Reign of Mist by D. G. Swank & Alessandra Thomas

Author:D. G. Swank & Alessandra Thomas [Swank, D. G. & Thomas, Alessandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781940562193
Publisher: Sixpence Publishing
Published: 2019-07-01T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

An hour later, I was sweating under the overhead sun, but not from the heat. I was standing next to my created wall, waiting for Arthur to give his judgment.

To make the contest fair, we’d each created our own wall. Mine was a crumbling, centuries-old stone structure covered in vines that I’d painstakingly added at the last minute. It wrapped around an English garden with a central fountain and a hidden bench in the back corner. Mature trees, rose bushes, and a host of other plants and flowers that created separate “rooms” along the stone path that meandered through the twenty-by-forty-foot space. I’d even added the sound of gurgling water and the scent of roses.

I had no idea what Marni had created, but I was pleased with my garden. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d created something so intricate and in-depth. Most of my glamouring in the past had involved hiding the book, something that only needed to be done once a month.

“Let’s tour Rowan’s garden first,” Arthur said.

When he and Marni walked around from the other side of the barrier, I heard her gasp at the sight of the long stone wall surrounding my garden. I let Arthur push open the gate and followed them both into the space. They wandered the path, taking time to smell the roses, reach into the fountain and wet their fingers, and—the true test—sit on the marble bench I’d made with carved roses on the base. Marni seemed to get more and more pissed the farther we went.

When we finished, Arthur beamed. “Beautiful. Good work, Rowan.”

I knew his approval shouldn’t matter to me, yet I felt a burst of pride anyway. I shoved it down and prepared myself for what I’d find in Marni’s garden. I hoped her attitude meant her effort wasn’t as good as mine.

We walked out of my garden, and I tried to hide my shock as we rounded the corner.

Marni had chosen to make a vegetable garden. There were rows and rows of corn, tomatoes, and green beans, but they looked unfinished, as if she hadn’t known how to create most of them. There were multiple bushes, some with strawberries, some with pea pods, and another area with carrots partially sticking out of the ground with parsley tops. In front of her brick wall, which actually looked much better than the rest of the glamour, sat a plain concrete bench.

“This wasn’t fair,” Marni protested.

“It was fair,” Arthur said. “And I haven’t even declared the winner yet.”

“It’s obvious who won,” she pouted.

“Is it obvious to you, Rowan?” Arthur asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“No,” I said, slightly worried by the concerned look on his face as he stared at his screen. “Nothing is as it seems with you Dark Set people. I can’t see you letting me talk to one of my sisters, so I’m guessing there’s some rule you withheld that makes Marni the winner.”

“Oh, so cynical, Rowan,” Arthur said, sounding amused. “And so wrong. It was a simple contest and you obviously won.

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