Sunstone's Secret by Kate Kennelly

Author:Kate Kennelly [Kennelly, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780999097731
Publisher: Emerald Light Press
Published: 2018-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

Natalie stood agape in the largest greenhouse she’d ever beheld, envying the man bent over a delicate plant specimen with every fiber of her being. Manuel was a slight, bespectacled man with tan skin and shoulder length ink-black hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. His nimble, green-stained fingers traveled from flower to flower, and Natalie longed to stay here instead of taking notes from a voice in a stone and getting beat up by Onlo every day.

Ystrelle announced their presence. “Good afternoon, Manuel, I do apologize for interrupting.”

Manuel glanced at them, gave them a curt nod, and then returned to his work. Having spent hours pleasantly engrossed in her own greenhouse, Natalie empathized. He must not get many visitors.

Ystrelle introduced her, Jules, Charlotte, and Onlo.

Natalie stepped forward first, exchanging pleasantries and asking questions and exchanging knowledge about the plant on which he currently focused his attentions. Despite the man’s obviously reclusive nature, she nonetheless felt she’d found a kindred spirit and longed for the opportunity to spend days learning from him. But, there was a mission to accomplish. “Would you mind answering some questions for us about the virus that killed off the mages two thousand years ago?”

“Yes, absolutely. It’s a subject that’s rather a hobby of mine. You’re Healer Natalie Desmond of Desmond’s Fever, aren’t you?”

Don’t. Call. It. That. She heard Jules and Charlotte stifling chuckles behind her.

She pursed her lips together. “I am.”

“Please let me congratulate you on your extraordinary work.”

“Uh, thank you. So what can you tell us about the mages in Bridhe and Jyrenn’s time?”

“I believe the knowledge you seek starts with these plants here.”

She listened eagerly to his explanations of how he’d bred and crossbred generations of flowers, observing how they passed their traits to their offspring. Natalie often asked questions, which Manuel answered in great detail.

By the end, she asked the most pertinent question. “So how does this apply to the death of the mages in Bridhe and Jyrenn’s time?” She glanced at Charlotte and Jules for their thoughts. Jules’s eyes were glazed over, and Charlotte pushed at the quicks of her fingernails. Onlo had nodded off to sleep, his shoulder resting against a pillar. She cleared her throat loudly, causing Jules and Charlotte to jump.

Smothering a grin, Natalie had an idea. “Manuel, my fellow Healers don’t share my love of plants. Could you give us an example of your theory, using human traits?”

Removing his spectacles, the scientist carefully folded them and pointed one end at Jules. “Certainly. To understand the virus, you must first understand how powers are passed on to offspring. If you, Healer Rayvenwood, had children with the Princess Heir, your children would be more likely to be Attuned to an Isle and have mage abilities, because you are both Attuned and mages. It’s not a guarantee, but it is more probable. Whereas if you and Healer Desmond had children, it’s more likely your children would be Attuned but less likely to be mages. Although the possibility still exists because you, a mage, would be their father.

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