand.”

“Any advice on passing Divination and Prophecy with Madam Drake?”

“She’s obsessed with death, so any prophecy you think you see, tie it back to death and she’ll pass you easily.”

Lucien chuckles. “I thought Arthur was just making that up.”

“No, she’s always been that way, even when she was teaching Warding and Protection courses.”

“What about Enchantments?” I ask.

“Ah, there’s an enchantment shop near here with a most handsome apprentice that shows up on rare occasions. Even if you aren’t struggling with anything, stop by and take a look at him.”

I stare at her stunned, and she laughs.

“The shop owner, Jacob, is always happy to help, and his apprentice makes it worth the trip,” she says, with a wink.

“If the owner doesn’t mind…” I mumble. “When does he show?”

“He’s rarely there. Jacob, however, likes to show off, but mind the enchanted bugs.”

“Bugs?” I shudder.

“They’re not real, but still manage to make my skin crawl.”

“The mere thought of bugs makes my skin crawl.”

Lucien coughs to hide a laugh.

I get to my feet when the shop bell rings, and reassure Madam Treeleaf that I can handle it on my own.

“Welcome to Madam Treeleaf’s Potions Shop!” I greet. “What sort of potion can I get for you?”

“Love potion,” the man grunts.

Madam Treeleaf had warned me of people in search of love potions. Usually, if they are searching for one, they’re likely up to no good. The man stands at the counter breathing heavily, scowling, and avoiding eye contact. His knuckles are covered in blood, and his face in fresh scratches. My skin crawls, and my heart begins to pound.

“We don’t sell that, and even if we did sell what most call a ‘love’ potion,” I state, rehearsing a script. “Love cannot be brewed. We cannot guarantee the person you give it to will be in love. Any potions sold under the title of ‘love potion’ just give the recipient false effects of love; heart flutters, sweaty palms, et cetera.”

“Good enough,” the man says in a gruff voice, angrily.

“We don’t have any, sir.”

The man tosses several golden coins on the counter towards me.

“I’ll pay more for your silence.”

“One moment, please. I must speak with the owner of the shop,” I bow politely, and make my way to Madam Treeleaf, trying to maintain my composure. “Madam Treeleaf, I don’t believe I’ve been trained to handle the situation occurring at the front of your shop. If you would jump in and assist me, I would be grateful.”

“What does he want?” She sets her cup of tea down roughly, and gets to her feet.

“Love potion, but he’s terrifying, and won’t listen.”

“Ah,” she huffs. “We don’t sell those here. I’ll take care of it.”

“I told him so, but he keeps tossing gold on the counter. He’s looking to pay for… our silence.”

I try to listen in on the conversation occuring at the front of the shop between Madam Treeleaf and the stranger, but can’t make out any of the words as Lucien hums merrily in his drunken state. I scowl at him, and he pays me no mind after being hushed for the fifth time.

“Sol and Selene, forever entwined. Their love is a tale, eternally signed. Through twilight's embrace and dawn's first gleam. Their hearts united, a celestial dream.”

“In some ways, you’re worse than Arthur,” I mutter, taking a sip of water.

“How could you say such an awful thing? I’m simply sparing you from the realities of this world,” he says, jokingly.

“Are you? Which realities?”

“He wants a love potion. He thinks he can force someone to love him, but Madam Treeleaf cannot sell emotions. No one can, and so she must explain to him that love cannot be brewed in a potion, or cast as a spell. She must force him to promise that he will not be upset if she creates an imitation love potion, and it fails. Potions that imitate feelings of any kind are the most expensive, and the least effective. He’s angry with her, and doesn’t want to leave without it, while also getting angry at the possibility that it might fail because the woman he is pursuing is clearly not interested in him.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who sells them, anyway? It’s such a silly thing to do.”

“Humans would pay anything for love.”

“Humans can never get everything they want. If we could, I’d be on the other side of the stars on a grand adventure with you.”

“Me? You’d go with me? I’m flattered. What about Ma-… sorry.”

“Marcellus has no interest in leaving Bellehaven. I hope that one day I can be okay with that, but… not right now.”

The door slams shut, and Madam Treeleaf appears at the doorway of the back room with furrowed eyebrows, nostrils flaring, and a scowl.

“Do not let him back in this shop, do you understand, Luna?”

“Yes, Madam Treeleaf. You won’t have to tell me a second time.”

“The nerve of him!” She huffs, pacing.

“Please sit, Madam Treeleaf,” says Lucien, standing from his seat, and putting an arm on her shoulder, to stop her.

“Nonsense, I have to go speak to someone. He’s been here several times already, and gets worse with each visit. Watch the shop for me. If you see that man again, I insist you lock the doors. You’ll take care of Luna while I’m away, won’t you, Lucien?”

“L-Luna?” He glances over at me. “Why? Is he going to be after her?”

Madam Treeleaf turns to face me, and I can read the panic in her eyes as she scans my face.

“Stay safe, or return to the Academy, do you understand?” She asks me.

“Yes,” I nod.

“Did he threaten Luna?” Lucien asks, panicked.

“I can’t be sure, but he seemed quite upset about the whole situation, and kept threatening my ‘disrespectful’ apprentice. In the meantime, do not let her out of your sight until the matter is settled.”

“Yes, Madam Treeleaf,” Lucien and I say in unison.