The Given Garden by S K Munt

Author:S K Munt [Munt, S K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S.K Munt
Published: 2015-05-31T04:00:00+00:00

19.

Karol was the first one of us to speak. ‘What did you just say?’

Martya smiled at him, and I saw colour grace the apples of her too-round cheeks. ‘The spray I treated my garden with worked,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t touched by the locusts at all. And not only is the formula that I have created natural and without toxins- but the key ingredient is so common, that it could be produced in large quantities at a very low cost.’

The room burst into a hum of anxious chatter as the Given girls stared at Martya like she had a second head, and the king stared at her as though she’d spoken in archaic French.

‘Your crops weren’t eaten?’ the king demanded, looking more sceptical than excited.

‘Not so much as a pinprick of a hole on any leaf or fruit. Not the tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots, watermelons-’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I demanded, speaking out of turn but who cared? Clearly I’d already failed table manners- I may as well take a hit on conversational decorum too!

Martya gave me a pointed look. ‘I was going to, but we ended up discussing something else, remember?’ Her eyes darted to Kohén then back to me. ‘And then you were in quite a hurry to get down to dinner...’

My mouth fell open. What was she playing at? Of course I’d want to discuss her experiment before my non-existent love life!

‘Your crop is tiny!’ the duchess protested. ‘I saw it last week on one of my walks. Why would the locusts target it with the larger gardens there for the taking?’

‘My garden produces the largest produce of any of the palace ones, thanks to Larkin.’ Martya said calmly. ‘And it is between two of Eden’s- both which were eaten while mine remains in perfect condition.’ She smiled, turning her attention back to the king. ‘The results are really quite clear, and very staggering. It is a lot to expect you to take me at my word, and I know it is almost sunset and that you have places to be- but if you’d like to go and see it with your own eyes…’

‘I absolutely would,’ the king stood up from his chair, looking animated at last and years younger. ‘This very minute.’

‘I’d like to see this too!’ Maryah announced, standing up in tandem with the duchess. ‘Just imagine- one of MY girls, curing the locust problem! I’m so proud!’

‘Do not excite yourself prematurely, Maryah,’ the duchess hurried to say, but I could see that she was looking at Martya in a way that she’d never looked at any of us. ‘Hopes are the worst things to have dashed.’

‘I’d rather think that having the pumpkins dashed was worse,’ Kohén joked, but he slapped Martya’s shoulder in the way he used to pat me as she strolled by, looking positively smug. ‘Well done.’

‘Thank you, your highness,’ Martya said smugly, and she was gloriously pretty in that moment.

‘Well if we’re going to go see this garden, we must do so quickly for our ship is waiting for us to set sail,’ the duchess said.

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