The path led to the glade of black bat flowers, which all perked up as I walked through. The trees guarding the iron gate on the opposite side of the meadow leaned away, and the bougainvillea pulled the metal bars open, allowing me to pass through. I entered the garden, holding my breath, feeling the ache of what had happened there the same way I felt the sting of toxins when I entered the Poison Garden, only I wasn抰 immune to this pain. Mrs. Redmond had tainted this beautiful place, but the garden was already working hard to erase any sign that she had ever been there.
The acacia tree stood like a sentinel guarding the overflowing beds of everyday plants.
Hecate抯 Garden had overtaken its wooden walls. Hellebore and velvet petunias climbed the wall closest to the plot. The hellebore抯 yellow centers reminded me of watchful, protective eyes.
Calla lilies and dahlias spilled out and covered the patch of earth where my mom had lain unconscious. Her blood was spilled there. I couldn抰 see it, but I knew it was there, and I felt an overwhelming rush of gratitude to the flowers who抎 hid it from me. Did they know I wouldn抰 be able to handle that? That seeing the patch of darkened earth might have been my breaking point?
Knowing I probably wouldn抰 find Circe in the front part of the garden, I cut a path straight back to the moon gate and entered the Poison Garden with only the faintest flicker of cold in my throat as the airborne toxins invaded my nose and mouth. Circe wasn抰 there either, but the hidden door in the back wall was sitting ajar and the rhythmic thumping of a heart echoed in my ears. My own pulse ticked up.
Ropes of Devil抯 Pet unfurled from the tops of the walls and slithered across the ground, circling my feet. Any fear or hesitation I抎 had was gone. I had leaned into this strange power and embraced it fully and there was no going back. I reached out and drew my finger along one of the small offshoots. Cold rippled through my palm and wrist as the deadly vine sprouted a triplet of serrated fuchsia leaves.
I went to the door and pulled it all the way open.
揢h ?Circe? You down there??
The was a scuffling noise, the clink of something metal, maybe glass.
揑抦 here,?she said, her voice rough.
I descended the stone steps into the dank space below. Sunlight filtered in from the cylindrical hole in the ceiling, but it was still mostly dark, still cold. Circe sat on the floor with her back to the wall. Her hair stuck out around her face in tight curls, her wrap halfway off her head. The two glass-paneled cages she抎 brought with her stood against the opposite wall. I sat down on the floor next to her.
I looked around, unable to stop the replay of Mrs. Redmond slicing my hand open over the Absyrtus Heart, how she抎 asked if I抎 fed it. I hated the stuffy little chamber, and a flicker of anger sparked inside me but I couldn抰 understand why. I reminded myself that it was Mrs. Redmond抯 deception that led me here. Circe hadn抰 written the letters. She didn抰 have anything to do with the mess Mrs. Redmond and Karter had created. But something still didn抰 sit right with me. After a moment I finally realized what was bothering me. If Circe hadn抰 brought me here, it meant that the opposite might be true梥he didn抰 want me here, and that stung more than I expected it to.
揑 know I抦 not supposed to be here,?I said. 揟hat you probably don抰 want me here.?
Circe angled her head and pushed her glasses up. 揑t抯 very hard for me to look at you. You look so much like her it抯 a little scary.?
揧ou mean Selene??
Circe nodded. 揑 feel like I抦 talking to her.?
揑抦 not her,?I said. It抯 the same thing I抎 told Alec when I went to see him in the hospital. In his confusion he抎 thought I was her.
揘o. I know,?Circe said. She bit her bottom lip and her eyebrows pushed together. I prepared myself to get my feelings hurt. 揕et me be real clear about this. Did I want you here? Did Selene? Yes. Of course we did. But it was just too dangerous. Redmond wasn抰 the first to come after the Heart. But you抮e a part of this place, which is, I suspect, why fate brought you back.?
揘ot really fate,?I said. 揗ore like a murderous, hateful, lying-ass piece of棓
揑 get it,?Circe cut in. 揃elieve me I do.?She looked thoughtful. 揑抦 glad she抯 dead. I would have liked to see it.?
揑 saw it.?
Circe took a deep breath and let her shoulders slump down. 揋ods, I wish you hadn抰。？She took off her glasses and sandwiched the lens between the folds of her T-shirt, cleaning off the smudges. 揑f I抦 being honest there was a part of me that was hoping you抎 come back someday when it was safe.?
揑s that why you left the map??
Circe let the air hiss out between her teeth. 揑 was careless, but I was also tired. Hell, I抦 still tired. I drew a map, left the key. I thought if you came back someday and I was gone maybe you抎 stumble on it.?