We quickened our pace. When we reached them, the Hawk boys were grinning broadly.
“You’ve got to take these off our hands,” one of them said, a boy with bright aquamarine eyes. “I feel like I’ve just had about twenty coffees—I’m getting a headache.”
“From the flowers?” Hazel asked doubtfully.
“Try them.” He proffered the bunch into Hazel’s arms. She grabbed them, looking sidelong at me with a bemused expression.
“Oh, wow,” she gasped, her eyes wide.
“What is it?” I pressed.
“They’re filled with energy—crazy powerful energy,” the boy with green-blue eyes replied.
“He’s right.” Hazel turned to me, placing the flowers gently on the ground and keeping only one. They glowed brightly, their center a deep pink hue that pulsed like the heart of a flame. “Try it.” She offered a flower to me and I took it. I felt the energy instantly—it coursed through my veins, its power comparable with the stones that had locked in the entity and his army.
“Are we sure these are safe? Where did you find them?” I asked the Hawk boys.
“We found them in the forest—an entire field of them, in the middle of nowhere. The jinn checked them for magic. They said the flowers seemed natural—there was no evidence that they’d been tampered with.”
Their reassurance mollified me somewhat, but I was still skeptical. Everything about them seemed so similar to the stones—the colors were the same unnatural hue, the power felt the same…
“How have these never been discovered before?” Hazel asked. “Did you know about them?”
I shook my head. “No, but if they were found in the depths of the forest then that doesn’t surprise me. Few venture in there…though you say they were in a meadow? I’ve flown near the Dauoa many times—surely I would have seen the lights?”
The Hawk boys shrugged. Clearly no one had any answers. I had to weigh up the potential danger of these plants against the undoubted benefits they would bring to the entire army—all of us were in need of the energy they could provide.
I quickly made my choice.
“Guards.” I addressed the sentries who were nearby, watching us with unabashed curiosity and delight. “Deliver these to those in need—the ministers who are upholding the barriers especially.”
The guards hastened to their duty.
Once the flowers were all gone, aside from two that Hazel and I held, the Hawks turned to me, concern taking over from the initial delight they’d felt at delivering such a gift.
“We hoped that the battle would be won—but it’s not, is it?” one of them asked.
“The entity holds too much power,” I replied. “We have one option now, which is to lock the portal. There’s no other way out of Nevertide. The entity plans to seep out into the rest of the dimensions—this is the only way to stop it. I’m afraid that our survival might rest on you finding the jinn. The witches are positive now that the creatures still reside here…somewhere.”
“We’ll find them,” the first Hawk replied, his aquamarine eyes flashing with conviction. “We won’t stop until we do.”
When the Hawks left, Hazel and I made our way back to the palace.
My mind kept returning to the vision I’d had. How it had felt, rather than what I’d seen. Almost as if the entity had been there with me somehow—delving into my mind, planting the visions itself. If that were true, it would mean that the entity had managed to find a way to mind-meld with me. How that was possible at such a distance, I couldn’t fathom, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that my suspicions were correct. If it were true, that left me with another puzzle. I had felt a similar sensation when Hazel and I had created that barrier, but I couldn’t put that down to the entity…Why would it help us discover a way to defend ourselves? To get away just at the point when it could have killed us?
“Before I leave for the cove we should practice creating the barrier again,” I said to Hazel, thinking that I might be able to understand better if I could feel it again—my theories might be completely misguided. Now that we had the added energy of the flowers, there was no need to worry about draining myself before we left for the mission.
“I don’t want you to go to the cove,” Hazel whispered. “I know it’s important, but I have a bad feeling about all of this. I don’t know what it is…I just don’t know if this is the best plan.”
“It might not be,” I admitted, “but it’s the only one we have. We can’t wait for the jinn to be found—it’s too risky. Even if they are discovered, they might be unwilling or unable to help.”