Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(32)

“Where have you been?” I asked. Happiness fluttered in my chest.

He approached slowly. He said he was slow because of his old bones, but there was something timeless about him.

“Well?” I prodded.

“Calm down, child.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s harder for old Ademius to get around these days.”

“You could just come live here, you know.”

He tutted. “That I could not. And I have my reasons.” He held up a finger to still my usual arguments. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t visit you.”

I smiled, leaning back against the tree. He sat down to join me, his joints creaking. Ademius had started appearing to me years ago, but only while I was in the forest. I thought of him almost as a woodland sprite, though he wasn’t very spritely at his age. He’d said he was my family, one who’d had to leave Elesius long ago. He looked a lot like my mother, especially around the eyes, so it was clearly true.

I loved his company. Though I had my parents, my grandparents had died before I was born. Ademius was the closest thing I had to a grandfather.

“Have you done your gardening today?” he asked.

“Yes.” He always asked about my garden, giving me tips and tricks. “But I’m worried. Not only has the forest been dying faster, now my garden is starting to look wilted. The herbs are failing. That’s never happened before.”

Ademius’s eyes turned sad, but he nodded knowingly. “It was only a matter of time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Things can’t live forever, child.” He gripped his walking stick. “Not even me.”

Mention of his death distracted me from my worry over the forest. “You’ve lived a long time, but why not longer?”

He smiled. “I’ve lived plenty long. You have no idea. But don’t you worry about me. It’s you we have to talk about.”

“Me?”

“Yes.” His gaze met mine, suddenly serious. “I will have to go away soon and won’t be able to visit you as often.”

“You only come a few times a year, at most.” I dug my hands into the dirt. I couldn’t lose Ademius.

“Be that as it may, I must leave.” His eyes were kind. “But you will find me again, one day.”

“How?” Tears pricked my eyes. This felt final.

“You’ll know the way. It will be inside you. But I have left something for you that will help. When the time comes, your mother will give it to you.”

“Like a map?” This was like a game—except it was sad. What was the point of a sad game?

“Like a map, yes. But it’s inside of you.” He held out a hand, silencing me. “While I’m gone, you must take care of your garden. Learn to tend it.”

“Why is that so important to you?” I loved my garden, but I almost thought he loved it more.

“It is important to you, Phoenix. You must tend to the life within your garden. It will reward you tenfold.”

“Okay.” That was weird. What did he even mean by that? “Do you really have to leave now?”

He nodded, then slowly rose, leaning heavily on his cane. I jumped to my feet, throwing my arms around his frail body. I sniffled, but the tears wouldn’t stay back any longer.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving,” I sobbed.

“I must. Someone is hunting for me. Someone evil. I must not fall into his hands or…” I drew in a shuddering breath. “Just tend to your garden, Phoenix. It will love you in return.”



I popped awake, gasping. The sun peaked over the horizon, spreading a golden glow over the valley.

“What’s wrong?” Ares’s voice was groggy as he sat up.

“A dream.” I scrubbed my hand over my face to dry the tears. “I knew Ademius when I was a child.”

Suddenly, things were falling into place.

“How?”

“He visited me in the forest several times a year. He must have known what I would become. But then he disappeared. He said he was being hunted.”

“By Drakon?”

“I think so. He said he was evil.”

“That means Drakon has been seeking this prophecy for over a decade. He didn’t have the Vessel of Truth at that point, though, did he?”

“No. He first got it by stealing it from us. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t know the legend of the beaker. Vessels of Truth are rare. He could have learned of Ademius first, then found the beaker.”

“And Ademius got wind that he was coming for him and ran for it,” Ares said.

“Exactly. But not before telling me to tend to my garden.” I smiled. Though I couldn’t remember the other times I’d seen him in the forest, I could recall how comforted I’d felt to be in his presence. How much I’d enjoyed talking about my garden with him. “I’ve always liked older people and I wondered if I had a grandparent. I didn’t—not technically. But I’d had Ademius.”

“He’s a grandparent.” The corner of Ares’s mouth quirked up. “If you add about one hundred ‘greats’ in front of his name.”

I smiled, my heart suddenly light. We were going to find Ademius. More family for me.